Retreat Layouts

The kiddos are finally in bed so I can take sometime to post the layouts I managed to finish at my retreat. 

I am still amazed that I was able to finish 5 layouts.  This is the first layout I completed.  It was for the sketch challenge that they were having.  This is a very loose interpretation of the sketch but it got my mojo flowing and I was able to get creative.  I just needed that little kick in the behind to get going.

Materials used:  Bazzill cardstock, Basic Grey pattern paper and doiley, Everlasting Keepsakes chipboard, Magenta chipboard, Prima bling swirls, Copic markers, American Craft Thickers, My Little Yellow Bicycle Transparency journalling spots, Prima felt, Olfa flowers, MAMBI bling, Basic Grey rubons, Ranger Distress Ink and Perfect Pearls, Tim Holtz stamps.

I didn't realized how much mojo would flow from this one layout but it seemed to unstop the dam and this is what followed:

Materials used:  Jilly Bean Soup pattern paper, Prima Paintable transparency, Copic markers, Ranger paint dauber, Prima flowers, May Arts leaf ribbon, American Crafts thickers, Prima bling swirls, Ranger Distress Ink, Making Memories metal butterfly, Versa ink and unknown brads

I love Prima Paintables Transparencies.  I love colouring them with the Copics and then painting the areas I want to pop with some white paint.  Very cool effect.

Materials used:  Basic Grey pattern paper, doiley and stickers, Scrap FX chipboard, My Little Yellow Bicycle transparency journalling spot, Gelly Gems, Ranger paint dauber, Ranger Distress ink and VersaColour ink.

I used quite a bit of Basic Grey this weekend.  I took a few of the new paper packs with me.  I figured that they would be an easy starting point for a crop away from home.  They proved to be perfect.  I have such a hard time figuring out what I want to use on a layout.  I tend to go through most of my stash everytime a do a layout looking for the perfect item.  You can't do that at a crop and it is one of the reasons why I don't crop away from home often.

Materials used:  Basic Grey pattern paper, stickers and doiley, My Little Yellow Bicycle buttons and brads, and Ranger Distress Ink.

I managed to get my hands on some of the stitched mulberry paper by Prima recently.  I have been wanting some of this since I saw it at CHA.  It is such beautiful stuff.

Materials used:  Prima stitched mulberry paper, Basic Grey pattern paper, Bazzill dot cardstock, Magenta chipboard, Melissa Francis glitter, Gelly Glitter, Ranger Distress stickles, Maya Road flowers and stick pin, Dollar store flowers, Prima pearl swirls, Copic makers, Rain drops, and I am afraid that I can't seem to remember who made the glitter alpha stickers.

The last item that I have to share is the card that won the card sketch challenge.  I won a cute little storage case for sitting on my desk.

Material used:  Bazzill cardstock, Prism simply smooth cardstock, Onefourzero stamps, Copic makers, Spellbinder's Impressiabilities & Nesties, Gelly Gems, Rangers Distress ink, Perfect Pearls and MAMBI gems.

Now, I think my mojo has been completely drained and I need to get it back fast.  I have to come up with some card challenges and examples for the next ScrapCentral On-line crop for National Card Making Day.  I can't believe that it is on Friday....Eek...I better send out the search party ASAP.

A Successful Retreat

This weekend's retreat was fabulous.  I can't believe how much I was able to get done for me.  I managed to complete 5 layouts and 1 card.  That is so unlike me.  The retreat was being run by Sweet Sentiments.  Thirty ladies attended in total.  It was at the Pleasant Bay Bible Camp which is a bit on the rustic side. 

The cabins were unheated so it was a bit chilly climbing into those sleeping bags at night.  Yes, those are bunk beds that you see.  This cabin holds 12 kids...I still can't believe that.  There were 6 of us staying in this little cabin.  Thankfully, none of us had to sleep on the top bunk.  I can just see me crashing down on someone sleeping on the lower bunk.  Eeek....
 

 
The location was beautiful -- right beside the water.  We even got some great pics of us sitting down at the waters edge.

We chatted, we scrapped, we ate, we laughed and had a fabulous time.  I am definitely going to be doing this again.  I even won the card sketch challenge.  Very cool!  I will post the layout and cards that I managed to get done a little later tonight.

Laptop Art

A few weeks ago, I won some customized Laptop Art by participating in the Paper Passions blog hop.  I send in a digital layout of the kids that I had done up with a freebie quick page from Maelia.  I love her fanciful digital designs and her freebies....Anyway, before I get to sidetracked.  Orv at Laptopart.ca sent me this yesterday:

 

I was a little unsure about putting a skin on my laptop.  I love my laptop.  I picked a beautiful purple Dell with flowers.  It was so lovely and covering that up was not really what I had in mind.  I did win this so I somewhat reluctantly sent in the layout.  All I have to say is...WOW!!!  This turned out fabulous and it looks fabulous on the laptop.   It went on really easily and it looks fabulous on the laptop.  

 

Everyone at Starbuck's will now get to look at my lovely munchkins when I go for my coffee escapes. =)

No Scrapping For Me....

Well, Sookie Stackhouse took over my life.  Since my last post, I have read the rest of the series including the new hard cover.  I had to see what happened next.  I am patiently waiting for Dead in the Family to be released.  Since she just sent it to her editor for first read, I don't think it will be out anytime soon.

That is such a bad habit of mine.  I get so caught up in the story that I have to finish.  Everything in my life comes to a dead stop and all I do is read.  My house is in a shambles.  I am late on a circle journal layout and my ATCs are due at the end of the week (I haven't even started them yet) but at least I know what happened with Sookie and Eric, between Sookie and her great-grandfather, and all the rest of the characters in Bon Temps.  I am really curious to see where Ms. Harris is going to take the series next.

Tonight I am planning on getting that circle journal layout done and making a dent on getting my ATCs finished.  No more reading for me for the next few days.  Welll...at least until I have some clean clothes and can at least see the floor of my living room again.  Right now it is covered in Lego.

One Layout Done

I was hoping to do more this weekend but I am not sure if I am going to get that chance.  I haven't been able to stay awake past 9 pm the last little while.  That is such a strange thing for a night owl like me.  I do most of my scrapping at night after the kids have gone to bed so all this sleep has been eating into my scrapping time.

As I mentioned earlier, ScrapCentral is having their on-line crop this week.  All the challenges are colour based.  This particular challenge was to use as much white space as possible with a hint of blue accents whether it was pattern paper, a frame around a photo or blue embellies.  Well, my style is not that conducive to a lot of white space...It is more in line with busy space.  This was my compromise...my elements would all be white so there would be a muted restlessness to my white space.

 

Materials used:  Prism cardstock, Bo Bunny Basics pattern paper, Gelly Gems, Prima pearl swirls and pop dots.

       

I finally dug out my Silhouette as well.  I have been meaning to give more attention but I hate to say it but it is the last item that I think to dig out.  It is a bit noisy and I have to set it all up with the laptop to use it so it tends to collect dust in the corner.  Don't get me wrong....it is not hard to use.  Actually, it is very user friendly but when you have so many other things, you tend to forget about it.  Everything on this layout was cut out using the Silhouette.  It really is an impressive little machine.

       

I am hoping that once the kiddlets are in bed tonight, I will get a chance to do some scrapping....that is if I can keep myself out of the third Sookie Stackhouse novel.  I finished #2 on Thursday and have been dying to crack open #3.