Webster's Pages Say Summer!

When Webster's Pages introduced their new Clean & Simple paper collections, I said YES!  Yes to the same beautiful quality paper and yes to the solid patterns and backsides!  (Having a solid backside myself, I was pretty excited about this design change:)

I thought the  wonderful "Sunday Picnic" line would be perfect for my June Sketchy Challenge for Canadian Scrapbooker.  

Another fantastic sketch by the talented Jill Sarginson!

 
And here is my layout, featuring BabyOfTheFamily....

Sweet Summertime

The journaling strips are on top of a Magenta chipboard sun, which I first painted yellow and then sprinkled clear iridescent Craft & Glitz glitter on top while the paint was still wet. 

For my title, I put the Webster's alphabet stickers on small die cut scalloped circles that I cut with my Cricut.  The large orange scalloped flower layer behind the photo is also cut with my Cricut.  The pink butterfly is a wonderful Martha Stewart Punch layered over a solid butterfly shape I cut in the shape of the punch.  Martha also helped with the the punched scalloped borders.


The orange paper surprised me....I rarely use orange in my designs, but I think it does make this page brighter and happier...just like summer :)


Pop by the newly updated Sketchy Challenge web page over at Canadian Scrapbooker.  

It's now a gallery where you can register, upload your layouts, view and comment on other designs quickly and easily.  And there is always the chance for your layout to be published in a future issue!
 
Even more good news....Sony has an exclusive offer for Canadian Scrapbook magazine readers!  Click HERE and learn more about the S-Frame photo printer that doubles as a digital photo frame.

SONY ROCKS!!!!!!!!!

It's That Time of the Month

Half the fun for me in writing my blog is coming up with titles for my posts.  Sometimes I'm boring and just type the obvious, like "Sketch Challenge".....but most often I want my title to be catchy or clever :)


I'm not sure if this post's title falls into the clever category, but it is time to blog about the sketch challenges I participate in at the beginning of every month.


Today I am featuring the layout I designed with the Urban Scrapbook monthly kit....and our sketch challenge was SIX photos.  Yes, SIX.  I think Lynette is looking forward to designing future sketches with fewer photos :)


I thought a multi-photo single layout would work well for a vacation or travel page, so I decided to use photos from our family trip to Europe back in 2007 (when I was still young and beautiful).


My husband convinced (begged) me to travel to Europe with our 3 young children.  Do I regret it?  Was it the trip of a lifetime?  The answer is "no" to both questions.


The trip had its challenges, for sure, like "No, mom, we don't want to see Picasso's famous painting" (while in Madrid).  Guess who sat outside with the kids while DAD went into the Sofia Museum??


Of the 4 weeks we spent in Europe, we were in Spain for 7 days....on the coast and then in Madrid.  The beauty of southern Spain and the coast is breathtaking.  We had a wonderful time.  Honest.


And here's the proof....six snapshots from our week in Spain....

7 Days in Spain

I think the red paper suits Spain, don't you?

In the kit are papers and sticker sheet from the new Echo Park collection "Note to Self", along with buttons, brown burlap ribbon (which I cut into circles and layered under my flower stickers), Tim Holtz metal numbers, Bazzill card stock and a Jillibean Soup chipboard alphabet.


Jan always plans the most wonderful kits and these monthly challenges do push me to scrapbook outside of my "design box."  To see the other amazing layouts the staff designed with this kit, click HERE and visit Urban's blog.


I cannot believe it's time for me to pick up July's new kit from Urban to design with...yikes.  But that means summer is around the corner, and in my house that also means no more making school lunches every morning!  Yahoooooo!

The Simple Stories of My Life

Last week I popped into one of my favourite blogs, Write, Snap, Scrap by Izzyb and found out about a challenge over at Simple Stories.  This got me excited because I had made a 2-page year in review back in January, and I taught it as a class at The Urban Scrapbook.  

 The "elements" papers and matching sticker sheet from this Year-O-Graphy collection was just perfect to document our entire year on one layout.

Here are a couple of close-ups of the left and right page elements...

