Layouts, Layouts, Layouts!

As I mentioned last night, even though I haven't updated my crafty blog in a while, that doesn't mean I haven't been creating! I've made some cute layouts that I'm really proud of. Three of the five layouts were Midweek Mojo's from scrapbooksteals.com! After being guest sketcher in October, I took a creative hiatus from MWMs and finally decided to get back in the game! :) I'll start with my non-MWMs first...



I usually rely on sketches or other layouts for inspiration (see the following four layouts!), but this one was done in my own head. (That's pretty big for me.) And for the most part, the layout matched what was in my head. Anyway, if only you could have seen what this layout looked like when I completed it...the first time. I had hand-written the journaling to the right of the top picture but I HATED the way my handwriting turned out. Thank goodness for the big flower I cut out of some paper and the polka-dotted paper! I covered up my original journaling and you wouldn't even have a clue unless you look *really* closely.

For this second layout, I used a sketch I found. Here is the sketch:



And here is my interpretation:



How. Cute. Is. That?! Not that I'm biased or anything, but I absolutely LOVE the way this layout turned out. This definitely makes it into my personal top 5. It helps that I LOVE this paper. It's Basic Grey's Bittersweet line. I got it for free from my local scrapbooking store and I have to say, it's the best money I never spent! :) I love how the colors of the flowers, papers and floss coordinate so nicely. The stitching was done with one of my other Christmas presents, the Sew Easy by WRMK. I've done stitching on my layouts before, but the Sew Easy takes some of the leg work out of it. It's taking me a while to get the hang of using it (getting it to roll out straight lines, etc.). I love it when layouts come together this effortlessly.

This next layout is a scrapbooksteals.com MWM. This is MWM #24, I believe. Here's the sketch:



And here is my take on it:



This is another one of my favorite layouts. It's the first time I made a layout solely using one collection. The only things on this layout that *aren't* from the Fancy Pants My Family line are the thickers and the two different cardstock colors (red and white). Good for me, right? :) I love how well everything coordinates on this layout. It turned out super cute, if I do say so myself. :)

This next layout is scrapbooksteals.com's MWM #26. Here's the sketch:



And here's my take on it:



Here is a close-up of some of the detail:



Now some layouts look better when photographed in the natural light and some look alright when the flash is used. This one definitely looks better in the natural light, but I took the picture on a cloudy day and the flash had to be used. The browns and reds coordinate much better in the natural light. I'm proud of this layout and it showcases one of my best friends. I still miss him dearly.

This final layout is scrapbooksteals.com's MWM #27. Here's the sketch:



And here's the layout I created:



Here's a close-up of some of the detail:



It's not often that I see a sketch posted on Wednesday morning and instantly get the inspiration to complete the layout THAT DAY. This sketch and last week's sketches were exactly like that. When this sketch posted yesterday morning, I instantly knew what picture I wanted to use, what papers I wanted to scrap with and what flourishes I wanted to add. It all came together so quickly and I'm so pleased with the result.

That's all I have to share for now! I have 14 MWMs to catch up on, so I'm sure I'll be back with more to post shortly! :) Until then...

Have Some Cards!

So it's been three months since my last post. That's really sad. Never fear, though. I have been crafty during my absence!! I've gotten into cardmaking recently. I mean, why not make my own cards when I have TONS of scrapbooking paper and supplies, right?

Anyway, here are some of the cards I've made in the past few months:

First is a card that I created to give my best friend for her birthday...



I was very pleased with the way this turned out. Although I have a ton of it, ribbon freaks me out. I never know what to do with it. This is one of the first cards I've ever made with ribbon on it.

Second is a card I created for my nephew, who just turned 2...



I never know what to do for boys. Probably because I have two girls and lots of girly supplies. This My Mind's Eye collection ('Lil Robots) came through again!

Here is a close-up of some of the detail:



After taking about a month off from cardmaking, I created this beautiful card with one of my Christmas presents...my Silhouette! One of my uncles passed away on Christmas Eve, so I made a sympathy card for my aunt.



To be perfectly honest, I almost didn't want to send this to my aunt. Is that bad?! It was the first time I'd made something with my Silhouette and one of the first times I'd ever used flowers and actually LIKED the way they turned out. Plus, it's just really pretty and coordinates SO well. :)

The next two cards were the second and third things I made with my Silhouette. I LOVE the card kits that you can buy for only 99 cents!





Here is a close-up of some of the detail from the second card:



The Silhouette almost makes cardmaking *too* easy! :)

Next are some cards I made to thank people who gave my girls Christmas presents:







Not as exciting as the ones above, but definitely a step up in my cardmaking game. :)

That's all I've got for you tonight! Stay tuned because tomorrow I'm going to post some of the layouts I've done in my absence! :)