Greetings from Hell.......Grand Cayman!

On our cruise on the Glory, we visited Hell on Grand Cayman. You'll notice I was not influenced by the setting.....I'm the angel! Oddly enough, Hell is a post office there and refers to the area of volcanic rock. Artists have placed demon statuary throughout it as well. Fun pictures to scrap!

Relax!

Okay, so I'm on a roll......two layouts in two days! Woo Hoo! These pictures were taken on our vaction to Ft. Lauderdale last year. Since I'm heading back there in a couple of weeks, I thought I'd better start scrappin' them!~ Used an eclectic mix of papers, cut the scrap borders off of a couple pieces and used them (that's why it's called scrappin'! ) added a little rick rack and a title cut with Life's a Beach, then embossed with a Sizzix folder. Pretty easy, but I like it!

My Return to Scrapbooking

I've made some new decisions in my life........some because I want to and some because I have to. My scrappin' is an area that has definitely needed to be re-evaluated. I've had some health issues which have made scrappin' difficult at best, and due to this, I've resigned from all of my team memberships. But even more than that, I found myself not wanting to scrap from the pressure of having to make a certain project....by a certain due date...and good enough that the bloggin' world would like it. Compound that with not feeling well....and I just quit scrappin'. But I miss it.....so I'm back to doing it again. At least scrapbook pages. Cards are too much time....and I figure people just throw them away. With my limited time available to scrap, I'm trying to make it count so I'm doing scrapbook pages. And I'm doing whatever I want- good, bad, messy - whatever makes me happy. I might even use stickers!








Here's my latest project - my cute little daughter Kati. I was inspired by a wonderful sketch 124 from the Scrappiest. Used a bunch of random paper I had around, cut the background flower shapes from Paisley, added Thickers for the title, and used floss, glitter, and some blinged out ribbon for accents. I was so excited about scrappin' my way - I'm headed downstairs to do some more.

UFC Convention

I haven't scrapped in forever. I haven't made cards....or anything at all for that matter. The reasons are numerous, but I still really miss it. My dear husband was looking at photos and asked me to please scrap the ones of him and my son at the UFC convention last spring. Yep, you heard me right....husband asked me to scrap. Now normally, he hates this hobby....and teases me about it to no end. So his request got me up and moving.....and here's the layout. DCWV paper..rock star stack.....added MS star border punches. Lettering is Cricut Keystone (terribly underappreciated in my opinion....it's great for plain ole' letters....) triple layered.....and George Stars. Simple, but I like it....hope hubby does too~

ScrapStreet Magazine

I totally forgot it was December and ScrapStreet magazine is out. I have a layout featured in the Sugar and Spice section. Click here to see it!

Altun-Ha Belize

Trying to scrap those cruise pictures from last spring. This is us at the Altun-Ha Mayan ruins in Belize. I learned an important lesson.....don't put your focal point picture on the line in a double layout. I cut that picture 3 times! Anyway, used DCWV Mocha Stack papers (I really like that collection....) Cricut ZooBalloo and Pooh Font for lettering, scalloped circles from Storybook, MS punch and ribbon, and a Tim Holz Alterations embossing folder.

Viva Las Vegas!

Sketches in Thyme has a fantastic sketch this week.....and I thought it would work well with some of my Las Vegas pictures from this spring. Base is Core'dinations cardstock......sanded with some argyle Tim Holtz grungeboard under it randomly...then inked with Versa ink....then sanded some more. Marquee is Bo Bunny.....strip is a piece of Stampin' Up paper. Behind the picture is a piece of scrap paper I had....trimmed with decorative edging blade on the paper trimmer. Title is Thickers attached to Tim Holtz grungeboard that was inked with Versa ink...more grungeboard in the corner with some distressed squares attached. They are embellished with some pieces of clear sticker border, cut to size. Few strips of Target ribbon and buttons to finish it.

Stingray City

Really trying to work on those cruise photos.....and these pictures fit into the Sketches in Thyme challenge for this week. We went to Stingray City on the Caymen Islands, and honestly, it was one of the best experiences of my life. (Not my daughters....check out her face!) We only have 2 pictures though...because of the water. I used Imaginisce paper, Thickers, painted chipboard, Martha Stewart border punches, and Making Memories Ribbon on this along with a little blingy arrow I had laying around. The stingrays were hard....no Cricut stingrays.....what to do???? Well, I found a sewing pattern.....trimmed it out on double cardstock (one side glittery white/one grey), and added details with my Sharpie. Lots of Versa Ink here there and everywhere and that's it!

