Sketch Savvy #77 and CSI #23...Olivia

Grrr....I literally had this done, photo taken, and was ready to post when the clock ticked down missing the deadline by minutes.  I don't pretend to think I would have won, but, it's the principle of the thing!!  Anyway, how great is this color scheme!!  I had so much fun with this one and was so proud of myself for mixing and matching all kinds of paper!!  Here's the Case File from CSI:

And here's my layout:

Evidence:  Flowers, Monogram, and Border Punch

Testimony:  My journaling is written as a letter to Olivia

Paper:  CTMH Twitterpated and Discovery, Basic Grey Origins, and Kaiser Craft Tiger Lilly Collection
Cardstock:  CTMH Buttercup, White Daisy, Sorbet, and Blush
Stamps:  Journaling Jots
Ink: Pear (around journaling spot) and Grey Wool
Other:  CTMH flowers and Color Ready Wood Pieces (can't remember exact name), Martha Stewart border punch, Hero Arts and Recollections adhesive sparkles, Cricut and Gypsy, and Zig pen

Here's the layout from Sketch Savvy that I used.  Its another great one!

Sketch Savvy and CSI...Love

I was so excited to get to enter a CSI challenge, but, although my layout was almost done, everything went downhill...I dropped my letter "V" stamp and ripped it in two while I was trying to peel it off the photo.  Of course, the stamp itself peeled up the color off the photo anyway forcing me to place one of the journaling spots over top that specific spot.  Then, if that weren't bad enough, I'd messed with my rubons until they were stuck to the wrong side of the plastic and I made one heck of a mess of the other photo trying to use them anyway.  I guess since it's taken me an additional two weeks to get a picture and post it on my own blog, it obviously just wasn't meant to be!! ;O)  

Oh well, if you haven't tried a CSI challenge (Color, Stories, Inspiration) yet, what are you waiting for!!!  I can't believe how much fun they are and how much I've stepped out of my box and used product/ color challenges I never would have thought of without them!

Here's the Case File for this one...

Evidence: I used doilies and flowers (the doilies being the stretch for me!)

Testimony: I used both 3 different size journaling spots as well as 3 perspectives...each journaling spot is each one of us telling Olivia about our thoughts the day she arrived.  Owen wasn't so cooperative, so, I just told about what he was thinking/doing in the days leading up to her arrival. 

Now that I look at the case file and layout side by side, I was off on the color scheme some...the pinks aren't quite right are they!  Well, I tried anyway!

Paper: Basic Grey Urban Prairie and DCWV Green Stack
Cardstock: CTMH Colonial White, Hollyhock, and Sweet Leaf
Stamps:  Friendship Alpha
Ink: Hollyhock
Other:  Bazzil Basics flowers, Doilies from my stash, K&Company rubons, Butterfly sticker from Walmart, Robin's Nest Dew Drops, Stickles, EKSuccess corner Rounder, Cricut, and Spellbineders/Cuttlebug

The sketch I used for the layout was this one from Sketch Savvy.  I'm so loving her sketches and am so thankful, I wasn't sure I'd find another I loved as much as Sketchy Thursdays!!

Pencilines and Fly Boys...

This is another layout I started when I was still pregnant for my mother's album and have just now wrapped up.  To put it in perspective, I think it was the current challenge at Pencil Lines (who closed up shop months ago) when I first began!!  Sad I know.  Needless to say, I'm SO tired of looking at it and had little brilliant inspiration to contribute, so, its pretty simple.  I didn't glue the pennants down quite right and I see in my picture the "F" has slid off a little...I'll fix that! ;O)

Gotta love these pictures though...that was my little man at almost a year and my brother at 8.  They just happened to have coats that were almost identical, too cute! 

Paper:  Imaginisce (Can't find any name of the line)

Cardstock:  Barn Red, Desert Sand, and Colonial White

Stamps:  Pennant Alphabet, Confidential, and Star Struck

Ink:  Desert Sand and Barn Red

Other:  Hemp twine, Zig pen, and CTMH Cork Alphas

Pagemaps and Little Beauty...

Paper:  Basic Grey Wisteria

Cardstock:  Smokey Plum

Stamps: Vintage Type and Bohemian Alpha

Ink: Amethyst and Gypsy

Other:  Recollections Butterfly and flowers, various adhesive gems, CTMH Bitty Sparkles colored with Copic Markers, Dollar Butterfly Punch from Michael's, Fiskars circle and border punch, EKSucces corner rounder, and Making Memories embroidery floss

This layout is pretty simple, but, it took FOREVER and clearly does not resemble the Page Maps sketch posted on their blog here.  This one was so frustrating because of the way I insisted on printing the pictures and by the time I decided it wouldn't work, I'd wasted to much time/supplies.  So, I powered through and a month later, this is what you get! ;O)

Love...

Paper:  Basic Grey Urban Prairie

Cardstock: Blush, Creme Brulee, Hollyhock, and White Daisy

Stamps: Key to My Heart, Bohemian Alphabet, Hope, and Can't remember the "joy of life" stamp set

Ink:  Blush, Hollyhock

Other:  Spellbinders and Memory Box Dies, CTMH Clear Buttons, Making Memories Embroidery Floss, CTMH Bitty Pearls and Brads, Martha Stewart and Michael's Dollar Butterfly Punches, Recollections Pearls, Joann Essentials heart brads, Fiskars border punch, CTMH ribbon, Sizzix embossing envelope, Marvy and Zig pens.

I started this layout shortly after I found out I was having a girl and will use it as a cover page for her baby book.  The layout was on the cover of one of CTMH's catalogs with a paper I didn't like and I've been dying to recreate it.  I wish I'd done the stitching differently, but, I still like it overall!