Sunday 30 September 2012

Lilybee September Sketch Challenge

Oops! I thought I had a few days before I had to submit this Lilybee challenge!

Again, I completed this one at the Springdale retreat... Do you get the feeling I was productive? Ha!! Here's the sketch but sadly its likely too late for you to join in the fun! It's definitely a great sketch that can help you get used to negative space.

 
And here's what I came up with!  A perfectly pink layout for two very feminine little girls enjoying a beautiful day in the heat at Bowring Park in Newfoundland, Canada.
 
Materials Used: Lilybee Victoria Park 'raspberry', Lilybee 'Lovely' die cut frame, Su mambo melon ink, Lilybee Double Dutch key lime pie, "Girls Paperie" Elsie chipboard alphabet, Lilybee rub ons "Laugh", SU Dahlia and lucky limeade baker's twine, Unkown pearl, Lilybee ABC stickers, Mr. Hueys white, Unknown butterfly

Have a wonderful day!!!!
Cathy

Lilybee Patriotic Challenge

Hey there!

Here's another sketch that I did at the Scrapbook retreat!! Ironically on the day the challenge was posted Sept 11th, I attended a USA vs. Jamaica World Cup Qualifying soccer game in Ohio.  They handed out US flags at the door and it was a very patriotic event especially given the tragic events of the past.

There's actually not much material used here as I used the pictures, tickets and flag supplied at the game. The Lilybee Christmas Town paper worked perfectly!!


I also used some We R Memory Keepers metal letters with matching gold thread to tie it all together.

Thanks for the inspiration Lilybee!! You can check out the challenge at the link below - you still have until October 5th!

http://lilybee.typepad.com/blog/2012/09/challenge-patriotic-colors.html

Cathy

Authentique Sept Sketch Challenge

Hi all!!

I absolutely adore the September sketch on the Authentique blog.  Every day I am falling more and more in love with Authentique!! The paper is so thick and fabulous!! You still have until October 3rd to participate in this challenge so check it out here: http://blog.authentiquepaper.com/2012/09/september-sketch-challenge.html

Isn't it fabulous??
 
This particular picture means a lot to me as its the last picture of my grandfather with Baby J. The Authentique Fresh collection worked perfectly with the odd color combo!
 
Materials Used: Authentique Fresh collection paper, Authentique Fresh details and Authentique Fresh Elements, as well as Sahara Sand marker for the very light journalling.
 
Lovin' this!!
Cathy
 

Jillibean Soup sketch challenge

Hi all!!

Just a quick post to show you my take on the jillibean soup september sketch challenge found here: http://jillibeansoup.typepad.com/my_weblog/soup-sketch/

Jillibean Soup is by far one of my favorite blogs to follow! I love how they use kraft paper and corrugated shapes in many different ways.  The colors are vibrant and fabulous. I don't tend to do a lot of that in my pages and I'd love to incorporate more especially in my scrapbooking.
 
Materials Used: Jillibean Soup products re: Talk Soup "Cup of Yak", Chilled Strawberry Soup carstock stickers, Jillibean Soup Old World Cabbage, Jillibean Soup Blossom Soup, Jillibean Soup Summer Squash Soup, Old World Cabbage alphabeans, Jillibean Soup corrugated shapes, Jillibean Soup canvas flowers, SU bright buttons & bakers twine
 
So, this layout was for my daughter's summer soccer session.  It tends to be more of a fashion show then sport.  Her father is a big Manchester United fan although she is sporting her England Euro 2012 jersey kit.  So, you can imagine the importance to document this.  The only thing is as a mother I want to include the certificate that they give her for this. 
 
And this is me thinking about that....
 
I decided to roll the certificate and try to adher it.  I used baker's twine to keep it together.


I then tried to figure out a way to adher the rolled certificate. I grabbed the crop-a-dile and made two holes.  I then added two eyelets.
 I then slipped a different color baker's twine in the eyelets. Looking back I should have stuck with the one color so I may change that aspect of it. Its nice for you to see the two strings though.
The final product looks like this.  Its a bit bulky right now so I may slip it in a heave book or reduce the size of my certificate.  It wouldn't be great for anything with a page protector depending on the size of the document/note you want to adher.
 
