A couple of cards to say...

Happy Mother's Day!

Both cards were made using CTMH paper from one of my many scrap bags and retired stamps. Can you name any of the paper packets featured here? I'll give you a hint, the green pattern on the second card is from a current pack, that is the only one!

Hope your day was great!

A humble scrapper in the news

What happens when your day job and your creative outlet mingle? Sometimes co-workers get creative cards or gifts. Sometimes a work friend gets bitten by the creativity bug. Sometimes you end up in the school paper!

One of my students recently completed a feature article about my scrapbooking for the online school paper. He was very diligent with his interviews returning with follow up questions on more than one occasion. It is always interesting to read another's interpretation of your words, but I think he did a good job. The experience was enlightening for me as the subject. I thought about my craft in a new way as he doggedly asked questions, and I was able to share my hobby with a new set of people.

A scrapper at heart, I think it is only a matter of time until the story becomes a layout!

Skating Along the Paper Trail

Welcome to the Paper Trail blog hop! This month we're sliding into May with the Later Sk8r paper packet. You may be skating on in from Betsy's blog or this may be your first stop. Either way I'm sure you'll find some inspiration!

I love the colors and patterns in this paper (even if the English teacher in me cringes each time I type the name). The cool blues and greens are right up my alley, and since I have a little guy who has a birthday this month, I am especially enjoying this pack right now.

This month I created a few simple all occasion cards. I was surprised at the versatility of this paper. I would gladly give these cards to any friends - male or female!

I liked the distressed look of the papers. They seemed to fit well with the Slate Washi Tape. This tape is quickly becoming a go-to embellishment for me.

It is very easy to use and you can add it to projects in so many different ways. It comes on a roll and you can cut it with scissors or tear it just like masking tape or painters tape. It is sticky so adhering it is super simple!

Sometimes I use washi tape as an additional adhesive, or to accentuate the way individual pieces are joined together. It can serve as an embellishment and can even be a substitute for ribbon or strips of paper.

Thanks, again, for stopping in. Check back later in the week for more updates on my latest crafting endeavors including the invitations to my little guy's party using the Later Sk8r paper and a fun new stamp! Until then, I skate on over to Vicki's blog to see what she has created. I'm sure you'll find something inspirational!

Still creating...

Lately I'm creating some layouts (thank you Karen and Rene with Crop N Time!) but much of my creative energy has been spent designing classes including a class to create a desk gift box (just in time for end of the school year gifts) and a class about creative ways to add color to your stamping. Check out both classes!

Fabulous Fabrics

I must admit I was excited when I saw the new textiles in the Spring/Summer CTMH idea book. I loved the patterns. I loved the idea of fabric on my pages. I ordered them right away. And then they sat in my craft area. I was excited about them, but I wasn't sure how to use them.

I've played with them a bit and created some fun effects on my pages. In fact, my make-n-take project at CropNTime this weekend uses some of the textiles.

If you can't wait until this weekend, or if you aren't able to attend the crop, check out this video for a couple of suggestions for using fabric.

I can't wait to see what you create!

Ten Pages in Ten Days - Part 2

I'm still sharing pages I created on my recent spring break. This one was inspired by the April 1 challenge at Sketches with Color. I love creating with sketches. Isn't this one pretty?

I had to stretch myself to include the colors from the challenge as well.
 
Here is what I came up with:

 

What first was it you ask? The first photo I took with my smartphone! In the journaling I tried to capture both how I felt about the phone when I first got it (I didn't think I needed it.) and how integrated it has become into my life since that day.

Here are some details:

 

The papers are CTMH, mostly from Chantilly. The embellishments are a mishmash of old and new CTMH. The color challenge encouraged me to accentuate the Twilight color in the pattern paper and I liked the way it turned out.

Thanks for the challenge, Sketch with Color!

Ten Pages in Ten Days - Part 1

I had spring break from my day job a few weeks ago, and I used much of my time to create. In fact when the dust had settled at the end of the break I discovered that I had created ten pages in ten days. (I was especially proud of this spurt of crafting since we were also doing other spring break activities like day trips and play dates as a family.)

Now school is back in full swing and my latest round of grades are submitted so I have time to share some of the pages I created. (A few are being saved for later reveal dates.) So, without further ado, the first of the ten pages in ten days:

Here are some details:

The paper and embellishments are a mix of older items from a couple of different companies.

I love creating layouts about these kind of everyday topics. This is one that I started long ago, but it has been languishing in my "to-be-finished" pages pile. (Do you have a stash like that?) I was finally inspired to finish when I had the right tools at my disposal and since I count pages when I finish them, it is one of the ten in ten!