Triumphant

Today I get to share one of my most favorite layouts EVER. Not because of the layout itself, but because of the photo and what it and the journaling represent. I got my June Commit 2 Paper kit on Friday along with some of the past kits I ordered. (Which btw the sale ends TODAY so order now if you were thinking about it!) I was so excited to get this kit since I knew I wanted to use this line for a ton of wrestling layouts. This layout uses the February 2009 kit.

Brady had a match that was just crazy. It was an emotional roller coaster and we were thrilled when he won his match. This was taken seconds after the match and at first I was so upset that it was out of focus and blurry. I kept looking at it though. It was one of those pictures that just jumped out at me everytime I looked at wrestling pictures. It finally hit me one day that this picture was perfect exactly how it was, and here's why... (this is the journaling on the layout)

This is exactly how I will always recall this moment, including the blur and fuziness. This was seconds after you won a very tough match, and we couldn't have been prouder of you. You came back from an illegal suplex that knocked the wind out of you and shook you up. You never gave up though, and this triumphant moment was so exhilarating to watch. I was sad at first that I hadn't gotten a clearer shot, but really, this picture is how I will always remember that moment...with tears in my eyes and pride in my heart. April 2010

So the gears in my mind were working and thinking about this photo. I'd already sketched out my idea in a notebook, had the title picked out, and had a basic idea of the journaling. Then one night as I was flipping through the pages of my 52 More Scrapbooking Challenges book, I shrieked with delight (scared the dogs and Jake to death I'm sure!) as I realized one of the challenges was about imperfect photos!

So this page fits the requirement for Challenge #47. Highlight - don't hide - an imperfect shot. I'm so excited to finally see this idea on paper, and I choke up everytime I read the journaling, haha. I'm such a baby. ;) Hope you are all enjoying the holiday weekend!

Go Jazz!

I've been working on organizing and rearranging my craft room so I haven't had much to share this week. I'm hoping to get lots accomplished this weekend and enjoy time with the fam! :) I got some kits in the mail from Commit 2 Paper and I'm super excited to get scrappy with them!

I created this layout for the previous Theme Challenge at Soul Scrappers. I still have loads of sports pictures to scrap, but I loved this challenge to get me to work on a few layouts.

I inked up the edges of the patterned paper to give it a more rough and distressed look. Here's a close up.

This layout also fits the challenge #17 - Tilt your design on an angle for the 52 More Scrapbooking Challenges book. BTW - I created a page just for these challenges where I will be uploading all the layouts with the corresponding challenges. Take a look here, or you can always find it on the top right side link of my blog sidebar.

I'm Reel Glad...

Hi everyone! It's Tuesday and that means its time for another SSD Sketch Challenge with the Stamp Tramps of Skipping Stones Design! I used one of the brand new sets released last week called Holy Carp!


Here is our sketch and my card!




Don't you just love that fishing guy and the cute sentiment?! I love the little worm on the hook too. He's just so adorable for a worm! ;)

Be sure to check out the other "Stamp Tramps" and our guest sketch artist to see what they've come up with!
Amanda Sewell
Angela Thomas
Chels VanWyk
Erin Grotegut
Michelle Giraud
Peggy Russell
May Guest Sketch Artist Jen del Muro

You & Me LO

Last year Gwynie's birthday fell on Father's Day, so it was super fun hanging out with the family and celebrating two very special people in my life! Here is the layout I did to document that fun day with the pictures I took of the two of them.

I used the June 2009 Commit 2 Paper kit for this layout. The past kits are still on sale! Due to the unbelievable popularity, they've extended the $10 kit special one final time! You have until May 31st to place your orders! I have a few more kits coming to me soon that I can't wait to use for a lot of pictures in my stash! So, if I were you, I would definitely take advantage of this deal!

Golf Pro LO

One of the current challenges at Soul Scrappers is the Theme Challenge 10 which goes until May 27th. The challenge is to create a sports page, and to use white lettering somewhere on the page (stickers, gel pen, ink, etc.), some metal (brads, eyelets, tags, etc.), and the background should match with the jersey.

I have tons of sports pages to scrapbook, so this is the perfect challenge for me to really dive in with my photos. I love that Jake remembers to take the camera when he and Brady go golfing. He knows me too well, that I'd want pics to scrapbook. ;) These pics were taken almost two summers ago now (08), but I'm so glad this is finally in Brady's scrapbook. The thrill of getting just one more page done, right?!

