Sketch 26

The focus of this Sketch to Scrapbook page from Shimelle is "Scrapbooking with a Favorite Patterned Paper." I used Stampin' Up's Sunset Serenade, applied a few layers of coordinating paper and finished it off with a sentiment.  

Grid Technique

This month's technique involves using a scoring board to create a grid pattern and a base for stamping images. Although it can be somewhat tedious the results are very nice. Please scroll down for the instructions.

Card Swap - Collage Stamping Technique

Here is my card swap for this month's technique. I used Stampin' Up's core'dinations cardstock with the new alphabet press embossing folder to create the background. The lobster, sea horse and script images are from the "By the Tide" set. You can view the instructions for the technique at this post.

OWH - Sketch #182

Here is this week's sketch from Operation Write Home. I used Stampin' Up's new core'dinations cardstock for the hexagons and lightly distressed the embossed image on the reverse side with a sanding block. The bicycle die cut is from the card I mentioned last week. Yeah for recycling.

 

Sketch 25

Here is Shimelle's Sketch to Scrapbook page, "Scrapbooking with a Title on the Photo." For this layout I used photos of our dog Kobi each with a different effect applied by RadLab.

Sketch 24

Here is Sketch 24 from Shimelle's Sketch to Scrapbook series. The focus of this sketch is "Scrapbooking with 4x6 Photos and Square Photos." All the products used are from Stampin' Up!

OWH - Sketch #181

For this week's sketch from Operation Write Home I recycled a birthday card (© Hallmark, Life Is Good) that my husband had received from one of my good friends. Although I didn't follow the sketch exactly I tried to stay true to the overall theme.

Gourd Necklace

A few weekends ago we attended Gourdstock at the Bates Nut Farm near San Diego. I purchased this gourd necklace from Barbara Prestridge. If you're curious, the rectangular piece around the turquoise is made of gourd. If you want to see more in person you should check out the Davis Ranch Gourd Festival in September and the Yucca Valley Gourd and Art Festival in November.

OWH - Sketches 179 and 180

I spent the last week catching up on two other projects so sketch #179 was delayed for a week and has been posted below. If you'd like to see what else I've been doing you can see my July tag here and my digital Sketch to Scrapbook pages here.

For Operation Write Home's sketch #180, directly below, I used Stampin' Up's new Strawberry Slush ink, cardstock and the new stamp "By The Tide".

Sketches 21, 22 and 23

I am finally caught up with all of Shimelle's Sketch to Scrapbook Pages and  I actually got a nice little tweet back from her after my last post. Of course, I'm now noticing that Shimelle is behind by a month (oh no).

Sketch 21 :: Adding an Angle
Sketch 22 :: A Corner Gathering
Sketch 23 :: Mixing "Proper" Photos and Phone Photos

Sketches 18, 19 and 20

While I was on vacation Shimelle released a ton of Sketch to Scrapbook Pages. Fortunately I have a ton of great pictures to scrap. I used Stampin' Up's MDS Software and digital products to create all three pages.

Sketch 18 :: Adding a Sunburst to Your Page

Sketch 19 :: A Design for Photo Booth Strips

Sketch 20 :: A Twist on Patterned Paper Quadrants

Tim Holtz - 12 Tags of 2013 (July)

Happy Fourth of July! This month's tag from Tim is very patriotic. I used the flag stamp from the Stampin' Up! "Liberty for All" set. I stamped the image onto acetate with StazOn, added color to the reverse side and layered it over a piece of white tissue paper. For the background I used black cardstock, applied hexagons punched out of HVAC tape and ran the whole tag through my BigShot using an embossing folder. I punched the stars out of whisper white cardstock, added silver ink and a layer of crystal effects and a few drops of ink, and placed a star shaped piece of acetate on the top to create the marbled effect. I used all Stampin' Up! products to make the tag except for the piece of tissue tape with the number 4.

