HIMCR #363 - Christmas In July

Hello, everyone! Happy Saturday to you! I hope you have some fun things planned this weekend. We are supposed to get a little much needed rain this weekend so I plan to get some scrapping done.

It's time for a new challenge at Hiding In My Craft Room today and I'm a little sad as it is my last challenge with them. I have been on the team for a year and have enjoyed my time there immensely. Laurie and all of our sponsors are a pleasure to work with.

On to the challenge - this is the last Saturday of the month, which is any holiday, but since we have done "Christmas In July" all month long, we want to see your Christmas projects.

Our sponsor this week is A Day for Daisies and the giveaway is a $12 gift certificate to their store.

For my card, I chose to work with the Pretty Ornaments digi stamp.

I colored the image with my Shinhan markers and then went over each one with my Wink of Stella pen to give them a little sparkle. The sentiment is a stamp from The Ink Road - Fir Real - stamp set.

Head on over to Hiding In My Craft Room to see the beautiful projects from the rest of the design team. We hope to see you playing along this week!

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Have a great day!

Scrap Our Stash - July Blend a Sketch Challenge

Hello, everyone! Happy Friday to you!

Today is my day to share my take on the Scrap Our Stash July Blend - A - Sketch challenge. Along with blending the two sketches, you are to add some sequins to your layout. Here's a look at the sketches:

Here is what I came up with. I used the overall layout of the second sketch and from the first sketch, I took inspiration from the big banner journaling box and the placement of it.

This is a layout of my daughter and son-in-law's house and yard. She told me that they'd had a little bit of excitement. They had gone to the store and when they returned, there was a note under Ada's soccer ball by their front door. It said that their yard had been chosen for "Yard of the Month" for July! The garden club came and took pictures of it and did a little interview for a story for the paper and for their Facebook page. They made sure to include what a good helper that Ada is with watering the flowers!

Abby and Shawn were so excited and so were we when they told us!

I made sure to add my sequins into my embellishment clusters. Here are a couple of close-ups:

All papers and embellishments are from the latest Simple Stories - I Am collection.

Be sure to stop by Scrap Our Stash for more design team inspiration. I would love to see your take on this fun challenge!

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Have a great day!

Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #274

Hello, hello! Happy Tuesday to you! I hope that you are having a good week.  We have gotten a break from the heat and humidity the last couple of days and it has been so nice! Now, if we could just get a little rain around here. It's in the forecast for the weekend and we are keeping our fingers crossed.

Today I am sharing my take on this week's fun sketch at Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge. Michelle has created another great sketch for us to work with:

I'm beginning to think that I have some strange aversion to ovals and I have no idea why! I am always substituting some other shape for them...I even bought a set of oval dies and I still don't use them. I think I just need to get in the habit of pulling them out and using them - maybe then I will reach for them more often.

I used the Amy Tangerine - Oh Happy Life - 6x6 paper pad and sticker pad for this card. I love these pretty colors together! Since I can't seem to leave a background just plain white, I embossed the background with my swiss dot embossing folder. The "thanks" die cut word is from Carta Bella's - Flora No. 2 collection.

Have you had a chance to play along yet? I would love to see what you create with this sketch. Head on over to Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge and join the fun!

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today! I hope you have a great day!

Use Your Stuff #322 - Anything Goes (With a Sentiment or Title)

Hello and Happy Monday! It's the start of a new week and the start of a new challenge at Use Your Stuff!

This week our challenge is - Anything Goes - with a twist - you must include a sentiment or a title on your project.

Since I am looking for any excuse that I can to make Christmas cards right now,  I took advantage of the "Anything Goes" challenge and did just that.

I am using up my scraps from the Doodlebug - Here Comes Santa Claus - 6x6 paper pad. I based my card off of this sketch that Connie posted over in the 100 Pattern Paper Challenge Facebook group for this week:

This sketch was perfect to help me get some of those scraps used up. I even found the sentiment piece in my scraps.

