Happy 4th of July!

I have my own little celebration going because I am so super excited to announce that I was invited to be a guest DT member over at Heart 2 Heart Challenges for the month of July!  This is a wonderful website focusing on the use of CTMH products that posts a new challenge each Monday. 

This week we were given an inspiration photo to create with:


I absolutely loved the crispiness of this photo and all the white...eventhough I am often afraid of white space on my layouts!  I decided to create a layout using the white, grey, pink and pop of green (although I went more with a shade of blue).

ink:  black, ocean (retired)
accessories:  Bliss Level 2 Assortment, Designer Ribbon Pink Collection, button
the title was cut using my Silhouette

I have been on a roll scrapping older pictures of my kiddos lately.  I decided to stop trying to catch up and just scrap what inspires me at the time...the result tons of layouts I love!

Thanks for stopping by!  I will be back later in the month with another challenge to share. Be sure to check out what the DT members created using the inspiration picture by stopping by the H2H blog.    And don't forget to play along with the challenge and link up your creation from the inspiration photo for a chance to win a great prize (all the details are on the H2H blog).

Hello and happy middle of June to you!  Can you believe it is already the 15th of June?  Where oh where has the Spring (and the school year for that matter) gone?

I am so excited to be participating in this month's CTMH Product Spotlight.  This month we had some fun and put a little twist into the blog hop by doing an inspirational relay race.  The basic concept is easy...one person starts the hop with a layout, card or project and then passes it on to the next person in line who pulls their inspiration from the first piece and creates something new.  She then passes that project on to the next person who creates something that inspires them from the second project and so on...

I am 8th in the relay and had no clue what the original design looked like until the hop went live.  I worked off of what Jena created and sent me.  To get the full experience of this blog hop...make sure you go back and start with Nikka. 

So once again - here is what Jena created and sent to me:


and here is what I came up with:







 

Welcome to another CTMH product spotlight blog hop.  This month we are featuring buttons which just happen to be one of my favorite go to embellishments!

We have seven lovely ladies participating this month.  So whether you came from Wendy's blog or your just starting here, be sure to keep going to check out all the wonderful inspiration.  You can find your next stop after my layout. 


I would love for you to leave a comment and tell me what you think!

If you are interested in grabbing some great CTMH buttons for yourself, please contact your CTMH consultant or check out the entire selection here.

Next stop along your inspirational journey is Tamytha Jenkins.  Enjoy!

I am also linking up over at the Heart 2 Heart Challenge blog today!  This week's challenge is...you guessed it...buttons!  Check out the Heart 2 Heart blog for some great inspiration.


products used (CTMH unless noted):
CS:  desert sand, white daisy; PP: rough n' tumble (retired), notebook die cut paper (Creative Imaginations); Ink/pens: dutch blue, My Legacy Writers; Stickers: Echo Park Little Boy Collection; Embellishments: buttons, chipboard elements 

Hello and welcome to the March edition of the Close to My Heart (CTMH) Spotlight Blog Hop.  This month we are all about scrapbooking techniques!  Wether you are coming from Wendy or this is your first stop, welcome!  You will find the next hopper at the end of this post so sit back, grab your favorite beverage and hop along for inspiration today!


Today, I want to share a layout that uses a really fun retired paper pack I am hoping most of you have in your stash...Zippidee.  I did alot of layering with different elements to add some texture and dimension to the layout.  I mated the pictures in a solid cardstock and used punches and decorative scissors.  I also used the coordinating My Stickease as borders and to draw the elements together.





---> Now hop on over to Corina to see what technique she is featuring today!

To view some of my other layouts I have shared that use different scrapbooking techinques, please click on the picture below to be taken to the original post:



inking, doodling, distressing click on the pic for the original post



distressing, inking, faux stitching, dry embossing, paper tearing click on the pic for the original post



paper tearing, inking, distressing click on the pic for original post



hey there ~

hope this post is finding you well, and enjoying the incredible weather we have been having (at least it has been beautiful in my little corner of the US). So Friday brings another installment of FWF over at Unity. This is the day when 50 Unity customers/DT members showcase Unity and you have a chance to win some fabulous Unity rubba just by checking out the blogs. You can check the list out on the Unity blog after 9am CT...be sure to visit each blog, as you never know who might have the hidden blinkie!

Today I have a layout for you. I was fortunate to get a few done at a crop I attended last weekend. I love how Unity has so many great images that can be used on layouts or cards and they just add the little extra something that the page really needs. I have always had a tough time with journaling...never really adding it until after, and therefore, never really completing a page because I don't often go back right away to get it done. How bad is it that I have albums full of pages that are missing the journaling...oops! I just love the journaling images Unity has...they make getting the page done right away easy and fun!

For this layout I used the journaling image found in the Aug 09 KOM Following my Heart.... I used the layout from Page Maps Sept 2009 and paper and chipboard images from a kit I purchased from my LSS when they were going out of business {insert frowny face}....and doing a one page layout (which I usually don't do) really gave me the sense of accomplishment and enjoyment in the page! I love how it came out, how everything pulled together and how it is done!

