Make it Snappy at Scrap Orchard and Template Chat at GingerScraps

Yesterday was another Make It Snappy at Scrap Orchard. Here is my layout:

Too Much T.V.
Authenticity by Secret Stash
Journaling Font: Printcess
Title Font: Painty Paint

I love speed scraps. Speaking of speed scraps, Unforgettable Moments and Valarie Ostrom are hosting a template chat on Saturday morning over at GingerScraps.  Come on by, get a free template and chat!

Make it Snappy at Scrap Orchard

I missed MIS (Make it Snappy) at Scrap Orchard last week, and I can't even remember why. I think I was terribly busy doing laundry. I made it this week and I continued the Balloon Fiesta layouts. Here's my layout from tonight:

Where I Stand by Litabells Designs
Wave shape from Beach Breeze Collab by Owl Tree Studios

Keep on Scrappin'!

Make it Snappy at Scrap Orchard

I love speed scraps. I made a double layout during my last speed scrap. It is another Balloon Fiesta layout. I love the photo of the two bees "kissing" so I wanted it to be nice and big. One of the most awesome things about the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta is all of the special shape balloons. I love to see them in the sky. I would have titled this layout "Special Shapes" but I had to use an alpha for the title and I hate making long titles out of alphas!

Shapes
Groovy Kinda Love by Designs by Kat;
Alpha from Snowy Day by Lyndsay Riches

The scrap instructions were nice and simple this week, which is probably why I had time to make the double layout. I have tried to make a double layout before this for a Make it Snappy and had to give up and post a 12 x 12 in the gallery in order to make the deadline.

1. Choose 2 papers and make them your background.
2. Choose how many photos you want and frame or mat them.
3. Add some stitches.
4. Add some paint or glitter splatter or a scatter/spill of some sort behind your photos.
5. Add 2 of the following: flowers, stars, hearts, circles.
6. Add a title with an alpha.
7. Finish with shadowing, adding whatever it needs, journaling, date, etc.

Make It Scrappy (I mean Snappy)

Somehow my life has been so hectic that I've missed over a months worth of Make It Snappys over at ScrapOrchard. I was finally able to participate this week though. Here are the instructions:

1. Choose an odd number of photos....1, 3, 5, .......
2. Choose an even number of papers and use 1/2 of them as your background....do what you will with the rest! For instance, I used 6 papers: 3 stacked as background and 3 as paper strips, but they could be mattes for photos, block, shapes etc.
3. Use at least one frame somewhere on your page. It can be on the photos, behind them, no where near them....whatever as long as one is on the page :)
4. Use at least one circular element on your page....circles, flowers (kinda), brads, buttons.... you know ;)
5. Add in some paint, glitter, spills, scatter, something along those lines.
6. Use a piece of wordart or an alpha (or both) for your title.
7. Add anything else you need to make it your own. Journal, date, shadow, save and upload

And here is my layout:

My Fave Five Farm Pics
Quotiety by Captivated Visions;
Quotiety Freebie by Captivated Visions;
Quotiety Numbered Papers by Captivated Visions;
Frame from Imagination by Designs by Kat;
Painted Overlay from Foliferous Overlays by Captivated Visions;
Fonts: Handwriting-Dakota, GillSans-UltraBold

I took these photos while the little boys and I were walking around the farm. This was the same day that I got all the photos of Rudy in action and the same day that left Ollie so exhausted. This is the third layout from this day and it was our first day on the farm!

Speed Scraps

I've participated in three speed scraps this week.  I love speed scrappin'. The first was the Iron Scrapper speed scrap on Tuesday, which I blogged about on Wednesday.  Wednesday night was the regular weekly Scrap Orchard Make It Snappy.  I made this page:

Little Bits of Yesterday
Kits used: Never Stop Believing by CV and Sweet Tweets by Tracie Stroud
Doodled border from Cup o Joe by MLE Card
Font: Uncle Typewriter & English

I didn't get to chat much as I had to go back half-way through and change the kit I was using.  The first kit I had picked didn't have any glitter or paint splats.  And it didn't have any doodled elements.  But when we got to a step to add two frames and the kit only had one frame, and that frame didn't work with my photos, then I gave up. In the end I mostly combined two kits for this layout. I made that little bit of title word art myself.  Neat, huh?

Today I was home sick and as I was downloading a Stuff to Scrap Blog Train, I noticed that they were advertising a speed scrap and the participation prize was a nifty free kit. So I signed up for the their forum and participated. It looks like a nice site; I think I'll hang around there.  Since it was my first time there I used the parts of the Stuff to Scrap Painted Desert blog train that I had downloaded. It was a fun speed scrap; the instructions were very specific–down to the size of the cropped paper.  I really like my final page. Here it is:

Dale Ball Trail

Papers, string, and eyelet from Painted Desert by Adriana's Cafe

Paper, tag and cactus sticker from Painted Desert by Love to Learn (Purplebokeh Designs)

Button from Painted Desert by Scrappin' Serenity

3D flower and bow Painted Desert by Hannah (ScrapTeam2008)

Stitching from Tweet Tweet by Captivated Visions

Fonts: My Own Topher and VKPortable Remington

Journaling reads:

June 17, 2011

We were running errands in Albuquerque today. Blue had his final eye check-up following the scratched cornea disaster so he was with us.  Richard was determined to make it back to Santa Fe in time to see the SRAM dealers who were going to be out at Dale Ball Trail. While Richard looked at bikes, Blue and I tried to take a short hike.  I say "tried" because he was really reluctant to leave his dad in the parking lot. We got up the trail a little ways, but when I detoured off the trail to look at the view he insisted on going back down when he got back to the trail. So we did.  And wouldn't you know, we met up with Richard.  Who just biked away from us.  Blue was appalled and quite willing to run back up the trail (and it was up) but made go back down with me. 


P.S. The Stuff to Scrap Painted Desert Blog Train is available until August 14th and starts here:
Scrappin' Serenity. Look for posts dated on August 1 or July 31.

Iron Scrapper-Week Four

Well, this is the final week of Iron Scrapper. Soon we'll find out who wins the Ipad. The fresh fruit challenge for this week was a numbers challenge.  I thought it was quite challenging–you were required to use 10, 7, 6, 4, 3, and 2 things. And that's all you could used outside of journaling, title/word art.   I used 7 papers, 2 photos, 6 leaves, 3 staples, 4 flowers and 10 buttons. Here is my layout. It features my poor older brother, not yet 3 years old, hard at work. 

Working Hard
Kit used: Imagination by Designs by Kat
Individual elements:
1 staple from When You Smile by Captivated Visions
2 flowers from Chit Chat and Chocolate by AnnaBV Designs
Font: VTPortable Remington

The main challenge required the use of 3 birds.  And as soon as I read the challenge description, I got the weirdest scrapper's block. I couldn't think of anything besides "Surfin' Bird" so I finally gave up and went with it:

Surfin' Bird
Iron Scrapper Week 4 Grab bag

There was also an Iron Scrapper Make It Snappy this week.  It was a killer.  I had to go back in the middle and replace all my paper strips with more "mat-like" and less "strip-like" papers.  So now I'll hate this layout forever.  (And it's such a great photo.  I'm actually holding gum!)

Dum Dum Give Me Some Gum Gum
When You Smile Bundle by Captivated Visions

Iron Scrapper-Week Three

It is week three of the Iron Scrapper challenge at ScrapOrchard. The week three challenge required the use of 15 snowflakes. Snowflakes don't cluster well so I found this challenge particularly challenging.  The bonus challenge was to make a 2-page layout, which worked in my favor since I prefer to print two page layouts. Here is my layout:

Polar Coaster
Iron Scrapper Week 3 grab bag.

And here are close-ups of the left and right sides:

The fresh fruit challenge required the use of at least one black & white photo and one color photo.  This is the layout I made. It's another Fourth of July vacation layout.  I'm sure I'll replace the b&w with a color version before printing this layout.

Fireworks by Chelle's Creations
Fireworks Extras by Chelle's Creations 

Iron Scrapper-Week Two

It's week two of Iron Scrapper and once again there were two scrappin' challenges. The week two challenge required the use of 11 leaves and the use of cut-outs.  This is the layout I made with photos that range from just after my husband and I met to just before we got married.:

Fall into Love
Iron Scrapper Wk 2 Grab Bag
Font: CK Becky

The Fresh Fruit challenge, which requires you to use newly released products, required a theme of what you do to relax.  My first thought was a layout on scrappin', but I've done one of those recently, so I decided to go with reading. My favorite types of books are British historical novels, both romance and naval. I began with the Horatio Hornblower series back when I was a pre-teen and then moved onto Alexander Kent's work.  I began reading romance when I was older.  I love this stuff, especially the series.

