Life's Trivialities

Life Is An Adventure / Stuck?! Sketches

I told you I was going to blog so here I am again!

Today is reveal day over at Stuck?! Sketches. Every month Laura releases two sketches; one on the 1st and another on the 15th. I have been busting to share this layout with you! I created it almost a month again now, shared a sneak on IG, and have been sitting on it. Waiting! Waiting patiently until today! This has got to be one of my FAVORITE layouts I have created!

Above is the sketch that was the inspiration of this layout;

I knew as soon as I saw the sketch that I was going to fussy cut those flowers from 1Canoe2!! While I loved the tan cross patterned paper that coordinated with the flowers and is part of the collection, I really wanted something else, something more striking that really popped the flowers and the pictures. Both the diagonal stripes and the navy polka dot papers are from older Fancy Pants collections, Trendsetter and Happy Go Lucky.

The story being told is behind the pictures on the white tag there. I could have journaled on the navy patterned paper with a white pen but I really didn't want to detract from the design of the page.

There is a lot of dimension to this page with the loose leaves, wood veneers and the gold thread. I even bolstered the left hand picture by folding golden vellum behind the picture to lift it up a bit.

Not a very adventurous title but I really wanted to incorporate the "adventure" ephemera from the pack. Life with this child IS an adventure! I had intended to put "Life parenting you is an adventure" but the length of that was outside the realm of the space I wanted the title to occupy. So I settled for shorter and talked more to the point in my journaling.

 If you care to watch how this layout came together, process video #56 from my YouTube channel is my creative process as I created this layout;

Thanks for stopping in today and we would love to have you join us at Stuck?!. There is a design team call out too if you are interested!

OK Bowtie - Stash Bash

Sigh... So, I haven't been very good about keeping up here... It's been tough to be in many places at once. This whole social media world can be ever so time consuming. But, I do want to share my work with all of you too! As such, my latest layout that I created for this month's Stash Bash YouTube hop. Yes, there is a process video to accompany it. If you are so inclined.

My Stash Bash peeps and I are busting through our ribbon and/or twine this month. I was lucky to have designed for The Twinery and they weren't kidding when they said they would send you a life time supply of twine! I barely put a dent in this spool of Blue Shimmer! And there is a TON of twine on that layout!

If you are the video watching kind, there are some useful tips on handstitching on your page and how to get that pesky thick twine through the eye of a needle in the video. The actual stitching was rather time consuming, I don't subject you to that whole lengthy process, promise!

Not only did I dig deep into my twine stash but my patterned papers and collections as well! This Fancy Pants Swagger collection from WAY back when was put to good use! A funky title for a layout but it speaks to the reluctance of Nikolas to go with a bow tie over a tie. He had worn ties to Cotillion and his first communion, there was comfort in the known. OK, I'll wear a bow tie... Living in Richmond, Virginia, there is a preference for the bow tie. And as he is close to earning a time that means getting gussied up for swimming travel, he needs to have a bow tie in his arsenal. And thus, the introduction to the bow tie!

I was suprised at how well this stitched heart turned out. I wasn't sure how well the paper would hold up to the 13 passes of needle and double thread into that center hole of the heart but it took it remarkably well! There weren't the tears and frustration that I had steeled myself for.

That my friends is it from me today. If you are a YouTube, be sure to head over to my channel and subscribe.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6wRdBnTBM4gYqz-NN-jZOA

There you will find links to the other gals channels and you can see how they are putting a dent in there ribbon and/or twine! Thanks for stopping in today!

 

Creative Scrappers December Reveal / Blog Hop

Hi Everyone!

Creative Scrappers is hosting a BLOG HOP today in conjunction with our reveal for sketch 301 and our sponsor Spiegelmom Scraps. I hope you can take a few minutes from your busy day and join us!

This is the layout I created using the above sketch and some wonderful goodies that Jody from SpiegelMom Scraps sent us. I turned the rectangular strips from the sketch into banners. I thought I would save you the time and provide the measurements of the rectangles I used to create my page, from left to right (width x height);    2 x 8.75", 3.25 x 10.25", 1.25 x 8.5",   2.5 x 8" and 1.5 x 8.5". There is 0.5 inches between top and sides of the strips.

