Saturday, February 26

A Saturday Visit ...

I'm getting ready for my favorite little man to come visit ... and by getting ready I mean relaxing before the non-stop activity of a six year old commences !! I'm sure leggos will be on the activity list and some kind of crafty project as well !! It's a nice day so hopefully outdoor activities will be included - which also makes for better photo opps !!!


I want to share a great video of the Petaloo Booth from CHA Winter 2011 .... it highlights many of the GORGEOUS new products just released ! The Design team projects are awesome and I got a shout out as well from Cheryl Cohen the owner of Petaloo !! Thanks Cheryl !! Check out all the fabulousness and you will love using these products on your projects !! TFL and have a great weekend !!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aa73jMi5DHE



Friday, February 25

Inspired Blueprints Sketch 66

Happy Friday ! It's raining like crazy here in Massachusetts - so great day to get caught up on indoor chores - I'm so gald I did my running around yesterday ! Simba is at the groomers this morning getting beautiful ... it's quite noticeable when she's not here :(((


Sketch 66 has been revealed over at Inspired Blueprints and the gallery is looking great with layouts !!  I used Basic Grey's Olivia collection for this page and the flowers are a combination of new and older Petaloo flowers. I am hooked on these flowers and all the new collections are so beautiful ! Here's my take on the sketch and a reminder: there's a DT call over at IB, so check it out we would love to have you on board !!


Kate for IB
 
Kate - close-up 2
 
Kate - close-up flower in hair
 



Thursday, February 24

Petaloo Projects

I just posted a few projects that I created using Petaloo's  AWESOME newly released flower collection called Darjeeling ! These flowers coordinate with many different paperlines and come in a variety of styles. My first project was inspired by Danielle Flander's use of an embroidery hoop as a canvas !! The photo is of my Mom in High School - and hats were in !!!  Here are my two projects and please stop by and visit the blog to check out the close-ups and some incredible projects from the Design Team !! TFL and I'll be back soon !!


Timeless - Petaloo darjeeling collection 2011

 
Silblings - Petaloo darjeeling collection 2011

 


 



Wednesday, February 23

More projects from my weekend crop ...

Gotta LOVE short work weeks !!! This one is even shorter as I have the remainder of the week off - time to get a Dr's visits done, Simba to the groomers and then I have my FAV little guy for the weekend !!


I wanted to share a few more layouts I completed at the weekend crop. The first is based on another FAB sketch by Frances Sylvia for RAH ! I used a great new collection by Echo Park called For the Record ! The adorable photo was taken by a GREAT photographer Heather Chick ...


Friends 
The gorgeous flowers are from Petaloo - aren't they beautiful ? New products are pouring in so check out the new releases >HERE<


Friends close-up I popped up some Jenni Bowlin butterflies after attaching them with my new Tim  Holtz TINY ATTACHER - LOVE this tool !!!!!!!!
 
Friends close-up 2 


Friends close-up 3 My next layout is an 8.5 x 11. I am doing more of this size layout lately - pages come together in a flash !! This photo is of my good friend's sweet daughter and how could I NOT scrap this picture !! For this page I used Basic Grey's Pyrus collection which complimented the photo !!


Caroline
More gorgeous Petaloo flowers ... these are from the newly released Darjeeling Collection and are so versatile with many paper collections ! 
Caroline flower close-upI misted the background, and added some fun scalloped rub-ons from Studio Calico ... 
 
Caroline close-up 
 I'll be back tomorrow with some projects I did for Petaloo !! Have a great night and thanks for stopping by !!!
 


 



Tuesday, February 22

A Long Day ...

What a LONG busy day !! Work was extra busy due to the holiday and then a trip to the hair salon directly from work .... a little different color and extra highlights are always fun !!


Before I turn in for the night, I want to share a great video demonstrating some FUN techniques and tips using Creative Imaginations Luminarte Twinkling H2O's and Cardstock Basics. When you have a few minutes, grab a beverage and check this out ... The projects are beautiful and you'll LOVE the versatility of these products. Enjoy the video and I'll be back soon with more layouts I created at my weekend crop !



Monday, February 21

Happy President's Day and some Projects !

Happy Holiday - hope most of you have the day off and if not I hope it's a quieter work day for you !! I am off and need to play catch-up from a great weekend !


So, after three fun filled days of scrapping at a crop sponsored by my LSS Right at Home Scrapbooking, I now have to plant my feet for the day and try to accomplish WAY more than there are hours in the day to get it all in ! So I'll do what I can and try to relax before heading back to the crazy workplace. I managed to get several projects done, one of which has been altered so many times I'm surprised it's still in one piece - and it still needs tweaking !! I hate when I get stuck like that but I guess that's part of the process. Another layout came together in no time and I'm happy with it ... go figure.


