A Little Bit of Paper & A Little Glue

I am hosting another contest this month over at Scrapbook.com. This month, all that you need to do to participate is create a layout that uses one predominant shape for your embellishments.

For the above layout you can see that I predominantly used circles. Everything on this layout is from the new GCD Studios Collection, Artsy Urban, that was designed by Melody Ross. Isn't it fun? My favorite part of the collection is that is contains so many different embellishments! There are crocheted flowers, glass brads, chipboard pieces, felt trims, vintage buttons and about a gazillion other embellishments. You can see the whole collection over at the GCD Studios Blog.

This is another GCD Studios layout that I created using the Artsy Urban and the Party It Up Collections. This layout also fits into the parameters of the contest because I used only stars for my embellishments. First, I lined the back of acetate stars with patterned paper. I then used a paint brush to brush Mod Podge onto the edges of the stars. After the glue was just as I wanted it, I dipped the stars into glitter (Pink Paislee Pixie Stix - Licorice, Green Apple and Orange Crush).

The best part of the Scrapbook.com contest is that GCD Studios is graciously giving away 4 of the new Artsy Urban 12" x 12" Quick Page Kits. Awesome. I hope to see you over there!

November Mosh Posh Layouts

I absolutely loved the Mosh Posh kit for November. Cosmo Cricket, Basic Grey and Making Memories all rolled into one gorgeous kit - what's not to love?

To get the scalloped edge for my "Miss You" layout, I traced my largest dinner plate onto a piece of cardstock and cut it out. I then used my Fiskars circle punch to make circles which I cut in half and then placed around the perimeter of the cardstock circle. I glued them down and then added extra tape just because I was impatient. Shocking, I know. It is an easy (and super inexpensive!) way to create your very own shaped paper.

I had a lot of fun with this layout. I hand cut the trees and thought that they needed a little extra something.

Adding brads gave the trees a little extra pop of color and a more textural feel. Another inexpensive way to add depth to a layout.

I just love the colors for this kit. The turquoise just makes me happy.

Don't you think that you would love to win one of these kits?? All that you have to do is go to the Mosh Posh Blog and post a comment for your chance to win your very own November Mosh Posh kit.

You know you want to! Starting on Monday, I will be hosting a Blog Party over at the Mosh Posh Blog and you won't want to miss out on all of the prizes!

Check back tomorrow for lots of yummy Artsy Urban layouts. You just might want to check out the GCD Studios Blog because they are doing giveaways of the brand new Artsy Urban line, which was designed by Melody Ross! I will also be posting my contest at Scrapbook.com tomorrow morning. GCD Studios will be the sponsor and they will be giving away 4 prize packs of the new Artsy Urban Collection! There is just lots of fun paper-y stuff going on! See you tomorrow!

What I've Been Up To This Past Week...

Commence paper overload.

The contest I am hosting over at Scrapbook.com this month is a School themed contest. You need: at least 2 school-ish pictures, shaped paper for your background and hand stitching somewhere on your layout. You can do that, right???

There is a new challenge up at Mix It Up! I love this picture of the zinnias that I bought at the Farmer's Market. Zinnias are my absolute favorite summer flower. Tulips are my favorite spring flower and mums are my favorite autumn flower, in case anyone is keeping track. :)

The patterned papers on this layout are from the new Plastino and Flirty lines from Bella Blvd.

I finally made Story Stones for my little monsters. They have been carrying them around everywhere. Maddux likes to make up little stories as we wait in the endless pick-up line after school. Per his request I made food for his people, a car and a frog. I'm not sure why the frog was necessary, but it makes him happy.

Along with the layout that I created for the Scrapbook.com contest and the Story Stones, this is another GCD Studios layout from August. I just love those polka dots.

Now I just need to finish up about a gazillion new projects and I will be all caught up - ha!

What are you up to this week?

Whew! Let's Review, Shall We?

This has been such a fun week!!! Did you hop along with us? Which collection was your favorite? I stand by my decision that Morning Glory was my favorite...


... or maybe it was Party It Up. Hmmmm, regardless of my favorite I had so much fun checking out all of the blogs right along with you!
If you head over to the GCD Studios blog today one lucky winner will win the entire Summer 2009 Release: Sunny Days, Morning Glory, Vintage Boy and Party It Up! You have until 12:00 PM PST on Sunday, August 2 to leave a comment over at the GCD blog to be entered.
Now, for a little giveaway of my own!


I love buttons. I know, you are shocked, aren't you? I found the most amazing shop on Etsy, LittleRedCottage. She has the cutest ribbons, trims and of course, buttons. I love love love her button packs. I have bought, um, a gazillion buttons and I still check back, ahem, daily to see what else she has! She groups the buttons in these adorable little groups and gives them cute names. Really, there is no way that I can not buy them. These are the only buttons that I use on my layouts because she has any color that I could possibly need.