Head on over to Use Your Stuff to see the projects from the rest of the design team. We hope you have some time to play along with us this week!

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today! I hope you have a great day!

Sketch N Scrap Card Sketch #126

Happy Friday! Are you ready for the weekend? I sure am!

Sketch N Scrap has the last sketch of the month posted today. Lisa has created a great sketch for us to work with.

This is such a fun sketch and I am sure I will be using it again soon.

I decided to take a break from the Christmas cards that I have been making and I created a birthday card using the Simple Stories - Posh - collection. This is one of my all-time favorite collections and I am going to be so sad when I use it all up. The cute little cupcake is from the bits and pieces die cut pack and the sentiment is from a Sizzix stamp and die set.

Head on over to Sketch N Scrap to see the beautiful creations from the rest of the design team. You have until the 31st to play along with any and all of our blog challenges. I would love to see what you create.

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today! Have a great day!

Sketches In Thyme #333

Hello, everyone! Happy Tuesday to you! I hope that your week is off to a good start. It has been hot and dry around here. Our poor yard is more brown than green. We have had rain all around us the last couple of days - we just can't get lucky enough to have it rain here. Maybe we'll get lucky before long.

Today is my day to be featured at Sketches In Thyme. This week we are working with a sketch created by Brenshevia:

Ada had been wanting one of these big inflatables since the start of summer. When we went to Springfield for our "Girls Day" shopping trip, we found this swan on sale for 40% off. Abby got it for Ada and then Ada was ready to go to Nana's to try it out! Ada thinks it is pretty cool. The rest of us not so much! That thing is hard to get on and then hard to stay on once you're on it!

For my layout I used the packaging technique with my Tim Holtz Mermaid Lagoon distress ink to get the water effect on my background. I used Echo Park's Summer Dreams collection for my photo mats banners, and embellishments.I opted to use an embellishment cluster in place of the smaller photo. For now I am using the "hello sunshine" sticker as my title. I played around with a few different titles above the photo, but I really didn't care for any of them.

Be sure to check out Sketches In Thyme - we have inspiration every day of the week!

I hope you get a chance to play along with us!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a great day!

Scribbles Designs Challange #67 - Fun in the Sun

Hello again! I am back with my second post of the day. If you are looking for my Sketch N Scrap reveal, please keep scrolling.

It's the start of a new challenge at Scribble's Designs Challenge Blog today. This month our challenge is - Fun in the Sun - use any kind of summer image or create a summer themed creation.

Nothing says summer like fireflies and I think these little guys in the mason jar are so cute! Talk about bringing back memories of when I was a kid. I don't think we ever put them in a jar, but we caught our fair share and then let them loose again.

I have used the Firefly Digi Paper freebie for my background - isn't it the cutest?! - and #8102 - Firefly Mason Jar. I added some yellow ink with a cotton swab to give the fireflies the glow and I added a little Wink of Stella to the wings. I love how this turned out.

Head on over to Scribbles Designs to see the "Fun in the Sun" creations from the rest of the design team. We hope you find some time to play along with us!

Sketch N Scrap #157 - I Am So Lucky

Hello, everyone and Happy Sunday to you! I can't believe that it is the middle of the month already! Summer is going by so fast.

With it being the middle of the month, that means we have a new sketch posted at Sketch N Scrap for you today. Heather has created  a great 2 photo sketch for us:

I have created a layout of Miss Ada. I am so lucky to get to spend so much time with her. It can be a little overwhelming to look down and see her looking up to me. Even on my bad days she doesn't judge me, she just accepts me for who I am. Talk about having all the feels when she looks up and says, "I love you, Nana!" She has me wrapped around her little finger and I'm pretty sure she knows it!

I have used an older paper collection from Close To My Heart - Zoe.  I have been hoarding this paper collection because I just love the colors and patterns. I thought it would be perfect for these photos.