 
Enjoy!
Cathy

Friday 28 September 2012

Kids Placecards & Cookie jars

Hey all,

Continuing with my wedding fun... whipped this up from a new pack of crayons I found in Jane's drawer!!  These are the placecards for the kids at a wedding.  The rolled up piece of paper is a coloring page, of course.  Anything that has a dual purpose is a bonus to me!! Here's how they turned out:
You'll notice I tried to make them match the decor as much a possible but the colors of the crayons wouldn't really make the kids too happy... When I did this I tried to give boy color crayons to boys and girl color crayons to girls.
 
Materials needed:
box of crayons
one coloring page
mini eleastics
ribbon of your choice
linen thread (thick thread)
one glue dot per placecard
a label of some sort, which may involve a stamp
any embellishments sich as the pearls I have
 
1. First you just roll the coloring page and tie loosely with the ribbon.  I did use a small bit of glue tape but its not neccessary.

2. Next you are going to take your crayons and put a mini eleastic around it for extra security.  Plus the eleastic gives it some grip for the ribbon going over the top.
3. Next you are going to place the crayons on top of the rolled coloring page and place it over the knot in the centre.  Make another loose knot.  I also slipped a piece of linen thread about 5 inches through the loop so I could adher my label later.
4. And finally you are going to make a pretty ribbon to whatever your preference is.  You are also going to make a hole in your label and tie this.  Use the glue dot to keep it in place so that its visible.  The crayons will naturally act as an anchor to stop the paper from rolling!
 
You are done!!
 
And lastly, I did some labels for the cookie jars, which turned out like this.  If you have been following my posts this is in the same decor as the others using Stampin Up's organza ribbon, labels framelits, doily die and Apothecary Art stamp set.

 
Have a great day!
Cathy

Wednesday 26 September 2012

Weddings Signs & Birthday Card

Hey again!
 
I've been working on trying to do some signs for a friend for her wedding... The task at hand was to re-create something similar to this pin (i don't know who to give credit to..?) However, I was to make 4 signs by doing both sides of some wooden plaques I picked up at Michaels.

See the pin to the right.  Beautiful, hey?  She has two ring bearers who will bring the sign "Here comes the bride" before she walks down the aisle and "they lived happily ever after" when they go back. She also requested "Thank You" and "Mr. & Mrs." signs for photo ops. This is very trendy these days and I am in love with it!!

Firstly, we painted both sides of the plaques with acrylic black paint.  We then painted white acrylic paint over top.  Nothing fancy here as we were just going for the vintage feel.  Miss Baby J even helped out!!
 
Next was just sanding the edges of the wood.  I used my little sanding machine that I have rather than go through the hard work. LOL. My initial thought was that I would make these signs using a stencil that I created from my Cricut.... However, I did not like how they turned out so I axed that idea!! Test it out if you like though.

 
I then decided to test out my handwriting, which was not too bad but nobody really likes their own handwriting.  I didn't take a picture of this... I forgot!!  Every time I redid something I just repainted the white and distressed/sanded the wood.  It didn't take long so it was fun to play around doing different things.
 

Finally I decided that I would try to use white card stock with the words printed on the signs.  I then would get the distressed look by using Colorbox chaulk dye to create the black and white lines. I also used some Tim Holtz White picket fence stain just to have some faint white streaks as well. I did this and let it dry before I printed the words on the paper.
I then traced the plaques and cut out the shape for each of the signs. I glued those onto the plaques and trimmed off the edges. I then sanded the edges manually so that it would blend in nicely. I also added liquid pearls around the edges and some ribbons to match her decor.
 
 And here's the final products (2 of the 4):
 
 
Today is my husbands 31st birthday so I had to get a card done for him as well!!! Male cards are always so difficult!! I tend to sway towards that twine... love it!!  But this time I crinkled up the "happy birthday" banner to give it an old look.  I also stamped some more vintage type stamps on the patterned paper.  It's clear I am getting braver and braver as I did some doodles in the upper left corner and lower right. Check it out!
Materials Used (all Stampin Up Products): Grundge Rock & Itty Bitty Banners stamp sets, Festival Series patterned paper (5x6 paper pad), hemp twine, library clips and SU basic black
 
HAPPY BIRTHDAY HUBBY!
 
