Time For An Update

I spent the weekwnd of Sept. 19,20&21 doing a Sketch-A-Pa-Looza at the Serindipity Scrapbooks Forum. This was the first time I have ever participated in one of these and I have to tell you it. was a blast. I needed to get to work on Conrad and Johanna and Kylie's baby book so I used all the sketch challenges to make page layouts for the baby book. It was a great way to create a very unique and special babybook. I had a different inspiration for each page while using the same papers and elements for all. I think it turned out really well. Now I guess I will have to think about making a book for Ramona and Sam to put photos in. I did hear you Mona. I just remembered that I had wanted to put together a bunch of photos from the shower to add to this post but I forgot. Oh well, Here Is The Book.

I love this layout. It was one of the last ones I got to and I didn't finish it in time to turn it in but the layout was done by Tamara (from Sketches by Tamara) and the challenge was called the chalkboard technique and I can't remember the design team member right at the moment. Well the technique was really interesting and I will have to make some samples to show my class but it did not end up on this page. Anyway the LO was to be done in B&W with one color accent. These images were in color but I took them into photoshop and changed them to B&W and printed them on vellum, added just a hint of color to cheeks and lips and one little element on each hat and layered each image on a different pattern of B&W paper. Don't you know this has got my little brain running all amuck. More time, more time, I just need more time. Coffee, coffee, coffee! My cardioligist would kill me.

This is what my desk area looked like after the Sketch-a-pa-looza. It took me a few days to clean it up, but the way I work you proably would never know. I think the only way anyone could tell if I had cleaned my space was if the floor was swept. Now that constitutes clean in my world.

One of the last challenges that I tried late Sunday night was one that you had to make your own sketch. I had been thinking of how I could do this to make it different so I decided to just throw the elements in the air and let them fall where they may and force myself to go with it. So I took all the pieces and dropped them. Circles roll, squares jump, and lighter pieces of paper flutter away. It took about a dozen trys to get a random layout. Ha! It's the thought that counts right? Anyway I kept going and this is what happened. Not very successful I'm afraid, too many elements. I still like the idea I just need to revise my technique. Needless to say it was very late Sun. night and I didn't finish the project in time to turn it in.

I have lots to do today and it's already 4:22a.m. You all have a great week.

It's Friday Again Already

This is my favorite so far. This is a layout that I did last night for a challenge for Recipe Sketch# 15 by Tamara. I love her recipes. Okay I've only done 2 so far but I love them. This is a photo I took a week or so ago of KayLynn. I had her modeling princess dresses for me and I just loved the way they turned out. I painted out the background on this because I didn't want anything to intetfear with her sweet little face. I did leave a drawing that Sam had done years ago in there. If you look closley at the picture right to the left of the top of KayLynns head. The first photo here is of the completed Layout. The next nine are close ups and then there are a few more things in this post, Really. I'm just so excited about this page. #1 close upSilver leaves that I painted with acrylic leaves and I really like the little heart finding that I used in the beadwork. The filigree at the edge of the photo and around it is done with a stamp and I drew in some of the border with versamark pen and then embossed it all. #2 close up is of one of the flowers that I sprayed with silver glitter spray paint.#3 overall close up of the upper left side.#4 close up is the lower right side. In this one you can really see the scalloped lacy edge that I punched with my new Martha Stewart Lace scalloped punch. The elementt of this recipe were Monochromatic, Brads, (there are 30 of them across the bottomand uo the left side), and scallops. I think I covered it all.

These are some more details of what I did. #1. At the bottom of the page the lettering is handwritten in pencil first and the I used silver glitter paint to outline it with. The flurish to the left is part of the design that was on the paper and then I used Crystall Effects to fill in the area and sprinkled Martha Stewarts Sterling glitter all over it. I distressed a lot of the edges using my handy dandy tool from StampinUp' and then used Ranger Distress Ink for the edges.Photo #2. The scallop edge was made using The Martha Stewart Lace Scallop Punch and the other lacy element that you see there is a paper doily that I cut apart and sponged with ink.I used 30 silver brads in all on this layout.Those strands of beads are some I picked up in a dollar bin at Jo Anns and the florish is glitter paint again. #rd photo is of a silk flower that I took apart and sprayed with glitter sprayand then put back together with dimensionals and used a small silk flower for the center. I also painted all the leaves with silver acrylic paint.#4 is a close up of the crystal effects and glittter again and that is silver rick rack and bead work that I did. #5 again is close up of glitter and some embossing and the photo itself that I painted out the background with acrylic paint. I just love the way all the elements came together on this one. I think it is my best yet. Don't You?





This first card is a challenge for Sketches by Tamara again card sketch # 62. I did this up this morning and I thought it woulb be so quick but then I got all tied up with colored pencils and cutting out the flowers and machine stitching and scalloping edges. I swear it took me at least an hour to do. I used SU paper Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss and designer series paper Bella Rosa. The stamp is SU, Time Well Spent. The next card is one I did for Jacksonbella Embelishments for a week long challenge. I used an Inkadinkado stamp and DCWV paper from the Nana's Nursery Baby Girl Series. This is a card that will go with Joey's Baby Present for the shower next week.