In the picture above, from left to right: Sunflowers Button Pack, Playground Button Pack and Big Top Bitties. All you have to do for a chance of winning one of these button packs is to leave a comment here telling me which new GCD Studios release was your favorite. Oh, and tell me which button pack would be your fave. You have until Midnight on Sunday to enter! I will announce the winners on Monday! :)

Now, I am off to check out the Pink Poodle Button Pack! Have a fantastic weekend!!!!

GCD Studios Blog Hop - Morning Glory!!

Good morning everyone!!! It has been so much fun hopping along with you this week!! I am thrilled to share with you our fourth new collection... Morning Glory! I know I said that Party It Up was my favorite collection but I lied. I am in love with any and everything turquoise, so this is my new favorite. I'm allowed to change my mind, right?

I don't know if you can see it clearly, but the texture of this paper is amazing. If you look closely, you can see that the paper is embossed because of the design on the back. It is a great way to show texture on any layout.
Sigh. Greens, aquas and turquoise... it really doesn't get any better than this. It has inspired me to go to Lowe's this weekend and pick up some paint samples. I am thinking that my room needs a makeover and this is just the color palette that I am looking for. Thanks for the inspiration, GCD!

Thanks for stopping by here today! Be sure to come back tomorrow because I will be giving away three button packs that I got from my favorite button store on Etsy. You can never have enough buttons, right? Your next destination is Beatriz's blog. I am sure that she has some inspiration for you today!! Have a fantastic day!! :)

GCD Studios Blog Hop - Sunny Days

It is gloomy and raining at my house today, so I was grateful for some Sunny Days!! I love the bright colors and I love that the "B" side offers a coordinating shade of solid paper.

One of my favorite ways to use patterned paper is to create flowers so that I always have the perfect matching embellishment for my layouts. I had so much fun making all of these lollipop flowers! I dug into my stash of brads to create easy centers for the flowers.

I decided to use the hole punch that I have in with my office supplies. I love the perfect little circles mixed in with the hand cut unevenness of the larger circles.

I hope that you are having a sunny day!! Head over to Renee's blog to see what she's up to! Happy hopping!!

GCD Studios - Party It Up Collection

Hi! Happy Tuesday and welcome to Day Two of the GCD Studios Blog Hop!! :)

Party It Up is my favorite of the four brand new releases. I love the vibrant colors and how seamlessly I was able to blend them all together. In addition to the 5 gorgeous standard patterned papers, this collection has 4 shimmer patterned papers and 3 glitter patterned papers. I love that.

My most absolute favorite part of the collection is actually the back of the papers! Each of the 12 different designs has an absolutely adorable polka dot design on the back. I love love love polka dots, so this collection is easy to love.

I can't wait to hop along with you today and see what the rest of the design team has created! You are almost at the end of the hop today, so you'd better hop off to see what Lynn has created! See you tomorrow!

GCD Studios Blog Hop - Vintage Boy!!

Welcome to Day One of the GCD Studios Blog Hop!! We are really excited about the new releases and we hope that you are too! I fell in love with the Vintage Boy collection because of the fun colors and patterns. I love the diamond patterns, the stars and the adorable jacks. Could there be a better boy collection? The best part of the collection is that 6 of the 12 designs have heat embossing on the pages, which gives it great texture. Love it.

Would you like to be one of three lucky people who win this collection today? Then you need to hop along to the next blog! Go and check out my friend Angie Hagist and she will direct you along your way. Happy hopping and I will see you tomorrow!

Mix It Up + GCD + The Jonas Brothers

I absolutely could not think of a title for today's blog, can you tell?

Mix It Up!! has the new Mixer up on the blog this morning! The challenge this month is to use a picture that is at least 20 years old. I was excited about this challenge because I never ever scrap older pictures. The picture that I used is from my 5th birthday. I just love my crazy long pigtails!

This is the amazing sketch that Juliana created for us. I loved the scalloped edge and just knew that I wanted to use that in my layout.

You need to try this challenge!!! You have until July 21 at 9:00PM EST to create a layout using this sketch and a picture that is at least 20 years old. One winner will be chosen to win a $40.00 gift card to Noel Mignon! You know you want to play along!!!

Over at GCD Studios you can see the BRAND NEW summer collections! I love the grungy look of the Vintage Boy collection. There are the cutest patterns ever in this line! I am envisioning lots of fun layouts for Maddux!

Another new collection is Sunny Days which is full of summery colors. This is such a beautiful collection. GCD Studios will be unveiling the other two brand new collections over the next two days, so be sure to check back!

And now I am off to download new music to my iPod for the loooooooong road trip! Brad says that he is instilling a strict No Jonas Brothers rule. Sigh.

Father's Day Layout

Well, I posted a Father's Day card, so now it's time for a layout! This layout is up today over at the GCD Studios Blog. It is made using GCD Studios Debonair Collection patterned papers. I think that the Debonair Collection just screams for a masculine layout. I love this picture of Maddux and Brad. I love their relationship. There is definitely something special about a dad and his daughters, but there is also something special about a man and his son. So sweet.

