"CUTENESS"

Hi Friends! As summer is coming to a close in the Midwest, the corn is being harvested, the sunflowers are in bloom, & the dragonflies are fewer & fewer. I love all seasons, and this summer as blown by tooo fast. So I decided to do a summery layout inspired by my adorable niece at her birthday party in June! Isn't she adorable & full of cuteness!!!
I used the GirlsPaperie "Paper Girl" collection that was featured in the June Limited Edition Kit from My Creative Scrapbook. Everything is worked around the die cut shield that I cut into quarters & realigned to make a smaller shield. I then added a row of ribbon to cover the cut!

Scallops were done with my all time favorite punch - the plain old Fiskars Scallop punch. Can't beat the basics sometimes!! The pink layer was cut with the wavy blade on my Office Depot cutter. All edges are inked with Distress Worn Lipstick, Shabby Shutters & Mustard Seed. Title work is Basic Grey Euphoria painted with Ranger black alcohol ink.

I layered inked flowers made with various punches & dies and adhered a button as flower center. The flower layers were made with papers used in layout. I punched small retro flowers & placed them around border of 3 sides. The centers are dotted with black fabric paint.

The large vine is a Sizzix BigZ vine...love my Big Shot! I covered 2 hearts with pattern paper, inked and dotted with black fabric paint for detail. Little We R Memory Keepers clips finish off the layout!

I had so much fun scrapping this summery layout! I am ready for fall, but wanted to feel warm sunshine for one more day! Thanks friends for taking a peek & visiting my blog!!

Lynn :D
Pin It

Gothic Arch "She is a Daisy Girl"

Hi friends!
This week at Gothic Arches challenge blog the theme is "daisies". Daisies are my favorite flower, so this was really fun to do! The papers are from Graphic 45 Le'romantique line & cut to measure 4x6. The image is from LunaGirl . I made some small daisies & adhered them to image added a few scrap wooden flourishes & teeny butterflies cut from the G45 papers. Everything is inked with Distress Walnut Stain, Scattered Straw & A bit of Broken China ink.
What fun Gothic Arches Challenge Blog is with really talented artists! Visit the site for some instant inspiration!!!
thanks so much for stopping by! You guys are the best!!

In Youth We Learn

Hi Friends! I hope this finds everyone doing well!
The inspiration for this layout is a photo of our sweet son Nick in deep thought! Nick is 29 & will be 30 this upcoming winter. He is such a great son & husband... Nick is has some awesome qualities & is one of the hardest workers that I know. He is also very kind & we are lucky parents! I thought the quote " in youth we learn...in age we understand" is very appropriate as he faces his 30's!
I used the yummy yummy yummy "So Sophie" papers from My Minds Eye. The papers were featured in the June 2010 My Creative Scrapbook Main Kit. The really awesome thing is this is made entirely from 2 printed papers, 1 die cut shield & 1 piece black card stock, 1 alpha sheet ink & some punches! Very basic!!

I adhered a circle to the die cut shield. Inking was really major on this layout. I inked all edges in 3 shades to bring continuity. The inks used were Scattered Straw, Fired Brick & Broken China Distress ink. The alpha sheet is from My Minds Eye So Sophie line & was cut, inked & adhered.

I doubled matted the inked photo & added black flourishes that were cut with my Sizzix Big Shot. They are actually a decorative strip... I just cut them up & placed them in about randomly

Lastly I added 2 sizes Retro punched flowers about the layout to add some interest, again inking all edges! I placed a few more on the die cut shield & dotted centers with black Fabric Paint.

EASY PEASY!!!

What a fun layout to do!! I love the texture of these papers- so fun to work with!

Thanks Friends for taking a peek! You guys are the best!!

Lynn:)

Pin It

Theme Thursday "Row Row Row"

Hi Friends! I love Artist Trading Cards & decided to start posting more! I found this awesome site that has a different theme every Thursday, thus the sites name "Theme Thursday" . The Thursday Aug 18 theme was "children".

I used a Lunagirl image printed on photo paper & inked with Walnut Stain & Broken China Distress ink. I added some rub- ons, punched border & postmarks! What fun!

