Winner!!!

Thanks to all of you who made the Sassy Lil' Sketches Blog hop such a success. We had a great time and I know I have found so much inspiration in both the design team's creation as well as all the readers.


And hooray for all my followers!  I am so thrilled that I am up to 90 followers now!  You all have made my week. 


And the winner of my follower/blog hop prize is.....

And that is......Kalee.  Kalee, please email me your address and I will get your prize out to you.


 I guess now I should shoot for 100...when I reach that number, I will do another drawing for a kit.  How does that sound?


Life is still very busy here with school and swim and ballet and piano and....oh goodness, it makes me dizzy just thinking about it.  So, let's not think, let's just play!!!  And how about playing with the fabulous colors and sketch over at The Color Room this week.

I knew when I saw this weeks colors the paper I wanted to use.  I have had this die cut piece from Pink Paislee forever!  And I loved the photos of Mackenzie!  Lots of yummy Prima including a new butterfly.  You know I couldn't wait to dig into the box of goodies I just received.  hee hee I used Zip Dry to adhere all the flowers, buttons, trims and leaves.  I love Zip Dry these days.  It dries clear and quick, with no dimension.  It holds like crazy.  And you can even use it on your paper.  Yep, I used it everywhere here.


Well, gotta run.  Lots to do and see here.  


Hugs.


Nancy

Working on Some Hybrid with Ainsley and Mackenzie

I have been trying to stretch my hybrid muscle lately.  Having access to some great digi files from this month's Sassy Lil Sketches digi sponsor is making me want to try new things.  

Well, I needed  a quick and simple birthday card for Ainsley to take to a party.  So I pulled out my digi stamps and came up with this...

I used the Sweet Stuff and All Occasion Banners from the Cutting Cafe to make this card.  


The banner was just perfect and the cake....so yummy!  Mackenzie helped me with moving the banner out of its straight line.   How guilty do I feel that my daughter's Photoshop skills are so much better than mine?  At least I think I remember how to do it if needed again.  Something to do with puppets.  lol  


Ainsley helped me color the image and I used Gamsol to smooth it all out (hint, hint, upcoming IFS tutorial?).  And you know how much Ainsley loves her Stickles.  I am sure her little friend will love this card....especially because Ainsley helped make it


Hope you are having a great weekend.


Hugs.


Nancy

Sassy Lil' Sketches

Have I mentioned how excited I am to be a Sassy?  Yep, and guess what?  I am a 28th Sassy and today is the 28th....so this is my first full reveal!  Hooray Me!!!  lol


Cherie Sent this super cute sketch.  I really loved the space for a long title, all the fun layers, the great border.

And here is my take

This is my sister and her husband.  Aren't they so cute together?  I am mounting this on a canvas and am giving it to them for their anniversary.  I used some Glimmer Mist on a piece of lace I had to make it match the layout.  A lot of distressing because, well, I like distressing.  The color combination really seemed to suit these photos and the lace, flowers, and bling flourishes lent an air of romance, IMHO...LOL...I know, I am a goof.  hee hee   

Don't forget that we have two awesome prizes this month!  A digital and a paper prize.*

So hop over to Sassy Lil' Sketches for all the amazing inspiration, rules, and your chance to link your creations.

Our digi sponsor is:

Our paper sponsor is:

Make sure you use Mister Linky to link your creation by September 5th at 11:59 p.m.! *The paper prize is open to US residents only.  The digital prize is open to International and US participants.  

And it isn't too late to play in the blog hop.  You can find more information here.  And I still have my giveaway as well.  So click the "follower" button on the right and you will have a chance to win a fun prize.

Gotta run, busy weekend....

Hugs.

Nancy

Back at It

It is the first week that we are back at school.  We officially started last week...but this week is the first we really hit the books.  Well, so far so good.  Unfortunately with all the goings on; getting Brighton registered at the local Junior College and online courses, convincing Ainsley that she really might need to learn something this year, helping Mackenzie realize there is more to her education than making videos, and just the general getting back to a routine....I haven't had a lot of time to scrap.

I did manage to get this done.

A fun set of photos of the girls jumping on the beach.  I don't just love it, but it is done and the photos were way too fun to just leave lying around.  And with a box of Prima arriving shortly, a good chance to use up quite a few older flowers.  hee hee

Don't forget about the super fun Sassy Lil' Sketches Blog Hop, going on right now.  You can find all the details at Sassy Lil Sketches.  There are some great prizes from our generous sponsors...

Xyron - Xyron 900 Creative Station

Thoughts 2 Paper - Zutter Distresser

Scrappy Jo - Gift Certificate

Crop Stop - Gift Certificate

Apron Strings - July kit

Crop Chocolate - Account Credit

And, one lucky follower of my blog will win a prize package as well.  If you are not already a follower, it isn't too late, just click the little button in the side bar.

Oh, I have some great tutorials coming up soon at Ideas for Scrapbookers.  If you have something you would love to learn, a technique you would like to see demonstrated, let me know.  If it isn't something I can do, I know one of the incredibly talented designers there can help.

