Check out the sheer yumminess in the Paper Poppy Kit Co. June Kit! It is loaded with Lily Bee, GCD Studios, Prima and so much more. It is one bright and super fun kit and I love the contrast of the vibrant Lily Bee papers with the GCD black and white. It makes for a kit full of opportunity. You can purchase this gem of a kit at the Paper Poppy Store for $32. You won't be disappointed. The Add-on this month is only $7 and it is a must have to complete this amazing kit. I had a blast with the Prima alphabet and Lily Bee rub-ons and GCD chipboard. I'll be sharing some of my work a little later this week. Stay tuned...
I had a little fun with this week's sketch and layered photos on top of each other with a few background circle elements. This is the last sketch this month that is eligible for the challenge. I will announce a randomly drawn winner on June 5th. Be sure to link you work here and check back next Saturday for the winner.
Sheree Power did such a super fun interpretation of my sketch. I love the colors she chose and the photos of her daughter are just darling. Here is a little bit about her, "I'm Sheree and I'm from Sydney, Australia. I'm 33 years old and a mum to my gorgeous girl Kaitlyn, who is 9. I started scrapbooking about 8 years ago after I found Creative Memories. Then I discovered the world of scrapbooking on the internet and haven't looked back since. I'm a huge sketch fan of using sketches and love working with a variety of them. When I found Liz's sketches, my pages just seemed to come together easily." Aw - thanks Sheree! Here is what Sheree said about this layout, "I loved having this sketch to work with. I found it all flowed together just like the pictures did with these patterned papers. I decided to keep the sketch the way it was as it fitted perfectly with the papers." Below are some closeups of Sheree's work.Please visit Sheree's blog Just the 2 of Us for more information about her and details about her work.
Lisa Watson is another fresh face for the guest designers and submitted this really beautiful layout about a wonderful carriage ride. Here is what she had to say about working with my sketch, "I took the sketch literally and only used paper and a title for my layout. I picked the colors for my paper right from my photos. The cardstock base has a terrific fun texture, the green Pink Paislee paper reminded of the grass and the the white circles were some scrap pieces of Basic Grey that matched the horse perfectly. The wood colored title stickers also matched the window trim on the carriage. Thanks for a terrific sketch and for mixing horizontal and vertical photos which can be difficult to place on layouts." Please visit Lisa's blog Pictures 2 Pages for more information about her and details about her work.
Julia Short is back again this week with her second guest spot. I'm just relieved that her super cute little pup Bas made it into the gorgeous photos in her layout. Julia does such a fantastic job with nature layouts. Here is what she had to say about working with the sketch, "First, I have to say how much I love Liz's sketches. They really do it for me and I was over the moon with this one. We had just been for a walk at Ceibwr (cayber) Bay and it was a beautiful morning. We took some great photos and this sketch was just perfect to use a few of them. I am really pleased with the way it turned out and also pleased that I was able to use some of my old stash. LOL! Thanks Liz."Please visit Julia's blog On Top of the Scrap Heap for more information about her and details about her work.
Remember this??? This was my first layout with the March kit from The Paper Poppy Kit Co. The layout was spotted in the gallery by Nicole LeBlanc at Two Peas in a Bucket and she asked me to do a guest spot for the Lift This blog created by she and some other designer friends, Vinnie Pearce and Claudia Star-Beekhuis. They are really talented digital designers and every two weeks they choose a paper layout that they love and then challenge themselves and others to do a digital lift. Click here to see their wonderful work.
They asked some very fun interview questions, which I decided to answer digitally. Below is the Xtranormal movie I created for the interview with Nicole and I. Check it out!
Let me know what you think about the interview and please be sure to check out the site.
I really love how you can mix and match Imagnisce collections! This layout was created with predominantly the Splash Dance collection, which I thought worked beautifully with the greens in the photos, as well as a perfect match for the burlap Prima flowers. But, you can see a little Live Loud ribbon and I had a blast adhering the gems to my layout with the BRAND NEW iRock tool from Imaginisce. So many possibilities... This was my first attempt and it was a lot easier than you would think. I really love the copper gems and thought they were a perfect look for my Rocky Mountain project. In the photo are my daughter and my parents getting ready to ride the historical Georgetown Train to Silver Plume. These are two separate photos, but I cropped them to look like they were taken in the same shot so the train could be in the background. I used my new Cricut Story Book cartridge to cut the title and then pop dotted it at various heights to make it stand out and add interest to the layout. I also used my Sunday, May 23rd Sketch to create this layout.
It's Kit Kraze time again at Scrapbooking and Beyond Magazine and this issue's AWESOME kit was designed by the lovely Susan Dupre with the help of her friend Nikki Sivils. It is the perfect color combination for summer fun and you can enter to win this kit by visiting the SB&B website. Please visit the other designers on this project - Julie Howard and Robbie Herring - to see their work with this amazing kit.I totally dig the Craft (sandwich) flags and Breadless tags...such a clever idea from Nikki Sivils.
