Last team picture

I went Saturday and hung out with a great group of scrappy friends. After not seeing them for nearly 2 years, it was great seeing them! Sometimes being a mom and wife keeps us so busy we forget we need friend time too! Being with the SOTTS (sisters of the traveling scraps) again reminded me how much I love each and every one of them!

Emily was busy with her band ensemble group this evening. They played at the 4 - H banquet. They have been playing together for 3 years now. Over the years, they have become good friends.

Scrapping the team picture from Tyler's senior year made me reflect back on friendships. A few of these  boys have played ball together for years. They have built up a great friendship.  I have a friendship with the SOTTS built over years and Emily has a friendship with the ensemble group built over years. These friendships are built because of a common interest in something.

Moral of the story is to put yourself out there and be a part of something. That is where the best friendships are built. When you have a common interest in something it takes away some of the social anxiety a lot of us have. You already have something to talk about.

This is the last team picture for baseball I have to scrap for Tyler. Boo!!!! 14 years of sports sure flew by!

I used one of the sketches in this months Create magazine put out by Create Scrappers. They put out a monthly digital magazine and for FREE. You can't beat that!

For the added little details that make the layout, I did some hand stitching and stenciled a banner using Gesso. I then used a silver sharpie to color the Gesso'd banner.

Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting!

Page Breakdown part 3.

Yay!!!! Finally had a little time to add the finish touches. This is the part that pulls the page together.

As mentioned in my first post I used 3 different challenges for my inspiration.

1. http://123getscrappy.blogspot.com. I used the middle row of the tic tac toe board. "Polka Dots" inspired the Circles and embossed stamped circles behind the picture. "Pumpkin" inspired the color. Used pop dots under the butterfly. I would have used them under the journaling strips but I didn't have any thin enough. 123getscrappy is also looking for a 2015 design team! I have yet to cross that off my scrappy bucket list, so I will humbly apply. You never know! Follow the link if you would like to submit your projects as well!

2. http://scrap-challenge-yourself.blogspot.com The affirmation on my page is about our Family. Often times our family is the ones we treat the worst. Not because we intend to, they just get the brunt of all frustrations. We can all use a reminder to do all the things stated here.

3. http://color-me-scrappy.blogspot.com I used the sketch and color scheme for layout and color inspiration. This sketch has a lot of possibilities!!

When adding the details,  To pull the page together, stitched a frame around the entire page. Added a fabric border misted with brown ink under the bottom of the picture.

I inked some chocolate ink over the stenciled gesso circles to tone them down a bit. Then doodled a circle around them.Added the piece of left over pattern paper. Amazing all the pattern paper came from one 4 x 6 piece.

I still wasn't entirely happy with the circle areas, just felt to bold.  I wanted something light and airy that didn't totally cover them up, but toned them down as well. I quickly cut some circles from Tulle layered them up and voila! Pretty little tulle flowers. Love that you can buy a nice size roll for $1 at Dollar Tree! Cheap and fun, right up my alley!

I really enjoyed working with these challenges! Great thing about challenges is they push you out of your comfort zone while inspiring you at the same time. Win, Win!

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Saturday! It is a pajama kind of day here in the Highland house. Tyler and his Girlfriend have plans tonight, Emily is going to a friends, Zane is hunting, then going to a buddies for steak and male bonding. I will be embracing the quiet alone time!

Glad to be back...........

I don't even have a good reason for neglecting my blog for so long. Let's just say that I became totally and utterly burnt out. Between trying to keep up with the demands of everyday life, 2 teenagers, CTMH business, full time job, well you get the picture,  something had to go. That something was the blog, CTMH, and all scrapbooking for that matter. I needed a break, a time to refocus and remember why I love this hobby.

Over the past few months I have gradually eased my way back into the hobby I love so much. Remembered why I scrapbook. It isn't for anyone but me. Selfish I know, but we all need a hobby, and this is mine.

I have missed blogging immensely. This little place to share my stories and artwork was a nice place to unwind at the end of a day. So, I am happy to be back creating my art, my stories and sharing the way I do it. Just not getting into all the consultant stuff anymore. I enjoyed it a lot, but I just don't have the time. It's hard to accept that we are not superwoman!

