Boys Will Be Boys 2 Page Layout

Here is another two page layout with the Basic Grey Oliver Page kit.  I loved all the papers and the Chipboard elements.  I didn't do anything too special on these layouts except slap the stuff on the page BUT I did take these photos of AG (Adorable Grandson) before he morphed into LMM (Little Monster Man).  (I do like to use enlargements on layouts...these were all 5x7s and I love the way they filled the pages!)   AG had just learned to crawl in these photos and was becoming one busy little guy.  I just love these pictures of him.  You can just see the curiosity and sweetness in his little face...although I think the one on the top left shows the itsy bit of LMM trying to emerge!  And by the way LMM is just as cute as ever.  He'll now walk up to you and give unsolicited kisses.  How sweet is that for an Omie's heart!

Happy Crafting!

Cricut Challenge 22: Old West..."Ride 'em Cowboy!" (Cricut 360 Challenge #7)

I'm waaay behind on my scrapbooking...but that's ok.  I never make it my mission to get caught up...I make it my mission to enjoy the process and in terms of that challenge I am ALWAYS successful!  Some layouts take an hour or two...some take longer.  I actually went to a crop once and spent 8 hours on a layout....seriously!  It wasn't any award winning layout when I was done but I loved it and had the greatest time working on it.  That's how I am...I'm about the process...I'm not a crank it out sort of gal...
:)

Back to my personal challenge of using all my Cricut Cartridges on a project....(and btw if you look to the right sidebar you will see all the things I've posted on my blog and I have more than 22 projects posted BUT I didn't start my personal challenge until after I'd already posted some projects!).  Of course, I am going out of order a bit...skipped down to the "o's" (Old West) for this project.  And this is entered in the Cricut 360 Challenge #7 to use the Old West cartridge on a card or layout.

This is one of the older cartridges... it doesn't have a ton of image layers but it does have a couple of cute western looking fonts.  I picked this cartridge up fairly recently at Michael's when they were having one of their super duper Cricut cartridge sales.  I think I got it for $9.99!

So here is a two page layout I did of LMM (Little Monster Man...previously known as AG...Adorable Grandson).  He still maintains a good amount of AG in him...but the LMM is definitely there, too!  Of course these photos were taken before he morphed into LMM! Actually LMM has entered into the Terrible Twos.  Remember those days???  Actually, he is a fun, funny, loving, smart little boy but is trying to exercise some independence and do things HIS WAY! LOL!!! Just getting him in his car seat is a challenge because he wants to do it HIS WAY!

Back to the layout...we took LMM out to the barn one day and set him up on one of the horses out there for his first horse ride.  My daughter is a horsewoman so I imagine there will always be horses in this little boy's life. 

I really like bigger images on my layouts and cards...don't like seeing dinky things that get swallowed up.  This was as big as I could make the horse without swallowing up my photos! :)  Another tip is to "ground" you items...don't have them floating off in space.  Here the horse is "grounded" by the grass.  I loved the banner feature, too, and thought it worked perfectly with this 2 page spread.

I also used Accent Essentials to cut the large scalloped mat and Lyrical Letters to cut the banner.  I loved what those extra layers added to my layout.  Yes...I love layers!

And now LMM just needs a cowboy hat!

(He has boots, of course!)

Sometimes it Works! (FTL152)

Maybe you don't have this "issue"...but sometimes the ideas in the head do not compute to the result on the paper!...or maybe that's just my "issue"! :)  But the card I made for today's blog posting just came together quickly.  What was in the head made it to the paper! And I'm happy with the result:

 I made this for the Clean&Simple Challenge FTL152 which was to use this sketch:

And what did I use to make this card?  Why I'm glad you asked...I used some of my new Papertrey Ink toys...the Flower Fusion #6 die and stamp, Damask printed paper as well as the Mat Stack 3 die I already had.  I used Stampin' Up inks and some metal "blingage" for the centers of the flowers.  The flower on the right was popped up with some foam tape.  The sentiment is from Hero Arts.
And that's it!  I loved the clean and simple look!

And this card is for each of you because "You ARE the Best!"

Happy Crafting!