We are cleaning up after a play date and I am getting ready for a girls night out! We are going to see The Proposal tonight and I am super excited! What are you up to this weekend?

Father's Day is Fast Approaching!

Over at the GCD Studios Blog Heidi is hosting another challenge! She is challenging you to create a Father's Day card! Which is something that we need to do, right? For once in my life I am early and have already finished one! :) You have until Tuesday at Midnight PST to link a card over at the GCD Studios blog. One lucky winner will win a prize from GCD Studios!!!

What are the men in your life getting for Father's Day?

Brad will be getting the customary breakfast in bed with Apple Raisin French Toast Casserole, Sausage and orange juice. The kids bought him golf balls and I got him a new Tiger Woods hat. Nothing fancy, but I think it will be the perfect day. What will you be doing?

Garden Excitement + Lots of Fun Scrappy Business

I have been stalking my garden. Every morning I run outside to check everything out. You know, in case anything exciting happened overnight. The only exciting thing that has happened was that the neighbor's cat killed a blue jay and kindly hid him under the zucchini leaves. I wasn't expecting that kind of excitement. And I returned the kindness by returning the bird to my neighbors. I am just that kind of neighbor.

There is just something so ridiculously satisfying in watching things grow. I have enjoyed sharing these tiny moments with the kids.

They are also exhibiting more of an interest in eating vegetables since they have had a hand in helping them grow. If Maddux will eat just one vegetable, then this whole venture will have been a success.

Besides stalking my garden, I have been busy scrapbooking. There are lots of fun things going on!

GCD Studios is holding an awesome contest! Heidi will be choosing a winner every Wednesday throughout the summer! All you have to do is become a Follower of the GCD Studios Blog. If you click on over to the GCD Blog, Heidi will explain what you need to do!

Mosh Posh is holding another Guest Designer Contest! Brook has all of the details for you over at the Mosh Posh Blog. I will be hosting another Challenge (with an awesome prize!) over there next week, so be sure to check back!

Scrapbook.com is having a fun contest this month, hosted by yours truly. There are two ways to win! And three winners will be randomly selected to win prize packs valued at $75.00!

Be sure to check everything out! (and now I am off to stare at my garden... )

The Most Random Post Ever...

Are you ready? Here begins the most random post ever...

GCD Studios Sneak Peeks... Layout using the Bright Skies Collection

Layout using my favorite collection, Canta Collection

Layout using the Debonair Collection

Today is Nan's 80th birthday. I was lucky enough to spend the afternoon with her to celebrate...

... and eat Lemon - Blackberry cupcakes.

Over at Scrapbook.com I am hosting a June Contest! To participate in the contest, you need to create a scrapbooking tutorial. You can see my example over at my Scrapbook.com blog.

Alright, is that enough randomness for one day? You were warned!

What are you up to?

GCD Studios Canta Collection Layouts!

I am in LOVE with this collection. You have no idea. The Canta Collection, by GCD Studios, is such a fun collection of colors. As soon as I opened the box I was drawn in by the yellow and green. I just couldn't help it!

Do you see the ruffled ribbon? I had an epiphany with the ribbon. Staple first, then adhere to the page. Um, yeah. Why was I doing it the other way around? I would get really aggravated that I couldn't get the right angles for what I wanted and then get mad. Yeah. And then I had the epiphany and all is right in the world. I love when that happens.

Tomorrow we will be having another Mosh Posh Blog Hop! I will have another prize and will be announcing the winner from last week! See you tomorrow!

GCD Studios Sketch Challenge!

This month, for GCD Studios, a few members of our design team were asked to create a project for Mother's Day. This is what I created. I love, love, love the Canta Collection of patterned papers, aren't they gorgeous? One of the things that I love about GCD Studios papers is that they all have texture. It just brings so much more to a layout.

If you check out the GCD Studios Blog today you will see that Heidi Sonboul, or amazing design team coordinator, created a sketch from my layout and posted this challenge:

Challenge:

• Create a layout...making this sketch your own
• You can use any scrapbook products you have
• Due Thursday 14th 2009.
• Try to use Mothers Day photos/theme.
• SEND IT TO hsonboul@gcdstudios.com

If you hop over to the blog, you will see the gorgeous prize pack that will be given as the prize. So... what are you waiting for? Go check it out! Get creating!! :)

GCD Sneak Peeks!

I have been scrapping away over here - in between soccer practices/games and softball practices/games and about a gazillion other things. Is it summer vacation yet? I am ready for a break! Oh, to not have to drive Breuklyn to school in the morning! I am counting the days!

Do you see the super cute black and white buttons that I used? They are from Tessa Ann's Etsy shop, Beautifully Handmade. I love her embellishments!

These are some sneak peeks from some GCD Studios layouts that I have been working on. I am love love loving the Canta Collection. The colors are gorgeous and the texture of the paper is amazing. There is nothing that I hate more than flimsy paper, and that is definitely not a problem with these papers.

Since it is going to be 80+ degrees again today, we are heading out to play in the sprinkler! How is your Monday going?