Page Maps Freehand Scraps Contest

This layout is another Page Maps Blog Contest Entry. http://pagemaps.blogspot.com/2011/07/freehand-scraps-sketch-contest.html

It used the following sketch.

Again, I'm using some of Christa Holland's incredible photos to continue Kat's album. (There's just so many awesome ones to use!) I love the glimpses of the old tin ceiling at the top of the stairs and the hexagonal tile at the bottom in these. With Kat's outfit it becomes and old meets new. So I kept to clean lines in the layout and added some distressing and antique buttons to match that feel.  The background is textured cardstock by Best Occasions. The patterned paper is by Life Stories and the strip is a scrap from K&Company's Life's Journey collection. The felt ribbon and gold ribbons were from my stash. The chipboard ribbon slide came from Bazzil and the paper I covered it with is a scrap. I inked everything with Tim Holtz's Brushed Corduroy distress ink (Kat insisted!) and added antique buttons from my stash. The quotation is, "To be able to look back upon one's past life with satisfaction is to live twice." Marcus Valerius Martial

Page Maps Punky Sprouts Entry

This layout is for the Page Maps Blog's Punky Sprouts Contest. http://pagemaps.blogspot.com/2011/07/punky-sprouts-sketch-contest.html

Once again I'm going back to working on Kat's senior album. I have to get it finished so that I can start Arch's before school starts for HIS senior year. So what if she's been in college a year already? Good things come to those who wait, right? Okay, first the layout.

These pictures are once again from the wonderful Christa Holland's senior photo shoot. I love the black and white one!

I used off-white cardstock from Paper Studios for the background and the the patterned paper is from Life Stories Celebration Tracker Family History stack. I used remnants for the ribbons. I've been hanging onto that crocheted one for a very long time, looking for just the right place for it. The others are from Basic Grey. The wooden accents are from K&Company. I colored the peacock with Galaxy markers. The quotation is from a family history stack. It says, "Life isn't a matter of milestones, but of moments." Rose Kennedy. Since this album celebrates moments of a milestone year, it seemed to fit.  Here's a detail shot of the peacock. I thought I'd ruined it, since it smeared and I tried to even it out with alcohol. Kat loves it so it's a happy accident!

June Circle Journal: Tea Time

This month, I had April's journal. She focused on tea. She had each of us create a 2 page layout about tea and include some bags of our favorite teas to share with the others. This one was really fun! I used my Cricut Nursery Rhymes cartridge for the die cut and title. It's such a sweet cartridge!. I added in a journaling block from Making Memories. Then I used clocks from the Flea Market line from Making Memories, pearl brads from K & Company and Prima flowers with tiny button brads. The background paper is from Ella Blue Collection by GCD Studios. The journaling reads: Tea--comfort in a cup--coolness in a glass. I remember my mother giving me a cup of hot tea when I was a child and felt bad. There was always a pitcher of iced tea read for guests. Now, I keep several varities of tea around. I drink green tea for breakfast most mornings and have many flavors of hebal tea around. I love citrus and fruity teas. And on a hot day--a tall, cold glass of iced tea with a dash of lemon or cranberry or lime...mmmmm. 

 Oh, and the tea I tucked in? Two bags each of Tazo's Wild Orange and Passion flavored teas. Two of my absolute favorites.

PageMaps My Little Shoebox Contest

I love PageMaps as you can tell. I use the sketches from this site over and over, so I was very excited to find their blog and Facebook page. On the blog this month is a sketch contest using this sketch:

I had these great pictures Archie took of his senior ring back in April just sitting on the computer and they just seemed to fit. So I'm entering the contest.

First the layout:

 The background is from Basic Grey's Basics collection. The transparency and oval are a set from my stash as are the journaling spot and deminsional stickers. All the rest are scraps and leftovers from my stash.

The journaling reads: It's offical! With the arrival of his Senior ring, Arch only has 1 more year of high school left. He designed this ring with his birthstone (emerald), National Honor Society emblem, cross, star and date on one side and Phillipians 4:8, trombone, music, star as the other. Yeah, he likes it. April 2011.

The rectangular tag reads: Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable...think about such things. The circle tag has the reference: Phil. 4.8.

Circle Journal: FEAR

Lori's CJ is about Fears. So, I thought about several fears I have and finally decided on the fear of being lost. The journaling reads: I am afraid of being lost. Oh, I can read maps, but I panic and miss turns. I'm fine if I'm with someone else, but alone--no way. Driving alone in a city, especially, terrifies me.

This layout features papers from DCWV mostly. I also used up old scraps on the chipboard arrows. Letter stickers, a piece of map patterned paper and a journaling block with torn edges are all inked in Tim Holtz inks.

Bucket List (Circle Journal Layout)

This month's circle journal was Mona's. Her theme was Bucket List. We were to choose 3 items we wanted to do before we died and then elaborate on one of them. She also had a "use your stash" challenge added in. So on this layout I had my 3 items (1. To see some of the natural national "treasures" such as the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, The Great Lakes, etc. 2. Be on a home makeover show. 3. Stay at a bed and breakfast on vacation.) Number 3 is the one I elaborated on, since Jeff and I stayed at this cute, rustic B&B in Fredricksburg for our 20th anniversary.

For the challenge, I used papers from Me & My Big Ideas specialty pack with diecuts. The two smaller tags are by Anna Griffin. The title letters are from Marcella by K for K&Company. The tissue tape and ink are Tim Holtz.

Thanks, Mona, I had never really put these things into a list, so this was a fun interesting challenge.

Next month: Lori's Fear CJ.

Hands Then, Hands Now Circle Journal Entry

This month's circle journal was Denise's. Her theme was Then and Now. I immediatly thought of my kids, but decided that focusing on just a part of them would be more interesting, so I chose their hands. When Arch was a baby and Kat was two, I used Kat's handprints and Arch's footprints to make a painting for my mom for Mother's Day. I took a picture of that last time I was at their house, then I drove my kids nuts getting pictures of their hands doing other things. (I must confess, the flute picture is just zoomed in from one Christa took for senior pics.) I love the collage feature in Picasa! It makes combining images so easy.

This layout is a lift from one in the March/April Creating Keepsakes. I loved the laced look with the flowers at the end, so I stretched it into a two pager. The two papers seemed to combine a heritage look with a modern look to me. The title is cut with the Cricut using Songbird, Stone Script, Ashlyn's Alphabet, and Jubilee.