Designs by Diana Blog Anniversary Sketch Challenge

I love Diana's sketches so of course I had to try her sketch challenge in celebration of her three year blog anniversary! Here is the sketch...

Isn't it fun? I had this Karen Foster Science Project paper for years. I think I got it in a RAK at some point. Well, considering I just had my first child this past December, I knew it was going to be awhile before I scrapped any science projects and really didn't want to hold onto this paper that much longer. And then I remembered I had photos from when we did an autograph signing with Andrew's super smart cousin Matt when he was published in Science magazine. Perfect! So I used the Karen Foster science project paper as my background. I didn't want to hid too much of the fun details on this paper so for one of the layers I used a Hambly transparency. The Imagination Project graph paper was an perfect additional layer. The green cardstock is embossed with a Tim Holtz dotted die. Additional details include beakers which I cut out of the patterned paper (they were behind all the layers and photos), then I embossed them with ultra thick clean enamel giving them a "glassy" look. The circles are stamped and embossed on different colored cardstock. I didn't intend for them to act as "gasses" coming out of the beakers, but as I was playing around with all my embellishments, I realized it was the perfect use for them. Then for the chevron shapes I embossed some old Imagination Project chipboard photo corners with silver enamel and layered them over some old number-patterned decorative tape. Finally, what you can't see is on the back of the page I attached a clear page protector which holds a copy of the magazine. Thanks so much for looking!

Basic Grey - Use Patterned Paper As Your Background Challenge

I had so much fun working on this challenge for Basic Grey. The challenge was to create a layout using patterned paper for your background. I had wanted to scrap these two photos of my aunt Beth & I on each other's wedding days forever. But, I was having a hard time finding papers that would work with both wedding colors. Platinum grey and cranberry red bridesmaid dresses? Hmmm...then I found a few large pieces of Basic Grey Boxer in my scrap bin and discovered it was the PERFECT paper for these photos. So, all the paper is Basic Grey Boxer and Bazzill cardstock. Additional Basic Grey supplies included my Whisper Swirl stamps and few cardstock stickers from the Porcelain collection, an Origins stitched brad, chipboard alphas and rub-ons. I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out!

Basic Grey - Tiffany Tillman Scallops Challenge

I love scallops! So when I saw this challenge from Tiffany Tillman on the Basic Grey blog, I knew I had to partake. I also knew that I had some significant scraps of the Phoebe collection laying around - and Phoebe features lots of scallops in its patterns. So armed with my Phoebe scraps, a large scalloped die-cut cardstock circle of Bazzill cardstock and my fun EK Success Bumpy Road border punch, I created this layout. I also used a bunch of other Basic Grey goodies including my Birdie Trio stamp set, glazed brads, velvet trim, a bloomer and both the alphas and tags from Phoebe as well!

Basic Grey - Susan Weinroth "Scraplift This" Challenge

So, it's no secret I LOVE Basic Grey. And it's no secret that I am a HUGE fan of Susan Weinroth's. So, when I saw she was this month's guest designer at Basic Grey, I was super excited. Susan made an amazing layout for a "Scraplift This" challenge. You can view the challenge and Susan's layout here. So, I used this layout as the inspiration for the following two-page spread. First off, I dug deep into my Basic Grey stash consisting of 17 different collections right now and pulled out some old Blitzen (which is still my favorite Christmas line of all time). I also included some Basic Grey alphas, glazed brads and buttons. Instead of repeating hearts in various patterns, I used stars. Since I don't have a sewing machine, I hand-stitched on each star to add an element of texture. I dotted most of the stars with a button as Susan did to her hearts. I included a patterned paper border at the bottom as Susan did and added a journaling block and title. And here is my result!