I walked out to the mailbox yesterday to find this little gem waiting for me. Had absolutely no idea my layout had made the cover until I actually had this in my hand. Jane, the editor, keeps it all hush, hush and just surprises the designers. Obviously this put a big smile on my face, made my day and most of my Scrappy Life. I owe a big thank you to all the wonderful folks at SB&B, and especially Jane Guthrie and Heather Klimas.
Thank you so much for stopping by and celebrating with me :)
The Imaginisce Team and Core'dination Team are Blog Swapping this week! Be sure to check out both blogs and Facebook pages for some fun opportunities starting today. I had a great time combining the Imaginisce To Love and Cherish collection with this Moonstone cardstock from the Core'dinations Gemstones collection. I got this idea from my friend Robbie Herring to use pretty much every punch I own to create a very unique textured background with the cardstock, then I tied on some ribbon and added a journal card sticker with a sentiment and some bling. There are a variety of Martha Stewart and Fiskars punches including Apron Lace, Scallops and Loops.I'll post another project later this week. Remember to check out both of the blogs and Facebook pages today for more examples and fun.
What inspires you? Sometimes when I create a sketch, I have a vision in my head and the design just flows. But...sometimes I go through creative blocks just like everyone else - hard to believe, but true - LOL. However, it wouldn't be that ethical for me to use someone else's sketch to make a sketch, would it??? When I was designing this week's sketch, I had been struggling with a really bad head cold and the creative juices just weren't flowing. So, I started surfing through the gallery at Two Peas for some inspiration and came across two side-by-side layouts that were completely different but had elements I really liked. One had two photos stacked on top of each other and the other had a criss crossed element. Bingo! I took both ideas and created this sketch, which I have to say is one of my very favorites. Take a look at the amazing work the guest designers did with it this week.
This sketch is also eligible for the May Sketch Challenge. Click here to link up your work with this sketch.
Luzma Bruna is a designer that I have known and admired for a long time. I was tickled when she offered to be a guest designer. Here work is so bright and bold and easy to pick out in the online galleries. Let's get to know Luzma a little bit more. "I’m 44 years old and I live in Santiago, Chile which is in South America at the end of the world. I’ve been married for 15 years. We have a girl of 13 called Bernardita (Nini) and a boy of 11 called Rodrigo (Yoyo). I began to scrap in March of 2007, because a small scrapbook shop was opened here in Santiago. I worked as a travel agent for 20 years but I always had a hobby of making hand-made crafts. I created fabric dolls, cross stitch, hand made carpets, etc and every time I visited the USA, I went to crafts shops and found myself in the scrapbook aisle. I said to me don’t buy this…you know anything about this hobby - LOL!! But, now I’m addicted!" Here is what Luzma had to say about working with the sketch, "First of all I want to say thanks to Liz for giving me the opportunity to show my work on her blog. I love her sketches and been using them for a long time. When I saw this one I immediately thought about a pair of knitting needles and a picture that Nini took me last summer with a scarf I had knitted." Check out the gorgeous detail in Luzma's close ups and of course those knitting needles.Please visit Luzma's blog Luzma's Scraplace for more information about her and details about her work.
Sheila Danforth did some amazing detail work on her project and did a wonderful job with the sketch this week. I love how she dressed her layout up with lace and pearls. Here is what she had to say about working with the sketch, "I really enjoy using Liz's sketches, all the work is done for you and you are free to just create! I love how everything just flows together so perfectly on the page when you see the finished results. The photos are of me and my mom and on the bottom, my daughters and I. I used the new Fancy Pants-Road Show paper line, because it is so shabby and vintage (my favorite). I tucked a doily behind the photo on the lower left, added a mini clip to the journal card, a couple of pearl gems, a couple of flowers and a little ribbon and lace. I wanted to stay true to the sketch and keep it simple and uncluttered, but it was a challenge for me to do so. I normally want to fill up the page with clusters of flowers and embellishments but I feel this layout turned out quite elegant! Thanks Liz for the Great sketch!!!"Please visit Sheila's blog Luv 2 Scrap for more information about her and details about her work.
Pat Bishop is back again with us this week and my jaw dropped when I saw the gorgeous photos in her project. I love the super bright colors she used from The Paper Company and how she contrasted her complimentary colors. Pat said, "I love Liz's sketches and like to stick closely to the design. For this layout, I added strips of fabric and was really excited to find this new paper collection."Please visit Pat's blog A Scrappin' Nana for more information about her and details about her work.
The weather in Colorado is starting to warm up and I am looking forward to a beautiful weekend. I'm probably going to get my bike out to ride with the kids this weekend. I figure if Miley Cyrus and her family can get out and ride their bikes amidst the hype and paparazzi, then I really don't have an excuse not to ride mine. We have a wonderful bike path right our our back door...life is grand.
It's May Bouquet week on the Pebbles Blog, so please stop by to see what the DT girls have created with this amazing collection. I love the soft pastel colors in the May Bouquet line and especially how it coordinates with many of the Pebbles Ribbons and Candy Dots. I also really like how Kraft paper has made a comeback in the industry and was pleased with how well the patterned papers coordinated with it. I used a Martha Stewart Loops punch on the purple side of the Patio paper to make it pop against the beautiful floral pattern on the other side. The green polka dot ribbon made a perfect bow and focal point from which to attach the word sticker with some pop dots for added dimension.
