Adrieel's Photo Shoot

This week my nephew Adrieel had his first professional photo shoot! Everyone loved him in his sailor suit and nautical socks. He is 5.5 months old here and is showing signs on scooting (using his toes and his face to navigate) which is pure joy for my sister to watch.

I am in charge of creating his scrapbook (of course) so I decided to enter some challenges while doing it! The DCWV June Stack-a-holic challenge asks to use one stack to complete a scrapbook page and to follow a provided sketch.  About a Boy June 15th challenge asks us to create a scrapbook page about a male in our lives using circles. The marriage between the two is my page!

Here is the sketch I was given to work with. As you can see I followed it in a literal way this time around. Using 6 designs and the embellishment sheet the DCWV My Sunshine Stack from Jo-Ann Fabrics and a few simple embellishments I was able to showcase one of Adrieel's top 10 memories for 2013.

Additional supplies include: sun kissed die cut from The Paper Loft, Summer Shapes, Jolee's Boutique for the beach balls and felt sun, SEI Grandpa's Attic cardstock alphabet stickers, The Paper Studio 1" circle punch and a Copic Spica at You glitter pen for the hand stitching.

Challenges:
DCWV June Stack-a-holic Template Challenge
About A boy - Going in Circles
Party Time Tuesdays - Anything Goes
CAS-ual Fridays - Hunger Games: use at least one arrow


La-Vie

Happy Birthday USA for Get Inky! Stamps Challenge Blog

Are you ready for another Get Inky! Stamps challenge? This time it's a Red, White and Blue challenge! For more info and to enter your project click the link above and show me what 'cha got!!!

There's lots of great things happening too! You can enter to be a guest designer, enjoy the chance to win free digi and physical stamps as the followers grow and the new Etsy store is open! Visit the Get Inky! stamps blog for a free shipping code, the fan page for a discount code and Etsy for the sale of all sales - HALF price digis! It's amazing!!

I was inspired to make a patriotic project with red, white and blue! It is America's bday coming up so I thought I would make a card for the land that I love using the Buzzing Bees stamp set. It's an amazing value with over 50 stamps in the set!! I stamped and hand cut my own waving banner, (reminded me of the flag) from a scrap of red linen cardstock, using the Happy Birthday stamp. I also used TPC Studio Clearly Better ink in Navy. It's made for clear stamps specifically.

The card base is from JoAnn's essentials line. I just had to try out this holographic cardstock from my stash. I think I got it from a company called Stamp On it. I cannot seem to find the product name. But it's got amazing glitter action going on!! See how it looks quite different as you re-position the card? Don't cha just LOVE it!!

I like optical illusions. The border is actually made with the Martha Stewart cherry blossoms punch. I thought it looked like some wonky stars. With the bling strips (by Recollections) covering the hole in the flower they look even more like stars. 

Finally, I always pick up items on clearance not knowing what I will use them for. The USA circle graphic is for making a button to wear on your shirt. The kit came with several holidays. When I went to my summer section of my ScrapRack, lo and behold I saw it. It was too small to color with Copics (it was bleeding all over the place) so I grabbed something I have never colored with before until now - Copic at You Spica glitter pens!!1 You have to try it. This picture doesn't do it justice. The coloring is so glittery.

I hope to see your creation in the challenge!! You've got 2 weeks to enter. It's a judged challenge (winners are not randomly chosen) Good luck!!!

Challenges:
Created with Love Challenges - CWLC 74 Red, White and Blue
'ABC' Challenges - ABC 34 - Red, White and Blue
Stampin Dragon - Anything goes
Creative Inspirations Paint - Red, White, Blue

La-Vie

Eyes Wide Shut Layout Featuring Aidan B.

 

Introducing my son Aidan!! I've been inspired by all of the Project Life posts I have been seeing lately and decided to do one myself. Well, it doesn't have exactly the same look BUT it uses everyday pics I took with my iPhone that I would have never scrapped. Today I used a sketch provided by Sketchy Friday Challenge blog (see below). It was originally for a card but I used it to make this glorious page. My son (home sick today) cannot stop looking at it, making comments about it and smiling. My work is done!!

 

 

One challenge I am entering asked for a layout introducing one of the boys in my life. I though, "who better than my son?" I decided to introduce the most dominant aspects of his personality right now.

I worked to create a Polaroid type of feel by printing 2 pictures on one 4x6 piece of photo paper and then punching out my son's face with a square punch. After I affixed it to white cardstock, I cut the appropriate sized rectangle.

The bottom part of the Polaroid seemed the best place to add a little journaling with a personalized stamp and clear sticker. The remainder of my journaling is done with a glitter pen (Spica at You) but it wasn't showing the glitter. I had to retrace my words to get some sparkle going. I think it gives it a messy yet whimsical look (albeit by accident).

 

 One of the challenges called for Washi Tape so I created a double border with it and included a Washi Tape bow! It helps if you dust the tape with powder to remove the tackiness so the loops won't stick together if they collapse.

