SOS July SKETCH Challenge "Then & Now"

It is time for my 2nd Layout for Scrap Our Stash's Challenge Blog -  It's not a WORD Challenge this time - just a Super Sweet Sketch to help you to use up your STASH! and it ALSO needs to include a "BANNER."

You can check out all the details and see the other Layouts created by the Talented Design Team by CLICKING HERE! 

Here is the sketch - and it is a REAL FUN ONE !!   Check it out!!

This sketch really appealed to me, as it has lots of different "stuff" going on, and I thought it would be a great chance to use up some of my "Stash!"  First I needed to pick 2 photos - and, according to the sketch, I had to be willing to cut one of them in half!!  ( That brought me right back to the first scrapbook class I took, many many years ago.  I still remember the feeling of angst, when I cut my first photo on my paper trimmer!!)  Now, after cutting many a photo over the years, I looked upon having to cut a photo in half for this sketch as a FUN challenge, and a new way to add a photo to my layout!

I decided to make the theme/title of my layout "Then and Now" and used an old photo of my husband and I from when we were first dating @ circa 1976 for the "Then," and a photo of us from this year, that was taken on our recent trip to Alaska.

Here are a few close ups for you:

This photo was taken when we first started dating, and YES, we were high school sweethearts, and I can't believe that almost 40 years have transpired!!-  YIKES, it seems like just yesterday, or well maybe more like last month?! LOL!!

This new photo of us was taken on an excursion into Yukon Territory, BC, Canada, last month, while we were on our Disney Wonder Alaskan Cruise.  The day started out rainy and cloudy, but when we reached the "Musher's Camp," the sun came out and the sky was blue with puffy clouds!  Look at that amazing mountain in the background!

Here are some close ups of other elements on the page.
 

That large glimmer flourish has been in my stash for @ 5+ years.  I had used a mask in that shape on a project, and the plastic mask was all full of glimmer goodness from the Glimmer Mist that I was using, so I used it as a "stamp" on some cream cardstock.  I fussy cut it out for this layout, and inked the edges in blue.  So happy I finally got to use it!!

Part of this challenge is to also include a "BANNER" - some might interpret that to be the long 2 pointed end strip under the photos - or - if you are like me -add a string and some hanging tags and other elements!

Here you can see how I used a mask and 2 different Glimmer Mists on this corner.

I got to use LOTS of STUFF from my STASH on this page!  I really HOPE it INSPIRES YOU to play along with us at the SCRAP OUR STASH BLOG!!

Thanks for stopping by! If you have a minute - post a comment -  I'd LOVE to hear from you!
((HUGS)) ~ Sherri


Items used:
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Paper Stack - Kraft Resist
Simple Stories #2321 Documented Bingo/Chevron
The Paper Co. Jewel Metallic Textured - Bronze
American Craft Duotone Glitter Chipboard Letters "Sunrise"
Graphic 45 Die Cuts -Alphas/Numbers
Prima Alphabet Stickers
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Big Chat and Small Talk Stickers
Graphic 45 Le Cirque Collections - Tags/Boarders
Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher
Echo Park "Reflections" - Chipboard Accents
Brown Hemp
Wink of Stella Black and Gold Glitter Pen
Dusty Attic Chippies
Powder Puff Chalk Ink - Blue Moon
Ranger Distress Stains - Vintage Photo / Antiqued Bronze
Glimmer Mist Sprays : Bell Bottom Jeans / Red Velvet / Butternut Squash

The Memory Nest's "MIM" #44 Fishing in Alaska with Disney!

It's already time for the 2nd Challenge of the July from The Memory Nest Blog!

I think the "Make it Monday" (MIM) Sketch #44 BELOW is just perfect for some FISHING photos from our recent Disney Cruise to Alaska!!