Cricut Challenge 21: Florals Embellished

I am plodding along on my personal Cricut Challenge.  If you are new here and peeking in I have made it a personal challenge to use every single one of my X# of Cricut cartridges (I'm too embarrassed to say how many I really have!) on some sort of project!  So, today I chose Florals Embellished to work on.  I don't even remember buying the cartridge!  I could not tell you when I got it but I don't think it was long ago as it is one of the newer cartridges.  It has really pretty cuts on it...I definitely need to look more closely at this cartridge and search the great big old web to see what other projects people have done with it.  It has really pretty flowers, birds, butterflies, word art, silhouettes...it has some beautiful cuts on it...that's for sure.

And here is my card:

For today I chose a butterfly that I cut at about 2 3/4 inches.  I used Hazel My Mind's Eye Papers (Stella Rose),

a sentiment from Papertrey Ink, some bling, cardstock from Core'dinations, a Fiskars scallop punch,

and a Stampin' Up word punch (can't remember what it's called but it is the rounded word label that the sentiment is on).  I also embossed the card base with the Victoria Cuttlebug Embossing folder

and inked the edges with some distress inks:


I also entered this in one of my favorite challenges (because I love to see what others are doing with their Cricuts) the Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog #72  (Challenge Me Monday) challenge which was to use a bug on a project as well as the 2 Sisters Challenge to use the following color palette: Chocolate Chip, Regal Rose, Pink Pirouette, Certainly Celery and Very Vanilla.
  (Wow...that must be a world's record....to use the word "challenge" 5 times in one sentence!  But it's late and I'm not rephrasing...you get the idea, right???

Happy Crafting!

Don'tcha Just Despise...

....when you get a whole bunch of new toys but are just too tired to try them out?!  I did a little shopping today at Archiver's where there was a 40% off sale on all stamps and when I got home about 8pm there was my order from Paper Trey Ink! I ate a bit of dinner and now it's 8:30 and I am just toooooo tired to play!  Sad...

But the good news is that there is tomorrow...and I'll get going on something tomorrow. 

So I will just put up another layout I did recently of my daughter's annual trip to the beach.

I will tell you that I'm really proud of this 2 page spread because it was done almost entirely with Fancy Pants and Unity stamps. I did all the background stamping with it...the edges under the photos were stamped and then cut out.  I put a little bling on some of the little stamped images...a button here and there and a journaling block on foam tape.  I really loved the way it turned out.  I don't mean to toot my own horn (well, maybe I do...I am the Queen of my Blog, remember)...but it is much cuter in person! I rarely do a ton of stamping on a layout so this was particularly fun!

And More Scrapbooking!

Here are another couple of layouts I made.  Flowers are maybe not traditionally used in boy layouts but I like the way this one turned out...these photos were taken on a walk that we did at a park here frequently.  In the large photo AG is doing his helicopter/airplane move...we don't know why but he wanted to be held this way! LOL!.
And on the bottom right of the first layout you can see my other little baby, Isabella, in the bottom of the stroller.  She liked the ride!

And I did this layout of David when he was about 7 months of age...I do not recall the line of papers and embellishments I used...but I LOVED them.  I bought all of the items at Archiver's.

Well, I survived the night with AG.  He slept in my big bed with me and moved and twisted and talked in his sleep all night! LOL! He got a good night's sleep but I sure didn't!!!  His mommy just came to get him so now I can take take a nap!  It's so much fun having him here...but so much work!  I think I know why the young have babies...they have the energy!

Happy Crafting!

Scrapbooking Time!

I wanted to share a 2 page layout I did with my Cricut.  This was a lift from the Scrapbooking with Cricut book published by Annie's Attic.  I think it turned out really cute.  I love when I use my Cricut to do layouts...it sure cuts down on the cost of additional embelllishments.
(Although, I know...when you factor in the cost of the Cricut, cartridges and supplies this layout probably cost about $49.73 to make! HAHA!)

This might actually count towards my personal challenge of using each Cricut cartridge I own in a project of some sort but right now I don't recall what cartridges I used!  So, I'll take a raincheck on posting this for my own challenge later! ;)

I've had a couple of busy days.  Tonight Little Monster Man (also known as Adorable Grandson or AG) is staying with us.  My house looks like it has exploded!  And he's only been here 10 minutes! :)

Here he is on his 1st birthday...next month we will be celebrating his second.
Papers by Martha Stewart.

Happy Crafting!