150 Followers Winner!

Thanks to everyone who commented and became new Followers for my 150 Giveaway!  I not only reached 150, but exceeded it to 157!!!  :)  I finally had a chance to draw the winner today (it has been busy and crazy!!) and the giveaway goes to:

CSEWY (Carolyn)!!

But don't worry, if you didn't win this time!  There are always more milestones to reach and future giveaways!!  :)  Maybe I can have another giveaway for the 175 mark!!  :) 

 

A Few Little Things to Note!

**If you are looking for the 150 Followers giveaway, please click HERE.**

I am a little late on sharing this news...but better late than never, right??!!  :)  My layout "Tutu Much Fun" was chosen at ScrapFIT last week as the Weekend Warm Up #23 Winner!  That means I am featured on the ScrapFIT Blog this week in their FITGirl Spotlight!!  You can check it out HERE and read a little bit about me and see some of my favorite layouts I chose to share.

Also, my friend Laurie awarded me with the Liebster Blog Award.  Liebster is German for "dearest", "beloved" or "favorite". It is meant to give blogger's with less than 200 followers a chance to get more traffic to their blogs, to share the love and creativity that is out there.  Go check out Laurie's Blog, A Page In Time and become a follower!  You will definitely be inspired by her amazing layouts.  She has such creative talent with misting and bright colors!

 
And since Laurie was generous enough to pass this on to me, I would also like to share the Liebster Award with a few more of my talented, scrappy friends.  Head over and check these Ladies out...you definitely won't be disappointed:

Laura:  Happiness = Creation (Laura is a whiz with double-page layouts!!)
Andrea:  Precious Memories (Andrea has fun page designs and does an awesome job mixing patterns!!)  
Steffanie:  Life of a Brown Eyed Girl (Steffanie is one of the newest Team members at Scrapfit and she does a really awesome job with clean lines!)


The last thing I have to share with you today, is a layout that I did for one of my favorite challenges.  It is for the Jan./Feb. Issue Challenge #5 at Club CK (hosted by my most-awesome friend, Erika).  Our challenge this week, was to use the color scheme from the front of the Creating Keepsakes magazine.

I really struggled with this layout and it didn't have anything to do with the color scheme.  I could not figure out how to embellish this one!!  Nothing at all came to mind!!  So, I just ended up with the little folded flowers, some buttons, and some mini round gems.  I was really happy with the color scheme, even though we had to use Purple and it is my least favorite of all of the colors.  Fortunately my daughter's dress already had the teal, and purple and I added in a touch of the green to go along with her dress also.  I used my hand-held Singer Sewer to stitch around the perimeter of the page.  I have a love/hate relationship with my Singer...well, it's actually more of a hate/hate relationship!!  :)  Sewing is definitely not one of my mad skills and I can never keep the line straight and somehow my thread managed to break halfway up the right side of the page and everything went all wonky.  But I persevered and managed to get it stitched around the whole page.  Maybe one day will make nice and be friends!!  :)


That's all I have for today and I hope you got to enjoy a little scrappy time for yourself this weekend!  If not, set a little time aside for yourself this week...believe me, the world won't explode if that pile of laundry doesn't get folded right away!!  :)


Products Used:


Cardstock:  BoBunny & Bazzill
Patterned Paper:  BoBunny, Bella Blvd., Cosmo Cricket, & Glitz Design
Mini Round Gems:  Recollections
Buttons:  Michael's
Edgers:  Provo Craft
Punches:  EK Success & Marvy
Thickers:  American Crafts
Mini Market Stickers:  October Afternoon
Pen:  Sakura
Stitching:  Singer
Font:  Abadi MT Condensed Extra Bold

Almost there...150 Followers!

