Life's Trivialities

Double Dose

It's 2 page week over at Sketch Support and I have not one but two double page spreads to serve up today.

I used the paper from a 3 Scrappy Boys kit for this one and the embellishments from that same kit or bits and pieces from other kits. The color hues in this Pink Paislee line are the perfect "old" feel for a rustic, hidden gem of a BBQ place that we will go miles out of our way for.

Version 2; Mia's kindergarten concert earlier in the Spring! I love how the Maya Road trim looks like the curtains on the stage. A little banner and lanterns for some festivity, a wooden frame to call attention to Mia. You've seen these pictures before on the blog, now they are scrapped.

The layouts posted this week are fantastic and it's only Tuesday!! Amazing!! Be sure to swing by the Sketch Support blog on Friday for another showcasing of the Nikki Sivils product we were sent and a prize!

EggSpert

How was your National Scrapbook Day yesterday? Did you get much accomplished? Assuming that was the objective. It needn't have been. But that was mine; to get a lot done. Foolish thought really... Michael was out of town with Nikolas at a swim meet (another story). So I had The Midget. And she had a soccer game. We had to have Mexican for Cinco de Mayo. There were many more reasons to be out of the house than there were to be in it, at my scrappy desk.

I did get two challenges done however! This one for Jillibean with one of the three sketches and one for Basic Grey using one of the two sketches. You know I'm a sketchy kind of gal!! I'll share the Basic Grey one another day this week.

I fussy cut a few of the butterflies from some Jillibean Soup paper, others are cardstock superimposed upon the "hole" cut with some Tim Holtz dies and the white butterflies are from SEI. I made little antennae using memory wire!! Love the flutter on the page!

I spent an inordinate amount of time figuring out how to tie a note this weekend... Ugghhh... Ridiculous really. I mean, how hard is it to tie a knot? Shouldn't be that complicated now should it? Well it is if you want it to sit properly on the page and don't do such things on a regular basis. Good thing this was after a visit from 'Rita! Margarita!! LOL!! It wraps things up nicely on the layout me thinks.

I'd love to see what you did for NSD!! Link me up if you've blogged it!

 

 

All Star

Happy NSD!!

It's my day to post on FB for TaDa! Just a little layout I made. This kid and his swimming!! I told you when TaDa's Poolside collection came out that I'd be using it a lot. Well, here you go! I combined a laser cut from Jock Jams with a sheet of SPF 50 for the background. Those backstroke flags (AKA banners to those of you who don't swim or have swimmers) are from Yee Haw and a bit more Jock Jams! I love the diversity of TaDa product!!

I little additional pizzaz to the fabulous laser cuts with some machine stitching and the "innards" of the star punch I used at the bottom of the page. I wanted the ties on the pennants to stand out so backed them with some coordinating red cardstock.

What are you up to this fine day? Got any big plans for NSD? I'm hunkered down with a friend in the scrappy space and hoping to take on a few challenges here and there. Being Cinco De Mayo we may just have to invite 'Rita to join us!! LOL!! Have a wonderful day, however you spend it!

Cheers!

Field Trip

Early last year Mizzy Moo went a field trip with her PreK class to Lewis Ginter. It was a dismal day... A horribly, wet, rainy, no good kind of day. But the kids didn't care!! They had on their gum boots and raincoats. And they had good reason to be jumping in puddles as there was no way around some of them!

Fun times indeed!! Love this Simple Stories Fabulous line and it's just perfect for this layout! All the colors in the kids' clothing match the hues of the flowers just so. This line was made for this picture! 'Cos, y'know, Simple Stories made this just for me! LOL!!

The plain yellow needed a little "uh" between those two busy patterned papers. I had already adhered it, there was no turning back. A little faux stitching goes a long way! Some Jenni Bowlin bling atop layers of October Afternoon, Little Yellow Bicycle and some Jillibean Soup to make a flower.

Love that 12 inch wide picture!! I have had this picture for a long time. In fact, I enlarged it to it's current size not long after the actual event, over a year ago. I just didn't have the "vision" of how to scrap it. Until a few days ago. Do you have any pictures that you could enlarge to that size for a similar layout? Have you created anything like it? I dare you! And do share!

