Still feeling challenged...

But in a GOOD way!  I have to say, after only doing a layout or two in the past six months, the fact that I've done three in the past month is HUGE!  Over at Mojo Mama's Creative Corner ("Mojo Mama" being the fabulous Kristy Lee), a new weekly challenge was issued by Erin Colby.  Her stuff blows me away, so to even consider doing something that she issued was kind of intimidating.  :)  Her challenge was to do a take on the "Something old, something new..." phrase.

This is what I came up with:

Something old:  The blue acrylic paint I used was so old that it had globs in it.  Grody.  Something new:  I have never scrapped an Instagram picture before, so that was new to me.  This was also the first time I had cut my title into my background paper.  Something borrowed:  I used a sharp knife from the kitchen to distress the papers.  Something blue:  I used various inks, papers and embellishments with my favorite hue.  :)  

It is so fun to be scrapping again and in a way that I am not used to.  I'm branching out more into the trendy stuff and I'm loving how it's turning out! 

That's all for now!  Until next time...

Showing some Paper Smooches love...

I recently stated that Paper Smooches stamps were solely responsible for reigniting my love of card creating.  I reach for their sentiment stamps for almost every card I make lately.  The Paper Smooches SPARKS Challenge Blog is looking for new design team members, so I thought I would throw my hat in the ring.

I created this first card on Tuesday for my daughter's birthday using the challenge from May 28th (and some Pinterest inspiration):



Here are some cards I've created from some past challenges:

 

Here are a few more cards that I recently created while attending the Scrapbook Steals retreat this past weekend:

And, because I am on a roll, how about a few more that I've created:

As I've mentioned in previous posts, I don't have much of a creative brain.  Heck, I don't have much of a brain left period after talking to short peeps all day for the last six years.  :)  I do much better when I have a sketch or some sort of inspiration to follow.  That is why the SPARKS Challenge Blog is right up my alley.

I hope you've enjoyed looking at my cards as much as I've enjoyed creating them!  

My Uncommon Miracle

Hello, all! Happy Friday! Hope it's going to be as gorgeous where you are as it's supposed to be here!

Today is my last featured post over on the Authentique blog. Super sad, I know, but I am coming away from this experience with tons of...well...experience! I feel like I've grown so much as a crafter since being a part of Authentique's first design team (as well as my own!!). I've challenged myself to push outside of my crafty comfort zone and I genuinely feel that the work I have created while on this design team have been some of my best.

Alright, sappy stuff aside. Let's get down to business! I have a layout to share with you and then I'll get on with the good stuff...a giveaway!!

This is the layout that I created for my post today:

So pretty, if I do say so myself. :) I love how this turned out! Be sure to check out my post for more details!

If you've been following me for a while, you know that I tend to always use a sketch or some sort of inspiration to create from. Well, this layout is no different. I used a sketch from a sketch book I found at my local craft store. I can't show you the sketch because I'd be violating the copyright laws, but just know that it looks like my layout. :)

Now, on to the good stuff! To celebrate (or mourn, you're call) the end of the Authentique design team term, I am giving away one Genuine collection.

Pretty, isn't it? :)

Here is how you win: Become a follower of my blog (and Authentique's blog if you aren't already), then leave me a comment! Simple as that! I'll leave this giveaway open until Saturday, March 31st at midnight CST and I will draw and post the winner on April 1st! Giveaway is for US and Canadian residents only.

Thank you so much for following me on my Authentique DT journey and be sure to stay tuned because there's always something to scrap! :)

I've done a color challenge!

Why did that statement require an exclamation point? Because color challenges REALLY stump me. But this one was different...

I recently stumbled upon a challenge site called The Play Date Cafe. They were having a color challenge that completely spoke to me. Let's see if you can figure out why...

Ok, this color challenge just SCREAMS for Authentique's Blissful collection, right? And I'm not just saying that because I'm on the design team. These colors ARE Blissful. No doubt about it.

I was immediately inspired by a layout I made with the Blissful collection.

I have to admit...yellow is not one of my favorite colors. GASP!! But I also have to admit that this layout is one of my favorites that I've ever made. And it wasn't even for me! The picture of my friend's little girl just begged to be scrapped with Blissful and I was thrilled with the way it turned out.

Why am I telling you all this? Because this is the first time a layout has inspired me to create a card. Granted, my card turned out different than this, but the basic idea is still there...

This has to be one of the biggest cards I've ever made and probably the first square card I've made as well. I'm pleased with the way my layout translated into card form. Only thing that would have made it better? Actual stitching instead of faux stitching. My pink thread is disastrously low and I wouldn't have had enough to make it around the shape. :(

Thank you for stopping by today! I have more up my sleeves, so check back soon!

It's Authentique Sketch Challenge time again!

I hope everyone's having a wonderful weekend! March's Sketch Challenge was posted on Authentique's blog this morning. I absolutely LOVE the sketches for the card and layout. I had to take on the layout version.

Here is the sketch:

And here is the layout I created with it:

The Celebrate collection has to be one of my all-time favorite collections. It ranks up there with Authentique's Gathering collection, for sure! (And I'm not just saying that because I'm on the Design Team.) :) I love the aquas, blacks and reds together. We all know I'm a sucker for aqua...

I thought I'd add a bit of whimsey to my layout buy adding a pinwheel. I'll admit, this is the first time I've ever made one, but I love how it came out! I added a sparkly brad to the center and inked the edges in coordinating ink. Love it!