The papers and Thickers are from the July 2008 Commit 2 Paper kit. I used the green background to represent the "Green" on the golf course, and added in some brads for the metal. I was out of the letter "L" in the pack, so I used a 7 upside down!

I'm hoping to get a lot of old T-Ball, some more golf, and a lot of the new Wrestling pictures done with this challenge. Since it goes for another couple weeks I'm sure I can get at least two or more finished!

SSD Blog Hop!

Welcome to Skipping Stones Design's DT Blog Hop to celebrate the release of two new stamp sets, Holy Carp and Home of the Brave. If you just happened upon my blog today, you’ll want to go back to the beginning at Skipping Stones Design. You should have arrived from Erin's blog.


Combined with the blog hop today, it's also Skipping Stones Sketch Tuesday which means the Design Team is showcasing another great creation from Jen del Muro. We'd love for you to play along with the sketch. Just remember to use the keywords SSD025 if you are uploading to any online galleries or link your card at the Skipping Stones Blog. We'll be looking soon for Guest Designers so you never know....

Here is the sketch -

I choose to use Home of the Brave since that star screamed to be an actual star with the flag behind it. I embossed white fireworks, as well as using the other firework in navy on the star.

Your next stop is Deb!

Update & Info

Hi everyone! The SSD Blog Hop is being postponed until tomorrow, so I have deleted my previous post for today, but it will pop back up tomorrow for the hop! :)

Until then, check out Craft Critique where you can read my article on the Basic Gray Rub-On Roller!

Blog Candy Winner & Tough Kids LO!

So I will apologize up front to the "cardies" out there that read my blog-o. I've been on a huge scrapbook kick lately and find it a little hard to go between the two. For the next while you may see way more layouts than cards!

Next, did I say I'd post a winner on May 6th from this post here? Well I must have meant (or been thinking) May 17th because that's when I'm finally getting around to posting it, I'm so sorry! The lucky winner will receive the Brrrthday stamp set from Skipping Stones Design as well as the die cuts I did for our Create It Green hop since those were unclaimed. Random.org choose #5 -

craftymom205 said...
Good luck on your goals for the year. Would love to have some Skipping Stones stamps.

Congrats Craftymom!! Email me at kandipants21 [at] gmail [dot] com to claim your prize! You will have one week to claim your prize so be sure to send me your address so I can get these out to you! :)

Alright, now the layout! I have recently become a huge fan of Soul Scrappers thanks to my friend Amy. They are a great scrapbook community, and have some really fun challenges! Not to mention everyone on there is so incredibly friendly and nice!

One great thing is the challenges. I've found that with each challenge I either already had an idea that goes perfectly with it, or it pushes me a little harder in getting those pages done. Makes me scrap them now instead of later because there is a deadline, ha! The current sketch challenge is going on for another week, so if you check it out I'd love to see you upload your layout there!

Here is my layout based on the sketch. I'd had an idea in mind for this photo, and this sketch fit perfectly with the idea I'd had so it was easy to put together!

That's all I have for today, but tomorrow I'll be showing off a new SSD set that is being released tomorrow during our blog hop! There are actually two being released that are perfect for June and July! ;) See you then!

Create It Green DT Reveal

Hi everyone! Today the DT members of Create It Green have some layouts, cards, and altered art items for our May reveal!

This is the sketch we were challenged to use for our layouts:


Here is my completed layout:

My green items are the flashcards (being upcycled or would it be recycled?) and a page of Brady's school work. I love the school work to reinforce the theme, as well as showcase some of his work on the page. I totally took the flashcard idea from Kris and her page at Soul Scrappers here. Thanks for the idea and inspiration Kris!

This also fits for a challenge from the 52 More Scrapbooking Challenges book - Challenge #34- Use something random from around the house - for the flashcards.

Make sure you check out the rest of the DT's projects at Create It Green!

Supplies
CS: Night of Navy - SU
DSP: Scenic Route and DCWV
Misc: Scenic Route chipboard piece and stickers, flashcards, SU clip, Thickers

Two More C2P LO's

Here are the other layouts I created with the May Commit 2 Paper kit. These are so fun because I think they look totally different than the other layouts I've shared with you this week and last. I used a lot of the floral papers earlier, but I wanted to show you that you CAN create a boy layout with this kit!