Enough with that. How about a little project fun.

Holy Cow! Tyler graduated high school this past spring........... How in the world did this happen? How can I possibly be the parent of a college student, an "adult". Oh my! Please ignore the awful mid sentence expression on my face. A passerby was kind enough to snap the photo, for that I am grateful.

In my true style, lots of layering and little details. The above 4x3 journal card by Simple Stories received a little personalization by coloring in the letters and adding some hand stitching around the "R".

I have really been loving Deli paper lately. It is so versatile! You can paint it, use it as a overlay, pretty much anything. Here I layered it over a stamped photo corner to tone down the stripes a bit. Since Tyler is working at the local Deli when he doesn't have class, I figured it fitting to use a little bit on here. After all he did get me a box of 500 sheets for $5!

Have you ever been so burnt out that you quit scrapbooking or another hobby for a bit? For me, it gave me a new appreciation for the precious time I am able to devote on my "passion".

Fish On, ScrapFIT sketch challenge

Yay!  I finally finished the page I have been working on.  This was a fun family outing a couple weeks ago.  Emily was so surprised when she caught a fish.  She decided that the fishing thing isn't so bad after all.

My page was inspired by this sketch challenge over on the ScrapFIT blog .

Papers are from The Paper Loft Hooked on Fishing Line.  To bring attention to the little fish I added some stitched circles around the little guy.  Of course I had to use the AP cartridge for the journaling label.  I don't know how I  scrapped before this cartridge.  I hardly ever use my spellbinders anymore.

I added a little fishing line to my homemade wooden dowel fishing pole with a hook constructed from the spiral wire from a notebook.  Notice Murphy in the background.  He really wanted to have a little fish snack.

Posterboard was my goto alpha for this one.  This is one of my favorite alpha set.  The letters are nice and chunky to give them presence on the page and super easy to handcut because of their size and sharp edges.  Nearly every layer was outlined with my trusty black sharpy to give separation to the layers.

Off to enjoy the day at a cookout and beach with the family!  The temperature is supposed to hit 90 today.  Since we don't have AC, it is the perfect day to head to the lake.

Have a happy Sunday!!!

Dotty For You

I was finally able to play with the Dotty For You papers that will be available to you on April 17th.  You can find all the details under the specials tab.

For my page I used a sketch from sketcheswithatwist.blogspot.com.   I recently stumbled upon this blog, and since I am all into banners lately, it was perfect!

I used one of the sunbursts from the March SOTM set to stamp a border around the page.  There are 5 different sunbursts in the set and can see using them a lot for this.

The butterflies and the 3 labels were cut out of a couple of the Dotty For You papers.  The Journaling block is from a retired Mayberry Stickease set.  Am always happy to use up a little retired stash :).

Products used, all CTMH unless stated otherwise. 
Paper: Dotty For You  B & T , Sweet Leaf and Smoothie Cardstock
Ink: Black
Border: Cut from the AP Cartridge
Embellishments: Colonial White Designer Brads, Neutral Bakers Twine, vintage lace (unknown brand)
Stamp Sets: Bohemian Alphabet (E1019) , and April SOTM


This picture sums up our day today.

My nephew Daniel is in Afghanistan right now on his second deployment to serve our country.  Before he left, he drew Zane a map to his mushroom spot.  We drove nearly 2 hours to find it, then strolled around the woods seeing what we could find.  We only found 5 mushrooms, NOT GOOD!  I took several pictures, but this one is one of my fav's.

We did learn a couple things.
1. I should not lead us out of the woods.  Tyler, Emily, and I started heading back to the car.  A few minutes later we heard Zane yelling that we were going in the wrong direction!  It's a good thing he noticed before we were out of ear shot. 
2. Tyler really needs to work on his braking and accelerating while driving.  He tends to be a little heavy on the pedals.

That's all for today, have a Happy Easter!!!

Oh how I wish......

Every time I pull out older pictures of  Tyler and Emily, I really wish they were small again.  Gone are the days that they do crazy things like this.  They are entertaining in a different way as teenagers, like always needing new shoes for various sports, bringing all their friends over to raid the refrigerator, and sulking when they have to clean their room. 

