Creative Scrappers first reveal of 2016!!!

I'm so excited Creative Scrappers is back!! After a bit of a hiatus, Kristine has restarted the blog with a new sketch challenge with a sponsorship from Jillibean Soup. Creative Scrappers was one of my very first regular places for inspiration. The amazing sketches and the fun and so very different interpretations from the Design Team are so great to discover. It's a great place to get inspired and creative.

Here's a link to the rest of the party: Creative Scrappers June Reveal

And here's the sketch:

And here is my interpretation:

I hope you find some inspiration today to get some pages scrapped... Jillibean Soup is offering a prize to a lucky winner this month. Come play along!

Catching up!

It's been awhile... I've neglected you blog...I feel like the hiatus is over... I needed a break I guess... Regardless, here we are...

I've been away from the blog, but have still been scrapping. I've made some pocket pages, some cards, some layouts, etc... more to come soon.

In the meantime, here are a few layouts I've made.

I had a great time making this one, about DS#3's love for Batman. Any excuse was good to be Batman for awhile. Batman is pretty awesome in our house. Lego Batman gets a lot of points too. This layout was made after getting some inspiration on the Paper Issues Blog, layout by owner Cassie Box. I love how it came out. It's a mix of Studio Calico papers, some Jillibean Soup Staples and some cool stamps.

"Always be yourself. Unless you can be Batman. Then always be Batman." Love that!

Here's another:

It was made for the Let's Capture Our Memories September 2015 color spot, and realized I had never shared it here. I must have a picture with DH sleeping with each of the kids at some point or another. I love the fact that DS#3 was sleeping with some costume eyeglasses. 

Here's one made with So Rad by Simple Stories... A lot of stitching on this one. You should see the back...  a real mess! But I really like how all the stitching brings out the photo. The kids were hamming it up on the soccer field after a game. 

These next ones were made to bust out some stash. It was part of the Mercy Tiara 27 day challenge. Look it up on Youtube and Facebook. It's great fun! It started in February, with a stash busting challenge. The winner (random draw) gets some fun stuff and the chance to pick the next challenge...

Here is another, just as I decide to finish off this Crate Paper Toy Box Collection from 2011... There are just a few die cuts left over...

This was a Creative Scrappers sketch, a great source for inspiration. He's a climber for sure! This spider web play park is reserved for 7+ and little buddy was 4 1/2 on this... close supervision required. 

Here's another:

This is made with the Scrapbook & Cards Today  Crop & Create Delivered kit. There are such happy things in that box... I love a day at the beach!

And last one for now...

Ahhh, the Silhouette Cameo... I'm taming the beast. I made one fatal error in the settings on my first cut, ruined the mat and it all went downhill fast. I got a new mat, and everything's been great since. I really love these papers from Fancy Pants Design. The layout was inspired by Mercy Tiara's 27 day Challenge- a masculine/boy page for this month. I have to admit that this present challenge is not much of a stretch for me, Mom to 3 boys...

Well, that's it  for now... I'll have to finish my mini album pictures, and we'll see you soon...

Update!

I cannot believe how long it's actually been since I've posted some layouts here... Talk about neglect... I'll get started right away, but be warned, this may be a layout heavy post...:)

I've got a lot of catching up to do.

I have been scrapping regularly as a member of the Let's Capture Our Memories design team and I've had a few more time consuming projects on the side, but more on that later.

Here's is a layout done for Mother's Day- seems so far away... It's a lovely sketch by Shirley Mascarina. It's great for all those vertical photos we have lying around.

Here's my take on it-

I used almost every last bit of Fancy Pants Design The Good Life collection. It's just so beautiful! I may have a bit leftover for a few cards, that's it!

"Nothing pleases me more than spending time with my boys, and the fact that Grammy and Grampy are joining us more and more, that's the cherry on top of the sundae!"

Next up is reveal 124:

Another great sketch!

And here's my take on it:

I was actually "soup-spotted" on this one! Yet another collection I've decimated- Macho Nacho soup! There's barely anything left for a card...

