My Scraps & More Sketch #116 - So tired

I have another post on another sketch for today :). It's a good one though, I promise!

Mostly the design of a layout just pops into my head but sometimes I feel like scrapping but right that moment I have no idea what exactly, what photo, what layout, what papers etc, my hands are shaking cos I wanna create...I remember this feeling from my childhood too and now I see it on my 7-year-old. You desperately want to create but don't know what, don't know where to start...Know the feeling? So this is when a sketch really comes in handy. And now the new sketch was out at My Scraps and More this weekend, so that was a no brainer!

Here's the sketch, which was designed by the talented Jessy Christopher:

Well looking at it first, all I knew I did not want to just use strips of papers. I looked through my cut files if I have anything I could use for this design and as luck would have it, I have a pretty new cut file from The Cut Shoppe called Fall Finds that I haven't used yet and it's these fall theme border kind of designs, so awesome really! Originally I didn't want to use all of them but then I couldn't stop myself ha!

Then I also happened to have a patterned paper from Crate Paper that had this diagonal line and was part blue, part brown. Most papers I've used otherwise are from the Simple Stories Pumpkin Spice collection. All embellishments are also from this collection. 

I've backed up some of the cut outs to give them a bit of interest and also so they stand out more. Then I stitched them all down with aqua metallic thread, my favorite! Only the color though because it keeps tearing, so it takes ages to finish a couple of lines pfff.

Layered some paper scraps under my photos to give them a little bit of depth, then added some bits and pieces in the corners. I fussy cut the big pumpkin from one of the Simple Stories papers for my journaling and placed it on 3D stickers. Added the title, some Color Shine and Distress Spray and that was about it!

Hope you like! Thanks for stopping by X

Stuck?! Sketches challenge from Oct 15, 2015

Hey there,

I'm back with a new layout that I made for the Stuck?! Sketches challenge from Oct 15, 2015! I always like Laura's sketches, they are so inspiring and you can go in so many directions with them.

Here's her sketch for this challenge:

I love to use stars on my layouts so I went with this sketch pretty closely. I remembered that I had a really nice star cut file from Ashley Horton (owner of The Cut Shoppe) which she designed for the Hip Kit Club and is actually a free cut file for registered members. You only need to register, no purchase necessary! Once you do, you sign in and you will have an extra tab with downloads. So simple! 

I've cut out the big star from textured white card stock plus another one from white heavy card stock and glued the two together so it's more firm - since I knew I wanted to raise this top layer, I didn't want it to be too wobbly.

Then I took another white heavy card stock and traced the star on it so I knew approximately where I need to put my buttons. I have so many buttons! Many many years ago I was collecting them...I'm always so happy when I finally find use for something that I've had for like 10 years, then I don't feel guilty anymore that it was just money thrown out the window!

I glued down the buttons and filled up the empty spaces with enamel dots. Then I've prepared my top layer. First I stitched around the star with gold thread. Next I used a piece of tulle and Distress ink to create some interest in the background. I used Distress ink spray to paint circles in 3 places. The only thing from this sketch that I left out completely is the tag and piece of paper because once I looked at my star filled up with buttons I realized I don't want to cover it at all...Then I layered different papers under the photos and glued all down. Added some wood veneer and cork stars - also embossed some of the stars, now that I finally have a heat tool, I wanna emboss everything! To finish off the page I've added some strips of paper from the very first collection I've ever bought, Grand Bazaar from Kelly Purkey for Basic Grey. I still think it's the most unique collection I've ever seen, so full of bold colors, just happy and gorgeous. So you can imagine when I found the whole collection for €18 on the Craftsy site I had to order it...I really had to. Even if it means I have to pay €26 for delivery (okay okay, I've ordered 2 more collections too, just so the delivery cost is not higher than the actual purchase hehe), plus maybe for customs. Oh well, we live once, right?!

Finally I've put a double layer of 2mm 3D stickers in many spots on my bottom layer, so it holds up the top layer, same level as the buttons in the middle.

