DCWV: August Stack-a-holic Template Challenge

This is based on a Sketch Savvy layout for DCWV ~ it includes 3 pictures in the sketch, but I used one of the spots to add a journaling card. The layout was 2 pictures from my daughter's choir concert in Nov. 2010, so I'll add it to my Document 2010 album along with the last one I posted. :)

I'm also linking this to Shimelle's Challenge: Signature Accent because I noticed that almost every layout I created tonight used brads - this one may be harder to see, but the center of each flower I added is a different color mini-brad. I think that punching the tiny holes into the paper for the brads is extremely therapeutic. :)

~Jen

Shimelle: Scrapbooking Challenge: Grid it Up!

Another one that challenged me ~ at first, I was looking at the papers to 'grid'... and then I thought, what if I just square up my pictures?!?! My best friend and I took our kiddos to Skate City for skating on the day after Thanksgiving in 2010 so this one will also going into my Document 2010 book.

I totally used Shimelle's technique of painting on the page this time - the gray borders around the photos is actually pewter gray acrylic paint. I also stamped the plain blue border on top and bottom, as well as the 2 circles in the middle. Then I punched flowers out of the background paper and stuck glittered silver brads in them. Apologies for the terrible picture - when it gets this late in the evening, my little Sanyo point-n-shoot doesn't like to take clear photos any longer!!

~Jen

Shimelle: Scrapbooking Challenge: 2 Birds... 1 Page, Again?!?

The next challenge was the Crop Your Paper challenge - which I immediately thought of that Echo Park paper that I won from another 4x6 photo love layout I submitted (Well, I won a gift certificate and used it to buy the Echo Park papers). There are several papers that have lots of embelishments that you can cut out and use along with the paper (and of course, you can just flip it over and use the whole sheet on the other side as well).

But as I started looking at this paper, I remembered that I really wanted to use it for another wedding layout because the colors matched so well with our choices.

And as I looked at my photos... I also realized I had too many (as usual) to choose from. That's when it hit me - why not combine again and use the 4x6 Photo Love sketch from July so I can use all of the photos and my pretty paper!!!

So here's what I came up with:

~Jen

Shimelle: Scrapbooking Challenge: 2 Birds... 1 Page

Shimelle had 2 challenges in a row - one was a printable challenge and the other was a starting point challenge. Well... as I started looking at the printables, I found this coordinating paper that looked awesome (SEI Black Orchid) and the 2 became 1!!!

~Jen

Shimelle: Scrapbooking Challenge: The Half Page Challenge

Another Shimelle Challenge - this one was to create a page that only took up half the paper on the page. Of course, I easily found a paper that looked like it needed to be shown on more than half the page - SEI paper with some cute swirl designs. :)

~Jen

Shimelle: Scrapbooking Challenge: Add to the Story

I searched and searched and finally found one with NO journaling at all... so I added a little blurb to this layout from my 2000 Associates Degree graduation. :)

Original 2 page layout:

Added a folded journaling block:

Included more story inside:

~Jen

P.S. Wasn't my flaming red hair just rad?!?!?! LOL

Winning!!

I have to admit, I love love love to win stuffs on the internet. As I've been posting, I'm participating in the 4x6 Photo Love from Shimelle's website. Well, I finally won a prize! :) I have commented on her site so many countless times (she has FAB giveaways!) and always hoped I get something and it finally paid off! :)

I just received a $25 TwoPeasInABucket gift certificate, which I believe took me about 15 seconds to cash in... I have been just DROOLING over this collection since it came out earlier this year:

Be Mine by Echo Park ~ my favorites colors all together with adorable embellishments, too. When I first saw it, I posted it on facebook and asked if anyone thought my husband would kill me if I used the paper to wallpaper our bedroom... so, I am ecstatic to say that it's on its way to my house!!

Thanks again, Shimelle!!

~Jen

Shimelle's Sketch of the Week ~ July 6, 2011

Shimelle posted this sketch this week, and since we just finished our Avon Walk, I had this photo strip sitting on my desk ... waiting to be put on a page:



So I decided to make my first (of many) page for the Avon Walk:

I used several 'new' techniques on this page ~ first, to make those glittered hearts, I took my spray adhesive and then sprinkled the glitter on them. To keep the mess contained, I covered them in clear nail polish when they were dry. I also found my label maker (an awesome clearance find!) and created the "HOPE BELIEVE FAITH" banners. Lastly, I added my pink rhinestones with my new i-rock tool. I am so happy with how it turned out!!

~Jen

SEI July 2011 Challenge

SEI's latest sketch:



Since I just finished my June SEI sketch, I decided to finish up July as well, and keep with the same theme and finish another June 2010 layout for my Document 2010 project. :) Now I've got another two matching pages!

~Jen

SEI June 2011 Challenge

SEI's sketch for June:



I decided to keep on my Document 2010 theme and continue with June ~ Hawk & Ashley's wedding! I finished it this afternoon and got a great shot of it in the good light... here:

But after looking at it... I decided that I needed to add some doodling. :) And then I realized my cheapie camera would actually create an 'auction' style photo and the only downside was that it was late in the evening, so the flash kinda ruined it... but you can at least catch some of the details!

I used both the Oasis line and Dill Blossom line... they go together well!!

~Jen

Shimelle's Sketch of the Week

I really wish I hadn't run out of time before we left on vacation and gotten these posted *before* it was mid-month... but oh well!! This one seemed perfect to help me finish up the other side of THIS soccer page... again, we are back in August 2010!!

