Monday, July 14, 2008

Productive weekend!

Boy did I have fun this weekend! Spurred on by two online crops, I decided to check out recent challenges on a number of online boards I am on and I tried my hand at creating projects that filled a number of challenges at once. I love doing that!

I started off easy with just a simple card that only filled the requirements for one challenge. This one was a challenge to scraplift a bug on the Scrapping Bug. I decided to scraplift Ally's card "Nuts About You" and here's what I created:


I managed to combine two challenges into the next creation. The challenge on the Scrapping Bug was to make a card using the bug colors - red, black, green, yellow, white. At Lil' Scrappers Michy had posted a picture of a girl, wearing red shoes, a black jacket, a green dress, and yellow belt, standing on a rock in a garden and our challenge was to take inspiration from that picture to create a card or layout. Made for an easy combination. Here's what I did:



The three card set I created was inspired by three different challenges. One of the Scrapping Bug's challenges was do pick a DT challenge from the last three months to do. I chose Ally's June card challenge to create 3 cards, each with a different theme, and a container for the cards. At Scrapbooking Fanatics Nicole had posted a challenge to make a set of cards. At Lil' Scrappers Carla had posted a card sketch challenge and I decided to use Carla's sketch as inspiration for the cards for the set. Here's what I made:



The next creation was made for a Fast Scrap at CompuPro Scrapbooking. What a fun challenge! They posted a sketch and we had one hour to create a layout inspired by the sketch. I didn't have time to try to combine other challenges into this one because I was half an hour late discovering the challenge so I actually only had half an hour to do it. Here's what I did:



My one digi layout this weekend was inspired by another quick challenge at CompuPro Scrapbooking. It was a race to see who would be the first to create and post a layout of someone in a bathing suit, preferably a bikini. I didn't win the race but I did get a layout created. The background paper is by April Staker of Digi Ape Designs and the sunglasses are from ScrapGirls. The rest is mine. Here's how it turned out:



I managed to combine four challenges in the next creation. At the Scrapping Bug there was a challenge to do a layout with no humans in the photos used on it. At Lil' Scrappers Aimee's July challenge was to do a layout about a favorite thing of summer. Based on these two challenges I decided to do a layout about my parent's summer cabin and boat. I found the perfect picture for it. I decided to use Kristine Davidson's sketch posted in the 72hr sketch challenge at CompuPro Scrapbooking for design inspiration for the layout. At ScrapShotz Neisey's July challenge was to choose one inspirational element and repeat it three times. I decided to use one of the patterned papers three different ways in the layout. I used one of the patterned papers that I used in the layout to make the letters for the title and also to make a flower. In her Blurfing Friday post, Deanne had posted a link to a Little Plaid Flower Tutorial and that inspired me to make the flower. I didn't have the punch used in the tutorial so instead I traced around a chipboard flower onto the patterned paper and cut it out. I used the trick in the tutorial to give the flower some shape. I used a smaller prima flower as the center, and then a brad. Here's the end result:



My next creation is really different. At CompuPro Scrapbooking I was given a challenge to create a layout about a moment without a picture. If you're a regular reader of this blog you know that I have ben cameraless for over a year now. There have been many moments during the past year that I wished I had a camera to get a picture. This challenge inspired me to pick some of those moments from the past couple of months and journal about them and turn the journaling into a layout. Sounded crazy at first but I really like the idea now and I may do it some more. I managed to combine three other challenges into the layout. I decided to use Sheri's sketch in the Bug Sketch challenge at the Scrapping Bug as inspiration for the design of the layout. One of the moment's I was journaling about was Canada Day so I decided to use Martina's Scrapbooking Fanatics July DT challenge to use red and white and/or a maple leaf on a layout as inspiration for the colors of the layout. I even used a maple stamp on the journaling circle for the Canada Day moment. Nonie's July DT challenge at ScrapShotz was to use something that isn't a typical scrapbooking supply on a layout or card. A certain kind of icecream that we buy has a scalloped circle cardboard inset in the cover and I had been eyeing it for a while thinking it would make a great addition to a layout. It fit perfect with the sketch so I covered one with patterned paper and used it as one of the journaling circles. The end result of all of that is the following layout called Missed Photo Ops:



The last layout I completed today and it was inspired by four different challenges. At the Scrapping Bug there was a challenge to make a title from letters provided. I really struggled with this one but I finally came up with one. I decided to use Kristin's Davidson's sketch in the "Just 'Cause" contest at Creative Scrappers as inspiration for the design of the layout. Inspired by the CompuPro Scrapbooking challenge to make your own polka dot background paper I used my versamark ink pad and a sheet of paper hole reinforcement circles to make my own background paper for the layout. Carla's June 25th Layout challenge at Lil' Scrappers was to use four rules to make a layout - no paper layering, one color scheme, bling, and at least one sticker. The sketch didn't involve paper layering so I thought I could incorporate this challenge into the design too. Here's how it ended up:



There were six challenges posted for The Scrapping Bug's "Last Minute Crop" this weekend and I managed to do them all! There were a nine numbered challenges posted for CompuPro Scrapbooking's "Yellow Polka Dot Bikini Crop, but there were a number of other challenges thrown in too, including 4 fast scrap challenges. I managed to do a number of them, but we have until June 20th to do them all so I'll probably get more done yet.