I sorted through my (ever growing / never ending) "Stash" of Disney papers, etc... to see what would go well with the Alaska papers I recently purchased in anticipation of our trip.   I am sooo pleased that the Capt of the little fishing boat took the photo of my Dad, Hubby and 2 sons with our cruise ship, The Disney Wonder in the background!!  The White, Blue and Yellow of the ship, along with the Red rain jackets that my guys were wearing helped to make the photos work well with the papers I selected - don't 'cha think?  Take a look at my take on the sketch:

While I LOVE the "squareness" of the sketch and I think it works GREAT for these 3 photos - I have to say, it challenged me a quite a bit.   I had all the elements on my desk for a few days, not sure about gluing it down, but as the deadline fast approached - I had to move it along!!   For those of you that know my usual "dimensional/multi-layer/" style - ( aka - "just put EVERTHING on the page" style ) - I was finding it hard to make it "work" in my mind's eye.

Finally, I added the finishing touches that made it all come together for me - the MICKEY Hand Washi Tape, the little photo of their fishing boat, in the yellow striped chipboard frame, and the little embellies underneath it. 

My youngest son Jake, caught a 23 lb King Salmon!! WOO HOO!!

They all had a GREAT time and will remember that day forever!

My oldest son Nick caught a Rock Fish ( he named him Chris Rock!) We had him shipped home too, and are looking forward to a "Fish Taco" dinner one night soon!!

I created a journaling tag, and made a pocket behind the group photo, to record memories about that day.  It is one of my favorite ways to include journaling in my layouts.

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you will play along with us over at The Memory Nest Blog!  This is really such a versatile layout.  Come hop on over to get all the details, check out this month's prize a $20.00 Gift Certificate, and find all about your MANY chances to WIN!!


Items used:
Scrapbook Customs - Alaska Cruise and Ketchikan Papers
Queen and Co. Magic Film - Stars
Left over pieces of 3 Disney papers with no name on them (for background squares!)
Powder Puff - Blue Moon Chalk Ink
Queen and Co Embellishment Buttons
Scrapbook Customs Self Adhesive Doo-Dads - Alaska Vintage
Tim Holtz - Tiny Attacher
Washi Tape
Queen and Co. Headliners (Title)
Queen and Co. Ice Accents/Candy Shop (Star)
Simple Stories Say Cheese2 (Chipboard Frame)

((HUGS)) ~ Sherri

P.S. - I LOVE comments, and would LOVE to hear from you! If you have a minute, please feel free to let me know you were here! :-)

Summer Mini Album Class at Scrap-a-Doodle Doo Aug 1st

Here is info on the upcoming class I will be teaching at my FAVORITE Local Scrapbook Store -
 aka -"My Happy Place!"

Scrap-a-Doodle Doo! In Ramsey, NJ

My first class for this summer, will be a cute little 
MINI ALBUM, using Simple Stories 
"Good Day Sunshine" Collection!

SATURDAY, AUGUST 1, 2015  10:30am - 1:30PM
SAVE the Date and CALL THE STORE to reserve your seat/or kit, as they are limited to the first 10 people!!

YOU ARE GOING TO LOVE IT!
Join me and make this adorable Summer Mini using the very popular Simple Stories "Good Day Sunshine" Collection!  There are LOTS of flip out tags ( Learn a super cool technique using Graphic 45's Tags!) and lots of pockets and places for photos and journaling too!  It's the PERFECT "not so little" Mini Album for all your summer photos and memories!

Here are a few "Sneak Peeks!"

CALL THE STORE TO RESERVE YOUR SEAT!  201-818-7060 ASAP!
HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE...

In the meantime -CHECK OUT The DOO's
 BRAND SPANKIN' NEW Website:
www.shopthedoo.com

It's Up and Running!!

Scrap-a-Doodle Doo

37-C Swan Street 

Ramsey, NJ 

201-818-7060

Challenge YOUrself #20 -DOUBLE Challenge!!

Hi everyone!  It is time for the JULY Challenge over at the Challenge YOUrself Blog!!  This month we have a "DOUBLE" Challenge for YOUr Scrappy Pleasure!!  Not only is there an AWESOME Sketch, we are throwing a little spin on it, and adding another Challenge "Ingredient!"  We are asking you to incorporate 3 of the 4 colors shown next to the sketch.

