Sassy Lil Sketches 12/28

I loved this sketch by Cherie over at Sassy 'Lil Sketches.  It immediately sparked some inspiration for me, so this page came together in a jiffy!

 I punched several 1 1/4" circles for the circle around the pictures and inked them with Early Espresso.  The hardest part was figuring out which pieces to adhere first without losing my circle shape!  I added a few little embellishments from K & Company.  I also used a little 3-dimensional circle from Makin Memories that said Just Us Kids for the title.  I know you can't see it, but I actually used the backing from the K & Company package for my picture base on the top right!  I finished it all up with a few pieces of ribbon - chocolate chip satin polka dot ribbon and some soft sky ric rac.  The paper is from CTMH.

Since I was on a roll, I decided to finish up the rest of the pictures with a quick and easy little layout that matched.  I also made a card out of scraps, although I just realized that I forgot to take a pic of it! 

A great two page sketch and layout!

 Liz Qualman made me a happy little scrapper yesterday!  She had this gorgeous two page sketch that was just perfect for my style!  I love the streamlined look of this layout - and what a bonus to find a two page layout!  So, here is the layout that I made using her sketch. 

I found some Easter paper still hanging around in the patterned paper stash, so I thought this would be a great way to finish up last year's Easter photos.  (Yes, I realize that I scrap completely out of season!)  Anyway, the papers are SU.  The flowers are actually part of the patterned paper that I cut out, sponged and curled the edges to give them a more realistic look.  I also punched out a 3/4" circle and embossed it with tiny polka dots to give it another dimensional look.   I added that darling little crocheted duck from Making Memories vintage line and a row of purple flowers by Jolee's Boutique across the bottom. 

Here is a closeup of the corner so you can see the flowers and sweet little duck!  Aren't they adorable?!?!?

Ink:  Early Espresso

Paper: Orchid Opulance, So Saffron, Spring Designs DSP

Accessories:  3/4" punch, flowers (Jolee's), duck (Making Memories), polka dot embossing folder for Sizzix Big Shot

Trip with the youth

Well, blogger is not letting me add any more pics.....it annoys me quite a bit sometimes.  Anyway....

I'm on a trip with our youth group, so it's nice to have My Digital Studio on my laptop so I can actually make a scrapbook page while we're hanging out! 

I used a sketch from Sketchabilities (the one blogger won't let me load!) for the top layout.  Then, I just took the same layout and changed up some of the elements to create the second page for the layout. 

I used the Night and Day specialty paper and a vintage overlay for the base of the layout.  I used the Extreme Elements stamp brush for the accents. 

Now....here's to hoping that I get more than 5 hours of sleep tonight!  LOL!

Liz Qualman sketch

Here is a layout I made using Liz Qualman's sketch at the Imaginisce blog.  I love their products (even though I don't have any...it's okay to drool, though, isn't it?!?!)  Anyway, this sketch was a great challenge to make a banner out of something other than flags.  While I thought about using Easter eggs, I thought it would be a little cheesy, so I decided to use flowers. 

For my color scheme, I went with a less pink and green feel and found some inspiration in the Curtain Call Color Challenge #62.

The paper and ribbon are all SU - Greenhouse Gala DSP is featured.  I also used several flowers and other embellishments from Making Memories.  The little blue rhinestones are Martha Stewart.

Scrapfit WO#34 and 12/21 Sassy 'Lil Sketch

Okay, so I have been just about to explode since I haven't gotten to play any this week.  Finally tonight I got a page done.  I've literally had the paper and pictures for this layout ready to create for over a month.  They have just sat on my desk and sat and sat....I have even gotten everything out and arranged pics, I just couldn't get any inspiration.

Enter the 12/21 sketch over at Sassy 'Lil Sketches and the Scrapfit Workout #34.  You see the sketch above.  Workout #34 is to scrap a holiday tradition or a holiday surprise.  Granted....I'm pretty sure they were thinking Christmas traditions!  I really needed to finish this Easter layout, though.  Hey, it's still a holiday! 