Another layout done for LCOM is this one with Lynn Lefebvre's sketch:

And this is my interpretation, done with loads of Simple Stories I (heart) Summer! It's all about a camping trip in 2014 in NH, at a campground with a huge pirate ship in the pool! Amazingly fun!

The next one is a fall layout, made with that fabulous Sweater Weather by Simple Stories.

The sketch is by Lynn Lefebvre.

It's about a great day trip to the nearby National Park- I love getting pics of all my boys together!

Well, that's it for now, more to come soon! Thanks for looking!

L'aventure commence- The adventure begins

Today's reveal is sketch 119, designed by Let's Capture Our Memories owner Isabelle Perreault Doucette.

Isn't simple and effective? It really showcases the photo, no matter what you put around it...

This is my take on this fun sketch:

I can't believe how fast this one came together. I quickly layered everything under my photo, then went to search for the perfect background... Well... the pink was just screaming to brighten up a summer layout!

Ahhhhhh.... adventure... summer vacation....

This is my favorite photo from our summer vacation last year... We took a break at the tourist information center just before crossing the Confederation Bridge to get to our campsite. We had a blast with the cousins at the Canada Day fireworks, lounging at the beach, exploring the island, eating great food, revisiting the antique toy store, even fitting in a water balloon fight...great memories for years to come...

The papers are a mix of a bit of everything in my stash- most are from a summer kit purchased from Crop & Create Delivered. I have some papers from Glitz Design, My Mind's Eye, Pebbles, and the background is from Studio Calico's neutral pack. The alphas are Thickers and Basic Grey stickers. The enamel dots are Basic Grey and the corrugated heart is by Jillibean Soup. The clip is by Maya Road and that's a Prima flower... I used hearts instead of stars, and brought it all together with a DMC floss hand stitched heart. I don't have a heart that big and drew it by hand. That cute car is by My Mind's Eye, found at the bottom of my stash...

Keep this one on deck for a later use or come play with us at Let's Capture Our Memories...link up to win a gift certificate!

Thanks for looking!

Lucky us!

 It's another reveal Saturday! It's like the calm before the storm... another blizzard warning here in eastern Canada for tomorrow... on the upside, all our regular activities were not on for tomorrow anyway...

Here's a summer layout made for Let's Capture Our Memories reveal number 115. I can't wait until the warmer weather arrives, but it never does until we get a St-Patrick's day snowstorm. It never fails... no matter how warm it's been, we always get a huge snowstorm around St-Patrick's day. Hopefully, this will be it, and there won't be a delayed reminder of winter...

Our challenge was to make our layout green. There's not much Irish around here, but I'll certainly play along! Here's the sketch by Laura Whitaker:

It has a wide range of options for photos, or just cards, or anything your heart desires, really... This is a layout about a day at Magic Mountain, the local water park. We had a great day in the sun, splashing in the wave pool, and riding the waterslides. Nothing like a few family selfies to mark the occasion.

I raided my stash for this one, not really sticking to one company for supplies.  There are some My Mind's Eye Bright Side papers, Jillibean Soup placemats and paper, diecut and button, Basic Grey diecuts. The big green piece is American Craft Amy Tangerine Ready Set Go. The gear is Tim Holtz, and the alphas are really old Pink Paislee I had laying around. The mist is by Mr. Huey's and the wood veneer is Studio Calico.  Can't wait for summer!!!

Anytime is playtime!

It's another reveal day at Let's Capture Our Memories- It's sketch reveal #113 and it screamed for a fun, rambunctious, lively layout- my favorite kind!! It's an amazing sketch by Becky Fleck at Pagemaps. It's so fun and lively and needed some loud papers to go along...

I've been hoarding these papers for the right moment, especially the right photos. Aren't they loud and fun?

This is DS#3 while on a shopping trip at Costco. No place like a big warehouse to start hamming it up and being funny. He climbed in the flower pots we were buying, played hide and seek with the cover. He had the whole waiting line and cashiers laughing for quite awhile...He's cute and he knows it. 

