A grand day with Gramy and Grampy: Authentique

My In-laws were here in April and we had such a great time with them. We went to the zoo and the weather was perfect. I took this picture of the kids with their grandparents and I adore it. I did something right with the composition and the sunlight :). Been on a huge Authentique Paper kick lately because it's amazing to work with. The quality is superb and the colors/patterns are the best!

I punched out some squares from different sheets of paper in their lines and then I arranged them in a grid pattern. (the polka-dot ppr, blueprint and crinkled are not Authentique). I then adhered them and began sewing a grid with my machine. The butterflies are Martha Steward punches. The word stickers are Diction by Authentique. The "grand" title was stamped in So Saffron using the SU's Big Deal alphabet. Doily label from Michaels clearance and washi tape MS.
Hope you are having a blast this weekend!

Friendly Owl

I made this card for Scrapbook Steal Monday Card Madness #39. They have super sketches!
I used MME's LBB paper for this card. Unfortunately I ripped the tree right in half while trying to remove it from the acetate. Sheesh. The Owl is so cute. Owl ribbon from Hobby Lobby and a piece of fabric hand cut and added with a brad.
Hope you all are having an amazing day! Can't wait to

I Ruff You! Treat Container

I have a confession to make...I bought a HUGE container of CREAM PUFFS. I know, I'm horrible, but LOOK what I got to make with the empty container!!!! I found that bone tag on deep clearance at HL and I knew just what I wanted to do with it. (Thor looks pretty hilarious in this picture). I distressed it with sanding paper before adhering it to the lid.
Our little doggie THOR (my husband named him...I think he was being ironic) got his very own treat container. With his picture and everything. The kids love getting out Thor's "treat box" and shaking it in front of him. He totally knows that there are goodies inside! The 12x12 paper wasn't quite long enough to fit ALL the way around the container so I improvised.
Go turn something that may be headed to the recyclers into a useful thing! Have a great day.

You Are Uncommon: Authentique

Tessa turned 8 this year in April and was baptized on April 30th. She was so excited. I found the dress she wore at a local thrift store for $4.00. I believe it's a women's size 2. My friend Debbie Bentley helped me to alter it (she did most of the work). We fixed the rounded neck and pulled it in and then we shortened it. Her daddy baptized her and she was glowing. I teared up a few times while Grampy and Gramy Buck spoke on Baptism and the Gift of the Holy Ghost. It was such a sweet day. Here's the first of a two page layout commemorating that day.

I used Authentique Paper's Uncommon line of papers with a litte smidge of the Blissful Collection to immitate leaves for the zipper flower. The white button is actually a match to a hair band I made for Tess on her special day. I have some vintage ric-rac that is a twisted gray and yellow that I used to create a rolled flower. I did a running stitch along the zipper edge and then gathered it to make the zipper flower...backed that with a little lace. A pearl head pin beaded with a few extras completes the corner. :) The other side of the circle patterned paper is gray with words I crimped, inked and folded a stip of it to add behind the frame.

I cut out the border circles from the sheet of paper with my xacto and backed them with chipboard I then inked all of the edges in Stampin' Up's Regal Rose ink. The architectural trace paper was punched with Fiskars Flower Burst punch. The pearl strands are from Stampin' up.

The word strips are from Authentique's Diction set in cream. The "You are UNCOMMON" tag came in the same circle pattern (I was already using) around the gray oval so I cut it out with my xacto, stitched around it, flipped over the bracket to the other side with the polka-dots and popped it up. That is the GREATEST part of Authentique's collections. Everything is double sided. Mix and match. It's awesome. Scallops on this layout were inspired by KellyCreates layout seen here!!!

Discover with Authentique

I used Scrapbook Steals Midweek Mojo Sketch #38 for this layout. Lots of fun elements. I used Authentique's Blissful line of papers as well as some MME and DCVW. Authentique's papers are double sided and have beautiful patterns on both sides. I picked a few up at Scraps Galore on Jefferson. They were all so yummy I had a hard time deciding which to buy...darn budget.

The texture and weight of the Authentique paper is so amazing. Head down to your local scrapbook store and see what they have because you won't be able to resist getting some for yourself. I added some architectural trace paper below the photo. The ruler border paper is the other side of the main Blissful paper.