Have a great day!!
Cathy

Tuesday 25 September 2012

FancyPants Sept Sketch

Hey all,

Here's another sketch challenge I completd while I was at the Springdale retreat.  Every month there is a FancyPants Sketch Challenge. They are due Weds, Sept 26th evening so there's still time.  Check out the details here: http://missfancypants.typepad.com/little_miss_fancy_pants/2012/09/sketch-time.html

 
This sketch really gives you the flexibility to do a lot of things but helps you really own "negative" space. Here's what I came up with:
  Materials Used: FancyPants "Trick or Treat" and "Baby Mine" paper collections, SU wisteria wonder baker's twine, SU crumb cake, SU Wisteria Wonder ink, MME Life stories journalling card, Bella Blvd buttons "Feminine Mix", Prima Flowers, SU chipboard letters, Smooch spritz and Smooch paint, Tim Holtz picket fence distress stain, as well as Jillibean Soup Alphabeans.
 
There's a couple things here that you might notice:
 
I really sanded the purple background paper to give it that blended look with the background page.  Don't be afraid to rip the paper.  Go mad!
 
I also found some chipboard for "duck".  In order to get the look I was going for (like a purple rainy windshield) I first painted the chipboard with the white picket fence distress stain from Tim Holtz. This is because it would help bring out the purpose color I was looking for.  Note its probably better to use white Acrylic paint or Jesso as anythign water based will still soak through. I then painted the letters with smooch paint in grape color.  And for a final effect I used smooch spritz over that to get the watered down look.
 
You'll also notice that I have a journalling card noting "PULL!".  I have J's swimming certificate tucked in there as this page is about her first swimming class. To achieve this, I popped up the 6x6 block of paper so that it could easily slide in and out. 
 
The title is a play on words as her first swim class is the "duck" level.
 
I love these colors!! Enjoy!
Cathy

Monday 24 September 2012

Coral 1: Scrapbooksteals.com

Just fresh back from a scrapbook retreat in Springdale!! It was a fabulous weekend with some great talent and new friends!!! Hopefully I'll be able to attend in the Spring as well.

I am feeling under the weather so this is going to be short - I had it on my list to complete the first layout of the new Mid Week Mojo series at www.scrapbooksteals.com .  Their blog has lots of project inspiration and ideas so I strongly recommend it.  I love to do the challenges because it gives me the flexibility to use any brand product in my stash!!

This 10 week series is titled as 'Coral' and for some reason I couldn't get the photos to download so I don't have the picture of the sketch. I am thinking my Internet is to blame but you never know.  If you'd like to give it a shot, week 1 is located here: http://scrapbooksteals.stealnetwork.com/wp/2012/09/19/heidi-swapp-sugar-chic-mid-week-mojo/

However, you only have until 12pm MST tonight to get this completed to be eligible in the random draw. You can still be eligible for the final random draw should you complete all ten weeks of the Coral series. Stay tuned to Weds when they will release Week 2 of the Coral series.

Here's the layout I did - I must say, I fell in love with the Little Yellow Bicycle 'Tiny Princess' Collection. I then tied it into the Little Yellow Bicycle 'Baby Safari'.  This layout was on the quick side but it took me awhile to be happy with it.  I topped it off with some Dear Lizzy green thickers and some Stampin Up pearls. I am still thinking about doing some more journalling but I am not sure how I will place that at the moment.


You'll see more of my retreat creations over the next week or so, as a handful of them are inspired to participate in many challenges so stay tuned!!

That's all I have for the moment.  Until tomorrow! Cheers!
Cathy

Monday 17 September 2012

Pearl Series!!

Hey bloggers,

Oh, I thoroughly enjoyed giving myself the weekly challenge of the scrapbooksteals site.  There's usually enough variety that it gives me some thigns to play with.  Not only that but its great to be able to use any materials and not be restricted to a particular collection.

