Just a slice, please

June Inspiration Elevator

Welcome back to my blog!  If you have tried to visit recently and found that it was not "here" I apologize, but Typepad and I have been having issues and I haven't been able to blog for several weeks.  Fingers crossed the issue is corrected now..and onto the challenge!!

You may recall that the purpose of this challenge group is to take our scrapbooking to the next level, to stretch our creative process and to grow as artists by embracing challenges that make us think, work and grow. You can view all of the challenges on our new Inspiration Elevator Blog, here.

This month's challenge is issued by the super talented, Sue Sykes. Here's what she had to say in her very own words:

 
"I have all of my parents' photos stored at my place.  Shortly after I began scrapbooking,  my mom and I spent hours removing her photos from those dreadful magnetic albums and documenting dates on the back of them all.  So I will often sift through them and marvel at how much things change - and yet, they also seem to stay the same.

This month, I'd like to challenge you all to create a comparison layout or project - THEN and NOW.  It can be any topic; just document the parallels and differences between an event/person/place from the past and a modern likeness.  REMEMBER TO JOURNAL!! :)

Can't wait to see what you all create!"

This was actually not such a stretch for me.  There were SEVERAL topics that had me reflecting in the last week, what with one child culminating from elementary school, one graduating from high school, our dance recitals, Girl Scout Bridging to Cadettes and so much more...but the one that stuck with me was this comparison...

Jillian's first dance recital at age 3 and this year's dance recital..en pointe.  She has been waiting all her life to perform on stage en pointe and finally, this was her year! It wasn't nearly as easy as she thought it would be, I'm sure, but she danced so beautifully she brought tears to my eyes...

I just love the contrast of her chubby little pigeon toed legs when she was three and her long beautiful dancer's legs now...I caught her mid step (so hard to photograph a moving subject!) but I will always remember how well she danced and the huge smile on her face. :)

Just to add another element to the layout that might not be obvious, I chose a background paper that was made by the Karen Foster Designs company way back in 2004 and paired it with the brand new Echo Paper Ballet mini theme papers and embellishment. I have been hanging onto this background paper for 9 years now and never thought I'd use it but it was so perfect for this challenge!  I even added a few "vintage" My Mind's Eye transparencies...which just worked perfectly with the old/new theme.  Thanks Sue!

 I hope you will stop by and see what our designers on this adventure have created:

Sue Sykes
Lisa Moen
Christa Uttley
Cathy Harper

Lisa Spiegel (you are here)

Joanne Burton

 Laurel Seabrook

Jodi Wilton

Michelle Hernandez

Ann Jobes

Laura Whitaker

If you play along, please link us up in the comments so we can stop by and leave you some love!!

May 2013 Little Red Scrapbook Kit!

YES!! (insert fist pump here!) Little Red Scrapbook Kit Club is back!  This month features the BRAND new October Afternoon Travel Girl line and amazing embellishments including some from Elle's Studio, Pink Paislee, Maya Road and more!

I created three layouts and two cards to share with you...here's the first one...titled "Window with a View".  I added the tiny alpha stickers that are "with a" but everything else is from the kit...

Next up, this layout titled "The Pressed Penny.  Every bit of it is from the kit and the kit only.

Last up, this one titled "These Two".  I added some a glassine envelope, gesso, misting and a doily, everything else is from the kit...

And my cards..all pure kit, nothing added.

and this one...

So there you have it!  Hope you all are as happy as I am to see LRS back in business...if you are interested in a kit, you can go here to purchase.

More Mommy Brags...

Are you getting tired of this yet?  LOL  I can't help myself.  PROUD is an understatement!

First up..PROM!  Maddie has been planning this ALL year...she looked absolutely lovely..

With her best friend, Katie...

and her date (not a boyfriend, just a friend) Matt,

So glad she went and had a wonderful time with all her friends before they all go different directions in life. :)

 Next up, milestone for Cammy.  Camryn earned her Bridging Award from Junior Girl Scouts to Cadettes...here she is walking across the bridge (pardon the blurry pics...hubby was operating the camera!)

Lighting her candle for the "key of kindness"...each girl had a different "key"..

And after...all smiles with her new Bronze award pin and certificates and silver key bracelet. (on the hand you can't see, lol)

And Maddie had Senior Awards Night...she was awarded 3 "cords"...One for Quill and Scroll Society, another for RAM (a club that was founded at their school to fundraise for Remote Area Medical) and the last for 4 years of Orchestra and Concert Band..

