So Long, Farewell?

As many of you know I have been on the Creative Design Team for Sketch Support for the past year. It has been a HUGE blessing in my life. I could use any product I wanted and was given creative freedom. It pushed me to actually scrapbook. I don't scrapbook as often as I think some people assume.

A little over a month ago the Creative Team was notified by the leader and creator of the Sketches, Allison Davis, that Sketch Support would be taking a break. We would not be getting new sketches come May 1st. I was devastated. Sketch Support is one thing that I've been holding onto for once I got back on my feet. Allison told us she wasn't sure how long the break would be and that there is the potential that it could be the end. She made the official announcement on the Sketch Support blog this Sunday.

I haven't been actively participating as often as I did in the beginning because of the depression and anxiety. Allison was understanding and said to do whatever I felt up for. I was open with her about what was going on in my life. Even the fact that I went to the Johnson Unit. She was awesome to work for! I truly hope that this is not the end but just in fact just a break. But only time will tell.

I originally created this blog because we were encouraged to share our projects via blogs. Of course lately I've been sharing more than my creative endeavors which have been few and far between. I can't help but wonder how much I'll scrapbook now. My whole second bedroom is dedicated to this hobby but with the depression I have lost the motivation to scrapbook. I'm sure it will eventually come back.

My last project for Sketch Support was for card week at the beginning of this month. I had planned on doing more this month but I just wasn't up for it. Little did I know that this would be my last project for Sketch Support for some time.

"You Make Me Smile" card

Supplies - Patterned Paper: We R Memory Keepers; Ink: Colorbox Fluid Chalk Ink; Circle Cutter: Creative Memories; Other: Pop dots

Sketch Support Blog Hop + Giveaway

If you are just starting at my blog, make sure you begin at the Sketch Support blog to begin the hop!

Each member of the Creative Team was given this sketch to work with that can be found in the new Sketches for Scrapbooking: One Page Sketches - Vol. 2.

Here is what I came up with using the sketch. I had a lot of fun scrapping a recent trip that my sister and I took to Jamba Juice together. We tried out some mystery flavors that we have never tried before: Sour Patch Kids & Skittles. Both were pretty yummy!

Supplies - Patterned paper: Doodlebug, Echo Park, BoBunny; Cardstock: Bazzill; Chipboard alphabet (Jamba): Bella Blvd.; Sticker alphabet (taking a chance @)): American Crafts; Chalk Ink: ColorBox Fluid Chalk Ink; Embellishments: Jamba Juice Menu

And now a little about me...

How long have you been scrapbooking? I have been scrapbooking since I was 11 years old! My mom came home from a Creative Memories party and I was hooked!

Why did you start scrapbooking? It was a fun creative outlet for me and I also liked that it got the pictures out of the boxes and into scrapbook albums.

What is your favorite time of day to scrapbook? I can scrapbook anytime during the day but I probably scrapbook at night the most. I seem to be inspired the most then.

How often do you scrapbook? It really depends on what is going on in my life. For instance this is the first scrapbook page I've created since October I think! Typically I like to get some scrapbooking in every week.

Where do you scrapbook/what does your space look like? Oh boy! My scrapbooking supplies have taken over my second bedroom. It really is my crafting space. I usually scrapbook on the floor, the kitchen table, the coffee table or all three if I have multiple projects going on. It seems like there is always creative chaos going on in my apartment.

When I'm not scrapbooking you can find me...hanging out with friends, watching "Lark Rise to Candleford", reading, taking walks, etc.

What is your favorite thing about using sketches? That I know the dimensions of everything! It really takes a lot of the guess work out which I love.

What is your favorite sketch from Sketch Support? How could I honestly choose just one! My favorite ones tend to be the ones that isnpire me the most and I end up with great looking scrapbook pages. I think that would cover every single sketch I've used!

And now for the giveaway! I have one Sketches for Scrapbooking: One Page Sketches - Vol. 2 to give to one lucky reader. All you have to do is leave a comment telling me what is your favorite thing about using sketches. I will pick a winner on Wednesday and announce the winner on Thursday. Good luck!

Now head over to Jennifer Larson's awesome blog! She always comes up with amazing scrapbook layouts! You won't be disappointed!

You Take the Cake

Last week was card week at Sketch Support. Lucky for me I was able to find time at the last minute to throw a card together. Loved working with this sketch.

I followed the sketch pretty closely except that I didn't add any embellishments. I felt that the paper added enough interest. Oh and I took a black pen and used it to do the stitching. :o) Oh and I guess I rounded the corners too.