Here's my links to each of the wekly challenges:

Pearl 1:

Pearl 2:

Pearl 3:

Pearl 4:

Pearl 5

Pearl 6:

Pearl 7:

Pearl 8:

Pearl 9

Pearl 10

I had a blast!! Yeahhhhhhhhhhh! Thanks so much!
Cathy

Pearl 9: Scrapbooksteals

Ohhh, I really loved this sketch by the scrapbooksteals team. 

I kept it simple this time with a bit of baker's twine, what is becoming a norm for me!!  My Internet is being funny so my plan is to get this posted asap!! Here's the layout:


And here's my take:
Materials Used: FancyPants papers, SU baker's twine, Little Yellow Bicycle 10 Things, SU Not Quite Navy marker, and SU punches.

Such a funny picture!! LOL!

Have a good one!
Cathy

Pearl 10: ScrapbookSteals

Hi there,

Back from ohio and getting ready for a retreat on Friday, as well as a wedding. I did manage to get a couple things done!!

Oh, I dug through my photos for this one... my First Mother's day!! They are not the best photos but it meant something to me! 

This is to complete the Pearl Series over at ScrapbookSteals!! Hooray! Here's the layout and link to do your own take! http://scrapbooksteals.stealnetwork.com/wp/2012/09/12/we-r-memory-keepers-down-the-boardwalk-mid-week-mojo/


Here's what I came up with!
Materials Used: FancyPaints Saint Nick Tinsel, Authentique Happy, SU chipboard, SU hodgepodge hardware, FancyPants Childish Things, FancyPants Its the Little Things, SU basic black journal pen, AC foam thickers, Tim Holtz crackle ink and SU crumb cake ink.
 
This was the first time, I used the Tim Holtz crackle paint, which was a lot easier to use then I thought!  I put it on a bit too thick so you can't see much "crackle". I'll have to play around with that again soon!
 
Cheers,
Cathy
 
 


Tuesday 4 September 2012

FINAL DAY: It's a Sketchy Challenge!!

Hi all,

I decided to make my finale the September "It's a Sketchy Challenge" over at the Canadian Scrapbooker magazine!!  I have never submitted anything so I am going to submit this time!! And maybe if I get my ducks in a row, I'll submit a couple more layouts for their Spring Call, due October 15th. This is my layout that I came up with!
Materials Used: Harmonie 'Shabby Love" collection, SU textured crumb cake, Lilybee ABC stickers, Mr Huey's white & warm calico, Jolee's boutique Inspiration Francaise embellishments, MME on the Bright side accessory sheet, BG Indian Summer alphabet stickers, SU paper piercing pack with co-ordinating mat & paper piercer, Prima & Petaloo flowers, SU pearls, Unknown eyelets, So Facile pearl lace, SU pink pirouette ink, Unknown hat pin, Tim Holtz vintage photo distress ink, SU trinkets, SU bitty buttons

Here's the sketch for the challenge (click to find out more details):

It's funny how the stars align because I had just printed this photo and as such it was top of mind.  I recently bought some Harmonie paper and embellishments.  They worked out perfectly!! This page celebrates my great grandmother (Baby J's great great grandmother) 's 100th birthday... yeah, an amazing day.  Not only that but I am lucky enough to have another great grandmother whom turned 97 three days later!!  Needless to say it became a big family affair where by I saw family I hadn't seen in years... decades, even.

This picture was top of mind because of my grandfather's passing and how looking at all the old pictures we were never sure who was who as they were never labelled.  (Run on sentence, maybe?)Although I still don't put a lot of names in my scrapbooking, I decided it was appropriate to do so in this formal family picture.

I wanted to give this picture a soft but vintage, old feel.  As such I stuck with the pearls and light distressing.  Check out that pearl ribbon/lace... I got that from the dollar store awhile back for 29 cents!! I grabbed up about 4 rolls, I believe!! What a score!! The trick is how to stick it onto your page.  And I have to tell you that I think the best way is to get out your needle and thread. I come up the back through the paper, around the lace between the pearls but going back down through the same hole.  This is what I mean:
 
I also got out my SU paper piercing pack AGAIN! I would have sewed it but being in between the renovations of having a new child enter this world, I have not gotten my new sewing machine up and running... (On the list though!!) You'll notice the double piercing of the lines on the outside and inside edge of the pink Harmonie paper.
 
