STAY

This week's challenge at Lasting Memories is a sketch challenge. And I loved it. It's so versatile. The layout I created with the sketch was something that I have never done before. The photo in the layout below is my absolute favorite photo I ever took. This layout is from April of 2010. To get this photo, it took 4 days and dozens and dozens of attempts. I saved a good number of the not quite right photos, and have passed them by numerous times choosing photos for other layouts. Well, I decided to make a page 1 to go with this layout.

Here is the sketch for Karen chose for the challenge:

I loved that there was a large spot for journaling and took advantage of it. I chose 4 of the not so great photos to use, to display how tough it is to get just the right photo of a 7 week old puppy. And here is the layout:


I used the same paper collection to create both layouts - Cosmo Cricket's Earth Love.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you will give this sketch at try.

Stamp Away!!

This week's challenge at Lasting Memories was really a challenge for me. I started on the page early in the week, reconfigured, changed papers, and even re-did the challenge items that I was using. Like Karen, I tend to use my stamps for cards, not so much on layouts. So she challenged us to use our stamps on our pages.

I finally got it to come together on Saturday morning. I knew I wanted to use my granddaughter, Jessie's school photo, so that didn't change. I ultimately decided on flourish stamps. As I so often do, my layout is based on a sketch. This sketch in Sketch #98 at the Scrappiest. This is the sketch:


And my layout:


Jessie is in kindergarten this year, and I know she was pretty nervous about it. But I'm sure she's doing well now. I used one flourish stamp to stamp a background on the kraft cardstock behind the photo. I used a different flourish stamp in the upper left of the layout as one of the elements in the sketch.

I am also entering this layout into one of the challenges at Scrappin-n-Chattin. This particular challenge is to use the word "New" or "Year" in the title of your page.

I hope you will try your hand at creating a layout with your stamps. I would love to see your page this week at Lasting Memories.

Flash

This week's challenge at The Paper Variety is a sketch challenge. And this one is awesome. I love the shape of the photos in this sketch, but really was not sure that I had photos that would work with this layout.

I had one photo that I just cropped to work on the page, but I had to take a photo of something else specifically to complete the page. I am finding that pretty funny. I already look at every day things as future scrapbooking subjects, but to actually take a picture to complete a layout was a first for me.

I had the photo of Willie already, but I took a picture of the flashing balls we have to include on the page. I think it worked out pretty well.


The journaling tells how when we came to live with Stew, Lukie was difficult to see at night, especially in the snow. Stew found these strobes online and ordered a few of them. They worked pretty well on Lukie, but we hadn't needed them after he died. Katie was never a problem. She would never venture far from the house unless she was with me. When we got Willie, he soon became a brave explorer, even at night. So we brought the balls out again. They worked!! We can see him in the woods behind the barn at night when he's trying to do his business.

I am submitting the page in the 52 Week Challenge and the White Background challenge at Scrappin-n-Chattin as well.

Stew's Calendar

I have wanted to make a calendar for Stew for quite a while. I really wanted to make one for him for this past Christmas. But I didn't get it done. I knew how I wanted it to look and how it would work. I had to consider how to bind it. I didn't want to spend a lot of money on a new tool for punching or binding. I found an inexpensive punch system searching the internet. So that was a relief. Then I worried about placing the photos on the pages. I was afraid Stew wouldn't like it.

Once I started, I lost track of time. I just wanted to keep going. And the best part.... Stew loved it.

I am not happy with how these photos of the calendar came out. When I do this again, I will have to figure out how to take better pictures. But here it is....

Cover

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October

November
December

Thanks for looking. I am working on mine for my office now. I will be sure to post that one too...

Follow the Recipe

The challenge we are having this week at Lasting Memories is to follow the recipe. Your layout is to include:

1 - Ribbon
2 - Buttons
3 - Colors

I love challenges like this. I have been wanting to use some of my Sabrina collection from Making Memories that I got from Crop Chocolate. I have all kinds of different embellishments as well as the papers. Thinking along this line, I knew that photos of Jenna would be the perfect subject for a page with these items. Jenna LOVES pink.

I also incorporated other challenges into this layout. I followed the January sketch at Artful Delight. I felt this sketch was so special and versatile.


The three colors I chose to use were black, pink and white. The two buttons are in the center square on the right side of the page. And the ribbon is stretched across the pink mat between the photos. This week's challenge at The Paper Variety is to use pink in your project. Pink is what pulled all of this project together.


I am also using this layout as my Week 3 entry in the 52 Week Challenge at Scrappin-n-Chattin. There are a number of us that are in a contest to create at least 1 layout every week throughout the year. What a great way to keep us motivated to get our memories scrapped. It will also be entered into the Double Dip challenge at SnC. This challenge is to create a layout for another scrapbook challenge site. Done.

I hope you will join us this week at Lasting Memories. I can't wait to see what everyone cooks up with the recipe.

Scrap Your Style

Welcome to our blog hop at Lasting Memories. I hope you are having fun meeting the new design team today. If you reached my blog from Heather's blog, you are in the right place. If not, you will want to start here, at Lasting Memories Challenge blog to start in order.

This week’s challenge is to show us your personal style. How cool is that? What is your favorite technique, tool, or color to use on your layouts?

One of my favorite things to use are border punches. I had decided early in the week that I wanted to use a new butterfly border punch I got on Thanksgiving on the page for this challenge. Another favorite tool I love to use are sketches. I went in search of a sketch by Julie Bonner for this layout. I found one that she created for My Creative Scrapbook.

I actually used 2 border punches on this layout. The butterfly border (Martha Stewart) on across the bottom, and the scallop edge (EK Success) strips along the sides of the elements are the punches that I used.

The papers are from my favorite paper company Echo Park - Walk in the Park. I also punched some butterflies using Martha Stewart Monarch Butterfly punches. I added some pearls along the center of each of the butterflies.

Thanks for visiting. I hope that I have inspired you to show us your style in the challenge this week. Now, continue your journey on our blog hop and be inspired by Ali.

I'm so excited....

I have been invited to join the Design Team at Lasting Memories Challenge Blog. I am so excited to be able to work with Karen and the other DT members. I hope that you will join us on Sunday for our first challenge of the year and a blog hop to help you get to know all us. Karen has some wonderful challenges planned for the months to come. I hope you join the fun.