**Check out a fun Halloween layout I did for Case File #3 this week at CSI, HERE!**

I can't believe I've already made it up to almost 150 followers in such a short time!!  I am only 6 away!!  :)  I decided it would be fun to do a little giveaway this weekend, if I reach 150 by Sunday, January 29.  New followers and current followers have two chances to be entered in the drawing.  New followers, let me know you are now following and leave a comment letting me know what new goodies you are looking forward to getting that are being released at CHA-W.  Current followers, you can share a link to this post on your FB or Blog and let me know that you did and also leave the same comment...what goodies you would like to have that are being shown at CHA-W.  I will draw a winner from all of the entries (closing entries at 8PM CST) and announce a winner on Monday morning!!

Halloween Tricksters

Well, it's almost February and I am working on a Halloween layout...go figure!!  But I've really been itching to get started on Case File #3 at CSI this week!!  When you see my layout compared to the inspiration photo, you'll probably ask yourself, "what was she thinking??"!!  For some reason, when I saw the color scheme, I just kept thinking I wanted to do something for Halloween with this challenge...so I did!!  :)  Here is my layout and then I'll do a little explaning:

See what I mean??!!  But honestly, once it was all finished, I think it really worked.  I cut out a circle pattern lace cardstock on my Cricut and put it over the two tags at the top.  I also pleated half of the wide, pink ribbon that goes across my page.  Since I was going for non-traditional Halloween anyway, I added a few layered, hand-made flowers and some small butterflies.  If you are wondering where in the world the Orange came from, the CSI rules say that you can add in one accent color as long as it is only 10% on your page.  I thought it would help pop out the Orange's in my photos and add that little element of a "real" Halloween page.  

The elements I used for this weeks challenge are the tags, sheer ribbon, and doily-cut embellies from my Cricut.  For the journaling part of the challenge, I journaled on a tag.

If you haven't stopped by CSI, I encourage you to drop by and check out their challenges!  A new challenge is posted each Friday night and on Tuesday's they choose 5 layouts that are "Under Surveillance" and several more that are on the "Watch List".  My layout "Chilly Willy" was actually chosen last week for the "Watch List" and it was my first time to play along.  It was a happy surprise to see it there!!  :)

Products Used:

Cardstock:  Bazzill
Patterned Paper:  Die Cuts with a View
Brads:  The Paper Studio
Embroidery Floss:  Janlynn
Punch:  Martha Stewart
Edgers:  Provo Craft
Baker's Twine:  The Twinery
Thickers:  American Crafts
Mini Round Gems:  Recollections
Font:  CK Fraternity
Other:  Ribbon

Star-Studded!

This week, we are seeing stars at Sketch Support!!  Allison provided us with the cutest One-Page Sketch (#17).  I thought the design of this sketch, would be perfect for a silly photo I had of my son, wearing Mr. Potato Head glasses while I was getting him ready for bed!  The sketch was originally designed for a landscape photo, but my photo was portrait, so I rotated the sketch.

Instead of keeping the star in the center completely solid, I cut an outline and then added a smaller, solid star to the center.  I have been stitching a lot on my pages lately, so I added a fun stitched border around the edge of the page and used baker's twine to stitch around the star.  Of course, I ran out of the color I was using before I finished, but was able to find another color that was pretty similar to finish it off!!  :)  To add a little more texture to my page, I embossed the small stars and the cloud behind my title.  I also added some messy paint splatters...well, because boys are messy and I thought it would be a fun touch to a little boy page!!

You can head over to Sketch Support and check out the other variations I made to the sketch and also see what the very talented Penny and Carolyn did with the One-Page Sketch.

Products Used:  

Cardstock:  Tim Holtz
Paper & Stickers:  Echo Park
Baker's Twine:  The Twinery
Embroidery Floss:  Janlynn
Corrugated Alphas:  Jillibean Soup
Acrylic Paint:  Apple Barrel
Embossing:  Sizzix & Provo Craft
Brads:  The Paper Studio
Edgers:  Provo Craft
Thickers:  American Crafts
Pen:  Zig Memory System
Punch:  EK Success
Font:  Tempus Sans ITC

Get Well Soon!

