Technique Tuesday: Layout

The Living The Dream giveaway is still going on. Click here.

Hello, friends!

Today, I'm sharing a layout created for Technique Tuesday. This one uses a mix of stamps created by Ali Edwards. Since Ali is a scrapbooker, her stamp designs are super easy to incorporate into layouts. I'm also using Crate Paper's Storytellers. I'm a bit obsessed with that line. Just a bit... Especially the grey circle patterned paper I used on this layout. I'm saving all the scraps!

supplies: stamps: Technique Tuesday Smooch and Favorite Story / ink: Tsukineko Versafine Onyx Black, Clearsnap Colorbox Pigment Ink Scarlet / patterned paper: Crate Paper / stickers: Crate Paper / bad bad machine stitching

This is a layout about Luke and his can't-sit-still-ness. He loves to cuddle, but only for about 15 minutes. He loves to hug, but for about 30 seconds. I can sometimes eek out a 2-minute long hug. Those are practically love-fests. I took these photos last year in our Pennsylvania backyard. He had just gotten those shoes, and wanted me to take photos of them. But he couldn't keep his feet still. So I asked him to show me how fast those shoes were. Hee hee! That's what that small photo is all about. Too bad I'm terrible at panning. But you get the idea.

By the way, I'm horrible at machine stitching pictures. Do you have any tips for me? I test my stitching on cardstock scraps, and it looks amazing. Then I push the photos through, and it's horrible. Please help!

Thanks for stopping by! It's almost Friday! Woohoo!

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Lawn Fawn Inspiration Week

The Living The Dream giveaway is still going on. Click here.

Howdy! Today, Lawn Fawn is debuting its Critters Down Under stamps. If you are already a fan of Lawn Fawn, then you know about their Critters stamps. But if you haven't seen those yet, go to their shop right now and check them out! Yes, they are that cute. (And don't forget to drop by Lawn Fawn's blog and leave comments on all the inspiration week posts for chances to win the new stamps!)

I created a super duper simple layout using the little bird from the Critters Down Under set and Claire's ABC. I've been wanting to do a layout about the woodpeckers that pretty much ate our entire house in Pennsylvania. OK. I'm exaggerating. They didn't eat the entire house. Just about half of it. This photo has the house clad in new planks (HardiePlanks! Take that, birds!), but before, it used to be all cedar shingles and planks. Well. As it turns out, woodpeckers love cedar. Sigh.

But anyway, back to the layout. I added a little color with some washi tape (one of which is a woodgrain pattern, hee hee), colored the birdie in to look like a woodpecker, cut it out, used one little pop up dot, and voila!

I know, I know, I don't live in that house anymore. But guess what? There are woodpeckers around my current house too! Luckily, it's a stucco house.

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Living The Dream Workshop Giveaway

Hey there! Hope you had a good weekend. Today, the Creating Keepsakes Dream Team is doing a blog hop/giveaway for our class Living The Dream (in partnership with Big Picture Classes).

What's the class about? Here's a description from Big Picture Classes:

Are you living the dream? Whether it's landing that job you always wanted, accomplishing a goal you set for yourself, or having the family you hoped for, so much of the lives we lead today began as things we only dreamed of yesterday. Your dreams are important. Spending time remembering the dreams you had when you were younger and recognizing how those dreams have been fulfilled (in the way you thought they would be, and in totally different ways than you dreamed) will inspire you, and hopefully inspire others as well. We hope that you'll join us in this 20-day workshop to connect with these talented instructors as well as enjoy the opportunity to not just count, but scrap your blessings. 

Here's a teensy peek of my project (hint, it's about motherhood):

Now, for the giveaway! Please leave me a comment (and your email addy so I can contact you) by next Monday, June 4, and I'll draw a winner for a spot in this class. To increase your chances, visit each blog in the hop, and leave one comment per blog. But alas, only one free pass per person.

Your next blog stops are:

Maggie Holmes
Mou Saha

Thank you so much for dropping by!

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Lawn Fawn Release Week

Hey there! Lawn Fawn is debuting its new stamps this weekend. And today's stamp set is Dad's Day. Perfect for Father's Day cards, but also for a layout about Dad.

supplies: stamps: Lawn Fawn Dad's Day + Belinda's Borders / patterned papers: Lawn Fawn, DCWV / inks: Clearsnap Colobox Pigment, Hero Arts Mid-Tone Shadow, Jenni Bowlin, Tsukineko VersaFine / adhesives: GlueArts, 3L / cardstock: Neenah Classic Crest Solar White / thread: DMC

This was an easy peasy layout. I printed the photos in a strip, and the journaling on some white cardstock. Then I stamped the borders directly on the journaling, and the images separately. I cut those out, and popped them up. Last thing was stitching the "DAD" in yellow. I don't do enough layouts about my Dad. That will change now!