After the ceremony, all smiles...

We are in the final stretch of final projects, studying for finals and recitals...so many more fun milestones to hit...be sure to come back tomorrow for the big Little Red Scrapbook reveal!!!

 

Inspiration Elevator May Challenge

You may recall that the purpose of this challenge group is to take our scrapbooking to the next level, to stretch our creative process and to grow as artists by embracing challenges that make us think, work and grow. You can view all of the challenges on our our new Inspiration Elevator Blog, here.

This month, our challenge comes from the talented Laura Whitaker. Laura's challenge, in her own words, is as follows:

"As we welcome spring, scrap something to do with a new beginning, it could be an opportunity, a relationship, or even the world's reawakening after it's long winter's nap. Don't forget to journal and describe why you have chosen your topic."

 We would also like to welcome our May Guest Designer, Denise Morrison. Her arsty, eclectic style inspires her followers to see how "Life is Yummy" at her blog!

As for me, the first thing that came to mind when I read the challenge was "where are my reading glasses" as I was reading it on my iPhone.  LOL  This is a VERY new phenomenon for me...needing reading glasses, and it's sort of frustrating because I hadn't really embraced or accepted this fact.  Somehow, when considering this challenge, it all came to me that THIS is my new beginning...the start of a new era of reading glasses.  I think one of the reasons I hadn't embraced this new stage was because the Target Dollar Bin, drug store find reading glasses weren't cutting it.  They weren't cute, they weren't good quality and not that helpful.  Enter a trip to the mall where I found this cute pair on sale at Anthropologie and suddenly I thought, it's not so bad!!  So, this is the page I made to herald this new beginning for me...the title says it all..."oh hello there"!

and a little close up of all the layers:

So there you have it!

 I hope you will stop by and see what our designers on this adventure have created:

Laura Whitaker

Michelle Hernandez
Jodi Wilton

Lisa Moen

Laurel Seabrook

Ann Jobes

Cathy Harper

Sue Sykes

Lisa Spiegel
Joanne Burton
Christa Uttley
Guest Designer, Denise Morrison

  

Thank you so much for stopping by! If you play along, be sure to link us up either on a designers blog in the comments or over on our Inspiration Elevator Blog!

Mommy brags and a share. :)

More fun mommy brags...

Jillian had her Dance show at school.  I was not supposed to be able to go, having to work that night, but only one person showed up to class so I asked if he could come next week (his wife was ill) and he said yes so I got to leave and I didn't even miss a single one of her dances!  She was front and center for most of her performances..LOVE that...I didn't have my camera since I wasn't planning on being there, so all you get to see is a cruddy iPhone photo..but suffice it to say that the leaper in the front, the one so high, is Jillie. :)

To redeem myself from that cruddy photo, I'll share one of her in her ballet costume at the dance studio..

Pretty, isn't it??  The song they are dancing to is from Les Miserables. :)

Cammy got Citizen of the month for Manners..I love that our school added that pillar of character...and she really does have good manners!  This is the second time in 6 years that she earned this award for Manners. :) (And yes, the school spelled our name wrong...she asked them to correct it!)

She got a costume, too..

They are doing a Little Mermaid number. :)  How appropriate for my little mermaid lover?

 Maddie had her final Symphonic Orchestra Concert..she had several solos and they were really great.  They played a medley from Lord of the Rings and another from Chicago. Shewas given her senior rose and it was quite emotional!  She's been playing clarinet for 7 years now. I hope she continues at UNR.  They have told her she doesn't even have to audition she is guaranteed a spot in the Orchestra there so that would be really nice for her!  I keep telling her it's a great way to meet people with similar interests- so go for it!

 

This is up on the Pretty Little Studio BLOG today...but thought I'd share here..

 Maddie recently got glasses for the first time and was so surprised how clear everything was with her new glasses! The song “I can see clearly now” instantly went through my head and I knew a layout about it was in the works... 

 

So that is pretty much it for this week...it's super busy with only 12 days of school left until finals, the recital looming and graduations, bridging for scouts and more...at least I've slowed down with work...working 4 nights a week was NOT working for my family..that was very stressful.  This was my last week of three nights a week and now I'm back to the more managable two nights.  Ahhh.  Better.  I should be able to stay on top of the blog better, too..I miss blogging..hope all are well with all of you!

Pretty Little Winner!