    

  

 

My Fancy Pants embellishments were very nicely complimented with Chunky Stars cork pieces, the "diamonds" from the Holiday Happiness sequins and the 4 inch Lace Paper Doilies. I had to choose selectively with the sequins as the remainder of the bits weren't in keeping with the color scheme of my layout. It's nice to have the selection and use what works. I almost forgot the mini glassine bag that is tucked behind the left hand side photo, that too is from SpiegelMom Scraps! Lots of great goodies to be had and use for layering or embellishing your layouts.

 

Aren't that doily and cork star just perfect embellishments for this Christmas layout?

Every Christmas layout needs a little sparkle and these sequins diamonds provide that perfect touch! 

Here's the order for today's hop!

 

 

Anne Keller

Ashley Smith

Audrey Yeager

Caroli Schulz

Christine Beuzit

Jinny Newlin

Joefil E. Cate

Kristine Davidson

Majken Pullin 

Marielle LaForge-LeBlanc

Nicole Doiron

Rachel Lowe

Sarah King

Suzanna Lee

Valerie Ouellet

Vivian Lake

Yvette Weber

 

Please take advantage of this coupon on your next purchase from Spiegelmom Scraps!

 

  

Enjoy our reveal this month and please visit us on Dec 15 for another blog hop with the design team members from SMS!

tag us using #CreatingWithSketches and #Spiegelmomscraps when you share your sketch inspired projects on social media.

We will also have a great prize for one of our participants as well as a copy of the NEW Creating With Sketches V4!

 

Your next stop on the hop is to go and visit the very talented Valerie Ouellet! I'm sure you will blown away with what she has to share with you today! Thanks for stopping in and joining us!

Special Friend card / The Project Bin

Sometimes you meet that special person who just gets you. Who you can go weeks without talking to and yet when you meet up to scrapbook or have lunch, you just resume right where you left off. That special friend who you don't have to explain why did what you did or how you felt because she knows. Just as you know the same of her. There aren't many people like this that you connect with. When you do, you need to thank them for that special connection. And I have just the card for it thanks to The Project Bin and a sentiment stamp from the #bff stamp set.

Did you know that if you go to The Project Bin shop and clink on the link to the specific stamp set, you are also linked up to the gallery of design team examples from that specific set? It's so handy to see what you can do and give you ideas! Of course, the skies the limit but it's so nice to have that jumping off point. A few of create layouts and there are a plethora of card examples for you to ooh and aah over.

I can't wait to send this card to my sweet friend!

 

Summer 2016 / Cocoa Daisy Sketch Challenge

It's time of month again and Cocoa Daisy has it's monthly sketch challenge up for all to play. You can find the sketch and five examples of it created by the design team using the July kit, Firefly, HERE.

As usual with sketches, I went rather literal. However instead of a second picture in the lower circle, I used patterned paper. I pondered a second picture but really loved the celebratory feel of the confetti paper from Imaginisce and decided to leave it as is.

There were so many fantastic Build Your Own Add On options this month! Lots of little bits and bobs to scatter here and there! The confetti paper and scatterings of goodies really create a celebratory feel to this layout. The girls were at a last day of school, summer is here pool party, celebrating! How else does one welcome summer other than with pool party, popsicles, friends and sunshine?!

I always try to incorporate ALL of the kits in my projects and this one was no different. The word "summer" and year are innards from one of the digital cut files that are free to kit subscribers. The banner that it came in was not going to work with the sketch so I removed that part of the file, leaving me the negatives as cuttable files.

I would love for you to join the "round up" and play along this month! There is a $5 prize for one random entry, good to spend in the Daisy Boutique.

You're Beautiful / The Project Bin / Fancy Pants

Hey! Hey! It's looking like I just might get to the blog this week! Today I have a layout that I created for The Project Bin with a newer stamp set called #bff. I just knew exactly which pictures I wanted to use and the Millie and June collection from Fancy Pants is the perfect compliment to both sentiment and subject!

What you cannot really appreciate from this photo or any of the close ups is that background isn't as "messy" as it looks. I used gold shine mist "smooshed" onto the white cardstock and it truly adds a lovely subtle sheen to the background. The pink with gold pineapple and pink "hello sunshine" with gold flower washi's from Michael's compliment the gold found in the patterned paper that is the header of the page. Lots of subtle shimmer and sparkle that reflects the subtle shimmer and sparkle of my Miss Mia!

My original intent had been to stamp this sentiment three times across the width of the page with the word "beautiful" being stamped in three different colors. It was too busy and rather redundant. Once is just perfect! Beautiful! Just like this free spirit with her Dollar Spot fedora!

