Too Cute For Words (MME Make It Work Challenge)

Here i am today sharing a new layout and card i've just completed with papers from one of my favorite manufacturers, My Mind's Eye.  Have you seen their latest collection, The Sweetest Thing?!  GORGEOUS!  I have bought a pile of it and cannot wait to get creative!

But this weekend, i got to play around with papers and embellishments from another adorable collection of theirs, Miss Caroline, as well as embellishments from the just as precious Follow Your Heart collection!  I was also inspired by their current blog challenge, "Make It Work", which is to create a layout and a card that go well together, a DUO, so to speak.

Here is how i decided to 'make it work':

Also, part of the reason why i chose the Miss Caroline papers was because of the color challenge at Scrap That Chat! which required me to use these soft pastel colors that can be found in these MME collections:

For a complete list of the MME products used, keep scrolling down to the end of this post after all these close-up shots!

Now, time for the matching card:

I guess i should have warned you at the beginning of this post that there would be a CUTENESS OVERLOAD!  hehe

Thank you for stopping by!  I do appreciate every single one of you and love reading your comments, knowing that i might have inspired you through my creations! :)

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MME products used on this layout and card duo are:

Paper

Miss Caroline Dolled Up - Favorite 'Decorate', 

Miss Caroline Dolled Up - Day 'Butterflies'

Miss Caroline Dolled Up - Day 'Worn'

Miss Caroline Dolled Up - Princess 'Lace'

Embellishments

Miss Caroline Dolled Up - Princess Layered Stickers

Miss Caroline Dolled Up - Cute Title

Miss Caroline Dolled Up - Cute Brads

The Sweetest Thing Honey - Love Enamel Dots

Follow Your Heart - Be Amazing Rhinestones

Follow Your Heart - Be Amazing PaperClips

Follow Your Heart - Be Amazing Twine

Lost and Found 2 Blush - Better Buttons

Lost and Found Christmas Trims

Peek-a-Boo (SIWAS DT Reveal & BG Sketch)

If you're a lover of double-pages as i am, you know that they are pretty rare around the scrapbooking blog world!  Most renown designers create single-page layouts and double-page inspiration is practically non-existant on manufacturer blogs.  So any time i can find a blog challenging me to 'see double', i just can't resist!

This cool and fun double-page sketch was shared on the Basic Grey blog last Monday and i was super excited to play along!

I also was inspired by the new and last tune of the September playlist at Scrap It with a Song, which is Nickelback's "Photograph".   Listening to this song, the word 'Laugh' stood out to me and i knew that i had to create a fun and happy layout with just as fun and happy pictures!

Nothing makes anyone happier than a little Peek-a-Boo game with a happy baby!

I used a mixture of papers from the Basic Grey Max & Whiskers collection, various BG chipboard pieces that i covered with paper and BG chipboard alphas.

 I was able to use so many of my favorite elements on this layout: circles, flags and buttons!  Thank you so much Basic Grey for this wonderful sketch and the chance to win some BG $ :)

Now i cannot wait to see what this week's SIWAS song inspires you to create!  Turn that volume on high and rock on to some Nickelback! :)  Make sure to click HERE to see the rest of the Rock Chicks' creations and to link up your project.

Blue Wedding Card (Artful Delight #24)

This is just a quick post to share with you a wedding card I created today that was inspired by Card Sketch #24 at the Artful Delight blog.

Artful Delight is one of my favorite crafty places on the web.  I discovered it right when i started this blog and started participating in scrapbooking challenges.  I was lucky enough to win one of their kits in early 2011 and soon after made this color-fun layout with it.  There was so much goodies in that kit that to this day, i still have loads of paper and embellishments left over!

Before i show you my card, i have one more announcement regarding Artful Delight.  They are looking for 4-6 designers to add to their DT!  The call ends on September 30th.  Click HERE for more info!  If you do apply, good luck!  And make sure to send a little luck my way (because obviously i applied too)! :)

And now hear the chapel bells a-ringin'!  I have a wedding card to show you!

Now i only have a little bit of time left to go link up my card on the Artful Delight blog!

Thanks for visiting!

Jade (CS Sketch#224 & Crate Color Challenge)

Having no kids of my own, i am always very happy and honoured when friends give me special pictures of their children and ask me to use it on one of my scrapbooking projects.  On this particular layout, i have used the picture of adorable Jade who just turned 1 year young in July.  She is such a joyful little girl, and a true beauty which you can surely judge by yourself.

  That smile is SO contagious!  :)))

The inspiration for this layout came from 2 different challenges.