Woo Hoo - this made the Sketches in Thyme Top 3 this week!

Welcome to the Jungle

Loved the sketch at the Scrappiest this week....and I really need to scrap the cruise we took in April. The photo is us going across a swinging bridge in Honduras...in a monkey park. The paper and ribbon is Imaginesce. Although the brown stripe ribbon is Offray. Title is Thickers, Amercian Crafts stickers, and Mickey Font. The tag is from Tags, Bags, and Boxes and the little flower is an EK Success punch with an Imaginesce rub-on. The little monkeys are wooden cut outs from Michaels....not what I usually put on scrapbook pages but they were just sooooo cute. Isla Roatan is American Crafts stickers.

Cutest Little Pumpkin in the Patch

The theme this week at Fantabulous Cricut is Leaves. I knew I had a cute picture of my littlest nephew with a pumpkin that would be perfect for this one. Used paper from DCWV Indian Summer....and a large, flocked houndstooth marquee cut from Recollections. Title is computer generated...then mounted to Storybook marquee banners (pop dotted the layers.) The bear is handpieced....I had a clip art image I loved and I re-created him with George, Paper Doll Dress Up, and added a Stretch Your Imagination pumpkin. Cuttlebugged the pumpkin with distressed stripes....made another I attached to a Paper Doll Dress Up fence...and sprinkled some silk leaves all around. This is for the Paper Playtimes Pumpkins or Spider Webs challenge and Frosted Designs Fall/Halloween challenge.

Gingerbread Men!

Haven't had time for layouts, although I wish I did. Been too busy making cards. But this set of pictures my sister took was tuggin' at brain, and I just had to scrap them.

Used JoAnn Fabrics Peppermint Forest for the papers and DCWV solid cardstock. Used the Martha Stewart snowflake and Joy punch and my new Purple Cow paper trimmer to get wavy edges on everything. Added little gingerbread men cut on Blackout off of From My Kitchen.....enhanced with various buttons, sharpies, ink, and buttons. A couple of them have a MS bow attached. Added some blingy rhinestones to the snowflakes. Title is Thickers....white felt that I colored with pink Studio G ink....and the MEN is from a Target $1 set of chipboard. Used Wright's white rick rack to tie everything together. I love when you can use so many pictures on a layout.

Butter Beer!

We got to visit Orlando last month....mainly to see the new Harry Potter World at Islands of Adventure, Universal Florida. They serve ButterBeer there....a butterscotch/cool whip concoction that is wonderful! These are my kids drinking it.....sloppily I might add!!

I used a cut out piece of cardstock from Cloud 9 with stars and moons over inked white cardstock. Added some teal and brown doublesided paper (just had one piece laying around...don't even know who it is by) trimmed with some teal rick rack. Added an interesting piece of paper with gold/pewter elements I got in a scraps trade with a friend and lettering is gold foiled chipboard. The Butter Beer is From My Kitchen, salt and pepper shakers cut on shadow, tops removed....embossed with dots folder and glazed with gold glitter glaze. The swirl is from the same cartridge, ice cream soda, embossed with swirls, and covered with clear glitter glaze. Stars are from George, on another piece of scrap paper. Wrapped them in twine and added a button or two......pop dotted them.

Inspiration for this layout was from the Sketch Friday at Practical Scrappers this week. Wonderful creation by Ann-Katrin!

Feed Me!

We just returned from a wonderful trip to Busch Gardens Tampa where the hightlight was feeding a giraffe. We had so much fun! My little giraffe on this layout is handpieced from a My ScrapChick pattern. Printed it - colored with pencils and gamsol - cut and put it together. Added some fibers for the mane. Paper is DCWV. Lettering is Pooh Font (Marker), and it's embossed with the Seeing Spots folder. Leaf border at the bottom is from Life's a Beach. The sketch is this week's fun one at Sketches in Thyme....and this layout works for Frosted Designs Circle of Rick Rack challenge too.

One Love

It's been so long since I did a layout, this one took forever. I like it though...

The great sketch is from Sketches in Thyme.....paper is DCWV 2009 Spring collection.....and the Cricut cuts are from Sweethearts and New Arrival. Rhinestones.....ribbons......and pictures of me and my sweetheart on vacation in Jamaica finish it off.