I have to say the absolute best part of the crop is hangin' out with great friends and laughing and joking and just enjoying their company ... It doesn't get better than that !


After the weekend crop we went to our Home Study class ... we have a sketch book to work from and for my project I took a two-page sketch and completely shrunk it down to an 8.5 x 11 landscaped layout ! I used a fun paper collection from Echo Park  called "Merry Christmas". Here's the sketch and my version ...


Sketchbook 
Enjoying the festivities - RAH Home Study 2011
For the title I punched out circles and popped up the letters that coordinated with the collection ...
Enjoying the festivities - RAH Home Study 2011 title close-up
 
Enjoying the festivities - RAH Home Study 2011 title close-up 2
For the flower cluster I used some GORGEOUS Petaloo Velvet Hydrangeas  ....
Enjoying the festivities - RAH Home Study 2011 petaloo close-up
Speaking of sketches, I finally completed a page using  Frances Sylvia's January Sketch for RAH. For the circles element I used a snowflake mask and some glimmer mist and then added a few smaller photos, some paper scraps and done in a flash ! Here's the sketch and my take ... (sorry for the poor photo quality of the layout)


RAHSketch15


Winter fun for RAH Home Study 2011  Here's a close-up of the masking ... such a fun and super easy way to spice up plain white cardstock ... 
Winter fun for RAH Home Study 2011 mask close-up  I added some pearls between the circle punches ...
 
Winter fun for RAH Home Study 2011 close-up 
So, I'm off to dive into other activities, hopefully I can photograph the projects I did over the weekend if it stops flurrying and brightens up a bit ! Enjoy the Holiday and school vacation and I'll be back soon. TFL !!



Friday, February 18

DT Call and Off to a Crop !!

It's Friday, I do NOT have to work and I'm off to a weekend crop ... much needed break and a chance to hook up with some wonderful friends and maybe even get some projects done.


A quick announcement before I head off to Honey Dew and load up on coffee .... there's a DT call at Inspired Blueprints ! The details are below including a fun sketch !! Have a great weekend and I'm out the door !!!!!!


Inspired Blueprints DT call:


Are you passionate about scrapping? Do you love using sketches? We'd love to have you on our team! Inspired Blueprints is an awesome sketch inspiration blog and we're looking to add to our team of talented designers.




The period of commitment is from April 2011 through September 2011, with the possibility of extension.

We are looking for:



  • Five 12x12 layout designers

  • Two 8.5x11 layout designers

  • Two digital layout designers


The Responsibilities:



  • Create one layout every two weeks based on the sketch provided. On average, we have two new sketches every month.

  • Meet deadlines for submitting layouts.

  • Participate ACTIVELY and REGULARLY in our online community by giving positive comments on layouts and welcoming new members.

  • You will also have the opportunity to provide prototype layouts for new sketches, however this is not an essential requirement.


The Perks:



  • The opportunity to be part of our inspiring and growing sketch blog and community.

  • There is no designer remuneration but you may get to work with sponsor products from time to time. 


Please note:



  • If successful, we ask that you will not design for, or apply to be on, any other sketch blog during your term with Inspired Blueprints.


How to apply
Create a new layout based on this sketch...



Please also include in your application



  • Your Name

  • Address

  • Email address

  • The position you are applying for

  • Link to your Blog or Online Gallery

  • List of current design teams


International applicants welcome.  The Inspired Blueprints design team covers all four corners of the world.


Send your application to inspiredblueprints@gmail.com no later than 15 March 2011. Please put "DESIGNER CALL" as your email subject. New designers will be notified by email on 20 March 2011.


Good luck!


Sunday, February 13

Birthday Dinner and a Publication !

Happy Sunday !! Hope everyone is having a nice weekend ! I went to dinner yesterday with my family to celebrate my Dad's 80th Birthday !! We went to our FAV local Italian restaurant and had an AWESOME dinner ! We definitely have the longevity gene in the family and I certainly hope to maintain that trait. My Gram will be 99 yrs old this June and she is doing so great - sharp as a tack !!  


Speaking of my Gram, she is in this month's Scrapbok Trends Magazine !! I submitted a layout  I did of her for the vintage category and here she is in print...