I used a lot of techniques on this layout...distressing paper, punches, dimensional adhesive, just to name a few. I love how each one of them added something to this layout.

I hope you all will head over to Authentique's blog today to check out the other creations the rest of the Design Team made!

Until next time...

A Splendid Photo Display...

Hello friends! It is January 4th...am I the only one in disbelief? It seems like just yesterday was Halloween and somehow Thanksgiving and Christmas have zoomed past us. Where does the time go? In any event, I hope you all had a safe and happy holiday season.

Moving right along, I am featured today over on Authentique's blog. I created this cute frame:

Be sure to head over to their blog to see the tutorial! Hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday!

Cards for all occasions...

Happy Tuesday, friends! I thought I'd post some cards that I've made recently. There has been a lot going on here lately, with friends finding out the sex of their baby, dogs crossing over to the other side and family totally spoiling my girls. :) Here are the cards I made for those occasions.

The first card I made for my aunt, who came in town for my daughter's 5th birthday and spoiled the heck out of her (not necessarily a bad thing). :)

I used Authentique's Free Bird Series in Delight because the colors are vibrant and pretty. I also used a little twine to add a little more dimension to the card. I thought this would be the perfect card to say thank you to my auntie, who has managed to have a presence in my girls' lives even though she lives 2,000 miles away. I love her for that.

This next card I made for my brother, who had to put his German Shepard down this morning.

His dog, Divitt, is the only thing he's been loyal to for the past 7 years. Unfortunately, Divitt developed cancer in his leg and the tumor has been growing rapidly for the past few months. We had to put our dog down - who just happened to be my brother's as well, but we gained custody of him when we got married - a few years ago, so I know the pain of losing a pet.

This last card is for my bestie and her husband and has a double meaning. They recently found out the sex of their baby and the husband just got his first job after law school (after looking for a job forEVER).

They found out they're having a boy so I used predominantly masculine colors, but also used papers with mixed colors to liven it up a bit. I'm excited for my friend and her hubby as they venture into this new world of babies and new jobs.

Don't forget about my giveaway!! Until next time...

Too Cute To Spook...

Today I am featured over at Authentique's blog, so be sure to head over and check out my post! I created a layout using Authentique's Glowing collection, Glue Arts amazing adhesive products and some cute pictures of my hubby, daughters and nephew from Halloween last year.

I just happened to use a sketch created by the amazingly talented Van Nguyen, who was a guest sketcher over at Scrapbooksteals recently, as a spring board for this layout, so here is the sketch:


And here is the layout I created:


I think this is probably my all time favorite Halloween layout that I've ever done. It's not overly spooky, doesn't have bright colors (like the greens, purples, etc you usually see in Halloween lines) and is fairly simple. But I love it.

As I noted on my Authentique post, The circle was a labor of love. The patterned paper I used originally looked like this:


Because I didn't want this layout to have too many bold colors to distract from the colors in the pictures, I chose to cut out a bunch of the diamonds, using only the cream, black and mildly decorated lighter pieces. It was a bear to put together, but I am so happy with the way it turned out!

This was also the first time I tried bunching up ribbon and using sewing pins as decoration. (See my Authentique post for more detailed photos.)

Hope I was able to inspire in some way!! Until next time...

Have a card or two...

So we all know (or maybe my new readers don't) that I do a bulk of my work going off sketches or other layouts/cards for inspiration. I still claim to not have a creative brain cell in my head, I'm just really good at faking it. :)

That brings us to today. I recently picked up Paper Crafts' Card Ideas for Paper Crafters magazine and I. Was. In. Heaven! It is filled with sketches and examples of cards from cover to cover. I found a sketch I really liked (hence the dog-ear in the picture) and decided to make a couple cards with it.

Here is the sketch:


And here is the first card I made:


I thought this card turned out really cute. My oldest daughter was invited to one of her classmates' birthday party and so I made it for her soon-to-be 5 year old friend. I used Authentique's Free Bird Series - Endless papers because they work really well for boy cards. (See this post for another example.)

Here is the other card I made:


I made this card for a friend who will be having surgery soon. I used some yummy My Mind's Eye papers that coordinated perfectly. I hope this card brightens my dear friend's day as she begins her rehabilitation journey.

That's all for now! Stay tuned for more crafty goodness!

Authentique Sketch Challenge

Hello everyone! Today over on the Authentique blog, October's sketch challenge has been posted! Since I created a layout for September's challenge, I decided to tackle the card sketch this month.

Here is the sketch:


And here is the card I created:


When I saw this month's card sketch, I knew it would work perfectly for a card I needed to make for one of our nephew's upcoming 3rd birthday. I used papers from the Endless line, a part of Authentique's new Free Bird Series. This line is filled with gorgeous oranges, teals, dark blues and browns. PERFECT for a card for a little boy!


I thought it would be cute to highlight our nephew's upcoming age on the numbered paper with a couple shapes I cut out with my Silhouette (on "b" sides of Endless papers). I also accented the area with a cute little star, cut out of another paper from the Endless line.


I thought I'd grunge up the banner, to make it a little more like our rough and tumble nephew. I think it turned out pretty cute. :)

Be sure to check out the Authentique blog and play along with this month's challenge! You have until Wednesday, October 12th to link your projects to the blog post. {Rules are on the blog post.}

Have fun!!

Supplies:

Authentique:
Patterned Paper: Free Bird Series- Endless

Other:
Ribbon - My Mind's Eye: Fine and Dandy
Tools - Paper distresser: Tim Holtz for Tonic Studios