I also decided to give it a bit of a rougher, old feel by using the Stampin Up cutting tool, which is retired.  You can do the same by straightening out your scissors and gently running them along the edges of your paper to your desire.  Don't worry about rips, that's what you are looking for some times!
 
And finally, I thought I would share an organization tip. Since I am an 'edge-a-holic', I cut up the Stampin Up sponges in 6 pieces. Then whenever I want to edge something I can grabbed the ink and the corresponding sponge.  I make sure to label them (ok, not always) so that I don't use the wrong color.  I then tuck it away in a close drawer as this one gets used often!! Just adher those labels using one quick staple!
 
 
So, with that - A BIG PAT ON THE BACK TO ME - 30 days of paper projects = COMPLETE. And I got my inspiration back, as well as tackled some goals I had.... and finally managed to clear some amazing milestones off my desk!!
There's a big promotion going on at Stampin Up for the month of September only where by if you spend $50 you get a roll of ribbon for free. It's a fabulous deal so check it out if you are interested! See the "Shop Now" on the left and always pop me an email for any questions.
 
Have a great day!
Cathy



Day 29: Gone "Bat/Cat" Crazy

Well, with just two days left in my challenge and a family trip looming, my inspiration and TIME is dwindling... I had spent a little bit of time on the Lilybee blog checking out one of their design team members gallery... this particular girl, Ania-Maria seems to spend a lot of time doodling on her pages.  And seems to just go just wild with paint and vellum paper, etc.  I was intrigued as her pages are beautiful but just so far in the opposite direction as my "style".

My thought was this: "Isn't it crazy how everyone has their own style and how we are just so different?" It never ceases to amaze me.

I didn't quite go in her direction but for me, I simply went "bat-s&*% crazy". I had taken pictures of some of 'Baby J's' shoes and had planned to do a grid-type layout with them.  It started out that way until I decided I wanted to make "laces" up the side.  By this point, I was ready to quit because it took some eye-squinting to get the eyelets in place (using the crop-a-dile) and the ribbon threaded through. 

I took a bit of a break to find passports and get some things done.

When I came back to the scraproom, I grabbed some BG paper and ripped it.  I then grabbed some mesh that was in a gift bag someone had given me... I started stapling that.  Then I kept going from there.  The ribbon looked too white to me to look like laces... So I got out my Tim Holtz distress ink and once agin went bonkers.  I finally got to the title and wasn't sure how I would adher it.... so I hrabbed the stapler and literally just went for it... As a final touch, as a kudos to Ania-Maria, I did a bit of doddling around the corner... (perhaps its fitting since Baby J recently marked up her new silver Bobs with a black sharpie while in the care of my mother)

Here's how it turned out... (Picture to be replaced in the morning)
Materials Used: BoBunny Basics DoubleDot, FancyPants Off to School Collection, BG Olivia paper, SU white taffeta ribbon, Unknown eyelets, Tim Holtz vintage photo distress ink, BoBunny wraps, Unknown mesh, staples, SU brads, SU chocolate chip marker and AC thickers.

A closer look:

It's funny how you have a plan but then it goes bonkers.  I must say I had fun and its clear... based on how messy my desk is at least.

Cheers,
Cathy

Sunday 2 September 2012

Monday Card Madness & Alzheimer's Fundraiser

Hey everyone and happy long weekend!

THREE MORE DAYS in my 30 day challenge!!

This is the first time I've participated in the 'Monday Card Madness' at scrapbooksteals.com and it looks like I was a couple days too late!! But I had a great time fooling around with it.  In fact, I started out thinking I would use the sketch to participate in Jillibean Soup's birthday card challenge.  But at the end of the day, I morphed the sketch so much I didn't think it qualified!! Here's the sketch and click for more info on the Monday Card Madness challenges:



Here's what my jillibean soup card looked like and you can participate in the challenge ALL SEPTEMBER  - click on the jillibean soup icon for details.

