Monday, January 30, 2017

01/30/17 - Why Do You Blog?

 
Good Morning!
 
I've been thinking a lot about my blog... about the point of it.
I do enjoy posting my layouts and telling my stories, about the layout and otherwise, but feel like I am mostly talking to myself...
(No offense to those who actually read and comment on my blog.)
Which is fine for the most part...
But I do already do that on SB.com; basically sharing the same layouts and stories I share here.
The only real reason to have a blog would be because having a Blog is part of the criteria of being on a Design Team.
BTW - I share my Design Team creations on SB.com also.
 
So I'm debating cutting down on my blog posts to only posts that are Design Team related.
I'm not sure though...
 
Other than those that have an actual business, I wonder why others blog?
I would love to know your reasons.
 
In the meantime, because I don't like posts w/ no photos, here is a layout I created this past Weekend:
 
 
"1st Cell @14"
Journaling:
"You've wanted a cell phone since Jr High but we thought you were too young. But now you're
older, and about to enter High School so we decided it was time... July 24th, 2016"
 
 
(6 months before her 15th birthday)

For the following SB.com January Challenges:

>Musical Inspiration Challenge
The song that was chosen for me was "Safe Inside"
I used the lyric "now you're older" in my journaling.
*INCLUDES TWIST* of using a new tool or item: the "hello" banner is new, came in my most recent Scrapbook Circle kit.

>Sticker Challenge
28 Stickers
-Alphas (17)  -Stars (2)
-"#Smile"      -"call me"
-"capture"      -"awesome"
-"today"         -"hi"
-"LOL" (3)
*NO TWIST*

Hoarders
11 items
-Alphas that spell out "text me!" (7)
-"I Love My Teen"     -"OMG"
-"The Life of a Teenager"
-"Call me"
*INCLUDES ONE of the TWISTS* - Use an item that is only about a week old: the "Hello" banner is about a week old.

>National _____ Day
Inspired by January 13th - "Make Your Dream Come True Day"
--- We actually made our daughter's dream come true; the dream of having a cell phone!
 
 

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

01/18/17 - "You're An All Star"

 
 
Journaling: "1.15.17
Went shopping today...
Bought my first pair of Chucks.

This is significant because:
1. I'm 41 years old
2. I've always been a Vans fan

I went with all white; not sure if that makes me crazy or cool?"
 
 
The story behind this purchase:
We went to buy shoes for Madison. David saw some white Converse; a pair of shoes he's been wanting for a while but has been afraid to purchase because of his fear of getting them dirty.
Just for fun I decided to try a pair on.
David and I loved the way they looked on me so much I bought them!

*Got the Converse image off the internet


 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


For the Following January Challenges:

>Music Challenge
Category #1 - Lyrics Challenge
I used the line "You're an All Star" from the song "All Star" by Smash Mouth
*NO TWIST*

>Hoarders
16 items
- Alphas (15)
- Project Life card
*NO TWIST*

>Sticker
15 Stickers - all the Alphas
*NO TWIST*

Tuesday, January 17, 2017

01/17/17 - January "Ugly Paper" Challenge

For the January Ugly Paper Challenge.

Reminder of the rules:

1. After signing up, the host gives your name and address to another participant
2. The other participant sends you 2 "ugly" papers and at least one ugly embellishment
3. You MUST use both papers; the embellishment(s) is optional
4. You are allowed to use other items as well, as long as the 2 "ugly" papers are included in the layout
5. You are allowed to alter the papers and, if used, the embellishment(s) but they must still be recognizable




January "Uglies" 
 
Before I show you what I created I want to mention two things:
1. I'm not a huge fan of flowers on my layouts
2. I hate bulky embellishments
The embellishment I was given is BOTH of those things; flowers and bulky
 
 
 
My layout:
 
 
 
"Alice Through the Looking Glass"
Journaling: "Saturday May 28th, 2016
Had a "date" with Joseph, "Alice", and "The Mad Hatter".
 
 
 
I used both "uglies": the yellow pp as my BG and the green PP as the BG to my journaling card.
I also used part of the ugly embellishment.
I cut the ribbon into two small pieces and removed all but 1 of the flowers off of each of those pieces. I then glued a third flower (only) amongst the cluster I created w/ the embellishment pieces and some flower and butterfly stickers.
The gold in the poster of the photo was what grabbed my attention and made me think it would work well with the gold/yellow PP I was given. Then because it was an "Alice in Wonderland" themed page I thought that flowers would actually work well...so even though I'm not a huge fan of flowers I wound up using quite a few to create a fun cluster!
 
BTW - I need to mention, that Alice In Wonderland PP and cut out is approximately 18 years old!
It is from Paper Pizazz and it is one of the first "book" of PPs I bought when I first started scrapping.
Also, the flowers and butterflies are over 10 years old.
So of course I had to enter this page in the SB.com "Hoarders" challenge!
 
