Thankful 185

Finishing up my "stint" over at How Much is Too Much this month and what better way to reflect on Thankful?  Since I started the month with non-traditional colors for the holiday themes, I wanted to finish on the same note.  This weeks challenge calls for the follow recipe:

A layout based on Thankfulness and..
3 foam embellishments
4 colors of cardstock
5 buttons
6 stickers (non-alphabet)

My four colors of cardstock came from the scrap box again.  I used three border punches and created a layered "embossed" look with my 10" x 2" strips.  I highlighted the edges with my white gel pen.  The three foam embellishments was a stretch for me.  I don't own any foam... or did I?  I found some foam craft blocks in my craft closet from ages ago.  I ran two thru my die cutter using my Sizzix Florish die.  The third piece, I painted in white gesso.  Then I stamped with Lime Chalk Ink and lastly touched up with my Copic brown marker.  The five buttons came from the button stash.  The 6 stickers are also from my age old stash.. two border stickers by Creative Imaginations, both since long retired.  Then some vellum hearts that I colored with Copics and enhanced with liquid pearls..

I shared my list of thankfulness on a small tag tucked in.  While I'm very thankful for many things, I'm also thankful for the friends I've met thru this creative journey called Scrapbooking.  I'm grateful to those fabulous friends and family who'll tease me for my inability to spell "Thankful", not once but TWICE on this layout. Thank YOU for viewing and sharing.  While we in America celebrate and share our thanks, I'd like to share my thanks with everyone around the globe for how you've inspired me and cheered me on.  I'm grateful to have you in my life, regardless of how.  :D

HMITM Challenge 184

Life in the Wharton household has been crazy choatic and hectic and it doesn't look to be easing up anytime soon.  So imagine my shock, delight and panic when I open my email on Friday asking if I'd like to GD on How Much Is Too Much.  Of COURSE I want to play along!!!  Hmmm but how am I going to manage??  Simply by putting everything else on the back burner until Monday morning! 
This challenge recipe was FUN and in theory, SIMPLE.
Use ONE holiday photo - This was taken 12.30.09 during a visit home for the holidays
Use 8 patterned papers but none can be holiday specific to my photo- I used patterns by Basic Grey, CratePaper, Bo Bunny, MME, Creative Imaginations, & Teresa Collins.  All of mine were scraps and some were double sided.  For example, on of the BG papers was Figgy Pudding (no no no) but the back side was black and white stripes! 
Incorporate the word Happy - 2" chipboard letters covered in Basic Grey ~ Nook&Pantry
Holiday embellishments - Santa image by Tim Holtz, metal embellishments by Making Memories, altered snowflakes, holly die by QuikCutz.
Other supplies used are: Stickles, Distress Inks by Ranger, Orange Pearl Pen by Viva and misc. ribbon.  My garland was created by punching 1 3/8" circle and folding in half off center.  Then I distressed the edges.  With a white gel pen, I traced an extra circle scallop below my "garland" and then added sparkling Stickles "beads".

Thanks so much for visiting my blog.  Hope you enjoyed!

Johnny Appleseed

This layout has been finished for several days, I was just hoping for a nice enough day to photograph it.  It didn't happen.. LOL  This is for a challenge over at How Much is Too Much.. posted as the Johnny Appleseed Challenge.  The recipe called for the following:
Three apples -  one large chipboard apple by BoBunny, one apple on my chalkboard print paper in the upper right corner that is painted with Smooches, and the third printed on my G45 alphabet strip on the left upper corner.
Three Red
Three Yellow
Three Green, embelishments    This is where I was fuzzy and unclear.  So here's my rendering:

Red ribbon, Red chipboard "a", Red titling "THIRD"
Yellow chipboard "b" (used crackle paint), Yellow pencil, Yellow ruler paper
Green chipboard flourish, Green chipboard "c", altered Green metal .

I also used red, yellow and green papers just to be sure.
For my sketchy inspiration, I used a very loose interpretation of  Creative Scrappers sketch #175.  I turned it on side and used one picture instead of two.  If you haven't yet played over at Creative Scrappers or at How Much is Too Much go give 'em a whirl.  They're quite inspiring!

Choir

Playing again over at How Much is Too Much?  This week was a very simple straight forward recipe. 
Lined paper - I used some ancient Basic Grey (check)
7 paper clips - I used a combination of stickers, by Bo Bunny and a few "real ones". (check)
9 staples - I used Tim Holtz mini stapler and my mini Fastenater.  And I'll admit, I went a little over board on staples.
Use primary colored papers, red, blue & yellow - I used Bo Bunny from last year along with coordinating stickers.
I also used used sketch #64 from Sketch Savvy as my jumping building spot.  

I kept everything fairly simple this time around.  But these are pictures from Taylor's Mens Choir his Junior Year at SHS.  I'm probably pushing the limit with ribbon.  Sorry boys, you'll just have to deal.  This was a fun challenge and I'm so glad I had the opportunity to play along!

How Much is Too Much? #176

It's Christmas in JULY!!  It's popular, you see sales, craft fairs and now scrappy site How Much Is Too Much has jumped on board...  Seriously??  Dang.  I don't do well with Christmas layouts.  First my pictures only reflect the chaos that commences every Christmas morn.   Poof done in thirty minutes, can we go back to bed?   So when DT member Fi challenges us with this... I thought crap.  But then after chatting with several participants... guess what?  I'm not the only one who has crappy Christmas pics.  Then I thought of ALL the shots I took to get ONE... A layout was born!
The challenge recipe called for the following to be incorporated into the layout:

2 + photos [at least 2]
1 x Christmas tree image, any size
5 x patterned papers, i.e., Christmas patterns,
5 x metal embellishments, and any other embellishment in increments of 5

The two COLOR shots are my pictures... After MUCH editing and photo-shopping.  (sigh)

Five patterned papers... four torn and rolled and mounted on the background patterned paper.

Five... I used five "out-takes" in a faux film strip.  I used five "ornaments" with 5 patterened papers from scraps. One contained my 1 Christmas Tree.  4 metal snow flake brads & 1 metal corner mount = 5 metal embellies. And 5 clear acrylic snow flakes.  A touch of journaling and I called it DONE.

Whew....