Saturday, June 30, 2012

Celebrate the 4th

While I don't traditionally send cards for the 4th of July, I thought that since I make so many cards, why not start sending them on holidays that aren't traditionally associated with cards?  And so many challenges this week are looking for red, white, and blue, so you wish is my command!

Paper is an old one from Hot of the Press.  Brads, metal frame, corrugated star, and ink are from Close to My Heart.  Red, blue, and white ribons are from my stash.  Frame stamp is Verve, Celebrate stamp is Studio G, Polka Dot stamp is Stampabilities and the little white alpha stickers are from Making Memories (they've been in my stash for at least 4 years - three more letters used :-)



Challenges:

Sketch Inspiration from Viva la Verve:

Good Fun

And another!  Just a bit of fun in a huge mess of paper as we unpacked after moving to Texas a few years back.

This layout began its life with a challenge at Sketches4All to use "Good" in the title.  They have great challenges each month and supper great members - a true family.  Please do check it out.  The sketch came from Scrapping Everyday Miracles (I used circles instead of squares).  I'm also using this layout for the Scrap Friendzy Parent Trap challenge to use twine and something that is a mess.  Frosted Designs has a circle challenge going on so I'll give it a try over there - in fact, they are the ones that gave me the idea to swap out circles for the squares in the sketch.  And this is why I do challenges - by combining pieces from several, I really feel it helps give me ideas wheere otherwise, I would stare at my multiple stash piles for hours without a clue where to start.

Papers are from Jennie Bowlin; butterflies are from CLose to My Heart; pomo pom ribbon from My Minds Eye.




Friday, June 29, 2012

Destination Imagination

Destination Imagination (known as DI) is an amazing world-wide program for kids from kindergarten through college.  It consists of a series of teams of 4-6 kids competing in their given grade level on projects that span the spectrum of art and science - maybe a play, a construction/engineering project, or in my DD's case last year, a social maketing campaign.  The kids decide the project at the beginning of the school year and spend the next 6 months developing that project 100% on their own.  Teams can be disqualified if parents assist in any way.  There is, though, one parent that acts as the team coach to ensure they don't hurt each other with scissors or saws, files the paper work, provides the meeting place, and gives them very general guidance.

This past year, my daughter's team decided to do a social marketing campaign to "solve a dilemma in the community".  They decided on a message of the importance of keeping one's dog on a leash and cleaning up after them in the park.  They created a blog, designed posters, went to local businesses to post those posters, created an email campaign, and at the final "competition", presented a skit they created to get their message out.  In any case - I urge all parents to check out the program to see if it is in your area.  It really is an amazing opportunity for your kids.  But don't let them underestimate the work and comittment and don't volunteer to be the team coach!  Having multiple pre-teens in your home every week is chaos - their collective mission seemed to be proving that thier attention span is measured in nanoseconds and that their voices could indeed be heard in Peru.

Anyway....  the layout was inspired by a sketch from the June 28 Lasting Memories layout challenge as well as a previous layout from Rochelle Spears entitled "Mwah" (her work is amazing).  I'm also using it for the Camp Friendzy challenge using multiple small pictures.

The paper and corner accents are from a Colorbok kit ("Family"); the corrugated accents are from Close to My Heart (buy them here - they are darling and an awesome value).  I often paint them but thought I would leave them natural for this layout.  The initial letters in the title are from Cricut Basic Alphabet - the remainder of the letters is from a font I cut using SCAL.


Inspiration sketch from Lasting Memories:



Inspiration layout from Rochelle Spears:

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Tanks a Lot

Just a quick clean and simple card to send to a friend.

The hangers are from a kids fashion design kit my daughter received when she was 8 - I have been begging for years to be allowed to use some.  Finally, she decided she was too old for the kit so I got to steal these darling little things.  Perfect to pair with a summer tank top!  And since it is in the 100's this week here in Dallas, nothing says summer to me more than a tank top (OK - a nice cold pool, maybe, but even our pool feels like a hot tub).

I designed the tank top cutting file in SCAL, created a shadow for each as well, and then pieced them together with the hangers.  The papers are all from Echo Park (Hello Summer collection) and the sentiment is a digital image I printed out.