One fun thing on this page is the chipboard letters and the ink treatment I gave them. They come with the kit, and are "naked" chipboard Thickers, so I used an ink pad to match them to the patterned papers.

These are the same set of pictures, but for Gwynie's book. (Yes Steph, I finally am doing different pages of the same event for each of their books - are you proud of me?!) A couple details to point out on this page. On the ribbon, I actually used rub-ons to create a custom piece (More on this later *wink*), and I used some burlap to add dimension to the page.

Here is a close up of the butterflies. I used my Beautiful Butterflies die to cut them out, and they are accented by a brad and chipboard piece which comes with the kit.

So by this weekend you'll be able to see all of the layouts in the Inspiration Squad Gallery. I can't wait to see what the other girls did with this kit!

Supplies

Want S'more?
All supplies C2P May 2010 kit unless otherwise noted
Misc: orange ribbon, staples, buttons, baja cardstock, EK Success embossed curve punch

Laugh Out Loud
All supplies C2P May 2010 kit unless otherwise noted
Misc: Beautiful Butterflies die, burlap, Kraft and Chip cardstock, chocolate chip ribbon, All Mixed Up Cricut cartridge

Two C2P Layouts

I'm so excited to share these pages with you! I had a great time working with the May Commit 2 Paper kit and these two layouts were lots of fun to create, and actually went together really quickly!

The first layout is a picture of Jake's brother Dustin's family (his only sibling who is six years older). This was quite a few years ago actually as they have another little girl who is almost two now! We saw our neices on Sunday and it just amazes me how quickly they have grown, especially after looking at this picture! I added some stitched flourishes to the sides of the flowers at the top, and added some gemstones to the printed flowers on the page.

These pictures were taken at Jake's grandpa's 86th birthday celebration in August of 08. He passed away in January 09 so these were the last pics we got of him posed with the kids. I am so very glad we did! I loved that giant floral chipboard piece and it was a great addition to the page to complete it.

I'll have two more layouts to share with you that I did with the May kit tomorrow. I did 7 layouts with this kit, and I still have plenty left over for a few more pages!

Supplies

Family
All supplies C2P May 2010 kit unless otherwise noted
Misc: prima flowers, buttons, linen thread, baja cardstock, DMC floss, Bazzil Basics stitching template

Miss You
All supplies C2P May 2010 kit unless otherwise noted

Birthdays are...

Hi everyone! It's Tuesday and that means its time for another SSD Sketch Challenge with the Stamp Tramps of Skipping Stones Design! Today I used a really fun set called Birthday Donuts for our sketch this week!

Here is our sketch:

And my completed card!

So isn't that sentiment hilarious?! I love the donuts and sentiments in this set, they are just too great!

Supplies
CS: Close to Cocoa, Very Vanilla, Sage Shadow
DSP: My Minds Eye Be Loved collection
Ink: Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip
Stamp: Birthday Donuts
Misc: Copics, paper piercer


Be sure to check out the other "Stamp Tramps" and our guest sketch artist to see what they've come up with!

Amanda Sewell
Angela Thomas
Chels VanWyk
Erin Grotegut
Michelle Giraud
Peggy Russell
May Guest Sketch Artist Jen del Muro

First Day of School LO

The kids have been back in school for a week now, and are counting the days until they go off track again, haha. (Well at least Gwynie is anyway!) However when they do, it will be the end of the school year, wow! This year has just gone by way too fast I tell you! I finally scrapped Brady's first day of Kindergarten last weekend and wow, does it ever take me back in time.

I had bought a kit from Scenic Route at the Scrapbook Expo last year (or the year before?), and that's where the chipboard pieces and papers come from. I love the bright colors with these pictures! You might recognize it from the layout I did with his school pics. (I used it on one more page that you'll see on the 15th as well).

The journaling reads:

I can't believe that Brady started Kindergarten today! He is so excited to make new friends, and to learn lots of new things! We know he will be a great student! August 2008

Supplies
CS: Night of Navy, Whisper White
DSP: Scenic Route
Misc: chipboard pieces (Scenic Route), staples, old olive grosgrain ribbon, spiral punch, Journaling lines stamp (Bashful Blue ink)

Mother's Day Blog Carnival & a LO

Ok yes Mother's Day is tomorrow, but if you still don't have that perfect gift, make sure you check out the Mother's Day Blog Carnival at Craft Critique! There are lots of projects listed there, and hey, maybe you can give a gift of homemade love, right? ;)

Yesterday I got to have lunch with my friends Barb and Kelly, and Barb surprised me with this cute calendar and nugget tin! Thanks again Barb! Barb is so wonderful, I miss our crafty talks and just chatting each day! We used to work together and I miss them all incredibly, so it was nice having a catch up! We'll all see each other again at our stamp party next Saturday though so that will be fun.

