A little Snowman Love!

Our kids love snow - they love winter - they are a little nuts that way!  They love building snowmen when the snow is just right.  This particular snow man was made with the first real snowfall of 2012 after that warm thaw we had. But, when Frosty was finally completed he had so many fall leaves stuck to him he looked like some sort of camouflaged, deer hunting snowman!  But we made it work anyway.

This month Emma gave the DT Echo Park's Holly Jolly collection to create with.  I knew the other girls would be pulling out the blues and pinks from this collection so I tried to keep it with the traditional reds and greens for my layout.  The challenge on the sketch this month was to incorporate ribbons and bows.  I used some cute little pom-pom trim under the photo, and a few pieced of ribbon and a hand-tied bow.  I then fussy cut a few of the characters from this paper line, used some stock snowflakes to give this layout a polished look.  I know from the photos this background paper looks like wood grain, but it's just a sheet of Bazzil textured cardstock, but the late evening lighting has picked up every little crevice in this paper - notice how much shadow the title cast too?  Lesson learned - don't wait until too late in the day to take your photos Lorena!!!

 

 

 

 

I do hope you have enjoyed this sketch challenge this year.  I know the DT has loved playing with the sketches.  You too can play along by bringing in your layout that you created based on the sketch using products purchased at Auntie Em's.  Be sure to incorporate ribbons or bows into your layout.

Captain America

This was a hard for me this month.  My biggest challenge was that I had no Halloween photos.  I begged my son to let me take photos of him, and still, it ended up costing me $10.  And after all that, I realized that the outfit really didn't match the paper.  

This month we needed to created a pocket.  I kept it very simple, I used my mat for my pocket.  I just used my two-way tape all around, except where I inserted my journaling.  We also had to use stickers, I only used one, but I added Glossy Accents, and thread.  I also added a little punch to the pattern paper with Stickles. 

Your October Page Maps sketch challenge

Look what your Auntie Em's design team has put together with the Bo Bunny Whoo-ligans collection!  Based on the October sketch from the Pagemaps calendar.  Your challenge is to create a POCKET!

Lets see how each DT member has integrated a pocket into their layout.

Lorena's Take(s):

Stephanie's Take:
I struggled with my layout this month.  I wasn't thinking outside the box, I had a hard time figuring out how to use the stickers, how to create a pocket and I had no Halloween pictures. 

Sarah's Take:

I had already scrapbooked all my Halloween pictures from last year so I decided to use pictures of my little guy dressing up as Green Latern. I made a pocket with faux-stitching and used it to hide my journalling.

Nancy's Take:

I guess the October layout challenge inspired me more then usual and I was able to create a double page spread. Our challenge was to make a pocket. I actually started out by printing the burger pic of gaby and cutting it out. I was playing with the cutout and making her peek a boo out of the pocket and that's where the title came from.


You can play along for a chance to win a FANTASTIC prize from Auntie Em's Scrapbooking, all you need to do is create a layout based on the sketch utilizing a pocket with product purchased from Auntie Em's.  Simply bring your layout into the store for viewing.

You will NOT be disappointed with the prize that is available to be won!

Pretty Girl

For this months design team layout, I once again used pictures of my niece.  She is usually my subject of choice when I have girly paper, or embellishments to use.  It also helps that she enjoys getting her picture taken, unlike my son who either makes a silly face or places his hands in front of it.  

This month the PageMaps challenge is to create a Flag or Pendant on your layout based on the August PageMaps sketch from the Scrapbook & Cards Today calendar.  I couldn't figure out where to put the chipboard bird, so I decided to use it to create my flag.  I wanted it to look like he was holding one end of the tread and wrapped the other end around the wooden buttons.  I guess it's not really a flag in the traditional sense, but hey... scrapbooking isn't about being traditional and always following the rules.  

  
A little iridescent embossing on the chipboard letters and of course some stickles on the pink flowers of the pattern paper, and voila... Done!

August PageMaps Challenge - Songbird style

Have you noticed how flags and pendants are popping up everywhere in scrapbooking?  This month the PageMaps challenge is to create a Flag or Pendant on your layout based on the August PageMaps sketch from the Scrapbook & Cards Today calendar. 
Check out what your Auntie Em's Design Team did using the Songbird collection from Prima Marketing.

If you want to play along for an amazing Auntie Em's prize - simply bring your layout to Auntie Em's before the end of August.

Stephanie's Take: Pretty Girl

I kept it pretty simple this month, letting the photos of my niece be the main focus of this page.  I didn't want embellishments to take over, a simple title, wooden buttons, and my version of a flag was just enough.

Sarah's Take: Mother's Day

Flags are easy and fun to make. I cut a few strips of paper and used a square punch on the end. Then, using liquid glue, I wrapped the other end around a toothpick. I love that an embellishment that took 5 minutes to make can add so much to a layout.


Nancy's Take: Too Cute

When I saw the paper I knew right away what photos I wanted to use. I love it when it's obvious what the page will become. I used the flag in the title and I had a leftover pin from one of the last challenges that went just perfectly on the layout. I simply wrote TOO in brown pen and drew some stitching around it wrapped it around the pin and voila "too cute"

Lorena's Take: "SMORE'S"

I turned the sketch on it's side and created a unique title with the ticket shaped alphabets with this collection.  I used both colour and sepia photos together on this layout to capture the moment of my daughter's Smore's experience - pure love!

Watch this blog every week for more close up's and details about each layout.  You can see each of these layouts displayed at Auntie Em's for the entire month of August.

