Sassy Lil' Sketches...Those Eyes

I've had these pictures printed for a couple of months now and intended to use a Sketchy Thursdays sketch to scrap them.  But, it just wasn't doing it for me, that's when I came across this sketch from Sassy Lil' Sketches.  It was perfect and so was this kit from CTMH for National Scrapbooking Month called You and Me!  I SO LOVE these colors!  

I love these pictures too.  I took these while he was getting ready for his bath.  I don't know what it is about the light in that bathroom in the evening, but, it really makes his eyes stand out.  I used Photoshop to do some Selective/Spot Resolution for his eyes and made the rest of the photo sepia tones.  I think its probably more obvious in person.

All this little boy has to do is look at me with those big brown eyes and it makes it nearly impossible (note I said nearly!) for me to be mad at him!! ;O)

Paper:  You and Me Kit
Cardstock:  Cocoa and Colonial White
Stamps: You and Me, Charm Uppercase Alpha, and Take a Picture (camera) 
Ink:  Cocoa, Olive, and Bamboo
Other:  Irresistables Chip Board from You and Me Kit, Mocha Opaques adhesive pearls, Tim Holtz Idea-Ology Film Strip Ribbon and Tissue Tape, Zig Pen, and Photoshop CS5

Lasting Memories...Chill Out

The challenge this week at Lasting Memories is to use the sketch below and to be sure to incorporate circles.  Circles are SO hard for me!  It's the engineer in me, I like right angles! ;O)  So, I kind of cheated and used Photoshop to manipulate my picture.  I made a circle around Owen and left that portion in color and then used the Hue/Saturation level to take the background of the photo down to almost black and white.  I think it would have been more profound had I reduced the size of the photo and therefore the colored portion and left more black and white background.  But, I kind of like the results anyway and I learned a lot in the process. So, it was a win-win I think! ;O)  I need to get back to my online courses and get a better handle on Photoshop.  

I combined the basics of the Lasting Memories sketch with some elements of the "On with the Show" sketch in CTMH's latest book Magic.  I LOVE when you can take the best of two sketches and make it even better (or at least I hope its even better)!

I didn't have any paper that was especially ideal for this photo and I'm trying to use up my ridiculous stash before I spend any more money.  But, I didn't want to lose Owen's rosy cheeks by making the whole photo Sepia or B&W.  So, instead, I attempted to grunge up the Aspen paper with lots of Cocoa ink to tie-in his brown coat.  Hopefully, it was enough to do the trick!

Paper:  Aspen (retired)
Cardstock:  Bamboo and Colonial White

Ink: Cocoa and Twighlight
Stamps:  Winter Reflections (retired) and Journaling Jots
Other:  Snowflake Ribbon (by the yard from LSS not sure what brand), CTMH Irresistables Chip Board Alpha, Maya Road (small) and CTMH (large) chip board snowflakes, Recollections adhesive pearls, Delta Creative Ceramcoat acrylic paint (comes in CTMH distressing kit), Martha Stewart glitter, Zig Pen, and Photoshop CS5

Pagemaps...My Everything

I was over at Pagemaps.com this week to check out Becky Fleck's latest sketches and was SUPER excited to see that she's started a challenge blog!!  As an engineer, I LOVE deadlines! ;O)  Her blog challenge this month just happens to be the sketch I'd been eyeing on her website, so, what more did I need to get motivated! ;O)  I always love all the layering Becky puts into her layouts.  I have trouble with that when I'm on my own.

I absolutely love this photo Dave took of himself with Owen.  They truly are my everything, I'm lucky to have such amazing guys in my life!

Paper:  Reminisce Unwritten and Boom-Di-Ada (retired)
Cardstock:  Colonial White and Craft
Stamps:  You and Me (May Scrapbook Kit from CTMH)
Ink:  Barn Red
Other:  EKSuccess border punches, Making Memories Embroidery Floss, Clear Buttons and Liquid Glass, Designer Calendar and Plantin Schoolbook Cricut Cartridges, Funky Ribbon by the yard from LSS, and Zig Pen

Inspired Blueprints Meets Lasting Memories....Easter

So, my kiddo has been recovering from a cold that knocked him on his rear this week and I took advantage of the situation to do nothing but goof off!  The house is a disaster and he's not done much other than watch t.v., but, I did get two layouts done! ;O)  

The first one is a combined challenge.  Lasting Memories has a photo inspiration challenge this week.  I'm so excited to finally be able to participate in one of their challenges and submit my layout on time!  The colors of their photo were perfect for this paper by Best Creations Inc. and tulips always mean Easter/spring to me, so, this was an easy one!

