Stuck?! Sketches September 1st challenge & Lasting Memories #260

This layout was inspired by two different challenge blogs that I have never participated in before. The sketch was inspired by Stuck?! Sketches September 1st, 2015 challenge. The theme was inspired by "Lasting Memories" scrapbook challenge #260 which was using punches and having a title after a book, movie, or song title.

Since taking off from scrapping for the last 2 years after my daughter was born, I am fairly new to making "girly" layouts. It took me an incredibly long time to choose papers for this layout of my daughter modeling and dancing in her new dress. I must have 200 different shades of pink paper! I cannot believe I chose the boldest one in my collection. So not me! This one took me awhile and I may have gone a little embellishment crazy, but I like it! I also got to use one of my favorite flower tutorial's that I stumbled upon a few years ago.

Stuck?! Sketches September 1, 2015 sketch

Products used in this layout:

• My Mind's Eye
• The Sweetest Thing Lavender "About Me" collage paper
• Lost & Found 2 Blush "Beautiful Girl" brads
• Lost & Found Record It! "antique" enamel dots
• Lost & Found 2 Breeze "everywhere" mirrors paper
• Nostalgia "chevron" paper
• Find Your Wings and Fly "up & away" quatrefoil paper
• Lost & Found 2 brads
• Stella & Rose Hazel "fancy" title
• Stella & Rose Hazel "mother" frame
• Ranger Stickles
• Kaiser Craft Hello Sunshine collectibles
• We R Memory Keepers Sew Easy
• Core'dinations cardstock
• Making Memories butterflies
• Fancy Pants yellow corrugated paper
• stash buttons

MWM Carnation #3 & The Paper Girls #88

After my husband being gone for a week I was ready for a detox day. My kids are great but we are a busy bunch and without the extra support I was go-go-go all day long. So I spent all day yesterday scrapping and it felt great! I completed 2 layouts and did four challenges. This first layout is a combination of Scrapbooksteals.com Mid-Week Mojo sketch layout Carnation #3 and The Paper Girls Challenge blog challenge #88 - Sweater Weather.

The theme "sweater weather" obviously had be thinking about fall. Since we have had unseasonably warm weather lately, I had to dig into photos from yesteryear's to get my kiddos playing outside during sweater weather. Fall is our favorite time of year to play in the front yard. We are lucky to get sunshine year round but it can be intense during the summer months. The changing of the leaves means cooler temperatures and our lovely sweaters to play outdoors. I used the sketch provided by the talented gals over at Scrapbooksteals.com and a fall themed layout was born.

Scrapbooksteals.com MWM Carnation #3 sketch

Products used in this layout:

• My Minds Eye
• Lost & Found 3 "Oliver" Multiplaid paper
• The Sweetest Thing Tangerine "Happy" Woodsy paper
• Stella & Rose Hattie "Happy" Polka Dots paper (My all time favorite paper collection)
• Cut & Paste Presh "Inspired" bits and pieces
• Wood Necessities Monogram Alphas
• Market St. Flair Pins "Ashbury Heights"
• Black Ink Decorative Accents
• Little Yellow Bicycle Lucky Me Lace Cut cardstock
• Recollections burlap flowers
• Michael's adhesive cork stickers
• Simple Stories sn@p!
• Sayings 3x4 cards
• Say Cheese pieces
• Doodlebug Design mini doodle pops forest friends
• stash brads and twine

MWM Carnation #2 & Scrap Our Stash Challenge #30

This week I combined 2 great challenges for 1 great layout. The first was Scrapbooksteals.com Mid-Week Mojo Carnation #2. This was a great sketch for the 2 Instagram pictures I recently printed. The second was from the Scrap Our Stash blog stash challenge #30. I have never participated in the blogs challenges before as I have been MIA for awhile. I am looking forward to joining more of their challenges in the future. The particular one was to use products starting with the letters L-A-Y-E-R-S. 

I scrapped about my oldest son as he has recently become an independent reader. He loves to read and will often times take over the nightly task of reading to his siblings. I am an avid reader as well so watching him enjoy books as much as I do is such a treat. 

Scrapbooksteals.com - MWM Carnation #2 sketch

Scrap Our Stash - Stash Challenge #30

L - Letter Stickers, Lined paper

A - Alphabet paper, Arrow wood embellishment

Y - Yellow clothesline clip

E - Echo Park This & That paper

R - Ribbon/Garland, Red star chipboard

S - Studio Calico chipboard, Sassafras Monstrosity paper, Stickers

Products used in this layout

• Basic Grey Hey Boy collection
• Fancy Pants Designs
• Memo Notebook
• Home for Christmas stickers
• My Mind's Eye
• The Sweetest Thing Bluebell "everyday" paper
• Boy Crazy "stitched" paper
• Indie Chic Nutmeg "history" garland
• Sassafras Monstrosity paper
• Echo Park This & That paper, stickers, & chipboard
• Recollections wood embellishments
• Studio Calico chipboard shape stickers
• Washi from my stash

MWM Carnation #1, The Paper Girls #87

One of my favorite ways to scrapbook is by participating in challenges. It is like homework but fun. Scrabooksteals.com is still doing their Mid Week Mojo which I am thankful for after taking a 2 year hiatus. I love their sketches! The Paper Girls are still running their challenges too and I have always enjoyed them as well. This week I combined the sketch from Scrapbooksteals.com with the theme of "grateful" from The Paper Girls challenge #87. My brother has been living with us off and on (for a job) for over a year now. Living far away from family is hard and having him has been fantastic. My kids love their Uncle and we all look forward to his trips here. I could not think of a better person to create my grateful layout.

Carnation #1

Carnation #1 sketch

Products used in this layout:

• My Mind's Eye
• Mischievous "bewitching", "candy dots", "pumpkin stripes", "these days", and "darkest dot" papers
• Mischievous accessory sheet
• Kraft Funday Happy Days "super star" paper
• Kraft Funday Happy Days die cut borders
• Haunted accessory sheet
• Blackbird "spiders" paper
• Basic Grey stitched brads
• Authentique Gathering icons, excerpts, expressions, and stickers

My Family. The reason I haven't scrapped in a LONG time.

It turns out having 3 kids is a huge time suck. The past 2 years have been incredibly rewarding but have severely cramped my scrapbooking style. Now that school has started and all 3 kiddos are in some sort schooling, I actually have time to sit at my desk and let the creativity flow. I have missed working with my paper! Here is my first full layout in a very long time. I am a little rusty and out of touch with what has been going on in the scrapbooking world lately, but I plan to catch up.

Items used in this layout:

• Studio Calico Take Note Collection
• pink pearl paper
• executive paper
• spreadsheet paper
• stitched garland
• Studio Calico wood veneer die cut pieces
• American Crafts Thickers newsprint
• My Mind's Eye
• Indie Chic layered stickers
• Follow Your Heart "Be Amazing" Twine
• Indie Chic Nutmeg "boy" decorative brads
• Abbey Road Stomp chipboard elements
• Authentique petite type circle stickers
• Crystal Stickers glitter dome
• Craft Smith Watercolor paper
• Pebbles ABC stickers
• Fancy Pants Designs Kraft Kuts Stickers
• stash cardstock
• Authentique Blissful "Prosperity" paper