Click HERE for full details, and see the sketch and the colors below. I really hope you will play along with us this month!! You could WIN a great Heidi Swapp PRIZE too!

and here is my Design Team Layout for your Inspiration!

I love the added color combo challenge! I happened to have purchased the perfect papers for it, just before we went away on vacation.  I think the "Indian" theme of the papers works great with the "Selfie" shots we took when visiting the Totem Poles while in Stanley Park, Vancouver, BC last month -don't you?!!

Here are a few close ups for you:

I used my new Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Stain "Fossilized Amber," on the wooden embellishments, to make them "pop" and to tie in with the "Yellow" color for the Challenge.

Keeping with the "feather" theme of this paperline - I used my  Spellbinders "Feathers" Die to cut out some feathers and added them with 3D Pop Dots, to add some dimension to the layout.

I punched holes in a journaling card, and tied some fibers through them - I think it added some fun texture.

It was our first time in Vancouver, and we were only there for a day before and a day after our Disney Wonder Alaska Cruise.  I have to say, the city was BEAUTIFUL, very very clean, and everyone was super friendly.

Items used:
Paper: Scrapbook Customs: Tribal Feathers and Grey Pattern / Stripes and Squared / Arrow and Blue Arrows / Lines and Grey Arrows
Black, Pink, Yellow and Blue Cardstock
Fibers from my Stash
Wood Veneer "Vacay" from Heidi Swapp
Black Marker
Ranger Distressed Stains:  Fossilized Amber / Peacock Feather / Hickory Smoke

Thanks for stopping by!  I would love to hear from you - and would love it even more if you played along with us at the Challenge YOUrself Blog!

(((HUGS))) ~ Sherri

The Memory Nest's "MIM" #43 DOG GONE CUTE!

Happy JULY Everyone!   Can you believe how quickly this year is going??  I hope you are all enjoying your summer and have been able to get in some Scrappy Time!!

It is time for The Memory Nest's First Make it Monday Challenge for July!

I decided it was time to scrap some great photos of our youngest dog Valentino!  He is a 1 year and 8 month old, Portuguese Water Dog.  His registered name is "Turnabout is Fair Play" and we call him TINO! ( along with Goofball, Mr. Magoo, T-Man, and "T," just to name a few....)

We were on vacation last month and we were able to have him go stay with his wonderful breeder / his other "Mommy."  Lisa is a Wonderful Friend, and a super photographer too! ( especially since this boy doesn't stay still - he is ALWAYS on the move!)   FYI - a common clip for this breed is called a Lion Clip.  These dogs are swimmers and have webbed feet.  They don't shed, and have hair not fur.  The traditional Lion Clip, gives them short hair cut on their hind quarters that helps them to swim, and the "flag" at the end of their tail serves as a "rudder" when swimming too.  The hair is kept long on their chest and head, to act as insulation while swimming.


So - here is the first sketch for the month. I cropped my photos, to fit 3 across - I think the sketch would be GREAT for some "Instagram" pics too -don't you?!!

When I saw Crystal's Sketch, I thought it would be perfect for some of the photos that Lisa took.  I picked out 3 of my favorites and then sorted through all the papers and embellishments in my stash - and here is what I came up with:

Tino is our 3rd PWD, and a true "Working Dog." He is very busy and VERY Smart!  He always makes us smile too.  As you can tell by these photos, he is a bit of a "clown" and is ALWAYS on the move!!  Sometimes my husband and I just shake our heads around 10pm, and ask each other  - "How the heck is he still standing?!"  #LOVEHIM

Here are a few close ups for you:

I made a pocket to include a little note about who took the photos and when and where they were taken.

I decided to mix it up - and use different papers, from different collections and manufacturers for this layout. I also LOVE the Custom Diecut Title made by my friends at my Local Scrapbook Store Scrap-a-Doodle Doo!

He is just so Silly!