Thanks for stopping by...I would love to hear from you.

Tracy

hey there ~

just had to share my excitment over the package that just arrived via my man in brown! I had placed an order from Scrapbook.com last week hoping it would arrive before this past weekend so I could have some fun new product for a crop that I went to. Unfortuneatly, it arrived today...but when I opened the box I got excited all over again! Plus, I was able to use up some paper I had on hand (a huge issue for me...isn't it that way with everyone???) and now I have some fun new papers to play with. My box was full of great papers from Cosmo Cricket and the Cherry Hill Collection from October Afternoon (which I am in LOVE with!). So, as soon as I clean up the big old mess I made packing for this past weekend's crop, I will be creating with my new stuff and sharing some fun new pages with you.

I did get a few pages accomplished this weekend. Not as much as I would have liked though, but my darn creativity decided to hold out until mid-afternoon so it took me FOREVER to finish the first page. I did make a jump though to single page layouts which was a huge step for me and I think I was a bit hesitant on the first as I have always done 2 page layouts. However, let me tell you that after doing the first, it was so freeing to be done and move on and I found it easier to work with. Now that I have made the jump I will be freely mixing one and two page layouts throughout my albums...and who knows, maybe I can catch up a bit quicker (I can dream...right?).

So today I am going to share one of my layouts. I just love these pics and have been waiting for the right paper & layout to scrap them. I found the polka dot paper on the backside of paper I had purchased at my LSS when it was going out of business....I didn't even know I had it and thought it was perfect for this page. I used a layout from PageMaps, which made my day so much easier.

This is a pic of my son, many, many years ago when he was supposed to be napping...funny thing is as I was weeding the flower beds I looked up and saw my little monkey waving at me...little stinker...

So that is it for now. I had posted a few weeks back that I was going to do a give away because I was hitting 100 posts. I still plan on doing it, but want to pull together some goodies before I announce it. So...stay tuned the blog candy info is coming (promise).

Happy crafting -

Tracy

Sorry about the pics but it has been so long since I posted a layout I was having issues remembering how I positioned them to get in nice and close. I will have another to share in a bit and will make sure I resolve my issues!

Have a great evening,

Tracy

{showcase of stars} materials:
Stamps: True Friends (CTMH), Vintage USA (CTMH)
Paper: Independence Lvl 2 (CTMH, retired)
Ink: Outdoor Denim, Holiday Red (CTMH)
Embellisments: Independence My Stickease (CTMh, ret); sparkles, hemp, buttons

Welcome to the 1st ever CTMH product spotlight blog hop. This is a brand new hop which will take place on the 15th of each month and feature a current CTMH product.

Since January is National Papercrafting Month, it seemed rather fitting that this month we are featuring Imagine. This super cool how-to book makes scrapbooking easy and let's you concentrate on getting pages done fast. Filled with 50 2 page layouts complete with cutting instructions and diagrams, this full color, hard covered book is sure to take your scrapbooking to the next level.

Ok, so that is the sell...but what do I love about Imagine? You did ask didn't you? I love being able to have my pictures out in front of me and flip to the Quick Reference Guide in the front of the book and choose a layout based on the number of pictures I have to work with. I love that I can pull my coordinating papers and know exactly what size to cut them and where to place them. I love being able to mold the layout to accomodate my style. I love that I can start with a template but make the page my own.

So here is what I have to share with you today using Imagine's Three-Part Harmony found on pg 44. The original layout called for 2 vertical pics on the right hand page, but since I was working with horizontal pics I changed it up a bit...and it works for me. It is almost complete...I have to add the journaling (which I am so bad at...I usually sit down and journal 5 pages at once). The journaling will go on the Colonial White stripe at the bottom of each page. (and please excuse the photos...I am great at shooting cards, but still learning the fine art of shooting pages...if only I had a 12x12 scanner....)


and a little close up....I love the white letters on the blue! {plus, JT is too cute in this pic}
So, in keeping with traditional blog hop fashion, if you came from Laurie's blog you are on the right track and can continue on to see what fabulous creations Cindy has in store for you. If you were just stopping by and happened upon this hop, just keep on going and you will eventually end up back here with me. You don't want to miss any of the fabulous inspiration that is in store for you today! Before you go though, I would love for you to leave me a comment and let me know what you think!

Everyone {hearts} a parade products (all CTMH unless noted):
Layout - Imagine, Three Part Harmony
Paper - My Reflections Blue Ribbon Level 2, White Daisy
Ribbon - White Daisy Ric Rac
Ink - Outdoor Denim, Cranberry
Letters - Parade Color Ready Alpha Oxford Caps, others - QuicKutz Metro S
Stamps - Stars Vintage USA, Heart Celebrations Solid (retired)
Other - star brad - unknown, from my stash

I hope this gives you some inspiration and ideas!

Happy crafting - Tracy