Summer 2014

Here we are at the start of our summer vacation at Calabogie Lake. After this picture was taken everyone scattered to the wind.

 

We'd meet up later in the day for dinner and an evening of games but during the daytime there was a lot to do and only seven days to do it in. We made every second count.

 

The sketch I used was the October 27th one from Let's Get Sketchy. This is the first month I've played along with all four of the challenges. I usually run out of time.
 

For this layout I turned the sketch a turn to the right so that it would accommodate my larger photograph nicely. I often start a layout by turning a sketch from side-to-side and top-to-bottom. The look can vary dramatically with each turn.

 

Original Positioning

Rotated position  to accommodate 5x7 photo

Well it's Halloween tonight so off I go.

There's pictures to be taken for scrapbooking.

I'm anticipating ghosts and goblins in my future. 

Sweet Dreams

Continuing with scrapping my summer vacation photos, today I present to you "Sweet Dreams".

 

There are those of us that consider napping to one of the best activities, or lack thereof, on a summer vacation. Our Kelly is an Olympian when it comes to napping. Her motto is,

"Wherever and whenever; I'm out."

 

 

For this layout I used another October Scrapmuch? sketch designed by Laura Whitaker. I ran out of time to enter into the October challenge (I loose track of days when I play with paper), so entered it in The Paper Girls Challenge #66 "Anything Goes". It was my first time seeing the site and there's some fun looking challenges. They announce new challenges on the 1st and 3rd Monday of each month. I'm looking forward to playing next month.

 

As mentioned in previous vacation posts, I'm using lots of the Bo Bunny Lemonade Stand papers that came in my July Scrapmuch? Kit Club kit. The papers are so summery. I just love the combination of bright pastels.

 

Some embellishment using items from the kit and a Bo Bunny Ephemera pack, and the deed was done.

 

 

fireWORKS

Whose idea was it to give this man fireworks? Oh right...mine.

Well it seemed like a good idea until I saw the personality transformation once he got the box in his hot little hands. Then I saw the lighter come out. Yikes!

Once it got dark we really did have a nice show of fireworks. We did learn though that you do have to plant fireworks "firmly" in the ground or you get the odd runaway
rocket. :)

For this layout I used another sketch from Let's Get Sketchy. This one by Bev Code. The stars on the sketch drew me to my vacation fireworks photo.

I used a silhouette 'die cut' file for the fireworks. This was new for me.

First I cut the black. It had all the fireworks cut out.

Next came the pink which had only some fireworks cut out so it was what put pink behind some of the black cut outs. It also cut out some identical pieces to the black.

Those identical pieces are what showed green when I placed the third layer of paper, the lime green, on the back.

The embellishments and title were fun to do. I printed the tag with the sounds we heard that night using the 'Julyfireworks' font, and placed the red stars from my July 2014 Premium Scrapmuch? Kit into some of the cut out stars as well as topping off the tag with the kit's green flower button. I cut out a few yellow stars to add to the pink and green ones and then I was done.

Orange you glad we're family?

I'm finally getting started on the photos from our summer vacation. Now I just have to keep at it until all those July memories are scrapbooked.

For continuity I plan on using some of Bo Bunny's Lemonade Stand collection in each of the layouts. I love all the bright summer colours. It's wet, windy and a very gray out today so a hot cup of tea and bits of brightly coloured papers are just what was needed to turn today around for the better.

One nice thing about vacationing in the Ottawa Valley is the proximity to family we don't often get to see. Visiting Ken and Diane was one of the highlights of our 2014 summer vacation.

For this layout I used the October 13, 2014 sketch from Let's Get Sketchy, designed by Laura Whitaker. It worked perfectly for my 'citrus' theme.

A few lemons and a butterfly and my layout was about as 'summer' as I could make it.

Harvest Memories

Our Thanksgiving dinner this year was a lesson in mathematics. It turns out that a 30 lb. turkey does not fit in a pan designed for a 20 lb. bird. It also became apparent that 30 lbs. of turkey is way too much for six people. From what I understand turkey soup and turkey pot pies are still under construction at Erica's.