Also, because I am a glutton for punishment, or something like that, I decided to try Amy's 1-10 challenge again! Last night I worked on this layout after my friend Stephanie (hi Steph!) picked up her little girl, Jake had left to see the new Nightmare on Elm Street movie, and the kids were in bed. Steph and I trade babysitting which is great, except when we all want to go out together. ;) Then we hire a sitter, haha.

Anyway, this layout follows the rules of having the word "Grow" in your title as well as the 1-10 items. I used the May Commit 2 Paper kit for this page, and a few other embellishments. This feels a little busier than I normally do with my layouts, but I really like the overall look and the title fitting with the picture and the garden of flowers.

*1 PHOTO
*2 stamps - title is stamped
*3 brads - in centers of prima flowers
*4 different cardstocks - purple, vanilla, eggplant, baja (photo mounts, background and strip)
*5 different patterned papers - large floral, journaling style strip, cream lined, blue lined, floral
*6 staples - on ribbons
*7 eyelets - in center of flower at bottom of page
*8 buttons - mini buttons in flowers
*9 bling - in centers of flowers and butterflies
*10 inches of thread or ribbon - 10 inches exact ;) - 3 on side and 7 on bottom


Here are some close ups of the brads, buttons and bling.

So, have you tried this challenge yet?! If you do, be sure to upload your layouts to Soul Scrappers and tag your photo with the keyword THC9 (or see Amy's post for specific details). You have until Thursday, May 13th to upload for your chance to win a prize!

Supplies
All supplies C2P May 2010 kit unless otherwise noted
Misc: Prima flowers, Top Note die, Short Order Alphabet, Scallop Edge punches, Eggplant ink, baja, very vanilla, eggplant CS, Bazzil purple CS, purple eyelets, mini buttons, blue gemstones, staples

One Year - a C2P layout

Happy Friday! Its been a crazy week, hasn't it? The kids went back to school on Monday (year round school) and there have been a lot of fun, but busy things going on at work for me. I'm looking forward to hanging out with my kiddos and Jake this weekend! :)

My cute blogging friend Pren asked about the layout I did last week - Grow Old With Me, and wondered if that was me in the wedding photo and if so she would love to see my full dress. Thanks for the question Pren! :) Yes that was Jake and I on our wedding day, almost 9 years ago! So since I thought that was such a fun question - here is a picture I scanned in of what my full dress looked like. It had some gorgeous bead work on the front that I fell in love with. I actually did a scrapbook page about it (looong time ago), so I really should take a pic of that and post it here just for fun. ;) It is of course very old and outdated, but still fun to look back at.

Anyway, I have a few layouts created with the May Commit 2 Paper kit that I need to share, and I laughed because this one seems to be made for this post. ;) This is Jake and I almost a year after we had been married.

I loved how the papers almost echoed the background of the one wall we were standing against so it was fun incorporating that into my page.

The journaling reads:
After a year of being married we are still blissfully and deliriously in love. I couldn't imagine our lives any other way. Jake and Kandi

I still have a few more layouts to share so I will plan on posting them next week, all leading up to the Inspiration Squad Gallery reveal! Have a fabulous weekend and a super Mother's Day!

Supplies
All supplies C2P May 2010 kit unless otherwise noted
Misc: Prima flowers, black cardstock, gingham ribbon, Top Note die

Butterfly Sympathy

Hi everyone! It's Tuesday and that means its time for another SSD Sketch Challenge with the Stamp Tramps of Skipping Stones Design! We are so lucky to have a wonderful May Guest Sketch Artist, none other than the talented Jen del Muro!

Here is the sketch #23 -

And here is my card! I loved the oranges in the sketch and I think it stuck with me when creating this one! I love the sentiments and the butterflies in Healing Wings, and I can now say I've used every image in this set! Sympathy cards are usually hard for me, but it seems that this set makes this task easier.