"You Take the Cake" card

Supplies - Patterned Paper: DCWV; Ink: Colorbox Fluid Chalk Ink; Corner RounderMemory Keepers; Black Pen: Sharpie; Other: Pop dots

Creative Endeavors

Even amidst the depression and anxiety I was able to get a couple of creative projects done for Sketch Support. Yay!

First off, at the beginning of February was card week. I loved the sketch and thought that it would make the perfect Valentine's Day Card. My goal was to make 16 of them! A little crazy? I would say so! Especially considering my mental state. I only completed two of them, but I plan on turning the others into thank you cards.

"Happy Valentine's Day" card

Supplies - Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned Paper: BoBunny; Ink: Colorbox Fluid Chalk Ink and Staz On; Corner Rounder: We R Memory Keepers; Stamp: craft smart; Floss: DMC

A couple of weeks later was Add-On week. That sketch caught my eye as well and my creative mind started turning.

It is very similar to the card sketch and I love to handstitich. I knew that this would look great on a gift bag and so I got to work. I love how it turned out and actually found the energy to make two!

"All You Need is Love" gift bag

Supplies - Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned Paper: We R Memory Keepers; Ink: Colorbox Fluid Chalk Ink; Corner Rounder: We R Memory Keepers; Floss: DMC; Tissue Paper: Hallmark; Hearts: Cricut; Other: Gift Bag

Gobble Gobble

Last year was the first year that I made place cards for our Thanksgiving table. I made these pumpkins for each person. They took me quite awhile to finish them even with help. I was thinking that we would just reuse them this year since the end of November was quite busy but of course I just had to add more to my plate. :o)

Two weeks ago it was an add-on sketch over at Sketch Support. The sketch is of a leaf but I was having a hard time figuring out how to use it. I guess my mom suggested that I turn it into a turkey feather though somehow I didn't hear her. A few minutes later I thought it would make the perfect turkey feather.

"Turkey"

Supplies - Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned paper: We R Memory Keepers; Chalk Ink: ColorBox; Tools: Cricut (Simply Charmed); Scoring Board: Martha Stewart; Pearls: Queen & Company

I ended up making ten of these turkeys. I actually finished them just minutes before we sat down to eat our Thanksgiving meal. I used black letter stickers to add names to the fronts of the turkeys. They turned out quite cute! I've been told that I need to make either pilgrims or Indians for next year. We shall see.

The King & Us

It is two-page sketch week at Sketch Support. And my layout just went up yesterday and I'm already blogging about it! Yay! ;)

I had so much fun with this sketch. I have a feeling this will be one that I will use again and again. That is if I find the time. One thing I love about this sketch is how you can use so many different patterns on it. Trying to figure out which patterns I should use and which ones should be next to each other took me forever! I'm so slow. (To see the layout in more detail just click on the photo.)

"The King & Us"

Supplies - Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned paper, Cardstock Stickers, Pearls, Circle Embellishments: My Mind's Eye; Alphabet stickers: American Crafts; Chalk Ink: ColorBox

These pictures were taken in 2009 when Kari and I went to see New In Town for the second time. We loved it so much and wanted to share it with our moms and so we went a second time. This statue of Elvis can be found in front of the Battle Ground movie theater. I'm always looking for photo opportunities and who wouldn't want to pose with the King of Rock & Roll. :)

Happy Birthday

Last week was two-page week on Sketch Support. I would have blogged about it sooner but I was without the internet for a few days. I survived but boy was it annoying. :)

I really love this sketch! I seem to have a weakness for banners lately. They are so much fun! My take on this sketch was also part of a product challenge. I was sent a group of scrapbook supplies that I was challenged to use. Here is my take:

"Happy Birthday"

Supplies - Cardstock: American Crafts; Patterned paper: Simple Stories; Stickers: Simple Stories; Pop Dots: EK Success; Floss: DMC

These pictures are from Tom's last birthday. I love trying to capture photos of someone blowing out their candles. I'm pretty happy with how these photos turned out. Tom's birthday is just around the corner. It will be nice to have him be just as old as I am. ;)

Happy Birthday Card

From the title of this post you may think that it is card week at Sketch Support but it is actually add-on week.

How cute are these balloons?! I love them and they are so easy to put together. The sketch gives you the instructions and dimensions so visit Sketch Support to get a copy for yourself. I was going to use it on a layout but didn't have patterned paper on hand that I liked so I decided to put a birthday card together.

"Happy Birthday" card

Supplies - Patterned paper: My Mind's Eye, BoBunny; Chalk Ink: ColorBox; Pop Dots: Recollections; Beading Wire: Cousin; Floss: DMC; Circle Cutters: Creative Memories, EK Success

It's Your Day

Last week was two-page sketch on Sketch Support. I just love working with the two-page sketches and I loved this one!