Here is my finished layout and some close ups. Hope you like! Unfortunately the pictures are dark; the paper is actually bright white, not this yellowish. I will have to invest in a pop-up photo studio with lamps if I want to have enough light for taking good photos...

Thanks for stopping by!

Stuck?! Sketches challenge from Oct 1, 2015

Another day, another challenge...I've come to realize I really enjoy these sketch challenges, they are so much fun!

Here's the sketch from this latest Stuck?! Sketches challenge:

I wasn't sure what photos I should scrap or what paper to use, I only knew I wanted to use a cut file that came with the Let's Cut Class 01 @TheCutShoppe. I had to alter it to fit my needs, but I like to customize things when I can! 

In the end I chose papers from the We R Memory Keepers Hello Darling and the My Mind's Eye Jubilee Sherbet collections. I've lost count how many times I've used these papers to back up paper cut outs! I love the colors, especially the lime!

I printed some random old photos yesterday that I love and I went with one where my boys were just being silly and were pretending to be samurais. I don't actually remember why! My son would have been a really cute little girl too, don't you think? :) God I miss him being so little!

I did some messy machine stitching on the layout, I really like how those turned out. Added the title, some wood veneer stars, enamel dots, ink splatters and I think that about wraps it up! Looks simple enough but it did take me 4 hours to make this LO due to all the backing. But then again, I enjoy busy work :). 

So here's the final LO and some close-ups. Hope you like X

My Scraps & More - ScraptoberFest Challenge

Back with another challenge...two posts in a day, not bad, huh? :)

Now this one is a really cool challenge! It's 4 challenges in one in fact! 4 pages came together and teamed up, and all provided one challenge for the layout. So basically the goal is to combine 4 challenges in one layout. COOL! 

1. Scrap Our Stash Stash challenge - Create a layout using at least 2 different type of washi tapes.

2. Challenge YOUrself - Create a layout that includes YOU in the photo.

3. My Scraps & More - Color challenge (incorporate these colors in the layout)

4. The Memory Nest - sketch challenge

When I saw the color combo, I had this Eureka moment: Fancy Pants Flutter collection! It has exactly these colors. And I remembered I have a 12x12" butterfly print paper and a lot of bits and pieces from the ephemera pack. So I went through my stash, which took me a good hour because I keep all ephemeras in bulk ha! I pulled out everything from this collection and whatever else I thought could match. At this point I was still planning to use the love cut file from The Cut Shoppe because I had it cut weeks ago already and didn't use it yet - but I just couldn't make it work on this LO either :(.

As for washi tapes, eventually I chose 5 different ones from the Amy Tangerine Finders Keepers washi sheet. Then I chose two photos of myself that my boyfriend took many many years ago in the Maldives...just because I thought the colors would go well.

Here's what I've come up with:

Thanks for stopping by, any questions, just leave me a comment xxx

Scrap Challenge YOUrself CY #22 - Note to Self

So I've found another page with layout challenges yesterday, Scrap Challenge YOUrself. This kind of spoke to me. More about that in a second.

The challenge here was to use the given sketch, the phrase "Note to Self" and the layout had to include a photo of me. ME. So here is my biggest challenge. I do remember taking some photos with my son a couple of weeks back but I don't find them anywhere. And since there's hardly any photos of me from recent years and the ones I did have, had already been scrapped...I looked through old photos and picked a random one. Which was perfect for the theme I chose actually; the most important note to myself that I should remind myself of every single day. To accept myself the way I am. This is why this challenge spoke to me.

Here's the sketch:

The first collection that caught my eye going through my supplies was the My Story collection from My Mind's Eye. It's so extremely gorgeous I HAD TO buy some of it even though I didn't really think I'd have the chance to ever use these items! Now I think I will order some more 12x12" papers from this collection (can you believe it, I forgot I have the 6x6" paper pad which I could have used for this layout...Dumb!).

The only paper not belonging to this collection is the background paper, which is from another beautiful new collection, Documentary from Dear Lizzy. 

Here are some close-ups and the final layout itself!

I hope you like! Thanks for stopping by x