DCWV December Scrapbook Sketch Challenge

     After all the busyness of the holidays, scraptherapy was just what I needed.  And I made it in under the deadline for the DCWV Scrap-a-holic Scrapbook Sketch Challenge!
     I used DCWV Brights Cardstock for the background.  All other paper is DCWV Holiday Collection Christmas stack.  That stack has kraft as its neutral color.  Love it!  The tags are from Jillibean.  (Thank you, Nance!)  The stickers are from an ancient sheet by Joy Marie. 

The journaling will be added later.  :o)     Thanks for looking.   

My First ODBD Challenge, ODBDSLC220 Sketch

     I'm so tickled to get to play along with Our Daily Bread Designs!  With the help of a prize gift certificate, I recently got the "Flourished Verses" stamp set, and it is beautiful.  I've only used one stamp so far, but made 5 different cards.  So versatile! 
     Sketch challenges may just be my favorite.  Besides the lovely stamps, I used some paper that came with an issue of Cardmaking and Papercraft Magazine, published in the UK.  So I pretty much won the stamps, and the paper was free, kinda.  :o) 
     I love to try new techniques and this one was new for me.  I'm not a "colorer," but I heat embossed the verse and a tree from Sizzix on vellum and colored it with Marvy LePlume II pens and clear Wink of Stella.  Love the sparkle, but that part didn't photograph well. 

I added a "Happy Birthday" tag to some, "Thank you" tags to others.  I think "Thinking of you" or "Missing you" would work well, too.  And this is just the first stamp!  I will get so much use from this great set!  Thank you, ODBD!  And thanks for the fun of playing along!

PCC Magazine Monday AND DCWV Stack-a-holic Challenges!

DCWV

PCC

   

     Combining challenges may save time and energy for some, but not for me!  It's a stretching exercise.  I think I could save time if I just did one challenge, then the other!  But, in the end, I am happy with my results and hope I did justice to both challenges. 
     I used the card sketch from DCWV and chose my colors and black font and the Christmas sock from PaperCrafter's Corner's Magazine Monday.  In line with the rules for DCWV's Stack-a-holic challenge, I used cardstock from their Glitzy Glitter and Foiled Cardstock Stacks and the Burlap Paper Stack, along with scraps of felt for the stocking.  This was not a 20 minute project!  :o)  More like several hours!  But fun hours spent with DGD and her mommy crafting beside me. 

Thanks for joining me.  Papercrafting is such therapeutic fun!

PaperCrafter's Corner Magazine Monday #80

     Busy as usual.  This time trying, unsuccessfully, to finish up Christmas gifts, but with Hubby singing in multiple Christmas performances this weekend, I ended up with a little extra time, just enough to do a card for PaperCrafter's Corner.  :o)  Besides, I recently read about a technique that I hoped would give me a look similar to the inspiration piece. And I think it did!
     I sprayed a used dryer sheet with adhesive and adhered it over a graphic from my PCCrafter's clipart collection.  Then I poured fine glitter dust over that and rubbed it in.  The dryer sheet was porous enough that the adhesive was on both sides.  It stuck to the cardstock and held the glitter.  Voila!  A snowy scene!  So pretty!  It was so much fun I did a second one!

Because I'm not sure I will use these as Christmas cards, I put a sweet die cut from Poppy Stamps inside that can be used for any occasion.  It's super thin, so I ran my paper through the Xyron before I die cut it to make an instant sticker.

Thanks for checking this out today!

PaperCrafter's Corner, Magazine Monday 79

     I've been busy making cards for money and gift cards for the older grandkids.  I thought the colors of this weeks Magazine Monday would make a good masculine card, but that's where I got stuck!  It seemed too dark for a Christmas card, but I've been wanting to make a box card, so I used the black and neutrals along with the whole seasonal theme to make my card.  I used my envelope maker to make the small envelope that contains a folded up bill.  It seemed like a lot of work, but it was my first.  Maybe it will get easier!  :o)  Thanks for looking!

