Exciting News and a Layout to Share!

I've been itching to share some awesome news with you all, and today I finally can...I am now an official design team member for Life. Paper. Scrapbook!!!

For anyone not familiar with LPS, it is a fantastic challenge site that offers both a sketch and a mood board challenge each month.  LPS also puts out an amazing digital scrapbooking magazine, in which I have been published in the past.  CLICK HERE to see the rest of the design team reveal and get ready to check out the July sketch challenge coming up very soon!

I also wanted to share this "just for fun" layout I did capturing one of my favorite recent photos of the Little Lady.  The way the sun backlit her pretty little face was just totally ethereal, and that's what I was going for with this soft layout.  I didn't do a ton of work on it - just some gold and blush mist behind the layers, a hand painted title that I fussy cut, and then some delicate pink feathers to soften the page.  I hope you enjoy!

Now.  Off to my scrap table...I have a lot of creating to do! :-D

xoxo,

Shawna

Sketchabilities and CSI post!

My whirlwind of a weekend is coming to an end, and I finally am able to sit down for 2 seconds to share a couple of layouts I created for Sketchabilities and CSI!   Here they are.

Sketchabilities is back with another fabulous sketch...for some reason I really struggled with this one, but can't win em all right? ;-)  Here's the sketch and my layout.  CLICK HERE to see the rest of the awesome design team reveal and to play along!

Then we have a wonderful casefile for you over at CSI.  CLICK HERE to see the reveal!  Here is the case file and my take on it.

For my evidence, I chose circles and a solid black background.  Then I used the inspiration word "process" to document my daughter's first attempt at sewing! :)

Thank you for visiting!

xoxo,

Shawna

Play!

Good morning!  Sketchabilities is back with another fabulous sketch for you all!  Come play along with sketch #11 by clicking HERE!  On another note, Sketchabilities is having a design team call!  These girls are super talented and lovely to work with and I hope that some of you will check it out and apply!  You can click HERE for all of the details.  Now back to the sketch:

And here's my take on it.

 I wanted the layout to feel as fun and playful as the photo, so I went mixed media crazy on this one...the background contains paints, mists, gelatos, gesso....it's all on there.  Then I added a sunburst stencil with a slightly transparent white mist, and scribbled some yellow gelato in the rays, outlining it all with black sharpie.

I painted some fabric Thickers for the first "play", the second is an embossed stamp, and the third is a Heidi Swapp sticker that I covered with white acrylic paint.

The circle was just cut from cardboard, and then covered with paints and acrylics.  The white parts were embossed with white embossing powder, then the whole thing was outlined with black ink.  I love the way this circle turned out!

I layered frames over and under the photo and added a bit of a paper strip at the end.

The clouds were great dimensional stickers, which I covered with modeling paste to make them "fluffy." Then I added some pink glass beads just to pull in some of the pink from Neighbor Joe's shirt.

And that's it!  This sketch is seriously awesome so please do come play along with us!

xoxo,

Shawna

CSI CF# 114 - How Many?

TGIF!!  No, seriously...T.G.I.F.  OMG not a moment too soon.  It's been a crazy couple of weeks around here and I am ready for the weekend!  But first, it's time to reveal CSI's latest case file, complete with an amazing and inspirational sketch from none other than Em Straface of Page Drafts!  CLICK HERE to see the full reveal and the rest of the design team's amazing layouts! Here's the case file and sketch:

And here's my take on it.

I switched up the "v" and put it left to right vs. up and down.  Other than that, I stayed pretty true to the sketch.  The photo was edited with Aviary and then I covered it with a layer of All Night Media's Liquid Embossing in Antique Photo.  I have had this stuff in my stash since I started scrapbooking about 8 years ago!  My evidence is circles and...crap I just realized I only have one piece of evidence. Sometimes I get carried away working on a layout and completely forget to follow the prompts! Can we take the "numbers" piece of evidence and count that since I journaled about "how many?'  Please?  :)

I started out with a layer of teal Heidi Swapp Color Shine spray behind the photo and then added some drops of black here and there.  The "Je T'aime" stamp is a great little $1 Michael's find and the gorgeous butterflies on the jute twine are a handmade item from a prior month's Citrus Twist Kit.

For the arrows, I alternated vellum floral arrows with stenciled arrows that were covered with modeling paste and then colored with another circular stencil.  I've done this on a few layouts (made arrows from stencils and modeling paste) and I really like the dimension it gives.  Man I love modeling paste. <3

Finally, for the journaling, I used International Question Day as my inspiration.  My journaling touches on something I find myself wondering more and more every day as I watch my daughter grow...she has so quickly gone from being a baby to a big girl and I am holding tight to the little moments of toddler-hood that we have left.  I think that most moms can relate to these musings...

Anyway, come play along with us at CSI!  I can't wait to see what you create!  Have a FABULOUS weekend!

xoxo,

Shawna

Remember...

Hey all, hope you are all enjoying the homestretch to Friday!  We are digging out of some serious snow here in NY...we got walloped with almost 2 feet yesterday! That alone is enough to justify the sharing of this sweet summer layout of the hubs and our little lady, but I also want to share because this is the 2nd layout for my reveal over at The Memory Nest.  All of the papers used are all from this month's Feathers Color Kit. CLICK HERE to stop by and check it out!  Even better, if you decide to purchase, I have a special code for you to save 17% off any purchase of $17 or more.  Just put in code "Shawna17" at checkout!

