Guess What???

It is Saturday, Memorial Day weekend, the 28th of the month!!!  Guess what that means?

Well, other than the fact that this is the official start of cabana season (swim team) and that I am at a swim meet all day and Mackenzie has ballet performances all weekend, and it is only a few more days till the renovation on my kitchen begins so I really need to get to packing....it is reveal day at Sassy Lil' Sketches!

As usual, Cheri has provided a fabulous sketch.

And here is my take....

Glitz Designs Patterned papers, Prima flowers, centers, butterfly(pink), font, GCD blue butterflies

Mackenzie hunting for Easter eggs.  It is getting harder and harder to get photos of them hunting.  So, I have to ask for them to look at me for a minute.  lol

Pop over to the Sassy Lil' Sketches blog for all the fabulous information about our monthly sponsors and to link your layout for the chance at some fabulous prizes.....

Sassy Lil' Sketches Layout May Sponsors:

Paper Sponsor:

http://stampippity.blogspot.com/

Digital Sponsor:

http://digitaldelightsbyloubyloo.com/

Layouts must be uploaded below by June 5th, 11:59 P.M. EST to be eligible for the May random prize drawing*.

Specific rules for both Sassy Lil' Sketches site can be found on our Sassy Lil' Sketches "Rules" page.

*The paper prize is available to U.S. residents only

The digital prize is open to both U.S. and international residents.

Hope you are having a great weekend!  

Hugs.

Nancy

Hooray for Saturday!!!!

Well, today is Saturday and I finally have a few minutes of piece to upload some layouts for you...I also wanted to share what the living room update looks like!  I am so happy with it...I just love my house (when I am not cleaning it anyway, hee hee).

I can't believe we are done with this room...and just in time!  We begin the kitchen remodel June 1.  I have selected all the materials...now just to have it put together.  4-5 weeks is the estimate my contractor is giving me.  Cross your fingers!  You know I cook every day and not having a kitchen may just push me over the edge.

At least I can spend my time in here while I wait.

Living Room

Stair case

Dining Room

Right now we are using my 6 foot banquet table as a sewing station in the window of the living room.  Ainsley has decided she wants to sew.  Of course, that table will soon become my kitchen, so she better get finishing her projects.  lol

OK, how about some scrapiness....

A few photos of Mackenzie.  This first one is Mackenzie on her birthday.  I don't know what it is with my children but they don't want birthday cake....Mackenzie chose birthday creme brule.  Do you know how hard it is to get a candle into a creme brule?  lol  I used some of my Glitz Designs Love Nest with bits of gorgeous Prima blooms, bling, bird, butterfly, and lace all from the Your Memories Here store.  I spritzed the blue seam binding with Glimmer Mist also available from the YMH store.  The design/sketch is one that my friend Sara made for an upcoming Ideas for Scrapbookers post.

Glitz Designs Love Notes, Prima flowers, bling, lace, bird and butterfly, Snug Bug seam binding, Glimmer Mist

And here is Mackenzie again.  This time at the archery range down the street from our house.  The girls love going over there in the afternoons and trying their hand at shooting.  Brighton used to enjoy it, but all our bows are just too small for him now.  Guess I might need to invest in a new one?  This one is based on a Pencil Lines sketch and using my new Crate Paper Neighborhood collection.

Crate Paper Neighborhood

Well, a few things left on my list today here around the house.  Hope you are having a great weekend.

Hugs.

Nancy

I Have a Secret

Some of my secrets I am going to share, but some are really special and...well...I have blurred them out.  They are secrets after all.  And while I love sharing, not all my secrets need to be on the web.  hee hee

Yesterday I told you about a fun challenge over on Scrapbook.com where you were supposed to make a mini album featuring yourself.  My mini album is a work in progress, but I did get quite a few pages done and wanted to share them with you.

You probably remember the cover.....

And here are the inner pages I have completed.  All the photos are recent...Mostly because I didn't want one of my secrets to be that I was hiding behind 10 year old photos!  That is me...just Monday, wrinkles and all.  lol

Yep, I warned you....some of the journaling is a secret and I have taken it out.  Sorry...but I have to retain some mystery.  hee hee

 I really, really, really, love Prima...lace, flowers, papers...oh my!  Oh, and book pages.  I love those too.  hee hee

I sanded the edges of my photos to give them a bit of a warn, distressed look.  I didn't want to have to mount any photos and they just needed a little more definition on my page.

Well, there I am....all laid out in, I was going to say black and white...but not too much black or white here.  lol   I think I am going to have to re-bind my mini as it is getting pretty junked up pretty quickly.  And I think I will probably be adding more pages in the near future.  I have a lot of secrets I guess.  hee hee

Well, until later.

Hugs.

Nancy

A Blog Award....for Moi?

