Hi!
The reveal for Simple Sketches #18 is up on the blog today! It's a great 4-picture sketch using a grid design.
I followed the basic design of the sketch but I added a fifth photo to my layout. I didn't tilt the whole grid; instead I just tilted the first and last pictures to emphasize those two. I used some Basic Grey papers again (my go-to manufacturer!). The background paper is "Indian Summer", the two other papers are from the "Soleil" collection, as are the top title alphas and the arrow stickers. The cute little deer is from "Mint Julep". The number stickers on the photos are from various old collections. I love how the different collections coordinate! I used a Unity stamp for the "Life" bingo card and a Martha Stewart punch for the yellow paper.
This is a page about my (one and only) niece who turned 20 this month... (really!?? when did this happen!) The title means "Sophie in 5 Acts".
Well, this is it for now. Go check out what the rest of the team did here and link up yours if you give this sketch a go! We'd love to see!
Enjoy the rest of the Holiday season! Hope you find some time to scrap!
Martine
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Hi!
Today's the reveal of sketch #16 at Simple Sketches! Here's the sketch:
Here's what I did with it. The papers are from Basic Grey (Urban Prairie). I used a stencil with Pan Pastels to make the colored flowers on the background. I stamped my title with a new hexagon alphabet stamp and popped a few letters with foam squares. I added a few embellies and traced around the papers with a black pen. The title means "Unavoidable", which is what windmills are in the Netherlands. You just can't go there without taking pictures of them!
Go check out everybody's work here and play along too!
Have a scrappy weekend!
Martine
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Ooops! I forgot to post last week's sketch at Simple Sketches! Here it is...
And here's my version. I used some My Mind's Eye papers and did some fussy cutting. I used only a cluster of embellies as I felt that the paper itself was already "decorated"! The title means: "Sleeping in a Real Castle". During our trip to the Netherlands last summer, we found a last minute internet deal to spend the night in this pretty little castle! It was fun!
This week's sketch (#15) is very cool, with two small pictures and a chevron border! It's on my to-do list! Check it out here!
Thanks for stopping by!
Martine
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Netherlands,
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Hi!
Sketch #12 was revealed yesterday at Simple Sketches! It's a 2-photo sketch using one portrait and one landscape picture, with a circle foundation.
I actually used three photos for my layout, substituting two smaller (2x3) photos for the portrait picture. For the background circle, I used my circle edge punch (the Flower Arches cartridge) for the first time. I really liked it! So easy to use and makes a great deco edge! I used some old K & Co. paper and some miscellaneous left-over strips (once again!).
The page title means: "Enjoying the Terraces". When we travel, food is far from being one of our priorities. Usually, we'd rather spend time visiting than sitting at a restaurant. But on our trip to the Netherlands, we realized that we actually enjoyed sitting down at terraces, relaxing, enjoying the views and the food! No more skipping meals like we often did before... I guess we're getting older and "cushier"! lol!
Go check out the rest of the team's reveal and join us us too!
Have a great week!
Martine
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Hi!
Today is the reveal of sketch #10 at Simple Sketches! I really enjoyed this week's sketch! I love a good multi-pic sketch! Here it is:
I used the same number of photos but I changed the sizes, using two square pictures instead. I used a distressed wood pattern for the background (by My Mind's Eye) and simply added a bunch of grunged up miscellaneous strips of patterned paper. I love keeping all my leftover strips in a jar (as in this pin). I can always find strips that match what I need!
I used corrugated cardboard and embossed chipboard alphas (the latter inked to make the letters pop), a felt flower, a cork flower, a wooden label, a metal tag colored with alcohol ink, and a metal/vellum tag with a bit of twine tied to it to add different textures. And I inked everything up!