I managed to get pictures of my creations to upload for this post because I borrowed a camera. I also took pictures of other creations that I've made but haven't posted yet so I'll probably post them in the following days. It feels so good to be able to do that!

Hope you enjoyed checking out my creations and finding out how I combine challenges. It's fun to do.

Friday, July 11, 2008

Check out this layout!

Kim, of Kim's Kreative Korner, created this awesome layout that you just must check out! She created it for a challenge in Lil' Scrappers Big Summer Win contest. The challenge was a great challenge - to scrap about a time when you were struggling with personal growth and include a creative self portrait and hand journaling. I'm telling you, you need to check out this layout! It's gorgeous to look at, the self portrait is so creative, and the meaning behind it is something I think most all of us can learn from. Quick, go check it out this layout and tell me if I'm wrong. No, wait! Tell me if I'm right, because I know I'm not wrong so I'll never hear from any of you if you have to tell me if I'm wrong. :)

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Canadian in Paper Crafts Idol Top 20!...and Scrappin' Events online this weekend

Did you know that we have a Canadian in the Paper Crafts Card Idol Top 20!?! Carla is the one that got me hooked on scrappin' cards. She's a great card maker! Right now voting is going on for the Top 15. Everyone had to do a Patriotic Card. Her's is the only Canadian card there. Wanna help her get to the next round? It's easy. Just vote for her card here.


If you're in the mood for scrappin' this weekend, check out these two fun online crops:

CompuPro Scrapbooking, a new forum I just discovered, is having their first ever online crop - a Yellow PolkaDot Bikini Crop. You can read the announcement they made a while back about it on their blog here. Here is a link to their Yellow Polkadot Bikini Crop board of their forum, where the fun has already started, they already have 9 challenges posted! The crop is not supposed to officially start until Friday the 11th, so there's still lots more fun to come, and you have until July 20th to post most of the challenges, though some have different requirements so it is important to read the challenges carefully.

Scrapping Bug is having a "July Last Minute Crop". You can read about it, and find a link to the forum, on their blog here. Challenges will be posted Friday July 11th or early Saturday. You will have until Monday July 14th at 11:59pm PST (2:59pm EST) to upload your creations.

Thursday, July 3, 2008

SOS Text Thursday Challenge - 5 Random Photos

Sisterhood of Scrap's Text Thursday challenge today is to post 5 random facts about yourself or post five random photos, or combine both. I've decided to post five recent pictures of little one that I have been wanting to scrap, but couldn't because I didn't have the ink to print the pictures. I now have the ink and hopefully will get them printed and scrapped soon! Isn't she a cutie pie!?!





Saturday, June 21, 2008

Scrapbook & Cards Today...

...Summer Issue 2008 is now available for download on line. They also have a new blog with a contest. I tried to leave a comment but the comment feature wasn't working when I tried. I hope I remember to check back. I tried adding the blog to my reader but the RSS feed wasn't working either. Hopefully that will be fixed before too long too.

Editted: I figured out why I couldn't comment or get the RSS feed - you have to register for both - well, you have to register and then you can both comment and get the RSS feed! I hate that! Oh well. Maybe it will change after a while. In the meantime I have yet another password to try to remember! Grrrr....

Friday, June 20, 2008

I'm working on two projects tonight!

One is a really neat Mini Photobook Make 'n' Take that was part of a recent online crop at Lil' Scrappers. I wasn't quite getting the instructions so I searched to see if I could find more online and I finally found some at Split Coast Stampers that are a little different but have the same result and that I could figure out at. It is so neat! I won't be able totally finish it tonight because I need 2 jumbo eyelets and I don't have any. I also need to get pictures printed for it. This is a pattern I will definitely be making more than once. Actually, I already have plans for at least three of them. :)

The other one is a Garden Gate Mini Album, which was also a challenge at the recent Lil' Scrappers online crop. Because you can't view the Lil's Scrappers forums unless you are a member, once again I went searching for similar instructions online to share on my blog and I found this great tutorial which is very similar, but slightly different. I'm glad I found it before I put mine together because I'm going to make a few changes to my original plan. Once again, I won't get it all completed tonight because there are some things I need to get to complete it but I already have most of the supplies cut and ready to assemble. This is another really neat project that is well worth checking out.

I am so excited because I actually have plans for both of these projects! Lots of times I see a neat project and I just have to try it out because I like the project, but I don't have any real plans for them. For these two, however, I have very specific plans that I am quite excited about. I'm not going to say what those plans are right now because it would ruin some surprises, but I'll let you know when they've been given away - and hopefully I'll even get to post pictures of the completed projects!

Thursday, June 19, 2008

I scrapped again tonight!

Yippeee!!!! I actually have two layouts almost totally finshed, except for journaling.

Carla and Deidre had another scrappin' session tonight and there were close to a dozen people there. Great fun! Once again they supplied a couple of sketches as inspiration and they had some of their own things for people to use if they wanted.

I was a little late getting there. I thought it started at 7:30 but it actually started at 6:30. Oh well, I still managed to do both layouts and I had a great time.

Can't wait for next time!