Sketch N Scrap Layout #230 Challenge

Sketches, sketches and more sketches! That's what you'll find on the Sketch n Scrap challenge site. Each month features two card sketches and two layout sketches and they are fabulous! The sketch I'm using today is:

And here's my layout:

What I did:

I followed the sketch as far as the layered papers but just added many more photos. I started doing this a few years ago. I challenge myself to take at least one photo a day during December and then create a "sort of" December Daily layout. Sometimes it takes more than one 2 page spread, but I printed photos in smaller sizes to fit as many as I could on two pages. This is the right side of the 2-page spread. 

I didn't use many embellishments since the photos took over that role, but I did cut the "December" title with my Cricut and did some random stamping here and there.

Now it's your turn! Turn those photos into scrapbook layouts and be sure to link your finished product to the Sketch n Scrap challenge blog before the end of the month.

Card Goal Update; Weeks 22 - 28 & TGIF; Thankful Friday #137

My card box is thinning out! I donated 26 cards to Scrapbook.com on their cards for kindness drive. (If you're interested in contributing to this drive, check out my earlier post HERE.) That helped a lot, but I'm still making cards and sending them out.  Woo Hoo!

I've been gathering cards based on the occasions that I prepare for and put them aside to send out weekly. By the end of the time period, I not only send out the predesignated cards, but also other cards as reasons come up. So for Set 3, I gathered the following cards:

Week 22: RAK to Bianca; Get Well to a coworker
Week 23: Stacey's Birthday; DS2 Graduation; Thank You
Week 24: Father's Day and Thinking of You to a friend (she had surgery)
Week 25: Oops! Skipped this week by accident
Week 26: Just Because to my friend Katie and birthday card to a friend's son
Week 27: Thank You card for a friend
Week 28: Nephew Marcus' Birthday

And additional cards that I sent during this timeframe:

My granddaughter made this card with a little help from the Circuit. To be fair, I did not send it, she did, but I thought it was worth adding to the weekly card list! (Her cousin, my niece broke her leg hence the crutches.)

This was made using the Elements 1

stamp set from Bloom Art

This was on a YouTube Video

(Click HERE to see the original post)

If you are interested in receiving a handmade card from me, let me know.

This is also my TGIF; Thankful Friday post. This week I'm thankful that I'm sending these cards out. It's been great hearing from people that have been blessed by handmade cards. I'm having a lot of fun with this! Many are being encouraged to start sending their own cards (and many have purchased cards from me). Although selling them was not my intention, but hey...a little bit of green never hurt anyone.

WOYWW #435

Happy Wednesday, Happy WOYWW and Happy Birthday to my DIL Krystal!


What is WOYWW, you ask? It's a weekly challenge to post a photo of your work desk and link it to Julia's blog at Stamping Ground. It's so much fun checking out what people are working on or just comparing our messy areas. I've seen/read many tips & ideas for my own room & projects. Click on over...you'll love it!


Here's my desk:

We picked a design we like and now I created the final product. The one on the left is the colors that we're using. My future DIL loves all things Eiffel Tower so that's the theme of their Engagement Party and Wedding. We'll be stamping these "assembly line" style to get done quickly. I cut the Eiffel Towers with my Cricut using the French Manor cartridge.


Don't forget to click on over to check out the other deskers and have a great week!

WOYWW #434

Is it Wednesday already?!? It's time to share my work area. I'm working on invitations for my oldest son's engagement party. My future DIL loves the Eiffel Tower so they're going with a Parisian theme. I was messing around last night and here's my desk:

Don't you just LOVE that 3D Eiffel Tower? This was cut with the Cricut. DIL is coming over tonight so we can choose which design we're using and then shop for the supplies. YEE HAW another Durham wedding!

Click on over to the Stamping Ground website to join the WOYWW fun. Check out other deskers, leave a comment and join the link!

49 Crosses

I spent most of the day yesterday making 49 3D pink//white crosses for baby girl baptism invitations. My friend is stamping the card bases with a swirl stamp and then we're adding the crosses.  I'll post the finished invitations once they are put together.

I used the Indie Art cartridge for the crosses.  It took 7 1/2 pieces of white cardstock and 4 pieces of pink to make all of them!  I cut the first layer of white using the shadow option, pink using the blackout option and then the shift key for the top white layer.  The thinner cross was glued directly to the pink base and then that was foam taped (for dimension) to the white shadow base.  Then I threaded 49 pink buttons with pink floss and glued those to the centers.  All the layers were cut at 3".

In case you're wondering why only 49...I made the first one as a sample before making all 50 to make sure she liked the size.

So pretty!

Ahoy! It's a Boy!

I cut out 40 boat cards to use as a baby shower invitation for my coworker.  Let me rephrase that, it's for a shower that my coworker is hosting.  This coworker shares my love of crafting and is such a sweetie.  She's going with a nautical theme - hence the title.

Here's a shot of two of the invites:

I used the Life's a Beach cricut cartridge and cut these sailboat cards using the "card" button.  I went through my stash and pulled as much light blue patterned paper as I could find.  Those I cut to fit inside the cards.  That was going to be it until I saw a random punched heart sitting on my craft table and thought, hey that would be cute on one of the sails.  So, I punched a bunch of little hearts using the red cardstock scraps.  As I'm punching the hearts, I realized that we would not be able to use a red heart on a red sail, so out came my little star punch.  I punched some stars using the blue scraps. 

To make sure everyone knew this is a baby shower invitation, I pulled my "baby" stamp and decorated the other sail.  The invites are 5 1/4" square.

Next I'll work on the nautical pieces to adorn the favors and decorations. 

I never used that "card" button on this cartridge.  But I love how easy it was to cut and decorate.  I'm going to have to look more closely at all those extra features on my cartridges.

Cardstock:  Ballet Blue and Real Red from Stampin' Up!
Patterned Paper:  Assortment from my stash
Heart Punch:  Stampin' Up!
Star Punch:  EK Success (gifted from Karen)
Stamp:  "baby" from SU!

Ahoy!

Invitations

These are invitations I made for my niece's birthday party.  I love my sis, but she always gives me short notice to get things done.  Thank goodness for the Cricut!  I used the Joy of the Season cartridge for the ice skate.  These invites fit a standard business size envelope.  So cute!  I hope the color comes out because they are bright pink, orange and a sort of lime green.

15 of them in three days.  Gotta love her!