Wonderful

My latest design for Two Scrapbook Friends created using Pebbles From You and Me features a favourite photo of Rich and I. I love its colours and how our love shows even though our faces do not.

It is a fairly simple design and the sideways chevrons are layered with a great calendar paper. The Wooden hearts are from Studio Calico.

 This line has a great sticker sheet with so may superb sentiments. I can see these on future cards!

I chose a cursive font for my title cut it from a pattered paper with the Cameo. I used the word "wonderful" several times and felt that the repetition really worked to emphasize the whole idea!
I hope you are inspired to create something wonderful with From You And Me. Check out the whole line here at Two Scrapbook Friends.

Until next time, keep doing what you love to do!

Boys Rule Guest DT spot and "You and Me"

Good day! I am thrilled to be back with my second Boys Rule Just Design creation. It features a favourite photo of Max and Rich during a family photo shoot this fall (thank you Angela Smith of Waterloo.)

 I began with some texture medium applied through a template with a plastic knife.  The knife adds some interesting grooves in the medium. I layered a transparency frame under the left side of the focal photo. I also added some diagonal stitching 'rays' for interest.

The striped paper is amazing and I cut a 12 inch strip and folded, then stitched it along the base of my design. A great sticker draws your eye to my photo and acts as a title that is short and sweet!

I am enjoying creating with all these masculine papers and accents and hope I have inspired you do some creating of your own today!

So Many of My Smiles Begin with You

For those of you who know me, you will recall I scrapbook Adriane and her BFF's all the time. Recently at a wedding I took this selfie with my BFF Carey. It's not often the two of us take a photo (or one that has good hair).  The Pebbles line From Me To You was perfect for these photos.

I added some different sized circles and folded them in the centre with my bone folder. I then glued them down gently along the seam. Once they were dried I stitched along the seam.

 My title was chosen from the Sticker sheet and mounted on a punched scalloped circle.

 I added a cluster of Silhouette cut banner pieces and an older flowered brad. The "smile" is a rub on.

 I added some washi tape along the bottom of the photo.

I hope you'll pop over to Two Scrapbook Friends and see the whole line for yourself! Until next time, keep doing what you love!

Out on the Town

Happiest of Days! My favourite gals at Two Scrapbook Friends asked me to work with PEBBLES From Me to You. I loved this line with it's sunny palette and great patterns.

It inspired me to print these great fun pictures of Adriane and one of her BFF's Lauren. These two girls love the Mall. Eating, trying on fun outfits and generally acting grown up!

I used the best picture of Adriane inside a STUDIO CALICO frame and added mint coloured lace to the bottom.

I layered the patterns in strips and added stitches. I really played up the sherbet colours and the deep slate grey.

I chose this awesome font (whose name has escaped me as I type this!) and placed inside a frame on the lower right. To anchor it and add some stitching in a melon shade here too.

Until next time, keep doing what you love.

I'm Digging my Guest Design Gig with Boys Rule!

 I’m thrilled be guest designer for Boys Rules Scrapbook Kits. Here's the first layout I made with the Janurary and February Kit. It features some gorgeous papers and stickers from ADORNIT and cute enamel arrows from MY MIND'S EYE.

 I added some of the fabulous letter stickers for my title and some constructions ones on squares all popped up with pop dots.

 I journalled around the corner to create some movement on the design and to mimic the idea that construction is an active job!

 I stitched in navy blue to create an frame for the focal point of the design.

I hope I've inspired you today! Stay tuned for some more inspiration created with this kit coming your way! Check out Boys Rule Blog for more inspiration!


Until next time, keep doing what you love!

A Stuck Sketch and A Trip to the Beach

It's time again fora great sketch from Stuck! I used it to scrap an Instagram photo of Adriane at the beach this summer on a less the warm day. Blacks photography prints Instagram photos in 5x5 format if you are interested!

 

 I love the sketches minimalistic feel...It allows the designer to add as little-- or as much-- as they feel. I really used black here to punch up the impact. Stiched chircles in black thread, little black hearts and a big black title.

Here's the sketch by Laura Whitaker (who totally ROCKS!!)

