May Sketchy Challenge

National Scrapbook Day has come and gone...and I am still in creative heaven after spending 3 days on a scrapbooking retreat with the amazing team from Canadian Scrapbooker magazine.  Good times, belly laughs and special friendships....all make for the perfect scrap happy event!

Today I thought I'd share my layout for the monthly Sketchy Challenge over at www.canadianscrapbooker.ca  

Here is the sketch by Jill Sarginson....

 And here is my layout....

BabyOfTheFamily is a child of nature and is happiest outdoors, enjoying God's creatures, great and small.

Did I interpret this sketch exactly or what?? ha ha!


I couldn't help it really.  The KaiserCraft papers were perfect for my design concept ....and I had a wonderful sheet of raw chipboard from Magenta (the tree, grass, clouds and sun).

The layered chipboard animals (including Bambi here) and stickers are all from the KaiserCraft "Tiny Woods" collection.  So Cute!

I decided to alter the Magenta chipboard pieces with Clearsnap's new Donna Salazar Mixed Media Inx and embossing powders....LOVE them!

After inking and embossing the clouds with "Jasmine", I edged them in blue "Denim" ink. 

The tree is actually stamped with a Magenta leaf stamp, but the leafy images are masked by the UTEE.  The trunk is inked and embossed with Donna Salazar "Leather."

These are pigment inks and are wonderful to work with.  In fact, I'm determined to do more stamping, embossing and inking techniques on my layouts.  I am so lucky to be able to learn from the amazing Cathie Allen, who is a creative genius when it comes too ALL things crafty.  The way she uses stamps and inks is.....WOW.

You know what I love most about the Donna Salazar Mixed Media Inx?  Their names! ha ha!
"Mossy....Leather....Denim....Jasmine....Chiffon...."

A whole bunch of YUMMY.

Here's a deep dark yearning of mine: I want a job naming inks!  Yes I do.  In fact, at the retreat last weekend, I announced this "wish" of mine and did some brainstorming of ink names. 

Mind you, this collection of inks is for crafters who are age 40+  ....

Varicose Vein Purple

Alimony Green

Age Spots Brown

Hot Flash Red

Grey Hair

What do you think?  My own line of Distress Inks to create that "Aged Look."  

Will Clearsnap hire me? 

Mother's Day Cards

When my turn came around again to do a blog post for Canadian Scrapbooker magazine this week, I was excited that the date was in May....because I wanted to share another flower technique and Mother's Day is coming up.

I was also excited about a new Spellbinders Donna Salazar die I bought called "Bitty Blossoms."

Spellbinders Donna Salazar "Bitty Blossoms"

I have been enjoying making my own simple spiral roses lately, and when I saw this die, I  wanted to give it a try.

Check.  It.  Out.  I am ALL OVER this Spellbinders die! 

I LOVED the results....I was making flowers day and night! (slight exaggeration)

I made a card featuring the simple spiral roses and another card using this Spellbinders die.....both with Karen Foster's Mother's Day patterned paper. 

Hmmmm....I just might have to give one of these to MYSELF on Mother's Day.

Here's a closer look at the roses on the card...

They are so pretty clustered together with a ribbon.

 If you'd like to see how I made both of these types of spiral flowers, I created a detailed step-by-step photo tutorial over at the Canadian Scrapbooker's website posted on Jackie's blog called "Tuesday With The Team."  Click HERE to see the tutorial.


Next week, I'll be posting a special framed Mother's Day layout on my blog that also features these Spellbinders flowers...and lots of other cool techniques!