VIEW from the BOAT

This week at SKETCHY THURSDAYS they have this sketch:

And my layout turned out like this:::

(San Francisco boat ride on the Bay...under the GG bridge, around Alcatraz...etc)

2 Dollie challenges!!

Two layouts for DESIGN DOLLIES challenges:

ELEMENTS challenge is a FRIENDSHIP layout in honor of Frienship day:


And SKETCH challenge:

This is my bff Erika & her family (our second family...really)...

FAKE? SMILE

The color challenge this week at DESIGN DOLLIES is Purple, Olive Green & Cream.  PURPLE.....NOOOOOO!!!!! 

Ok, so I looked over in my "recent" papers and found some MME papers I got in a recent SCRAPROOM kit...and I had this TOTALLY FAB sketch from SKETCH SAVVY sitting right in front of me...... well, one thing led to another ... I gotta be honest...I really like this one!!!    Love how challenges get me "out of my box"!!!

Design Team Posts!!!!

This week at Alphabet Challenge our letter is O --- O for OVALS.... now this is reasonably easy for a card...but I don't think I've EVER used OVALS on a layout...so after some fretting and lots of thought...I came up with this layout that I absolutely LOVE!!!!  (I'm allowed to love my own layouts right??)

And this week at FROSTED DESIGNS the challenge is CELEBRATE LIFE!!!  What a great and wide challenge!!!  I use these photos of Joseph playing tag with the waves of the Pacific Ocean...Celebrating Life and just being a boy!!!

TAAFOMFT - FAVE BAND???

The current challenge at My Favorite Things is your favorite BAND.....

Ok, so I have a "little thing you didn't know about me" moment.......

I'm NOT into music....  don't care, not musical, I listen to NPR (talk radio) in the car...TV at home.
(I will listen to Christian music if I listen to anything at all)

So.....this was a REAL CHALLENGE for me!!!!  So, the one musical thing that I enjoy is Kirtan (Chanting) ---   So there is a Grammy winning artist named Jai Uttal that I like and we go and see him every year when he comes to our local Yoga Studio.  He's really great and I use this time to worship ... God...my God, THE God, HE, HIM, My Savior.    The other part of this, which is quite ironic..is that my 6 year old son, Joseph, goes to the Kirtans with us (and has for 2 years now) and he LOVES music soooo much that he can sit there and stare at the drummer, singer....for OVER 2 hours and not get bored.....people are always amazed... ... the only problem is sometimes it gets past his bedtime and he gets tired...but he's still intrigued and on his best behavior!!!  (ok,,enough gushing...here's my layout)  -- (photo taken from Jai's website)

2 Layouts for SOUS

So, I've been lurking at Stuck on u Sketches for a while and finally got this sketch layout done.....only to find that I missed the deadline to get it posted on their site...so I'm sharing here anyway....

Because this weeks challenge is to do something SUMMER INSPIRED.....and I did a layout for that too....and I'm going to make the deadline this week!!!! 

So first is EXTREME SOAK (backyard w/Super Soakers).....

And then here is last week's sketch and my layout Our Little Star...

Hard Times!!!

I completed this layout for PRACTICAL SCRAPPERS...it's their 1 year anniversary and they invited former DT members (like me..I was one of their inagural designers), to contribute to their celebration.  Each day this week features some sort of theme using the number 1. 
My layout posted on Monday 8/2, and my theme was "my one favorite scrapbook supply"...Um....I'm a die-cut paper addict!!! 
I really LOVE the story that I journaled on this layout....so be sure to double click on the layout to make it big so you can read it..
And, I know, I know...I keep using this one photo over and over again...but I don't have that many of me with Joseph and it's a good one...so.......well, that's my story and I'm sticking to it!!!

Mother's Day Tea - Handmade Fringe Flower Tutorial

This month at Scrap Our Stash  our challenge is FLOWERS....preferrable Handmade...  so here is my layout...and a tutorial on how I made the "fringe" flowers.

1)  Cut a strip of paper...mine is 12x1.5 -- Use double sided patterned paper
(and sorry that my mat is so dirty...it's very heavily used!!)

2) Cut slits fairly thin all the way down & length of the strip and be sure to go pretty deep, but careful not to cut all the way through! 

This is what it should look like:

                                       

3)  Start at one end and roll the strip until you get to the end...(do not adhere yet)

If you did not use double sided paper, or if you did, be sure the pattern that you want is on the inside that you are rolling into the inside (I rolled my stripes inside)

4)  The bottom (non-fringe end) will look like this

5) I like mine to be a little "looser", so I release the pressure in my fingers and let the strip "unroll" a little (like it just loosens up...) and now looks like this..

6) Back to the fringe cut end... put a glue dot on the "NON CUT" edge and finish the final roll and secure it.

The fringe end will look like this...

7)  Set the flower down on your table (fringe side up) and start opening the fringes with your fingers..

8)  Keep opening until you get it all opened up and how you want it...you can even crumple it a little if you want. (I didn't crumple mine)

Here is a smaller flower on the left that i did and the larger one in the tutorial on the right. I used a stripe paper so you could get a good visual of the process.

Slide

This week's sketch over at  SKETCHES IN THYME is this little gem..... 

And I did a fun layout using Bo Bunny Petal Pusher line (mostly a florally print line, but thre are a few sheets that don't have flowers.!)

Trolley Ride

This week at Sketchy Thursdays this is their awesome sketch.....a nice clean simple sketch....LOVE IT!!!

And here is my nice clean simple layout....ahhh.....

(Basic Grey Oliver)