Just playing around

It is ridiculously hot and humid, and I'm just glad to have been spared this kind of weather thus far! It's been such a great summer weather-wise, I haven't been able to get into the craft room. The kids don't want to be cooped up on the nice days, and I just have to oblige them. I guess living in New England does this to you. You get so many months of wet, cold, snowy, crappy weather, when the good stuff comes around, you can't pass up an opportunity to get out and enjoy it. This thick humidity keeps all of us inside where there is ice cold AC, and I get the chance to create :)

Finally, I have a layout to share. I did make more things today, but they are super-secret DT assignments :) You'll get the chance to see them, but not today. I made this for Sassy Lil' Sketches current sketch challenge as I just love their sketches so much.

Here's the sketch:

And here's my take:

BG Periphery background paper, Oliver for paper pieces, Capella alpha for the first part of the title, and paper ribbon. Thickers Umbrella puffy alpha stickers in Cricket. MM Looking Glass GiggleKid boy epoxy sticker. Imaginisce banner ribbon. Patina Stickles used on a random ribbon scrap. Scenic Route grid background paper for the journaling strips

Rolled the edges of the scalloped piece for some dimension.

That's all for now. Off to put Patryk to bed...he's just hurt his head on the foundation of our house, so it's time for bed after a bit of ibuprofen and an ice pack. Boys...he's lucky he didn't need stitches!!!

xx

XOXO Challenge 20 :)

A day late and a dollar short with this post! Summer is such a hectic and crazy time, I just don't have enough hours in a day. The lazy days of summer...not in this house!

The Lipstick Chicks are back with July's challenge, making it super easy to squeeze in some scrappy time. Just choose one or more of our layouts to scraplift, and watch those albums fill up fast. You could do a whole album with all of the layouts our amazing design team comes up with each month! Our super secret prize comes from the lovely admin diva Kate this month, and you want it, trust me.

Here's my layout for this month. This is a layout featuring my great-grandmother and grandmother as a child on a trip to a camp in Rangely, ME which they took often. I love that I have all of these old family photos to work with, and glad to get them out of the old acid-filled albums they used to be in.

Scenic Route Asheville for paper and chipboard word stickers, as well as alpha stickers in title. All papers, including kraft background, inked with SEI charcoal and turquoise. Random transparency.

Cute little star stamps. No manufacturer info, sorry! Came in a grab bag with no identifying info.

Random lace with stick pins. Pics don't really do these beauties justice! Grid paper from Scenic Route, accented with my SEI chalkbox charcoal ink.

Corners are Scenic Route. Doily from Chip Chop Shop held in place with an MM brad.

Recollections heart/flower brads. Stuff2Scrap chipboard frame inked and stamped lightly with star stamp. Random chipboard flower with DCWV doodle rub on in center.

So head on over to XOXO and scraplift (me HA) today! Link your project up by the end of the month for a shot at a great prize. Have a great day!

Technical Difficulties

Good morning, and happy 4th of July weekend! It seems 4th of July weekend as a whole is a time for celebration, not only the 4th itself. Just last night, the 1st, our neighbors across the street lit off a fireworks show with some pretty heavy duty fireworks! It was amazing, they were so huge being merely a hundred or so feet away. I got a bit nervous, however, when they were lighting them off in front of the houses right out on the street. We live in a neighborhood where the houses are somewhat close together, and most of us don't have a very large front yard, so we're right on the street. When a truck goes by (which does happen as there is a mill down at the end of our street) you can feel it. Needless to say I sat outside until the display was over, assuring this house was safe!

I wanted to post this card as I had so much fun creating it. I made it for my challenge over at sketches4all, although it was intended as my project for the monthly challenge at the Crafter's Companion Challenge Blog...my email has been all screwy lately, and although it was sent, it was not actually received. That's ok, it saved me from making my holiday weekend busier than it had to be (and it's pretty busy already!) You should still check out the CCCB. This month, we're giving you a sketch to work with from PageMaps, and it is a nice one!

I changed it up a bit, and used the newly released Paint Fusion Pansy set. Love Paint Fusion, and the ease with which you can create painted works of art for use in papercrafting, home decor, and anything else you want to paint on LOL Sheena Douglass makes it so easy to do!

I pulled out some Cosmo Cricket Storytime paper, accenting the flowers and flourishes on the green paper with some Ranger Glossy Accents. I've been a bit obsessed with that stuff lately, just like Stickles or glitter glue, which is also featured on this card...Studio G brown glitter glue to be exact. The sentiment is Basic Grey Capella alpha stickers.

Raised up that pretty pansy with some foam squares because you all know how much I love dimension :)

The pansy (which is so very pretty) is part of the newly released Pansy Paint Fusion stamp set I was sent to play with, painted with Eco Green Crafts Acrylic Paint from Crafter's Companion in Primary Red, Mulch, Pomagranate, and Butternut. Would you believe that only took me 3 minutes total to paint? The most time consuming part: unscrewing all of the caps on the paint tubes and screwing them back on. HA.

So head over to the CCCB to enter your card using this sketch and your Crafter's Companion stamps. I've decided to offer up a challenge at sketches4all, asking you to use 2 or more circles on your card. Simple stuff for such a busy time of year! That challenge will run for 2 weeks, so head over and play along!

Have a great day, off to the store to prepare for a day at a friend's camp. Rileigh is going to get to spend the night with her little friend there for the next couple of days, so that will be nice. Off to the in-laws tomorrow, and who knows what's in store for Monday...I am sure there will be something going on. Did I mention I LOVE SUMMER?! Because I do :)