I usually forget to post these, but I am trying really hard to be a better blogger.  hee hee

My good friend, Nati, gave me this blog award just the other day.  You should totally check out her blog.  She has been making some great things; cakes, cards, layouts!!!  And she has such a touching story.  Anyways......

 The rules for the BFB award are two-fold: 

-Post about the award on your blog with a link back to the sender. 
-Pass onto those who visit your blog and leave comments regularly.
 
Thank goodness this is an easy one because...well....I am a bit challenged some days.  hee hee

So my list of BFB award winners includes:


Heather does the most fabulous paper and digi layouts!  
Luzma OMG!!!  This girl has the most stunning paper layouts and cards....just beautiful.
Holly   She has got a super fun, funky style which I love!
Michelle Takes the most gorgeous photos and her style is so fabulous. 
Katie Is another Sassy, well...one of the head sassies!  And I love, love, love her cards!!!!
Elisabeth Makes the most gorgeous shabby layouts!  Yummo!
Cindy is like me...she blogs about all kinds of stuff...which is always fun to read!
Carla, love, love, love her work.  




Well, that is just a few of my friends whose blogs I am always trying to stay on top of...really tho?  I could sit hear all day and list so many!!!!    I read dozens of blogs everyday, and although I don't always leave comments, please know that I do care!


Hugs.


Nancy

Still More Rain and Live With Prima

It is still icky, rainy here, so I haven't had a chance to take photos of my latest layouts.  What I do have instead is a project I did a few weeks ago......

Recently I received one of the beautiful Live with Prima Kits from the Your Memories Here store.  And I have to tell you, it was so fun to make!  Have you had a chance to watch the ustream broadcasts?  There are so many wonderful tips and techniques.  And you know the projects are just gorgeous, featuring all the best Prima products conveniently packaged and at a great price in the Your Memories Here store.

Helpful hint?  I have seen many of the videos in the past and have always found it very helpful to watch the video all the way through before starting on my project.  Trying to watch and work along is just more than I can handle, as some of the techniques are often new to me and a bit complex.  Ever made a sewn book binding?  anyone? anyone?

So, what do you do if project of your dreams is currently sold out?  Well, you know Your Memories Here sells many of the products individually.  Marion Smith Vintage Trinkets, lots of blooms and bling, maybe a few bits of trim, I am sure you will be able to find products that would suit your needs.

I even used some of my favorite Glimmer Mists to make my flowers the perfect color.  And did I mention how many goodies I had left over?  

Well, be sure and check out all the fabulous Live With Prima Kits.  You won't be disappointed.

Hugs.

Nancy

Happy Monday

Sorry I haven't been around much.  To be honest, I am a bit under the weather.  At first I thought it only to be allergies...but Phil seems to be feeling puny as well.  Great, just great.  Here we are, rushing head long into cabana swim season and my kitchen remodel and I get sick.  Oh well....must push on.  But the weather here is not cooperating.  The temps have only been in the low 60s and it has been raining....yep, raining in May.  Of course, because I had agreed to spend the weekend at the swim meet.  Nothing better than hanging out all day at a swim meet in the cold and rain.

Ok, enough complaining...really, LIFE IS GOOD!!!!  My new hardwood floors are in and the stairs have had the carpet and iron rail removed and I now have beautiful stairs with beautiful banisters!  woo hoo!!!  And this morning I picked out the granite, marble, and tile for my kitchen remodel!  So can't wait!!!!  You know me, I am always cooking; so the idea of no kitchen for weeks.....eeek!!!!!

But it will all be worth it!!!!

You know what else is worth it?  Since my house was undergoing some construction that meant not much point in cleaning...so look what I made instead....

Ainsley hunting for Easter Eggs in the back yard.  I have been loving the latest run of Crate Paper.  The designs are just fabulous.   This first one is based on a Pencil Lines sketch.

Crate Paper Portrait, American Crafts Thickers

 And here is sweet little Lili's toes.  Love little baby toes...and their cute little diapered baby bottoms.  hee hee.  More fabulous Crate Paper with a sketch from Creative Scrappers.

Crate Paper Emma's Shoppe, Prima Alpha (pink), Carolee's Creation Tiny Alpha

I have a few more things finished that I would love to share, but the sun hiding behind the clouds is preventing me from getting a good photo.  Hopefully tomorrow.

Until then.....

Hugs.

Nancy

Misting Fabric

Hi everyone!!!  Last Saturday was National Scrapbook Day for many of us and I managed to convince my family to give me a bit of a break so I could play with my supplies.  I found a fun challenge over on Scrapbook.com and decided to participate.  The challenge was to make a mini album featuring yourself.  I love mini albums so this was right up my alley.  Lots of great products from the Your Memories Here store made the album come together quickly.

I started with some plain canvas, three of my favorite colors of Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist and a water sprayer.

The first thing I did was spray my fabric with water to dampen.

