Challenge Yourself...with a sketch!

Wow...it has been a really long time since I have posted!  The last month or so has been crazy town around here and I haven't had any quality scrappy time in what feels like forever, so I am glad to finally have a layout to share!  That said, it's with a bit of sadness that I share this one, because it is my last layout as a design team member for Challenge YOUrself.  I have loved being a part of the team so much, but with my schedule lately, I have had to scale WAY back on my extracurricular commitments.

So, without any further delay, here is the awesome sketch we have for you this month at Challenge YOUrself and the layout that I created with it.  CLICK HERE to see the rest of the design team's fabulous work with this sketch.

It's a bit of a non-traditional autumn page, because I didn't use a lot of the typical colors you think of when you think of autumn.  Well, I did, but in very small doses throughout the page, with some reds and mustardy yellow.  Instead I played off of the colors in the Little Lady's face paint butterfly and I pulled a bunch of teal into the page.

Lots of layers with washi tape, doily scraps, ribbon, and some gesso and Heidi Swapp teal mist.

I pulled about a bunch of word and phrase stamps from Citrus Twist kits and used them to add some contrast to the layers in the background.

Finally, I added my photo, and printed it in various sizes to get the layers that you see in the sketch.

So there you have it!  Remember, you have the whole month to play along with us, so get your mojo ready, your scrapbook supplies out, and come share your layout with us!

xoxo,

Shawna

CY#6 - My Girl...with a Sketch!

Happy Hump Day!  Time to reveal the latest challenge over at Challenge YOUrself!  Since this is the honorary month of motherhood, we are celebrating motherhood by challenging YOU to scrap a photo of yourself with one of your "girls"...your daughter, your mom, your grandma, etc. etc.  And we have a great sketch for you to work with too!

This month we have a great prize for you.  All you have to do is play along and link your creation to be entered to win this Bo Bunny Baby Bump ephemera pack.

So.  Here's the sketch:

And here's my take on it.  CLICK HERE to see what the rest of the design team came up with!

I'm currently teaching myself watercolors, so I've been playing with them quite a bit lately.  For this layout, I used them over a Tim Holtz stencil to get this effect behind the photos.

Here's a photo of the 2 watercolors I used, and a shot of the Tattered Angels mist and paint I used to make the swirly design on the photo frames (they were white Recollections frames).

And some close ups of the page details.  I had a blast making this one.  I'm loving watercolors!

So there you have it!  Remember, at Challenge YOUrself, you have a whole month to come up with your creation and submit it for us to oooh and ahhhh over...and you might just win a prize!  ;-)

Enjoy your day!

xoxo,

Shawna

Me (Currently) - New Challenge at Challenge YOUrself!

Good morning!!  We have an all new challenge for you this month over at Challenge YOUrself!  And a fabulous prize for one lucky winner...all you have to do is create and link up!  CLICK HERE to see what the rest of the talented design team has created!

Here's the challenge:

Challenge Yourself #5:  Something Trendy!

Put those scrapbooking trends to work on your page!  Use a minimum of THREE trendy things on your layout.  List your items.  Don't forget to include a photo of YOU in your layout.

Be brave and get the courage to try something new!

Have fun with this challenge.

And for this month's prize, we have a fabulous 12x12 Hey Kid by Pink Paislee Kre8v Kit!

Here is my layout.  I'm giggling because this WAS me...a couple of week's ago.  Since then, I've chopped all my hair off...so it's not exactly ME, currently.  Anyway, I had fun thinking about all of the trendy things I have seen in papercrafting this past year and for my page, I chose my good old Heidi Swapp mists in Blush, Chartreuse and Teal, washi tape, flair buttons, wooden elements, thread, and a feather, just for good measure. ;-)

I always find myself pulling out word and phrase stamps that come in my Citrus Twist Kits each month...they're so perfect for layering up around photos or, in this case, for becoming an element all on their own.  The "Simple Things" flair button is Recollections, as are the wooden frames (I cut the ones on the left and right side of the page in half).

Another staple in my stash are the cheap and useful Recollections white 4x4 frames.  They're about $2 for a pack of 6 at Michael's and I use them All.The.Time.

The little feather is leftover from an older Studio Calico ephemera pack I had, and the letters are Recollections as well. (Michael's is stepping up its scrappy game, eh?) ;-)

And finally here's a side view to show some of the dimension.

I hope you will come play along with us!  Remember, you have a full month to put your layout together and link it on the blog.  See you soon!

xoxo,

Shawna

Keep calm and...

Happy Friday everyone!  It's been a crazy week for me...I became an aunty Wednesday, threw a baby shower Thursday for a friend, and have had a gazillion other things going on all at once.  Time flies!

Speaking of time, it's time for the latest challenge reveal over at Challenge YOUrself.  CLICK HERE for details and to see what the rest of the talented design team has come up with!

As you know, this challenge blog is all about challenging you all to include yourself in your scrapbook layouts.  This month we are asking what drives you?  What completes you? What makes you happy? The kicker is that it cannot be scrapbook related! For me, it's hanging with my girlfriends.  We can get together, let the kids play, and get silly and enjoy each other's company.  This photo shows us in action.  Sadly, Meagen is no longer with us.  I miss her terribly.  We will continue to keep calm and party on in her honor. :)  On that note, here's my layout.

LOVE is in the air over at Challenge YOUrself!!

Today is the reveal of our next challenge over at Challenge YOUrself!  Since it's February, the month of L.O.V.E., we are challenging you to scrap about someone you love.  As always, you need to scrap a photo of YOU...but this time, scrap a photo of you with your love bug. :)  We also have this fabulous color palette to challenge you even more!

Here's my layout, featuring one of the loves of my life, my mini.  Lots of bits and pieces from past months' Citrus Twist Kits here, with my usual splash of gesso and acrylic to tone down the patterned background a bit.  I absolutely loved working with this beautiful color scheme!  Hope to see your work throughout the month over at Challenge YOUrself!  Enjoy the weekend!

xoxo,

Shawna

Soooo....what is your OLW????

OLW.  One little word.  Or one big word!  Just one word.  Your mantra, your song, your center.  What will it be for 2014?

There's still time to play along with us over at Challenge YOUrself.  CLICK HERE and come play along!

One Little Word....

It's a New Year and the perfect time to hop on board and play along with us at Challenge YOUrself! Afterall, isn't that what we all resolve to do in January of each year?  Challenge ourselves.  To do better. To be better.  Or just to love ourselves more just the way we are?  I don't make a huge deal out of resolutions, because I have a hard time sticking to them, but I do have a couple biggies this year and I intend to put my all into incorporating them into my life.

On that note, here's our next challenge for YOU.  Choose a word that you will focus on and reflect upon throughout the year.  Your One Little Word.  Your mantra.  Your "I can do this" and "I will do this."  Pair it with a photograph of you.  Once again, you have an entire month to complete the challenge (deadline is February 5th), so plenty of time to think about your word and get your layout in.  All you have to do is link up your layout on the blog and you will then be eligible for these adorable Tim Holtz, Basic Grey, and Crate Paper button packs!

My One Little Word for 2014 is "present."  And not present like a gift under the tree.  Actually present..for life.  Less time plugged into electronic devices and behind the camera and more time spent actually living.  I want to be "all in" the moments of my life.  Be totally there -  hearing what is being said, doing what is being done.  This is a biggie for me and I will reflect on my word frequently.

What will your One Little Word be?

The splashes of color were done with the 50s Diner pack of Faber Castell gelatos...if you are a gelato fan like me,
this is an amazing color combo of gelatos worth checking out!

Enjoy your day!

xoxo,

Shawna

Challenge YOUrself - Behind the Lens

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, there's a new blog on the block!  It's a fabulous challenge blog that invites you to step out from behind the lens and step in front of the camera!  It's so difficult for many to scrap themselves, but it must be done!

I have the pleasure to be working on the design team for Challenge YOUrself and am here with a reveal of our very first challenge!  It's simple.  Create a layout of yourself - a selfie even - and list 3 random facts about yourself.  Easy peasy.  And good news. You have a MONTH to agonize over which photo to use (hehe) and to create your layout!  Even better news?  The PRIZE!  Not only will the top 3 layouts based on design team votes be featured on the blog for the month, but one lucky participant will be randomly chosen to win a $20 gift certificate from our December sponsor, Paper Issues!  So what are you waiting for?  Turn the lens around on that iphone and get to snappin'! :)

Here is my layout for the challenge.  Cannot wait to see what you all come up with!  

Challenge YOUrself!

I posted the other day about a great new challenge blog that provides the ultimate challenge...scrapping yourself!  Well, I've joined up with some seriously talented ladies to tackle these challenges head on and I'm proud to say that I will be on the design team for Challenge YOUrself!

Stepping out from behind the camera and into the picture is something I know many scrappers struggle with. But it's something that's so important.  Afterall, scrapbooking is all about leaving behind your story for generations to come, isn't it?  Aren't you part of that story?  Come join us and play along. Challenges come out once a month, on the 7th, and you have a whole month to get your layout ready and linked up.

Click here to go to the Challenge YOUrself blog and follow it.  And stay tuned for the reveal of the very first challenge, December 7th.  It's going to be a great one. Hope to see you all over on the blog!

xoxo

Show your face!

Are you one of those scrappers who are always behind the camera, never in the photos??  While you are documenting your family's story, who is documenting YOUR story?

Now is your chance to step in front of the camera and tell your story.  There's a great new challenge blog called Challenge YOUrself and they will be posting their first challenge on December 7th.  The whole premise of the challenges will be to scrap yourself.  Talk about a challenge, eh?  :)

Here's a link to the blog.  Bookmark it, follow it, and make a resolution to show your face and tell your story!

PS:  Challenge YOUrself is in the midst of a design team call and taking submissions until November 20th.  Details on how to apply are below.  Also, when you stop by the blog, make sure to enter for a scrappy supply giveaway!

DT call requirements:

→ Term commitment from Dec 1st, 2013 - May 31st, 2014

→ Keep an active blog and update with the new challenge on reveal day with a link back to the Challenge YOUrself blog.

→ You will be required to submit one layout a month and to comment on all submissions to the challenge.  Reveal day will be on the 7th of each month.

→ No design team experience necessary.  Everyone is welcome to apply.

How do you apply:

Send an email to scrap-challenge-yourself@hotmail.com with the following information:

→ Your name and blog address

→ A short bio that will be used on our blog if chosen

→ 3 samples of your work

We are accepting applications until November 20th, 2013.  New members will be informed by November 21th, 2013.  First reveal is scheduled for December 7th, 2013.