Life's Trivialities

200 Best / Stash Bash Feb 2017

Hey scrappy peeps!

Do you remember ages ago, like, a long, long time ago, some of my scrappy friends and I would get together and do a stash bash hop? Who ever was available that month would participate and we would share our projects that "busted" our stash? It's been a while since I have participated for one reason or another. Since I last participated, we changed things up a bit. The emphasis is now on an Instagram peek on the 15th and a YouTube video on the 20th. Today is the day that I am participating for the first time in the YouTube revision of the Stash Bash!

This month's theme is enamel dots or gems. We are each striving to bust out those enamel dots that you know you have amassed a million of and/or the gems that have been gathering dust in your stash and put them to good use!!

Mia recently swam her first (and second) 200 breaststroke and did a PHENOMENAL job! That momentous occasion needed a special page and what better way to remember it than with a picture of her swimming and the MeetMobile results? The background paper from Studio Calico and the piece that I cut the waves from, from American Crafts are a special part of my stash, reserved for water themed layouts. Y'all know I have swimmers so y'all know there is a fairly sizable collection of water'ish scrappy goodness and red/blue, our team colors.

For those of you that are YouTube inclined, I will share my layout and close ups. The cut I used is from Just Nick. It's the wavelength background that I offset and overlapped in order to create a "fuller" look on the page. I share in the video how this was first cut out with the same glittered paper with the stripes going up and down. It was ALL wrong! Thank goodness for that "I need two of those" need.... Back ups to the rescue!

I used a lot of different manufacturers' enamel dots and gems on this layout. I went heavier on the enamel dots than the gems. The enamel dots made me think of bubbles, perfect for my water scene. The largest of the enamel dots with the "M" (for Mia, of course) makes me think of an M&M! LOL! I guess I could have used a capital M but I kind of like it the way it is. Honestly, it didn't dawn on me the resemblance until I was editing these close ups.

My original plan had been to journal along the lines of the cut file. Then the story got really long and lengthy. So that tag is an after thought and contains my proud Mum moments. Mia is 10 and it's a rare opportunity for 10 and unders to swim the longer events. She swam so well that she and her friend Anna, another 10 year old, made it back to finals that evening. Where Mia proceeded to shave off another 2 seconds! A time that is 4 seconds from her 14 year old brother's 200 breaststroke time (admittedly, he is a terrible breaststroker!) and puts her #2 on the all time 10 and under 200 breaststroke list for our club! I told you; proud Mum moments!

That's it from me today! I hope you are inspired to break out your enamel dots and do something fun with them. If you are hopping along with us, be sure to visit Laura at her YouTube channel HERE and hop on along with us! If you don't already subscribe, I would love for you to subscribe to my YouTube channel! Thanks for joining me today!

 

 

 

Scrappin' Our Stash Blog Hop Feb 2016 / Doodlebug

Hello and welcome to yet another edition of the monthly "Scrappin' Our Stash" blog hop! You should have made you way here on the hop via Monica's blog. If you didn't be sure to start at Katrina's blog and work you way here. As usual, there are some incredible projects to see along the way. You don't need to have the latest and greatest and you might find some fresh inspiration and life in those older collections that have gathered in your stash, overshadowed by the new arrivals.

Today I am sharing with you a primarily Doodlebug layout. I love St Paddy's day and while the size of my St Paddy's collection will never near that of my Christmas stash, it's still rather sizable. I was thrilled to have an opportunity to use some of my goodies amassed last year, possibly even the year before. Honestly, I don't even remember when this rainbow colored goodness joined my stash.

There is nothing like a solid, crisp black or white cardstock to make the colors of layouts pop. By using a digital cut file, you can spruce anything up and bring new life to it. This fantastic cut file is from Just Nick. The fun Pinwheel Background adds such movement to the page.

I didn't buy any embellishments, if there even were any, to go with this collection. Instead I was able to use basics from Doodlebug and cut apart bits of journal cards to create fun add ons.

That's it from me today. Do you have St Paddy's Day plans? Nothing big planned here. I miss being in Chicago for the parade and dying of the river green. I will never forget how yellow the stroller was from the dye flying up into the wind and dying us all a lovely electric yellow! 