 So, here's what I came up with.  I broke out of my little 2-page layout box and went with a completely different page for this layout than the other pics that will be on the other side of my scrapbook when I drop the page in!  I did at least stay with the same color scheme. 
I used Wild Wasabi, Melon Mambo and Whisper White paper for this layout.  I dry brushed the edges with shimmery white acrylic paint that had Melon Mambo re-inker mixed in it.  The journaling block and the black scallop edge at the top are by Me & My Big Ideas.  The pink swatch across the top is just raffia that I had in my stash.  The rhinestones and material title that says Beautiful are by Making Memories - I swabbed Melon Mambo ink across the material so it would match the pink a little better.  At the bottom are a few ribbons from the stash and some darling new Melon Mambo pom pom ribbon that is coming out in January!  I love it!

And just for good measure....here is a funny pic from earlier today.  I told you earlier that we got snow here and we like to play in it even if it is only 3-5 inches!  Grammy and Poppy got Halleigh a sled for Christmas, so we all took turns riding it down our big hill, or the "Sled Park" as Halleigh called it (a.k.a. our back yard!).  Here is a picture of my dad going down the hill with Halleigh hidden behind him - they cackled all the way down!  Note-my dad is 64, so this is probably the most fun he's had in a while!  I think he could have stayed outside playing for even longer!  Hee hee!

The perfect gift card holder

I got the basic idea for this gift card holder from Andrea Walford and Sophia Landry's 12 weeks of Christmas emails.  I decided to create these at our last club meeting in December.  They were a big hit and they were perfect for the few gift cards we gave out.  I didn't have any waffle paper to use, so I decided to repurpose some tulle I had saved from a gift from last year and use that to pretty up the top of the gift card holder.  This was so cute and so easy!  Now....on to non-Christmas projects.  I am soooooooo ready to scrap, it isn't funny!

No dreamin'...it IS a white Christmas!

 Words just can't express the joy on my daughter's face when she awoke at 5:00 a.m. this morning to see if Santa had arrived yet.  (Well, truthfully, she awoke at 2:00 to see if Santa had come, but we just couldn't drag ourselves out of bed for pics at 2 a.m.!).  Honestly, though, when she saw the snow, she said, "Mommy, it really IS Christmas!  Look, Santa brought snow!"  This is our driveway before we drove down the hill to leave for our Christmas celebrations.  How can you not just sing that old familiar song on Christmas morning?!  For those of you who live up north (of Kentucky), it has been 11 years since our last white Christmas - I think my husband and I were first married the last time we had snow pics!  So three inches on Christmas morning is huge for us!

 So....enough babbling....I promised to share a quick and easy project I did wiith some of the girls in our youth group last weekend.  (That darn Christmas shopping and wrapping kept getting in the way!!  LOL)
The girls are just starting to scrapbook, so I wanted to keep it really simple, but still cute and adorable. 
    I made a paper bag album (after all, I didn't charge them.....they begged me to start teaching them....how could I say no to those darlings?!?!)  For my sample, I used the candy cane lane paper and kept everything super simple.  On the cover I used a few diecuts to create the shapes.  I think they are the Northern Flurry snowflakes sizzlits die and the Christmas cheer die, although I'm away from home, so I can't check.  I added some chunky red essentials glitter to the center of the snowflakes to make sure it was glitteriffic!

 Here is a sample inside layout.  I didn't photo all of them because they were so easy.  I just took a front and back of the DSP and either used a scrap strip, a scalloped edge, or a torn edge to create a simple edge for each page.  I also watercolored matching items for an embellishment on the page and the pullout tab for the pocket.  Each image was raised with a pop dot to add emphasis.

 How can you not just adore this paper?  I love, love, love this paper because it makes me want to lick it!  I love candy canes, so candy cane themed paper is totally up my alley!  Here's another super simple layout.  I made sure to put the stampin' dimensionals under the bottom part of the candy cane image so I could slide some pictures underneath. 

 Here are a few more sizzlits dies to embellish the edges of the center pages.  I added some accents to the real red letters and the little bird with my white uniball gel pen for good measure.

Here is one more layout.  It is almost identical to the candy cane image page...I just added a line of trim at the top to make it look like the ornaments really were hanging from a little garland.  I just love this trim!  I tried to buy some that was similar at the M store, but it just wasn't the same quality.....I hope they bring this trim and the gold/silver cord back again next year! 

For now, Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!