STM Feb 2011 


My gram STM Feb 2011
Above the photo on the right I placed stick pins that she used as a young lady when hats were certainly all the rage !! She is still quite stylish today and only recently stopped sewing and quilting. I am so blessed with a wonderfully supportive family !! TFL and I'll be back soon with more projcects ! Have a great weekend.
 



Sunday, February 6

Petaloo CHA Winter 2011 Projects

Major Meltdown goin' on .... and that's a GOOD thing !! The ice dams are shrinking - Amen ! So many families, friends and businesses have lost roofs due to the weight of the snow and ice and a meltdown is welcome !


I wanted to share my FIRST EVER CHA projects I did for Petaloo !! I was so lucky to be able to use some Brand New Petaloo CHA releases and you are going to LOVE them. The new products are GORGEOUS - flowers, sprigs, garland and OMG - the trims are delicious !!! Check out all the new 2011 releases HERE !!


Our booth layouts are 8 x 8 which was soooo fun and a nice change from my traditional 12 x 12 size. For my first layout I combined new and older Color Me Crazy products. These products are just dying to be inked, misted, painted or just left alone. I took a CMC vine and wrapped it around a vintage frame. I used inks and Luminarte Radiant Rain to alter some CMC flowers and leaves and tucked them around the framed photo. I did alot of distressing and crumpling and inking to give the layout a real vintage feel. The papers here are Basic Grey's Capella line....


"Gram" Layout


Gram layout for Petaloo take 2 
 
Gram frame close-up for Petaloo
 
Gram close-up of CMC misted flowers


I continued with this paper collection to create a card. When I received my Petaloo goodies I knew right away how I would use the ADORABLE CMC Pansies Bunch. I spayed the flowers with a gold shimmery mist but kept some of the white showing. I added some sheer ribbon and a metal charm around the flower bunch, some bling, more ink (gotta love ink) and here's the result ...


"Thank-You" Card


IMG_0027_edited
 
IMG_0025_edited 
 For my second 8x8 layout I went all girl !! My niece's daughter Katelynn is a total character and I fell in love with this photo of her looking at herself in a mirror. The color of her little dress did not quite match the Pink Paislee Bayberry Cottage papers so I converted it to B&W and problem solved. I combined a bunch of flowers from the new Petaloo Cantebury collection. The rose and berries branch and rose blossoms are gorgeous and come in several colors !! I also used a flower from the stunning trim as an accent as well !! The trims come packaged on cute dress forms and I used that form, covered it with paper and added a pearl necklace as part of the layout !


"Fashionista" Layout


Fashionista for Petaloo DT CHA Winter 2011
 


Fashionista close-up 2
 
IMG_0005_edited 
 My second card was created from scraps of papers and which I distressed and inked - shocking, I know !! I created a flower cluster with the GORGEOUS Canterbury rose blossoms and added a few leaves also from the collection.


"Happy Mother's Day" card


IMG_0004_edited 
 


Happy Mother's Day card close-up 
 For my final layout I used some brand new papers from Pink Paislee which were released at CHA Winter. I used the collection called "Daily Junque". I cut bit and pieces from several of the papers and layered them together. The pink grid paper was perfect as my background and I added some mist for fun. The flower cluster and leaves and spiral thingys near the photo are more awesome items from the Petaloo Cantebury collection. I added some masking tape around the edges of the page for added interest - and the tape is sheer enough to see through - which is cool !!


"Happy Mother's Day" Layout


Happy Mother's Day Layout for Petaloo 
 


Happy Mother's Day layout close-up 
 Thanks for taking the time to check these out and once again I'm so psyched to be part of this talented team. Enjoy the rest of the weekend !!


 



Tuesday, February 1

Bye Bye January - I will not miss you!!

Work, shovel ...shovel, work ... repeat!! It's getting VERY OLD! Amen to January being over! I'm not overly impressed with February's Opening Day but we are at least closer to Spring and the daylight is a bit longer. We have Part II of today's storm heading our way tomorrow with ice and freezing rain added to a ton of snow already piled up ridiculously high - I hope everyone stays safe and dry.


On a happier note, Inspired Blueprints has just revealed the latest sketch and it's a fun multi photo sketch to boot!! The design team had a blast with this one.  I replaced the doily element with a transparency. The amazing photos on the layout were taken by my great friend Shelley of her talented son playing baseball!!  Thanks for the pics Shell!! Here's the sketch and my version ...


Sketch 65 
~ Athlete~
IB Sketch 65 
 Athlete close-up 

Athlete close-up 2


Stop by the IB Blog and check out all the DT samples and if you play along please upload your project to the gallery !! TFL and have a great week !! 



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