I have lots going on here today!  Sharing yesterday's project that was up on the Pretty Little Studio Blog...I have a new found love for these Clear Scraps pages...just love this project! (photo credit to my beautiful and talented friend Araxi with Araxi Photography)

..Next up...

Happy National Commitment Week! Those of you who follow my blog might be interested to know that Maddie has been trying to decide where to go to school for the last several months. She was accepted to 5 great schools and yesterday she committed to University of Nevada- Reno!

We are all super happy for her, it's a wonderful school in a very beautiful city and August will be here before we know it!

In scrappy news, my layout for Creating Keepsakes May/June issue was featured in their new online edition. It was for their sketch article, took me out of my comfort zone for sure but it turned out so cute!

And lastly, Thank you to everyone who stopped by for the Pretty Little Studio and Love My Tapes blog hop! The winner from my blog is Jenn H who said:

"That is a great tag ~ how beautiful that would be on a present under the tree!!!
Jenn Henrichs
Tomball, Texas, USA"

Jenn, please email me (link on sidebar) with your land addy and I will put your prize in the mail!

 

Oh, and one more piece of good news, Sara and Little Red Scrapbook are back!!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

 

 

 

Pretty Little Studio and Love My Tapes Blog Hop

 

 

Hello and welcome to the Pretty Little Studio and Love My Tapes Blog Hop! We thought it would be fun to combine forces and share with you projects highlighting Pretty Little Studio whimsical goodness paired with the versatility and trendiness of Love My Tapes. 

During the Blog Hop, you will be visiting blogs from both Pretty Little Studio and Love My Tapes Design Team members. We promise to bring you a hop FULL of inspiration and creativity. 

And what’s a Blog Hop without giveaways? Be sure to visit all the blogs, including the Pretty Little Studio and Love My Tapes blogs for a chance to win some PLS and LMT goodies! When visiting the Design Team member’s blogs, be sure and leave comments as many of the Design Team members will also be hosting their own Blog Hop giveaways. 

The Hop will start on the Pretty Little Studio blog and end on the Love My Tapes blog, so head on over to the Pretty Little Studio blog if you are just joining in. We will announce the winners of the PLS and LMT giveaways on May 3rd, so be sure to be watching for the announcements. If you get lost along the way, just check below where you are to get you hopping in the right direction.

So let’s get hopping!

Now, you should have just arrived here from Jenni Calma: http://www.papercardinal.blogspot.com/

I created a cute little tag with the Christmas Banner tape...

I sewed through it (so nice that it doesn't make the needle sticky!) and created a little bit of ribbon, too!  I used a Pretty Little Studio tag, journaling card and die cut to create this sweet little tag that is just looking for a new home.  I will be giving away the tag, two rolls of Love My Tapes washi and some matching twine to one lucky commenter who comments before 5/2 at 9pm PST.  

The next stop on your hop is my sweet friend Lisa W's blog..she has an AMAZING prize you won't want to miss a chance at...

Lisa Wilkinson: http://www.createfor7.blogspot.com/

In case you get lost..here is the order of the blog hop.

Pretty Little Studio Blog: http://prettylittlestudio.com/blog/

Aimee Maddern: http://aimeesarmoire.typepad.com/
Annette Allen: http://myclevercreations.blogspot.com/
Annette Witherspoon: http://www.aspoonfullofsugarcrafts.blogspot.com/
Ashley Horton: http://www.ashleyhortondesigns.com/
Candice Elliott: http://truedivinehand.blogspot.com/
Christina Collins: http://dontworry-bescrappy.blogspot.com/
Heather Adams: http://craftyscrapbooker.blogspot.com/
Janice Whiting: http://www.janiceaileen.blogspot.com/
Jenni Calma: http://www.papercardinal.blogspot.com/
Lisa Spiegel: http://lisaspiegel.typepad.com/my_weblog/ (you are here)
Lisa Wilkinson: http://www.createfor7.blogspot.com/
Mary Ann Jenkins: http://www.maryannjenkins.com/
Missy Whidden: http://littlenuggetcreations.blogspot.com/
Tina Walker: http://adogslife-thirteen.blogspot.com/


Love My Tapes Blog: http://lovemytapes.blogspot.com/

Thanks for hopping by!!