Collage Stamping Technique

This month's technique is really simple but the results are quite wonderful. We used several large background stamps and a coordinating flower stamp on the right hand edge.

Card Swap - Foxy Oxi Technique

Here is this month's card swap for the Foxy Oxi Technique. I have to admit this was not one of my favorites. I tried the technique on three different types of paper with mixed results. Honestly it seemed to be more trouble than it was worth. I would recommend using dark inks, applied very heavily since the Oxi Clean lifts the color off like bleach. I also found that applying a heat gun accelerated the bleaching.

OWH - Sketch #178

This weekend I've been playing catchup after being on vacation for almost two weeks in North Carolina. Below I've posted sketches #176, #177 and #178 from Operation Write Home. For all three cards I used DSP and stickers from  the Stampin' Up! set called "This and That Epic Day".

Sketch 17

Here is my interpretation of sketch #17 from Shimelle. The focus of the sketch was to line up small embellishments but I chose to follow the sketch exactly and use small photos with a few beachy embellishments.

Secret Garden

This card was inspired by a card that I saw on Pinterest. I used the Secret Garden stamp set, matching framelits, hexagon embossing folder, watercolor paper, rub-on sentiment and markers from Stampin' Up! What caught my eye was the simplicity of the background and the contrast it created with the stamped image.

Foxy Oxi Technique

Here is this month's technique from my monthly card swap group. The instructions are printed below and I have also included a link to a video demonstrating the technique of applying oxiclean to ink to get a distressed look. My plan is to experiment with different types of paper to see if I can get a more dramatic effect for my swap.

OWH - Sketch #175

Here is my card for this week's sketch from Operation Write Home. I used four tickets from a raffle (that I didn't win), embossed woodgrain cardstock, linen thread and three wood buttons to form the base of this card.  I distressed all the items with chocolate chip ink. The plane is from the Sentimental Journey set from Stampin' Up!

Tim Holtz - 12 Tags of 2013 (Jun)

Every month I try to anticipate what Tim might be using for his monthly tag and this month I was completely off. I did not expect another dragonfly or his watercolor technique. Of course, I love them both. What I was expecting to see was his eclectic elements fabrics...maybe they're just too new. Anyway, everything used to make this tag, except for the stamp, is from Stampin' Up! If you like what you see, please check out the new catalog.

OWH - Sketch #174

Happy Memorial Day weekend and thanks to everyone who visited my blog and participated in Operation Write Home's Blog Hop. For this week's sketch I wanted to do something with a summer or beach theme and found this starfish stamp from Stampin' Up's "Seaside" set. I used mostly scrap cardstock, a piece of torn vellum, and an embellishment from the retired hodgepodge hardware set.

Blog Hop - Operation Write Home

Welcome to another stop on the Operation Write Home Memorial Day Blog Hop!

Memorial Day is a day of remembering the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. It originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the Union and Confederate soldiers who died in the War. By the 20th century Memorial Day had been extended to honor all Americans who have died while in the military service. It typically marks the start of the summer vacation season, while Labor Day marks its end.

I hope you enjoy my cards and don't forget to scroll down and click on the OWH Banner to find the next stop on the blog hop.

OWH - Sketch #173

In preparation for Memorial Day and the Blog Hop at Operation Write Home, I used the "Liberty for All" stamp set from Stampin' Up! for this week's sketch. I started by stamping the image on acetate using StazOn ink and attached it to the cardstock with black eyelets. I added bakers twine in place of the circle and finished the card with a rub on sentiment.

Bleaching Technique

Here is my swap for this month's technique. I used the "Inspired By Nature" stamp again and added a punched butterfly. I applied bleach to the edges of the card and then outlined the edge with faux stitching. The instructions are listed below.

OWH - Sketch #172

Happy Mothers Day!  Here is my card for sketch #172 from Operation Write Home. I used the "Inspired By Nature" stamp from Stampin' Up! and used bleach as my ink, yes good ole Clorox bleach. I added some faux stitching and finished the card with a rub on sentiment.