Back in September, my little boy smacked his head on the base of our brick fireplace and busted his head open near his brow-line (mommy did not handle this so well!!).  We took him to the ER and he ended up getting 6 internal stitches and 7 external stitches (fortunately, I had regained composure once we made it to the hospital!!).  Definitely not a fun experience for a 2 year old little boy.  These pictures are from the next day and you can imagine how difficult it is to get a rambunctious little boy to sit down and rest.  But I definitely tried my best!!  :)  I had cartoons on for him and was busy doing a little house work.  After a while, I noticed he was awfully still and quiet...very out of the usual for him.  I peeked around the corner and found him fast asleep in the recliner...with his Crocs on, no less!  :)  I was so happy to see him resting...and still...because he was making me a nervous wreck still running around after being stitched back up.

And even more to the story...this happened on a Wednesday morning and we were supposed to have the stitches removed the next Tuesday.  Somehow, he managed to pick out 2 of the 7 stitches within that time frame.  Well, we went and had the remainder of the stitches removed that Tuesday morning and much to our disbelief, we were back at the ER that night having 12 more put in!!  Apparently, when we put him in bed that night, the cut opened back up, because it had not healed completely!!!  By that time, I was threatening to make him wear a football helmet from here on out!!  But he is all healed and much better now.  I really wanted to get these pictures scrapped, but wasn't sure what route to take with them.  One of the challenges hosted by my friend Erika at Club CK, was to use a card as inspiration for your layout or project.  I decided to open up my trusty Pinterest account and see what I could find.  I typed in Get Well Card and the perfect little ole' card popped up.  Here is the page I created from the inspiration:

And here is the cute little card that I used as my inspiration piece:

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you have a great-injury free-week!!  :)

Products Used:

Cardstock:  Bazzill

Patterned Paper:  October Afternoon & Simple Stories

Stickers, Letter Stickers, Buttons, & Rubber Charms:  October Afternoon

Pen:  Sharpie

Brads:  The Paper Studio

Embroidery Floss:  Janlynn

FD Winter Blog Hop WINNER!!

I thought it would be fun to start off a Monday morning with some good news for one lucky WINNER!!  Thanks to everyone who participated in the Frosted Designs Winter Blog Hop this past weekend.  I hope you enjoyed seeing all of the projects and got inspired along the way!!  Be on the lookout for the Frosted Designs Love Is In the Air Blog Hop coming up on February 10!!  You won't want to miss it!

Now for the Winner....I used Random.Org and number 26 came up and that means our winner is

SANDEE!!!

Sandee, please contact me at ashleyhorton010675@gmail.com, with your mailing info and I will get your prize out to you ASAP!!

Frosted Designs Winter Blog Hop!!

Welcome to the Frosted Designs Winter Blog Hop!!  You should have arrived here from My Little Scrap Corner, the Blog of the very talented, Jenny Evans.  If you did not, please go back to Frosted Designs and start at the beginning.  There are two ways to win prizes (which I will mention a little later), so you will definitely want to visit all of the Blogs along the way!!

I know some of us have experienced a mild Winter so far this year, and some of our Northern friends have been in a Winter wonderland with all of the falling snow!!  But we can still all enjoy this time of year, whether we are experiencing below zero temperatures or whether we are in the 70's, by creating some Winter themed layouts or projects!  Because my family lives so far South, snow is a rarity around here.  Sometimes our temperatures drop down into the teens at night and we have daytime lows in the 30's...but this is also rare.  With all of that said, I had to get a little creative in creating a layout that centered around the theme of our Blog Hop, which is Winter.  Fortunately, our Bass Pro Shop sets up Santa's Winter Wonderland every year and I got some cute pictures of my son checking out the place!!

 

Not only is this layout for the Winter Blog Hop, it is also for our 1.20.12 Fabulous Friday challenge, which is to use Vellum/Transparency.  I had a Fancy Pants Designs 12x12 transparency in my stash, that has been there forever.  I thought it went along great with the Echo Park Times & Seasons collection, so I fussy cut some of the flourishes and added them to my page.  The Fabulous Friday challenge will continue on it's normal schedule.  You will have until Noon on Thursday, January 26, to upload your project or layout.

