Hi! It's time for a new sketch at Scrapbook Challenges! It's a fun sketch with a square in the middle with pictures, patterned paper, title and embellies inside.
I kept the basic concept but changed things up a bit to fit the pictures I wanted to use. As you can see, I had fun with this one! ;)
I saw this quote ("You say crazy cat lady like it's a bad thing!") on a t-shirt or a mug somewhere on the internet and knew that I had to make a layout with it at some point! It's just so totally me! lol! I "embrace" my crazy cat lady status! I proved my point last Halloween when I dressed up as one for school! The kids (and other teachers!) laughed their heads off when they saw me! It was a lot of fun! I paired that up with a picture of the real me with my five cats (only for a few months; down to four now that Lexi's gone). I used Simple Stories paper for this layout. I also used up a lot of really old stuff (Around the Block cat brads, Making Memories puffy alphas, metal sticker embellies, paw-patterned alphas and some really old Provocraft black sticker alphas (2004!). I colored the chipboard hearts with gelatos then just dotted them with a black marker. It was a fun layout to make!
Go check out what the rest of the crew did on the blog and join us for some fun and the chance to win a prize! Thanks for stopping by!
Martine
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Scrapbook Challenges,
sketches
Hi!
There's a new sketch up at Scrapbook Challenges! This week, it features an 8x10 photo! I don't often scrap with big pictures, so this was fun for me. It was also the perfect sketch to remember my sweet girl Lexi, whom I had to put to sleep last week. She was almost 17 and had been battling chronic renal failure for a year now. So although it wasn't unexpected, it's always gut wrenching to have to make the decision that the time to let one of our babies go has come. I take comfort in knowing that she had a full and long life. She was one tough cookie, all of 5 pounds but making the big boys of the house take notice of her and respect her space. She was the queen of the place! lol!
Here's the sketch and my layout.
I used one one my all-time favorite Basic Grey collections, Periphery. I hadn't done a layout with big clusters of layered flowers in a while, but it just seemed fitting for my little princess!
Go visit Scrapbook Challenges to see how the rest of the DT interpreted sketch 431! And please join us! You have until the end of March to play for a chance to win! See you there!
Have a great week!
Martine
Posted in
Basic Grey,
cats,
layouts,
Scrapbook Challenges,
sketches
Hello! The latest challenge at Scrapbook Challenges is a pattern challenge... and the pattern is: DOODLED!
Well, here's what I came up with. Didn't turn out at all like what I thought it would... Still, I just had to scrap this subject... my orange kitties!
The title means "If one is good, but two is better, what's four?". This refers to an old milk commercial that said that drinking one glass of milk was good, but drinking two was better! I had made a layout here of this a while back about my two orange cats... But now I have four! (all rescued from the streets) I just love orange tabbies! They're such sweet natured cats!
I didn't have any doodled patterned paper (unbelievable given my enormous stash of paper! ;) so I decided to make my own. I just played with fun-looking fonts and wrote words that describe my kitties, along with each of their names. I printed that on vellum and attached it to the paper with heart brads.
Click over to Scrapbook Challenges to see the other team members' doodled pages! Then doodle away and share your page with us! We'd love to see!
Martine
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cats,
layouts,
Scrapbook Challenges
Hi!
Scrapbook Challenges has just released sketch #426.
It's a one-photo sketch showcasing a large picture and a great opportunity to mix and match patterned papers, which I love to do! I don't often scrap with large photos, so this was fun to do. I simply tilted the sketch to the side and added an extra little picture at the bottom.
The title of my layout means "How can you resist this?", "this" being that cute little orange kitten face with pleading eyes! These are my two latest rescues, which I adopted completely unexpectedly. To make a long story short, my niece showed me that little picture one day. Her friend was looking for someone to take in an outside kitten that she didn't think would make it through the winter. I just couldn't resist those sad little eyes! Turns out there were two babies... The very next day, I was picking both of them up and bringing them home!
Come play with us at Scrapbook Challenges and show us what you create with this sketch!
Have a scrappy week!
Martine
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cats,
layouts,
Scrapbook Challenges,
sketches
Hi! Here's a layout I made during my scrappy weekend getaway last week! It's another kitty layout... can't go wrong with those! ;-) It's based on this sketch from "Cap de scrapper ça", a French challenge blog.
I used embossed Core'dinations cardstock which I sanded as the background and some scraps from Basic Grey's "Sweet Threads". I used a fabric polaroid frame from Crate Paper, Blue Fern Studios chipboard, a Studio Calico cat wood veneer and a few other embellies.
Thanks for stopping by! Have a great Easter weekend! Hope you find some time to scrap!
Martine
Posted in
Basic Grey,
cats,
layouts,
sketches
Yes, they do! Well, in my life anyway! I love my kitties and I love being surrounded by them. Even corrections and working on report cards (which is what I was doing in the pictures) are smoother when you have a cat or two helping out! ;) (Notice the 2nd kitty lying down behind me on the chair...)
The layout is based on this sketch from Simple Scrapbooks.
I'm back from my weekend crop and had a blast! We were hard-core croppers and enjoyed every minute of it. It will take me the week to make up for lost sleep but it was worth it! Had so much fun with my two scrappy friends too! I'm a slow scrapper but I did manage to get 6 1/2 pages done, which is pretty good for me! I haven't finished unpacking and I haven't taken pictures of all my layouts yet but I will share when I can. Thanks for taking a peek at my work!
Have a great week!
Martine
Posted in
cats,
layouts,
sketches
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
Posted in
cats,
layouts,
Simple Sketches,
sketches
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
Posted in
cats,
layouts,
Simple Sketches,
sketches
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
Posted in
cats,
layouts,
Netherlands,
Simple Sketches,
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
Posted in
cats,
Netherlands,
photos,
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
Posted in
Basic Grey,
cats,
DT call,
family,
layouts,
photos,
Simple Sketches,
sketches
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