Double Trouble

I love the look of a well planned and balanced double page layout.  However most of the double page sketches that are out there have too many photos for my liking.  This months pagemap challenge had just two photos on it, which is great.  But I had three photos that I wanted to use. So... I stretched the sketch into a double page.  And using a technique that I saw on "Live With Prima" a few weeks ago, of building your double pages at the same time (can't believe I've never done that before) I thought I would give it a try.  Well I must say it came together very quickly and it does hold it's balance and continuity well.

I didn't put a title on my page (I may later) but I have dubbed it Cake Face.  These are photos of my son at his first birthday party and the next day when we were just hanging out at the local garage getting the oil changed in the car - he wanted to climb in those stacked tires so bad!

Using the Little Yellow Bicycle collection called Saturday's made it so easy to make a boy layout (or two) and the theme of this month's challenge is to use stamping on your layout to create your own embellishments.  I did just that with the previously naked chipboard circles and stars, and I also stamped and fussy cut (I know what were you thinking Lorena?!) a 'little yellow bicycle' .... psst it's actually a Prima stamp!  On some of the chipboard I did three layers of stamping - see the first photo where I did stamping and embossing on top of embossed background on top of a brick wall stamp.


You too can participate in this challenge, simply bring your layout based on the sketch to Auntie Em's scrapbooking by the end of the month and make sure you use stamping somewhere on your layout to enter!  There's going to be prizes!!!


Hope you enjoyed,


~Lorena~

Wrigley Field

Sometimes time is an issue when it comes to scrapbooking but in the end the challenges push us to get them done. May was one of those months for me. I missed the Design Team meeting since I was away with my cadets at their drill team competition then once I picked up the challenge I was finishing up a bunch of jobs in order to allow me to take a few days off for my vacation to Chicago. Then there was the vacation itself which was amazing and just 4 days later the layout was due at Emma's. See it was a whirlwind!

So when I got back from Chicago I really wanted to get some Chicago pics scrapbooked right away. Looking at the paper and my pictures I decided that the wood background was the best to go with my Wrigley field pictures. I cropped and printed my pictures and started creating the layout inspired  by the June calendar sketch. The challenge this month wanted us to stitch and I HATE stitching not kidding I really don't stitch ever. But then a light bulb went off and I decided to make little baseballs and stitch the baseball stitches and guess what? I would have never done that if Emma didn't challenge us to do so but it turned out so cute and is by far my favorite part of the layout.

The thing I like about this layout is that it includes 5 pictures, 2 logos and the ticket from the game and somehow it doesn't even look crowded I love layouts that incorporate a lot into one. For the Cubs logo I found a svg cubs logo file online and cut the logo out of a white card stock then I used another piece of card stock behind the cutout and blinged up the C with some red gems and used a  red card stock from Emma's scrap pile in the store...If you ever need a little scrap ask Emma about the scrap pile it's an inexpensive way to complete a layout.

As for the title it was a last minute addition and it was my boyfriend's idea. He was looking at the page and telling me that the red Wrigley Field Sign was really important to him and it was only printed very little in a photo so he suggested we print it in big and use it as the title so I printed it on mat photo paper and cut it out and added it to the top and I think it finished the page off nicely.

Enjoy the beginning of  summer and don't let the scrapbooking pile up and take the time to do the challenge it's so worth it it will allow you to go above and beyond

Nancy

June Page Maps - Your Design Team - Sew wonderful

Auntie Em's Design Team have outdone them selves this month with a theme of sewing or stitching on your layout based on the June sketch from the Scrapbook Today PageMaps calendar.


We used Echo Park's This & That collection for this challenge. As well as some Memo Pins from Tim Hotz, Chipboard pieces from Bazzill, and buttons from Bazzill Basics. 

You can get in on the challenge too by creating a layout based on the June sketch from the calender and make sure you use some sewing or stitching in your layout.  Bring it to Auntie Em's and you could win a prize!

Lorena's Take:   Fun and Games

I did machine stitching on the centre of the layout, a hand stitched blanket stitch on the journaling pocket and faux stitching is several spots, including the spot where my sewing machine decided to give me grief LOL!

Stephanie's Take: Boys

I'm not a big fan of sewing on my  pages.  Not because I don't like the look, I'm just not good at it.  I tried many different things, but nothing worked.  Finally I just did a very simple stitching on a piece of pattern paper and added it to the bottom of my page.  After seeing the wonderful things the other girls did, I will try to do more stitching on my pages.

Sarah's Take:  Swoosh


I used the Sew Easy system to add brown stitching as a vertical border. A little stitching can go a long way but I think it adds a really nice touch.

Nancy's Take:


I used the stitching to create my baseballs it gives them a really cute feel.

Stephanie's March PageMaps Layout

Hey Everyone,

I was so excited when Emma told me that I was chosen as one of the Design Team members, but then reality set in... I would have to dust off my camera, I would need to create at least one page every month, and start writing in a blog!  And above all that, my layouts wouldn't just be stashed away in my album, but posted at Emma's for everyone to see. 

My first problem with this months challenge was that I didn't have any photos to use for my layout.  Most of my photos are of my son.  I had a couple of photos on my computer of myself but didn't have time to get them printed.  So I printed them on regular paper on my bubble jet.  Needless to say, the quality wasn't great so I had to find a way to work around it.  I glued the photos to circle chipboard with regular white craft glue and covered the photo as well to seal it, give it a shine and a little texture.

Next was the big challenge... make my own flower.  I tried different things, but nothing worked.  Finally, I took a circle chipboard and started gluing thread to make a flower design and added Stickles.  It's not great, but I was happy enough to keep it anyways.

I created the scalloped border using the Cricut with the George and Basic Shaped cartridge, and a little Stickles.  For my title, I used Chip Chatter Gellies.

Now it's your chance to use the March PageMaps calender sketch and make your own flowers - be sure to bring your submission to the store for your chance to win!


Stephanie