The title of my page means "Two Is Better!" This used to be the tag line for an old milk commercial here (One glass of milk is good...but two is better!) I applied it to my orange kitties, whom I love! I never particularly liked orange cats before... that was before one of them walked into my backyard and stole my heart 7 years ago! This past winter, another one strolled in the same way. I couldn't help but to take him in too. I love having them both! They're such good-natured cats! (Although the young one can be a handful! lol!)
Have a fun and creative weekend!
Martine
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Hi!
Today's the reveal of sketch #8 at Simple Sketches. I switched up the sketch quite a bit for this one. I rotated it 90 degrees, I added more photos and I changed the shape of the pieces of paper. This is what it ended up looking like.
I used several papers from My Mind's Eye for this page. I used some old chipboard alphas which I colored with a mix of Gelatos, inked the edges in brown with my go-to ink (Versacolor Pinecone pigment ink) and added some faux-stitching with a pen. I punched out some clouds in paper and vellum for my journaling.
I finally came around to making a page for Bear's last day... I had to put him to sleep on May 31st because of a fast-spreading cancer. There's additional journaling on the back (shed a few tears while writing it all down...). It's a good thing I have other kitties sharing my life at home, but I still miss my Mr. Bear!
Go check out the rest of the reveal here and link up your creation if you decide to play along with us!
Martine
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Hi!
Come check out the latest sketch at Simple Sketches! It's another fabulous 3-photo sketch, but you can easily stretch it out to 7!
Here it is, along with my take on it. It's a layout about the houseboat we stayed on during our 5 days in Amsterdam this summer. It was such a fun experience! We LOVED hanging out on the boat terrace for breakfast and at the end of the day, just catching up on things and watching the boats go by! The title means "Living on a Houseboat Like the Locals". We actually had two women walking by one morning, as we were having breakfast, stop and ask us if they could take pictures of us on our boat! lol! We were chuckling inside, tourists taking pictures of tourists! ;-)
For the background, I colored modeling paste with brown acrylic paint to match the kraft background and used it with a "crackle" stencil (Prima by Finnabair, love it!!). I then gently inked with an old Pinecone Versacolor cube (a darker brown; didn't want it to be too "juicy" to get ink everywhere else) to make the crackle effect stand out more. I made some faux stitching with a Cutter Bee piercing bug (because my sewing machine is still working all wonky! gotta get it fixed!). I got the idea for the banner with the brads with this pin.
Go check out the rest of the reveal here and have a go at the sketch while you're at it!
Enjoy your weekend! Hope it's a scrappy one!
Martine
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Netherlands,
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sketches
Hi there!
Today is the reveal of sketch #4 at Simple Sketches! Here's what the sketch looks like and my version of it.
It's the cover page for my album from our trip to the Netherlands this summer. The bottom picture is from one of the canals in Amsterdam. You can actually see the houseboat we stayed in on the actual picture!
Lots of inking and distressing on this one. Sprayed a doily with two green mists, added some distress ink all over and my staple: Versacolor Pinecone ink(a dark brown that matches everything!) on the edges. I used a stencil with pan pastels and pigment ink for the circular "smudges" behind the photos. I used a bunch of miscellaneous scraps for this page. I have a container on my desk into which I put all my leftover paper strips when I scrap. I can always find some that match when I need them! I got this storage idea from this pin.
I didn't get a chance to share last week's sketch, so here it is! A fun multi-pic sketch!
Happy scrapping!
Martine
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Hi!
Today is my first reveal at Simple Sketches! Here's the multi-pic sketch, which I loved!!
My page is my first one about our trip to the Netherlands this summer... and of course it's about cats! These are some of the pretty kitties we met along the way. I used some Basic Grey "Wander" papers for this one (except the large square in the background which is Basic Grey "Curio").
Go check out what the rest of Team B did right here! And better yet, why don't you link up your own creation? We'd love to see and give you some love!
Have a great weekend!
Martine
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Hi there!
Just a quick post to let you know that Simple Sketches has posted its first sketch reveal! Here's the sketch!