Angela's Library
Le Ciel de Paris Kit & Quick Pages by Irene V. Alexeeva
Pink stick pin from Vintage Florals by Shabby Princess
Font: CK Pirate Hand

(The challenges require 100% ScrapOrchard products, so I had to remove the pink stick pin from the layout I submitted from the challenge.)

If you are interested my list of books is as follows:

Julia Quinn–All of the Bridgerton series

Carla Kelly–Marrying the Captain

Mary Jo Putney–The Lost Lords Series

Patrick O'Brien–The Aubery-Maturin Chronicles

Bernard Cornwell–The Sharpe Series

C. S. Forester–The Horatio Hornblower Series

Alexander Kent–The Richard Bolitho Series

Susan Higginbotham–The Traitor's Wife

Jane Austen–Pride and Prejudice

Olivia Parker–To Wed a Wicked Earl

Loretta Chase–Don't Tempt Me

Julia Quinn–The Splendid Trilogy

Julia Quinn–Just like Heaven

Julia Quinn–The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever 

Julia Quinn–The Two Dukes of Wyndham

Mary Jo Putney–The Bartered Bride

Olivia Parker–At the Bride Hunt Ball

Loretta Chase–Mr. Impossible

Loretta Chase–Lord of Scoundrels

Loretta Chase–Carsington Family Series

Carla Kelly–Marrying the Royal Marine

Carla Kelly–The Admiral's Penniless Bride 

Carla Kelly–The Surgeon's Lady 

I love Captivated Visions

I was going to start a general post about layouts I've done recently when I realized that they all had two things in common, each was done for a challenge at ScrapOrchard (a place I love) and each was done with a kit by Captivated Visions. I love Captivated Visions, she is one of my favorite designers.  It may be because she appears to love purple and green as much as I do.  And glitter and paint splats.  She often makes coordinated "overlays" to go with her kits.  The most recent kit that I have purchased from her is called "Ianthine". Here is what the "overlays" look like, I used two in the Air Conditioning layout and one in the City Different layout. The overlays are always gorgeous and save time.

Ianthine Overlays by Captivated Visions

This first layout was made for a June challenge at ScrapOrchard. It's my wonderful rat terrier, Oliver Louis.  This is one of my favorite recent pages.  I used a collab between Captivated Visions and Tracie Stroud Designs. I love this page.

Ollie
Here and Now full kit by Captivated Visions and Tracie Stroud Designs
and Here and Now Finishing Touches by Captivated Visions and Tracie Stroud Designs

The next two layouts were made for the Iron Scrapper challenge currently going on at ScrapOrchard. The Iron Scrapper winner is going to win an iPad, how awesome is that?  This layout was made for a challenge about summer plans.  We are getting a new furnace and air conditioner this summer. I am so excited, I scrapped about it.

Air Conditioning
Ianthine bundle by Captivated Visions

This is kind of grungy, and outside of my usual style, but I loved that torn, spray-painted cardboard background. I couldn't wait to use it. And this is the advantage of digital, I can have this printed on archival paper!

This next layout I made today for an Iron Scrapper speed scrap.  We were limited to an odd number of leaves and one focus element and some ribbon.  But that's why I love speed scraps, I'm forced to do things that I normally wouldn't.  This is a picture of a 1941 Dodge pickup that is on display in downtown Santa Fe, the City Different.

City Different
Ianthine bundle by Captivated Visions

Journaling reads:  One the things that I love about Sante Fe is that art is everywhere. We found this truck with flowers in its bed at the Sanbusco today. I’d nvever seen it before. It is a 1941 Dodge half-ton pickup of the type that was used for lumber deliveries by Sanbusco in the 40’s. It also the type of truck that was used to deliver supplies to the then secret city of Los Alamos. Oohh. –July 1, 2011

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated in any way with either Captivated Visions or ScrapOrchard other than as a customer. I just really love them both.