I think I used a sketch for inspiration, but can't seem to locate it.  So if it's yours, let me know and I will give your proper credit. 

Supplies used - all CTMH unless indicated otherwise

 Victory Paper, Hexagon Quikutz die, SU embossing folder, AP cartridge for photo corners, unknown brand floss and alphabet stickers.

Since the Nieces and Nephews are producing offspring, we have these little munchkins to entertain us with their silly antics. 

It appears that Roman has a little obsession with his belly button.  

His facial expressions remind me so much of his dad when he was this age.  I am secretly hoping he is just as mischievous too!  Like the time he clipped the frogs on the clothesline so they would stop hopping away :)

MoJo Monday 227

Here is the card I made for the MoJo Monday sketch this week. I started out simple, then kept adding, and adding, and then added yet some more.....

A ton of texture going on here.
I did a couple techniques shown in past Technique Tuesday posts.
The first being, I cut the "we can't thank you enough" stamp from the February SOTM set to seperate the sentiment from the frame. I then used the frame to stamp the 2 smaller squares of pattern paper.
Once the pattern papers were adhered to the card base, I stamped the stars randomly, running some of them off the edges of the squares.
Next I embossed the entire card front with the Cuttlebug and a SU embossing folder. That's the second technique, remember the strips?
Then added the striped ribbon, sentiment, and lace.
That still wasn't enough for me.....
I hand stitched around 3 sides pulling it all together.

A very vintage feel to this card. Lots of texture and layers, just my style :)

Papers are from the CTMH Stella line and all the stamps from the February Stamp of the month set (Thoughtful Tidings).

Don't forget about the blog candy giveaway this month........

Happy Crafting!

MoJo Monday Sketch #225

Continuing on from my last post....... the second project I did these wee hours of the morning is a Sympathy card for a friend who recently lost her sister. My heart goes out to her and her family. I wanted to make her something extra special during this very difficult time. I chose to make a large 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 card.

The pattern papers are all from the new CTMH Pemberley collection. (Another little sneak peek for you!) The beautiful rose is from my absolute favorite stamp set in the new Spring / Summer book. Card Word Puzzle (C1494). For $13.95 this gem of a set has so many possibilities!

I hope you enjoyed my creations today. Off to catch a few hours of zzzzzz........

An oldie but goodie....

I picked up this layout from The Scrapbook Nook in Ludington on Saturday. I had made this as a Design Team project a few months ago. I believe the papers are Sassafrass Lass??? It is hard to believe this little munchkin is now 3, has a little sister, and another sister on the way.

The past few days, I have been working on putting together cards and projects that I had leftover from workshops. 100 of the new Close To My Heart catalog / idea book was delivered to my house on Saturday. I am beyond thrilled with it! I will be posting daily sneak peeks here on the blog until it goes live to customers on August 1st. So be sure and check back for a peek or two:).

The biggest news of all!!!!!!!! We have a new exclusive Close To My Heart Cricut Cartridge. I have been wanting this so badly. Cricut and Acrylic stamps! The perfect combination!!!!!!

Mojo Monday 198

I have recently discovered the Mojo Monday blog! I LOVE IT! Then again, I do love challenges. Challenges are a great way to inspire a starting point for a project and help you step out of the box.

Here is my take on this weeks sketch. I used the leftover papers from the page I did today since they were already out on my desk. One less thing headed to the scrap bin.

The Sketch...

My entry...

The bird is from the Fill In The Blank set. Had to go find a little twig for him to sit on.

Forbidden Caverns

I was so excited to go into the Caverns with Tyler, Emily, and Zane. I had went when my sister and I went to Florida nearly 20 years ago. I found them to be quite interesting and really enjoyed learning about all the rock formations. Here is the first 2 page layout of our afternoon adventure. Of course, I still have to journal, but I will wait until I have all the pages done. This way I don't repeat myself on the pages. Sometimes, I have a bad habit of this.

Page 1...

