Oh Christmas Tree

Last week's challenge at Club CK was to do a Christmas layout.  I have many, many Christmas photos that have not yet been scrapped so it was a good challenge for me.  Since I've been on a paper scrapping kick lately, I stayed with it.  I chose some pictures from A's first Christmas and started thinking.  We had two Christmas celebrations, one in Chile and then one in Canada when we went home to visit.  This one is from our Chilean celebration.

I hadn't done the pennants/banners before so I thought I'd give it a shot.  I didn't want to pop them off the page with foam dots so I decided to ink the edges to help them stand out.  Thank goodness for Fantastix to help me get into those tricky spots!

Supplies:  DCWV Christmas stack, scallop border punch from EK Success, 

ribbon, gems 

I added some gems to bring some interest to the title.

 And some more gems to the bottom right of the photos.

Family

This is another layout based on one of my Thanks Living statements.  We spent the first few days of July with my husband's family and it was wonderful, particularly after having lost his little cousin to leukemia at the end of June.  Having gone through that experience, we all realize how important family is.  I just wanted to highlight some of the fun times we had over the Canada Day weekend with that side of our family.

Supplies:  "Summerfun" kit by Just So Scrappy

Border by Splendid Fiins

Oh Canada!

For the July Thanks Living challenge, Erika talked to us about the principles of grounding and anchoring.  I guess it's something that I do much more naturally now but I never took the time to think about it.  So, while doing this layout, I let it come together as I wanted it to but then I checked to make sure that there were both aspects. 

The Thanks Living Statement that I chose to scrap was about my appreciation for the country I live in.  It's serious journalling for a "cutesy" layout but I planned it that way; I wanted to "offset" the seriousness with some playfulness.

So, how did I incorporate grounding and anchoring?  I grounded my layout with the three paper blocks underneath my photo, along with the mist on the background.  I also grounded my title onto the photo and paper blocks so it wasn't floating alone on the background.  I used my embellies, the ribbon and the journal spot to anchor the block to the background.

Supplies used:  digital kit "Canada Eh" from Peppermint Creative, scalloped border from Splendid Fiins, 

white ribbon from "Busy Little Boys" by Heather Roselli, 

digital mist by Gennifer Bursett and the dashed line by Cathy Zielske

Proud

When A was little, he loved flinging clothes out of the laundry basket and scattering them around the room.  I have a few pictures of this little escapade and decided to scrap them.  I have enough pictures to do a 2-page and a 1-page layout so this is the single one.

I used Ashley's July sketch for the "Sketch It Out" challenge over at Club CK.  Here is her sketch:

And here is my layout:

I stayed quite true to the sketch, though I did add one more strip of ribbon on the RH side and I used two smaller photos rather than three.

I also did this layout for Jenn's July challenge at Skrap 'n Chat.  She challenged us to use some of our collections that we have.  Anyone who scrapbooks knows what this means.  *blush*  I have so many different collections that it was hard to narrow it down.  So, rather than narrow it down, I embraced the challenge and used a lot of my collections!  In fact, I used three different kinds of ribbon, three flowers, three buttons, seven brads, two different mists and some washi tape.  Yep, all on one layout.  And it was surprisingly easy once I pulled everything down.  I just started laying things all around and seeing what would work together and voilà, this is what I came up with.

I cut the title out with my Cricut - I am so glad that I got SCAL when I did.  If I weren't able to use SCAL with the Cricut, that machine would pretty much be useless for me.  I don't use a ton of die cuts on my pages but I do use it for my titles - love it for that!

I decided to incorporate a little bit of deep red to pull that colour out of the one patterned paper that I used.

I layered three flowers and topped them off with a mini brad.  I also layered some washi tape onto cardstock and then punched out a border:

Whoosh!

I started this layout way back in February for a challenge set by Kirsten at SNC to show movement on your layout.  I actually completed everything but cutting out the title.  So, I decided to get that done!

I decided to use lots of circles on the layout to show movement - die cuts, buttons, stitched rounded arrows, even the scalloped border.

One Little Word Check-In

When I chose my OLW, it was to help guide me through this year.  I did well with it until March arrived and school got so hectic.  This month, we were to reflect upon how we have incorporated our word into our lives and where we need to go from here.  We were also asked to used brightly coloured paper on the LO.