I love little paper crafting! Thanks so much for looking!!

Lynn :)

Gothic Arch "School Daze"

Hi friends! I have recently really enjoyed the Gothic Arches Challenge Blog . The theme this week was "Back to School". This is my entry for the challenge. This was fun to do & I hope you check out the blog!! I used a Lunagirl image inked with lots of Distress Spiced Marmalade & Walnut Stain ink. Everything else is scraps! thanks for looking!!
Lynn :)

UNDER A WILLOW TREE...

Hi Friends! It is so nice to be posting! I finally had a chance to scrap & jumped on the opportunity. The humid dog days of summer have me dreaming of the first cools spell of early fall....

The inspiration for this layout is a wonderful photo of my dear hubby taken the first week of Oct 2009. We had recently moved to small town USA & were taking a ride on a beautiful sunny day. The trees had not yet turned fall colors, but the air was crisp & sky was pure blue. We found a huge lake surrounded by weeping willows trees. It was awesome!!!! I wanted to convey that in my layout. It was a such a great feeling under the willow tree!!

The papers I chose are from the K & Co Que Sera Sera collection. This is such a versatile collection & I have used it over & over on all sorts of layouts. As I said I wanted to capture the mood- so I used the blue paper symbolizing the skies & the lake, the orange & yellow round circle to symbolize the sunshine & the green die cut branches to symbolize the willow trees.
I inked the edges of the blue paper with 2 ink colors- Ranger Spiced Marmalade & Broken China Distress Ink. I then mounted it on brown card stock. The sun was inked with Ranger Mustard Seed & Peeled Paint Distress Ink & lastly the branches & mat was inked with Ranger Peeled Paint Distress Ink.

The lettering is Basic Grey raw chip inked with Espresso Alcohol ink. The small "under the" are My Storytellers from Websters pages. The butterflies are made using a Martha Stewart butterfly punch layered on same paper used for sun.

The branches are made using my Sizzix Big Shot & the "Branch w/ Leaves" die. I cut both from green paper & brown yardstick. I then layered the card stock behind the green & adhered it to give a shadowed effect & add some dimension! I then added little metal leaves that I purchased in the jewelry supply department at local Michael's. A tad of Stickles was dabbed on the leafy part & a few gems were scattered about the layout!

I had such fun with this layout! Maybe because I have not scrapped in so long, or perhaps it is such a great memory ...or both!! OH yes... did you notice..... no flowers!!!

Thanks again Friends!!! You guys are the best!!!!

Pin It

Where has the summer gone?

Wow... It is almost August.... where has the summer gone?
Hi friends! As some of you may or may not know.. I have been absent from scrapbooking & all the fun stuff that goes along with it for too long. My 88 year old mom under went colon surgery in early June & still has to recover. She is currently in a skilled nursing facility undergoing rehab, but after 40 plus days of laying in hospitals & rehab centers she is showing little spirit to get stronger at this time. She has wonderful nursing & staff that genuinely care, so that may help! Anyone who has been through this can relate to the non stop trips to hospital, insurance, social workers etc etc. It can make your heart ache & your head spin all at the same time! Plus our Mom is still very sharp & cannot understand why we can not bring her home. She needs the 24 hour care & we just cannot give her that. I know she has lived a full life- and would love to be whole, however she also says she is tired & ready to start the next journey. I just want want peace for her... is that too much? Her small frail body breaks my heart... I just want peace.
I miss you guys & have promised myself that I am going to make an attempt to answer & reply to comments, visit blogs & do forums. I need to do that....... I need all of you!! Thanks friends!

Love Blooms

Hi Friends!
I was so honored to be asked by Pam Callaghan to be her Friday June 04 featured artist on her site Ideas for Scrapbookers !! How fun is that- I am thrilled to be a teenie part of such an awesome site!! I have this great photo of my Mom & Dad on their wedding day & I thought it was perfect for the beautiful summery Basic Grey " Green at Heart" papers. I LOVE BASIC GREY!!

As I was strolling through Pam’s templates, I was instantly drawn to her “Wreath Template”. I love the look to circular designs & knew that I wanted to work with this! I guess all the yard work & gardening has me seeing flowers everywhere & this is the direction I decided to go using the template.