Jorge, (our family names its turkey before roasting), was delicious and a great centerpiece for our harvest memory. I'm told we name our poultry because calling him "the bird", or "dinner", seems so impersonal. What a weird family I have.

For this layout I used the Fall Harvest Memories Kit by Scrapmuch?

 

 

I added a few vines, one on each page, and Polaroid frames to highlight the main content of my Instax instant photos. Instax is a great to go from photo to craft room in 5 minutes. The rest of the layout was as provided.
 

Unfortunately the kit is no longer available. You've got to get to them quickly. Scrapmuch? kits are so popular.

 

 

SPIDER-SAM

The Amazing SPIDER-SAM!
 Doesn't he look so cute chilling out in his Spidey pool?

 

For this layout I used the October 15th sketch from Stuck?! designed by Laura Whitaker.

 

With the cartoon printed background paper there wasn't a lot I could add. My favourite embellishment was the black on yellow web with dangling spider.
 

The title, of course, had to be in the Spider-Man font. I love how Silhouette will use any font you download onto your computer.

 

Spider-Sam, Spider-Sam,

Does whatever a spider can

Spins a web, any size,

Catches thieves just like flies

Look Out!

Here comes Spider-Sam.

Pageant Princess

Old albums have given us the answer as to why we all know Erica as a "Princess". It didn't begin with all those royal costumes she wore on oh so many Halloweens. It began when she was 19 months old and earned herself the title of princess in the 12 - 24 month age category of the Huntsville Fall Fair.

I do remember that, after her obligatory princess photo, she ran to her brother so he could drive her around and around, and around and around again, in the little white truck on the merry-go-round.

I used the Scrapmuch? October 10, 2014 sketch by Laura Whitaker. I also used the layout to participate in the "Anything Goes" Challenge  #212 by Lasting Memories.

 

For embellishments I used the newspaper clipping, some pearls (appropriate for a princess), a button tied with ribbon and a handmade white satin rosette to mimic the one she'd been presented with at the pageant.
 

Too cute !
 

& Smile

Coming across photos from days gone by....way way gone by, is always fun.

I remember this day in 1983 well. Our department had recently moved to new digs and the boss wanted a picture of the team. We had a heck of a time getting everyone on the right step so that we went up in height from bottom to top. In the end we just about managed to do it. The big challenge was to get us all to smile at once. We were too busy trying not to fall off our perches to smile at the same time. It took a while and a lot of "stay still ... and smile" before we were able to get back to work.

This layout is based on the October 11th, 2014 Let's Capture Our Memories sketch #93. The sketch was designed by Ana Castro. It's one of those sketches that's very adaptable. It lends itself to a variety of applications; number of photos, memorabilia, etc.

Try this sketch with one or two photos or maybe turn it on it's side. It really is a versatile layout.

A is for applesauce

What a great time we had making applesauce with Erica. It was an assembly line of peeling, cutting, cooking and canning. Erica made a great foreman. No one quit anyway but then that was because we were being paid in applesauce. Anyone can do a hard day's work for that kind of remuneration.

I participated in two challenges by doing this layout. The first was the Scrapmuch? Sketch challenge of October 3rd that this layout is based on. The second was the Stitching Challenge by little red wagon. Your layout had to include stitching and I chose to stitch an apple on one of the background papers. It took a lot of stitching, a pencil and the Silhouette Cameo but I love how it turned out. I'll tell you how below.

Most of the papers in this layout are from the Scrapmuch Kit Club, October package. The kit contents were perfect for my 'apple' themed layout.

I first started by getting a sketch of an apple from the Silhouette store. I then used the Silhouette pen holder, but with a pencil, and had the Cameo draw the design for me. I lightly dropped the pencil into the holder so that it didn't draw out darkly. I wanted only a light drawn outline. Then it was a matter of threads and stitching.

 

Sketched outline and beginning of stitching.

 

I used a triple stitch so that the stitching would come out as a heavy outline and rayon embroidery threads to put a 'shine' to the stitching. It's a matter of patience but as more of the outline was stitched the more I loved it.

Close up of stitching.

Done.

 

Once the stitching was done it was a matter of adding all the other elements and "A is for applesauce" emerged.

