Forgotten layouts

Hello everyone,

I'm presenting some forgotten layouts, both made with the Simple Stories Pumpkin Spice collection. The first one was featured in Creating with Sketches by Kristine Davidson, volume 4. The cut file is available on her Etsy Store. The backing of the cut file was a bit labour intensive, but I really like the end result. The boys were photographed during a family photo shoot and we were lucky to get such smiles as they were quite busy exploring the beautiful park.

This one was created with the same collection- it's all about our hiking trip to a National Park close by. I just love those Adirondack chairs place in the perfect spot for a beautiful view. The boys have more and more endurance as their legs get longer and we are able to do more trails than we ever have. We love the trail with the falls and cute bridges everywhere!

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...

September Color Spot

I've been lucky enough to be invited to be featured for the September Color Spot at Let's Capture Our Memories. I had done one last year and it was a fun experience, with nothing to go on but a color swatch... This is what the owner Isabelle had to say about the post:

Hello September!

Wow!

I really had a hard time finding a color scheme for you this month. Nothing was standing out. As I was planning the crop schedule, I started looking at pictures on my phone and found some from my last trip to Scrapbook & Cards Today Crop & Create in Cornwall, Ontario last September. OH! the memories... the wonderful memories from the most amazing weekend event spent with a couple of my scrappy besties!! And as I'm getting ready to head back to Create & Create in a couple of weeks, I thought I'd share the some of the memories, the moments with you. Here's a picture I took of the a small sample of the goodies we get to savor at Crop & Create! Where has this year gone too!! I can't believe it's September already. We are busy getting the kids ready for school and dotting the i's and the crossing the t's on the activities schedule for the coming months!! Here, at LCOM, it's also the start of crop season!! My favorite season!

I asked my super scrappy friend Elisa Delora if she would have a go at this month's Color Spot and I was so happy she said yes!  I love her projects.  She is awesome a clustering and adding so much detail to her layouts.  It makes her photos and story pop up.

Here is what Elisa had to say about this month's Color Spot.

"When I first saw the September Color Spot , the first papers that came to mind were part of the Timbergrove collection by Fancy Pants Design. It almost matched perfectly,less the navy papers. For a house full of boys and boyish layouts, I realized I don't have much navy... I found a 6x6 paper pack in my stash by Fancy Pants Design, Down By The Shore, containing a navy sheet.  As usual, when you stick with the same company, most usually, the papers will match, or at least compliment each other. 

Now as you may know, Timbergrove is a winter/holiday collection, quite full of hot chocolate, mittens, snowflakes and snowmen. It however perfectly matched my cozy, sleepy photo. Daddy and DS#3 had fallen asleep on the couch in a pretty cute pose. Those glasses are part of a costume, you know, the set with the fake nose and fuzzy moustache... The nose broke off, and the kids wear them, looking pretty goofy...or dapper, however you may see it. "  - Elisa Delora

How amazing is that?!   I love the her stitching is carried all over her page and the sprinkle of little hearts here and there, love!  Just like one cherishes the first bite into the chocolate covered strawberry, one can only cherish the father/son bond!!  She nailed the color spot perfectly!!"

Well, as I said, it was a pretty fun spot to do...I enjoyed it a lot. I also enjoy seeing themed papers used for other ordinary layouts, just to think outside the box. I thought it would be fun to try it too...

Thanks for looking!

Part 2 of catching up...

Hi everyone,

My last post was full of layouts I'd neglected to add to this list... Here are a few more- hope you like them...

These are all made for Let's Capture Our Memories DT. Go check them out for some additional inspiration!

This is a cool, versatile sketch by Nicole Nowosad- It screamed simplicity and I've had a photo just waiting for the perfect sketch since last year... 

This is DS#2 goofing off on the slide at the local orchard, after some pumpkin picking. I love this picture and have been waiting for the perfect papers too. These are Studio Calico neutrals, they just complement the photo colors... I've got a Jillibean Soup placemat and a few pieces of Becky Higgins chipboard as well as a rare Prima flower on there..