I wanted to layer the papers & chose to print the flower/wreath in two sizes. The smaller is the original size & printed directly on the reverse side of the printed paper & the larger one was enlarged in Photo Shop Elements. This can also be done in any word processing, photo editing or drawing program. Such a simple thing as layering a template made this a quick yet attractive base for the layout!
I cut the center of the smaller flower, following the template pattern & layered the photo between the 2 sizes! I think it is important to mention the inking. I inked all edges with same 3 contrasting colors to bring the same feel to each layer. (In this case the inks are all Ranger Distress – Spiced Marmalade, Peeled Paint & Worn Lipstick). I could see the layout coming together!!

Details were all that remained! The addition of a few flowers, title work & swirls completed the layout with ease!
I have made these flowers before! Here is a link on how to make the blooms!

It was such a pleasure working with this template! As one who has not yet leapt into the electronic cutting machine market it was perfect, plus easy to work with! Thanks Pam for sharing your templates & sketches & thanks to all my friends for dropping by to visit!

{{{HUGS}}}

Lynn :)

I Miss You

Hello friends! I want to thank everyone for stopping by & visiting! My latest layout was inspired by a photo of me & my Dad. He passed away 21 years in May and I guess I was just wanting to scrap him! I actually had another name planned & as I was adhering the title work I thought out loud " I miss you". I knew at that moment that was my title! Ohh it is so true!
I used the fantastic April 2010 Main Kit from My Creative Scrapbook that features the yummy "Life's Portrait" line from Websters Pages. This line is one of my fav's from Websters. This was a quick layout!! 4 hours is all it took. That is VERY fast for me!!! I am a sloooooooow scrapper!
I punched the top & bottom edges of the background paper with a Martha Stewart lattice punch & adhered to black card stock. The die cut shield was cut using a Crafters Workshop template ( I love them!). I thought the black & white papers really complimented the photo. I inked all raw edges with 2 colors- Adirondack Terra Cotta & Distress Broken China.

I double layered the lace, applying the black first & the peachy color behind the black trim. The flowers were kit included & worked perfect in a circle! I then used a Boss Kut Corner Flourish die & cut about 9 corner flourishes & adhered them in a circular pattern on the center circle. I dotted around the die cut shield using gold Liquid Pearls... they look coppery against the peach papers! I was hoping it would & it turned out that way!!

The photo was double matted & a lattice punch edge was attached. The journaling tag was made by covering a piece of raw chip board with paper, inking the edges & using some rub-ons as black accents. I dotted around the oval with the gold Liquid Pearls.

I was very happy with the way this turned out! It reflects how I was feeling & that is why we do this!!!

Thanks so much for taking a peek! I really appreciate it!

Special Friends

Hi Friends! I hope this finds everyone doing well! I really need to find some more time to scrap & I am sure many of you feel the same way! So when I was asked by Liz Qualman to be a featured artist for her Sunday May 09 sketch, I jumped at the chance! I was so happy to see the sketch... it was perfect for this great photo of my hubby, me , sister & brother-in-law having an awesome dinner at a great restaurant called Charlie Gitto's..... yummmmm. We have such fun together!!!

I used the March 2010 Main Kit from My Creative Scrapbook that features the fantastic Strawberry Kisses Collection by Prima.

I used dark brown & coral card stock to compliment the muted colors in the papers. The paper border, layers & mat were punched with a Fiskars scallop punch... still one of my all time favs!

The title work is Thickers raw chip letters that was inked with Adirondack Espresso Alcohol ink. The scalloped butterfly embellish is a "card stock sticker" also from Prima. The leafy flourish was cut with my Big Shot using a Sizzix BigZ Vine dine. I accented the leaf sections with coral Scribbles 3D paint!
I made the flowers using just a few layers & various punches & dies . The centers are something that I picked up at the St Louis CKC convention & are made by Queen & Co! The copper color worked great with the colors I was using! I inked all edges with 2 colors of Distress Ink- vintage photo & worn lipstick.