From here you are heading on to the ever talented Christine's blog. I know she has some great inspiration for you! Thanks for stopping in, I hope you enjoyed your visit. 

 

Scrapping Our Stash September Blog Hop

Hi y'all!! It's fall! Can you believe it? A couple of days in and the weather is just bliss! Welcome to another edition of the "Scrapping Our Stash" blog hop! This month my layout is all over the place, a little of this manufacturer, a little of that. Just coordinating color!

You ought to have arrived here from Cheryl's blog. If you happened up the hop and want to participate, start HERE at Lee-Anne's blog and keep on hopping!

Every layout has a "building block", or the pinnacle beginning point from which I start then things build from there. I knew I wanted to use the patterned paper from Websters as my background with these pictures when I set out to create the layout but the rest, well, that was the unknown.

The next decision was complementary patterned paper. I brought out some 6x6 pads and ended up settling with the two papers from an older Basic Grey pad whose colors worked well with the water color wash background. Same hues.

From there, it's all about the embellishments - the support roles of the layout. I fussy cut the flower from some Elle's Studio and used a coordinating journal tag from the collection. Of course some greenery was necessary so I stamped and die cut with a My Favorite Things set. The picture of me (upper right) got lost on the patterned paper and needed something to make it stand out from the papers so a frame from Simple Stories was called up (not really stash but shhh... it's the only "new" thing there). And other little bits and pieces that completed the look without being overly distracting.

Just another day in our lives, no big occasion, just a walk to school with a beautiful sunrise and great light. My daughter complaining about me walking too fast and just chatting. On September 11th. The anniversary of that fateful day. But I only I knew. And mention of that in my journaling, a little nod to acknowledge those lives lost and never forgotten.

Here is the full list of today's hop;

Lee-Anne 

Alison 

Majken

Katrina

Cheryl

Suzanna

Wendy C

From here you are moving on to the last stop of today's hop and going HERE to Wendy's blog. Thanks for stopping in today! Be sure to "bust" your stash and use up those older goodies! Mix it up with some newer, fresher bling as I have done and you might surprise yourself with what you can do!

Winner!

Hey gang! Sorry for the delay in posting the winner. We had a crazy busy (successful) weekend in Blacksburg at the pool with the kids and it's taken me a while to recover.

So, without much further ado, the real reason you are here, the winner of the Imaginisce goodies is;

Mary Holshouser said:

I "like" you on FB. Don't do Instagram. Spend enough time on FB - don't have time for another site. thanks I love you layout. The gingerbread is a cute idea. thanks for sharing.

 

Thank you to everybody who stopped in and hopped along with us.

 

Mary if you would email me your snail mail addy, I will get your prize out to you. You can use the envelope icon under "Let's Be Friends" to access my email address.

 

Have a great day!

Scrappin' Our Stash July 2015 Blog Hop / Pebbles

Hey there! Welcome to another edition of "Scrappin' Our Stash"! You ought to arrived here from Sandy's blog. Should you have come via another route, be sure to start at the beginning and work your way back here. The whole list is a bit further down in the post.

Today I have a Christmas in July layout to share with you! 6 months from today is Christmas eve! Can you believe it?!

I used the "Home for Christmas" collection from Pebbles for this layout along with a few other goodies. But the bulk of the content is "Home for Christmas". Just love me my Pebbles collections!

The die cuts or "Chips" are so adorable! And just perfect for this moment between Granny and granddaughter. Every year that we are together for Christmas, it is tradition for my Mum to assemble and decorate the gingerbread house(s) with the kids. Nikolas has deemed himself too old for such a thing so just Mia participated. She didn't mind as it meant more alone time with Granny and less fighting over which sweeties she would have to decorate with!

American Crafts foam dots are behind the top candy cane to add some dimension to this duo.

While I absolutely LOVE the candy candy stripped Thickers that accompany this collection, they were a bit big for the space I had remaining for a title. I opted for some very stash busting Sassafrass Lass green letter stickers and some equal stash busting Cosmo Cricket. They are smaller and fit better.

Here's this month's line up;

Christine Meyer 

Katrina Hunt

Majken Pullin

Wendi Robinson

Sandy Ross

Suzanna Lee <---- You are HERE!!

Laura Cox

Lyne Schnable-Blodgett

Audrey Yeager

Wendy Bergeron Coffman

Charity Hotrum

Lee-Anne Thornton

Alison 

And because it's Christmas in July and there are always presents for July, I have a little something this month to give away. I have a complete set of the latest Imaginisce collection, Heartland Farms, for one lucky winner!

To be eligible for the prize which will be determined by random drawing you can get one entry for each of the following (please leave one comment for each entry completed);

- leave a comment telling me how you have busted into your stash lately

- follow me on Instagram https://instagram.com/suzlee72/

- like my scrappy page on FaceBook  https://www.facebook.com/SuzannaScraps?ref=hl

Drawing will close at midnight EST on Sunday, July 26, 2015. I will announce the winner here on my blog on Monday, probably sometime in the afternoon. I hate to exclude, but with shipping being as it is, I have to limit to shipping in the US and Canada please.

So, Merry Christmas in July! Thanks for stopping in to see how I busted my stash this month! From here you are hopping on to Laura's blog! Thanks for stopping in this month!

Scrappin' Our Stash June 2015 Blog Hop

Hey there! Welcome! Welcome to another fantastic month of stash busting projects! And, to my reappearance on my blog! LOL! I have taken a bit of an unintentional hiatus and what better way to return that with a blog hop?!

This month I am sharing with you a layout that I created using a Scrapbook Generations sketch and some Teresa Collins oldies but goodies!

The patterned papers used here are from a kit put together by Teresa and Craftwell to demo the eBosser and some folders from CHA 2014. Not being a mini book gal unless it has intended pictures, I decided I had other uses for the paper and created this layout. So not only have I busted my stash using an older collection but I've repurposed too!

I did use my Cut'NBoss for this project, the upgrade from the eBosser. How could I not? And of course, it had to Core'dinations cardstock. There is no better cardstock when it comes to embossing and texture!

Another of my signature "bits" on a layout; fussy cutting. The flowers from the patterned paper were screaming to be fussy cut so I obliged!

While these pictures were taken on her First Holy Communion day, I've already scrapped that (yet to come to a blog near you!). And really, these pictures are about Mia's relationship with her Daddy. You can see the love between father and daughter. She really is the apple of his eye!

Here is this month's hop order;

Cathy Harper

Majken Pullin

Sandy Ross

Suzanna Lee

Lyne Schnable-Blodgett

Jennifer Stella Haggerty

Wendy Bergeron Coffman

Lee-Anne Thornton

Next up you are heading HERE to Lyne's blog to see how she has busted her stash!

Thanks for stopping in today!

OH! And if you have a spare moment, be sure to check out the Bella Blvd-Craftwell-Tombow Instagram hop happening today!! I've never participated in one of these before - it's a really cool concept!

Scrappin' Our Stash May 2015 Blog Hop

Hi there! Welcome to yet another edition of "Scrappin' Our Stash"! A monthly blog hop where some lovely, crafty ladies share their latest creations created using "old" product. Nothing from the latest CHA or more recent than that.

Today I have to share with you a layout that I began ages ago. At least two months ago. I had a plan for it. I cut out bits and pieces and then neglect set in. I never took a picture of the "layout to be" and it's original appearance is but a distant memory. So, a new vision was constructed!

Old Bella Blvd. Some AC puffy stickers. A free 17turtles cut file! Some Studio Calico vellum stickers. An old October Afternoon stamp. Lots of older but still great goodies from my stash! It's easy to use up the old stuff when you have cut files to freshen things up a bit, let them take on a new look.

Another clean and simple layout. Not much to it but the story is preserved and there is enough supporting evidence that there are goodies to look at but not enough that you get distracted from the focal points, the pictures and a story.

