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.

Double Post featuring CSI #110 and Page Drafts (doing double duty!)

Here's a 2-for-1 post featuring the fabulous sketches created by Page Drafts!  First up is CSI Case File #110.  CLICK HERE to play along.  Every 2nd week of the month the case files over at CSI feature an exclusive sketch from the oh so fabulous Em Straface.  Here is the file and sketch:

And here's my layout featuring the Beaubster.  My evidence is a pet accent (the paw brad) and solid background.  Another fun little tidbit is that the black yarn in the layout is a piece of his woven slipper, which had fallen off.  My testimony is on the white tag behind the photo and basically tells a shortened version of the story below:

Beau has a thing for shoes.  And socks.  And gutting stuffed toys with squeakers in them.  When he's done gutting a toy, there is stuffing everywhere, and the toy usually looks like a limp carcass.  It's gross.  Oddly, he has never unstuffed the head of any of his stuffed toys-he collects the empty shell (which is currently in goose form) and his slipper and gets on his bed and sucks on them.  Yes you heard right.  He sucks on them.  Like a pacifier.  LOL  He has been doing this since he was a puppy and it seems to calm him down and comfort him or something...just like a binky or paci to a baby.  Bizarre and hilarious because it's not something you'd expect to see a 100 lb dog doing!

Here are a couple of closeups.  I used cotton balls to simulate the stuffing that he pulls from the toys, and a bunch of leftover odds and ends I had in my stash.  I am not even going to attempt to tell you who made what.  LOL

Then my second layout is based on a sketch that is running on Page Drafts right now as part of their "Love is Everywhere" February challenge.  You have to get over there and see the list of sponsors that are providing the prizes for this challenge.  Let's just say its pretty amazing...like, a grand prize of $150 to buy scrappy supplies with amazing.  Seriously.  CLICK HERE to check it out.

Here is the challenge sketch I chose to work with.

Being Valentine's Day I thought it'd be nice to do a page about my honey and me.  I started out by layering some washi tape under the photo and then used a lot of mists and some gelatos on the background.  For the hearts, I misted a 12x12 Heidi Swapp hearts stencil with 3 shades of reds, from brick red to light pink, cut them out, and mod podged and glittered a few of them.  Used the DIYS Thickers again and this time colored them with silver Perfect Pearls. My little Valentine's Day shout out to the hubs. :)

Here are a couple of closeups.  Enjoy your weekend!

xoxo,

Shawna

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

CSI CF#107 - Snowgirl!

Happy Friday (finally)!  Today I am sharing a layout I put together for CSI's latest case file.  CLICK HERE to play along!

This was such a fun color scheme.  I love bright and bold, and this file certainly delivered!  Here is the "scene."

And here is my layout.  I scrapped these photos in a circular fashion for another layout created with the sketch from ScrapFriends last month, but these photos never get old and this layout tells about how that giant snowman came to be.  For my evidence I have used a wet medium (Heidi Swapp Color Shine mist in Mustard), umbrella (see it peeking out on the top under the "this" arrow?), raindrops (also behind the "this" arrow), and patterns.  For my testimony, I used the 1000 Awesome Things link and used the awesomeness of a snow day for my inspiration.  The journaling talks about how fluffy and not sticky the snow was, and how we were super lucky to have daddy shovel up a huge pile of snow that we were able to basically carve our giant snowman out of. :)

Here are a few close-ups.

I hope you will stop over and visit us at CSI.  I would love to see your creations in the gallery this week!

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!  

Hello Handsome...

Well, if you are one of my American friends, you have hopefully by now recovered from the food coma that is Thanksgiving!  We had a wonderfully filling, quiet day with family where we all reflected on the many blessings we are thankful for.  I hope that each of you, whether you celebrated Thanksgiving yesterday or not, had a fabulous Thursday surrounded by those you love.

CSI has another great case file for you to solve this week, featuring a really unique color scheme that I found perfect for a more masculine page featuring none other than my better half. ;-)

Here is the case file:

And here is my take on it:

The journaling strips are actually straight, but because the strips are adhered to cardboard,
they curved the paper a bit making the strips look crooked. :-/

I started this page by cutting different patterned papers into various sized strips and then inking the edges.  I laid them all over a 12x12 piece of cardboard and adhered them to the page/covered them with Mod Podge.  Then I laid some more paper strips down horizontally, covered parts with Gesso and started layering stamps, fibers and scrap paper.  Really love the way these colors compliment the grainy black and white of the photo!

CLICK HERE to see what the rest of the design team came up with for this challenge, and come and play along with us!

Enjoy the weekend, friends. xoxo

Shawna