Sketch Support "Card"

Who am I kidding? Card? Me? Nope, those words aren't synonymous!! But you know that by now!

Anyhoo! Another fantastic card sketch up at Sketch Support this week. Another fantastic card sketch that makes a wonderful layout when stretched and extrapolated! Sue and I both saw a similar "look" in different ways.

The Bella Boulevard stamps from Unity and that canvas tag from Ormolu just make this layout!! The butterflies are actually from a gift tag that I got at The Container Store and pulled apart. The third, much bigger butterfly, was too much on the layout. Difficult to tell in the overall shot but there is a touch of Stickles on the top doily stamp.

On one of the many walks that the kids take with my Dad when my parents come to visit, Mia came home with some beautiful flowers that she had picked for me!!

National Scrapbook day is this weekend! My inbox is filling up with sales announcements and challenges! I'm looking forward to it! Are you? Where will you be "hanging" this weekend? The boys are at a swim meet so M and I are hoping to have a visitor or two while we sit at home with our paper, scissors (or trimmers) and glue (or ATG)!

 

Catching Up

Returning to my usual routine after Spring Break has been rough... To say the least... I have been swamped at work and that fatigue that ensues as a result just consumes me. I'm determined not to fall into a rut and instead, focus on the wonderful Spring Break memories and capture them in my pages. To begin; a title page!!

Inspired by the latest sketch up at Elle's Studio. If you want to play along or compare, you can find it HERE. I amended a little. My title is up top instead of at the bottom and my blocking isn't as symmetrical as the sketch portrays. I went with the overall suggestion or idea of blocking.

My supply list for this layout is lengthy!! I used a fun PhotoShop action to give the bottom right picture that Poloroid look that seems to be re-surfacing. There is also a great digital element that I printed from Ormolu along with a few other bits and pieces from Ormolu. Some stamping, rub ons, chipboard! Everything but the kitchen sink!!

Ovals, ovals everywhere!!

I was inspired by a challenge over at my friend Suzanne's site, Kitchen Keepsake, to scrap some of the thousands of Easter pictures I took. The challenge was to include a photo of eggs AND ovals of some sort. Well, here you go!! A million ovals and eggs! Eggs went splat all over my desk and this layout! The bunny is made from ovals too! Here's a close up of the little fellow;

Such fun to paper piece again! Haven't done that in a while!! The floss for his whiskers and felt for his ear "padding" and nose were fun little additions!

A ton going on around these parts... Nikolas got is expander removed and braces on his top teeth yesterday. He's a bit grumpy and sore, understandably. It's a tough adjustment to make. Mia was in a wedding today as a bridesmaid. Q and U got married!! LOL! And absolutely adorable event that all kindergartner's at our school and many others in Henrico particapte in.

 

 

 

And the Winner Is...

Random.org generated a random number for me... (The kids are in bed already, it was easier this way!) That lucky number is number 45. Meaning the winner is

Tracy M said...        Great layout! Love the star wars theme!        

Thank you to all who hopped along! Hope you enjoyed the layouts and got to know a little something more about each of us!

Dear Santa...

I know Christmas is a while away yet. Although, the way time is zipping by, I'm not so sure it's really all that far away... We talk about Santa a fair amount in this household. Mostly the kids bring him up. Mia speaks of him the most. In regards to things she wants. She knows all too well that she isn't going to get everything her little heart desires. But she does understand that the man in red spoils her. He hears what she wants and usually delivers. Anytime there is a big ticket item that she has eye on, we hear about how she's "getting from Santa" XYZ or whatever the desire of the moment is!

I played along with Basic Grey's latest sketch challenge. I did so using the Nordic Holiday collection. I picked up some amazing deals while at Scrappy Boutique and this amongst those steals.

As little as I've scrapbooked lately, my usual deviations from sketches don't apply at this point in time. I realized when I sat down at my desk yesterday that it's 3 weeks since I completed a layout!! Crazy... Though, with our absence for one and a half weeks for Spring Break amongst other activities, I guess it makes sense.

A little close up! I had fun mixing all the layers of this collection! Now I'm off to start editing all the pictures I took whilst away... Mental note to self, install PhotoShop on the new laptop! I have to re-edit all the pictures I put on the blog...

Thanks for stopping by! Oh, and if you haven't already, check out my earlier post about the blog hop! You have until midnight tonight to enter for the Grand prize that Allison is offering and a drawing by me (and the kids) for one of her two latest sketch books!

Sketch Support Blog Hop

Another year, year 2 for Sketch Support and a new team!! Many of us remain the same but wehave grown and added new members. A few of the original team have parted ways, such is life! Welcome to our 2nd blog hop! You ought to have arrived here from Christy's blog. If you haven't, be sure to begin at the Sketch Support blog and follow the hop in sequential order.

We each had this fantastic sketch to work with;

My original plan with this sketch had been to make two layouts for your viewing pleasure; one with my daughter as the focal point, the other with my son. I got as far as my son... And Mia isn't as into Star Wars as Nikolas. But wouldn't the opposing page with her as an Ewok or Princess Lea be fantastic? Hmm... Might have to make that happen!

I pretty much stuck right with the sketch and literally did as the sketch outlined. I have been so busy at work (I'm a Physical Therapist when not being Mum, chauffeur and scrapbooker) and life that just having a guide and going with it is about all I can handle right now. When life is less chaotic I can be a bit more free with that interpretation and see more "out of the box". The beauty of sketches! I love how literal or "lose" you can be with sketches and how you interpret them!

How long have you been scrapbooking?    Uhhh... Not an easy question to answer. I collected and dabbled here and there long before I really did anything of any substance. My last year of graduate is when I made my first album; it was a travel album of a trip up the New England coast. Then I piddled around until I found out I was preggers with my first in 1996.

Why did you start scrapbooking?    I have always played with scissors and paper of some sort. My Gran and Aunt made awesome books of my sister and I cut from magazines and collaged to create the most fantastic dreamland's and stories. I aspired to make such artistic and creative endeavours!

What is your favorite time of day to scrapbook?    Any time I can!! I work part time and have a lot of chauffeuring duties to perform so scrappy time is limited to evenings after the kids go to bed and my husband works or weekends. I am definitely more of a night owl than early riser so my preferred time of "day" are late evenings when everybody else is in bed and the world is mine for the taking!

How often do you scrapbook?    Any chance I can. Typically about 6 - 10 hours a week.

Where do you scrapbook/what does your space look like?    We have a transitional level in our house which I have the "nook" of while the kids have the remainder as a play room. They love to hang out with me and I'd rather they be doing their own thing than in my scrapbook stuff so it's a workable concession for us.

When I'm not scrapbooking you can find me...    at work as a Physical Therapist, in the MummyMobile shuttling kids to and from the pool or other activities, volunteering at school, at the computer messing around with PhotoShop (I edit my pictures, just can't use them as they are...) or asleep from all that hustle and bustle!

What is your favorite thing about using sketches?    I love the diversatility of sketches! I love that they provide an initial source of inspiration and then the skies the limit. You take what works for you and you go with it. Nothing is written in stone, you can always manipulate it so that it works for you! I particularly love Sketch Support sketches because they are clean, specify picture and paper sizes and come in all shapes and sizes.

What is your favorite sketch from Sketch Support?     I have hummed and hawed over this question and honestly, cannot answer it. ALL of Alison's sketches are superb! I have never met a Sketch Support sketch that I didn't love! Though... those of you who know me and my work will note that the card sketches rarely result in cards! I'm not a card creator and just see layouts when I see the card sketches!!

Be sure to leave a comment here in order to be eligible to win the BIG prize! I will also enter each commenter in a drawing to win YOUR CHOICE of ONE of the new books Sketches for Scrapbooking One Page Sketches (volume 2) and Sketches for Scrapbooking Travel Sketches. Just leave a comment on this post by 11:59 pm CST on Sunday, April 15th to enter! I will pick and announce the winner the following evening.

After commenting, you are heading over to Michele's blog! Her work is fantastic! She takes the most wonderful landscape pictures. I also really love how she uses pictures that aren't typical sizes such as the BIG pictures and long panoramic shots!

Thanks for hopping along with us!!