Long Jump {SWAT Drill #34 Happy Feet}

Our latest Drill at SWAT is:  “Happy Feet”.  The rules are simple just create a Layout featuring happy feet! With or without shoes :)

My daughter was in track and field this school year and she did an amazing job improving her running times and her distance in the long jump.  She’s a petite girl but she can RUN and she can JUMP.  You will notice that I have chipboard letters from Creative Embellishments.  They even do custom orders!

Be sure to stop by SWAT and share your happy feet with us!

This month we Have an amazing sponsor!  One lucky winner will win a $20 Gift Card to shop at......

Make sure you hop on over for tons of amazing inspiration challenges and lots of fabulous products!! 

Make sure you let them know who sent you :)

Have a scrappy-happy day - as we welcome the first official day of summer ... (sing it like Olaf from "Frozen").

Pinecone Pizazz {PGCB #48}

Challenge #48 Pinecone Pizzazz

Good morning!  Our challenge at Paper Girls Challenge Blog is to use pinecones somewhere, somehow on your card, layout or other project.  There is quite the variety of projects on our main blog page - so go check them out.  Don't forget, we give away prizes there, too!!!  

For Challenge #48 Pinecone Pizzazz, I created a layout of the kids with these amazingly huge pinecones.  We were tent camping in Idyllwild, CA and went hiking on several different trails.  The kids were amazed at how large these pinecones were - the pinecones are so heavy that they are nick-named "Widow Makers".

Have a scrappy-happy Monday - and don't forget to enter the challenge!

Top 10 ... er... 13! for 2013

Several of my scrappy friends are doing a blog-hop today highlighting their favorite projects from 2013.  Its a great hop you should check it out (click here).  I enjoyed the hop so much, that I decided it was time to look through past layouts and projects and try to pick my top 10 {more like top 13 for 2013!}

And here they are!

1.  Gesso - this was my first application of gesso on a layout and I really loved the simple look.

 2.  This is a card that I just loved and it was one that I entered in a card contest - made it all the way to the top 5.

 3.  This was my first time using corrugated cardboard and the texture it helped to create was fun - really added to the dirt road in the photo.

 4.  I finally - FINALLY - used this Bo-Bunny kit - after three years of hoarding it!  Ijust loved the colors and my niece's photo - this was a gift for her.

 5.  October Afternoon's line was just perfect for a reflection on my son's first day of kindergarden.  I created this during the summer before he started high school.

 6.  Probably one of the cutest layouts of my little cutie!  The colors just made this layout one of my favorites.

 7.  Simple Stories became one of my most loved collections for scrapping - and I tried something new - using ink to draw on my layout.

 8.  I've always loved the papers from Wester's Pages and this is a layout that hangs in my classroom.  I just smile each time I look at it.

 9.  Without a doubt, this layout of the family on vacation was a favorite from the minute I started working on it.  Lots of shapes, patterns, colors and KLD templates.

 10.  After reading a scrapbooking magazine where this technique was featured, I grabbed a photo from many years ago and tried my hand at extending the photo.  Even my kids think someone else did it - Pure LOVE!

 11.  There's not much I can say about this one - other than I loved the photo and the way the layering came together on this layout.  (smooch)

 12.  Another cute layout of my girlie using Simple Stories.

 13.  All things marching band this fall ... we had such a great time with band and we were certainly busy bees with the preparations necessary to get the band on the field each week.

There you have it - a trip down memory lane.  Cannot wait to see what 2014 will have in store for me and my sweet family.

50 Foot Drop {S.W.A.T.}

Happy Saturday!  This morning I'm helping out my son's marching band as a ticket taker.  Gotta love early mornings!!  The band is ranked #2 in the State of Arizona as we head into the State Marching Band Championships.  Wishing them the best performance ever!

Over at S.W.A.T., we are featuring a sketch from Page Maps and encourage you to use it as a stepping stone for your layout.  AND - how about adding some feathers to the layout?  I have never used feathers on a layout before and really fell in love with this challenge.  I did spray some glittering mist on the feathers and I think they really look sparkly!

Here's the sketch:

Here's my layout:

I used inspiration from a couple of my crafty gal pals.  Kristy at Kiwi Lane Designs does a feature called "Write from the Heart".  I get intimidated with journal writing and I began to journal on the back with a personal note to my daughter.  Kristy, you would be proud - I put the journal entry on the front for all to see.

I was also inspired by Doris and Nicolle at Creative Embellishments - they are the masters at layers and those chippies!!

Materials used:  Authentique's Thankful collection, Creative Embellishments chippies, twine and feathers, Glimmer Mists

#SMILE {Nuts About Sketches}

This week is Sketch #290 at Nuts About Sketches.  I just love the sketches that I get to work with - this one is jam-packed with photos!  I have a ton of photos of my girlie from when we were camping a couple of years ago in Prescott.  The trip was part of the outdoor education curriculum from school and she really had a blast.  I did, too!