Now onto the Prize giveaways!!

The Hop will take place from today, January 20 through Sunday, January 22, at midnight.  You have two chances to win the Grand Prize from Frosted Designs:

1. There will be a word/words at each Blog, that you will put together, and at the end of the last Blog, you need to email the whole phrase to danica4us@yahoo.com by midnight Sunday. (Subject Line should say "Blog Hop")

The word from my Blog is MAKES.

2. Link your LO to the Frosted Design Blog by Midnight Sunday

You also have the chance to win a little prize package from my Blog also.  If you are already a Follower, leave me a comment telling me your favorite thing about Winter.  If you are not a Follower, start following my Blog and leave me a comment letting me know.  I will randomly select a winner and post it on Monday morning, so make sure to check back and see if you are the lucky one!!  (I will mail prizes to US residents only).

I hope you have enjoyed my layout today and that you have been inspired by the Ladies you have already visited!!  Now, it's off to your next stop Sunnys Basteloase, to see what the talented Marina has in store for you!!

To You, With Love

Valentine's Day is already drawing near, and love is in the air!!  It's time for pink hearts, flowers, and Valentine's cards.  Whether you like to exchange cute, little hand-made Valentine cards with your friends or if your children exchange Valentine's with friends at school, you have to have something special to keep them in, right?  Today, I have an adorable altered mailbox to share with you that is just right for storing your Valentine keepsakes.  Christy, from ScrapHappy Pensacola, sent me a package of goodies from the store that included some GORGEOUS Valentine papers from Teresa Collins' Posh collection.  At first I thought about using them to make actual Valentine's cards, but then I thought "hmmmm, I will need something to keep the cards in".  If you have been to Walmart or Target, then you know they have the kiddie themed mailboxes in the store, that come with pre-made Valentine cards.  I decided, wouldn't it be more fun to alter the mailbox, than to make the cards...so that's what I did.

Here is the original mailbox that I started out with:

I started out by tracing the backside of the mailbox onto the paper and then cutting it out and re-tracing it, to have two of those shapes for the front and back.  I used Mod Podge to cover the mailbox and adhere those two pieces.


The height of the mailbox was a little over 7 inches, so I knew my 12x12 paper wouldn't fully cover the sides, so I cut two, 2.5x7 inch strips and lined them up with the bottom of the mailbox.  Then I cut the 12x12 down to 7x12.  I covered the mailbox with Mod Podge and added the second piece of paper over the top of the mailbox.  Then I used one of the black patterns to cover the seam, by cutting a 1x7 inch piece.

Next, came the fun part...DECORATING!!  I continued using these fabulous papers, because there are some great patterns for fussy cutting.  I used one of the papers that had some beautiful roses and another that had a cameo pattern.  This mailbox did not come with a flag and what mailbox is complete without a flag??!!  So I decided I would make my own!!  I just free-handed a flag onto some cardboard (I save the filler cardboard sheets that come in my Page Protectors-they are great for cutting out your own shapes and then covering with Patterned Paper to create dimensional elements on your pages or projects) and cut it out.  I used the Mod Podge over the top of it and glued it to one of the Patterned Papers, let it dry, and cut it out once again.  To attach it to the mailbox, I punched a hole with my WRMK brad setter and used a brad that had long enough prongs to go through the cardboard and the mailbox.

Once the flag was attached, I began layering the fussy cut images from my papers.  I also had a few very pretty brads and several little rosettes in my package, so I incorporated those into the clustering.  I added the word "Love" in big white letters at the bottom of the mailbox and finished it off by adding a little ribbon and some baker's twine to the pull tab on the front.

Voila!!  Now you have a beautiful keepsake to store all of those sweet, Valentine's!  You could also use this as the "wrapping" for a gift that you are giving to that sweet someone, or maybe even use it later on for a jewelry box.


You still have a little over 3 weeks to get a jump on all of your Valentine crafts this year, so stop by the store and see what supplies you need to make this February 14th a very special day!!

A Sad Goodbye!!