Challenges include:

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Embrace Life

So in between a few layouts in progress I need to get a few simple Thank You and Hello notes out.  This one use a sentiment from a Verve stamp set (Dream Big) and several paper and twine scraps left over from recent projects that I hadn't yet cleared off my desk - love it when chaos leads to inspiration :-)

Kept this very simple using a sketch from the weekly Viva la Verve challenge and summer colors for this week's My Craft Spot and My Graphico challenges.  The Clear it Out challenge blog wanted us to use two or more ribbons - I actually used 5 different kinds of twine.



Old Friends

Hey gang!  It's layout time again with more to come.  I had a very busy weekend with friends from out of town, soccer torunaments, bringing my daughter to her first rock concert (mor eon that one in a future post), and then bringing her to soccer camp for the week.  So as busy as it was, it gave me new material for my scrapbooks.

In this case, it was a very dear friend (former colleague) who flew in from Atlanta.  That of course led to us getting lots of old friends and colleagues together and a very late night of catching up and reminiscing.  Had a blast (though I didn't quite feel very perky for an 8am soccer game the next morning....)

The layout was based on a sketch by Rochelle Spears for the June Paper Secrets sketch challenge - I love her sketches and layouts!  I'm also using this for the Camp Friendzy Bonus Challenge #2 Rips and Tears.  I am also giving it a go for Pile it On #26 Hand Made Embellishments - the calendar embellishment is effectively hadmade (see recipe below).  Party Time Tuesday is running and Anything Goes challenge - giv it a try - its a fun site.  And last but not least, PaperPlay Challenges #77 is about die cuts which covers the mats I used with die cuts from My Time Made Easy cutting files.

Scrol down for the recipe


Recipe:
  • Papers from My Minds Eye, Paper Loft (Serendipity collection), and Scrap Within Reach (Elliot collection)
  • Matt is from a cutting file from My Time Made Easy (Likker Curves file)
  • Metal embelishments (pewter "badges") from Close to My Heart (click here to purchase)
  • Silk Flowers from Spare Parts (Hobby Lobby)
  • Letters from Thickers
  • Calendar embellishments is from image I found on Google printed on distressed cardstock, cut with ragged edge scissors, and then inked up even more.  I then circled the date of the photo with a metallic gel marker
  • Sticker sentiments from Studio112

  • 

Friday, June 22, 2012

Sweet Dreams in the Caribbean

I don't usually start a layout with a title but ever since I saw a song challenge over at Scrap Friendzy, I had the song from the Eurythmics stuck in my head so I had to use it for a title - all it took was looking for the perfect picture to go with it!  This photo is from a trip we took to the Caribbean last year.  During that trip, we took a catamaran from St Kitts to Nevis - Alex was in heaven (though she hates the photo and threatened harm if I posted this on my blog)! 

The recipe for this and challenges I am entering are below the picture.




This was the sketch inspiration from My Creative Time:


This was the photo inspiration from Lasting Memories:


Challenges:

Recipe:
  • Paper = My Minds Eye (Stella & Rose and Lime Twist)
  • Cardstock = Co'Ordinations
  • Yellow Chevron Ribbon = May Arts
  • Pearl Brads = My Minds Eye Indie Chic
  • Flowers = Michael's and My Mind's Eye
  • Letters = Thickers and die cut on Cricut using a variety of fonts in SCAL
  • Embossing on "This" = Indian Corn embossing powder (really cool multi-colored embossing powder)
  • Buttons = My Mind's Eye Stella & Rose
  • Twine = hemp cord from Hobby Lobby
  • Journaling mat - both the circle and the scalloped circle were cut on Cricut using SCAL
  • Scalloped border = cut on Cricut using SCAL
  • Corner Punch on photo mat = Fiskars

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Smile with Pearls

My good friends over at Sketches4All have a challenge this month to use pearls on a card - check it out here.  This is an awesome forum and we'd love to have you join us on one or more challenges.

The card I designed used pearls from Recollections called "bling on a roll" - quite cool.  I inked up the edges of all the cardstock pieces with Cranberry ink from Close to My Heart and the sentiment is a Unity Stamp in their Itty Bitty line.  The sketch is from Unscripted Sketches #163 and the sentiment makes it perfect for this week's Paper Playtime challenge - Say it With Sentiments.



Sunday, June 17, 2012

Happy Father's Day

What a great day here in Dallas!  Hot but sunny - perfect for Hubby to do nothing other than sitting by the pool (broken arm prevents him from doing much more than sitting poolside).  To start the day, we opened the cards I made - one from DD, one from me, and I even added one from his two best friends - his dogs!  Jeff adores those two dogs and is always taking them for long walks (to the point of exhausting them frequently) or just playing in the park.

I already posted one of the cards I made - here are the other two.  The first is based on a sketch from Viva la Verve weekly challenge on Splitcoast Stampers; the second is based on a sketch from the June card challenge at Sketches4All.  The title was cut on my Cricut using SCAL; the image on the small banner is from the Happy Hello stamp set from Verve.  The image on the heart is a combination of hand-drawn lines heat embossed with some cappucino embossing powder plus doodles I dotted on with a Sharpie.


Additional challenges (I am really piling it on this week):









Saturday, June 16, 2012

Pool Time with CTMH Dotty For You

Summer's here so it's pool time!  This set of photos was from last summer when a game of pool baseball broke out with my husband as pitcher (lack of swim trunks didn't stop him, apparently).

The papers are all from Close to My Heart Dotty for You collection.  The embellishments from Soft Spoken (Me & My Big Ideas) had been in my embellishment box for ages so glad I finally used them!  And then the fabric wave and hexagon borders are from Basic Gray (Indie Collection, I think).  Letters for the title were cut on Cricut using SCAL (Friends Condensed font) - I added Liquid Glass from CTMH to the first letter of each word to create epoxy letters that popped.

Sketch was based on a PageMaps sketch from Fia's Father's Day Challenge at Sketches4All.  Other challenges include:



This is the sketch I based it on:

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Rebel Coach

I seem to be on a roll lately making layouts of my husband!  Given Father's Day is coming up, I felt he deserved to be honored in a few layouts.  In this case, he was being his typical self - a rebel who hates conforming.  On a dare, my husband shaved his head into a Mohawk for the girls soccer team he coached.  Little did they realize that he doesn't need to be dared to do such things - if it is a bit off center, he's all in!

The sketch is from Cheryl's Challenge #11 at Sketches4All.  I will also submit this to CropStop who have a banner challenge this week (#76 - It's a Celebration!) and to Cooking With Cricut #90 - Fathers Day (anything but a card).


So how did I do it? 
  • I used several strips of red and printed paper from my scrap pile (why did I keep strips less than 1" wide?  No idea.). 
  • I cut the banners from two of those strips using the Art Philosophy Cricut.  The rest of the strips went to the vertical panels, some layered, and one with a ribbon from Michael's. 
  • The primary printed paper is from 7Gypsies Paddington collection
  • The graph paper tags are actually a stamp from Verve
  • Brads are everywhere - two kinds from Spare Parts (Paper Studio) and two kinds from Recollections, and one set from JoAnnes
  • "Coach" title is from Thickers; I mounted them on red paper and fussy cut around the Thickers to get better definition against the printed paper.
  • The frame was created in Make the Cut and cut on Cricut - it's just small squares cut out of the white frame and then that white frame mounted on a solid black mat.
  • And finally, faux stitching around the edge between the square biker brads. 



This is the sketch I used:

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Daddy Diva

When my daughter was much younger, one of her favorite activities was to dress up Daddy!  He was such a trooper, even letting her friends join in.  This is just one of many such days.

The layout was based on a sketch from Stuck On U Sketches - it was similar to another sketch I used recently so I already had some ideas including using multiple papers and trims.

