DCWV Stack-a-Holic Sketch Challenge for August

I just finished a cute layout based on DCWV's August Stack-a-holic Sketch challenge.  You can see the sketch HERE on their blog.  I love their stacks and just found a couple new ones on sale.  This layout is created with the new Green Stack.  The texture of the paper in this stack is so unique.  It has woven fibers, but is still easy to cut with regular scissors and trimmer.  These two photos of my daughter and her little turtle friend (poor thing was tucked deeply into his shell) are complemented perfectly with the fresh green patterns and nature motifs.

I sewed the green ribbon directly onto the paper with my sewing machine.  I haphazardly scrunched it under the needle as I went.  I really love the fun and frilly look.

 You can really see the woven fibers of the papers in these two closeups.  The blue paper with the arrow patterns is really fun, too.  I can't wait to use more of this stack.

Altered Notebook with Cricut Artbooking Cartridge

I caved and bought the new Cricut Artbooking Cartridge.  And I'm so glad I did.  I haven't had a chance to play with it as much as I'd like, but I love all the overlays and extras on this cartridge.  I also have the coordinating stamps from Close To My Heart and can't wait to add them to my layouts and projects.  Here's a quick notebook re-do that I recently completed with this cartridge.  All the cuts are from Artbooking.  I added number stickers from a leftover Teresa Collins sheet that I had, and then tied some ribbons around the spirals.  I can't wait to do more!

Design Team Wednesday at Scrapdoodles - Fun Layouts with Bella Blvd.

Hi Everyone! It's Design Team Wednesday over at Scrapdoodles and I have some super fun layouts to share with you!  Bella Blvd is moving up as one of my favorite lines with their recent releases.  Check out their summer release catalog for more inspiration and then hop on into Scrapdoodles (or your favorite lss where you are) to get your hands on these fun collections!  They are sure to inspire creativity.

Today, I'm sharing 3 layouts I created with the Snapshots line - I love the playful elements in this line, especially the doodling and the cameras.  The little camera icons in the papers are too cute and I couldn't wait to get them home from the store to play with them.  For this first layout I layered lots of elements creating a bit of a playful and colorful design.  It's actually a bit on the busy side for my usual style, but I couldn't stop adding elements - too much fun!  Several pieces were cut from the sheet of border strips.  The doodle card was also from a full 12x12 sheet and I colored in some of the elements using my watercolor pencils. Another fun element on my layout is simply turning over one corner - see it in the upper right - and using that area for another cluster of embellishments.

Below my photo, I cut a row of cameras and then fussy cut a few of them to pop off the page using foam dots.  This is another fun technique to try on your next layout.

I really like the use of black alongside the bright colors - and for my next layout I emphasized the lime green and offset it with some of those black elements. 

 Again, I had fun playing with some of those cute cameras!

By this time I was running out of papers- I had only picked up 4 sheets plus some die cuts and stickers (have to go back for more, oh darn), but had enough to pull this last layout together.  I think the fun papers are perfect for this fun and silly photo of my husband and me.

I hope you've been inspired to check out this line and more from Bella Blvd.  You won't be disappointed and I can't wait to see what you create!

We R Memory Keepers Guest Post ~ Fun with Storytime Collection

It's such a thrill for me to be a guest designer over at the We R Memory Keepers blog.  If you are visiting me from over there - Thank You and Welcome! This trio of cards is featured on the blog today and you can find my instructions there as well to recreate your very own set with this adorable collection of papers and embellishments.

I also created a layout and door hanger with the goodies that We R so generously sent me.  You can see the whole collection here.  If you're local, be sure to stop in at Scrapdoodles in Fredericksburg, because I know they have this collection in stock.

When I first saw the collection, I immediately thought of library trips and reading stories with my young daughter.  We love to read together and while not everything we read is a "fairytale", this paper just speaks to the special kind of imagination that is discovered only through reading books.  When I started going through my photos I found these two sweet pics of our girl "reading" (she's 3 here and not yet reading on her own) Peter Rabbit to her stuffed Peter Rabbit toy.  I just love the little story characters featured on the paper, and couldn't help fussy cutting around the wolf so that he could hang a paw over the storytime die cut title.

Lastly, I created a cute wall or door hanger.  I started with a chipboard star covered in the orange patterned paper from the collection and one of the large die cuts attached to the back.  A ribbon hanging down features some of the little storybooks cut from the paper and another die cut at the bottom.  On the star I folded a strip of paper to mimic a ribbon and adhered the die cut letters.  Now it's all ready to hang up whenever we need a little storytime break!

Wedding Album Layouts

I recently completed a wedding album for my oldest sister and her new husband.  I was able to bring it and give it to them in person when I returned to Wisconsin for a visit.  I love watching people look through their new albums - it totally gives me the warm fuzzies!  It's really something special to be able to use your gifts and bring happiness to others.

Here are a few of my favorite pages from the album.  I just love this first page - such a cute photo of the couple and the gold Teresa Collins paper is magical!  Throughout the album I used primarily Teresa Collins, Authentique, and DCWV papers and of course my Cricut.  Enjoy!