Laughter

This past weekend I participated in a Scrapbook Shop Hop.  It was a lot of fun.  I enjoyed creating, meeting new crafters, and seeing all of the pretty paper crafting supplies in person instead of online.  In this collection, I was drawn to to the colors and the pretty florals.  I happened upon the KaiserCraft Sketch Challenge and knew it would perfectly fit this beautiful paper collection.

I love how it turned out!

Recipe:

Ink :  Basic Gray

Cardstock - Mellow Moss

Paper - KaiserCraft Rustic Harmony Collection

Stamps - Bo Bunny Stitches

Pretty Accessories -  Lace and Buttons

Love You Aneya

I started with one layout in mind and ended up with something completely different.  I do love the way it turned out, though.  First, I stamped the floral images in Versamark and heat embossed them with Whisper White Embossing Powder.  I then used Shimmerz Paints, Creameez Berry Hot and Green Acres, to add these pretty colors.   Using the cut file Love All Around from The Cut Shoppe I cut it out using International Bazaar DSP.  I wanted to add a little more to the right of the photo, too.   I found the cute little bird in the Silhouette Store and was absolutely thrilled to find the perfect color of card stock in my stash!  I added a Not Quite Navy Candy Dot, the same color as the DSP, for her eye.  A bow made with twine and some glittery hearts from Katie Katz Supplies along with the date finished it up.

Handmade Embellishments

Lastly, this challenge was to make handmade embellishments.  I really like the look of negative spaces in my designs.

Love You Mom

The next challenge I chose was a Project Life page using scraps.  Since it was also Mother's Day weekend I did a page for Mom.  It is so pretty!

Team Player

The 2nd challenge I chose was a sketch.  I have been working on an album for Quinn of his year with the Lone Star Brahmas which is going to be mostly black, purple, gray, white and vanilla.

International Scrapbooking Day

A couple of weeks ago was International Scrapbooking Day.  I joined a forum on FB that posted challenges every 2-1/2 hours over the weekend for us to scrap.  We had till Tuesday at midnight to post our photos.  There were prizes, fun games and lots of pages to see!  I was able to complete 4 challenges.  

The first one I chose was to use as much yellow on a page as you could.  I love yellow so this was fun.

Sizzix Big Shot Plus Giveaway

From Scrapbook.com today!

"If you've ever daydreamed about trying out the Sizzix Big Shot Plus, this is the giveaway for you! The $2500 Ultimate Sizzix Designer-Bundle Giveaway is an an amazing chance for 5 winners to receive a $500 Big Shot Plus Starter Kit PLUS loads of accessories from designers Stephanie Barnard, Eileen Hull and Jen Long.   So, drop everything you're doing--unless you're, say, holding a baby or a crystal vase--and enter this giveaway now for a chance to win big!"

Blue Is My Heart

I have been busy preparing projects for multiple events & I finally am able to start sharing them with you. 

I have recently signed up for an online class for clean mixed media on scrapbooking.  We will be using watercolors, Gesso, Gel Medium & Modeling Paste.   The second assignment was to create a monochromatic page using some or all of the products.  

I have mostly blues in my small collection of Shimmerz Paints, so I chose that for my color theme.  Do you remember a song by Hank Williams called "Blue is my Heart?"  I'm not sure that I do but it popped into my head so I went with it.  

I have had a title in the back of my mind called "The Faces of Depression"  for a long time so the page became an expression of depression.  I didn't have any photos so searched Pinterest for "blue rose."  I loved this photo and thought it would be the perfect but I wish I had matted it onto Very Vanilla cardstock instead.  It always looks different when you print it.  The photo was pinned from a Google search, so I am not able to give credit to the photographer.  

Going thru my Stampin' Up! Designer Series Papers, I found the color that I wanted in the This and That Epic Day papers.   I love ribbon on my pages so I added a 1/4' Pool Party ribbon.  I didn't want it to stand out too much.