The only thing I really changed was instead of using landscape - oriented photos, I used portraits... :) One thing I am learning about my documenting / scraplifting / sketch-using scrapbook pages - I need to take more pictures oriented the same way of similar details and such for pages like this!! Ah well, there goes my perfectionistism again :)

Also, again, sorry for the yucky picture... iPhone @ night isn't the best result.

~Jen

Shimelle *Bonus* Sketch!

I really wanted to try this one out because of all of the little circles on the sketch... it just seemed so fun and whimsical to me!! So, I found a picture of my best friend and I, taken during my wedding planning at Lionscrest Manor during their vendor day in 2006. Since one of my other goals has been to finish a 'wedding' scrapbook... I figured I was still within my goals on this one, too. :)

Here's what I came up with:

Don't forget to check out the original sketch over HERE.

~Jen

4x6 Photo Love: May 2011

I am LOVIN' this class ~ and this month is no exception! Shimelle set up May's 5 4x6 layout on 2 pages this time, HERE.

As I am *still* working on my Document 2010 (I swear... I *will* get this project completed if it kills me) ~ I decided to scrap Ryan's July 4th bday that we spent at Colt & Cherry's house.

Sorry for the terrible picture... things have been crazy around here (a story for another post) so I just snapped these from the iPhone this go 'round.

~Jen

Document 2010 ~ 2 page layout from Sketch Savvy

Still working on Document 2010 ~ I think I am about 1/2 way done finally! In June last year, I graduated from Bellevue University near Omaha, NE, so we made the trip out there so that I could walk with my class. Finishing my degree was just one more thing I wanted to check off my list, and I finally got to do that. :)

Based on a sketch from Sketch Savvy:

~Jen

National Scrapbooking Day Challenges...

This weekend, I participated in several online challenges to celebrate National Scrapbooking Day and thought I'd post a handful of my pages here. :)

Scrapbooking Day Challenge 1: Use patterned paper for your page background.
 I used this SEI patterned page for my background and added very few embelishments to it.

Scrapbooking Challenge 2: Create a triangle
 My triangle consisted of the 3 flowers I cut out of another patterned paper.

So the challenge then: Use a border between two photos.
 I loved this challenge because made me think outside of my normal pages...

That’s scrapbook day challenge numero quatro: Create a page with the story behind a photo.
 For this challenge, I added several photos that were random so that I could explain them.

So that’s challenge five for this lovely day of scrapbooking: Try a new photo edit.
 One of the other challenges I saw this weekend was to photograph everyday things - so I made this edit based on a photo a took with my camera phone this week.

It was so much fun to take some time to concentrate on creating this weekend!!!

~Jen

SEI May 2011 Challenge

A new month has begun! This month's sketch from SEI really had me excited to try it out! When I saw the rounded shapes in the background, I immediately thought of this patterned Jocelyn paper and actually cut around the shapes myself with scissors - something I rarely do (way too OCD for this - which is why I love my Silhouette machine or a punch or stencils). The example on SEI's blog actually had some stitching, too, and since I haven't braved that yet... I decided to scribble around the outside with a fine tipped marker instead - another technique I've never used.

For the title - I actually had stuck the letters onto a light yellow cardstock that was the back of the primary brown piece - but then I thought it was too bright, so I used my Black Cherry glimmer mist to tone it down. I tried to take a couple of closeups so that you could see the details on this page since it's a lot more detailed than my usual pages... :)

~Jen

4x6 Photo Love: April 2011

I've skipped March... although, I do have my photos picked out finally for that layout! For some reason, this one was easier for me to put together. This is based on the sketch from Shimelle's class: 4x6 Photo Love for April. Thanks for checking it out!!

This will also be used in my Document 2010 book for May 2010 (two birds, one stone, right?). The hidden journaling reads: Ryan and I went to visit Mark and Lindsay over Memorial Day weekend and had a blast in the beautiful beachy So.Cal. sun and weather!

~Jen

SEI April 2011 Challenge

I finally got around to creating a layout from the SEI Blog Sketch for April!

~Jen

Lily Bee Designs Page

During the Creative Retreat Class, May Flaum had several awesome giveaways, and one week, I won some Lily Bee Designs product. Well, they showed up this week! I must say, this set was completely out of my comfort zone, but I decided for that very reason, I would try to tackle it! Seeing the adorable 'pennant' stickers, I started looking for some sketches with pennant or banners on them (another trend I hadn't embraced yet). Searching a few, I came upon this sketch:

At least the pictures were easy to choose! I looked up on my wall, and my eyes went straight to my son's soccer pictures from last summer.

~Jen

SEI March 2011 Challenge

I got my paper packs from SEI that I ordered with the $25 giftcard I won... and I couldn't WAIT to try the next challenge! The sketch for March is on SEI's website ~ for this month, I used both the Jocelyn line and a couple of papers from the Chick-A-Doo line as well.

It's been a long time since I scrapped something *recent*! These are pictures from my 32nd birthday just last month. I also haven't scrapped a page just about *me* in a long time. But I have to admit, I had a blast on my 32nd birthday so this was an easy one to do.

Journaling reads: I wasn't looking forward to this age. It's not like a milestone, just another "30's" birthday. So I made the best of it. We played Bingo and hosted a BBQ where Ryan debuted his gourmet burgers.

Wish me luck! {Of course, I doubt I would even qualify for another win, but it's fun to use the sketches as a starting point to scrap a page.}

~Jen