The date strip is the manufacturer strip from one of the papers. I circled the date the photos were taken (May 18). The title is stamped using a mix of Elle's Studio Title Builder Alphabet stamp and Close To My Heart's - Colorblock Alphabet.

Head on over to Sketch N Scrap to see the layouts from the rest of the design team. We would love to see your take on the sketch. You have until the 31st to play along!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I'll be back a little later with another project to share with you.

HIMCR #361 - Super Scraps With A Twist

Hello and Happy Saturday!

Today is Super Scraps Saturday at Hiding In My Craft Room but this week there is a twist. All month long we are doing Christmas in July, so along with using your scraps, you must make a Christmas project.

Our sponsor this week is MHK Designs and the giveaway is 3 designs from the MHK Designs Etsy store.

When I picked the image to be used this week, I totally forgot that it needed to be a Christmas image and I picked a nice summertime image - the Stitched Sunflower image. So, I decided to turn the sunflower into a poinsettia flower...

I used papers from Carta Bella's - Christmas Delivery- 6x6 paper pad. The black floral piece was actually two scraps that didn't quite fit up together, but I was able to hide that by adding the red strip across the middle.

So, it doesn't look that much like a poinsettia, but it's close!

Head on over to Hiding In My Craft Room to see the projects from the rest of the design team. We hope you join us this week!

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Have a great day!

SOS Golden Globe Challenge - I Love Summer

Hello and Happy Friday! We have made it to the weekend once again!

I am so excited to be sharing my first reveal for Scrap Our Stash with you today! Here is a look at the movie board that we are to use for inspiration.

Along with being inspired by the movie board, you must also include a sun on your layout. Here is what I came up with:

When I first saw the movie board I knew I would be using a photo collage of some of my favorite summertime photos from 2017. For my sun embellishment, I used an old stamp from Autumn Leaves and added a button to the middle of it.

The journaling - "Ah, summer! My most favorite time of the year! Lots of family time, swimming in the pool at night - or really swimming in general -backyard bar-be-ques, family get-togethers, mine and Scott's birthday celebrations, fair time, beautiful flowers..what's not to love?! I love summer!"

Be sure to check out Scrap Our Stash for design team inspiration every day of the week! I hope you get a chance to play along with us - I would love to see what you create!

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Have a great day!

Counterfeit Kit Challenge - Forget Me Not

Hello, everyone! Happy Thursday to you!

The Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog has the first challenge of July up today. July is my month to pick the inspiration kit and to set the challenges and our first challenge is - Forget Me Not.

We all have them - those tools and embellishments that we just had to have and now they are pushed to the side, hidden in a drawer somewhere collecting dust - maybe even replaced by something shiny and new. I want you to pull out those unused items and put them to use! Grab those punches, brads, buttons, ribbon, rub ons, die cuts...whatever you have that you haven't used in a while and use them on a project.

For my layout, I pulled out my old paper crimper, that I had to have when I first started scrapping 20 years ago, and that hasn't seen the light of day in probably 5 years! It still works like a dream!

Here is the layout that I have created - using some of the fun red, white, and blue Fancy Pants papers from my July kit:

These are photos of Miss Ada on the Fourth of July dancing on the pool deck. She was dancing her heart out to  Miley Cyrus' - Party in the USA - song, and let me tell you, she has some moves! She is just too cute!

Here is a close-up of the crimped stars. After I put them through the crimper I inked the edges and the raised areas on the star to help it show up a bit better. Along with my crimper, I opted to use red gems in place of enamel dots, and I pulled out a label punch for my journaling - something else that hasn't been used nearly enough.

I based my layout on this PageMaps sketch from this month:

Head on over to Counterfeit Kits Challenge to see what forgotten items the rest of the design team used. We would love for you to play along with us!

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope you have a great day!

Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #272

Happy Tuesday! I hope that you are all doing well today! We are back to hot temps and high humidity after a nice cooler weekend. It looks like our pool will be getting lots of use this week!

This week's sketch is up at Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge and it is a fun one!

I have created a Christmas card to add to my supply for this holiday season. I am still using on my Doodlebug - Here Comes Santa Claus - 6x6 paper pads. I love this line as much now as I did when it came out a couple of years ago! I still have one full - or almost full - paper pad left...to use it on cards and layouts, or save it for if I do December Daily...decisions, decisions!

This week we are once again teaming up with the Double Trouble Challenge blog. 

They have a fun challenge going on - part of it being to use this week's Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge, so head on over and check it out! I couldn't quite get my card to work with the challenge, but plan on making another one specifically for that challenge.

The full design team reveals will be tomorrow on the Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge blog, along with last week's Top 3. We do hope to see you playing along with us this week!

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope you have a great day!

Use Your Stuff #320 - Mood Board

Hello, hello! Good Monday morning to you! Are you ready for the new week? Ready or not - here it is!

We have a new challenge posted today at Use Your Stuff. This week it is another fun - summery mood board:

I  was inspired by the colors and the cup of coffee in the bottom right corner.

For my card, I have used Echo Park's - For the Record 2 - for my papers, and the stamp is from Close To My Heart - S1703 - Tearrific.

I stamped the cup and sentiment in desert sand ink and I really like how it turned out!

Head on over to Use Your Stuff to see how the mood board inspired the rest of the design team.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Have a great day!

LM $403 - All About Me - Document Your JOB

Hello, hello! Good Sunday morning to you! Sadly, vacation has come to an end and it is back to the old "summertime" routine. I always love it when hubby has a vacation and we can all spend time together. Tomorrow it is back to work for him and time for me to get with it before summer break is gone (there's still so much to do!) and I have Ada again each day.

Lasting Memories has a new challenge posted today. This month the theme is "All About Me" and our challenge this week is to document your job - current job, past job, dream job, everyday tasks that seem like a job...

I decided to document my first job.

Right after I graduated from high school I got a part-time job at a local gas station as a cashier. This is a current photo of the station - which is no longer a gas station -  it is now a travel information center.

I worked the afternoon/evening shift which was 2 pm until closing at either 7 or 8 pm - I can't remember which! I wonder why my parents even agreed to this job - here it was - a gas station right along the interstate in a little "village" (population 175), in the middle of nowhere, with not much else around for miles, I was 18 and there were no other workers there. Nowadays you couldn't pay me enough to do that!

It wasn't too bad of a job. We never were very busy and since the station sat along the interstate and Route 66 we got a lot of tourists from other countries stopping in for gas. Most of the time they knew enough English to get them through and once in a while they would have their kids come in to interpret for them.

One time we had the Emerson Fittipaldi race team stop in for gas and we got to see the Indy 500 Marlboro race car - which was very cool! I believe it was right before he won the Indy 500 in 1989.

Not too long after I started working there I started dating Scott and there were a lot of nights that he would come by after he got off of work and stay with me until closing. Sometimes to pass the time between customers - because they could be few and far between - we would play frisbee in the parking lot.

Only once did I get really scared of a customer. I had a...sketchy...scary...creepy - you pick an adjective - truck driver stop in. Truckers stopped in quite a bit to use the restroom and get a drink or something to eat and then would be on their way. This guy came in and sat at the little table inside - just watching me and eating pistachios - I remember that because he made such a mess with them! It was almost time to close, and of course, it was a night that Scott didn't stop by or the owners, Tom and Mary Ann didn't come up to close, so I was all by myself. I finally had to tell him we were closing and he got up and left without a problem, but then he sat across the road in his truck until after I left. I'm sure he was harmless, but my 18 or 19-year-old self was scared!

I worked there for about 2 years until I had Abby and became a stay at home mom. All in all, not too bad for a first job.

For my layout, I used an older collection from Close To My Heart - Some Kind of Wonderful - and based my layout off of this sketch from Citrus Twist:

I had so much to say (see above!) so I had to "hide" my journaling behind the photo!

