Hello! Hop on over to Simple Sketches to see the new reveal! This week's sketch features four square photos. Here it is!
I followed the sketch pretty closely for my layout (which exposes my not-so-secret addiction to Diet Pepsi! ;)
I used Pepsi colors of course! The background and heart papers are from Crate Paper. Most of everything else is very old stash! From the Fancy Pants felt to the puffy and flocked alpha stickers from Making Memories and DoodleBug! Oh, and old My Mind's Eye paper too!
Go check out the rest of the team's creations and link up your page too, right here!
Posted in
BOM,
layouts,
Simple Sketches,
sketches
Hi there!
I made a layout about our visit to Flora Holland last summer, the biggest auction seller of flowers in the world. It's a huge place... an area equivalent to 400 soccer fields! They sell over 20,000 varieties of flowers and plants, and sell 12.5 billion of them every year! We visited while they were auctioning off flowers and preparing them to ship everywhere... it was very cool to see! (not the most scenic pictures though! ;) The title means: Flowers in Transit by the Milions!
Go check out the rest of the DT reveal for sketch #22 here! I hope you'll join us and try this sketch out!
Have a scrappy week!
Martine
Posted in
layouts,
Netherlands,
Simple Sketches,
sketches
Hello!
Sketch #20 is up at Simple Sketches today! It's a 3-photo sketch featuring square photos.
I used three photos but changed their format. I also changed up the paper layering a bit. I went for some Basic Grey again, this time using the "Curio" collection for a vintage look. I added some pleated ribbon and lace, metal embellies colored with alcohol inks, a vintage-looking button from Making Memories, flowers and a beaded pin (actually a cocktail pin from the dollar store!).
These are photos of my dad and his brother, along with four cousins. The original photo was taken in 1940 (my dad was two years old; the one at the right on the picture). They recreated it in 1976, then again in 2013, at a family reunion celebrating the year when three of them turned 75. There were a lot of laughs while we directed this "recreation"!
Go check out what the other DT members did for sketch #20 here and link up your layout if you want to give the sketch a try! We'd love to see your take on it!
Happy scrapping!
Martine
Posted in
family,
layouts,
Simple Sketches,
sketches
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
Posted in
Basic Grey,
family,
layouts,
Simple Sketches,
sketches
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
Posted in
layouts,
Netherlands,
Simple Sketches,
sketches
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
Posted in
layouts,
Netherlands,
Simple Sketches,
sketches
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
Posted in
layouts,
Netherlands,
Simple Sketches,
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!
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
Posted in
layouts,
Netherlands,
Simple Sketches,
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
Posted in
layouts,
Netherlands,
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!
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
Posted in
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
Posted in
cats,
Netherlands,
photos,
Simple Sketches