 Then I began spraying with color.  Starting with the darkest color, the one I wanted on the bottom.....

then adding my next color, being sure to overlap a bit....

And finally the color I wanted on top.

I then took a 1 inch paintbrush and blended the colors.  After all the water and mist, the fabric was quite damp and it was easy to blend the colors just how I wanted.

Here is my final, dyed fabric.  Starting with a damp fabric really helps the colors flow and blend.

From there, I dry brushed a bit of white paint over the top and inked the edges.  I glued the fabric to chipboard for the cover of my album and with the help of my Bind it All....

a few Prima flowers and leaves, a Prima Journaling Card, Prima alphabet, and some gorgeous Vintage Trinkets and my album was finished.

I will be back tomorrow to share the inside pages.  Not all of them are complete and some of the journaling is a secret...but you know me...I love to share!

Hope you are having a great day!

Hugs.

Nancy

Such a Great Weekend

I don't know what you did this last weekend...but I had a great time.  Saturday was National Scrapbook Day, so with all the regular stuff; housework, laundry, I got to play with paper.  And on Sunday?  Well, that was mother's day!  So after going out to breakfast with the children and a sweet gift from Ainsley I was able to relax and read my book.  What could be better than that?

Well, lots of goodies to share, so let's get to it...

I decided to get to scrappin some of my Easter photos because, well....they were easy to find.  This first one was done with a sketch from Let's Scrap.  I used my Pink Paislee Daily Junque collection.  I just love these colors...and the patterns are so fun.  My favorite item tho has to be the blackboard stickers...I just need to figure out how to use them better.  sigh

Here is my sweet little niece, hunting for eggs.  She was having a great time finding them.  I found this sketch over at Sketchabilities.  Love their sketches.  I made the flowers for this one so that I could participate in a challenge over at Scrapbook.com.  Lots of Crate Paper Emma's Shoppe with a bit of Prima (pink flowers and alpha) and Maya Road (yellow flowers).  But my favorite new find is the baker's twine.  I bought a ton of the stuff in bunches of colors from The Twinery.

Isn't it funny the things we hold onto?  Here is Brighton, at 15, hunting for Easter Eggs.  We have had to get creative over the years in order to make it at least a little more complicated.  Gone are the days where we could just lay the eggs in the grass and the children would run all over squealing with delight.   This layout is based on a Pencil Lines sketch, using the last little bits of my Cosmo Cricket Restoration pack.

And finally, a little money/chocolate bar holder I made using my Cricut and some svg files.  (shhh, don't tell anyone).  I was inspired by a little cow card I saw in the Cricut Magazine.  There's of course used a cow from a cartridge, which I didn't own; and was shaped like a cow.  Super cute, but didn't fit my needs.  Anyway, Mackenzie's friend loved it!  I think I may be making these more....swim coaches?

Well, I have a few more projects I am working on...and one that I can't share for a while.  I will for sure be back on Wednesday tho with a tutorial on misting fabric.  I am working on a mini album for the weekly NSBD challenge over on Scrapbook.com and used fabric on the cover.

So....until then......

Hugs.

Nancy

Happy Friday

I am so glad it is Friday.  Tomorrow is National Scrapbook Day and I am really hoping that the family allows me some uninterrupted time to play.

I did manage a bit of play earlier this week, but since I have cut back on my responsibilities..... It just seems I haven't had as much time to create.

I wanted to share with you a few cards and a layout I did using the last of my Bouquet kit from Catch the Moments Kits.

The first two cards I made using sketches over at Sassy Lil Card Sketches.  With Cheri's help, I will become a card maker yet.  lol

 Some of my favorite things on these two cards....flowers, lace, dyed seam binding and pink!  lol

And here is Ainsley with all the hair pretties.  She is such a goof!  And with that long hair, she sure can pack those hair clips on.  hee hee  I used a sketch from my good friend Heather.  You should totally check her out if you get a chance.

I can't believe how many projects I was able to make with this kit.  I really enjoyed working with Devon and am going to miss her great kits.

Well, Hope you have a great weekend!!!!!

Hugs.

Nancy

Finding my .....

I don't know about you, but I love using bits of thread and twine on my layouts, but I am forever losing my needles.  My desk is such a mess and those tapestry needles are just so tiny.

Inspired by all the fabulous pin cushions I have seen on many blogs, I set out to create my own.

I started with some canvas fabric I picked up at the fabric store, a few of my favorite glimmer mists, my sewing machine, and some beautiful flowers and trims.

I cut the fabric into a heart shape with my sizzix, but any shape would do.  You could even hand cut if you so desired.

I layered my favorite glimmer mists onto the hearts and waited for them to dry.  

Then I used a bit of my Helmar 450 to adhere a few odds and ends I had lying on my desk.  (figures I can find those.  hee hee)

Now my needles have a new, larger home and hopefully be easier to find.