I used a piece of metallic honeycomb trim as a mask and inked over it with Vintage Photo Distress ink. I aslo rolled up some papers to create a fun element that leads your eye. The cut out flowers are from another of Authentique's papers.

Journaling was printed and distressed. I inked up my foam alpahbet Thickers to get them a more aged look. Hope you all have a great day!

MME Blog Challenge #25 "Celebrate 11 Years"

My Minds Eye has sketch challenges on their blog and this is my first time participating. You can find Sketch #25 HERE. The theme for the layout was CELEBRATION! You had to use 80% MME product. :)
I chose to scrapbook a page about celebrating 11 years of marriage...the good, the bad and the beautiful.

I had such a fun time creating this page using their products...which are AMAZING! I love the feel of their paper and the accents are so perfect. I'll admit I'm a scrap hoarder :) so I've had some of MME's pieces for some time...years even.
Here's the MME breakdown in case you're wondering.
Cloud paper: MME LBB Quite Contrary

Polka Dot Paper: MME Lost and Found

Big "C": MME Monograms

Button, Key, Butterfly and Frame accents: MME This & That

Letter Stickers "11 Years": MME Lime Twist Out of the Blue Playful Alpha

Admit One Ticket: MME LBB Rough and Tough Tickets

Journaling Card: MME Daily Dose

Celebrate cut out: MME Lost & Found 6x6 Designer Paper Pad

EK Success Flower Burst Border Punch

Architectural Trace paper gathered and sewn

Corrugated paper in mustard ?

I can't wait to play along again. It was a blast getting out all my great MME stuff and making it work together. Won't you play too?

Have a great day!

Mama Love #52

Did a little lo for my mama with Scrapbook Steals Midweek Mojo Sketch #52 by Erin Colby. So fun. The border punch on the side of the picture is from EK and it's called "Flower Burst". A fellow SS sister found it in WA and sent it my way. YAY!
I made this yellow flower by punching a flower and spiral cutting it. I then just rolled it in on itself and glued. I added architectural trace paper behind...you'll be seeing a lot of that in future lo's as I have a few ROLLS leftover from my school days.

Journaling words from The Girl's Paperie
Have a great day!

Faux Batik Embossing Technique

Have I told you lately how much I adore this little "partnership" I have with ScrapbookSteals.Com! They are such an amazing company. There prices are THE BEST! And the people that work there are TOP NOTCH...so nice and UNBELIEVABLY AWESOME. I did a tutorial for their blog on Faux Batik embossing and you can see it

RIGHT HERE!

Birthday MME Card

MME is having a challenge on their blog to create a card based on a sketch you can find here! I love their products...especially thier yummy papers. I've mixed several lines here including Lost and Found Portibello Road, Lost and Found Union Square and Lime Twist Out of the Blue. The Letter stickers are from their Lime Twist Collection and the scalloped cardstock sticker is from Quite Contrary Little Boy Blue. I made the flowers out of a sheet of mulberry paper that I stamped and faux batiked with alcohol inks and glimmer mist. I really hope my friend loves this card. It's her birthday today.

Midweek Mojo #51 and CE Challenge #1

I used the Scrapbook Steal Mojo Sketch #51 found HERE

I also participated in a fun Crafty Enablers challenge in which we were allowed no patterned paper! So I dug out some of my trusted stamps and got to work.

I started laying out circles in a random pattern and glued them down.
This is my finished product. My little boy is getting so big.

Girl, You're Amazing

I made this lo for Scrapbook Steals Midweek Mojo Sketch Challenge #47. There is an amazing group of women who will support you in all parts of your life over at their FB site.

I wanted to relate how proud Tessa makes me to be her mother. I love these patterned papers from Stampin' Up. I created a text box in Word and typed out my journaling...underlined it and changed the underlining to dashed. I just need to reprint the pictures because I ran out of ink :).

Have a great day.

Summer Time

It's the "Electro Freeze" frozen custard machine. Meadville, Pennsylvania. Really yummy frozen custard. They've been in business since the 50's I believe and even had to move the building when the road was expanded.

My mom treated us to a cone of our choice. Thanks Grandma!