My title was die cut from the Stampin' Up! Naturally Serif Alphabet Thinlit.  I stamped the date below the title with the Remember Rotary Stamp using Crumb Cake Ink & Cardstock.  

The flowers were stamped in Bermuda Bay on Whisper White Thick Cardstock and cut with the Bloomin' Heart Dies.  For the beautiful hearts, I used Shimmerz Me & Blue Inklingz on a sheet of watercolor paper and then die cut it.  I added some Crumb Cake color on top of that with my Aqua Painter.

Lastly, I used Shimmerz Sea U In The Morning Dazzlerz and a stencil (?) to add more texture to my page.  

Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue

Hi everyone.  I am thankful the family holiday season is over.  It's cold outside, snow on the way & I'm loving it!  Now that I am able to see out of one eye so much better, I am back going to my Bible Study on Mondays.  They used to be at 1:30 pm but now start at 10:00 am, and of course I got the time wrong.  I thought it was 10:30 am, as did my friend Glenna.  Thanks Glenna for making me look a little better!  I went anyway & I am so glad I did.  We are revisiting a study guide that we used several years ago.  I didn't have to spend $8 on another book so that is always a good thing.

On to my scrapbook page.  I love the title of my post today, it was perfect.  My page features a retired Real Red Corduroy Button, a new cut file from The Cut Shoppe, a sketch I borrowed from Allie Stewart and Pacific Point blue color cardstock and Designer Series Paper.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Recipe:

Cardstock - Pacific Point, Very Vanilla

Designer Series Paper - Home For Christmas

Stamp - Make Note Rotary

Pretty Accessories - Snowflake Elements, Home For Christmas Enamel Dots, Real Red 1/4" Cotton Ribbon 

Cool Tools - Bow Builder, Scalloped Tag Topper & Word Window Punch, Silhouette Cameo

Joy

I made this gift box for a customer recently and wanted to share it with you.  I was thrilled to learn that she loved it and then ordered supplies to make them for family and friends.  Such a compliment!
I hope you had a wonderful Christmas with your family and friends.  In the coming days I hope to show you the Christmas cards I made this year.  This may be the first year I made each person a different card.  It was worth it.

**WARNING**  The next paragraph is all about me and the worst Christmas I have ever had!   So move on to the photo now, if you like.  I have tried to do everything that has been suggested to me to get thru this depression.  I take my medication.  I keep my counselling appointments.  I go to Church regularly.  All to no avail it seems.  There has been so much anger inside of me that I have ruined many relationships that were important to me.  But I keep trying.  Some are getting better, some are getting worse.  Nobody wants to be around such a negative person.  I get that.  Not one family member or friend called me on Christmas.  It just doesn't get any worse than that.  It's not that my family doesn't care for me and I have GREAT friends.  Christmas is a family holiday, so why would a friend think to call, why shouldn't they have a day to be happy and share it with their loved ones.   How can you be happy when you're living on pain pills.  How am I supposed to give up the one thing that makes me happy?  Depression is so lonely.  You get tired of hearing yourself.  You get so tired of being so sad that you just lie and fake a smile for others and then they think you are good.  Up until tonight, I had decided to skip the month of December for each year I have left.  I plan to have absolutely nothing to do with Christmas.  No TV or music associated with Christmas.  No cards or scrapbooking Christmas.  No gifts to buy or make.  Don't send them to me either.  No celebrations. No food that can be associated with Christmas.  

Then tonight I get a call from my sister-in-law letting me know that my nephew has gotten me a gift and she will try to get it in the mail Saturday.  When I got off the phone, I just cried and cried.  Thank you Quinn.  Thank you God.

Recipe -

Cardstock - Whisper White Thick, Shimmer White, Basic Black

Pretty Accessories - Metallic Doilies, Winter Wonderland Designer Washi Tape, Metal Rimmed Pearls

Cool Tools - Big Shot, Square Pillow Box Thinlits & Wonderful Wreath Framelits Dies, Bigz Die Snowflake