My favourite embellishment was the one I made from a canning lid. It seemed an appropriate item to use.

I added a burlap circle, which I pulled some of the fibres off of (I put them at the top of the page), scrunched up the burlap a bit, added a button and some embroidery floss and there it was...done!

Flutter by

When I was a child I would call a butterfly a "flutter by". I still do as a matter of fact. It seems a perfectly good description of what they do.

I've always been intrigued by butterflies. I think it's the ability to change from one thing into something so very different. I took this picture on a trip in Algonquin Park in 2004. It's hard to get picture of a butterfly with it's wings spread because in a blink of an eye they've spread their wings and gone.

I love layouts that I can use for more than one challenge. This layout was created to play along with the Scrapmuch? October Colour Challenge and for the Let's Get Sketchy October 6, 2014 Sketch Challenge.

 

 

The layout didn't need a lot of embellishment. I found the background paper added a lot of texture to the page. To finish I only needed to add a few complimentary coloured roses, metal butterflies in simulated flight and an appropriate saying. What is more true of a butterfly than change?

hello WORLD

I just love the looks babies make as they wonder at each new discovery. Alyvia is sporting looks ranging from curiosity to right out delight as she investigates the world from the safety of her comfy blanket.

Don't you just wish they'd stay this age forever? But since they don't the next best thing is to capture the moments with a camera and create a layout to look back on as the years go by.

 

I used a great sketch from Sketch~N~Scrap for this page. It's their sketch #66 designed by Lisa Hidy.

It's a great sketch if you're trying to incorporate multiple pictures into your layout.

 

 

I stitched the circles with rayon thread using a triple stitch. It gave the circles a 'shine'. I loved that the designs on the bottom of the paper created some embellishments that went perfect with the baby theme of my layout.

Mini-Me

Alyvia sure looks to be enjoying some Daddy and me time during her summer vacation this year. Those shades are just way too cool.

 

I dare you to tell them apart. Ok you get one hint. Daddy is a bit taller.

I just love Bo Bunny's Zip-A-Dee-Doodles collection. I've gathered up so much of it I may have to do an album with it alone.  Match the papers up with some of Bo Bunny's Double Dot collection and the possibilities are endless. This paper appeals to the 'she's a wee bit odd' in me.

The sketch was from Let's Capture Our Memories (October 4th challenge, #92) and is a PageMaps design by Becky Fleck. These are both great sites and you should be sure to check them out.

 

 

Trick Or Treat

It was 1985 and Rambo First Blood had been released that summer. As soon as Richard saw the movie he made it clear he was going to be dressed as Rambo for Halloween.  I swear if he popped out of one more hiding place wielding that blasted machine gun he'd have been lucky to live until October 31st.

Erica on the other hand was going through a princess phase. Come to think of it she's still a princess. Obviously her adult persona is a result of that early childhood Halloween costume.

Halloween went smoothly. Richard didn't shoot Erica and she didn't turn him into a frog. Lucky really.

 

I played along with Little Red Wagon challenge #259 "Spooky Spooky". The sketch is from Paper Secrets and designed by Kelly Holifield.

 

 

I had a lot of fun making this page. I'm loving this "retro" photo phase I'm going through at the moment.

Time for a change

One of the perks of living is Muskoka is the gorgeous colours that surround you come the fall season.

Portage Road is one of the most beautiful areas to drive through this time of year. The trees, ablaze in colour, form a canopy over the road and you are literally driving under a kaleidoscope of shades of red, gold and orange.

 

I took this picture at the beach on Portage Road. It is one of my favourite fall photos.

Portage Road Muskoka, 2002

 This layout is based on the Laura Whitaker October 1st sketch  posted on Stuck?!

Stuck?! partnered with Color Me Scrappy, who  created a fall themed colour combination for us to create with. We're challenged to play along with both the sketch and the colour combo and link up with both challenge sites, for a chance at extra prizes! Who could resist? Not me.

 I used paper with a barn board pattern to draw attention to the old boathouse at the edge of the lake. Black seemed like a great canvas on which to showcase the green and red leave. Using brown and gold turned out to be a great colour combo for the title. The maple leaf is embellished with a bow made of jute and an attached brass acorn.