Another sketch and layout:

This one is by Lisa Rukin Swift, so full and detailed...

It just begged for the collection of selfies we've had going with the boys during vacation... We've had some good times camping, in the amusement park, at the beach...

And I just love this collection by Simple Stories. I am. I am so many things, but above all, I'm a wife and Mom to 3 wonderful boys...

With all the adult colouring books going around, I thought it would be funny/nice to actually try doodling on a layout...I rather like the effect...

 Thanks for taking a peek, your comments are appreciated...

My little sweetie pie

It's reveal day again at Let's Capture Our Memories! Today marks the last reveal day for the present design team. What fun that was! Soon, with a few changes and tweaks, a new team will bring more inspiration on a screen near you, hopefully next to a fresh cup of coffee... :)

This is a fun sketch by Becky Fleck at Pagemaps. Even though I kept to the sketch pretty faithfully, I really love the versatility of it. The elements and photos are certainly interchangeable to suit your layout's needs.

Here is my version of the sketch, with photos of DS#3- our cute little sweetie pie. Every day he is a little sweetheart. The list is about how he is right now... he's loves to tease, to give hugs and kisses, to smile, to tickle... He's a champion with the ipad and he is a super fan of Batman, Mickey Mouse and Super Mario.  Photo credit Laure Handfield, taken in September 2014.

This was made with the My Mind's Eye Collectable collection. I was hoarding this paper for the perfect photos and sketch...The alphas are MME and Simple Stories. The Studio Calico wood veneers were painted with watercolors to match the papers. The enamel dots are Basic Grey, the clip is my from my stash. I finally tried out a Silhouette for the circles sketch file and added some stitching.

Thanks for looking, I hope you like it.

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!

Let's Capture Our Memories sketch 117- anything but winter...

It's still winter in our neck of the woods, although spring officially arrived a week ago... the snowbanks are still at least 4 feet high and I can barely see the top of the hedge in the backyard. Maybe this is why I've been doing warm weather layouts lately, just waiting for the sun to shine on my face and maybe peel off a few layers...

This is a fall layout made with the wonderful Simple Stories Sweater Weather. Its' warm, cute, fuzzy-knit goodness fits with any fall layout...

We had a great day at the orchard last year with my parents. It was one of the last days the orchard was open, and it was a bit of a challenge to find full trees, and DS#3 was a bit moody at first, but it all turned out rather nice at the end. We had oodles and oodles of apples. DS#1&2 helped me peel some of them afterwards.

This is the sketch, by LCOM's very own Shirley Mijares Mascarina-

And this is my take on the sketch:

Everything is Simple Stories except the stamps (Scrapbook & Cards Today, My Favorite Things and Lime Citron), and the wood veneers by Studio Calico. 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!!!

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!

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?..."

Sketch #92 is up at Let's Capture Our Memories

It completely slipped my mind that I hadn't made this post yet!!! Oh well, better late than never, and this way, the yummy feeling of reveal day continues... Lol!

This is a fabulous sketch by Becky Fleck over at Pagemaps and it's a super nice one with lots of details and fun elements! I really enjoyed creating this layout about our little family at the beach- another "selfie of 5" for some long distance birthday wishes for my Grandfather, about 3 hours away.

And here is my version of it-

I used Fancy Pants Design Nautical papers and stickers, some wood veneers by Studio Calico and Queen & Co,  a Recollection enveloppe, a Maya Road paper clip, a cork badge by Studio Calico and a flair badge by Lime Citron. I love machine stitching with accent colours other than black, white or brown. It shakes it up a bit and offers variety. On this pic, the yellow stitching doesn't show up as much, but there it is...

Hope you enjoy this layout as much as I enjoyed making it- 

Another biking layout!

It's sketch reveal day at Let's Capture Our Memories and it's another multiple photo layout! I just love these, as I can add more photos and I can showcase all of my munchkins at once! I also feel 3 photos help tell more of a story. With portable phones, it's so easy to take snapshots everywhere, yet rarely are any of the photos perfect, and rarely do you "get everyone in the same shot"...

