Life's Trivialities

Xoxo / Creative Scrappers

Hey scrappy peeps! It's my turn up on the Creative Scrappers blog to share with you my sketch inspired layout based on this month's sketch and I have a little YouTube process video to accompany it.

Here's the sketch that Kristine created;

And here is what I came with based on the above inspiraton;

Things took a bit of a "love-ly" twist when I decided to use the horizontal strips in the shape of an over sized heart for a Valentine's day layout. In order to keep things simple, it was easier to have the bit of a downhill slope while fussy cutting the stripes. I balanced that with horizon oriented pictures and embellishments. You can see from the video that the downhill embellies, before being relocated, looked as though they were about to slide off the page.

It never ceases to amaze how differently we all interpret sketches! Those horizontal strips are used is such different ways over the past week and there are still 3 more weeks of inspiration coming your way from the rest of the design team! So cool!

I really struggled to find the right background for this layout. I began with a much different color altogether and am glad I switched. That heart filled grey really made a difference and allowed the heart to pop from the page.

The "Cherish" embellishment from Heidi Swapp serves two purposes; to hide the funky stitching where I didn't round the corner too well for starters! Secondly, it is an obvious horizon that anchors all the other embellishments, thus providing a bit of a "ground", per se.

And there you have it folks! We would love for you to play along with us over at Creative Scrappers! Kristine has created an inlinkz that is HERE for you to link up your projects!

 

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!

Enjoying Journey / Scrapbook Generations

No, you didn't read that wrong, I fully intended the title of this layout to read as it does. Well... LOL! I did when I created the layout. I thought the horse Mia was riding in these pictures was Journey. So the title, a play on words, worked. However... Mum made a mistake. That shorter dapple grey pony, Lucky, is not the taller white horse, Journey, I was informed. She knew right away. Sigh... 

This layout is inspired by a Friday Freebie sketch over at Scrapbook Generations. You can find that FREE sketch HERE and download the schematic. One of the many wonderful things about Scrapbook Generation sketches is that if you aren't into winging it, the dimensions of the pieces that make up the layout are clearly stated. I also love that Allison and Debbie provide alternative suggestions.

The awesome wood veneer is from The Color Cast Designs!! I haven't had a chance to visit the shop yet but I've seen some AWESOME Christmas goodies on Instagram that I might just need to have for my (never finished) December Daily.

That fantastic sequins in the top, left corner of the layout is from Spiegel Mom Scraps that was included in my November Cocoa Daisy kit. I leave my kit out on my scrap space all month and while searching for color complementary embellishments this popped into mind. Hey, might as well! Lots of fun goodies from Freckled Fawn scattered through the layout as well; that faux leather "this" arrow, the label sticker and the chipboard heart. All from a few of the Blooper Bundles I've collected.

Have you had a journaling or title blooper lately? What did you do about it? I think I'm just going to leave it. Perhaps journal the error on the back of the layout. I haven't quite decided what I'm going to do yet. Covering over that journaling which is directly on the layout will change the whole look of the layout - not the look I was aiming for. Hmmm....

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.

Happy / Cocoa Daisy Sketch Challenge

Hey there!! Welcome back! 4 out of 5 weekday blogging, not bad! I think it's a record!! So much going on this week in my scrappy world. Today I'm sharing with you my layout based on the latest Cocoa Daisy sketch challenge. You can find the sketch and the details HERE. 5 of us from the design team played along with that many examples to inspire you and spur some creative juices! I would love for you to play along. You don't have to subscribe to Cocoa Daisy kits to play, though I know you wouldn't be disappointed if you were to subscribe! Many months lately, it's the only way to get the kits and the add ons.

More Cocoa Daisy and circles!! The sketch had the circles and while I am known to change those circles to squares, I liked the idea of the flowers poking out from behind the pictures and circles worked much better for that. That green background, while a lovely shade, it incredibly difficult to photograph. It isn't quite so yellow in real life... I messed around with it while editing but just couldn't get the result that more closely approximated reality, sorry.

Last ride of the day at Kings Dominion before heading home, it was just as well as, while Sarah got wet, Mia was pretty well drenched!!

 

I hope you are inspired to join us over at Cocoa Daisy and play along! Who doesn't love a good sketch challenge?!

Prickly Abt Math / ScrapMuch / Cocoa Daisy

I was surfing around the ether yesterday in search of something, I'm not really sure what, when I came across this sketch from Laura Whitaker at ScrapMuch?

I love Laura's sketches as well as her scrappy style! This sketch really appealed to me with the square divided on the diagonal and the layers behind multiple pictures. I decided to play along and this is what I created;

I used my March Cocoa Daisy kit in the creating of this layout. The black and white picture of Nikolas and his math tutor was a tad washed out due to the light pouring in the window behind them so by converting to black and white, I was able to still use the picture. I toyed with true black and white and sepia so that it would match the kraft colors I used on the patterned papers. I decided I liked the contrast of the black and white better.

A close up of my title work for you. I used all the letters that came with the kit. In order to get the word "about" to fit, I used the abbreviation instead. The word prickly was chosen to go with the cactus down below. Nikolas is not a fan of math - an inherited trait from his mother. He has really struggled with the consistency and practice that are a necessary component for success in algebra. Given that algebra is the foundation of many things to come in math, we decided, like it or not, he would have a math tutor. And, while it's not his favorite place to be, it has made a world of difference! And, while it has helped, he's still rather prickly about math!