The papers are from Lucky level 2 (X7137B), the title are letters cut from the Happy Hauntings Cricut cartridge. The stars are from the Lucky chipboard embellishment pack (Z1356) with a little white stitching added to make them stand out a bit more.
Page 2...

The journaling block is cut from the Lacy Labels Cricut cartridge, I added a couple Canvas Badge Buttons (Z1397). The canvas buttons are so fun to stamp on for a custom embellishment. The chipboard quote is from same Lucky embellishment pack that the chipboard stars are in.

Both pages together...

The layout design is from the Magic idea book. The bottom photo on the 2nd page folds down so I could add more photos to the page. To do this I cut a 12x12 photo storage memory protector in half which gives you 3 horizontal pockets to slide pictures into. Works like a charm!

A close up of the fold down flap.

A Twist on Journaling

At work the other day I pulled out a prescription pad and the add for Lipitor caught my eye. Of course my coworkers thought I was crazy when I said I just found the "inspiration" for my next page. They didn't see the add the same way I did. Sadly, I can't find where I put it so I can't post it. Sadness! Anyhow, here is my version...

The journaling areas on the page are my interpretation of the ad. I had to think of how to recreate it, so I am including a little instruction. Keep reading.....

A couple other things to point out first. The Letters are outlined with a Black Sharpie. No need to use extra paper and time matting the letters when there is a Sharpie nearby. Of course, I had a couple "slide offs" I needed to cover, so I added a couple quick stitches to cover them up. This added a little extra detail and no one will ever know I was actually covering a mistake.

To add another accent to the page, I folded some 1/2" paper strips and hand stitched over them. A little paper ribbon accent to fill in some space that I didn't know what else to do with.

Now onto the journaling technique..........
First grab your piece of paper, ruler, and exacto knife. I actually did all this after the page was already assembled, so I knew right where I wanted the journaling holes to be. Just be careful not to cut through all the layers.

Cut one cut down the center of where you want your "hole" to be, then make several horizontal cuts going across your vertical cut. I chose this plaid paper to make it easy to cut along the pattern lines. Cut your strips at various lengths to add a little randomness to the shape.

When your done cutting, you should have something like this....

Next, cut your strips off at various lengths, leaving at least 1/4" of each cut strip.

Use your fingers or guiling tool to roll up the remaining part of your cut strips. I found my fingers worked quite well.

I then added a little ink to make the curls stand out. Adhere to your page or a piece of paper, add your journaling in the hole.

Yay Water!

Still working on vacation pictures. I have about 20 pages to go until the album is finished. Normally I don't work on any specific thing for more than a page or two, but I am determined to finish this album.

One of the things I really wanted to do while in TN was go on a big hike. That we did! It seemed like we were the only ones sweating our tails off on the 5.2 mile hike through the mountains. Tyler and Emily were thrilled to cool off in the icy cold water of the little waterfall we came across.



The papers are by My Minds Eye So Sophie. For whatever reason I could not get this picture to stay cropped from Picassa to the blog.... Wierd!



After gluing and sewing all the little diamonds of pp on, I did not feel like gluing more letters, so I stamped the title with the CTMH Large Chocolate Alphabet (E1010). After stamping, the letters didn't stand out enough for me, so I outlined them with a white pen. This seemed to give them the "pop" that they needed. I didn't know where to put the "yay", so put it right on top.






I trimmed around a little of the foliage with an exacto knife to slide the journaling diecut into. This helped draw some attention to the journaling without having to go through the trouble of adding more embellishments. A super easy way to do this is to lay your shape on the paper, then trace it with a pencil. When you lift it off the paper you can easily see exactly how much and where you need to cut. Erase your pencil marks and Voila! Perfect fit! Using a glass mat as a cutting surface, makes it sooooo much easier.





The most time consuming part of this page was stitching the little tidbits cut out of pattern paper onto the page. I did this while riding in the car for two hours going to see family. I first glued them on with a little CTMH liquid glass (Z679), then poked the stitching holes, then hand stitched down the line. Once we got back home, I put a little stickles on the thread to give it a little glisten. Emily gave me this idea.:)






Thanks for looking and happy crafting!