I followed this sketch exactly except that I did not use the heart embellishments. Love the hearts but they didn't work with my birthday theme. :)

"It's Your Day"

Supplies - Cardstock: Unknown; Patterned paper: BoBunny, Scenic Route; Floss: DMC; Border Punch: Fiskars; Letter Stickers: American Crafts, Making Memories; Pop Dots: EK Success

Bryce turned 5 this past June and invited Tom and I to his birthday party months in advance. As the day drew closer I wasn't sure if he would really care if we were there or not. I helped Paige with a few of the preparations while watching the kids and could tell that he had a fun dinosaur birthday planned.

Tom and I were planning on heading to WA before his party and Paige said we were welcome to come to his party but not to feel like we had to. Well I decided I should see what Bryce thought. I started to tell him that Tom and I were going to go visit my parents and thinking of leaving before his party. He immediately teared up and wanted to know if we would make it to his party. Needless to say we headed up to WA later than we planned. :)

Bryce had a very fun party with tons of friends to enjoy it with. We didn't interact a lot with Bryce but at least he knew we were there. We ended up helping out with Jos and making some of the other kids we knew there feel comfortable. Tom and I enjoy any chance we get to spend with such cute kids!

Happy Halloween Card

Last week was card week at Sketch Support. I love the card sketch that Allison created for this month. It can be used for so many different occasions.

When I was getting ready to work on this card I was already working on some projects for My Mind's Eye using their Mischievous paper line and thought that it would be fun to use this line to make a Halloween card.

"Happy Halloween" card

Supply List - Patterned Paper: My Mind's Eye; Brad: My Mind's Eye; Floss: DMC; Chalk Ink: ColorBox; Pop Dots: EK Success; Corner Rounder: We R Memory Keepers; Other: Black Cardstock

Time with Josalyn

This week is one-page sketch week at Sketch Support. It really is such a fun sketch and the Creative Team has made some great layouts based off of it. If you would like a copy of this sketch head over to Sketch Support to print it out.

Here is my take:

"Time with Josalyn"

Supply List - Patterned Paper: Heidi Grace Designs, KI Memories, American Crafts, Little Yellow Bicycle; Letter Stickers: My Mind's Eye and Heidi Grace Designs; Journaling Spot: My Mind's Eye; Border Punch: Fiskars; Ribbon: American Crafts; Floss: DMC; Pearls: Queen & Co.; Pop Dots: EK Success; Other: Wooden Skewers

These photos were taken almost a year ago. It was just my second day watching the kids and at the time I didn't know that it would soon be something that I would be doing every week. My friend Ashley was their babysitter but she was sick so I thought I would help her out and watch the kids for her. I guess you could say that I pretty much stole her job. Paige pretty much offered me the job before I even watched the kids once. I told her she would have to work things out with Ashley first. Ashley is not only a friend but I'm her first counselor in the Primary Presidency in our ward. I definitely didn't want to jeopardize our friendship or working relationship.

Well Paige talked to Ashley and then she officially offered me the job. If I had been Ashley I would not have been happy! Ashley was very understanding. She had just found out that she was expecting her second child and felt that this was what Heavenly Father wanted for her at that time. Bless Ashley's heart!

I love it when Heavenly Father sends us blessings that he knows we need before we even know that we need them. I wasn't looking for a job. I was really nervous about just watching the kids for two days for Ashley. This experience has really helped to increase my faith in that Heavenly Father does really know what is best for us. It has been nice to earn some extra money but even more than that I have been greatly blessed to spend time with Bryce and Josalyn. This experience has also reminded me that even when my time with them ends at the end of the year that Heavenly Father has other wonderful blessings in store for me.

Happy Birthday Sawyer!

Sawyer turned one on July 6th. Hard to believe that he is that old now! Christina stayed with Tom and I for a week in May and then spent another month with my parents in Battle Ground. Tom and I were able to go up to BG and stay for a week to hang out with Christing and Sawyer some more. We decided to celebrate Sawyer's birthday a little early and throw a cake smash party. My cousin is a professional photographer and so I got a lot of the ideas from some photos she took of her daughter's cake smash.

When I saw this two-page sketch I knew that it would be perfect to capture my favorite photos that my dad took of Sawyer and his first cake. I love how it has a focal photo and then tons more photos.

To get a copy of the sketch go visit Sketch Support. Lots of great examples are being shared this week of how to use this sketch.

Click on the photo to see it in more detail.