For now, I am off to the pool.  Hope you are having a fabulous week.

Hugs.

Nancy

Sassy Lil' Sketches Blog Hop

I am so thrilled to be part of the Sassy Lil' Sketches design team.  And even more thrilled that I get to play in today's blog hop.  This is a chance for you to get to know all the Sassies. If you landed here first, you may want to head over to Sassy Lil' Sketches to check out the great sketches and rules and find out more about the fabulous prizes you could win!

And now....the details.....

Sassy Lil’ Sketches “Hidden” Treasures Blog Hop 
August 23rd through August 30th, 9 PM. EST. 

The "Hidden" Treasure Blog Hop starts at Sassy Lil’ Sketches where there are two of our sassy sketches and rules for the blog hop. After visiting Sassy Lil' Sketches you can choose which Sassy you would like to visit next. We recommend visiting every Sassy because we have "hidden" treasure at four of our Sassies' blogs. 

The Sassies: 
Aimee  Optimistic Scrappiness
Amanda Amanda Jones, Simply Scrapping
Amy  Amy Gebhard
Brenda B. Brenda's Scrappy Blog
Brenda R.  Rose Blossom Legacies
Carla  My Life on Paper
Cherie  Boy Wouldn't You Like to Know
Cheryl  Cheryl's Window
Christine  Scrappin' Shimano
Deanna  Moments to Cherish
Debbie  Scrapenabler
Denise Lala's World
Isabelle (Zabou) Le Petit Monde de Zabou
Jessica Jessica*Bree 
Katie Running With Scissors, Spatulas and Sneakers 
Kelly Kelly Bea's Centerfield 
Laura  Finding the Joy in Each Day 
Martine Scraps.Cats.Love 
Rebecca  House of Henrie 
Sandra Buttons and Bows and More
Shana  1 Creative Chick 

Our awesome, amazing, and completely generous sponsors for Sassy Lil’ Sketches “Hidden” Treasure Blog Hop: 
Xyron (www.xyron.com) 
Thoughts 2 Paper (www.thoughts2paper.com) 
Scrappy Jo (www.shopscrapbooksupplies.com) 
Crop Stop (www.cropstop.com) 
Apron Strings ( www.apronstringsdesigns.com) 
Crop Chocolate (www.cropchocolate.com) 
BoBunny (www.bobunny.com)


And now for My take....

For this layout I used photos from our swim team banquet.  Lots of photos with the coaches.  And a great way to use up scraps.

I used some of the super cute digital stamps from The Cutting Cafe, Augusts Sassy Lil' Sketches digi sponsor for this one.  I am trying to expand my boundaries by dabbling in digi.

We're looking forward to seeing what you create with one or both of these sketches, so make sure you link your project back to the Sassy Lil Sketches blog. Don't forget to check the other Sassies' blogs and leave a comment for a chance at one of the "hidden treasure" prizes! 


And finally.....one of my followers will win this black and white kit from me at the end of the blog hop.  So, if you aren't already a follower be sure to click that little button on the right to become one.  And be sure to leave a comment just in case I am one of the hidden treasures.

Hugs.


Nancy

Turning Templates into....

If you have been following my blog for a while you know how much I love using sketches.  You probably also have noticed that I am not very digi oriented.  As a matter of fact, I stink at digi layouts.  But there are so many great products out there that use digi, I can't resist giving it a go every now and then.

Pammy challenged the designers for Ideas For Scrapbookers to use a gorgeous template she designed.  You can find the template here.  Well, being that I don't do digi I turned the template into a sketch and went to work.  It was quite a challenge because our Northern California beaches aren't your typical sunshiney (is that a word) beaches.  Papers and embellishments are hard to come by.  But I tried.....

Ainsley loves going to the beach, she doesn't care that it is cold, that we are all wearing our sweatshirts and wrapped in blankets.  She is there to have fun in the sand (note I don't say sun, because frankly, there isn't any most days.  lol) and surf.  She loves the ocean and you can hear her screams of delight for miles.  Oh to be a kid again.

Well, be sure to hop over to Ideas for Scrapbookers and check out the other designers takes on Pam's wonderful design.

Hugs.

Nancy

Yep, I am here

What a day it has been.  Remind me not to listen to the car wash people when they tell me it will only be 30 minutes.  Cause you know what????  It wasn't.  And remind me to tell Phil that if he is coming in my car to go ahead and bring his badge just in case.  Getting up to take him to the train station cause he can't ride the shuttle without his badge makes for an early morning.  lol

Anyway, here are a few more layouts from our trip to Oceanside last week.  I am still loving looking thru all the photos.  So many fun ones to scrap.

I used the newer Bo Bunny Paradise collection for these.  We had such a good time strolling on the pier and the strand every afternoon.  Ice cream, lemonade, and piggy back rides.  And add to that the most gorgeous sunsets.  hmmmm, wonder if we should move there?

Well, these are lifts of some pages I saw at the Scrapbook Expo a few weeks ago.  Loved the use of stickles on the papers.  It really helped make everything pop.

Thanks for stopping by!  Oh and be sure to come by on Monday.  Sassy Lil Sketches is hosting a blog hop and there are some great prizes.

Hugs

Nancy

Just a few more days...

...till we start back to school full time.  We have been busy trying to get our books and materials organized and our activities firmed up.  We have been hard at work getting Brighton enrolled at the local Junior College, his enrollment at a new online school, and his books and materials for his online classes,   I don't remember it being this hard when I was a kid.  But of course, I wasn't home schooled.   sigh  It is times like these that I think it would be so much easier to have the children in regular school.  But, here we are, about to begin year 9!  Wow!!!  I can't believe I have been homeschooling this long.

Brighton got his wisdom teeth out yesterday and hasn't really been feeling his best which brings out the total nurse in me.  Making mashed potatoes, going out for yogurt and ice cream and running up and down the stairs to make sure everything is ok.

So how have I been spending my leisure time? Scrapping!!!! You are probably asking...what leisure time? lol...Well, I am overwhelmed with it all and need a break occasionally....So, when I have a few minutes, I scrap!  That, and I took over 1500 photos while on vacation, some of which I just love and the mojo is running strong.

Here are two that I did earlier this week.

This one comes from the sketch and color palette this week at The Color Room.  I love a good sketch and I loved the photos.  The color palette was perfect so it came together really quickly.  A bit of Prima bling, lots of Prima flowers, and some Maya Mist.  What more can a girl want!  lol

This one of course has the photos of our house after it was tp-d.  Yep, gotta document the good and the bad, and I guess it is kinda funny...unless you are the one spending 3 hours cleaning it up.  Special shout out to my neighbors Richard and Aimee who came over to help get the last bits from high in the tree!  They were life savers with their extension pole.  This one is based on a PageMaps sketch.  I used a bit of seam binding to make the "toilet paper" and some beautiful Echo Park papers. 

Well, I think I hear responsibility calling.  So that's all for today.  I have another layout here on my table drying to share tomorrow, so I promise to be back then.

Hugs.

Nancy

A Vacation

Lately I have become a bit paranoid, so when we decided to head out to the beach for a little r&r I didn't tell my internet friends.  Everyone always says you shouldn't announce you will be gone because you are just advertising that your house is empty.  Well, my house wasn't empty as I always have a house sitter, but I was gone.  Sorry, no bloggin'.  The cottage we rented was supposed to have internet, but it was flaky at best.  I will try to update you over the next few days with lots of goodies from my trip.  And hopefully find some time to do some scrappin to share.

Another reason why do you not tell people you are out of town?  Because when you come home, they greet you with this....

After a week of sun and sand, I guess my swim team felt the need to bring a little snow into my life.  From what I hear, somewhere in the neighborhood of 96 rolls.  Yep, it is nice to be loved.  And we were feeling the love for about 3 hours this morning as we cleaned it all up.

Hugs.

Nancy

August 7 Sassy Lil' Sketch

Today is reveal day over at Sassy Lil' Sketches.  Not only is there a great sketch, there are two new fabulous sponsors this month.

How much do I love Cherie Averill's sketch...

Super fun!  Great layers.  Lots of possibilities.  Be sure and hop over to the blog to check out some Sassy inspiration.

And there are two great sponsors this month, both digi and paper.  The paper sponsor is Scrap Freak.  One lucky winner will win a beautiful embellishment kit. (US Only please)

And our digi sponsor is The Cutting Cafe.  Someone will win three digi files from this site.

Remember, your name is entered for each layout/card you create throughout the month! Make sure you use Mister Linky at Sassy Lil' Sketches to link your creation by September 5th at 11:59 p.m.!


Hugs.

Nancy

Lazy Days

Oh life has been so lazy the last few days.  Not a lot going on....catching up with friends, a few chores, and a project or two.

I bought a new point and shoot a few months ago and was needing a new camera bag.  Of course, the Prima canvas bag was adorable and I had to have it.

Lots of yummy glimmer mist in peach delight, tea rose and pomegranate.  A few flowers, a butterfly and a bit of bling.

I had to spray more of the pomegranate on the handle to make it more colorful and match the button.

I also managed to create this layout.  It is based on a July Page Maps sketch and week 153 of Color Combos Galore.

Well, off to grab a glass of wine and maybe watch some television.

Hugs.

Nancy

ahhhh

Things have really quieted down these last few days.  The boys are off to Boy Scout camp, so it is just us girls for a few days.  And there is no swim, no ballet, no....anything (well, maybe a playdate or two, LOL).  Other than a few errands we have been a bunch of lazy bums.  Sleeping late, watching tv, playing on the computer, and for me....scrapbooking!

Here are two I wanted to share.

The first one comes from the July 28th sketch at Sassy Lil Sketches.  These are photos from Ainsley's birthday party.  We finally managed to squeeze in her party and just a little over a month after her actual birthday.  hee hee

And another....Mackenzie at our championship swim meet just a few weeks ago.  She is always so serious.  This one is from a July Page Maps sketch.

I have one more on the table almost done.  But I think I hear a glass of wine and the television calling my name.

Hugs.

Nancy