Recipe:
  • Background paper = My Minds Eye - Stella and Rose
  • Grey tone-on-tone paper = K&Co.
  • All other papers = Jenni Bowlin Studio Red and Black Collection
  • Burgundy Twine
  • Burgundy pom-pom trim = My Minds Eye
  • Pearl Brads = My Minds Eye
  • Scalloped border and Title - cut on Cricut using a variety of fonts and shapes



Saturday, June 9, 2012

#1 Dad

Father's Day is coming up but I guess y'all know that!  I already made a card for my Dad a few weeks back but still needed one for my husband from my daughter.  If I left it to her, he'd likely get a torn piece of notebook paper with "Yo Pop" scrawled on it :-)  Besides, it gives me a great reason to get crafty this weekend using a sketch from Mojo Monday.#244.

Except for the card base, the rest of the cardstock and the printed paper were scraps from previous projects.  The embellishments are all from Close to My Heart - the tiny blue brads, the larger cream brads (actual color is "Colonial White"), the corrugated star that I painted cream, and the button in the center of the star.  The sentiment was cut on my Cricut using the Art Philosophy cartridge.


Friday, June 8, 2012

Happy Summer!

Summer is here with a bang!  The hot weather in Texas has brought quite a few huge thunder and hail storms to Dallas this past week but we need the rain so I guess I will persevere :-)  Today was bright and sunny, though, so I thought I would make an equally bright and cheery card with some new Echo Park paper and Stamps of Life stamps I picked up last week at the Great American Scrapbook convention in Arlington TX.

Not a lot of die cuts this time - just a circle and a scallop (wrapped in twine), both using the Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge.


Challenges:




Sunday, June 3, 2012

Queen's Jubilee

We're celebrating the Queen's jubilee this weekend - 60 years on the throne - second longest in history behind only Queen Victoria.  You may be thinking - but Lisa - you're from Texas!  So true!  But I lived in London for seven years, met my husband there (he's English), had my baby there (which makes her a dual citizen), left my heart there when I moved to the states, have family and friends throughout the UK .....  So there you go. 

I have always admired the flag of Great Britain and thought I would create a file in Make the Cut to cut on my Cricut.  Had to make a few adjustments since despite appearances, the flag is not actually symmetrical and since this is being sent to my very English in-laws, I had to make sure to get it right!

I also view this as a bit of a Memorial Day card but maybe not in the traditional sense.  It obviously reminds me of the UK which reminds me of several friends that are officers in the British military who were some of the first to go into Iraq and before that other conflicts including Burma, Ivory Coast, and some very nasty ordeals in Serbia and Northern Ireland.  Their motto is always "For Queen and Country" so stay well, gentlemen, protecting the Queen, the country, and for always being by America's side.

Challenges:

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Clean and Simple Thanks

Had a great time at a scrapbook convention today and came home with lots of goodies.  A friend went with me and offered to drive so this is the thank you for her (not to mention thanking her for her patience as I had to look at EVERYTHING and felt obligated to help the economy by buying from everyone!)

Recipe:
  • Paper = Colorbok
  • Cardstock = Bazzill
  • Flower/leaf stamp = Close to My Heart + CTMH ink (denim, olive)
  • Thanks sentiment = Fiskars stamp + Zing embossing powder (Denim) though the embossing doesn't show up well in the photo)
  • Dots = Candi (Price Charming)
  • Embossing folder = QuicKutz (Jubilant)

Challenges:

No Paparazzi, Please

Love this picture of my daughter from 9 years ago.  She loved that little car!  The papers are all from ColorBok including the butterflies that I fussy cut and the light and dark pink cardstock are Co'Ordinations.  I blinged the petals of the flowers and letters with Stickles, added Liquid Glass to the butterfly wings, and added a lot of eyelets (love those challenges that encourage you to use items that have gone unused for ages).

(Please ignore the mis-spelling of "Paparazzi" - I didn't even realize it until I took the photo.  I'll work on removing and re-cutting it tonight)

Challenges:







This is the sketch from Stuck on U sketches that I used :

Friday, June 1, 2012

Lawn Fawn Stamp Giveaway

Do y'all love Lawn Fawn stamps as much as I do?  And how about Ginger Snap Scraps new e-store?  Well the two have combined forces and are offering the chance to win ALL SEVEN of the new Lawn Fawn stamp sets.  Check out the Facebook page here:  Ginger Snap Scraps Facebook Giveaway