I'm still here!!

Oh my word!  It's been quite a while, hasn't it?  So much has been happening the past couple months that I guess blogging took a back seat for a bit.  Not to worry, though.  I have been staying busy scrapping on and off during my bloggy time out.  I attended my very first crop with some friends I met in a scrappy group online.  We met in St. Louis and cropped at Archiver's on National Scrapbooking Day.  It was SO. MUCH. FUN!  I thought I would be intimidated cropping with such talented ladies, but it was so relaxing and natural.  I need to do that again!

I've also been working on some pages to help my Aunt make a scrapbook for my cousin, who is graduating from high school this week.  She called me about two months ago saying that she was going to put together a scrapbook for my cousin...using pictures from the day he was born through today!!  Nothing like leaving a project until the last minute, right?  :)  I offered to help and almost reconsidered when the stack of pictures showed up in my mail box.  No lie...it was bigger than the stack of pictures I have to scrap of my own girls.  But I have scrapped them all and I hope my Aunt and cousin like them.

Here are a couple of the last ones that I did:

For the first layout, I used Authentique's Celebrate collection.  I made the banner and the pennants using papers from the Celebrate 6x6 paper pad.

For the second layout, I used my On the Bright Side 6x6 paper pad.  (A recent steal on scrapbooksteals.com!)  I love that I was able to do a 12x12 layout with 6x6 papers.  The seams are hidden under the big banner and behind the picture.  This layout is a little plain in my eyes, but it's for an almost 18 year-old boy, so there was no need to go crazy with it.  I love how both layouts turned out. 

Well, that is all for now!  Tomorrow is my biggie's last day of preschool and I have to make a couple cards for her teachers.  I'll be back soon to show you more things I made during my time away.

Until next time...

Get well soon...

On Thursday I found out that my dad is really sick. He has bronchitis and borderline pneumonia and has been home sick since Thursday. If anyone knows my dad, they know how hard of a worker he is. He doesn't miss work for any kinds of sicknesses. In fact, if his employer hadn't banned him from coming in until Tuesday, he probably would have still gone in.

ANYway, I thought I'd take this perfect opportunity to use some new stamps I just got last week. I've been wanting these Paper Smooches stamps for a while now and finally took the plunge to get them.

Here is the card I created with them:

This card is simple, but I like it. I used paper from a 6x6 pad from MME's Lime Twist Life of the Party line. (Kind of ironic using "life of the party paper" when the card is "sorry you're hacking up your lungs" related. Didn't think about that until just now.) The red dotted strip is some of Target's new washi-like tape. It's basically decorated masking tape, but better. And it's from Target. When have I ever passed up anything from Target??

I knew I wanted to use the tissue box somewhere, so I decided to put that and the sentiment on the inside of the card. I used tissue paper for the tissues.

AND because I love to tag the back of my cards with my initials, the date and something fun that is card themed, I used the red cross symbol in between my initials. I love how this turned out!

That's all for today! Until next time!

This is no joke!

Happy April Fool's Day, everyone! Hope you all had a wonderful day today! I'm here today to tell you who won my giveaway!! Thanks to random.org, today's winner is...

Congrats, Stephanie!! Send me an email at onescrappynovice at yahoo dot com so I can send you your Genuine goodies!!

Here's to a great week ahead! I'll be back tomorrow with a card I created this weekend.

Until then...

A Sketchy Situation...

Many of you who have followed me for a while know that I heavily rely on sketches for inspiration (and you are probably sick of me saying that, too!). :) Let me jump off the path I was going on with this post for a moment to give you some background on myself first...

The reason I named my blog "One Scrappy Novice" was because, in all honesty, I do not have a creative eye. I am really good at faking it and the only way that is possible is by using something like a sketch or another layout/card to create from. I can only think of a dozen or so layouts/cards/projects that I've created on my own, with no help needed. I like to joke that I couldn't craft my way out of a paper bag. Others might get out by turning it into something beautiful, like a landscape picture or fun hat or outfit. To me, all I see is that brown bag. Now granted, I'm learning to appreciate my own work more and I do feel that I am much better at my hobby now than I was even a year ago. Some people are born with the ability to be artistic (my oldest daughter is proving that at 5 years old). Others learn to be artistic. That's definitely me.

So going back to the point of this post...sketches give me a basic jumping off point and get the creative juices flowing. Without them, I am usually totally lost. There are cases where I am totally lost while using them, too. The layout I created for this post is a perfect example.

But first, here is the sketch (found on Pinterest):

And here is the layout I created with it:

Once I saw the sketch, I wanted to use my My Mind's Eye Stella and Rose 6x6 paper pad. I knew all of the soft pinks, greens and blues would go together perfectly. And I knew that a picture I had of my friend's daughter would work with those colors as well. I got it all laid out and only adhered the banner down. The rest I was completely clueless on. I had other flowers that I wanted to use and thought the spacing was off. So I went to a bunch of my crafty friends and asked them for their eyes. I knew they would be able to see this layout better than I could. Their advice totally helped me and I am thrilled with the outcome. I hope my friend likes it as much as I do!

Don't be afraid to admit it if you are a self-professed "novice" like myself. As long as your projects turn out looking good, take all the credit you deserve! (Easier said than done, I know!)

Before I sign off, I want to remind you all of the giveaway I currently have going on! Be sure to check out {this} blog post to see how you can win one Authentique Paper Genuine collection!

Until next time...

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'm feeling kind of krafty today...

I thought I'd post a couple of cards that I made recently that show my love for using kraft paper. I discovered kraft paper about 8 months ago and it's been making appearances in my projects ever since.

This first card is one that I created for my hubby for Valentine's Day. I can, in NO way, take credit for this concept as I card lifted a pin I saw on Pinterest (card by Heidi Van Laar). But I CAN take credit for how cute and simple this card turned out:

I made this card in about 3 minutes. Literally. Doesn't get better than that. Plus, I used some Paper Smooches stamps. I guess it did get better. :)

The second card I made is one that I made for my bestie, who's birthday is on St. Patrick's Day. She just so happened to have given birth to her first child 6 days prior to her bday, so I had that on my brain and completely forgot to make her a card. This is what I came up with:

I actually got my inspiration for this card from Jill Cornell's blog post this morning. I always make hokey shamrock-filled cards for my friends bday, so I thought I'd stick with the green theme, ditch the shamrocks and do something different.

Both of these cards were created with MME goodies and burlap twine. A couple of my other faves. :)

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

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!