So here is my layout:

The frames are made with modeling paste, which I love to use on beach/summer layouts because it reminds me of the foamy waves of the ocean.  I just took some standard frames and covered them with modeling paste using a small spreading spatula, which I kind of spread around to make some peaks and valleys.  Feels wave-like to me. ;-)  The "Remember" script is actually silver Heidi Swapp lettering, which I covered with navy ink, and the tag and the "captured" button are just randoms from my stash.

Anyway, hope you enjoy and that you will stop by the Memory Nest and check out the kits!  Don't forget to take advantage of the extra 17% off by using my code! :)

xoxo,

Shawna

Sketchabilities #110 DT Reveal!

Time for the reveal of Sketchabilities sketch challenge #110!  It's a gorgeous sketch and was a total challenge for me.  I am finding that these sketches all seem to "feel" like they're meant for mixed media layouts, so I am continuing to branch out and try different mixed media techniques.

Definitely come play along with us by CLICKING HERE because we've got great sponsors and giveaways for this reveal...how about a $25 gift certificate to the Silhouette online store?  Or a $25 gift certificate to Creative Embellishments? Keep reading to the bottom of this post to enter the giveaways!

So here's my layout.  And yes, you aren't imagining it.  I did scrap another photograph of a latte.  But this one has a leaf swirled into the foam, so it's different.  So there.  Hehe

I used a lot of "stuff" on this page...toilet paper roll and paper cups for the coffee rings, Tim Holtz bronze disress ink for some splats, some antique gel for the tags, a stencil, and bits and pieces of different embellies and papers from my stash.  The border is washi tape (sorry it's a little crooked).  Here are a couple of closeups. 

Thanks for stopping by!  Please stop back tonight as I reveal CSI's latest case file and a pretty little layout of my mini as a newborn.  Have a great Friday!!

xoxo,

Shawna

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Exciting News!

I'm so happy to announce that I have been selected to be a member of the Sketchabilities design team!!  I've recently posted about the wonderful sketch challenges over at Sketchabilities and am honored to be able to create design team inspiration layouts around the fabulous sketches!  Sketchabilities hosts weekly challenges with fantastic sketches to get your creative juices flowing.  Please come join us!

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

Triple share - a "just for fun" layout and a 2-project BOAF reveal!

Good morning!  Today I have a few projects to share - the first is a "just for fun" layout I made that isn't for an design team work or challenge entry.  I snapped this awesome picture of my daughter that has just been begging to be scrapped, and the photo feels funky and artsy to me so I thought I would try to recreate a kind of impressionist background that mimicked the view she was looking at outside the window.  I came across this awesome pin on Pinterest that gave me the courage to try to make an abstract cityscape.  Here's what I came up with.

Lots of doodles added to make everything pop out against the water color background...and these white modeling paste chevrons have really gotten some mileage on my layouts lately.  I am going to have to make another batch!

I'm also up on the Birds of a Feather blog today sharing a layout and card I made using the November kit (which is packed with Heidi Swapp goodness, among other things).  Remember when crowns were all the rage in scrapbooking a few years back? (okay...so maybe it's been more than a few years...I'm getting old.) Anyway, I'm kickin' it old school for this layout! The crown here was too perfect to pass up.  And the Heidi Swapp Good Life paper plays right into my love for fussy cutting and quite a bit of cutting I did.  I pulled the crown, the camera, the silhouette and the star from the circles on the back side of the paper then layered them up over gelatos, inks and mists.  Then I used Heidi Swapp rub-on stars and added some of my own vellum punched stars and some stars made with a stencil mask and modeling paste.  I also layered the scraps from the vellum used for the stars and popped it behind the photo.  The bottom border is washi tape.  

For the card below, I used some more of the vellum star scraps, and punched out the world circle from the Heidi Swapp paper, using the scrap layered underneath.  I hole punched the main cardstock and added the royal blue card stock on the inside of the card.  The letters are October Afternoon.

Thanks so much for stopping by...your visits and comments make my day!  

CSI CF# 97 - The Best Cross Eyes

I don't know how she mastered it at such an early age, but man...my kid can cross-eye like no other.  ;-)

This week's case file over at CSI is full of gorgeous color and, being the 2nd week of the month, comes with a fabulous sketch by Emma Stafrace.  I had a lot of fun creating this layout, which compliments the "Memories" layout I posted last week.  Here is the case file:

And here is my layout.  I went for my modeling paste to spruce up the background a bit (I seem to be using modeling paste almost as frequently as gelatos lately!), and tried to layer up lots of texture to match the woodsy background of the to photo.  The papers are a mix of a little bit of everything I had in my scraps, and the little stitched heart, the feather and the awesome textured ribbon are from Citrus Twist kits of months past.

Thanks for stopping by - I appreciate the visits! xoxo  Have a fabulous weekend!

CF#96...and my CSI Design Team Debut!

I am still pinching myself over having made the Color Stories Inspiration design team...such an honor!  This week's case file is an awesome one, with bold colors that look amazing together.  Here is the case:

I chose to make the black my dominant color, using it as my background paper.  It has been a long time since I have created a layout against a black background and it was a refreshing change.  Here is my layout:

For evidence, I used paint and a frame.  For testimony, I journaled about the duals that are sure to come in the later years as my daughter grows into a teen.  It is written on the pull-out card and reads:

I'm not so naive that I believe our duals will always end with fits of giggles and hugs and kisses.  You are your mother's daughter, and that's a double-edged sword...you have my stubborn streak and my determination, both of which will likely cause us to butt heads often when you hit your teen years.  When that time comes, I will draw upon this memory an remember the love and lightheartedness; the prophecy of standoffs to come.  And we will get through it...and maybe even giggle, just a little.  

Here are a couple of close-ups: