Sketchbook 2015 - Sketch #8

It's my final layout share for the Studio Calico Sketchbook 2015 class!! This one is for sketch #8 and I struggled a bit with what I was going to do. The sketch is not something I lean toward for my normal layouts. I looked through the layouts based on the sketch and decided to put together a 6x8 page for our Minnesota vacation handbook album. We took this vacation this very week in 2013 and it was one of the most fun and memorable vacations we've had to date! I could probably say that about just about all of our vacations for sure, but this one to Minnesota was really a lot of fun!! I based my layout on one of the pages Kelly put together in her mini book, I just stretched it out to fit the 6x8 size (her mini was 4x6). Here's what I came up with...

On this particular day of our vacation we took a drive from Merrifield, MN to Duluth, MN. This is from our trip back to where we were staying!! I took a lot of open road travel pics this trip because I just loved the wide open spaces in central and northern MN!! So very different from the urban lifestyle of Orlando, FL!!! This was also the time that Rhonna Farrer released her Apple iPhone app and I was having tons of fun using it to edit photos when we were on the long drives!! I really love the simplicity of this page and might draw more inspiration from Kelly's mini book for this sketch as I continue to work on our MN vacation handbook!!

Thanks for stopping by!!
deb

Sketchbook 2015 - Sketch #6

I am back today to share the layout I made for sketch #6 as part of Studio Calico's Sketchbook 2015 class. I had a bit of trouble with this one as it's not typically a design I would use. It's a bit too blocky for me. But I loved Stephanie Bryan's layout, so I tweaked it a bit to fit the photos I had from Epcot's Flower & Garden Festival. I wanted to get the Pulled Pork Slider, Maple Bacon Cupcake, and Maple Bacon Stout I had from The Smokehouse onto a page!! I also really wanted to use some of Shimelle's new True Stories line, so I went for it on this layout. Overall, I am pretty happy with how it turned out, even if making it pushed me outside of my comfort zone.

Hope you're all enjoying your Sunday!! Thanks for stopping by!!
deb

Sketchbook 2015 - Sketch #5

I am still really enjoying making layouts for the Sketchbook 2015 class over at Studio Calico. It's ended now, but I am still working my way through the sketches. I've got a layout to share today and another tomorrow, then next weekend I'll be back with my layouts for the final two sketches. I do have plans for more layouts based on these sketches, they're just that good!!

Here's the layout I put together for sketch #5.

I pretty much lifted Kelly's layout for our Veteran's Day 2014 photos. I did mess up on the date and put 2015, but I just wrote the 4 right over the 5. Then I noticed I spelled a word slightly wrong and while it was easy to change the letter, there wasn't too much space to do so, so it's a bit garbled there at the end. But oh well, there are worse things in life then a little garbled journaling. In the stack of layouts it went and it's waiting to go into an album! Not worrying about it and moving on to the next layout!!

I'm proud of my husband's service to our country. He is a veteran of the US Army. It was pretty darn cool that Starbucks offered free tall coffees to veterans, active duty service members, and their spouses. We took advantage. And to say it made us love starbucks a little more would be an understatement!

Have a wonderful Saturday!! Thanks for stopping by!
deb

Sketchbook 2015 - Sketch #4

Keeping right along with my plan to play along with all of the sketches and share them here over the weekend, I'm back today with the layout I put together for Sketch #4. I lifted Kelly's layout again, with the exception of the white grid lines on the right side of the layout. I left those out. I just wasn't feeling it. I also used some of the gold star vellum from my stash instead of the vellum from the Lisse Street SB Main kit. Since this was a layout about where we celebrated St. Patrick's Day, I felt like the gold star vellum worked a bit better. And this way I have that awesome vellum to use for something else!!!

And can I just take a minute to say how great those big green chipboard letters from the kit are!!! I first tried to spray paint that R with some gold glitter spray paint, but it was an epic fail. I ended up wiping it off and going with gold glitter zing instead. Was thinking of going that route in the first place, but really wanted to try the spray paint. Next time I'll be sticking with my gut! I've already got two more letters all zinged up and ready to go for another layout!! See why I said on Friday that I might be picking up another one of these kits before bundling ends!! Love this kit to pieces!!!

We celebrated St. Patrick's Day a few days early at Downtown Disney's Raglan Road. We have learned to celebrate my favorite holiday either the day or two before it or the day or two after it. It's all kind of crazy being out at an Irish pub on the day itself!! Been there, done that!!! So this year we celebrated on the 15th of March. And, as per usual, I had to take the customary pic of my first Guinness!! Love that stuff!!!