Splish Splash!

This week is the 1 year Anniversary at Practical Scrappers. I had the joy of serving 2 terms on their design team, and it was so much fun! That is a great group of girls, and the talent there is amazing. To celebrate, they asked all their former team members to create a special project based on "1". I chose a 1 photograph layout.

The picture is printed at 8 x 10, trimmed a little- kind of randomly. The paper is from DCWV Spring 2009 collection.......cut a rectangle 7 x 10, one 4 x 5, and one in embossed yellow cardstock(it's snow dots...but the flowers match the paper, and you don't notice the occasional flake) cut at 3 x 5. The bottom border is from that collection too....just cut and added some "blingy" red gems. The sharks are from Life's a Beach.....cut on border at 3 1/2"....I cut 2....backed the eyes with white paper....added silver metallic ink....added some white Jelly Roll details....and some black eyes. Layered the border up with pop dots. The sentiment is from H2O...cut twice (1 yellow, 1 red stripes) at 4 1/2" and glued them in an offset pattern after I doodled dots on the yellow. Added some Fiskars ZingZ splashes here and there....and finished it off with a pop dotted flower, cut from the DCWV paper.

Barbeque!

One of our favorite things to do on the Simmons' family vacations is eat ribs. Wanted to scrap those dinners....and the sketch at Stuck on U Sketches was just right for it. Used papers by Anna Griffin, KI Memories Bloom, and Making Memories. Cardstock is DCWV. Pig is Create a Critter (5") with an Everyday Paper Doll hat (RDS 3 1/2" - embossed with checkerboard folder) Added details with a Sharpie and some white detailing paint. Apron pockets are the bottom of the MS cupcake punch. Added some ric rack to it, and the title is From My Kitchen, cut at 3 1/2". This project works for Practical Scrappers use different items: 1) cardstock 2) patterned paper 3) ric rack 4) die cuts 5) embossing 6) detailing pens 7) punch......could add 8) pop dots and 9) glue!

Beach 2010

Well, I haven't made a scrapbook page in a LONG time. I have made lots of cards....and even started my own challenge blog, Jitterbuggin', but no scrapbook pages. A recent family vacation on wonderful Edisto Island, SC was just the push I needed to start scrappin' again. Other incentives were a great sketch at Sketches in Thyme and a vacation challenge at My Sheri Crafts.

I used a sketch at Jitterbuggin' to create the title block with Life's a Beach and some old 2008 DCWV Summer Stack paper.....ribbon, buttons, little embossing, etc. Details for the title block are on my card blog, Love, Laughter, and Creations. (click here) The picture is of my 91 year old grandmother....we were pleasantly surprised when she not only came on vacation with us but came down to the beach to sit as well. The palm trees around her are from Life's a Beach as well. Paper is DCWV Animal Crackers and some glitter paper from Target's $1 bin along with the DCWV Summer 2008 stack. Ric-Rac to finish it off. Hopefully, this will be the beginning of more scrappin'!

Just Add Water!!

Craig and Kati body surfing at Edisto Beach! I had this great teal and lime paper that said, "Just Add Water" and that was the inspiration for this layout. Title is from Pooh and Friends (marker) shadowed with Gold Metallic paper. I cut out designs from the flower patterned paper to embellish pictures and the wave border is from Life's a Beach. I used it to make a few more little flower embellishments too. For the sun, I took the cut from Life's a Beach....added some George circles....and lots of glitter!  For Fantabulous Cricut's Beach Challenge!!

Lil' Hunny

My National Scrapbooking Day entry to a great sketch at Sketches! by Tamara.   I used paper from a package I got at Big Lots (a whole pad for $3) and my MS eyelet and Drippy Goo punch.   The little bear is a pattern by My Scrap Chick with the honey pot from Pooh and Friends added to it.   Sentiment is stickers I had laying around.  Tied it off with a piece of light blue raffia. 

Snakes and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

The NSD challenge #12 at My Pink Stamper was to create a scrapbook layout.   Fun, fun when Create a Critter is your new favorite cartridge!  For this one, I used the snake, snail, and puppy dog from that cartridge...paper from a Hobby Lobby Basics stack, and some rick rack along with stickers for the title.  Fun and cute.

This works for Practical Scrappers Stickers challenge too!~