MY GOAL IN LIFE...

I'm putting myself out there again....I found a wonderful sketch blog site called "Let's Scrap" that is currently having a DT call.  I submitted a page for consideration for their DT a few weeks back & could not wait to play around with more of their sketches.  And then the flu hit.....This past weekend was the first weekend in two weeks that I felt human enough to hang out in my scrap room and do something creative.  And this is what I came up with.  The sketch (found below) was actually for a card.  Instead, I decided to create a single page scrap layout featuring my new puppy Penny.  I used scraps of Basic Grey's Max & Whisker's line as the accent squares for my picture along with a sentiment square from Carolee's Creation "Hound Dog" collection. And once again, I loved playing with this design so much that I can't wait to create another page using a Let's Scrap sketch!  If you need a little inspiration, go check out their blog.  It's very user friendly, and has great, easy to translate sketch ideas for single or double page scrapbook pages, and cards.  Even if I don't make the cut, I can't wait to go back and check out the inspirations at "Let's Scrap!"

IT'S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR

This is my latest creation for Stick it Down Challenge for the January double page spread found below my layout.  My husband is a good hint taker....On Cyber Monday in November, I sent him some "hints" on scrapbook.com and poof!  He followed through with this retro feel Echo Park "Christmas Cheer" paper line.  I decided that the arrangement of pictures on the sketch would be perfect for the abundance of Christmas pictures I took this year.

SNOW DAY

It's time for me to reveal my Week 3 challenge for Red Carpet Studio Team A.  The inspiration this week....Frozen!  I love this movie; I don't care how many times I listen to it, I love hearing Idina Menzel sing, "Let it Go."  So when I saw this Doodlebug "Frosty Friends" collection, I instantly thought of Elsa in her ice castle.  Not to mention, the snow men cardstock stickers caused me to sing out loud, "Do you want to build a snowman..."  In other words, the paper was easy to pick for this challenge.  Now the pictures...this is one of the weirdest things to happen in my neck of the woods.  I live in Ohio.  The weather here is unpredictable.  If you don't like the weather, wait an hour, it will change.  We typically get our first snow sometime in December.  We don't get six inches of snow in November!  This is when these pictures were taken; November 17th to be exact; my husband's birthday!  So, my girls and I ended up having an unexpected day off school on my husband's birthday.....that is unheard of in Ohio!  My daughter had a great time posing out in my yard for these pictures.  And as a side note, we have had no substantial snow since November 17th!  Gotta love Ohio weather....

WINTER SNOW

Welcome back to a new year of Red Carpet Studio projects!  The blog has undergone a major "facelift," and several more extremely talented designers have joined the ranks!  I am now a member of Team A, & our first challenge for the new year is based on the movie "New Year's Eve."  The challenge; create a project that incorporates a new product and stars.  My  husband, bless his heart, took a little hint I sent him on a Facebook post and bought me this beautiful Carta Bella paper called "Warm & Cozy."  What he didn't know...I accidentally had bought this too not remembering that I had asked him for it....The result, I have a ton of gorgeous Carta Bella paper to use!  I love the outdoorsy feel of this paper, and I instantly thought of these pictures I took from my brother-in-law's house in Erie, PA.  I live in Ohio.  We get snow.  We do not get snow like they do in Erie, PA....My brother-in-law said, "It may snow today."  Eight inches later is when I took these pics!  Eight inches paralyzes my neck of the woods in Ohio.  Erie residents laugh at eight inches!  Despite the totals, one thing is for sure; the snow on the trees and barn made for a magical scene.  While I am not a winter fan, I do love looking out the window at a fresh fallen snow!

LOVE YOU FURREVER

This is my latest creation for Stick it Down Challenge Blog using the December sketch found below as a guide.  We adopted a puppy in mid December we named "Penny" after "Penny" on The Big Bang Theory.  It was truly a spur of the moment decision...Penny came from a sad situation, and my girls fell madly in love with her, especially when they learned that she and her litter mates had been abandoned by their Mama.  My mother who loves dogs but won't have one of her own, decided to pay a "pretty Penny" for her girls to adopt Penny.  I used Carolee's Creations "Hound Dog" collection to accent these pictures I took of Penny's adoption and her first days at my house.

HOLLY THE ELF

This is my latest creation for RCS.  Our inspiration for this final challenge of 2014 was the movie "Elf."  Several lines from the Elf movie have become part of my family's every day language such as, "Look at these toilets, they're ginormous,"  or "Us elves eat from the four main food groups; candy, candy canes, candy corns, and syrup," and what we like to say to our dog in our best Mr. Narwhal voice, "By buddy, I hope you find your dad."  Needless to say, the possibilities for this project were endless...however I decided to go literal and create a layout featuring our Elf on the Shelf, "Holly Jolly."  We've caught her online shopping, she's taken the Barbie VW bug for spin, and once we caught her canoodling with the Jacob Black Barbie.  However, for this challenge, she is cuddled up to the structurally sound gingerbread house made out of bathtub caulking and not icing.  And sitting on the air mattress my youngest daughter got for Christmas.  To all of you reading my blog, I wish you the best holiday season, and make sure to check back with RCS at the start of the year for some exciting changes and challenges!

CHRISTMAS TRAIN RIDE

This is my latest creation for Child's Play Challenge. The inspiration this time around was the movie "The Polar Express."  I instantly thought of pictures I took of my daughter on her version of the "Polar Express."  It involved taking the Amtrak train to Chicago & the American Girl Store.  Prior to the trip, she fell in love with Felicity while thumbing through the American Girl Doll magazine.  A few days before Christmas, we booked a trip for her to go shopping at the actual American Girl store.  However, Santa surprised her with an early gift about half way to Chicago; her very own Felicity doll!  She's on the phone in this picture telling her Grandma about the awesome surprise she got while riding on the train!