The title Eyes wide shut came to me because it seems like my son always wants to close his eyes or change up what he's doing as soon as I whip out the camera or video camera. The pictures focus on his eyes so it seemed to be a fitting title.

Yet another challenge called for lots of layers. I tried to bring that across subtly with the 5 layers of cardstock, layered pictures and Washi Tape while staying within the sketch provided.

 

Here's another view of my layout along with the original sketch. 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies:

• Cardstock: Kraft: Recollections, brown: Bazzill, striped: Darcie's Country Folk, blue patterned: from stash, gold foil cardstock: American Crafts, White: The Paper Cut
• Cricut carts: Batman , font, shift: Talk bubble cut at 11.59" (using fit to page function)
• Alphas: Thickers: Patterned Fabric Stickers
• Embellishments: Eyes: Jolee's Boutique, Smiley face: Recollections
• Stamp: Aidan stamp from Corry's Cool Stuff
• Ink: Colorbox Chalk ink: burnt sienna
• Washi tape: Brown: Tim Holtz, Circles: Queen and Co.
• Pen: Spica by You glitter pen (Copics)
• Punch: Marvy 3.5" square punch

Have you guessed? I'm on a roll with entering challenges. Some have a deadline of today, Feb. 28, 2013 and others on March 2nd. Please visit each challenge blog and consider joining me in the next challenges! It's a way to break through those moments of scrap block and to meet new crafty friends.

1. About A Boy Challenge Blog - Introducing!
2. The Paper Girls - Challenge #26 Washi Tape
3. Sketchy Friday - Challenge 8 and check out the cool Digis at SKdigis blog.

 

La-Vie

With Sympathy

Last week, I lost a friend suddendly. I created this card for her only child, a teenage daughter left to fend for herself in the world at such a formative time. My heart is heavy, but with prayer all things are possible. I've prayed for the family since the tradegy happened. I know God is able.

Along with this card, I sent a journal and pen so that she may record her thoughts and feelings to aid in her healing. I also sent a prayer book entitled The Lord bless and keep you; a treasury of God's promises.

Supplies:

• card base - Cricut Cartridge Sophie cut at 5.5" from Bazzill dotted swiss white cardstock
• both layers - SEI Poppy Stack
• bling frame - Spellbinders want 2 scrap Nestabling
• with sympathy stamp - The stamps of Life - branches4flowers #24
• ink - Clear & Simple stamps Hybrid Ink - Espresso your style
• Glitter adhesive dots - Recollections
• corner rounder - Creative memories
• inside message written with AtYouSpica glitter pen - chocolate
• recycled ribbon (I keep ribbon from items and reuse it)

La-Vie

Sweet Little Baby - Cricut Circle Weekly Challenge #54

Weekly Challenge #54: Decorative Letter Challenge!

The Challenge: Create a scrapbook page, card, home decor item, or other project where you include a word of your choice. One or more of the letters in your chosen word must be replaced by a Cricut shape. For example, replace the letter “o” in the word LOVE with a heart.

Rules and Guidelines: Circle Blog Challenges are open to Cricut Circle Members only. Your project must be newly created for this challenge and include atleast 2 Cricut Image Cuts. You must submit a project to be entered into the Challenge Prize Drawing. One entry per person, please.

Prize: We will select one winner to receive $25 in credit added to their Cricut.com account. Please allow 4 to 6 weeks for delivery from winner announcement.

Winner: The winners will be selected randomly from qualifying entries using www.random.org and will be announced on the Cricut Circle Blog on Friday, March 30th, 2012.

Here's my entry for this challenge. This card is for a friend who is having her third child but her first baby girl next month. It includes 4 Cricut cuts using the Cricut Imagine machine and the letter "b" is replaced with a glittery rattle.

I wanted to experiement with the sillhouette style that I have been seeing on blogs and Pinterest lately. I chose the baby image (cut at 2.5") and the word baby (cut at 1.5") from the Cricut Cartridge A Child's Year. The rattle was cut at 1.7" from Craft 'n Craftin pink glitter cardstock and Cricut Cartridge New Arrival. The scallop oval (cut at 4.5") was a stock image in the Cricut Imagine machine. Sweet Little is a portion of a stamp by Stampin' Up from the Something sweet set. I did not ink the word baby that is the last part of the stamp. I punched it out with the Stampin' Up word window punch.

The inside of the card is finished with Bazzill pink cardstock punched with Martha Stewart scallop three dot. The sentiment is from Stampin' Up Full of Life stamp set. I will write a message to the mom-to-be with an at you Spica glitter pen by Copics.

Other supplies used:

• adhesives - ATG, foam dots, zots glue dots, xyron 1.5"
• pebbles twine
• DCWV Mango Frost stack, Nana's Kids - baby girl
• magenta seam binding
• We R Memory Keepers Sweetheart Inkers - pink
• Inkadinkado ballerina pink pigment ink

Wish me luck!

La-Vie