This month's hop order is as follows;

Audrey http://audreysreflection.blogspot.com/

Becki http://beckiadams.blogspot.com/

Alison http://alisondaydesigns.com/

Juliana www.17turtles.com

Katrina http://paperscissorsandglue.blogspot.com/

Kelly Jean http://www.kelsterjean.com/

Brenda http://simplybrenhavingfun.blogspot.com/

Cathy http://alteredplayground.blogspot.com/
Wendi R http://scrappydayinparadise.blogspot.com/
Suzanna http://lifestrivialities.typepad.com/
Cheryl http://patchesandscraps.blogspot.com
Wendy C www.stampingrules.com
Kristy http://alwaysaworldaway.blogspot.com
Lee-Anne http://lee-annelovethejourney.blogspot.com
Susie http://mytime2play.blogspot.com/
Christine http://scrappingwithchristine.blogspot.com

You should have arrived here from Wendi's blog and now you are off to visit Cheryl and her wonderful creation!

Thanks for stopping in this month! Be sure to pop in now and again!

Scrapping Our Stash Blog Hop March 2015

Welcome to another edition of "Scrapping Our Stash"! I can't believe that with the close of March, we are a quarter of the way through the year! Crazy! Just crazy I tell ya!

You should have arrived here via Katrina's blog and the goodness she has to share with us this month. If not, please go to Jennifer's blog HERE and work your way to Katrina's blog, then mine.

Today I'm sharing with you a layout created largely from scraps in my patterned paper scrap box. In some way, shape or form, all of the patterned papers, with the exception of the background, can be found in other layouts which I have created. Even the bottom (or top, depends upon your perspective I suppose) of that striped Project Life card at the bottom.

Stretching the stash even further, that hot pink edged heart up there and the one on the left of the picture are fussy cut from the background paper! I took stock of where all the patterned paper was on the front of the layout and scouted out good spots to remove a heart or two to put to good use on the front. It IS possible to use both sides of one piece of patterned paper! Tricky, aren't it?! ;)

There's that Project Life card to referenced earlier. And the blue heart; does anybody remember Sassafras Lass?! Talking about digging DEEP into your stash! In guess in reality it's not that far back, I do have things that are much older. It just feels like eons ago.

And that my friends, wraps up my share for this month. I hope I've inspired you to rediscover and re-use those odd bits and pieces that are gathering in your patterned paper scraps pile! From here you are moving onto my friend Monique's blog. I just KNOW she has something amazing and uber inspiring to share with you! You will find that greatness HERE.

Thanks for stopping in and hopping with us this month!

Scrapping Our Stash February 2015 Blog Hop

Hey there!! Yup, it's that time of month again! The ladies and I are hopping, sharing with you layouts that we created using goodies from our stashes! You ought to have arrived here from Wendy C's blog. If you happened upon this blog post and would like to join in the fun, head over Wendy's blog (she's the start) and work your way back here.

Today I am sharing with you a layout I created using some very coveted Websters papers! When I saw the collection, I automatically knew which pictures were to go with this paper. And indeed, they did!

The bulk of the layout from a patterned paper perspective is Websters, the rest is random things that coordinated - making my own kit! I have notice a lot of coral, teal, gold and ecru in the color palates lately (Simple Stories I AM..., Pebbles Home + Made, My Minds Eye On Trend, etc). I love the pop of navy in there too!

With more than one person in a "selfie" it no longer is a selfie really but more like a groupie. And when that group is at the beach and has been there since 4am (I think that's what time it was) and that group included three little people and 3 adults sans caffeine, it becomes a beachie! That, my friend, is how I came upon my title! And I'm stickin' to it!

A friend of mine while out shopping recommended these thin adhesive sheets of cork from DCWV. I'm so glad she did! Doesn't that star fish (I can't remember it's new PC name...) look fantastic cut out of the cork? Scattered amongst that are some old yet trusty Jillibean and October Afternoon stickers and who knows what else. I just grabbed from the stash and stuck it on it if was the right hue!

Remember that old wooden veneer from Studio Calico? I got that a while back in a 3 Scrappy Boys kit and have been saving them, using them judiciously on projects! Do you have anything like that in your stash? Something that must be worthy of depleting the limited and coveted supply?

Thanks for stopping in today! From here you're moving on to the talented Lee-Anne's blog! Her blog is HERE! Has she got an amazing project for you!!