The papers are Boy Crazy by My Mind's Eye. Aren't they cute? The cute placemat is by Jillibean Soup and the clip is by Maya Road. The mini alphas are by Simple Stories. The clothespin is by Pebbles and the ribbon is from my stash. I had a great time putting this together, fun memories...

Hope you like it- TFL!

Let's Capture Our Memories layout 109

There's a snowstorm out there and lots of people are going to be snowed in. We have lots of activity cancellations today, and hopefully, some time will be found for scrapping...

Here is some inspiration to help along- Sketch 109 from Lets Capture Our Memories. The sketch is by LCOM DT member Shirley Mascarina. Although when I saw it, I knew what I wanted to do, it seems to have morphed a bit along the way and got all layered! The original idea is still present though...

Here is the sketch:

And here is my take on it:

The paint splatters became embellishments and the chevron became banners, but the overall shape is the same... I love those little frames and wood veneers. Thanks Aurélie for the wire snowflake- it's so cute!

It's all Fancy Pants Timbergrove collection and some Jillibean Soup Alpha Beans. The glitter snowflake is by Pink Paislee and the wood veneers are from Studio Calico.

TFL-  Have a great snow day!

The forgotten layout

This layout was made while I was at a crop hosted by Let's Capture Our Memories owner Isabelle Perreault-Doucette. It was one hour challenge time, and I had just arrived at the crop. It was late and she had started to pack up the store. I finished shopping and saying hello and got to work on this layout- a sketch by Pagemapsn Becky Fleck.

Funny enough, these papers by Fancy Pants were just bought that minute. And I had these perfect little pictures, not important enough for a full layout, but all together, they told a story about one of our first camping trips as a family with the cousins. Fun times!

All papers are by Fancy Pants Designs Happy Go Lucky collection. There are a few wood veneers and a metal clip by Studio Calico, the placemats are by Jillibean Soup and Evalicious. Can you spot the My Little Bit of Whimsy button? Love those little mushrooms!

Thanks for looking!

New layout- Bonjour 2014! Hello 2014!

Well 2015 is upon us, and I have to say, this is my very first New Year themed layout. I never thought about making one before... I suppose I never really took pictures, especially when we're in PJs watching the countdown on TV... But last year, we welcomed 2014 with a bang! DH was working and couldn't really go out, so we had people in- 4 families, 7 kids, a large turkey supper, a parade complete with trumpets and silly hats, a countdown (around 9h30)...then a sleepover. We had a good time!

The photos aren't the greatest, but it's a firm memory of what happened- lots of action (blurry shots), a nice meal, good friends, fun.

The sketch is by Let's Capture Our Memories owner Isabelle Perreault-Doucette. The multiple photo grid made it easy to incorporate my quick snapshots to give a feel for the mood of the evening. I added some mini pictures to include more shots of our DS#3 who felt overwhelmed by the activity....

Here's the versatile sketch:

And here's my layout, using Pink Paislee's Merry and Bright. 

There was a tiny bit of stash busting here- I've had that red sheet of Bo Bunny snowflake paper since forever, same for the felt mistletoe and flourishes. The rest was done from the tiny amount of Pink Paislee papers I do have- a 6x6 paper pad. 

The numericals and the heart are from Jillibean Soup, the wood veneeres are Studio Calico and most embellishments are Pink Paislee. There's a tiny star by Basic Grey, and the twine is by Maya Road. The date stamper is by American Craft.

Thanks for looking- your comments are appreciated as always!

Sketch 101 Reveal at Let's Capture Our Memories!

It's another amazing reveal at Let's Capture Our Memories! Sketch 101 is  multi photo sketch, and it's amazing to see how different everyone's interpretation is! The DT made really cool, detailed, fun layouts! I think this sketch is one of my favorites. Go take a peek at Let's Capture Our Memories!


This is the fun sketch by Emma Straface at Page Drafts:

Here's my layout-

I used tons of Fancy Pants Design's Happy Go Lucky collection. The alphas are also by Fancy Pants, the frames and canvas embellishments are by Basic Grey, the corrugated shapes and button are by Jillibean Soup. The wood veneer and cork shapes are by Studio Calico and the badge is by October Afternoon. I'm starting to dabble with stamps and masks, and this one is by Tim Holtz... Love these chevron shapes to punch up a background...

