Happy Birthday layout - From a sketch

Happy July to everyone!! We celebrated Canada Day here (on July 1st) with style as it was my youngest son's birthday and he got to pick his day.  I set a limit on birthday parties at age 10 (as at that point I had then put on 20 kid parties and was both exhausted of them and broke!! haha) so he got to pick the menu for the day and 2 activities to do.  Here is what the hidden journalling reveals:

1. Pancakes for breakfast, with bacon!
2.  Open presents and then SURPRISE!! a new kayak down at the lake for you and a paddle around.
3.  Go carts!!  Two rides and the 2nd it was just you and Garret.
4.  Hot dogs for lunch, with chips!
5. Glow-in-the-dark mini golf.  That was so cool.
6. Pizza for dinner.
7.  Ice cream cake for dessert.
8.  Some friends over to play video games until 9:00 pm!!  (and don't forget the game that Garret downloaded for you as his gift.  You really liked it.)

I used this week's sketch from Citrus Twist and actually did this on the floor on quick work breaks so no video on this one.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Jen

Quick update!!!

I just wanted to pop in and say I have a layout and video up on the Layout-A-Week blog today here:
http://layout-a-week.blogspot.ca/2015/06/for-love-of-beach-week-24.html

You Tube:

I just posted this Project Life video on Monday:

This third edition of my "Lifted" series that featured Irit Landgraf: (her YouTube)

And this Open the Box video of my June Citrus Twist kit:

AND... last but certainly not least... drum roll please....

I have a layout in the Summer issue of Scrapbook and Cards Today magazine!! So excited. I am on page 65!!!!  (literally totally thrilled)

Coming soon...

I have 2 new videos (a new Lifted and a 12x12 from a Citrus Twist sketch) coming soon.  Here's some sneaky peeks:

Thanks for stopping by!!

I AM...

Boy, this is a popular phrase lately.  I saw this challenge over at Felicity Jane and I had to play along.   I loved their kit this month and went into my stash to play along with similar colours (I hope they don't mind).  And I have to say (if you don't mind me going deep for this post!!), I think this is fabulous.  I think scrapbookers tend to not get out in front of the camera and something like this gets us on the page.  It gets us thinking about who we are, not just who are our kids are or what event happened.  I sat down and wrote down a TON of answers to this and then narrowed it down to the ones that I thought described me most.

I wrote:

I am tidy... Chaos makes me crazy.  Organizing settles my brain.
I am imperfect... And that is ok.  Makes me more interesting.
I am quirky... But shy, so not everyone knows this about me.
I am creative... Scrapbooking is my passion.  It is my outlet.
I am aspiring... To better myself.  To follow through.  To be the vision I see and want...

There is also some private journalling on a 3x4 card behind my photo.

I also DELIBERATELY chose a photo that was no make up, sweaty, can see my worry wrinkle, my hair is messy.  This is me.  You can tell I'm not 20 anymore.  And I am okay with that.  I earned those smile lines.  Those crinkles beside my eyes are from laughing.  That, ahem, extra chin is from having 2 babies and stress eating ... cause I worry about every damn thing!  But I am working on all of it. But I'm keeping the smile lines :)  And I am working to smile more and laugh more and worry less.

Thanks for stopping by!

Jen

Weekend Fun Challenge - Victoria Marie Facebook Group

HI everyone!! I am a new member of the very first Victoria Marie Challenge Team and here is my very first challenge for the Weekend Fun challenge.  These challenges are posted twice a week (Hump Day challenge and Weekend Fun challenge).  Come on by and check them out!!!

Here's the group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/743193599063270/

And here is my challenge...

"I challenge you to find inspiration from your everyday travels. I found 3 things to share with you just from my wanderings (Starbucks, the actual road on a walk and a towel from a home store window). I have included a layout and a process video on how I used the Starbucks sign. You are welcome to find your own or use one of these!"

(pssttt... Canadian ladies... do you spy what the reflection is in the window?  I was going to crop this but left that in just for you!!)

And here is my layout and a process video:

I really hope you play along and show me what you make!!
Jen

A layout with no photo!

Hey everyone, today I have a layout (and video!) of a layout I did this week that had no photo. This is not something I do (like ever!) but, as you will see if you watch the video, there is a reason I didn't have a photo.  But I still wanted a way to capture this.

This layout ended up being my submission for 3 different challenges.  The first was a tool challenge which was a weekend fun challenge over on the Victoria Marie FB page (here is her blog).  THEN, I saw the "3 to inspire" on Citrus Twist (HERE) which was to use circles, enamel dots and stickers.  And then after I had already punched out what felt like a million circles... the Victoria Marie weekend challenge for this past weekend was circles.  SCORE!!

I thought using my punches to cut circles would be a great way to use up the scraps of patterned paper I had left from my March and April kits and it pretty much used them all up.  I had just tiny bits left that either went into the recycling or into my pp scrap files.

I saw a layout by Nicole Nowosad done for SCT magazine for NSD and went from there.  So a shout out to her for the idea (HERE)

So, enough of me talking...  here is the layout, close ups and video.