This week's sketch is by the talented Laura Whitaker...So here's to another glorious 3 photo layout:

And here's my take:

I just love this Urban Traveler collection from Simple Stories- it can be used in so many different ways. I love the rugged feel of it, and I love that it's great for layouts about movement, bicycling, or any fun activity. There's a bit of October Afternoon papers on there. The clips are by Maya Road and Tim Holtz. There are cork and wood veneer embellies by Studio Calico and the flair button is by Lime Citron. 

It was our third participation at the local bike ride fundraiser for the schools in the area. Great fun while being active!

It's that time of the week again...

It's a beautiful Saturday and the sun is up! It's gonna be a nice day to make more memories... Sketch #88 is up on the Let's Capture Our Memories blog and it's a fun one! I love 3 photo sketches... maybe I'm a bit biased by the fact that my 3 kiddos fit nicely in such sketches. Sometimes I hate to choose which one to feature, and so, headache solved!

This is a beautiful sketch by Ana Castro. It's versatile, fun, flippable, you can convert it to one or 2 photos... It's flawless! Without any further delay:

To suit my needs, I flipped it to be horizontal or landscape. 

 And here's my take:

I love beach exploring, even if sand gets everywhere. There's always be time to clean up later. Beach time is fun time... we found a new beach where it's low tide always in one section, to dig clams or make sandcastles. And then, just beyond the dune, there are waves crashing in! Another bonus is that after a short walk, you can go fishing off the pier. It's a treasured spot! This is a layout of the boys getting wet and sandy. DS#2 is a collector and his favorite finds are Hermit crabs. This was done with loads of Bo Bunny Key Lime- love the colors!

sketch #84 at Let's Capture Our Memories

It's that time of the week again and sketch 84 is up on the Let's Capture Our Memories blog- lots of inspiration around that place! Did you seeeee the amazing mini album using kraft envelopes??? Wowsers! And those Disney theme papers from Simple Stories- just so cute!

Today's reveal sketch is simple, but of course, a sketch is just the beginning. There are so many ways to make this sketch your own. This one is by Vicki Saulnier. I flipped it to suit my pictures.

I used some of my stash- Paradise Beach by Echo Park... it felt right for the pictures, taken at the beach in June of 2014. There's a Studio Calico cork piece, a woodie and washi tape by Queen & Co. I added some embellishments on top, a sticker row and a few layers of beach theme papers, sort of cinching the papers with a bit of washi tape. Thanks Aurélie at LCOM for the inspiration to stitch by hand. I usually if not always stitch with the sewing machine, so the 2 strands of embroidery floss felt much better and nicer than the whole thick strand. The journaling translates to "You thought you were pretty cool in my hat and glasses- you were right!" Great memories camping on the Island...

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!

Sketch #80 is up at Let's Capture Our Memories

It's the exciting part of the week when Let's Capture Our Memories  has a new DT reveal up on the blog! And it's a cool one- A great sketch by Laura Whitaker was used. It's amazing how different each interpretation is!

This one took me to a messy place I'm starting to appreciate. It goes together with my messy boys... tee her! I used lots of stamping with masks and even had a first attempt at stamping on my pictures. It's one of the new things I learned at Crop & Create hosted by Scrapbook & Cards Today. What an amazing fun filled event! The picture of my layout doesn't seem to do it justice, but the stamp was quite fine, and doesn't show up as very dark. And I slipped a little, but it's OK, the layout IS about how messy DS#3 got when he explored the ocean floor from up close! We'd gone on a road trip to visit the famous flower pots and see the Hopewell Rocks at low tide, and he really got enthusiastic about it! The title translates to "Exploring the ocean floor from up close".

This layout used mostly Basic Grey Hey Boy or Hipster and a sliver of Studio Calico papers. The embellies are all from both companies. The ink is Memento and the masks are Tim Holtz...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,