CREATING A CARD FROM A SKETCH

If there is little time and an easy card solution, I will find it! The sketch challenge this month on Enmarc Crafts is what I like to call elegant simplicity! Here's the sketch:

And here's my card! How simple is that? In about 15 minutes I created a card that I love and will be proud to give to a friend who has recently obtained her graduate degree. I can now call her Dr. Erhabor!

The inside of the card contains a John Ruskin quote that I have long appreciated:

The path of a good woman is indeed strewn with flowers;

but they rise behind her steps, not before them.

I used two Enmarc products on my card: the cascade of flowers--in the buff, and the title Journey--which I colored with back ink for impact!

Thanks again for coming by. Please leave a note so I will know you were here!

A MORE FEMININE BIRTHDAY CARD

Just a quickie to share a card that took just a few minutes to make! Truly! When I am in a hurry for a card, I grab a card sketch from DebbyD on the Let's Scrap website. I then reach for my DCWV boxes of precut cards with envelopes. Both great time savers! I then cut a card "front" using a scrap of paper; then cut a smaller shape from the reverse side of the same paper. Grabbed a box of lace tape, two die cuts, and a rub-on sentiment! Instant card.

I have submitted this card to three websites: Let's Scrap (for the card sketch), Bella Creations (for its vintage theme), and Enmarc Crafts (who sent me the great prize package!). These are the three websites I visit most often, and find the greatest of inspiration!

Here's the list of supplies/products:

Base: from DCWV Linen Closet Box of Cards
brown pp: Prima Romantique Collection (Gazette)
lace tape: decollections
green/rose pp: reverse side of Prima (above)
butterfly pp: Basic Gray die cut shapes (17)
chipboard: Enmarc Crafts
happy birthday: rub-on from Pebbles, Inc.

Thanks for looking--go forth and create something!!

MY SON'S BIRTHDAY CARD

One of the fun things about scrapbooking websites is that they often give away free gifts, donated by sponsors, for your participation in their challenges. It is on just such a website, Let's Scrap, that I was the random winner of a challenge! I won an extremely generous prize donated by Enmarc Crafts, a South African scrapbooking supply manufacturer. I was pleased to find a myriad of delicate wooden embellishments just perfect for a birthday card for my son, as he turns 40 this month.

A bit of history is needed here. Many, many years ago, when my son and daughter and I made our home together, things at home could get a bit messy over time. I was a busy working mother, Bryan had graduated from high school and had his first job, while my daughter was still in high school, a typical teenager.

One Friday, the mess even got a bit much for me, so my plan was to spend the weekend with the major focus on housecleaning! That Friday evening, I opened the door to our home, knowing what would face me. To my astonishment, the house was immaculate! Totally! Hanging from a ceiling beam in the living room was a sign handwritten by my son Bryan: FIXED BY CAMEL. The sign made reference to a children's book, often read to my son as a youngster, about character building in children. One of the characters was named Camel, and he went about fixing things in the neighborhood that needed attention. You will now understand the reference to CAMEL in this very special 40th birthday card for my son:

The inside of the card:

My stamp on the back:

With great thanks to Let's Scrap and Enmarc Crafts, and with the greatest affection, admiration and gratitude to my son!

Thanks for sharing this poignant moment with me!

A RETURN VISIT TO ATCs

The Bella Creations website has kept me very busy of late, joining new groups and "answering" September challenges. This challenge is from a group called Oh La La, hosted by Design Team member Lacee. GeckoGalz provided free images of three dressmaker's mannequins to the members of this group, and the challenge was very broad: incorporate all three images into your work!

First, for those of you who are not familiar with the term ATC, a brief description: ATC stands for Artist's Trading Card. An ATC has a specific size, 3-1/2" x 2-1/2" (basically, the size of a playing card or baseball trading card). That is your canvas! You can do anything you want to do in that space. Along with ATCs comes an unspoken oath that one takes when they make one: ATCs are to be traded or given only; they my never be sold!

Here are the 3 ATCs I made for this challenge:

Here are a few more--some of my favorites from times past:

Thanks for stopping by! If you leave a message, I will know you were here!

MY DOG JAKE

Just finished my layout for the month-long challenge on Let's Scrap! It features a sketch by the well-known sketch artist Julie Bonner. Check out both the Let's Scrap website and Julie's blog for some instant scrapbooking inspiration!

My husband Russ and I adopted Jake from the Northeast Animal Shelter in Salem, MA, in May of 2010. He had been rescued by an organization in Puerto Rico called Save-A-Sato, sato being Spanish for "street dog," now generally referring to all animals who roam the streets there. You might say that Jake is one very lucky dog, but Russ and I both feel that WE are the lucky ones in this relationship!

The photos in this layout were taken as Jake (and Russ) played along Rye Beach in Rye, New Hampshire. Dogs there can be "off leash," but, despite his size, Jake is still a puppy, so we chose to keep a tighter control of his actions by having him remain on leash.

I had planned to do my usual computer "journaling" on this layout, but decided to be brave and try a bit of hand journaling! Go me!

Thanks for looking! Now, go be creative!!