**Scroll down for an Announcement from earlier today.**

UGH!!  I cannot believe that this layout is for the final sketch challenge at Sketchy Thursdays!!  They were definitely one of those challenge Blogs, that I thought would be around for years to come!  But I definitely understand how busy Diana, Heidi, and Julie are these days.  I see that they are busy little bees all over the place!!  :)  I have so much enjoyed playing along with the challenges every week and have probably been participating for a year or  more.  It was so fun checking each Thursday morning to see the new sketch and find out if any of my friends had made the faves list...or maybe even me!!  :)

It has taken me a while to get to this one this week, but I definitely didn't plan to miss out on the very last challenge.  And I am very happy with the way my page turned out.  I used some of the last bits and pieces of my Emma's Shoppe collection from Crate Paper on this one.  I added a little distressing with a text stamp from Prima and then I just used my ink pad to make some messy marks around the edge of the page.

I would like to thank the Ladies at Sketchy Thursdays for their dedication over the past years and wish them well on all of their upcoming ventures!!  I know I will see their work in many other places!!


Products Used:


Paper, Stickers, Cardstock Embellishments:  Crate Paper
Ink:  Memento
Stamp:  Prima
Baker's Twine:  The Twinery
Pen:  Zig
Brads:  Bazzill
Tiny Type:  Cosmo Cricket
Other:  Buttons

Two ANNOUNCEMENTS Today!!

First off, I would like to share with you, that my layout "Leaf Wars" is one of three up for vote for Little Yellow Bicycle's Fall/Winter Sketch Challenge.  I would really love it, if you could take just a couple of seconds to vote for my layout.  You can vote one of two ways:

1.  If you have Facebook, you can click HERE and just "Like" my page...it's that easy!!

2.  If you are not a Facebook-er, you can go to the LYB Blog and just leave a comment under the post, saying you would like to vote for my layout.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!  :)

In other news...Have you always wanted to be a part of an amazing Design Team??!!  Then look no further!!  Frosted Designs has a call up today for new Team Members!!  You will definitely want to check this out.  I have been on Frosted Designs for my first six moth term and these Ladies are so amazing!!  Please don't sell yourself short, if you think you shouldn't try out...DON'T do that!!  Send in your application and who knows...you could be joining the Team for the next term!!  To find out all you need to know to apply, head HERE and check out the Design Team application info and requirements.

Let It Snow...Man!

Being so far South, snow is definitely a rare occasion.  But I was so excited to see that our Add-On sketch at Sketch Support this month from Allison, was the cutest little Snow Man!!  Even though we don't have snow (or much cold weather for that matter), we still have Santa's Wonderland at The Bass Pro Shop.  When we took the kids to have their pictures made with Santa, Frosty was waiting to greet us while we waited in line.  My daughter decided she needed to have her picture made with him, before going to see Santa!!  I loved that her outfit matched Frosty's and I added a vintage filter to the photo.  Here is a look at what I did with the Add-On Sketch #13:

I used my Big Shot to add some embossing to my Snow Man to add a little texture and sprayed it with some Shimmer Glitz, to give it the sparkly look of snow.  My background paper for this one is a light blue & white polka dot from Jillibean Soup and I mixed in some scraps from the 25 Days of Christmas line from Simple Stories.  I really wanted to create a Winter feel on this page for Frosty!!  :)  I added some white trim from The Paper Studio and some pom pom trim for a snowy ground.  I also cut some snowflakes on the Expression and added some Shimmer Glitz to make them sparkle.  Don't forget to head over to Sketch Support and check out what Michelle did with the Add-On and check back the rest of this week for a lot more inspiration from the Ladies.

Products Used:

Patterned Paper: Jillibean Soup and Simple Stories

Shimmer Spritz: Tsukineko

Font: Frosty and Impact Label

Punch: Marvy

Ribbon: The Paper Studio

Pom Pom Trim: Wright's

Baker's Twine: The Twinery

Pearls: Kaiser Craft

Tag: EK Success

Mini Round Gems: Recollections

Embroidery Floss: Janlynn

Embossing: Sizzix Big Shot and Provo Craft

Brads: The Paper Studio

Stickers: Simple Stories

Thickers: American Crafts

On the Case!!