Supplies
CS: Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, Pumpkin Pie
DSP: SU Neighborhood pack
Ink: Creamy Caramel (stamped off once), Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa
Stamp: Healing Wings
Misc: Chocolate chip grosgrain ribbon, EE buttons, linen thread, Copics

Be sure to check out the other "Stamp Tramps" and our guest sketch artist to see what they've come up with!

Amanda Sewell
Angela Thomas
Chels VanWyk
Erin Grotegut
Michelle Giraud
Peggy Russell
May Guest Sketch Artist Jen del Muro

Dear Gwyn...

Well I don't know about you, but I'm not quite ready to give this weekend up! I feel like I didn't get a single thing accomplished! Guess I will just have to buckle down this week to get stuff done so I can actually enjoy the weekend, right?!

Since the May Commit 2 Paper kit is on sale now, I thought I would share a layout with you! You'll be able to see the rest of the Inspiration Squad's layouts around the 15th!

This is a layout I created this weekend, and I was inspired by the journaling/notebook style paper to give some "advice" to my Gwynie girl. What better advice to give her than the words that can be found in the Class of 99 song? Remember that? I picked out the pieces I liked best to tailor it to her. And yes, that is hand stitching on the title! ;)

Here is the journaling:

Do one thing that scares you everyday. Sing. Don't be reckless with other people's hearts, don't put up with people who are reckless with yours. Floss. Don't waste your time on jealousy. Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults. Keep your old love letters. Stretch. Dance...even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room. Read the directions, even if you don't follow them. Travel. But most of all, wear sunscreen.



Also, the call for the Mother's Day Blog Carnival is up at Craft Critique! If you have some cards, scrapbook pages, crochet or knitting projects, ANYTHING that is Mother related, or gifts, etc., make sure to submit your link to be included on the carnival! The carnival will run on May 7th.

Here is the info from CC - Just email us at carnival@craftcritique.com with a link to your blog post (not the blog itself... JUST the post or individual posts, okay?). Do this before May 6th, 6pm Central Time. Feel free to send in old posts, new posts or posts from your BFF's blog... anything goes... but it must be Mother themed, and it must be on a blog.

Dear Gwyn

Supplies

All supplies C2P May 2010 kit unless otherwise noted

Misc: Bazzil Basics stitch template, DMC floss, Prima flowers, buttons, Baja cardstock, Twill tape

Happy NSD!

Happy National Scrapbooking Day! Last night (with a glass of wine in hand, ha!) I set out to tackle Amy's 1-10 challenge. I love how it turned out, but wow it was a hard/super fun challenge trying to incorporate everything into one scrapbook page! I sketched out everything before hand on the sheet I printed the instructions on, and then it was all about just making everything fit. I really encourage you to try it, I think you'd be surprised what you can come up with!

Here is my page - Grow Old With Me

As a reminder, here is the criteria:

Spring has sprung, that means we are going to see growth everywhere. That said, use the word GROW or some variation in the title of your layout and make sure that your layout illustrates growth in some way, shape or form.

The twist: this is a 1-10 challenge. You must use the elements listed below to create your layout using the specified number next to each element. You may use more than the required number if you like but this will not give you extra bonus points.

So, can you spot everything on my layout?! Its like a treasure hunt or an iSpy almost! :) Here's the run down if you are curious!

*1 PHOTO - obvious, haha
*2 stamps - flourish to side of photo, spiral flourish at bottom before words (clear embossing)
*3 brads - actually used 4 rhinestone brads (not same as bling) 3 in flourish, 1 in spiral
*4 different cardstocks - black, white, baja, gray
*5 different patterned papers - 2 strips at bottom, 2 on the butterfly, and 1 on flower
*6 staples - at each end of the ribbon at the bottom
*7 eyelets - trail on the side of the butterfly
*8 buttons - 3 in the prima flowers, 1 on butterfly, 1 in large flower, and 3 in flourish stamp
*9 bling - more than 9, but the ZVA Creative crystal flourish on side of photo
*10 inches of thread or ribbon - ribbon at bottom above paper strips

So, think you can tackle this? I'd love to see what you come up with! In Amy's original post it has instructions for uploading (remember PRIZE!) and I can't wait to see what you do! I'm off to get my nails done, head to the scrapbook store, have some lunch with my Gwynie girl and then come home to scrapbook! Jake surprised me this morning with a Starbucks coffee (White Chocolate Mocha of course) and a $100 bill to celebrate National Scrapbooking Day so I'm super excited to get my day going! ;)

May the mojo be with you today and have an awesome scrappy day!