The symbolism of the lightbulbs was another fun play I was able to capitalize upon on this layout. The fact that the light bulb is finally going off and he's getting the concepts and mastering them, not just occasionally chancing upon the correct answer is HUGE!

The cacti from the We R Memory Keepers collection really stumped me. At the time that I was designing with the kit for my Cocoa Daisy work, I just couldn't find a way to incorporate them into my creations. I managed to find the perfect solution here however!

As you can see, I adapted the sketch to suit my needs using only two pictures and converting three large banners to a string of light bulbs. Between the kit and the sketch, this layout came together in a cinch! Love when that happens!


 

Walking on Sunshine / Paper Issues Sketch

I have a thing for sketches. I love sketches. You probably are already aware of my "small" problem. I just don't have time to play along with sketch challenges as much as I would like. Life kind of gets in the way! But fortunately for me, timing couldn't be any better, I had a bit of a break in deadlines AND this amazing sketch from Paper Issues is begging to be used!

Here's my layout;

And this is the Paper Issues sketch that inspired it;

You can find other people's interpretations of this awesome sketch as well as the Paper Issues design teams layouts based on this sketch HERE

I recently picked up the Basic Grey collection "Adrift" with some of our Spring Break pictures in mind. And it was sublime for this picture of Mia sprinting to the waves. Her first visit to the beach this past April, she couldn't get there fast enough!

For circles at the top of the sketch, I modified one of Juliana's free 17turtles cut files. In Design Studio, I omitted some of the circles leaving me just the row of three. You can find this amazing free file HERE. Be sure to bookmark this blog - Juliana frequently has great free digital cut files.

I love the washi that is a part of this collection. I really wanted to use bits of it for additional color beside the photo but needed to back it in order to make it stand out.

And that, my friends, is my layout of the day today! Be sure to see what the other talented scrappers out there do with this awesome sketch!

 

X Box Layout / ACOT Sketch Challenge

I am playing along with a sketch challenge over at A Cherry On Top.

"Play dates" (not that it's PC to call them that at age 12) are not the same these days... Once upon a time the kids with exchange more than 10 words in an hour and actually interact WITH one another. Now a days kids sit beside one another, mouth agap, and play along side one another. Sure, it's the same game that they are playing but the interaction is limited really... I don't "get" this whole tween thing...

I stuck with the original orientation of the sketch. But I added layers. Lots and lots of layers. In fact, I really went to town with the layers.

I had fun with transparent embellies, un-misting and the title. Instead of the circle in the sketch, I went with a star. It worked better with the theme of my layout. Not that circles are very themey.

A lot of mixing and matching of supplies here. A product list would stretch on for miles me thinks! Some new goodies that I picked up at a retreat this weekend and some oldies from the stash. Whether newly purchased or from the stash, they are all goodies really.

And here's the inspo;

Should you be inspired and want to play along, entries close tomorrow, March 3rd!

CREATE January 2015

Another AH-mazing edition of Scrapbook Generation's CREATE magazine is available for your perusal today! You will not be disappointed. It is sure wow you with creative inspiration. Not only is it chock full sketch fun but creative challenges and Jillibean Soup! Check it out HERE.

I have a few layouts that I would like to share previews of;

A little Superbowl fun for an upcoming weekend! This is based on another fantastic Scrapbook Generations two page sketch! FREE to download, by the way!

Some My Mind's Eye wintery wonderland for a winter themed layout.

Jillibean Soup has always released collections that appeal to me so seeing them as the featured manufacturer for this edition with awesome!

Last but so VERY not least, in fact, I think it's my favorite of all the layouts I created for CREATE this month, a Pink Paislee layout about love. Not your traditional valentine's, romantic love but a love of books.

Be sure to check out the full layouts and those of many other incredibly talented designers!

 

Christmas Sneaks with Scrapbook Generation

I was incredibly fortuante to work with Debbie and Allison from Scrapbook Generation over the past few months and contribute 6 double page layouts towards their latest Sketches for Christmas sketchbook. I have always been a fan of their sketches so be able to use them and create visual samples for others to see was such an incredible honor and privelege.

There are 24 sketches and they are all double page sketches with exact measurements provided! Many of the sketches could very easily be adapted and used for single pages.

Of the 24 sketches there are;

• (1) 3 photo sketch
• (2) 6 photo sketches
• (7) 7 photo sketches
• (8) 8 photo sketches
• (1) 9 photo sketch
• (2) 10 photo sketches
• (1) 12 photo sketch
• (1) 17 photo sketch
• (1) 25 photo sketch

There are wreaths, ornaments, Christmas trees, stars and iconic Christmas symbols galore! There are lots of reds and greens, gold and silver! All tlhe fun things one would expect to see on Christmas layouts. Families opening presents, holiday baking, pictures with Santa, festive outfits and so much more!

Companies used include Basic Grey, Authentique, My Minds Eye, Bo Bunny, Simple Stories, American Crafts, Echo Park, Pink Paislee and many more! Twinery baker's twine featured heavily on a lot of my layouts as you can see from the picture above.

I had masses and masses of Christmas pictures that were all sitting on my hard drive just waiting to be scrapped. The one occasion that I have the most pictures of and least scrapped is probably Christmas. In those 6 layouts I did for this book, I put a good dent into Christmas 2013 and I can't wait to use more of the sketches to hammer out the rest!

This inspirational book is available for purchase HERE for $16.99 for the hard copy or $14.99 for the e-Book version. Buy a copy for yourself and while you're there, get your scrappy friends one too! They would make great Christmas presents!

You won't regret it, I promise!