Supplies used:  Jen Allyson's digital kit "Vanity Fair - Persimmon" - papers, stamps, embellies

Julie Billingsley's scalloped border and scalloped circle

I felt that the photos were very bright so I chose to use more muted colours in my paper and embellie choices.  However, they're quite busy so I figured that counted for something.  ;)

I followed a sketch from Page Maps (April 2010 #2).

The journalling reads:


Half-way through the year calls for some reflection on my journey towards peace.  I don’t feel as though I’ve made much progress at all.  I did well until March and then things at work got so, so busy and hectic and I found that I was so consumed by work and family that peace was not in my life at all.  Then along came June with Uncle Lyn’s passing, Kristin’s wedding and then Larsen’s passing, along with the tough decision to go back to high school part-time and the regular end-of-year things at school. I was so thankful for June to be done.


Now, though, that summer holidays are here and I have the time to recharge and do things for me, I feel more at peace.  I’m more in control and I don’t have anything that I have to do. Some thing that I’ve discovered does bring me peace is gardening.  Being outside and working in the dirt with plants makes me forget about everything and just be.  And what better way to find peace than to just be?
   July 2012    

Although I haven't done too well in keeping peace in my life, I do know that it is something that I NEED in my life so I will continue to strive for it.  It may end up being my word again next year but that's OK.  I think it's one of those lessons that I'm meant to learn but is a very difficult one for me.  So, I will continue to look for it.

Cute

This layout was for another challenge over at Skrap 'n Chat.  April challenged us to use a flag on our layout.  Flags are so cute and I'd been thinking about how to incorporate one.  So, I just decided to jump in.

Supplies used:  Little Yellow Bicycle's "Paradise" (patterned papers, cardstock, chipboard elements, pink stick pin)

Washi tape

Font:  Ravie

I decided to cut little flags out of white cardstock and ink it to match the colours in my LO.  I painted the toothpicks brown but it was too dark so then I covered some of it up with Smooch.  I adhered it down with washi tape.

As for the other corner, I added some chipboard elements from the LYB "Paradise" collection - I just love it!  I decided to have a title block and I edged the block with some more washi tape.

I based my layout off this one by Tania in the Club CK gallery called "All-Star".

Fun in the Sun

I did this challenge for Toree's July colour challenge - to use pink, yellow and brown on a layout.  To me, that's a hard colour combination but I always like doing the colour challenge as it stretches me and I  usually love the outcome.

I went through my photos and I found these photos of A and K at the beach.  Since K is in the picture, I thought that using a bit of pink would be OK and with them being beach pics, I instantly thought of using a sun.  Plus, her little sun hat had a touch of coral in it and her onesie was yellow.  So, it all worked.  I really like how it turned out but I wish I had placed my photos lower.  However, once you adhere the ATG glue, it's down for good.  So, it will have to stay this way, a little unbalanced but that's OK.

Here's a close-up of my sun.  I used a light yellow cardstock and then inked not only the edges but the whole piece for each section.  Then I stitched around the edges.  I'd never run into this before but I ended up having some sections where I finished on the top and not underneath.  I decided to knot the floss on top.  I figured out that I had an odd number of holes in those sections and that's why it happened.  Another thing to keep in mind while scrapping!  lol

None of the flowers I had worked with the layout so I ended up making my own.  I used one I have to make the shape and then cut them out of two different papers.  I used foam mounting tape to give it some dimension.

I wasn't sure what to do as the layout was missing a little something.  I decided to add a little bit of stitching and a button to finish it off.

Then, this past week, Erika's issue challenge was to use a sun on your layout.  Isn't that funny that I'd just thought of using a sun the week before?  :D

Gardeners

How fun is it to be able to participate in all the cool scrapbooking challenges again?!  Seriously, I'm so very happy right now - to be able to sit down and use my creativity once again for my own projects.  I'm lovin' it!  :D

This layout is for a challenge over at Skrap 'n Chat.  Kirsten asked us to use multiple photos and to use at least four patterned papers.  Using a lot of photos on a layout is not an issue for me - I do it often.  But using multiple PPs, that's a challenge for me.  I don't tend to do that as I'm never sure what patterns go with what.  But, I decided to use these papers that my friend, Devra, sent to me.  They were all within the same colour palette and being pastel, they were easier for me to work with.  In this photo, it's sort-of hard to see the different PPs so here they are:  #1 - striped background paper, #2 - vertical block on the LH page, #3 - small bracket border that goes across both pages in between the bottom photos, #4 - the block with the small circles on the RH page.  And actually the big circle border on the RH side is from a piece of PP but I decided to fussy-cut the circles and make it a border. The pretty yellow metal flower is from a friend, Melissa.

I pulled out the Cricut and cut this title.  Then I decided to outline it with a watercolour pencil to help it stand out.

I just love taking my white flowers and customizing the colour.  I used my yellow chalk to make that bottom flower match.  A button and some twine and that one was done.

Bon Fire on the Caribbean

For some reason, I never posted this over a year ago.  So, better late than never, right?  

We just got back this afternoon from a wonderful 3 days in Negril, Jamaica.  We drove that far on Saturday with the intention of dropping Grandma off at the airport Tuesday afternoon.  Unfortunately, we had some van trouble so Grandma took a shuttle to the airport in Montego Bay.  More on Negril later but Kirsi and Aidan experienced their first bon fire at the Westender Hotel, which was a great place to stay.

Kirsi and Aidan dancing at their first bon fire - Westender Hotel, Negril, Jamaica

Close up of bon fire

Bon fire at Westender Hotel, Negril, Jamaica

Enjoying the fire

Kirsi at the fire

Kirsi shaking it a the fire

Adorable

I did this layout for Erika's issue challenge last week to use die cuts on your layout.  I stretched that to include chipboard shapes.  I love these two pictures of A - he looks so chilled out and relaxed.  :)

I used washi tape for the first time on this layout - it's pretty cool!  I can imagine getting a few different colours to expand my collection.  Thanks to my friend Laurie for starting me off with the washi.  Very cool.

Supplies:  patterned paper from "Nana's Kids" from DCWV

washi tape

chipboard die cuts from Pebbles

glittery letters from Recollections 

Seashore

This is another layout that I'd done while we were in Jamaica but hadn't done the journalling.  I scraplifted this from Noel Culbertson's "Lemonade" layout in CK's Tips & Tricks 2010 magazine.

The sand dollars, title and marine animals are all from the Life's a Beach cart.  I added some gems as an accent.

To make this border, I layered some very old CM stickers on some ric rac.  I stuck them onto cardstock, fussy cut them and then mounted them on some foam tape.

I outlined the title with a glittery gel pen to make it stand out more as well as mounting it on foam tape.

Putting together these little die cuts was very piddly but I do love the look of them on the layout.

Zoo

This was a layout I started when we were still in Jamaica.  I'd finished everything except for the journalling.  So, I decided to get that done!  I wanted to highlight a tradition that we started for Mother's Day.

I know I used a sketch for this but I honestly can't remember where I got it from - it was so long ago!  So, I apologize for not giving credit to that person.  The paper is from a DCWV stack and the die cuts are from the Create-a-Critter cart.

Happy

Ever since he was young, A has loved to play in the water and in the dirt.  I love these pictures of him sitting at the kitchen sink with the water running over his hands.  You can tell he's just so pleased with himself.

I started this layout over a year ago, when we were still in Jamaica.  I wanted to play with paint a bit so I tried making bubble-looking circles using a lid dipped in paint and "stamping" it on to the background paper.  When I looked back on the page, I just didn't like it.  At all.  So, I did what a rarely do and I pulled it apart.  Actually, I kept the three vertical photos and changed the rest.  I decided to mist the background instead to give a bit of a "spray" feel.  I cut circles out of the water paper and then mounted them on green circles to do a bit of a border along the main photo.

I punched the water paper with my circle punch to replicate bubbles and then I filled in a few holes with a sparkly sticker.

I have white foam Thickers so I decided to paint them with some sparkly blue paint.  It took three coats of paint but I finally got the look I was wanting.

Giggles

Last Saturday, I did two layouts and this is the second of the two.  I love these pictures of A when he was just starting to laugh.  I decided to use this paper from "Baby Mine" by Fancy Pants Designs.  I'm not into the retro style but I couldn't resist this cute paper and the fabulous colours.

Hand stitching seems to be my favourite "technique" to use on my scrapbook pages.  I always tend to go to stitching for my pages.  I used the alpha stencils and the circle stencil I got from Bazzill to do both of my stitching.  I decided to add a few gems and sparkly brads to finish it off.