I've been busy! and some news...(and a surprise at the end)

Where to start...?

First I'll start with my next Snap and Scrap CT assignment.

This month we've started doing a template challenge instead of a journaling challenge. And I'm on the template team this month. This next week we will be featuring Gillian Foley. She created a new kit, and it's not in the store yet, so I can't get you the preview, but I am in love with the metal swirly element. (It's in the lower left hand corner of my lo).






Next up are some layouts made from more of the grab bag at ScrapMatters. You can no longer buy the grab bags, but you can see what was in them and purchase them separately.
Happy Scrap Girl's was filled with OODLES of stuff, including this BEAUTIFUL mini kit, Aiden. And you really missed out if you didn't buy it because, now it's 30% off of the full price, but it's still worth it.






This is what I made with it. Love, love, love how it turned out.





Jeni Hopwell's bag also was filled with gorgeous products. I can't find them separately yet, but I do see that the bag is down, so it's probably just a matter of time until they show up in the store. This one is a new kit At the Beach. I love that blue background paper, and the tan bg paper. Love the stitches too.



Jeni also had 2 great paper packs which I used to make this layout below. This one fulfilled three layouts for me. First was a CT layout for Jeni. The second is the Saturday Challenge is running at ScrapMatters. The challenge is to scrap about your weekend activities. (I really love Ikea...they have GREAT food, and it's a fun place to be too). GORGEOUS PARTICIPATION PRIZE. The third is this past weekend we had a Cyber Crop at Snap and Scrap. (I probably should have blogged about it before it happened...I'll remember next time...we're hoping for this to become a monthly event with prizes and fun all weekend long, so anyway...look for that). One of the challenges was a sketch challenge which I also used for this.
So, I've been kind of busy with that.



And in the way of news...Snap and Scrap is going to be having a Designer AND Creative Team call. I'll post the ads here as soon as I get the go ahead. Please come join us. It is SO much fun there.

Also, I've recently noticed that I have a follower. Thank you to Shannon who likes my blog. In honor of my (1) follower, I'm giving a freebie. I made a template out of my Andrew Up Close page (as seen above). I hope you all enjoy it (hopefully more than 1 person). I'd love to see what you make.

Download Here (PSD)

Download Here (PNG)

I've gotten it fixed. For some reason 4shared changed the file type, and I apologize if it didn't work for some.

I've never made or used PNG in a template form before. I think I did it right. If it doesn't work, will someone please let me know?

Come check out the Grab Bag...

It's ScrapMatters 1st Birthday celebration, and so there are a bunch of grab bags for sale in the shop. I'm contemplating buying a few, but since I'm on Happy's CT, I already know what's in hers (I'm horrible at being surprised, worried about if what I get I'll like...) so anyway, to help you out, here are 2 layouts I did using only a few of the things in Happy's Grab Bag.





Here you go:

http://scrapmatters.com/shop/product.php?productid=722&cat=0&page=1

And I love SM sooo much!! If you spend $10 in the store (I think it's only for this weekend) you'll get teh huge collab kit "You Say It's Your Birthday". It's adorable. Also, there's a blog train going on for 5x7 brag book pages.

Another Speed Scrap, and another Amanda Geils layout

Today's Speed Scrap:

1. Pick 3-5 photos to use. They must show a sequence of events or be a series of photos. If you want, you can run an action on them.

2. Line up your photos, either horizontally or vertically. The focal photo should be larger than the others (it doesn’t have to be a lot larger, it can be just slightly larger).

3. Pick your papers (no more than three). Your background paper needs to be solid, but the other two can be patterned.

4. Mat your photos. (You can use one of the papers you chose…) Your focal photo, however, needs a frame.

5. Add some elements. You need at least one ribbon, one flower, one “bling”, and one staple.

6. Add your title. Your title needs to be a combination of alpha and font. One word should stand out more than the others.

7. Add journaling on some sort of journaling block (it can’t just be typed on your background paper) and date your layout.

And this is what I made (using mostly things from Amanda Geils Sporty Girl kit)

New Layouts!!

Well, let's start with the kit that Snap and Scrap is going to be putting out for the October collab kit.

I'm especially excited about this kit, because I helped with it a little bit. I did 3 papers and a few of the word arts. I did two layouts with it. this first one also goes with the Tuesday Template Challenge over at ScrapMatters

And next I have 3 layouts for Amanda Geils.

This first one, the kit isn't in the store yet (that I can find)

It's called Sporty Girl, and in case the title doesn't give it away, it's a Sports kit for girls. Beautiful colors. (This layotu also uses Happy Scrap Girl's Template)

This is Midnight Blue (again)

and the 2nd layout I made with it.

And this is Amanda's new Halloween kit, Boo Town.

Now I rarely have a lot of Halloween photos, but I loved the colors in this, so what did I make? A layout about spring. Take a look. I absolutely LOVE it!

Amanda Geils

I'm really loving working with Amanda's kits. Here's another.

This is her brand new kit Midnight Blue.

Speed Scrap! (Amanda Geils CT too)

This past Thursday there was another Speed Scrap. SM has started doing 2 a week, one daytime, one evening. Usually I can't make the evening ones, but this week Mark had to work late, so I indulged myself.





Here were the instructions (introduced one at a time, every ten minutes)


1.Choose a photo, 1 only!


2.Choose your papers, you can have as many as you want, but you must have a least 1 solid and 1 patterned paper. One of the papers must be used to create a shape (any shape), you can use paper shapers, clipping masks….whatever, just as long as you create some type of shape from a paper.


3.Take your photo and repeat it in some way. You can repeat it as many times as you like, but it must be the same photo. You can blend it into the background, stack it etc, as long as the photo appears on the page more than once.