MORE VINTAGE

Though still taking baby steps, I want to continue my path toward learning the art of vintage scrapping! This layout was inspired by a group within the Bella Creations website. It's called Souvenirs du Passe (Memories of the Past), and is hosted by DT member Maggie. I am also submitting this layout to The Paper Trail Makers, a challenge blog. This challenge is to incorporate a bit of vintage into the layout--right up my new alley!

The obvious "bit of vintage" is my photograph, c. 1949. It is a family photo of siblings (in case you missed the resemblance!). With the predominant photo color being yellow, it is from that which I chose my color palette. The background paper is from the Brilliance Collection by Authentique. I used only about 2/3 of my scalloped paper (guessing this is from Basic Gray), so was able to use a piece of what remained for the upper right-hand corner. To accent that same corner, I used a vintage time piece (with accompanying bling) from The Girls Paperie (Vintage Whimsy Glitter Charms).

One of the few purchases I have made of late is a set of stamps from Unity Stamp Company called Ticket to Life. Tickets are a very trendy embellishment these days, but lend themselves particularly well to vintage layouts. I chose to use this particular stamp because it reminded me of the cost of a movie theater ticket (15 cents) and box of candy from the concession stand (10 cents) in the old days! I stamped on a piece of canvas for a more aged appearance. The butterfly is the top two layers of a three-layer sticker from Basic Gray (Pops), with the top layer inked with a bit of yellow. (I am a great fan of "adjusting" purchased embellishments to fit the layout!)

The flowers are by Prima, and they, too, have been "adjusted" by removing a bulky button and replacing it with a gem. My reason for doing this was to created a lower profile so that the layout would scan more easily (I need to work on my layout photography skills!). Lastly, I added that cute vintage die cut of a little girl collecting flowers in her dress. I believe she is from Vintage Attic Treasures by Melissa Frances, but not sure. The names and birth years of the siblings are computer generated and, for now, are serving as both the title and journaling. If I one day come across just the right font, I just might add SIBLINGS as my title.

For now, please enjoy this as it is. I had so much fun creating this one because I am that little girl in the middle!

Thanks again for dropping by to check out my blog. I would be pleased to know that you were here, so leave a comment!!

THE SHOEBOX FAMILY

OK, I'll say it again: Sometimes life gets in the way of blogging, even when it's good stuff! But, here I am, only slightly retired from my term as a Let's Scrap Design Team Member. Slightly, you ask? I have been invited to challenge that site's 3,000 members in November to do something slightly different. Watch for it here!

While I remain active on the Let's Scrap site, I have also aligned myself with a new site called Bella Creations to learn about a design style I have long admired, but been afraid to try. Something called vintage. Now, as a wine aficionado of good (and long) standing, I know that vintage refers to the year in which a wine was produced. It can also refer to the clothing or style of clothing worn during a certain period--like the 20's, the 50's, or even as recent as the 90's. Likewise, cars. It then follows that a scrapbooker would use papers and embellishments with an older or even antique-y feel. My reason for wanting t0 learn this very creative design style is to scrapbook some VERY old photos (as old as 1915 in the case of the photo below). This is going to be a long hard road for me to travel, as my scrapbooking design style has always been very simple, using clean straight lines, and with minimal intrusion from embellishments--you will recall my earliest struggle with using more than one patterned paper on a layout!

I am sure, like mine, most families have a shoebox full of old photos. We find that, when someone sends us photos, we are not allowed to throw them away, so we collect them in one place--usually a box. Each family passes this collection of photos from generation to generation, until, finally, the people in the photos can no longer be identified. In the scrapbooking world, these photos have come to be called Shoebox People or, in the case of my layout title, Shoebox Family.

When you think of it, most of us have neither the time nor, frankly, the inclination to open up a box of photos of people we don't know! But just maybe, if the presentation were a bit more "attractive," we just might be tempted. I am hoping that my children and my children's children might be so tempted. Along with scrapbooking a "Book About Me" (check out this group on Let's Scrap), I want to scrapbook a book about my family's ancestors. Maybe these family members will not be all identifiable by name, but wouldn't it be fun to know that you have your great grandmother's nose?

I have begun this vintage scrapbook with a photo of Mrs. Conner's 75th birthday, taken in 1915. I am not sure that her actual birthday was January 11, as documented in the lower left-hand corner of the photo, or merely the date it was celebrated. I would like to think it was--as that is my birthday, too. As my sister, brother and I are now the senior members of our family (Wonders), we could only deduce that Mrs. Conner is our great-great grandmother on our father's side. But, really, how cool is that? I found this photo especially interesting, too, in that, other than Mr. Conner, this photo is of the women and children of the family. I think that might have been a bit unusual for the time.

So here is my layout! It is still evolving, but I wanted to share it with you now--you may see it again. I initially posted this layout in the gallery on the Bella Creations website with neither the flowers nor flourish in the bottom right-hand corner. I asked for suggestions on how to complete it--it appeared naked to me. One of the "Bella" Design Team members, Maggie, made the suggestion of adding those elements. I could not be more pleased with the flowers! However, the flourish I used sort of disappears against the background paper, so I will need to work on that a bit more. It is also my intention to use some hidden journaling on a tag behind the photo, just peaking out a smidge on the left-hand side.

Here's a close-up of the flowers and title:

And of the chipboard buttons with frayed twine ties:

Thanks for taking the time to come by and to read my blog. Time now for me to "go forth and create!"