Okay the first photo is the close up. I will never get this sequence straight in my mind. Every one is different. I so need to take better notes. Okay, anyway, I did these two page layouts yesterday for two differetn challenges.. This first one is for Sketches by(Tamara) Layout # 62. I really like her sketches and the recipe challenges (as you saw from above are fantastic) Anyway for this SPRING page I used SU So Saffron for the background and the patterened paper is by Sandylion Designs; the Kelly Pannacci series. I just love all the circles and even the flowers are circles. I used An Inkadinkado Stamp set called Circles and Dots for the bubbles that rise fromKay Lynns hands, I then added some rinestones and glitter and framed some phrases with SU Kiwi Kiss, Baja Breeze and Pacific Point. The next page layout Bubbly was done for Julie Bonner over at 52 Sketches, 52 Weeks . It is Sketch# 37. What is going to happen when she gets to week 52? Anyway, the elements are the same as the It's Spring page, this one just has beads across the bottom.

I hope you all have a really good week. Melissa

It's Like Christmas

Well here is the prize that I won for the Let Them Eat Cake Contest at Serindipity Scrapbook. Isn't this pretty? I can't wait to get started on the Alblum. The next photo is of a few extra pieces I picked up at Green Tangerine today to go with the really great Kit of the month that I ordered from Serindipity Scrapbooks for the month of September. I used my prise credit from winning the Kit of the month Contest last month. These kits are great you should check the site out. You get a ton of stuff for your money. Anyway the next photo is a close up of the alblum that you can choose with your Kit. It was either the trailer or a tent and I chose the trailer because it reminded me of camping when I was a kid The alblum looks like the one in the photo. That's my Dad in the doorway. God I miss him a lot.

I made this page of Caitie last weekend using my new Bo Bunny Stuff for a Contest for Bo Bunny. It's all so pink. The paper is from the My Darling Series and the buttons, flowers, brads, ribbon as well as the chipboard swirls are all Bo Bunny. The piece that runs down the right side is scotch tape dyed with alcohol ink and the leaves were made by crimping a 2" piece of paper thats been folded in half first and then with an oval punch cut heart shaped leaves. Make sure you punch the folded side. They make great leaves and you can make them as thick or slim as you like. The photo of Caitie is one I did for a studio shot in one of my photography classes in the past couple of years. I printed the first one on metalic paper made for inkjet paper so when you photograph the layout it looks a lot more pink than the other images. I like it, it makes it stand out that much more.

This first card is for mojo monday #53. The stamp is from the Winter Mini Collection, Scandinavian Season. This is a sneak peek. The paper is SU Riding Hood Red, Old Olive and Whisper White and Our designer series paper Holiday Treasures. I used our really red Craft ink to stamp the star, tree, & sentiment and then embossed them with crystal clear. I used glitter fabric paint and a metalic star sticker and done. The second card is made using the new SU paper Urban Garden and Kiwi Kiss and Night of Navy. The snowflakes are from the Snowburst stamp set and the sentiment is from Heard From The Heart. The background paper is some I made by spraying Metallic Acrylic paint and water onto our Gloss paper. I stamped the snowflakes with Versamark and embossed them with Sterling Silver . The edge was made with a Martha Stewart Punch and the metallic snowflakes are from Michaels. I did these two cards at my Technique Tuesday Class and the gals liked it. They got to try the hairspray and perfect pearls technique and they did some painting with acrylic using the inkblotting technique. The seemed to have a really good time. I just love turning people on to new things and showing them how easy some of this stuff really is.

These two cards are for a challenge/ Contest at Jacksonbella Embelishments. The stamps I used are from Inkadinkado, that was the only requirement so since I have a bunch of their stamps not a problem. I like the layouts and I'm looking forward to the rest of them. For the first one I used the Circles & Dots stamp and paper from Creative Imaginations. I used puff and glitter fabric paint to accent the circles. I love this card. The next card I used my favorite Bird stamp unfortunately I don't have a name for it. The paper is Basic Grey (my favorite) from the Phobe Collection. The last photo is of a work I started when I got home from shopping today. I'm going to go finish it now.

Have a good week, I have to go get to work on these layouts and the baby book for Johanna. The shower is next week and I havent started on it yet. I did get some really neat paper today to use for it, like I didn't already have enough. I will let you know when it's finished.

Have Fun! Melissa

Just A Quick Update

I took these photos when the bowkers came to visit and this week there happens to be two layout challenges by two different companies so I get two finished pages. Yea! The first page is of all the girls, Judy (visiting from Michigan) KayLynn, Claudette and Mona. KayLynn was pursuaded to get off the ladder this day and when she realized that she would not sink and drown we couldn't get her out of the pool. Yea! for her. I dug through all my papers and found this cute stuff from Imaginisce that I have had all summer. This paper is from the A Shore Thing Series: Sweet Summer Breeze, Penquin Paradise, Feel The Burn, Getting Hotter, and Need Water. I used puffy alaphabets from the dollar store and some puffy stickers and chipboard from Target dollar section. How Great is that? The first page is for the 52 sketches, 52 weeks Challenge and the second layout is for Sketches By Tamara. Both of these gals do such a great job with their sketches. You have to try them sometime. I have to go babysit for Claudette & KayLynn right now but I will post all the links tomarrow. I promice.

Pearl did pretty good with the little wig on. That's a huge surprise. The two cards below I did first for a couple of challenges which I just love doing and I'll be able to use them tomarrow when I go to the stamping thing at Suzies. The first card is for a recipie challenge for Sketches by Tamara. The recipie was 1. lace 2. buttons3. flowers. I like the way this turned out . The paper is all StampinUp' New Designer Series, Green Tea; old olive, whisper white ; Button Botique, and lace. The second card is for Mojo Monday week 52 I love this layout. I also used SU paper The designer series paper, Urban Garden, night of navy, baja breeze, kiwi kiss, whisper white, SU mini brads, hodgepodge hardware, glitter and crystal effects.

I hope everyone has a really good week.