Hope you're having a great weekend!! Thanks for stopping by!
deb

Sketchbook 2015 #3

Happy Saturday!!! I am back to share the layout I put together for Sketchbook 2015 Sketch #3 over in the Studio Calico classroom. I think I'm liking this schedule of posting these layouts on the weekends for the next few weeks!! I did another lift for this layout. This time, I lifted Kelly's layout for my March calendar photo. I had these black monthly tabbed stickers that I picked up several months ago from SC and used the first six months on this layout. I added the title right to the bottom of the photo with black thickers to balance out those tab stickers along with some black mist. Not sure how I feel about it all, but I'm calling it done. I think the black tab stickers might be a bit strong, but it's getting stuff out of my stash and onto a layout, so I'm going with it!!

I love these month in review photos and pages. I've been doing them for a while now and it's nice to look back on!! Catch ya back here tomorrow!! Until then, thanks for stopping by!
deb

Sketchbook layout #2

Finally finding my groove and some balance when it comes to life, work, grad school (#2), living a fit/healthy life, and being creative. Lots of things going on and balance has been a huge goal of my especially over the last 2.5 years. Maybe one day I'll get in to all the changes I've made and decisions I have NO regrets about...all in an effort to find BALANCE. But for today, I wanted to share the layout I made for Sketchbook 2015 over at Studio Calico. I don't know about others who are taking this class but I am loving every singly sketch so far. In past Sketchbook classes, I have loved a lot of them, but not all of them. So far with this one, kp has knocked it out of the park. In real time we're up to sketch #7, but I'm just getting around to sharing this one...for sketch #2.

For this layout, I lifted the layout made by Chantal Philippe for the sketch. I loved what she did with her layout and I had the perfect photos from our hike in Lake Louisa State Park on Good Friday. I had them printed to 3x4 by Persnickety Prints, but for this layout, I decided to reprint them with my instax share. Still lover that little printer and I really need to use it more in my crafting!! I did stretch the layout to 12x12 and it left lots of white space. I am in LOVE with that white space. Totally not how I usually roll, but I am really loving the focus on the photos as a result!

Are you playing along with the Sketchbook 2015 class? If so link me up to your layouts!! I'd love to see them!! I'm planning on spreading some love over at the SC boards!! It's always nice to click on that little heart and spread some love for what people are creating!!

Have a wonderful day!! Thanks for stopping by!
deb

Four Months and Sketchbook

I think it's pretty obvious I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with blogging. I do well for a little bet then fall completely off the wagon! HA! We'll here it is four months since my last post and I am going to try with all my might to be a bit more consistent...even if that means coming up with some type of schedule for myself. I'm still going with the no pressure blogging though!

Anyway, sorry for the long absence but I am back and I'm going to try to come back with a vengeance! I am taking the latest installment of Kelly Purkey's Sketchbook class over at Studio Calico this month and I have decided to try to make at least one project for each sketch. I have taken all of her previous sketchbook classes and made projects here and there, but for this one I am totally loving them all so far so I wanted to try to play along with each sketch!! Today I am sharing my layout for sketch #1. If you're taking the class I hope you'll link me up in the comments to your layouts! I'd love to see them!!

For this layout, I pretty much lifted Kelly's layout for sketch #1. I used a photo from Christmas of my husband with one of our nieces and nephews. We were sitting right in front of the window, so it's a bit washed out and not the greatest photo, but I still love this one a lot. It was right before my father in law read the bible passage about the birth of Christ and my husband and I were sitting on their love seat. All of a sudden our niece jumped up followed soon after by our nephew right into my husband's lap. Too cute to resist taking a selfie even if the lighting wasn't perfect. It's these fleeting moments that need to be captured. The wood veneer piece behind the photo is from a Studio Calico project life kit (Cirque kit) and fit behind the photo perfectly. The big black "F" is from the Cirque SB Kit. A few layers and some stamping complete the project. Most papers for this layout come from the Poet Society SB kit but the backgound paper is from my stash. Except for the journaling and date on the layout, it doesn't give off a Christmas vibe, which I love. This one's all about family and capturing those quick moments that might pass you by!

Have a great Saturday peeps!! I'll be back tomorrow!! Until then, thanks for stopping by!
Deb