Life's Trivialities

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.

Halloween Layouts

Happy Halloween Eve my friends!! Yes, I have once again been negligent of the ol' blog... Sorry. Life has been a little topsy turvy lately and we have new schedule adaptations to make and adapt to. Michael has a change in jobs and his new job entails travel. We have grown rather dependent upon him being available to help out with child transportation and other "domestic" events that now all become my responsibility. Takes some getting used to and leaves less time for papercrafting. Actually, there is still the same papercrafting time as I make that time time for the hobby that aides with unwinding and de-stressing. It's the photo editing and blogging that is less fun and therefore harder to find time for! LOL!

Anyway, I digress!! Halloween! Tomorrow! And with Halloween, the end of the month of October... I have had a few Halloween projects up here and there and thought I would collectively share them with you here in one blog post.

First up, a layout that I created for Craftwell using the eBrush. You can find all the details and how to's HERE on the Craftwell blog. I used Tombow markers in my eBrush with a mask that I cut out with Contact paper using my Silhouette. I just love the way that the water misted markers blended together! I love Crate Paper's "After Dark" collection as well! Mind you, I don't think I've met a Halloween collection I don't love and own...

Hidden journaling strikes once again! That tag has today's memories looking back upon those little people perched on the porch steps awaiting the green light to hit the pavement and go trick or treating! I love Mia's Cheshire cat grin, so incredibly proud of herself in her bee costume!!

My Spooky layout as seen on the Imaginisce blog HERE. Imaginisce hasn't been releasing near the number of collections that they did when I first began designing for them but they are still GREAT collections. Because of the fewer number, there aren't any Halloween or Christmas collections so the "B" sides come in incredibly handy for theme scrapping as I've used here.

These treat bags are up on the Imaginisce blog today. I used the same collections for these as the above Imaginisce layout (Black Ice, Family Fun and Give Thanks). Both projects make heavy use of the Silhouette for the Halloween themed embellishments. That vellum ghost is difficult to make out in the pics but he's just the right element of "trick" for the treats!

Last but not least for today, a mixed media and Bella Blvd layout I did for fun. I've been messing around quite a bit with Gelatos and watercolor lately. This is one of my early layouts as I smooshed (technical term) watercolor puddles onto cardstock.

You can see that some additional stars were added in a subtle manner with texture paste. Bella Blvd has my heart, you know that if you follow my work. The colors, the embellishments! I'm a sucker for BB!

Yet more hidden journaling! I just dont' like ruining my design concepts with the journaling... I put a little bow tie of a ghostly variety on the chipboard ghost! So fun!

Up tomorrow on the Simple Stories blog will be this Halloween layout in addition to a fall layout. The colors scream Halloween, the pictures are most definitely Halloween, all I needed was a few embellishments here and there to support that theme.

I had a tough time finding the bright orange that I wanted so I opted to paint the wood veneer letters. I of course later remembered the basics that I have sitting in my stash which would have been a fantastic compliment!

And that, my friends, concludes your tour of Suzanna Lee's Halloween projects for the year 2015! LOL!! Hope you enjoyed them. Be sure tomorrow to visit the Imaginisce and Simple Stories blogs and leave me some love please! No tricks, just treats!  Thanks for stopping in today!

 

Tidal Waves / Imaginsice

I know for many of you, kids are heading back to school but that doesn't mean summer days are over! There is still plenty of warm sun and memories to be made!

 

 

Today I am sharing with you a summer swimming layout created using the Family Fun collection and the Imaginisce iRock. Though the Family Fun collection includes a pool themed patterned paper, my kids are a tad more "mature" in their swimming abilities than what I think of when I see that pattern. The "B" side papers and coordinating die cuts however are perfect. I love that you can make things work for you with this collection.

 

 

I used my iRock, HotRocks (in the compacts) and GlamRocks (tube packaging) to bling up this summer page! There are many options for adding a little pizzaz to your page; mist, embossing paste, Stickles, etc but one of my all time favorites is heat set gems and metal accents. The iRock makes easy work of adhering them wherever you please!

 

 

Every sun needs some sparkle and what better why to make my Silhouette die cut sun sparkle than with a yellow gem set with my Imaginisce iRock at the tip of each ray?!

 

 

The name of our summer swim league is the "Tidal Waves" and so I had to have a wave on the page. The combination of Family Fun green and blue with a blue check from Heartland Farm make the wave stand out. The tear drop Glam Rocks make for a perfect "splash" beside the color block word from the patterned paper edge.

 

 

Thanks for stopping in today! I hope your summer continues to be full and fun! Just a few more weeks and it's back to school for our lot!

Happy Mother's Day

Every year I make a project for my Mummy in celebration of Mother's day. Years past it's been a layout that has gone into my album (she doesn't scrapbook - quiting and fabric are her things). This year, I created a card.

I used the new Heartland Farm's collection ny Imaginisce and hand picked some flowers for my Mum and put them in a mason jar! A bit of twine to pretty thing's up a bit and it's ready to go!

I love those wooden nickel looking things! It already said "World's Best" all I had to do was add Mother.

You know when you order flowers how you can upcharge your bouquet to deluxe and get a fuller bouquet? I was able to do that here by cutting apart the sticker flowers and arranging them around the flower die cut. A little Stickles for some pizzaz and added bling really went a long way here!

And just because Mother's Day wouldn't be Mother's Day if I didn't post a picture and thank her;

Thank you for being first my Mummy, then one of my Best Friend's but most importantly for always being there. Through thick and thin you have been there for me, thank you! You are the best "Bother" a child could ask for. Happy Mother's Day! Love you! xoxo

 

I am Back! / Imaginisce

I had a bit an unintentional blogging hiatus... We went down to Clearwater, Florida for a week over spring break and I just kind of took a bit of a blogging break. There are plenty of projects to share with you! Fortunately, I still created and creativity is still plentiful! Blogging time is what I struggle with...

Imaginisce has a new collection!!! This new collection is called Heartland Farm. Before you think the same initial reaction I had, don't worry, it's not what the title claims. It is very earthy, country, garden and then there's the farm. There is SO much more to the collection than farm! Be sure to check it out!

When I have lots of pictures, I either go with two page spreads or pocket scrapping. I decided upon pocket scrapping for these pictures of our strawberry picking adventures. The journaling spot cut aparts and a few of the die cuts are ideal for the route I chose!

The denim pocket that comes as a part of this collection has got to be one of my ALL TIME favorite elements! Imaginisce really is growing their collections! I just love the enamel dots and how perfect they are for the strawberry flower centers.

The bandana papers that accompany this collection are sublime! So very country and so very appropriate for our day at the patch! There are even fun die cuts that come in three different colors and sizes which coordinate.

I just saw that this collection is available for purchase at A Cherry on Top! You can find it HERE.

I also have another layout up on the Imaginisce blog if you haven't seen it already. Above is a sneak peek with the full layout available HERE.

See how it's so much more than just "farm"?!

Easter Napkin Rings / Imaginisce

I am not one to go all out on decorating (unless it's on paper) but I do like to add small touches to the holiday table. I decided this year that these napkin rings would be my piece de resistance with regards to the table setting.

These are dead easy to reproduce! Be sure to swing by the Imaginisce blog at THIS post here for detailed instructions on how to do that, the cut file that I used and other tid bits such as this; using a liquid adhesive bottle as the "mold" for a tight napkin ring wrap! Brilliant, eh?!

SO adorable! They could be used as egg cups too, Mia pointed out to me. I didn't think of that but my creative little side kick has great ideas too!

What are your tastes when it comes to table holiday adornments; do you go all out or more a minimalist, as I am?

 

Sweet Friend Layout / Imaginisce

Valentine's day has come and gone for 2015 but you can still use those Valentine's themed kits/collections for other things! Like this layout that I created using the "Love You More" collection from Imaginisce.