PaperCrafter's Corner Magazine Monday #78

     With company coming tonight, DGD here tomorrow and Thanksgiving the next day, then getting out the Christmas tree, etc., etc., I thought I'd better get a head start on this one! Not to mention Baby Boy due to arrive very soon! 
     I thought the blue of the inspiration cover was the perfect blue for my "cigars."  Lots of browns in there, too.  And another reason to be thankful!  It all ties together for me! 
     I wrapped chocolate Rolos in upcycled brown paper bags, which I wrinkled up first.  I think the stamp is from the first set of StampinUp that I purchased.  I added Wink of Stella for some shine, but that didn't pick up in the photo. 

     It's been almost 5 years since I made these in pink.  :o)  When my son passed them out to some of the nurses in Labor and Delivery, they said they would give them to their husbands. . .until my son said, "No, they're chocolate!" 
     I do love papercrafting!  Thanks PaperCrafter's Corner for the encouragement to get moving!

ScrapMuch? Sketch-y Friday for 11-21-14

     I wish I was always this prompt in meeting challenges!   I knew right away what I wanted to do with this one which made the process move right along.  The paper I used was #DCWV 's Denim Stack.  I'm hoping you won't see my glaring error, but I'll tell you about it anyway.  :o)  I taped the photo and elements together from the back, added ZipDry and layed them on my page, but, alas, I used the thread lines of the denim in the paper as a guide and not my grid mat.  What was I thinking?  It's cattywampus, but the glue was dry before I stepped back and took a good look.  Oh, well.  I think DGS looks adorable munching on his bribe for being still.  :o)

ScrapMuch? Inspiration

Thanks for the fun ScrapMuch?!  Thanks for looking, friends!

ScrapMuch? Sketch-y Friday for 11-7-14

     I liked the idea of using four pictures on a page, until I actually tried to fit them.  I want the pictures big enough for old eyes like mine to see, and the ones I wanted to use were all landscape rather than portrait.  So I rotated the sketch 90 degrees and stuck with most of the basic shapes.  Even when I have to stretch to make it all work, it is still easier having some sort of starting point from which to work.  Thank you, ScrapMuch?!  :o)

     Most of what I used here was from #DCVW 's Kidlet Stack.  This is another layout for DGD's page-a-month album.
     Thanks for looking!

PaperCraftersCorner: Magazine Monday #77

     Today is my daughter's birthday.  I remember that day 44 years ago like it was yesterday.  We were so thrilled.  Everyone knows first babies take their time getting here.  Ha!  It was exactly 15 minutes from when we went into the front door of the hospital until she was born on the 3rd floor!  But I diverge. . . .
     Today our daughter is Mrs. Howell.  When she married, her 3rd grade students thought she was Mrs. Owl.  Since then owls have been her "thing."  :o)

PCC Inspiration

     I'm having fun with my variation of a "stage" card that I found in a UK magazine.  I looked to PCC's Monday Monday for further inspiration.  I used the red border and the Times New Roman font.  I had planned to make that more of a headline, but decided to chop it and pop it.
  I used my new Wink of Stella pen for the glittery balloon and Glossy Accents on the owl's eyes.  The leaves are Cheery Lynn Designs.  Since I haven't learned to color yet, I treasure my clipart collection.  This owl is by Laurie Furnell. 

Thank you, PCC, for the fun!  Thank you, friends, for looking! 

Scrap Much? Sketch-y Friday for Nov. 14

     Another fun sketch from Scrap Much? and another opportunity to fill in DGD's page (or 2) a month album.
     I bought this Martha Stewart Baby Girl scrapbook paper when DGD was first born, but I had never scrapbooked before.  I thought the pastels were appropriate, but am finding I'm not wild about them.  And I have a more difficult time photographing them, too!  Can't see myself doing many more pages in this color scheme.  I did enjoy playing with the sketch, though!  :o)  DGD is now almost five.  She loves helping me pick out the pictures to print.  I am blessed!

Scrap Much? First Sketchy-Friday of November

Inspiration

Scrap Much? has me loving double-page lay-outs.  Great fun!  The one page I already did for DGD's first trip to Disneyland was definitely not enough. :o)     

May still need more!  Thanks for looking!