Jillibean Soup collections used are Hearty Barley, Neopolitan Bisque Soup, and Summer Squash, as well as some Soup Labels and bakers twine.  I did use some SU ink called 'pacific point'.
 
I have come to realize for as much as I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE jillibean soup, I have mostly holiday themed collections and paper.  Although I did just score some corrugated shapes from Grabba Memories recent close out sale. The GREAT news is that after another scrapbooksteals.com hidden archive shopping spree, I have a number of new collections to look forward to when the post man comes around next week. YAHOO!
 
As a side note, I had trouble getting my order to process because of shipping constraints at the scrapbooksteals website so I emailed the steal network and I was super pleased with the customer service.  This was a big deal because I had a dozen things in my cart and I didn't want to go through the whole thing again. They got it all processed within only a couple hours or so and I didn't have to do anything except pay the bill!
 
Since I couldn't stop there I picked up my new twitterpated collection from Stampin' Up and went to work on the sketch again. 
Materials Used: Stampin' Up (SU) Twitterpated collection, lucky limeade ruffled ribbon, cardstock and ink, as well as some luck limeade sheer ribbon that was part of the sale-a-bration sale in the Spring. The stamp collection used was the 'Love & Laughter' stamp set.
 
In light of my grandfather's recent passing, I have decided that I will be doing a small fundraiser by selling cards with all proceeds going to the Alzheimer's Society.  This charity was chosen by my grandmother and has long been in our family history. I will be selling a set of four cards for $5 and this card will be one card of this set. Stay tuned, as I won't be starting until I return from Ohio in mid September.  If you would like me to put you on my list for a set, please just message me through email, facebook, blog, etc... (I am sure you'll find a way).  There will be a congrats, birthday, thank you and sympathy card. For anyone looking for cards that are outside the St. John's area, there will be an extra $2 charge for shipping.  Payment can be processed via email, cheque or paypal. I have to look into being able to provide a charitable donation receipt so stay tuned on that.
 
Enjoy your holiday Sunday and Monday!
Cathy
 

Authentique August Color Challenge

Hey!

How could I not participate in this challenge when I had the gorgeous 'Curiosity' collection at hand!! I love the paper so much in this collection that I didn't even want to use it!! Alas, I found the perfect pics to match the color scheme and this is what I came up with!

Materials Used: Authentique Curiosity collection including the elements, Bella Blvd letters, SU asic gray ink, SU hodpepodge and matallic brads, and unknown scissors brads

You have until September 12th to participate in this challenge so I encourage you to do so!! Here's the link with all the juicy details (click on this image):
 
Have a great long weekend!
Cathy

Day 27: Sun, Sand & Sky Challenge

Being part of quite a talented pool of scrapbookers/card makers within facebook always jumps starts my creativity.  It helps me want to continue to improve and helps find the inspiration that often goes missing. This challenge is part of that group and is as follows developed by Miss Coralee Kilfoy!

Since it's summer time and we've been having some beautiful weather, I thought I would come up with a little layout challenge for this month!
This challenge will require you to include:
1. An outdoor photo
2. Journalling
3. Use yellow (to represent the sun)
4. Use Kraft (to represent the sand)
5. Use gray/blue (to represent the sky)

I have a little RAK that I will draw for if anyone would like to participate in this challenge!

Happy Scrappin'! :)
 
And here's what I came up with... I am very impressed with myself today because I digitally altered my very first photo (the clouds didn't look like they were moving in the original photo). I've got a long way to go in Adobe Photoshop but it sure looks like fun!! But I didn't stop there...I figured out Pinterest and "pinned" my first image.  (Aren't I technological?)
 
Enjoy the layout:
Materials Used: SU bashful blue textured paper, FancyPants Hodgepodge "Its Your Day" collection, FancyPants Imagination "Childish" collection, SU daffodil delight and bashful blue inks, Harmonie flower, MME All is Bright decorative buttons, SU Pool Party baker's twine, Prima flower and Mr Huey's Leaf Green & White.
 
I also organized my cardstock too.. with my daughter's help... translation - it took 200 times longer therefore I didn't get to the 12x12 organization.
 
Cheers!
Cathy