This layout has nothing to do with Valentine's day but everything to do with my daughter's love for the family cat, Belle. Mia LOVES Belle and is always picking her up, petting her, loving her. At least 4-5 times a day either Michael or I are yelling "Put the cat down" as Belle bats at Mia and digs in with her back legs to push her way out of the tight embrace. Mia is oblivious to the obvious signs (bottom right picture) of "let me go"... Along with a few other obvious instructions from her teachers/parents/coaches...

Die cuts like the one above can be used for so much more than Valentine's day! The paw print cut file comes from 17turtles.

Have you used your Valentine's collections for anything lovely lately? A loving relationship perhaps?

Valentine's Door Hanging Treat / Imaginisce

February 9th! 5 more days until the day of amore! I can't say this is a holiday that we do big but we do celebrate. Kind of. More so for the kids than for each other as a couple. Those of you who know me know we call it St Hallmark's Day in our house. That will give you a good indication of how I feel about Valentine's day. BUT, the kids love love and love to feel loved (who doesn't) so we do things "lovey" for them. Today I'm sharing with you a project that is up on the Imaginisce blog, a Valentine's surprise for you loved one. This would make a lovely surprise for anyone to wake up when they open their bedroom door in the morning! Or for your beloved as they come in the house on the way home from school or work.

I mixed things up a bit and used the My Baby collection to create this treat holder. The chevron pattern and layered bunny stickers work perfectly for love as well as baby. The heart banner sticker reaches even further back into my collection, it comes from the Love You More collection. And, that, my friends, is it! Just some cardstock and a great cut file. Be sure to visit the Imaginisce blog for the exact cut file.

Xyron double sided tape holds a rectangle of transparency in the opening so all those yummy Dove chocolates don't spill out on the floor! Can't go wasting good chocolate now, can we?!

Nikolas really isn't into "cute" these days, tween that he is, but you could replicate this project using the My Baby boy line for younger boys!

How do you celebrate Valentine's day? Is it a big thing in your house or just another day? Have you made Valentine's treats/cards/gifts?

Re-Fresh / Imaginisce

Hey there! You have probably read about my scrap space overhaul, re-do, re-fresh. Whatever you would like to call it! I began with a love of vigor and enthusiasm. Now, I'm just ready to have all the boxes and "stuff" gone so that it looks presentable. Somebody please send the box removal fairy! Today I have a layout to share with you that is documenting the first half of those changes.

Moving from left to right you will see the transition form packed nook overflowing into the room with nasty pale yellow walls to bright pale blue walls and organized scrap nook! I still have a lot of "other" stuff to put away and hence the lack of "ta da" finished photo. My Physical Therapy pile is knee deep, recipes that I have saved for years upon years from magazine upon magazine... You know... that stuff. But the scrap space is, complete. I'm working in it any way!

This collection from Imaginisce, Family Fun, has some really fun elements in it! I love that even if you aren't into the specific themes (bowling, zoo, arts, pool, arcade and cooking) you can totally use the B side papers for other things!

Buttons and epoxy came with this collection! And the primary colors are so me!

Thanks for stopping in today! I hope your day is off to a bright start!

Let's Bowl / Imaginisce

Family Fun! That's what we are all about in the Lee-Bishop household, having fun together as a family. Sure, we can be serious when we want to but in this day and age of instant gratification and stress, we want to make sure there are fun moments too. And what better way to record those family fun moments than with the Family Fun collection by Imaginisce?!

One of the things we have done every year, but one, since we moved to Virginia is take the kids bowling for New Years Eve. We count down to 7pm (midnight in London) and raise a glass of bubbly cheers, bowl some more and are safe and sound at home before the crazies hit the streets. Aren't the bright colors of this collection just perfect to preserve that memory?

Bowl was great, that's what we did after all, but the title needed a little something. The Silhouette makes adding that personal touch so easy! Love the retro feel of the "bowl" die cut and black and white checks, don't you?

There are so many stickers, die cuts and shapes to choose from which supplement this collection, it's amazing! And the epoxy dots! They are a new addition to Imaginisce's growing collections.

Such a "strike"ing combination of colors, the teal with the black and red, don't you think? Perfect for these turkey's as they bowled in the new year!