Here's the sketch:

Here's my layout:

Have a scrap-happy day!

Deborah

Materials:  Simple Stories and Creative Embellishments

Trick or Treat {Practical Scrappers October Layout}

This month’s layout sketch is all about Halloween or Fall.  I have wanted to use this cute monster paper from Jillibean Soup Monster Stew - and last year my girlie wanted to make her own costume - a Tutu Monster!  Yahoo!!!!  We bought yards and yards of tulle just so that she could create the best monster tutu ever.  My boy wanted to create a Steampunk costume and he did a fantastic job putting this together.

Here’s the sketch:

Here’s the layout:

Material's used:

September Sketch {Practical Scrappers}

Hey Everyone!  Here's this month's sketch from Practical Scrappers.

And this is what I did:

YUP - That's "My Girl"

My Buddy: Sketch 283 {Nuts About Sketches}

Happy Monday!!

This week’s Nuts About Sketches is all about the 8x10 photo.  I don’t recall ever scrapping a photo of this size and I just jumped at the chance to do something in black and white.  Turning the sketch 90 degrees to the right just clicked for me.

My little girl was home sick from school and I noticed that she and her buddy were sleeping on the couch.  Yup - captured that moment to scrap later!

I used My Mind’s Eye "The Sweetest Thing" and some flair that a friend made for me.  

Have a scrappy happy day!

Deborah

You're Juuust Right {Storytime Collection}

Good morning - here I am at We R Memory Keepers as their August Guest Designer - Yup - PINCH ME!!!!

The gals over at WRMK sent me a sample of their Storytime Collection and I'm excited to share with you what I've created:

Here's the full 12" x 12" layout.  I cut down the "Jack" paper to 11" x 11" so that I could distress the edges and then stitch it onto my background.  I don't have a fancy scoring tool so I just use my kraft knife or scissors (carefully!) 

Here's a close up for you ... and the cute title "You're Juuust Right"

I cut triangles and then overlapped them to point the way to her sweet smile and then I added a cute arrow paperclip accent piece from Stampin' Up! 

 I did a bit of layering both under the photo and on top of the photo.  Here you can see a sweet humming bird hovering above rosettes that I created.  To make the rosettes, I use a 1" circle punch, then cut a spiral into the paper and very carefully roll the paper onto itself and finish it off with glue and adhere with a glue dot.  The banner strips here are from "Frog Prince" and is just delightful!!

The rhinestone trim is from Webster's Pages and is self-adhering - thank goodness!!

 With the leftover product, I made this layout using a sketch from S.W.A.T.

The 12" x 12" paper is Rapunzel from the same collection and you may notice some sparkles, those are Stickles (one of my favorite go-to products).

 But wait, there's more!!

I still had some left-overs and created this cute 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" card out of black card stock, kraft card stock, left over "Frog Prince" and a "My Dear" tag.

That's it!  I do hope that you are itching to get some of this line (or ALL of it!)

Have a terrific, scrappy-happy day!

Neon Green and Orange {Drill #11 S.W.A.T.}

Did you hear the news?  I'm on the design team for S.W.A.T. (Scrap Warriors Advanced Training)!!  YUP - and today is the official "reveal" - you were introduced to the DT June 29th through the blog hop and now you get to see more of our creations.  

For my first  official post we were told to work with neon colors.  When I think of Neon colors, I think of Day-Glo Green and Safety Orange and those are exactly the colors that dominate this layout.  I struggled a bit with using Neon as its not my style, yet isn't that what crafting and scrapbooking are all about?  Trying new colors, styles, textures?  I even went to a few of my online scrappy friends for some advice on how to bring this layout and card to life!

I often use sketches for my layouts and cards but this time around, I used my own noodle.  I'm liking the way the layout and card came out - its good to push oneself from time to time.  

(Stamp from Sweet Stamp Shop)

Hope you enjoyed my creations and don't forget to create something awesome and link it back to S.W.A.T.  by July 28th, 11:59 EST.  I know that there are prizes involved - an Elles Studio Prize Pack from our sponsor:  Boys Rule.  

Have a scrappy-happy day!

Celebrate 12!

While we were busy planning my girl's birthday - she came up with some really cool ideas including her cake.  She wanted to have a strawberry cream-filled cake.  She helped to search the internet for the right recipe and then decided to make.it.herself!

She's such a happy kiddo and I love her with all of my heart!

Today's sketch is from Practical Scrappers

Materials used:  StampinUp, My Mind's Eye, Bo Bunny, We R Memory Keepers, 

I love this GIRL!

I Love This Girl!

She has the absolute bluest eyes!  I used Simple Stories 24/7 for the background and then My Mind's Eye Lost and Found Two for all of the accent pieces.  The gorgeous flower ribbon is from Stampin' Up! and the sketch is from Scrapbook.Steals.com

and there's a fun color challenge from S.W.A.T

Peridot #5 (a bit late on getting this one done!!)

Have a happy-scrappy day!!