I created this sketch for Sketchy Thursdays for the Pebbles Inc. blog. You can click here to see what the Pebbles girls did with the sketch to get some ideas and you are welcome to use this for the May sketch challenge on my blog. Can't wait to see what you come up with.
Sometimes you just have to have fun with a sketch and that is how I feel about this one. It came together quickly and has some of my favorite elements. I've been pushing myself to add more photos to projects and this sketch allows for two. Hope you all enjoy it and would love to see some stitching out there. Don't forget that this sketch is eligible for the May Sketch Challenge. If you use it, be sure to link it up here for a chance to win a RAK. Arianne Addicks joins us from the Netherlands and I can't wait for you to see what she did with my sketch. But first, a little bit about her. "Hi, I'm Arianne from the Netherlands. I'm 41 years old, single and a first grade teacher.To me teaching is the best job in the world; seeing those eager faces every day, ready to learn something new, makes my day!When I'm ot working or spending time with friends and family I love to scrapbook and make cards.I've always been crafting in some form since I was little, but since I discovered scrapbooking in 2004 I'm hooked.On almost all my layouts and cards you can see some form of stitching. I love sitting on my couch, watch tv and hand-stitch. It takes me a long time sometimes, but I really love doing it."
Arianne used one of my all time favorite paper lines from October Afternoon and her fussy cutting is wonderfully awesome. Here is what she had to say about using the sketch this week. "Even before I got the sketch I knew I wanted to use some photos of last years trip to Marocco.And when I saw the sketch, I immediatly knew what photos to use.I went through my stash of papers to find something with bright colours, preferably something with blue and green like in the photos.These October Afternoon Detours papers and die-cuts were exactly what I was looking for.I didn't add a title, because I popped up the flower-border and it didn't look good when I tried adding one. I outlined the page, all the circles and the arrow with stitching. I had never done that before, but I really like how it turned out."
Robbie Herring is back again this week with a wonderful version of the sketch. Be sure to check out all of the detailed punch work that Robbie incorporated into the background of her layout. This is a technique that she saw in a magazine and has adapted it to her own work. The texture the different punches add to the kraft paper is really stunning and I love that Robbie used Jillibean Soup on her layout. This is what she had to say about the sketch, "At first, I thought I would use the sketch to make a masculine layout of my son, but as I started working with it, I loved the way it looked as a girls layout and instead of so many circles, I added felt flowers. I've been wanting to use kraft paper for a while now and I think you will agree that this is a very different look for me."
Please visit Robbie's blog Just the Scrap for more information about her and details about her work.
Me - I actually had time to play with the sketch this week (yippee) and had a blast. Many of you know how much I love circles and try to add them to layouts whenever I can. Lately I have been incorporating stitching on my layouts, so this sketch was the perfect combination of fun. It also gave me an excuse to get out my Cosmo CricketLil' Man collection for which I have been waiting for an opportunity to use. Red is one of my favorite colors to scrap and this collection has some awesome patterns and colors that work perfectly with the ever popular kraft paper. Thank you so much for stopping by -
I love to see what people do with my sketches and I always appreciate when people link their layouts to a post. I have been hosting a sketch challenge on the last Sunday of the month, but from now on, I will post the challenge on the 15th of each month and draw for a winner on the 5th of the following month. Any sketch used from the current month (Sunday or Bonus) is eligible to be entered and linked to this post. Everyone, including guest designers, can play along and the more sketches used, the more chances to win. So be sure to link up each sketch used from the current month.
The RAKs in the past have been pretty cool, if I do say so myself, and have included manufacturers like: Crate Paper, My Mind's Eye and Jenni Bowlin. I just like to keep them a surprise for the winners, so you never know what you might receive.
The icon for the challenge is in the top right column of my blog with the current month's link.
Check out the new Splash Dance collection from Imaginisce full of fun little sea creatures and soft sea palette papers. I absolutely love the way they look with this photo of my goggle-faced daughter. I used my Cricut to cut the Hydrangea flowers and had a blast adding all of the rub-on bubbles to the layout. The alphabet is the new Dear Lizzy Berry thickers from American Crafts.
This is a good time to shop online at Sears for little kids clothing and shoes. My daughter is going to be a flower girl at a wedding next month and we found this super cute pair of Sandals for $14.99 at Sears. She was instantly in love with the bling flower and the clear heel. Remember when they used to say - Come See the Softer Side of Sears? Now they say - Life. Well Spent. I definitely like the price...
Check out the sheer yumminess in the Paper Poppy Kit Co. June Kit! It is loaded with Lily Bee, GCD Studios, Prima and so much more. It is one bright and super fun kit and I love the contrast of the vibrant Lily Bee papers with the GCD black and white. It makes for a kit full of opportunity. You can purchase this gem of a kit at the Paper Poppy Store for $32. You won't be disappointed.
The Add-on this month is only $7 and it is a must have to complete this amazing kit. I had a blast with the Prima alphabet and Lily Bee rub-ons and GCD chipboard. I'll be sharing some of my work a little later this week. Stay tuned...