These photos were taken this past week when my parents were here visiting. My Dad was trying to get my youngest to laugh by making a "serious" face. But he has no serious faces! He's a funny guy. So of course, my youngest was cracking up. Mission accomplished, Dad!

Don't forget to drop by Lawn Fawn's blog, check out what the team's projects, and add your comment for a chance to win the new stamps! Thanks for coming by!

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I love Fridays!

One of the weird things about having a blog is that if I go too long without blogging, it's really awkward to come back to it. It's like anything else, I guess. Practice makes perfect, but I'm lazy lazy lazy.

So we are going for random today. Bear with me.

I just love it when my kids come home from school, and my husband comes home from work, and we just dive right into the weekend. Together.

I've recently contributed this challenge to the ClubCK blog. It's about using Microsoft Word to edit photos. Who knew one could use Word for photo editing? Not everyone has Photoshop, so this is great for small tweaks and quick editing.

New Lawn Fawn stamps! Well, these are clues to what the new stamps are.

Lawn Fawn is debuting its new line of stamps starting today. Well, what's happening today is a sneak peek, and if you go by and leave a comment, you could win new goodies. Trust me, I have these, and you will want them! (*cough*numbers*cough*)

I finally started my Project Life. I've had the goods since the beginning of the year, but never felt inspired to get started. Lisa finally came over with her book (which I love) and kicked my butt. She's right, it has nothing to do with creating perfect pages, it's all about recording the mundane. I'm not loving each spread, but I know I'm going to love the end product.

My dad trying to get my youngest to do a serious face.

My parents are here visiting from China (via Houston). Just a quick trip, but it's always nice to see them. They are intrepid travelers, adventurers, fiercely loyal, great eating companions, and have a very kooky sense of humor. Not many people have lived in Kazakhstan, traveled extensively to Istanbul, or trekked through Mongolia. Every time they visit, I interview my dad about his life. It's my best story keeping project yet.

I come by my maniacal laugh honestly. See my father above. (Please ignore horrible horrendous chandelier - it's not mine!)

My oldest (who's 13) went from being 1 inch shorter than me last September (when he turned 13) to being 3 inches taller than me. Being 13, he hates posing for photos, and usually pulls a Calvin. But we stood there in front of the mirror, started to crack up and ended up having a great moment together. Love this crazy blurry photo. We look like maniacs.

On that note, I'm off to do a little work before the crew comes home, so I can dive right into the weekend with them. Have a great one!

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Technique Tuesday: Layout + Card

Hey there! Yes, I'm still alive. And kind of kicking...

Technique Tuesday debuted a whole new set of stamps yesterday called Signed, Sealed and Delivered. They are each a small set with a circular seal, and two to three little elements. You can punch out the seals with a 1.75" circle punch. Love that.

Here's a layout I created about my mom. She's on my mind a lot these days since she moved to China with my dad to start an art foundation. I only see them twice a year and I miss her so much. I don't get to call her to chat for hours and hours anymore. No more spur of the moment phone calls to ask about recipes. I wasted so much energy when I was a snotty nosed teenager thinking about how I was going to be a different kind of mother. But now that I am a mother, I can only hope to be more like her. This is a short list of things she used to do for me. And she would still do for me. Well, not the "take me to a park in the dark so I could slide" bit. She might draw her line there.

stamps: Technique Tuesday I Love You Seal / patterned paper: Crate Paper (grey+white), DCWV (yellow dots), My Mind's Eye (all the colorful bits) / Diecut system: Silhouette / Ink: Clearsnap / font: p22 typewriter / punch: Fiskars

The I *heart* U stamp is part of the set. I though I'd add it in the corner, discreetly, as a surprise element.

So loving those My Mind's Eye's papers. Miss Caroline. So pretty. And my Silhouette! I might have finally figured out how to get it cut cleanly. I hope.

To go with the Mom layout, here is a Mother's Day card.

stamp: Technique Tuesday Mom Seal / paper: Neenah Classic Crest Solar White / ink: Clearsnap / twill ribbon: Technique Tuesday / watercolor crayon: Technique Tuesday / punch: Marvy Uchida / adhesive: Glue Arts

I started by stamping it several times, in different ink colors, and layering some vellum to tone it down a bit. Then I used a pink watercolor crayon to "dye" the white twill ribbon a soft pink. LOVED that technique. Actually, I'm not sure it's a technique at all, it's ridiculously simple. I scribbled the crayon on a stamp block, rubbed it with a waterpen, and dabbed it on the ribbon. Let it dry before I used it. I love that's a bit dappled and not perfectly even in color.

I created a Dad version that I'll share in a few days. Do go by the Technique Tuesday blog and check out the projects by our fab team! Thanks for dropping by today.

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