My First February Kit Layout

Magpie Club is having a sketch contest with a Julie Bonner sketch. Here is the sketch:



And here is my layout using the Origins kit from scrapbookdeals4u.com:


My little Wade, about 1 year ago, on our backyard playset. I miss that playset so much! The kids do too!

Here is a little closeup of one section:


Stay tuned for more reveals this weekend!

More with Pink Paislee

My Jan 15th challenge at scrapbookdeals4u.com is to scraplift a member of our gallery. Cheryl created a wonderful layout that I used for the challenge. More details about the challenge are found here: CHALLENGE

This is my sample!


I am also hosting the card challenge this time around and I chose a great PageMaps sketch as my starting point. This is the sketch:


And my Sample

Details about this contest can be found here: CHALLENGE

Basic Grey's monthly newsletter had a great sketch in it that I used to create this layout. I didn't use BG though. This is more Pink Paislee, MM flowers, and Prima kisses.


MyMind's Eye had a fun sketch on their blog that I used as inspiration for this layout. I didn't use MME product though so I can't enter it in to the contest for them. I still really like the results though.


These are what I created while waiting for my February kit from Martha. Stay tuned for those projects to be coming soon!

Page Maps Contest

There is another contest at PageMaps. This contest is in conjunction with the new Basic Grey website. Have you checked it out yet? They have digital stuff! Anyway, this is my layout for the contest.

February Kits at Scrapbookdeals4u.com

Here is the one NON Valentine kit...featuring the Basic Grey Origins line. This kit is really beautiful and you will love it! This is the line I am working with this month.


And here are the two Valentine kits that you get to choose from. One is vintagy and the other is bright and playful. The first one features Fancy Pants and beautiful embellishments to go with it. The 2nd one features the Bo Bunny "Love Bandit" AND "Persuasion" lines. Love both of these kits and I will be working with them soon!




So head on ove to SD4U and grab yours before they are all gone!

Shimmerz Latest

Check out the info on thier blog at http://shimmerzpaints.blogspot.com/

Using Up

the last of my January kit.


Cards made with just a few scraps.


Weston's Kinder Class Photo, inspired by sketch #48 by Kristine Davidson for SD4U.

Here is the sketch:


And I know the title is spelled wrong. I took out the extra G since taking the pic. I just didn't have any more good light in the day to retake the photo.


And with those projects, by kit is gone!

More Layouts

Here is a layout I did with Nutmeg, P and W at Knott's.


And here are more with my January kit. I love this kit!

Valentine Crop

Have you heard?!

Scrapbook Deals 4 U will be hosting a super fun online crop over Valentine's weekend! There will be several awesome challenges, contests, giveaways and prizes! The Grand Prize?? A design team spot for 3 months! WOW!!!

Martha and her design team are currently working on getting all of the plans in place. More details will be coming soon!

We hope you'll play along!

New Challenge Schedule at SD4U

There are four prizes to be won each month. All prize winners are randomly drawn, so everyone has several chances to win. Two of the prizes are for the 1st of the month challenges, which end on the 14th of the month, and two of the prizes are for the 15th of the month challenges, which end on the last day of the month.

Here are the 4 ways to be eligible to win the prizes each month:

1) Complete the 1st of the month layout sketch challenge and upload it to the correct sketch challenge gallery folder by midnight PST on the 14th of the month. Sketch Challenges

2) Complete any of the remaining 1st of the month DT challenges and upload them into the "1st of the month DT Challenges" gallery folder by midnight PST on the 14th of the month. By the way, for each of these DT challenges that you complete, you have a chance at this prize, so if you complete all 4 of these DT challenges, you have 4 chances at this prize! DT Challenges

3) Complete the 15th of the month layout sketch challenge and upload it to the correct sketch challenge gallery folder by midnight PST on the last day of the month. (see link in #1)

4) Complete any of the remaining 15th of the month DT challenges and upload them into the "15th of the month DT Challenges" gallery folder by midnight PST on the last day of the month. Again, for each of these DT challenges that you complete, you have a chance at this prize, so if you complete all 4 of these DT challenges, you have 4 chances at this prize! (see link in #2)

The 15th of the month DT challenges will repeat every month. They are Jen's scraplift challenge; Heather's ad inspiration challenge; Nicole's card sketch challenge; and Misty's color challenge.

Mette will be providing awesome layout classes in conjunction with the new challenge schedule!

Come on over to the forums and play with us! We want to see your work.

A Layout Tutorial with my Jan kit

I almost always start with a sketch. It gets me started and I don't sit staring at my supplies for very long when I am inspired by a sketch. Most of the time it looks different from the original start as I like to make the sketches my own.

For this layout, I had a lot of pictures I wanted to use all together. I looked for a sketch that had several photos. I chose this sketch from Sketch Inspirations:


I had my kit supplies all out and I matted my photos with white cardstock to start. I used 4x5.25 photos that I had printed by Snapfish. I cut my mats 4.25x5.5in, 1/4 in bigger than the photos. I cut all the mats from 1 sheet of 8.5x11 paper.


I then placed my photos in the design of the sketch. I had to move them around a bit to get the right amount of overlap. It would have been easier to arrange them if I had trimmed the photos down, but I wanted to leave them large. I then adhered the photos and used foam tape behind the top left photo. I wanted that one to stand out above the others.


I then chose two strips of contrasting pattern paper cut to roughly 1.5 inches wide and placed them on either side of my photo group. This is different from the sketch but I liked the way it looked. These strips were actually leftovers from another layout. I also added that little chipboard bird from the kit too.


I placed word strip stickers on the right like the sketch, a journaling block on the left, a center sticker, and my title across the top of my main photo. I chose that title placement to help draw the eye to my main photo.


The bird needed something to perch on so I cut a swirl with my cricut and used half of it under the bird.


Then I added stickles to the swirl and to the centers of the flowers on the main pattern paper.


And I was done!


I hope you can see how easy it is to get lots of photos on one page and how great sketches are! I love sketches.

Sorry for all the flash spots in the tutorial photos. I was working late at night and couldn't figure out how to photograph without them but still get a clear picture.