 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 

 
Also included in the following January SB.com Challenges:
 
>Music Challenge
Category #2 - Song Title
I used the song title "Mad Hatter" by Melanie Martinez
*NO TWIST*

>National _________ Day
January 15th - National Hat Day

>Sticker Challenge
I used 4 stickers
- Flowers (2)
- Butterflies (2)

>Hoarders (as mentioned above)
9 items
-The Alice PP and cutout (2)
...which are approximately 18 years old...
- The Flower and Butterfly Stickers (4)
...which are over 10 years old...
- buttons (2)
...at least 2 years old...
- Project Life Card (1)
...approximately 5 years old...
*NO TWIST*

 

Sunday, January 15, 2017

01/16/17 - MIM #80

Hi!
How's your year going so far?
Today I'm sharing a super simple layout inspired by the second/current January "Make It Monday" sketch from the "The Memory Nest" blog.



MIM #80
  
 "Spotty's Patience"

Journaling: "January 8th, 2017
As a joke, David decided to vacuum Spotty. Spotty actually liked it! In fact he liked
it so much he waited patiently while David cleaned out the vacuum hose so
that he could get another session"

 
 
 
TBH the sketch overwhelmed me a bit; there's just so much "stuff" on it!
Not that I mind a lot of embellishments, it's just that usually when I use a lot of embellishments it's because creating the layout just kinda takes me there...it's not criteria I am trying to meet.
I decided not to worry so much about matching all the little squares/photos/embellishment pieces in the sketch and just do what I normally do, which is to be inspired by the overall design.
IDK why I had thought I needed to detour from my norm?!
Besides the 3 photos which I choose to make up the majority of the layout I also used 2 Project Life cards: 1 as a whole for journaling and the other I cut up to use as an embellishment in 2 separate areas of the layout. I added a few theme related stickers and I was finished!
I didn't include a title because I liked the look of the layout just fine the way it was...and besides, who says you have to have a title on every layout? The photos and journaling certainly explain the story!
Now it's time for you to share a story w/ us!
You have until January 31st to submit a layout using this sketch or sketch #79!


Friday, January 6, 2017

01/06/17 - December "Ugly Paper" Challenge

For the December Ugly Paper Challenge.

Reminder of the rules:

1. After signing up, the host gives your name and address to another participant
2. The other participant sends you 2 "ugly" papers and at least one ugly embellishment
3. You MUST use both papers; the embellishment(s) is optional
4. You are allowed to use other items as well, as long as the 2 "ugly" papers are included in the layout
5. You are allowed to alter the papers and, if used, the embellishment(s) but they must still be recognizable




December "Uglies" 
 
 
and my completed layout:
 
 
"Selfie Stick Fun"
Journaling: "Joseph and Me trying out my new selfie stick before heading to the
Breast Cancer 5k walk.
10.04.15"
 
I almost didn't get this done because my December was more chaotic then I thought it would be!
I created and uploaded this to the challenge thread on December 30th; December 31st was the due date.
I was happy not only to have it done, but to be done in time to join January's "Ugly Paper" Challenge (you'll see that in a future post)!
The "Ugly Paper" Challenge is one of my favorites!
 
 
This layout was also influenced by the December "Music Challenge"
This was for Category #4: Song - The inspiration song was Silent Night.
I used the lyric "Mother and Child" from the song.
I also included the *twist* of a black BG
 
 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Also included in the following SB.com December Challenges:
 

>Sticker Challenge
28 Used:
-Alphas (26)
-journaling/file tab
-"Hope"
*INCLUDES TWIST* of using stickers off of 3 different sticker sheets.

>Hoarders
31 items:
-"memories"
-Buttons(2)
-Alphas (26)
-"Hope" sticker
-journaling/file tab sticker
*INCLUDES TWIST(s)* of using 12 or more hoarded items AND an old tool: I used my hexagon punch
 

Monday, January 2, 2017

01/02/17 - MIM #79

 
Happy New Year!
Happy 2017!
Happy First Monday of the year!
Happy First "Make It Monday" of the year!
 
Today MIM Sketch #79 is up live over at the "The Memory Nest" blog:
 
 
Here is my layout - 
 
 
"Snapchat/Hog Heaven"
 
Journaling: "December 14th, 2016
Snapchat creates a pig filter!"
 
 
As the "grandmother" of a mini-pig I was very excited to discover they made a pig filter.
If you do not have Snapchat then you don't know that sometimes when they create a new filter it's only available for a day...
So not only was I very happy to discover they made a pig filter but I was excited that I found it when it was actually still available!
So of course, I made sure to snap and save some photos for my scrapbook!
 
As for the sketch, I was shocked to discover I had no large chevron print patterned papers!
I looked through my stash, new and old, and came up empty!
So I decided instead to just copy the basic design concept of the sketch.
I used and old piece of PP that had been sitting in my stash for years and finished the layout off w/ a scattering of stickers that related to the theme.
Overall it was an easy layout to create.
Honestly most of my time was taken looking for a piece of chevron paper, LOL!
 
Now it's your turn; you have until January 31st, 2017 to play!

03/27/23 Planning with Urban Journal Season Ink

My printer was having issues and I fixed it but during the interim I was not scrapping and lost my mojo ::le sigh:: But I've still been ...