The contrast of the black and white photo and the color pics on either side of it really played nicely with the stark contrast of the colors in this Fancy Pant's collection. The emotion conveyed in a black and white picture is different from that of a color picture. It has a different volume, per se. Do you like it?

That heart patterned paper was what drew me to this collection in the first place. It grabbed me, sucked me in and made me look at the whole collection. I would have overlooked it otherwise. And I would have regretted it. This is a superb collection! I just ordered a small sampling and wish I had more! Lots more!

It's Always Summer / The Project Bin

It's Always Summer Somewhere! Indeed it is and it's rapidly approaching here in Central Virginia! If not, according to my children, here already. The day our neighborhood pool opens is deemed the first day of summer according to them. Mia couldn't wait to get to the pool, despite the frigid temperatures of the water.... This layout I'm sharing with you today features a stamp from the Summer Fun stamp set by The Project Bin and pictures of Mia on her trip to the neighborhood pool.

I knew when I saw this stamp set that I would have many, many, MANY uses for it. It's just perfect as the beginning of a long title for this layout. While I could have just stamped it in a colored ink, I wanted something a bit different. Instead I decided to stamp in VersaMark ink and clear emboss on watercolor paper so that I could watercolor over the sentiment. I wanted the watercolor effect to go with the splash of the water! A few droplets of water sprinkled after painting added to the effect.

You can see the sentiment better here in the close up. It's was really difficult to get a good picture but I promise you, it's much easier to read on the layout. The scene created by the watercolor around the sentiment just makes me happy, I love it!

While the sentiment is superb, it needed finishing to make the point of, "and finally", ie, we have our summer here! This child of mine asked every five minutes and nagged Michael until he said yes, he would take her to the pool! It was freezing! Her lips were blue when she came bounding in the door for a hot shower to warm up.

While there is a lot of last summer's Crate Paper Poolside collection on this layout, I tried to bring some current elements in as well to bring new life to the older collection (not that it's that old!). I just love how the PhotoPlay and Fancy Pants pieces mixed in!

Be sure to pop into The Project Bin shop and pick up your own "Summer Fun" before it's gone!

Me & The Gang / Just Nick and Fancy Pants

How was your weekend? I hope you had a good one! I had a creative one working with the June Cocoa Daisy kits. I can't wait to share these layouts with you! So until I can, I have a Just Nick and Fancy Pants layout to share with you instead! You find this up on the Just Nick blog today too!

This whole week a few of the other designers from Just Nick and I are sharing with you projects that we created using creative cut files from the Just Nick store and this collection from Fancy Pants, Attwell. It is such a fun, bright collection that is right up my alley with primary colors.

By now you know how I choose the colors in my layouts; they compliment the colors found within the photo with, typically, a bright pop of contrast color for a lift. That's just what I did here. While the collection has a lot more color to it, I stuck with the blues and blacks found in the swim suits these 13-14 year olds are wearing and then went with the pops of yellow for the contrast. Sure is some bright contrast, don't you think?

I love this background file from Just Nick called, Fancy Filigree. I love how backgrounds can enable to you to create your own personal touch. Like here where I cut a few of the "O"s in the background from the yellow patterned paper and rotated it then layered the white "X" from the background lace on top. Creates a kind of a flower or fancier filigree. There are a few of these scattered through out the layout creating a bit of movement that your eye follows.

Thanks for stopping in today. Be sure to check out the Just Nick blog all of this week for some more Fancy Pants inspiration using digital cut files!

 

Eat, Sail, Sleep Card / The Project Bin

The latest stamp set to be released by The Project Bin is called Anchors Away! As the name aptly suggests, this is perfect for the sailor in your life! Today I would like to share a gift bag that I created using my Silhouette with a sentiment from this great stamp set.

These would make cute gift bags for a sailing themed birthday party, don't you think? Or even a goodie bag for a friend about to set off on a cruise or a sailing excursion! There was really nothing to the creation of this and the unique stamp phrases from The Project Bin make it so easy to put together unique gifts, cards and other papercrafting projects.

Clean, easy stamping! Love these stamp sets!! And truly, the sentiments really make them even better. Denise has grown the shop quite a bit since opening it up and there are good number of themes to choose from! If you haven't already, I do suggest you take a peek. You won't be disappointed!