You can see the beautiful work that Design Team A did with the 2-photo sketch here. My reveal will come next week! Hope to see you there!
Have a scrappy weekend!
Martine
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Simple Sketches
Hi there! I'm back from a three week trip to the Netherlands! What a great time! We went all around the country. We saw windmills, castles, beaches, farmland dotted with cows and sheep, grandiose churches, beautiful canal streets, old homes and so much more! (including lots of kitty encounters!) We slept in a houseboat in Amsterdam, ate at beautiful terrace restaurants, saw some Dutch Masters paintings, slept in an actual small castle one night, did boat tours on picturesque canals... so much fun! I now have a fresh batch of photos to play with!
We spent 4 nights in this houseboat in Amsterdam and really enjoyed relaxing on the roof terrace!
The beautiful streets/canals of Amsterdam at night.
You can't go to the Netherlands without taking pictures of windmills!
Some fancy estates and gardens we visited!
This is the castle we actually slept in!
Beautiful streets and old houses!
They have great terrace restaurants over there! Some by the canals! (notice the begging cat in the background!)
This is how I got my kitty "fix" while I was away!
I even found a craft/scrap store by accident in one of the towns! I had to shop a bit!
Speaking of scrapping, I got some great news while I was on vacation. I was picked to be part of the DT at the new sketch challenge blog Simple Sketches! Go meet the rest of the team here! You can also like the Facebook page here! The first sketch challenge will be revealed on August 31st. Go check it out! You'll love the new sketches! They're very versatile!
There's a week and a half left before the start of the new school year. That means I better take advantage of it and scrap, scrap, scrap!!
Have a scrappy week!
Martine
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Simple Sketches
Hi there! I've been a bad blogger! But I haven't done much scrapping either... The end of the school year was super busy, with the usual testing, grading, report cards, packing up the classroom for the summer... But on top of all the usual hecticness, my father-in-law passed away in June. He'd had heart problems for the past 8 years, but in the last year or so, he was getting weaker and weaker. His passing still came suddenly and was a shock. I made two layouts about him for his wake. The first one is a picture of him taken in 2008 at the wedding of his step-son.
The second one is about him as a dad, with Mike and his two sisters. The photos date from the 60's at their lake house, the 70's during a family trip to Des Moines, and the largest one from 2010, in our backyard.
Both pages use Basic Grey papers, the first one from the Ambrosia collection and the second one from Marjolaine. Both are based on sketches, but I'm embarassed I can't find which ones anymore... I usually write all this information behind my layouts, but I forgot for those two. I'll try to find the sketches and give the links when I do. If you recognize one of your sketches, please let me know!
On a happier note, I did this layout about my latest rescue kitty, Bajoue (found him as a stray this winter). The title means "Don't Trust his Angelic Appearance!" As we found out,he's one high maintenance cat! He always wants to play and he knows how to ask for it! He certainly gets our attention! It's a good thing he's also cute and lovey-dovey, so we love him anyway! ;-) lol! I made this page for a DT call at a new sketch challenge site, Simple Sketches. If you're interested, you have until tomorrow to apply! Whether I'm picked up or not, I'm happy I found a new sketch site... I love sketches!
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And finally, in the midst of all the hustle and bustle of June, I also had to say good-bye to Bear, my 16-year-old kitty. He hadn't been feeling well in the last couple of weeks, not following me around like he usually did, sleeping a lot... When I took him to the vet, they found he had cancer all over his lungs. His breathing became difficult. Within two days, I had to put him to sleep. I lost a big chunk of love that day... Bear was my faithful companion, he only had eyes for his mom! He followed me everywhere and was always there to greet me when I got home. I took these photos of him on our last morning together.
And here are a couple layouts of my Mr. Bear.
Hope you're having a great summer! We're leaving for the Netherlands in two days, so I'm ready to come back with a huge batch of new pictures to scrap!
Happy scrapping!
Martine
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