4.Frame your photo/s (if you have blended one, you do not need to frame it, but you do need at least 1 framed photo on the page. Hang your frame. If you have used multiple frames, at least 1 of your frames must be hanging.


5.Embellish your page any way you wish!!6.Title your page. You MUST use an alpha for some of the title, but you can’t use it for ALL of the title. Mix it up!!


6.Add journaling if you wish, date and save!!!!!! Be sure to upload your page to Speed Scrap Gallery 27 (you do not need to add it to member galleries) and post a link to your layout in this thread!! You have 1 hour & 15 mins to do this…….….only layouts posted within this time will receive the participation prize.



Well, I decided to kill 2 birds with one stone and did a CT lo as well, using Live for Today again.

New CT!!

I've been accepted as a Guest CT for Amanda Geils. I'm so thrilled. She has terrific products and sells at Elemental Scraps...so without further ado, my first lo for her.
I used these products:





And here is my layout (with the help of a template)

ScrapMatters Speed Scrap and Tuesday Template

So the speed scrap was yesterday. I think I like what I made.
Here were the instructions:
1. Choose your photos. Doesn’t matter how many!
2. Choose a white background. You can add other colors as mats and things, but the background has to be white.
3. Give me a curve of some kind out of paper.
4. Use 3 or more paper strips and/or ribbons.
5. Gotta have some stitches.
6. Add something hanging (i.e. from a clip.)
7. Get creative with words. You have 2 options here. Either use MORE than 1 alpha for your title, or use 3 or more fonts for your journaling, or do both! I guess that’s 3 options! Remember to date your LO.
And this is what I made:


The participation prize for the speed scrap was this awesome mini kit by Jeni Hopewell.

I immediately went and created this layout using "Pretties"


And here is the preview for the template for this week.

Templates don't take much time to use, just clipping and mergining, so in just a short amount of time, I made this:

SM Saturday Challenge

The Saturday Challenge at ScrapMatters is to create a layout using a wedding picture (preferably your own, but someone else's is okay too.)

Most of my wedding picture are physical pictures, and I didn't feel like scanning. I found one on my computer that I had never scrapped because there was a big orange cone behind us (well to the left of me) and to the right of Mark was a broken flower pot. I hadn't scrapped it because I didn't feel like doing photo editing, etc. Well, now was my chance and I LOVE LOVE LOVE how it turned out.

It uses Forever in Love kit by GG Designs (the winter version)

And while I'm posting about scrapmatters, there's a speed scrap in only an hour.

My Other Half

Mel Hains has this new kit out called "My Other Half"

So I made a layout featuring my other half, Mark.

Riptide

This Riptide by Suzie Belle Designs:
and what I did with it.

Home Sweet Home

Love Love Love this new kit from Jeni Hopewell (and GG Digital Designs) at ScrapMatters.

Isn't it gorgeous!! (no it's not a question)




And, if you go to Jeni's blog (see to the right for the link), you can get these QP made by the CT. (I made the one on the top right)

School Days #2

So, Becki asks us to make two layouts with each kit. That is sometimes very hard for me because I am usually drawn toward specific things in the kit, so to make two layouts means I would use the same stuff. So I've been trying really hard not to. This is my second layout using Becki's (and Amanda Geils') kit School Days:

ScrapMatters Tuesday Template Challenge

The Tuesday Template challenge is up and running at Scrapmatters...
Here's the template



Here's the Participation prize


And I LOVE LOVE LOVE how this turned out.

Isn't it gorgeous??

Becki Kress's newest kit.

Here is the newest kit by Becki Kress and Amanda Geils...all about School

I made this layout, featuring my son's handiwork on the walls of his room...

SM Speed Scrap

There was a Speed Scrap today. Here were the rules (give one at a time over 1 hour)

Instructions for SS #25

**Please Note**…I have two “themes” for this Speed Scrap.

*The first is Monochromatic. Some neutrals are fine, but do try to keep it Monochromatic.

*The second, since today is September 11th, I want your color choice to be one of the colors of your country’s flag in honor of those who have died and are fighting for our freedom.

1. Choose only one paper. Pick one of your country’s flag colors for you paper. Doesn’t have to be exact colors. You can use a hue of that color. (I went with blue)

2. Choose one picture. You will need to use it twice. Be creative on this one. (Up until now I was going to do a lo of Lily in the bathtub, but I really couldn't use just one picture)

3. Frame each photo.

4. Fasten your framed photos down anyway you like, as like as you fasten all four sides. (I had already done this when I did the stitches in the last step, but I added the photo corners anyway)

5. Add four flowers. (I really don't like doing flowers on boy layouts...but I do like how it turned out)

6. Add some bling anywhere you’d like. (Again, hard for me to do bling on a boy layout)

7. Lastly, add some Word Art. I really don’t want any journaling. (although we revolted and demanded journaling anyway...okay it wasn't really that harsh)

And this is my lo. I love how the Speed Scrap forces simplicity on my layouts because of the time limit.

Snap and Scrap

There have been some issues at Snap and Scrap, When I here more about it, I'll post here. Anyway, we are going to be posting the daily downloads on some of our blogs until the site gets going again. Daily Downloads links 1-6 can be found at Gillian's blog

Here is DD 7

Please come back for more information soon.

2 leftover layouts from being CTM for ScrapMAtters

Another new designer has just started. And I was so pleased to work with Muss's stuff. She and I were CT together over at snap and scrap for a while. I didn't know she did design work...

Here is her brand spanking new kit, Stepping Out...

And the Saturday Special challenge was just posted over at ScrapMAtters.

Scrap your home...

I've never scrapped my house before, so couldn't let this opportunity pass...