Pretty Little Sketch

Happy Tuesday!  Today I have a layout up on the Pretty Little Studio Blog that was created with this cool sketch that Keri designed.  I just loved the whimsical feel of it with the speech bubbles...and I have to say that it took me WAY out of my comfort zone but I think I managed to create a layout that reflects the sketch and my shabby style, too!  And look ma!  No doilies!  LOL

 

I layered and "junqued" up the speech bubbles with tags, flash cards and quotes to help tell the story...snuck in a cameo cut for my background paper...and just had fun with it!  You can see what the other designers created with this sketch and play along over at the Pretty Little Studio Blog.  We are also hosting a blog hop with Love My Tapes today, so be sure to check out that post and hop along starting at 8am EST.  Thanks for stopping by today!

Inspiration Elevator Blog Hop Winner

The winner of the Basic Grey card set from our Inspiration Elevator Anniversary Blog Hop is:

JoAnn!! She said:

I am a follower and posted on my bloghttp://scrappyjolive.blogspot.ca/2013/04/new-scrap-booking-challenge-blog.html

JoAnn, please email  me with your land addy and I'll get your prize in the mail ASAP.  Thank you to everyone who hopped along with us and especially to those who came back to my blog after Typepad ate my photos!!

Happy Anniversary Inspiration Elevator!!!

Welcome to another Inspiration Elevator reveal! We are thrilled to celebrate the end of our first year of Inspiration Elevator challenges and are anticipating that the second year will see that creative growth continue to go UP! To celebrate our first anniversary and our fabulous designers, Christa and Ann decided to challenge our designers to take an in-depth look at a fellow designer's artistic portfolio via her blog, choose elements from that designers creations,and incorporate them into her own work. In other words, we are encouraging a scrapLIFT! Rather than a mere copy of someone else’s work, this is a stylistic scraplift that should inspire each designer to grow creatively as she is inspired, yet remain true to her own style.

 

I was selected to lift Cathy Harper.  Cathy has a beautifully detailed scrapping style that has many elements.  In looking through her work, some things stood out to me.  She is a frequent user of polka dotted cardstock (me too!!).  She loves to mist and ink her pages.  (me too!!) Cathy often sews right through the letters of her Silhouette cut title.  She also most frequently uses one photo, layered and tucked with papers and doilies.  Cathy doesn't often provide visual journaling on her pages (that was the biggest challenge for me!) but I'm sure there is a story behind each well thought out page.

I used this page as a starting point for my page...see all the "Cathy" elements??

 

So, after really thinking through all these elements, this is what I created:

 

 

I think I nailed it!!  The polka dots, the misting, the inking, a silhouette cut title sewn through..one photo layered with doilies...and hidden journaling!!! (It's in the vellum envelope behind the photo!)..I just LOVE it..thank you Cathy, for inspiring me...I just love your work!!!!

As the second year of this creative journey begins, and as the popularity of Inspiration Elevator increases, we have created a new blog for our Inspiration Elevator Challenges. So, if you want to play along you can find the challenges and links to the inspiration all in one place! To celebrate our first year, our hopping will incorporate RAKs along the way – how exciting! Now, before you go hopping along, we want to let you know of a few personnel changes.

While we are so excited to welcome back most of our original design team members for year two, we are saddened to be saying goodbye to Audrey Yeager. Audrey has creatively embraced every challenge over the past year, and has been a super part of our design team over the past 12 months. We hope your will continue to stop by her blog and see her gorgeous creations. Thank you Audrey for sharing our journey – we are grateful for you!

 

We are very pleased to announce a new member to our design team. Join us as we welcome Jodi Wilton. Jodi's design style is happy and whimsical and we are looking forward to sharing this new year of growth with her and seeing how her creative muse is tickled by our challenges.

We mentioned RAKs or giveaways at each designer’s blog this month,since we’re celebrating our first year. Please read each designer’s instructions regarding the giveaway as they will vary. We will post a final list of winners on April 24^th on the Inspiration Elevator blog, so be sure to pop back, and if you create something based on this month’s challenge, please link it up on the blog!

For my giveaway, I have this wonderful kit of Basic Grey cards, embellies and directions to make 24 cards!  

To win, post about this giveaway on any form of social media and leave a comment here and on the Inspiration Elevator blog telling me that you did it.  For an extra entry, follow my blog and leave me a comment telling me you did it!

 

Stop by and see what the designers on this adventure have created:

 

Christa Uttley

Audrey Yeager

Laura Whitaker

Lisa Moen

Laurel Seabrook

Ann Jobes

Cathy Harper

Sue Sykes

Lisa Spiegel

Joanne Burton

Jodi Wilton

Inspiration Elevator