Variation #1 - Instead of stitching lines across the pictures and embellishment squares I just stitched around each embellishment square. That took more than enough time!

Variation #2 - I omitted the brackets on the embellishment squares. My paper strips take up quite a bit of room so the brackets would have been lost.

Variation #3 - I stitched around the large bracket on the left side of the page. I think it adds some subtle definition.

My strips list 10 things about Sawyer at age one.

Every Moment With You is a Gift

It feels like it has been forever since I've shared a project from Sketch Support. Last week we featured some of the reader's projects for the fifth week of the month. It is fun to see how different people use the sketches.

This week is card week over at Sketch Support. It is one of my favorite card sketches that Allison Davis has created. Could be used for so many different occasions. I know I will be using this sketch again in the future.

When I first saw this sketch butterflies came to mind. I LOVE butterflies. :) I originally was going to use my punches but when I saw these cardstock stickers by My Mind's Eye I knew that I wanted to use them on this card. Plus it was a good excuse to buy some new goodies.

"Every Moment" card

Supply List - Patterned Paper: My Mind's Eye; Cardstock Stickers: My Mind's Eye; Ink: ColorBox Chalk Ink and Inkadinkado; Pearls: Queen & Co.; Floss: DMC; Other: White Cardstock

I stayed pretty true to this sketch. I followed the measurements pretty closely since I just loved how it looked! My main variation is that I used butterflies instead of hearts. Now I just have to decide who to mail this card to. Anyone needing some loving snail mail? :)

Lunch In Astoria

Last week was one-page sketch week at Sketch Support. I made the layout in the blog post below using it. Many of the Creative Team Members take the one-page sketches and turn them into two-page layouts. I decided to give it a try with this sketch.

"Lunch in Astoria"
Supply List - Patterned Paper: DCWV; Cardstock: Wausau Paper; Ink: StazOn; Letter Stamps: Studio G; Border Punches: Fiskars

While Tom and I were in WA earlier this month we took a trip to the beach with my family. My good friend Kari told us about the Bowpicker and we thought it would be the perfect place to get some lunch. This little boat was just sitting in a parking lot in Astoria. I thought the fish and chips were delicious. It was quite the dining experience. I'm glad that I've already captured this memory on a scrapbook page.

Husband & Wife

It is one-page week over @ Sketch Support. I love this sketch and I know that I will use it again! Head over the to site to download your own copy. :)

 "Husband & Wife"

Supply List - Transparency: Making Memories; Die Cut Paper: Making Memories; Rub-on: My Mind's Eye; Letter Stickers: Making Memories; Floss: DMC; Other: Patterned Paper and Cardstock

In many ways I stuck with the overall feel of this sketch and made a few variations to fit with what I wanted.

I omitted the heart embellishments. I wanted to keep my layout simple and felt that the hearts (or any other embellishment) would be distracting.

I also didn't use the flags for my title. I did keep with the different strips of paper but used different sizes and added a portion of a die cut paper to add the lacy like scallop.

One thing I love about this layout is that I used oldies but goodies that I already had in my scrapbooking stash. Allison's sketches are a great way to use what you already have on hand!

Ad-On Sketch @ Sketch Support

I am loving this month's ad-on sketch over @ Sketch Support! It seems fitting since my birthday is at the end of this month. :) I decided to think outside the box and make a party hat! I found a template here by jones design company. They also give a nice tutorial. Here is my take:

"Party Hat"

Supply List - Patterned Paper: DCWV; Ink: ColorBox Chalk Ink; Distressing Tool: Making Memories; Pop Dots: EK Success; Party Hat Template: jones design company; Other: Staples, Glue Gun

Two Page Week @ Sketch Support

I prefer to scrapbook two page layouts. It is a wonderful way to scrapbook more pictures and be able to cover a day or an event with just two pages. I get a lot more scrapbooked this way.

When I saw the sketch this week I was so excited! Love it! Make sure to visit Sketch Support and see all the wonderful ways the Creative Team has used this sketch. I know that I'm inspired!

I was hoping to get this assignment done before leaving town (over a week ago) but something important came up and I put off finishing it. I actually didn't finish it till last Sunday night. I had to take pictures at night so they don't look too great on the Sketch Support site, but once I got back home I took better pictures to post here.

"Soak Up the Sun"

Supply List - Patterned Paper: Echo Park, Fancy Pants Designs, American Crafts; Die Cut Sun: Little Yellow Bicycle; Letter Stickers: American Crafts; Ink: ColorBox Chalk Ink, Inkadinkado; Floss: DMC; Pop Dots: EK Success; Other: White Cardstock

Variation 1 - I added an extra line of waves since they were all about the same height.