The last main part of my layout was the "turned up corner" Liz had on her sketch! I thought it was a fun touch! I cut 2 pieces of the paper, punched, inked & attached them to appear as if it was on the flip side & underneath. I small flourish was adhered for fun & another Queen & Co brad was added to hold the paper!

I really enjoyed working with the sketch & am so happy that I used our BEST FRIENDS on my layout!! Hats off to Liz & her great sketches! Thanks so much for stopping by!! YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST!

Lynn :D

A Young Woman

Hi Friends! I have not scrapped for a few weeks. It is springtime in the Midwest & that means yard work & spring cleaning. I love the change of seasons-but not the yard work or cleaning part!
The inspiration for this layout was a fantastic photo of my Mom in her youth. As I was scanning older photos to my hard drive and looking at the photo, I started thinking now that Mom is 88 years old, we forget that she was once young & vibrant with a whole life ahead of her to live & experience. The cycles of life really are just like the change of the seasons!
I used The October 2009 Main Kit from My Creative Scrapbook that featured Webster's Pages Nature's Storybook. I think Websters Pages are beautiful... that being said I have a terrible time working with them! I know that everyone loves them & I agree they are great. They just really are hard for me to work with! So I dug deep & came up with this. I am not totally happy with the layout & probably will re-scrap the photo... I just needed to work with papers for my own self satisfaction!!!

I matted the photo with a deep raisin color paper from Heidi Swapp & added a punched border using a Fiskars Lace Border punch. I cut a leaf from the papers, inked the edges with Colorbox Chestnut Roan & added a couple small kit included Prima flowers. The small cameo came from a little box of charms that I purchased at local craft store.

I stitched around the border with brown thread for a bit of added detail. The title work is Thickers that I have inked with Ranger Raisin Alcohol ink to take away the shine & warm up the shade.

I punched small flowers from a Retro punch & placed them around the circle as a border, with alternating gem centers. With the same shade I placed a flower layer behind the Prima flower to just give it a little more interest.

The time piece also was cut from the papers & inked up a bit. I slipped it behind the flower with it kinda "peeking" out! All paper edges & photo was inked with a combo of Adirondack Cranberry, Distress Peeled Paint & ColorBox Chestnut Roan. I usually always use 2 shades with one as an accent.

Well folks, that does my Webster Pages Phobia!! I am not sure how fast I will be working with them again!! I DO LOVE THEM... just would rather look at them LOL

Thanks so much for stopping by! I appreciate your comments!!
Lynn :D

"Sweet Innocence" Featured Artist for My Little Sketch Blook

Hello Mates!! I was so excited when I was chosen to be the featured artist for Liz Qualman's Sunday March 14 sketch at My Little Sketch Blook. As many of you know, I frequently use her sketches & was thrilled to be asked alongside Sandie Vincent & Sandy Clarkson. I found the sketch to be a fantastic multi photo challenge that worked wonderful with these adorable photos of my niece Anna & the precious face of sweet innocence! I used the October 2009 Limited Edition Kit from My Creative Scrapbook that featured the 7gypsies Victoria papers.

I loved the colors of the papers & really wanted to accent them. I placed a circle in the middle of the layout & dotted it with Lemon Yellow Liquid Pearls for added detail. The edges were inked with Adirondack watermelon & Distress Scattered Straw ink. I added the date to the clear journaling tag with Making Memories rub-ons.

The blooms were simple layers made with the papers used in the layout. I inked the edges & attached with a brad. I have made this bloom for another layout in the past & have a tutorial here if you would like to take a look!

The title work was made using Websters Pages Storytellers & was originally pale pink. I inked them with Ranger black alcohol ink & adhered them with a Zig glue pen. I think the Zig glue pen is great for those thin tiny hard to glue places!

I doubled matted the photo & then added a punched border using the Martha Stewart loopy punch! The flourishes were made with my Sizzix Big shot & were scattered about the layout. A small Retro punch was used to make the tiny flourish flowers & then dotted with Liquid Pearls Emerald Green for the centers. I had so much fun with this layout & want to send my thanks to Liz for an awesome sketch & for selecting me as a featured artist! I feel very humbled!! Also I want to thank all my blogging friends!! You guys are the best!! :D