This layout is all about our camping trip in Maine and New Hampshire last summer. The time spent at L.L. Bean in Freeport during a shopping outing was an adventure in itself. What an amazing place! We took pictures outside and inside. The pond and aquarium were great, especially the spot where you can stick your head in a bubble shaped groove and almost be with the fish. We had a hard time getting the kiddos out of that one. We got some really cute moose molasses cookies, clothes, sleeping bags. We then had a very nice lunch at the pizzeria next door, when DS#3 proceeded to "read" the map in a oh-so-serious way... "where do they keep the ice cream here?..."

Some sightseeing stew for a biking layout-

It's already time for reveal sketch 99 at Let's Capture Our Memories and it's a cool one by Shirley Mijares Mascarina. I love how this sketch can be used different ways- the photos can be replaced by journaling elements, embellishments, there is tons to do with this sketch. And the background was begging for ink/ paint/ gesso... I'm not that comfortable with making a mess, and so I have lots to learn. I am however enjoying the learning process, and i actually broke out some gesso and a few masks for inking...

Here's the sketch:

And here is my take on the sketch. It's full of Jillibean Soup Sightseeing Stew.

I free stitched up the background after inking it up with some masks by Tim Holtz and Crafter's Workshop. I layered some of the 6x6 paper pad pieces under the picture and a cute Jillibean Soup placemat. I added a few brads and buttons and "Voilà!"

Here are a few details...

Hope you have fun with this one too!

Another beautiful sketch reveal!!

Happy sunny Saturday everyone! It's another sketch reveal at Let's Capture Our Memories and it's a really nice one! I just love Laura Whitaker's sketches- they always inspire me right away!

Isn't it beautiful? There's so much you can do with this one!! I knew right away which papers and which photo I wanted to use. It's been a crazy week here, and so I'm happy it all came together quickly!

I flipped it to suit my picture:

   And voilà!

It's a picture of DS#2 taken just before the first day of kindergarten, the journaling mentions his finer qualities- he's curious, helpful, happy, smiling, and lovable! I used just about the last of my Fancy Pants The Good Life collection. I've had an amazing run with this collection- it's just beautiful! I had no more solid pieces for a background, so out came the Jillibean Soup Staples III sheet! Hope you like it!

Sketch #94 is up at LCOM!

Hi everyone! We're just heading out to pack some awesome fall activities into this lovely Saturday! But just before the fun starts, here is my take on sketch #94, up at Let's Capture Our Memories! It's a sketch byVicki Von Richter (aka Princess Pea). Seeing it, I immediately thought of these pictures I'd taken of my 2 older boys who had been playing at the neighbour's house as it was raining pretty hard. One of them remembered that their toys were not put away. With 3 boys, toy cars and Legos and soldiers and action figures galore are everywhere. We somewhat layer ground rules that seem extreme, but then it would be a zoo in here otherwise. If the toys are not picked up, they go to the trash... The kids can't tell if we're serious or not, but they won't take that chance. Hehehe....

So, while they were playing, they had an "uh-oh" moment, ran back here under a borrowed umbrella, put away their toys, and walked back in unison under the umbrella. Priceless!

Here's the sketch:

And here's my interpretation:

It seems that My Mind's Eye Cut & Paste collection was perfect for these photos. Almost everything is from that collection. I also used a Maya Road clip, an October Afternoon flair badge and some Jillibean soup alphas. Hope you like it! The stamps are by Kesi Art and Elle's Studio.

Let's Capture Our Memories sketch #82- Cool dude!

It's reveal day at Let's Capture Our Memories and up on the blog is sketch #82 by none other than Isabelle, the store's owner! And it's such a cool sketch... I love what the design team has done.

