Top 5 Projects of the Year!

Well, I might as well post if I have access to the computer! I am sharing with you my favorite projects of the year~ enjoy!



And a BIG thank you to all of my faithful blog readers!! :) I really apprectiate all the comments you leave!

"Sweetie Pie"

Surprise! I am autoposting a layout!

I finised this one yesterday (I'm typing this on Thursday) and I just love it so much! I finally broke out my Crate Paper "Farmhouse" paper and I just love it, love it, LOVE IT!!!

I have had these photos of Laura printed for, oh, about a month now, and just haven't scrapped them! I have pictures of me from this same photoshoot, so keeps an eye out for a layout about me... I thought the colors of the Farmhouse collection were so fallish, which were perfect for these fall pictures! (oops- just realized I need to date this page- I forgot to!)

I started out with a Scrapbook Generation sketch for the background, and then I placed the photos whereever I felt like they went ok. Just so ya know, I'm not a two pager kind of gal. They take way too long to do, and after a while, I feel guilty for using so much time on just ONE layout. So, I don't do that many. Anyway, I'm not too fond of my photo placement, but it'll do. I really liked the tag "pull" technique that Megan Hoeppner used in the Nov./Dec. Creating Keepsakes magazine (I think that was the issue) and I wanted to use that on this layout. Instead of using Thickers for the title like I would normally do, I used one of the journaling card/tags that came on one of the Farmhouse pages. I'm so glad I have my LSS "The Scrapbook Princess" to go to now (it's not new... I just discovered it!) I bought the papers there.

Supplies:
Patterned Paper: Crate Paper
Cardstock: Bazzill
Brad: American Crafts
Mist: Tim Holtz
Yellow Ribbon Embellishment: Jenni Bowlin
Metal Flower Embellishment: BoBunny
Jounaling Spot: Pretty Little Studio

Hope you enjoyed my "surprise"! Thanks for stopping by!

My Favorite Lines of 2011

Well, we brought the laptop and mifi with us on the trip, so I'm posting a little something for the new year!

Here are my top 5 favorite lines of the year! And the great part is that I have at least a couple of papers from each of these lines! I love having a LSS! :)

Farmhouse by Crate Paper

Sidewalks by October Afternoon


Clementine by Cosmo Cricket

Out of Print by Basic Grey

Sweet and Sour Soup by Jillibean Soup

And one extra one,

Holiday Style by October Afternoon

Sketchy Projects!

Well, here's my second post of the day! I hate autoposting because then I can't link them to challenges I do until later... and then I forget!!

This first layout is for the Frosted Designs Sketch Along Tuesdays Challenge. I was so excited when I saw that Ashley Horton had made the sketch for the challenge this week!
I know Ashley from ClubCK and her sketches are always amazing (along with her work!).

As for the layout itself, I used my Echo Park For the Record kit that I bought from Hobby Lobby. It is so pretty-- not really my style, but I like it anyway. Most of the embellishments I used were from the kit because I was trying to hurry and finish the layout. (that's the great part about using a kit, right?) So, it's not may favorite I have ever done (I think it coordinates too much), but I'm not going to change it now!

Patterned Paper: Echo Park
Stickers: Echo Park
"dec 2011" stickers: Lily Bee
Dimensional Letter Stickers: American Crafts
Notebook Edge Punch: EK Success
Twine: Etsy

My next project is a card I made from a Pretty Little Studio Sketch.

I loved the squares on this sketch, so I made a patchwork card! I have so many scraps, I should use this technique more often! I was going to glue the sentiment strips straight onto the card, but I thought that it needed to stand out a little more against the patterns. So, I cut a label with my new Spellbinders dies that I got for Christmas! Paired with some light pink baker's twine, I think it added a lot to the card.

Supplies:
Patterned Paper: Cosmo Cricket "Girl Friday"
Kraft Cardstock: Recollections
Blue Cardstock: Bazzill
Baker's Twine: The Twinery
Card Base: The Paper Studio

A layout... why not!

I think I'll just share a layout today that's not for any challenges (except for the Club Creating Keepsakes One Hour Challenge last week). I have another layout I need to post, but I haven't taken a picture of it yet and uploaded it to my compter. So, I might double post today...

The challenge was to use a card on your layout. So, I got this gingerbread Christmas card and got to work!

I'm so proud of myself- I came up with the design of this layout all on my own. I had been thinking about it for a while, and I just hadn't gotten it on a layout yet. I used some of my awesome October Afternoon "Holiday Style" papers and Flower Sack (what OA calls a pack of diecuts). I love this line-- and the better part is that I got the rest of the line for Christmas from my parents! Yippee! I only had 3 papers that I received from my October Afternoon Santa Sack before then. (When I was making this layout, I only had the 3 pages and my diecuts to use)

I'm really into bordering my layouts with twine- I am getting tired of sewing on every single layout. When I flip back through my albums, all that I see is stitching everywhere.
(Now, I'll see twine, right?!)

To incorporate my card into the layout, I cut a couple of the gingerbread men out with my Cricut and flowed them in with the diecuts.