Butterflies are made with a Martha Stewart punch and card stock

This quote is cut into strips from the Yearography patterned paper

Behind each bingo card month is a pocket that holds a tag for journalling....

I made a different stencil/mask for each tag, which is cut from kraft card stock. Then sprayed with a variety of coloured mists.

I added some SS tiny alpha stickers from the awesome Yearography sticker sheet to highlight certain words in my journaling.

  Here are snapshots of each month...

We celebrated DramaQueen's 15th Birthday

 

In February, BabyOfTheFamily turned 12

I met Tim Holtz [gasp] at a special scrapbook event and attended his amazing class

Birthday BoyGenius is 17!

May is all about volleyball tournaments

My dark hair turned grey in June when BoyGenius began driving lessons

A happy weekend away in Kelowna with friends in July

Our anniversary...happily married after 22 years

Our Calgary "daughters" come back to school at the University of Alberta

Newfoundland Michelle traveled across the country to see me, and we attended the Canadian Scrapbooker Carnival together

It's legal!  Our nephew celebrates 18 years!

This candy cane sticker is perfect to showcase December's picture of BabyOfTheFamily on Christmas morning

So that's it....our life in 2011...made simple by Simple Stories!

Why I Hate the iPhone

I couldn't resist posting a title like that.  Did it bring you in?  Do you have an iPhone?  I don't, but I have a Blackberry and love it. 


So why the negative title...with the word "hate"?


I suppose I don't technically HATE the iPhone.  In the hands of a teenage girl, however, the iPhone completely consumes.... and the eyes are always cast DOWNWARDS, checking for texts, typing texts and playing games, searching for apps, using apps....the list is endless.


No, the list doesn't end there, most definitely not.  Because what my teenage daughter LOVES about her iPhone is the camera. 


Move over Ali Edwards....teenage girls all over the world have far bypassed Project 365 and turned it into Project 3650!!


I suddenly realized this during our Spring Break holiday when I discovered that DramaQueen takes photos of everything and anything all day long.  While eating, while shopping, while "chilling".....and most often of herself.  Oh yeah, lots and lots and LOTS of photos of herself. 


And yes, this is the same daughter that always gives me THE HAND when I pull out MY camera. [check my blog post HERE to see some classic Hand pics]


So I had a really good idea, and I said to her, "Hey, do you realize that you are chronicling your entire life practically moment by moment with your iPhone photos?"  and then I expressed how much I would enjoy having some of those photos to scrapbook. 


Guess what DQ gave to me a few days later??  A memory stick, filled with her iPhone photos.  I could NOT believe it.  How lucky am I???


It turns out....not so lucky.  And some nasty feelings about the iPhone arose as I downloaded her photos onto my computer and checked them out. 


Here is the first photo....

And the next....

And the third....well, at least she got her baby sister in the shot too.

Yes, there are more!  Because there are so many apps and filters that she uses.  In fact, sometimes I feel like an alien (called the iPhone) has abducted her.  Now I have proof!

She's so thoughtful...she even included some photos of the two of us....

And I thought I didn't have many wrinkles.

At least I now know what she does during school hours....in the Girls Washroom....

Nice toilets and sink....things haven't changed much since I've been to school. Black toilet seats!

I'm thinking of enrolling her in a Photography COMPOSITION and BACKGROUND class.

How nice!  A photo of some of the volleyball team! In the Girls Washroom.

I admit, it's not all bad.  After scrolling through about 100 shots, there were about 4 iPhone photos that I am pretty pleased to have...

My birthday flowers and me.

Sisters in the van.

An affectionate moment between DQ and BOF.....shocking!

My big brother and my mother at Christmas.

Hmmm...looking at these last few photos makes me feel like there's hope that my iPhone obsessed daughter could become the family genealogist after all.

And so I was inspired to create a layout to capture this phase of crazy pics in DQ's life...

The pearls are from KaiserCraft

I used mostly Heidi Swapp new Sugar Chic papers in the monthly sketch kit at The Urban Scrapbook.  This is such a fun, colourful collection... perfect for teens!

After I finished this layout, I thought, hey, maybe the iPhone isn't so bad after all :) 

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!