Caring Hearts Card Drive

     I rarely send Christmas cards.  Not sure why.  But I felt compelled to make some for this card drive which sends cards to nursing home patients throughout the US and Canada.  Maybe it was just that the request came from sweet Jennifer McGuire.  Here's the link:  Caring Hearts.  There's still plenty of time to participate.
     Here are the cards I made: 

Thanks for looking!  :o)

PaperCrafter's Corner Week 76

Standing Card

     I am so excited about this card!  It's an adaptation of a new cut and fold technique I found in Quick Cards, a magazine from the UK.  It's called a stage card, but I did make several changes, so it doesn't look as much like a stage.  I used the colors from PaperCrafter's Magazine Monday.  (See below.)

Flat A2 card

  Here's the inside of the card.  I thought you might get a better idea of how the card is constructed from this view.  I will probably put a white tag inside to sign it.  I see several more of this style card in the near future.  Thanks for looking.  Your comments are always appreciated!  :o)

PCC Inspiration

    

A Three-fer!

     I often see papercrafters who can enter one project into a whole list of challenges.  I have a difficult time thinking past one at a time, but this time my regular three places to play had challenges that just all seem to coordinate and my project just fell into place.  I hope you'll agree.  The challenges: 

ScrapMuch?  Color Challenge

DCWV Stackaholic Challenge

PaperCrafter's Corner

The color palette from ScrapMuch? was very much like the colors of PaperCrafter's Corner Magazine Monday 75.  I used those colors and the sketch from DCWV.  The paper strips were from DCVW Amber Autumn.  Here's mine: 

Since there were pieces left over, I just kept going!  :o)

PaperCrafter's Corner, Magazine Monday #74

PCC Inspiration

     This one was a little easier for me since I knew I wanted a Halloween project.  The colors and even the black cat were very appropriate.  DGD and I made a couple dozen chocolate feet.  Using the colors from the inspiration piece for some, we made matchbook-type holders with matted clipart on the front.  We gave them out to special friends, and they were a hit!  Tasty, too!

Paper Smooches Blog Hop

    

     You have until midnight MT Sunday night to hop along with Paper Smooches!  Click here to start your hop.  Should be lots of fun!  I love these: 

ScrapMuch? Sketch-y Friday, October 24

     First of all, "Thank you" ScrapMuch? for all the inspiration!  Following only one scrap challenge a month was not helping me catch up DGD's page a month album.  With the help of your fun sketch challenges, I am making progress.  Of course, now I've added another grandchild and another is on the way, so even when I catch up I will be behind!  :o)
    

 

Both the paper and the stickers were received in a RAK from a dear Fiskateer Friend some time ago.  Perfect for DGD's first camping trip!  I am blessed, indeed!

Sketch-y Friday with ScrapMuch?

   I love the ScrapMuch? sketch for October 17!  The lace is a girly element that I thought would be perfect for a page in DGD's page a month album.  I went back a ways to fill in some months I missed.  This  became her June 2010 page.  The top picture was taken on Papa's 80th birthday.  They bonded as soon as she came home from the hospital.  His lap is still her Happy Place when she's with us. 
   I followed this sketch closer than I usually do.  It didn't need any help from me!  But I did find the pastel colors I used a little harder to photograph.

PaperCrafter's Corner Magazine Monday #73

PCC Inspiration, Week 73

  The inspiration this week did the trick.  I was inspired, inspired to take  pictures!  I knew I couldn't take a picture of DGD in the moon, so I chose her favorite tree at the nearby park.  I planned to use it as the focal point on a scrapbook page, but it became the page.  I made a 12 x 12 print on my Canon Pixma Pro, which I got for less than $100!  It turned out so beautiful that it won't be hidden in a scrapbook page, but will become "home decor!"  I broke the scrapbook page frame I had purchased earlier or it would already be hanging in my wall of fame!  Thank you, Steph, for making me get the camera out!

PaperCrafter's Corner Magazine Monday #72

PCC Inspiration

     It took me awhile to find the needed inspiration in this magazine cover, although I do love the color palette.  I ended up going with a face as the focal point. . .but my face is more fun! 




























I used clipart from Laurie Furnell.  She comes to my rescue when I need a little coloring.  DGD and I are going to send a batch of cards in for nursing home residents, so I wanted something easy for the two of us to work on together.  And since Steph at PaperCrafter's Corner issued a 20 minute papercrafting challenge, I timed myself:  25 minutes for this first card, but I think it will come faster now that I have made adjustments to the sketch (lifted from a Spellbinders Blog entry).  I think he may need a little Stickles and/or Glossy Accents, though!  :o)