Yesterday, I discovered a new challenge Blog and I am SO GLAD I did!!  Let me just say, FUN, FUN, FUN!!  Want to know what it is??!!  CSI...Color, Stories, Inspiration!  A new "Case File" is posted each Friday evening and it gives you the opportunity to work "The Scene", "The Scheme", "Evidence", and "Testimony" into your pages.  Basically, the scene is an inspiration image, you have 5 colors you must use, you have to use 2 or more from the evidence, and the testimony involves your journaling!  I really had a lot of fun on this page and went a little out of my normal design, but it's what I envisioned for these cute photos of my middle daughter all bundled up for our trip to one of their nature classes.

  

When I started this page, I realized that I probably haven't used circular photos in the last 5 years!!  :)  But I thought they were perfect for this page.  I chose flourishes, flowers, and a sheer element from the inspiration photo.  For my journaling, I journaled from the adventure aspect.  I thought the color scheme provided a perfect wintry backdrop for my photos.  All of the flowers are handmade and layered with brads for the centers.  The blue flourishes were fussy cut from a piece of Fancy Pants paper and I added a little inking on this one with some Tim Holtz distress ink.  I also added a little bit of adhesive around the edge of the purple circle and sprinkled it with some Star Dust Glitter from Fancy Pants.

I hope you enjoyed stopping by to look at my page and I hope you will take a minute to check out the challenges at CSI!

Products Used:

Cardstock:  BoBunny
Patterned Paper:  BoBunny & Fancy Pants
Glitter:  Fancy Pants
Brads: The Paper Studio
Sparkles:  Close to My Heart
Tiny Type:  Cosmo Cricket
Mini Market Stickers:  October Afternoon
Thickers:  American Crafts
Ink:  Tim Holtz (Ranger)
Rosette Trim:  Tim Holtz
Baker's Twine:  Baker's Twine
Embossing:  Sizzix & Provo Craft
Edgers:  Provo Craft
Punches:  Marvy
Pen:  Zig

Change is Good!

Well, we are starting the 3rd week of the New Year and I hope things have been great for you so far in 2012!  I decided today, that the time had come to make some changes to my Blog in honor of the new year!  Wood grain has become one of my favorite patterns in the past few months...and who knew that Blogger was on trend with just the perfect background for me.  I also used a digital kit from Cosmo Cricket to design my new page header.  Let me know what you think about the new design and if everything is presented in an informative manner.  I always enjoy your feedback!  My hubby suggested I go to Google for some help, because I wanted to create the tabs at the top of my page, but I wasn't exactly sure how to do that.  Of course, there was a video tutorial (I think YouTube has one for just about everything now) and it was pretty darn simple.  I have several new tabs, where you can read about me, check out my Scrapbook resume, look at some of my work, and you can also check out and use some of the sketches I've designed.  So take a few minutes to look around, I hope you like what you see!!!

And a quick Hey, Look Forward to This note:  This Friday, January 20, Frosted Designs will be hosting a Winter Blog Hop.  Come join us for lots of inspiration, fun, and some giveaways.  There will be a main giveaway through Frosted Designs, and I am sure some of the DT members will do giveaways on their individual Blogs...I know I will have one here!!  So check back Friday for the fun and you could be one of the lucky winners!!

Exciting News at Scrapbook News and Review!!

It's a New Year and with that comes changes!  Scrapbook News and Review, an online magazine to fit all of your Scrapbook and crafting needs, is in the process of re-working the look of our site and each monthly issue.  You will find inspiration through Scrapbook layouts, mixed media, tutorials, product reviews, videos and more.  If you are already a subscriber, get ready for a fun new look and if you have not been over to check out SNR, come stop by and look through the forum and become a magazine subscriber.  You won't be disappointed in what SNR has to offer!!  Here is a little sneak peek of what is in the works for the new look:

 
And don't forget to check out the Submission calls and send in your work!  You could be published in the next issue!!