I hope you'll play along! Upload to the Stuck?! blog and you can have a chance to win a prized fro our sponsors! A big thank you goes out to  Creative Embellishments, for sponsoring our January 15th challenge, they are offering a $20.00 gift certificate to one lucky participant!

 

AND thank you to May Arts Ribbon, who are also sponsoring this challenge, offering 2 Spools of their gorgeous ribbon, winners choice, to a second lucky participant!

Until next time, keep doing what you love!

Inspiration Elevator #20: Ten Years From Now

You may recall that the purpose of this challenge group is to take our scrapbooking to the next level, to stretch our creative process and to grow as artists by embracing challenges that make us think, work and grow. You can view all of the challenges our new Inspiration Elevator Blog, here.

 Our challenge this month comes from the very talented Jodi Wilton . Here's what she had to say in her very own words: "My challenge for January. The New Year is always about bettering ourselves; looking into the future, and making goals (some attainable, some not so much). Scrapbooking is about recording the story and most of these stories are in the past, so we don't forget the memories we created. For this challenge I would like you to scrapbook yourself, your family, or a particular family member and where you (or them) would like to be in ten years time. The focus for this challenge is on the journaling. Your layout or art journal may be in the form of a letter to your future self. Your layout may or may not have any photo at all and be all about the journaling. Dip deep! Really think about what you can (or they can) accomplish! What are your dreams? What are your goals? Good luck ladies!"

Whew! These journalling challenges kick my butt! I've had a pretty emotional time since my beloved Bobo passed away in November. I try to avoid sad movies, FB posts and novels as oce I get teary the floodgates open and I seem to slide into sadness for a long time afterwards! Having said this, this challenge wasn't SAD per se but I knew any words I wrote would invariably move me to tears regardless. I admitt to scrapping these photos and putting the writing off til the very last minute.

Since I often share designs about Adriane (Dolly) I wanted to write to Max aout how he has grown and the changes we see in him as a teen. We are so encouraged by who he is as a person: mature, caring, funny, loving and so so so smart. The words I wrote are intensely private and out of respect to him I have kept them personal on the back of the layout.

So here it is..a bit old school but I used a cute sketch and I like how it worked with the Authentique Original papers from my stash.

 I could have a put a bit of journalling on the lower left to balance it all out but couldn't decide in the end what to say that was too much. I also think I may add a bit of stitching? Who knows?! I may still make those changes. As for technique: just a bit of misting and a crinkled "14" for some texture and depth.

Once again this process is about growth and the process of writing for Max was very cathartic and I know he will enjoy what I have said to him whenever he reads it.  I poured my heart out and while the layout might not be winning any awards it showcases my darling boy at his best and shows how I love him.

I hope you will check out the other bloggers on our little tour here and find out what they had to say about their journey.

Jodi Wilton

Michelle Hernandez

Ann Jobes

Laura Whitaker

Lisa Moen

 Christa Uttley

Lisa Spiegel

Joanne Burton

Until next time, keep doing what you love!

I Moustache You to be My Best Friend and another great Stuck Sketch!

Happy New Year! We spent another exciting evening with our close friends and family. What a great evening of munchies and Rockband...It always gets me thinking about how lucky I am to have such an amazing support group who loves and carries me through the hard times.

I know most of you have seen layouts featuring my daughter Adriane and her BFFs. I am so glad she has close friends to share life's moments of happiness and sadness. The sketch from Stuck inspired me to scrapbook some of the photos from Angela Smith Photography we had taken this fall. Adriane and Jordyn are being silly all the while being so beautiful in their happiness.

Doodlebug Design's Day to Day was perfect with their little moustache designs.

I added a little matching moustache in my title too! The Camo is a magical thing! (I must admit to feeling clever as I chose to add the moustache in place of the 'o' and 'u' in the accepted Canadian spelling of moustache but felt that my American friends might just see a substituted "u" instead! Ta-da!)

I sincerely hope you'll give this Laura Whitaker sketch a try and link up to the Stuck?! Blog so you can be entered to win this months sponsored prize from:

Until next time, keep doing what you love!