I hadn't played with an Inspired Blueprints sketch in a while, but, came across this one from way back in February and knew it would be perfect.

I try really hard not to get caught up in the trends of the here and now because they seem to date your layouts faster.  I was really good with the whole pennant craze until Close to My Heart came out with this stamp set...how cute are my little alphabet flags! ;O)  Sorry about this photo, I can't seem to get a good one of this layout for some reason!

Paper: Best Creation Inc Bunny Love line
Cardstock:  Sunkiss Yellow, Citrus Leaf, Sky, and White Daisy
Ink: Sky
Stamps: Pennant Alpha and Eastertime (texture on basket)
Other: Recollections Pearls, Stickles, Martha Stewart border and butterfly punch, Cricut Stretch Your Imagination (basket) and Plantin Schoolbook (grass) cartridges, and Zig Pen

Happy Mother's Day...A Little Late! ;O)

So, every year, I try to find a card that's not just your average card to make for Mother's Day.  Last year I did a tri-fold card that you can see here and the year prior I did a criss-cross card which you can view here.  (Forgive the formatting of my older posts, when I redid my blog design, it messed up all the older posts.)  This year, I was reminded by Bryan of Scrap Guy's PaperCrafting Adventure of the flower pot card that was all the rage a year or so ago.  His is super cute and clean using the Cricut to cut his flowers.  But, I decided to make things difficult on myself and cut all the flowers out by hand!!  Brilliant decision on my part...I had 6 of these to make!  These are all I accomplished on my scrapbooking weekend, but, I think it was worth it.  

They were lots of fun and I think they turned out pretty cute...although, this wasn't a stellar example...I'm not sure why the flowers are all off to one side and I moved the butterflies up to the top of the big flower before I mailed them off.  But, hopefully, you get the picture! ;O)

If you'd like to try making your own flower pot pocket card, you can find the tutorial here on SplitcoastStampers website.  This would be a great one to stick a gift card to the back side of the insert!

Paper:  Boom-di-ada (butterfly punch)

Cardstock:  Colonial White and Craft

Stamps:  Cottage Floral, Flutter, Promise of Spring (foliage) and Simple Beauty (sentiment

Ink:  Sunset, Hollyhock, Blush, Honey, and Cocoa (shading on pot and sentiment)

Other:  Hollyhock Twill ribbon, Sparkles from Recollections, Martha Stewart Border and Butterfly punches, Recollections Sparkles, Twine from my stash, and Blue Moon Bead

Happy 90th!

My grandmother celebrated her 90th birthday this weekend.  I'm so proud of her!  She still lives on her own and is as feisty as ever.  I wanted to make her an extra special card and fell in love with one that Betsy Veldman had published in Paper Crafts Special How To Issue...Winter 2011 Stamp It! Techniques magazine on page 54.  I tried to find a picture of Betsy's card online without any luck and I'm not sure scanning the magazine photo would technically be legal.  So, I guess, you'll just have to take my word for it that they're similar...besides, I probably wouldn't want to have mine right beside hers! ;O)  

I wish I had made the chip board flower a different color now, but, all in all, I was happy with the results.  This was way outside my box, so, it was a lot of fun to try!

I've got a sick kiddo at home today, so, I'm hoping to sneak in some scrapbooking time while he's resting.  It is after all National Scrapbooking Month! ;O)

Paper:  Emporium, Tickled Pink, and Best Friends Forever (all retired)

Cardstock:  Colonial White

Ink:  Hollyhock, Blush, Goldrush, Sweet Leaf, Olive, Sky, and Sunset

Stamps: Tickled Pink, Smiles, Friendship Blessings, Heartthrob, Cottage Floral, and Say It in Style

Other:  Recollections sparkles, CTMH Just Blooms Summer Posies, Twinkle Brad, and Dimensional Elements Flower, Favorite Findings Button (JoAnns), EKSuccess Corner Rounder, and Crop a Dile Corner Chomper