Thanks so much for stopping by!! Jen

National Scrapbook Weekend

Well, this past weekend was AWESOME and I found I wanted to play everywhere and just couldn't. So I mostly used the challenges over at Hip Kit FB forum and with some inspiration from Pinkfresh Studio's challenges (which I had hoped to do more of, maybe still might make it as I have til Saturday).  I also was playing along with the super fun ladies at Victoria Marie FB group in the challenge to get 10 layouts done over the weekend.  I managed to get 8 layouts done in all:

This layout was inspired by a challenge to use dimension in your layout but also a Pinkfresh challenge of using gold, aqua and pink.  That background paper was my starting point.

This challenge was an idea I got when I saw a challenge on the PinkFresh/Winnie & Walter NSD to make your own background. I used watercolours to mimic the water in this AMAZING photo.

This layout is pretty simple and was a symmetrical challenge, how do you translate symmetry? For me it was using the colours in the photos in the background and ensuring when a colour was not present that I added it (ie yellow and blue to the green pp).

This was a black and white challenge. To use a B&W photo and ONLY neutral embellishments and then a hit of colour.  I love it. I did the background with a stencil and some citron Color Shine.

This was my OLW for Apr and a balanced challenge.

This was a pastel colour challenge.

This challenge was to use just one colour to add contract to a B&W layout.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Let's Get Sketchy - April Week 2 sketch

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to share my layout playing along with this sketch over at the Let's Get Sketchy blog.

Here is their sketch:

And here is my take on it (sorry no video this time!):

I did this layout using the March Hip Kit which has lots of Craft Market (Crate Paper) and some Pinkfresh supplies from my own stash.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Jen

Sketch Challenge Layout

Hi everyone,  I was just dying to scrap but was short on time so did what I usually do in those circumstances... I went with a sketch.  I followed along with the April Week 1 sketch over at Let's Get Sketchy.

Here's the sketch:

And here is my take:

Thanks for stopping by!!

Jen

Week 5 - Let's Get Sketchy challenge

Hi everyone!  I have been away and not getting any scrapping done but while I was away I got lots of super cute photos of my nieces for pages.  Here is my first one of my 2-year-old niece from my trip up to see her and her new baby sister.

I played along with this new blog I just found called "Let's Get Sketchy".  This week it was a sketch and moodboard.  Here is their sketch:

And here is their moodboard:

I loved the springy colours and raided my stash for some fun and fresh spring colours.  Here is my take on it:

And a couple of close ups:

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I used quite a bit of the first Shimelle collection for papers and die cuts.  I also had made that background paper myself using Heidi Swapp mists and using this die cut called The Heart Felt from The Cut Shoppe as a mask. 

Thanks for stopping by!  

Oh, also, I already posted about it but Let's Get Sketchy is currently having a design team call.  You have until April 8th to try out.

Thanks for stopping by!! 

Another couple layouts with my January Hit Kit

Hi everyone!

Unfortunately illness and crop prep have hit my house (I sort of associate them both with bad feelings, haha!!!) so I have been MIA a bit.  Here are 2 layouts I did recently and apologize they did not get posted here.  It is hard to post everywhere...

This first was a white on white challenge from the Hip Kit forum on Facebook.  I also have a Process Video for this one:

This second layout I do not have a process video for as I had a wee incident with my platform :)  I had fun using the chipboard and cut apart sheet from Crate Paper Love Notes. I am not a huge pink person so this is just the right balance for me.

 I also use the super cute roller stamp from Dear Lizzy that came in the embellishment kit to stamp that "love" on the blue tag.

The You and Me phrase stickers are from the Dear Lizzy alphabet and the "remember this" is from the Elle's Studio cork embellishments that were both in the main kit.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Up next, I am doing a video and blog post on how I prep for a crop.  While I really get frustrating when I am doing it (as I would much rather scrap than prep!!!) it means I get a TON done at a crop and used to get 30-40 layouts done at a weekend crop.  I am only going on a 12-hour crop this Saturday but over prepping is NOT a bad thing!! It means I have leftovers to make scrapping at home super fast and easy.

Jen

My 2014 album in review

Well, I decided this year to take on the task of photographing my entire 2014 album and putting it up on my Flickr account.  I thought this was the best way to get them put in chronological order and so they were all photographed in the same light.  (which, FYI, I finally figured out a good way to photograph my layouts. It is still a technique-in-progress but I am so much more pleased with how they look).

I am not 100% sure how these will come over via link so bear with me if this post gets changed up a few times.  Also, my album is not 100% complete.  All the layouts that are going in there are in there. BUT my project life is only done until Nov 10th.  It is prepped but I am saving it to take with me to a crop in early February.

So this made it really simple for me to do a count of my completed layouts and PL as well:

Layouts - 56
Project Life - 50 to date (8 to finish so a total of 58 - this is due to inserts)

Here is the entire album as it is in my binders (3 WRMK D-ring 12x12 faux leather Cinnamon binders):

https://www.flickr.com/photos/organize/?start_tab=one_set72157650404865521

Here are just the layouts (complete):

https://www.flickr.com/photos/82963875@N04/sets/72157650003451468/

Here are just the Project Life (incomplete):

https://www.flickr.com/photos/82963875@N04/sets/72157650404865521/



I am still researching if there is a better way to do this but let me know how this goes!!

Jen

Check out my YouTube Channel!!

Grid layout and process video

Good morning scrappy peeps!!  I have a layout and process video to share with you today.  This was made using the December Hip Kit.  Sorry, I think they are all sold out but the February ones are up and are fabulous!!

Here are some stills:

And here is the process video I just uploaded to YouTube:

Thanks for stopping by!!

Jen