Hope you have a GREAT Thursday!! We're going to Oklahoma and Missouri tomorrow to be with family out there for Christmas, so I guess I'll see you in 2012!

Merry Christmas!!

Hope you're having a WONDERFUL Christmas today!

I just wanted to say Merry Christmas and share with you my Christmas cards I made for my friends this year. I only make like 10 or so cards that are the same. I bought an American Crafts Dear Lizzy paper pad at TJMaxx back in the spring for only $2! I used that on my cards. I loved the blossoms and snowflakes in the papers, so I fussy cut them out and pop dotted them on my cards. What frustrates me is that I was going to add a "Merry Christmas!" sentiment in the left bottom corner of each card, but I had already sealed a few of them before I remembered it! Oh well! It really would have filled up the white space on the card, but they're gone now! :P

This is my favorite of the cards.  

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!! May God bless you and your family this coming new year! Remember- JESUS is the reason for the season!

Finally Sharing My December Daily Album!

I have had my December Daily finished since before December started and I just haven't posted it on my blog!! Bad me!

I used a piece of Pink Paislee "Hometown Summer" paper (black numbers), 3 pieces from the new Authentique line called "Wonder", one piece from The Girls' Paperie line called "Tinsel and Twig" (I think), a piece from the Dear Lizzy Christmas line (music), a piece from the Crate Paper "Restoration" line, and a piece from Jenni Bowlin. For 25+ pages, I think that's good! (only 8 papers!)

This is the first time I have ever done one of these albums and up until now I haven't missed a day writing in it!

I had an extra page in the front of the album, so I thought I'd just make a little pocket to put any pictures I take in. I haven't taken that many- maybe I'll do better next year...

 

Two Cards I've Made this Week (and some good news!)

I have a couple of cards to share with you today that I have made this week! :)

This first card is for the Pretty Little Studio Think Outside the Box challenge. I really liked the colors of this stocking, so I used them for my Thank You card. I got to use some of my NEW Cosmo Cricket "Clementine" mini deck that I got from my scrappy Secret Santa!

And then this card is for the Frosted Designs Card Challenge. I loved this sketch, and I really needed to make one last Christmas card for a friend, so I used the sketch to make it! It made it so much easier!

I got a new woodgrain embossing folder from Hobby Lobby and I wanted to try it out. AWESOME! I love it! It's Hobby Lobby brand, but it works just like a Cuttlebug or Sizzix folder. It's great. I would highly recommend this folder to anyone- the texture looks great on kraft paper. I got to use my new October Afternoon paper and goodies on this card too! (Good Cheer line)

And my GOOD NEWS...

One of my card was spotlighted on the Jillibean Soup blog! YAY! Check it out here.

Frosted Designs Challenge- "Just Laura" Layout

Hmm.... how long has it been since I've got to scrap? A while, that's how long! :P I have been making Christmas tags this week, but I don't consider that actual "scrapping" persay, just playing around.

I finally got to dig into some of my NEW October Afternoon goodies! (from a swap that we did on ClubCK, plus my OA Santa Sack!) I combined lots of different lines- Ducks in a Row, Daydreams, Sidewalks, Hometown, and Farm Fresh all in one page! The colors are prettier in person, but for some reason my new camera doesn't take very good pics of my layouts!!

My little sister (pictured here in this layout) wanted me to take some pictures of her one evening, but it was already dark outside so I just took some of her against a blank wall in my room! This was my favorite picture of the photoshoot. :)

Thanks for looking! :) Hopefully I'll post some more before Christmas!

Challenges, Challenges, and more Challenges

I am home from church right now staying with my little sister because she's sick, and so I thought I'd post 3 projects I made this weekend for 3 separate challenges!

I got to use some of my awesome OA Santa Sack on this card!! I used the Farmhouse Flower Sack diecuts. They're sooo pretty (I love that line- and the Flower Sack is the only thing I have from the line. :( )

This next card is for the Pretty Little Studio "Think Outside the Box" challenge to use this picture to make a project! I thought I'd make a nice simple card that looked like a present with kraft, white, and red.

And last, my glittery Christmas tag! This tag is for the Fabulous Friday challenge over at Frosted Designs to use glitter on a project. I usually HATE glitter, but I had some Fairy Dust "Pralines and Cream" glitter from Clearsnap (Donna Salzaar). It's GREAT and it doesn't stick on your hands like regular glitter does.

Have a fabulous Sunday!

Using Up Some Old Stash... and Memorbelia

Howdy! I FINALLY got to scrapbook today! Woo hoo! Haven't done hardly anything scrappy all week, and my scrappy side was really calling to me!

This layout is from some pics that I've had printed for a while from our trip to the fair this September. I wanted to somehow include the ribbons I won at the fair (I entered some of my photography and crafty items into the fair). When I saw this week's Sketchy Thursdays sketch, I thought it'd be perfect to include the ribbons and tickets into!
I used a piece of My Mind's Eye paper that I've had for a loooong time and so it made me happy to finally use it up!

And I also did this for ErikaH's challenge (on ClubCK) to use a shape to journal in!  

I have some more things to share with you so stay tuned!!