My take on the layout is done with a picture of DS#1 taken as he had discovered the dirt bike hill trail behind the campground. He loved it so much, could spend hours there... if only we didn't have to eat, or sleep... The funniest is when he asked his daddy to have his bike when it "would be too small for him." So cute!

Here's the sketch:

And here's my interpretation of it:

It's obvious by now I love Simple Stories and the Urban Traveller collection is no exception! It's so loud and rambunctious, just like my boys. Most of all, I feel it's so easy to do an action or travel layout with these papers, they're just perfect for going places, figuratively or literally!

The cute wood veneers have been inked with Tsukineko Brilliance ink- it's so cool how they stay on great and dry really quick. These are the same inks that stamp well on photos without smearing and breaking. Love these!

Thanks for looking!

Yet another camping layout!

This collection, Happy Camper by Echo Park, has been completely annihilated by my scrapbooking of amazing camping fun and some out of town trips! I have squeezed out this layout, and another  yet to come, and the collection is toast! Maybe there's a tiny bitty bit left for a card. Or a tag... we'll see... Love it when that happens!

This layout is a Pagemaps sketch by Becky Fleck. I inked the right side of the page with glimmer mist over a Tim Holtz mask, and love the way it looks like the woods. With some scrappy tips, I've since modified that technique with and ink stamper. I'm very new to stamping and masking...but enjoying the process.

The title, Joli Feu, means beautiful fire, a traditional song sung at campfires. We made smores and spider dogs, and DS#2 was completely worn out. Love the way he's still wearing his neon bracelet headband. We had company for the campfire and enjoyed them quite a bit.

Mostly everything is by Echo Park. There's a Maya Road clip, a Studio Calico flair and wood veneer, My Mind's Eye washi, a Jillibean Soup button, a Recollections sticker, a Basic Grey canvas frame and some good memories :)

Thanks for looking!

Camping layouts!

I saw some mosquitos and some June bugs recently... Who cares! The countdown is on until our next camping trip! Our trailer is inspected, almost cleaned out and ready to go! I can't wait! It put me in the mood recently to scrap some of last year's trip with the cousins. What fun family memories! Can't wait to do it again this year!

Both these layouts are about a camping trip last summer at a Yogi Bear Campground in Nova Scotia. It had the flag raising every morning with one of the characters, a fun pool, a bouncy pillow- great times with the cousins...It also produced some fun comedic relief with uncle convincingly imitating Yogi saying: "Hey Boo Boo- let's go steal that picnic basket...!"  Instant title for a page!

"Jellystone Park in Nova Scotia- we saw Yogi and the gang. You guys loved the pool, the fun pillow, the mini golf course and the arcade. Mom won at Bingo and Dad played football, marking your faces with campfire ash...Yay for family!"

I used some Echo Park Happy Camper with a few embellishments from Basic Grey (canvas embellies), Studio Calico (wood veneers and stamp), Simple Stories (heart shaped embellishment), and some My Mind's Eye patterned paper and washi tape. The sketch is by Becky Fleck at Pagemaps.

This is another Pagemaps sketch with really fun Echo Park Happy Camper and more Basic Grey canvas embellishments, Studio Calico Wood Veneers, My Mind's Eye washi tape and enamel dots, a Simple Stories card, an Evalicious flair button  and a Jillibean Soup stamp.

"What a nice tradition- camping with the cousins. We discover new, interesting areas and we spend time together. The bouncy pillow, the homemade pizza and pancakes with Boo Boo were just a bonus!"

It's your birthday!!! Sketch #76

It's Let's Capture Our Memories owner Isabelle's birthday this month (and DT members Aurélie and Jocelyne too!)- and we're celebrating with festive layouts. I only made it for a short time at the Happy Birthday Crop last weekend, but it was quite efficient at getting some inspiration back, after a very full week.

This layout was made to celebrate DS#2's second birthday. It was fun to make, and with the wonderful sketch by Emma Stafrace at Page Drafts. What a fun sketch. It just begged to be used for those fun events, with a lot of activity and people, but no great pictures, just a bunch of little snippets of pictures to tell a great story...