Here are the items I used in this layout:
Bella Blvd : Tail Wagers and Cat Nips #176 Paws and Claws
Pink Pasilee : Prairehill #00592 Spool
Simple Stories : Take a Hike #2521 Bingo Cards/ Chevron
Graphic 45 : Le Cirque #4500311 Greatest Show on Earth
Bo Bunny Happy Tails - Jewels / Stickers / Chipboard
Queen and Co. - "Pet" Flair
Red Wink of Stella
Powder Puff Chalk Ink "Mango Mai Tai"
Ranger Distress Stains : Tarnished Brass, Rusty Hinge, Black Soot, Peacock Feathers

So... what are you waiting for?? -  Go ahead, Print out the Sketch and Play along with us at The Memory Nest Blog - You could WIN a PRIZE!!   I can't wait to see what you come up with !!

((HUGS)) ~ Sherri

Scrap Our Stash "P.H.O.T.O.S" Challenge "ShutterBug"

Hi Everyone!!

You can't see me, but I am (virtually) "Jumping Up and Down with Joy," to be able to bring you my FIRST Design Team Inspiration Layout, for the Scrap Our Stash Blog!!   WOO HOO!

One of the things I LOVE about this Challenge Blog is that it really helps you to use up the "STUFF" you've had sitting around F O R E V E R - and in a very creative way!

For example - on this first challenge - the layout can be whatever you want it to be, as long as you included an item from your "STASH" - for each of the Letters in the word "PHOTOS."  Yup, that is the ONLY RULE!

So - if you are like me - and I'm thinking like most scrappers, you have "Quite the Stash" to pick from - LOL!!   You also have until July 29th, to submit your entry, and YES, you can WIN a PRIZE, or be selected to be a Guest Designer too!

SO - what to do, what to do???  Where do I start on these kind of challenges?  Well, first, I decide on what photo or photos I want to use.

For this challenge, I selected a photo that I took on our recent Disney Cruise to Alaska.  There are these really cool super duper large porthole windows on Deck 3 of The Disney Wonder, that have a padded seat in them, just outside of the Adult Night Club area.  We happened to be waiting there to play a game of Trivia or participate in a Mixology Class or something like that.  When I saw my husband and 2 sons sitting there in the shadow of the windows, I just had to take a picture!!

Next, onto what paper(s) I wanted to use.  Well since I've been wracking my brain, trying to come up with not just ONE - but TWO scrapbook items that begin with "O" - I knew that one of them had to be "ORANGE." Then it hit me - as I thought of the perfect paper collection....Bo Bunny's "Mama Razzi2"  - How fitting right!?? :-) The title of this page is....

"ShutterBug" -

Here are the items used for the Challenge from my Stash:

P – Punch / Peacock Feathers Distress Stain

H – Hemp / Heart

O -  Oval Brad

T –  Tag / Twine / Tape (Washi)

O – Orange Button and Paper

S – Stamp / Staples / Star

Here are some close-ups for you too:

LOVE this black and white Washi - 
and I used my Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher to staple the Hemp for the banner!

I stamped and journaled on the tag and added it to the banner too.

Lots of embellies in this corner - as you can see, I like to "mix it up!"

Here is the detailed list if ALL items used:
BoBunny Mama Razzi2 Collection:
#14001642 - Oh Snap
#14001643 - Photo Booth
#14001647 - Tripod
#14001646 - Strike a Pose
#14015663 - Chipboard
Trinkets / Buttons / Brads
Kaisercraft -P1675 Close Up Collection - FocusWashi Tap
Black Cardstock
Ranger Distress Stain: Peacock Feathers / Black Soot / Rusty Hinge/ Tarnished Brass
Amy Tangerine Date Stamp
Fisker's Notebook Paper Edge Punch
Hemp

Ranger Distress Stains : Tarnished Brass, Black Soot, Rusty Hinge, Peacock Feathers

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you will play along with us at Scrap Our Stash!

((HUGS)) ~ Sherri