Sketch Support - My First Reveal!!

I can't believe that today is my first reveal for being on the 2012 DT for Sketch Support!  It's hard to believe this is my first one to share, because I've actually already completed 4 layouts from Allison's amazing sketches.  Working so far ahead gives my poor little brain a work out!  :)  I'm sure that most of you have been over to the Blog to check out the Two Page Sketch #24.  My fellow DT members have come up with some amazing takes on this versatile sketch.  If you haven't been over yet this week, take a minute to pop over to the Blog and check it out.  Also, make sure you find us on Facebook and "like" the Sketch Support page.  You can keep up with the amazing layouts the Ladies are posting and get a heads up on some of the great giveaways that take place throughout the year.

So without further ado, here is my take on the Two Page sketch:

I decided to have a little bit of grungy/inky fun with this one!!  I inked around the edges of my page and added ink to some bubble wrap and stamped it on my background paper.

To see the variations I made from the sketch, head over to the Sketch Support Blog and check out today's post!!

Supplies - Cardstock:  Bazzill; Patterned Paper & Stickers:  Echo Park; Alphabets:  American Crafts, Cosmo Cricket; Brads:  Bazzill; Ink:  Memento; Baker's Twine:  The Twinery; Punches:  Anna Griffin, Martha Stewart; Embroidery Floss:  Janlynn; Other:  Notebook Paper, Bubble Wrap

PUBLISHED!! CK Scrapbooking Ideas for Every Season

I have some great news to share today!  The new Special Issue of Creating Keepsakes Scrapbooking Ideas for Every Season has been released...and I have a layout in this issue!!  

I couldn't believe it when I was contacted in May of 2011 and asked if I would like to accept an assignment for this issue!!  After I got up from the floor, I responded with a definite YES!!  :)  It has been so difficult keeping it under wraps for that long, too.  But time flies, and I hope you will pick up this issue and check out some of the amazing work by some very talented Scrapbookers!

My layout is included in the Spring section of the magazine.  I really wanted the focus of this layout to be on the pictures, so I decided to keep the photos fairly large and keep my embellishments to a minimum.  But I think they still complement the page and I really love the cute, Country Drive papers from Echo Park alongside the colors in my photos.  So here is a look at my page...and I must say that I am completely honored to be included in a magazine with these Ladies, who I consider to be giants in the Scrapbooking industry and they are the ones I look to for inspiration.

 
Thanks for stopping by and keep an eye out this Summer, because I have two Reader's Pick Poll layouts that will be appearing in Creating Keepsakes...and maybe another surprise here or there!!  ;)

TuTu Much Fun!!

I am so glad I got to take a little time today and work on the 1.5 sketch challenge for Sketchy Thursdays...and I've really needed some scrap therapy today!  It's been one of those days!!  This was a fun page to put together, because I finally broke out the awesome Christmas Wishes collection from Bella Blvd., that I ordered from Two Peas last month.  So this is my inaugural layout using this fun collection.  How can you make a bad page using such cute papers and embellies??!!  It actually took me a while to get this page finished, because I thought it would be fun to make my own lace cardstock with my Expression.  I just used my Sure Cuts A Lot program to add varying circles together and then welded and cut.  And another great thing about the Christmas Wishes line is that it really complimented the colors in my photo!  I always like to pull colors from my photos to use to choose my papers for a page.  This photo is from Christmas Eve.  My cousin made the girls these adorable matching tutu's and of course I had to make them pose for a picture!

 

I added the cute little outlined stars with the button centers for the Weekend Warm Up #22 challenge at ScrapFIT, which is using Stars on your layout or project.


Products Used:

Paper, Stickers, & Chipboard:  Bella Blvd.
Brads:  The Paper Studio
Pearls:  Kasier Craft
Baker's Twine:  The Twinery
Buttons:  Michael's
Embroidery Floss:  Janlynn
Thickers:  American Crafts
Tiny Type:  Cosmo Cricket