I used a ton of Simple Stories Happy Day collection, and a snippet of a Studio Calico scrap piece of paper. I made my background with a neutral sheet and decorated it with stamps (Jillibean Soup, American Crafts, My Favorite Things by Laina Lamb) done with Stampin' Up ink and some Tim Holtz masks. I always like to sew a bit on my layouts and this was no exception. I usually add buttons, wood veneers and other embellishments, but the paper is so colourful, and the stickers so cute, that I didn't think it needed more. It's already "busy" enough as it is... 

Hope you like it,

Happy scrappy week,

Let's Capture Our Memories reveal #69!

It's reveal day at Let's Capture our Memories!! It's a bit funny how this layout is posted a little less than a year after the photos were taken. My little monkeys were checking out the new climbing structure at the play park at the campground. It was brisk weather, but they had a great time.

This week's sketch is by Kimberly Figures. As you can tell, I gave it a bit of a personal touch, adding 3 photos instead of 2, off-setting them a bit, and scrapping it bold and colourful, instead of shabby-chic... to each her own! And that's what a sketch is supposed to be all about- a starting point, a source of inspiration. I always manage to find a sketch to get my creativity going...

And here's my take on the sketch:

The papers used are all from the Echo Park collection All about a boy... I just love those bright colours! The hardware is from Tim Holtz, The corrugated stars are by Jillibean Soup... Love Studio Calico wood veneers!

Hello Summer- sketch #67 at Let's Capture Our Memories

Hello again!

Spring is starting to show up... so exciting! I hear birds, and dragged out some bicycles last night. Today will be a time for cleaning out the sleds and snowracers and lining up the bike helmets and checking tire pressure... :)

When I made this layout, there was still quite a bit of snow on the ground, and we've had 2 or 3 snowstorms since! I was so itching to take off the winter coat and put away the boots, I made a very summery layout to compensate!

This is sketch #67 at Let's Capture Our Memories  designed by Laura Whitaker. I made this almost entirely with Scrapbook & Cards Today's Crop & Create Delivered summer 2013 kit! It's so colorful and fun! Perfect for those lazy summer days you want to remember when the snowbank hides the view of the street... Lol!

And here's my take on it:

Journaling reads: At the cottage,when the tide is low, we go crazy in the water, playing, splashing, exploring!.... ahhhh, vacation!!!


I hope you have big plans for summer after the tough winter we've had... I know we do! Looking forward to some camping, the beach, pools, and just general fun!





Supplies used:
Patterned paper: Studio Calico Snippet Stop, American Craft Lucky Charm Wild Hearts and Starlight, Simple Stories Urban Traveler Let's Go, Pebbles Love You More Zach and Jacob, My Mind's Eye Pinwheel
American Crafts Thickers, Simple Stories stickers, Jillibean Soup and Elle's Studio journaling tags, Tattered Angels Glimmer Glaze, washi and silver thread.

Missed deadlines...Jillibean Soup fun!

Well, the story behind this layout is a bit funny. I was quite motivated to have this one done in response to not one, but two challenges! Enthusiastic much??

I just had the right papers to join in on the fun at Life.Paper.Scrapbook for their December color challenge. It was going to be fun! Then, I just had come across this great sketch from My Creative Scrapbook for their December sketch challenge. Perfect! It was all coming together.

Except life/work got in the way and I missed both deadlines! By about a day or so! But I had a great time creating this colorful Christmas layout with the Jillibean Soup Winter Tortellini collection and I rather like the result. Good memories for us.

This is a visit with Santa and Mrs Claus in December of 2012. The 2 older boys got some Legos (is there any better toy?) and the little one got an Oscar the Grouch garbage truck. The title is: "La liste des gentils"- it means of course The Nice List...



Here's the great sketch by My Creative Scrapbook:

Here's the fun color scheme, the December color challenge at Life.Paper.Scrapbook:

And here's my take:

So challenge accepted! but a bit late! better late than never- I still had a blast making this one. And someday, I'll have to explain that smirk on Mrs Claus' face... Hubby seems content enough... hee hee hee...