Can You Believe It?

I didn't post on this blog for over a year and now I have posted two days in a row! What can I say? I got hooked on challenges this week. That might just be the ticket to getting me back into the papercrafting world.

I started with the challenges over at Scrappin' Mojo. Those gals can always inspire me. Then I came across this sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches.

I really liked the diagonal stripe across the card, so I started digging through my stash. I came across a chipboard cherry embellishment that I knew would be perfect for the Mojo Tutti Fruity Challenge. That helped me decide that I wanted a vintage type of look for my card.

I ended up using a piece of "Core Impressions" paper that I had been saving for a long time. I sanded it a bit to reveal the inner core through the embossed polka dots, added some lace, buttons, vintage print papers, inking, and sewing. I REALLY like the end result!

I have bookmarked the Freshly Made website and you will also find a link in the sidebar. I will definitely be keeping an eye on their sketches each week. They are GREAT inspiration for someone like me who needs to start using some of that mountain of craft stash that I have been keeping for years!

Hello...... Hello...... Can Anyone Hear Me?

Just checking to see if this blog even works anymore..... LOL!

Life has kept me pretty busy this past year. It was my daughter's senior year in high school and between college visits, fundraisers, trips, track meets, and various other competitions it seemed like we were constantly on the run.  School and family took up most of my time. I don't think I have scrapbooked in over a year. I did create the occasional greeting card, but other than that my supplies have just been gathering dust.

Last week that all changed.

I came home after teaching a week in our summer credit recovery program and I logged on one of my favorite websites: Scrappin' Mojo. (There's a link in the sidebar if you are interested.) It just so happened that the gals were hosting a summer crop full of WONDERFUL challenges. The timing was perfect!

So far I have finished 4 challenges, creating 4 cards, three of which I will share with you. (The other one..... I am not so happy with.... If you want to see it, you will have to visit the website.

CARD 1

This card is for the single layer challenge. That in itself is something I rarely do. I also decided to try a new stamping technique. I grabbed a small rectangular acrylic block and inked it up. Then I spritzed it with a water mist so the ink would bead up. Then I stamped directly on the paper. After my rectangles dried I went back and added the flower stamping and dry embossed some lines above and below the image.

CARD 2

 



This one was for a polka dot challenge. I LOVE polka dots! I used one of my many embossing folders to emboss the bottom edge of the card. Then I dry embossed some lines above that to create an area for my stamped greeting. I raided my flower drawer and found a printed plastic flower, a chipboard flower, and a rhinestone sticker flower. I stacked all of those to create my own unique flower at the top of the card.

CARD 3

 

 

This one was for the watercolor challenge and was inspired by a card on Pinterest. I used the same technique that I mentioned earlier, this time inking up a larger acrylic block with several different colors of distress ink. Then I spritzed it with water and stamped on watercolor paper to create the background. I blotted it with paper towel and allowed it to dry before stamping the image with black ink.

 

The summer challenges have been extended through this week, so I am hoping to get a couple more done. Who knows? I may even get out some pictures and scrapbook a page or two!

Rain, Rain............ GO AWAY!!

I know that April showers bring May flowers, but enough is enough......

It seems like we have had rain, showers, thunderstorms, and even tornado watches more this year than EVER before. We really want to till up our garden, but it seems that every weekend when we have time, it's just too wet.

Oh well..... if I'm going to stay indoors I might as well scrapbook, right???

Last weekend I finished up this layout........



It's for the "Monthly Mojo Master" challenge over at Scrappin' Mojo. One of the gals selects a sketch that only she sees. She then posts instructions for us to follow, one step at a time, until finally we have a finished page. It's really fun and it's a great way to get a page done, even if you only have a little bit of time each day. If you want to try something fun, give it a try next month!

Chopped Week Three

I've been participating in the "Chopped" Challenge over at Challenge Masters and this week, I think I created my new FAVORTIE layout!! Our recipe for this week was to use white, cardboard, and stitching. As soon as I saw the recipe I knew exactly which photo I wanted to use. I had a photo of sweet little Kari, back when she one and a half or two years old, all dressed in white, sitting on a white carousel horse. I also knew what technique I wanted to use. I took 4 or 5 different border punches and punches strips of white cardstock. Then I placed them on a sheet of vanilla cardstock and sewed each one down. Here's a closeup:



As for the cardboard, I used my Big Shot to die cut 3 small butterflies. Then I pulled off one layer, painted them white, and added some coarse glitter. Here's a look at them:



Before I show you the finished layout, I have to give some credit to my biggest inspiration. Several years ago I started scrapping with some wonderful gals over at Scrappin Mojo. It was there that I met Niki Willaert. I immediately felt myself drawn to her feminine, nostalgic layouts and projects. I found myself oohing and aahing at everything she posted. The whole time that I was working on this layout I found myself thinking, "What would Niki do??" No joke.... I think I actually tried to channel her creativity into my work....LOL! I would love for you to get to see some of her work too. Visit her blog to see some of her beautiful inspiration! http://petalstopolkadots.blogspot.com/

Now for my finished layout.... Before I show it to you, let me say that it is much prettier in person.



This is truly my favorite layout, I think. I love the way all of the little touches blended together to create a frilly, lacy, girly page! Thanks Niki for your inspiration and Thanks Challenge Masters for the recipe!

My Latest

I'm not getting much time to scrapbook since school started back. It seems like I spend a lot of time grading papers, planning lessons, and doing other odds and ends connected to school.

I've had a 2 page spread laying on my scrap table for weeks now and it just isn't going anywhere, so today I decided to take a break from that one and work on something else. I visited Scrappin Mojo and decided to try my hand at one of the new September challenges. The sketch challenge seemed easiest: go somewhere and find a sketch, use it as inspiration. I LOVE Page Maps so I decided to look there. I found one from September 2009 that would work perfectly with a couple of photos of my poor son during his BETA Club initiation last year. I really like the way it turned out.