First, i based it on fabulous Sketch #224 from Creative Scrappers:

 

Second, i followed the Crate Color Challenge at the Crate Paper Blog:

I LOVE Crate Paper and have been wanting to play along with their challenges for a while now.  However, i do not own a lot of their products as my LSS carries only a limited supply and my budget doesn't allow me to order online as much as i'd want to.  A few months ago, i was lucky enough to win a prize package including the Pretty Party collection and was excited to see that some of it matched this color combo perfectly!  Along with some Pretty Party PP, Phrase Stickers, Border Stickers and Ecclectic Buttons, i used the 'Brown Sugar' die-cut cardstock from the older Lemon Grass Collection and another CP die-cut cardstock (the pink bracket shape right underneath the photo) of which i unfortunately don't know the name (i glued it on before i could take note!  hehehe)

And now on to the details!

 I love the look of corrugated cardboard and found that it went fabulously with the colors of these papers!

 Look at that pretty dress... perfect for Jade!

 Layers, layers and more layers!

 As you can see at the bottom of this shot, i used white Crackle Paint on the pink background to make the sepia photo pop out a little more!

 Of course, i couldn't finish this layout without a few extra stitches here and there...

A strawberry sweet layout for a strawberry sweet little girl!

 

Free Spirit (Multi-Challenge Layout)

This layout was so much fun to make with lots of fussy cutting and brainstorming on how to best lay all the pieces out!  Although it does not necessarily fit my usual shabby chic preferred style, i have to say that i really love it... the bright colors, the white background, the fun patterns.  I also think that the title fits it perfectly:  Free Spirit!

Many different challenges inspired me this time around.

It was my first time playing along with Bird is the Word!  One of their current challenges is to use the word 'Spirit' on a layout.  If you're like me and you need a little help with your titles sometimes, go check out Bird is the Word - they release a brand new word every 2 weeks and always have amazing inspiration to offer from their DT.

Next on my list of challenges are 4 different blogs who have decided to team up with their challenges to offer participants more chances and more prizes to win.  What an excellent idea!

GrandDiva's Creative Corner shares with us this fun and original sketch created by Em at PageDrafts which i used as inspiration:

Rochelle Spears challenges us to search our stash and use these 3 items:

- 3 patterned papers (polkadots, stripes & flower motif)

  - stamped image or masking (doily stamp along the border and polka dot stamp)

 - glitter (on title & flower centers)

Kristi B. wants us to paint, ink or mist our chipboard alphas, then add a stamped pattern on them (which is what i did on my big letter "S").

And last but not least, Scrappin'n'Happy's challenge is to use at least 3 of the 5 colors in this color combo (i used the Alora collection from BoBunny which clearly shows at least 4 of the colors below):

WOW!  5 challenges in 1 layout!  :)  It was all a BIG challenge in itself to combine them all, but i loved it and how my layout turned out!

Here are some close-ups:

 Thanks for stopping! :)

Fifteen (SIWAS DT Reveal & C'est Magnifique Sketch)

This month, we are rockin' and rollin' to school-themed tunes at Scrap It with a Song!

This week, the Rock Chicks, including yours truly, had to let the sound of Taylor Swift's "Fifteen" inspire us.  Visit SIWAS now and see what the rest of the DT created and find out how you can link up your layout for a chance to be a future Guest Designer!

Here is my layout:

Yes, you guessed it...  

That is 15-year-old Nicole!  WOW!  That was a LONG time ago - almost a quarter of a century past!

While listening to Taylor Swift's song (i have to admit that it was my first time hearing it), these lyrics stood out:  "When all you wanted was to be wanted.  Wish you could go back and tell yourself what you know now..."   To me, that embodies well what my adolescent years were all about, 'to be wanted', desperately searching for the love and acceptance of a boy.  

Who knew that i would have to wait 18 years before the right one came along!

I decided to play along with the sketch challenge at C'est Magnifique (a wonderful kit club who offers truly exquisite inspiration in the form of beautiful kits and talented DT) for the first time.  

Here is Nadia's lovely sketch for September:

And here are close-ups of me at 15 - hehehe

Thank you for visiting!

Fairy Girl (My Creative Sketches)

Like practically every month, i created a layout inspired by the sketch challenge at My Creative Sketches, and like every month, the sketch is just beautiful

For a while now, i had been saving up this beautiful picture of my niece Ella (it's even a few years old!), just knowing that the right sketch, the right design and the right papers would come along someday.

True inspiration never disappoints! :)

The Fairy Belle collection from Prima was perfect for this shabby chic layout.  With a lot of fussy cutting, some foam tape as well as chipboard and bling, i managed to create the desired dimension to make the paper fairy pop out of the page.

Then i topped in all off with clusters of Prima, Dusty Attic and Kaisercraft blooms!

 Hope you like!

And now i ask... do YOU believe in fairies?