Variation 2 - I loved the idea of the sun on the layout and thought this would be the perfect page for the die cut sun I've had in my stash for a year. I love how it turned out.

Variation 3 - I was short on pictures so decided to dedicate one of the spaces for a 3x3 photo into a place to write my journaling.

Variation 4 - I decided to add clouds to the right side of my sketch. I really struggled with what to put there instead of the big waves.

Variation 5 - I added more fish. They were just too fun and couldn't help but add a couple more.

A Card Sketch & Giveaway Winner

Thank you all for your wonderful comments! They are greatly appreciated. The winner of "Sketches for Scrapbooking One Page Sketches" is Tanya!

Tanya said...

Fantastic layout, love the way you used it. What adorable pics!

Congratulations Tanya! Email me (mellyanne@gmail.com) your shipping information and we will get your book in the mail.

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It is Card Week over on the Sketch Support website. I have loved seeing what  the creative team members have created so far with this sketch:

I believe that this is the first time I have used one of Allison's card sketches. I just don't make cards that often. I would much rather put the time into a layout. This card sketch is a fun one! I stuck with the size of the card (6"x6") and stayed with the circle theme but pretty much went my own way beyond that.

"You Make Me Oh So Very Happy"

Supply List - Patterned Paper: K&Company, Pink Paislee, Making Memories, DCWV, BoBunny, My Mind's Eye; Ink: ColorBox Chalk Ink, StazOn; Pearls: Queen & Co.; Stamp: Studio G; Pop Dots: EK Success; Other: White Cardstock

This card is an easy one to put together and I used mostly scraps from my stash. For the sun rays I cut strips of patterned paper and folded them in half. I used four different designs of patterned paper and two different sized strips.

One Page Sketch & A Giveaway

It is One Page Week over at Sketch Support. Go here to grab a copy of the sketch. This sketch is from Allison's new book Sketches for Scrapbooking One Page Sketches.

Here is the sketch:

I decided to jazz up the sketch this week just a bit. :) That is one thing that I love about Allison's sketches- the ability to make them work for you! I love these photos of Sawyer.

Variation #1 - I flipped the sketch.

Variation #2 - I lengthened the three middle panels to 3" x 9".

Variation #3 - Since I lengthened the middle panels I decided to use a vertical photo in place of the horizontal one. My photo is 3.5" x 5.5". I also added two 2" x 2" photos above the original 2" x 2" photos.

Variation #4 - I created a die cut patterned paper to use as my background. One of my favorite things to do is to use a die cut piece of paper as a stencil. That way I can get the fun edge but use paper that matches.

Variation #5 - I omitted the journaling since I felt like it would make the layout look too busy. Plus the pictures pretty much tell the story.

Variation #6 - I stuck with the star theme but changed the placing of them just a bit to work with the overall feel of the layout. Instead of stitching on the large star I added a star on top with pop dots to add dimension.

I have a copy of Sketches for Scrapbooking One Page Sketches Volume 1 to give to one lucky reader! Leave me a comment below to be entered in a random drawing for Allison’s new one-page sketch book. For additional chances to win, check out the blogs of my fellow Creative Team members. I’ll be randomly selecting someone on Wednesday, August 3rd.

God Bless America

There is a fun Add-On Sketch over at the Sketch Support website this week! This add-on sketch is intended to look like fireworks exploding in the sky, but could be altered into a number of different things.

Here is the sketch (go to the website to print it out):

For this sketch I kept trying to think outside the box but wasn't very successful. I originally was going to alter the fireworks to look like dandelions. It would have worked great except that I was using dandelion patterned paper on my layout and it just wasn't working for me. I'm sure my perfectionism was coming out in full force. ;)

Instead of dandelions I went with firecrackers! I don't have too many holiday decorations, so I thought that I would make myself a 4th of July decoration. Here is what I came up with:

I decorated the back of an 8x10 canvas. I did this once before for another design team and had so much fun with it. I painted both the front and the back of the canvas and then glued down all the different parts. I stuck to the firework sketch for the most part with a few variations. I love how the sketch is very detailed about how to stitch the sparklers. Worked perfectly for me and I used metallic DMC floss to make sure that they really did sparkle. :)

Variation #1 -  I added rectangle bases to my fireworks. They add some visual interest and ground the sparklers. So I guess now they are considered firecrackers instead of fireworks.

Variation #2 - Instead of stitching the firework stems I used aluminum wire. I stuck the wire into the pop dots under the rectangle bases and then cushioned the other end between two small pop dots that are covered by the center circles.