I have really been enjoying making some layouts about me - especially this one. I don't know if I would have actually told his story if I hadn't had this challenge.

We would love to see what you create, so come on over to Lasting Memories and join us!

HIMCR #360 - Christmas Colors

Hello everyone! I hope you are having a good weekend. It has been a full, busy week of vacation and it's going to be nice to get back into a routine again.

Hiding In My Craft Room has a new challenge posted today, and since it's the first Saturday of the month it is a color challenge. This week we want you to use Christmas colors on your project.

This week our sponsor it Fred, She Said and the giveaway is a $10 gift certificate to their store.

This week I had the pleasure of working with the Emma & The Snowball pre-colored image.

For my card, I used the Christmas Basics and Very Merry Christmas 6x6 paper pad from The Paper Studio. I die cut the image into a circle and then added it to a scalloped circle. The sentiment is from Neat & Tangled - Simple Christmas stamp set.

Be sure to stop by the Hiding In My Craft Room blog to see the projects from the rest of the design team. We would love it if you played along with us!

Thank so much for stopping by today! Have a great day!

Sketches In Thyme PL Style #105

Hello and Happy Friday! I can't believe it's Friday already! This vacation week has sure gone by fast, but it has been fun.

Since it is the first Friday of the month that means we have a new sketch posted at Sketches In Thyme PL Style. Shawn has created a great journal card for us to work with this time around:

Here is the card that I created:

Sadly, I haven't had much of a chance to work on my PL album this summer like I had planned. I am hoping to change that this next week and at least get the photos in the sleeves, and hopefully, a few layouts actually completed!

I have used a mix of Elle's Studio - Family Fun and Sunny Days - 6x6 paper. The arrow is from the Family Fun puffy stickers and the little puffy hearts are from American Crafts. The ice cream cone is from EK Success.

Here is the companion photo to the journaling card:

And a close-up of the photo. Both of the die cuts are from Elle's Studio and I just love those tiny heart puffy stickers!

This journaling card and photo will be added to my Week 20 spread for this year. I am hoping to share that completed spread later this week!

Head on over to Sketches In  Thyme PL Style to see more inspiration for this sketch.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope you have a great day!

Counterfeit Kit Challenge - Forgeries on the Fourth

Hello, everyone! Happy 4th of July to all of you in the US! Do you have anything fun planned for today? Our daughter and her family, and hopefully my sister and niece, will be coming over for swimming, a bar-be-que, and fireworks. I cannot wait!

Since today is the fourth, that means we have some forgeries for you on the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog.

We are counterfeiting the June 2018 kits from The ScrapRoom this month.

June 2018 Flavors of the Month

When I put my kits together, I counterfeited the Bella Blvd Dad Style from the Flavors of the Month kit pictured above. I didn't have anything too close to it, but I pulled out some masculine papers and this is what I came up with:

As you can see, I don't have a lot of embellishments for this kit! So, I set to work creating my own! I concentrated on the papers to the left for my forgeries.

What did I forge? Let me show you.

I looked up the chipboard stickers and ephemera pack online to see what all was in it. They were filled with clocks, hexagons, circles, hearts, shoes, and phrases. I pulled out an old clock face stamp set that I have, my punches, dies, and washi tape and went to work.

I took my washi tape and lined it up three times on a piece of cream cardstock.

I then used my hexagon dies and punch, my circle punches, and my heart punch to cut out some shapes in the washi tape that will match my papers.

I got the idea for this next forgery from The ScrapRoom's DT member Lisa in their Facebook group - printing directly onto the washi.

I ran my paper through the computer once, then added the washi tape directly on top, and made a border strip - like the paper in the original collection, and some circle embellishments. Just be careful handling this after you print it because it smears easily until it has a chance to sit for a while.

Here is a look at all of the embellishments ready to be put on some layouts:

I think these embellishments will work well in a cluster or maybe even layered on a tag. I can't wait to put them to use!

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope you have a wonderful day!