Grid Lock || Paper Issues

Good morning everyone!!  Popping in to share my take on the Grid Lock challenge over at Paper Issues.  I recently got a fun box of Cassie Mail that included Crate Paper's new Hooray collection.  I had to immediately play with it, as I knew it'd be perfect for scrapping some of my daughter's photos from her first birthday shoot.

I began by creating two columns of patterned paper squares, then I glued down my photos, then added the torn paper to the sides of the columns then embellished!  It came together super quickly.  I adore how colorful and fun this collection is.

You can grab some in the store - make sure you use code KAT20 to save 20% off your order!

August Crate Color Challenge

Hey, everyone!  This past weekend I decided to play along with Crate Paper's August Color Challenge.  The color combo was Linen, Pear Green and Sea Grass Blue.  As soon as I saw the combo, I thought of Crate's older Brook collection and thus this layout was born:

I'm pretty proud of myself for making a 12 x 12 layout.  I feel like it's been forever since I've made a page that size.  I've just gotten so comfortable with the 8.5 x 11 format. 

For the background I used a really neat technique that I found here on Christine Middlecamp's blog.  It's so simple, yet looks so great.  I never would have thought of it on my own.

Enjoy the rest of the work week...thanks for stoping by!

Layout: Patterned Paper: Crate Paper; Cardstock: Bazzill; Twine: My Mind's Eye; Alphas: American Crafts; Punches: Martha Stewart; Paint: Apple Barrel

Fifty Shades of Pink

Hey, everyone!  I hope you had a nice weekend!  Crate Paper has a fun color challenge this month called "Fifty Shades of Pink."  I do love my monochromatic layouts from time to time!  Here is what I created:

Very, very pink!
Thanks for stopping in!
Layout: Patterned Paper: Crate Paper; Twine: My Mind's Eye; Alphas: American Crafts; Paint: Apple Barrel

Top 10 in 2011

Hi, all! I LOVE when other people do these posts, and I love posting my own, because it forces me to look back at my work throughout the past year. This year was fun to look back on because I think my style evolved a bit. And all my favorites are super colorful...So, here are my top 10 favorite layouts, in order by when they were made: (P.S.- This was a pre-scheduled post and sometimes Blogger isn't very nice to me. If my pictures end up with a million annoying spaces between them I'm sorry!)

Combo of Green, Pink, Blue and Green Horned Unicorn products:
Loved Sassafras' Paper Crush collection:

Loved those Glitz rub ons:

This is around the time when every single layout I made contained about a billion butterflies:

I made this for my guest design stint at Creative Scrappers:

I loved Studio Calico's Metropolitan kit more than any other. This was the first SC kit I ever bought and it is still my fave:

Such a weird combo of colors here, but I was pushed into it with one of Crate Paper's color challenges:

On this one, I was trying to clear out some of my brad stash...I think it worked:

One of the first layouts that really illustrates my new style:

This was made from another Studio Calico kit, Field Guide. Love the colors, the fun picture, everything...I think this is my favortie layout from the entire year:

And there we go...my top 10. E was sitting by me while I was prepping this post and he picked out 2 of his favorites, neither of which ever entered on my radar. It's funny what people consider to be good and how we evaluate our own work. Here are his 2 faves:

A layout of us being ridiculous...he likes how colorful it is, and how funny the picture is:

This one features pictures from Catalina Island. And includes Merv, the seagull. E loved Merv, therefore E loves this layout:

Thanks so much for hanging in here until the end. I hope that you have a happy New Year. I'll see you in 2012!

June Crate Color Challenge

Hi, everyone! It's an icky weekend here, so I used it as the perfect opportunity to do some "scrapping for fun." I decided to play along with Crate Paper's current color challenge. The colors are pink, red and yellow...WONDERFUL colors, so I couldn't pass it up. Here's what I made:

Also, because of all the die cuts I used, this layout is perfect for The Studio Challenges layout challenge this week (use die cuts!).

Thanks for dropping by! I hope you have a wonderful rest of your weekend!!

Layout: Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned Paper, Die Cuts, Element Stickers: Crate Paper; Alphabet Stickers: Lily Bee; Glimmer Mist: Tattered Angels; Bling: Prima

Crate Paper Sketch Challenge - May

HI, everyone! I am popping in super, super quick to share a layout that I made for Crate Paper's May sketch challenge. I broke out some leftovers from the Brook collection to knock this out:

Thanks for stopping in! Enjoy your week!

Layout: cardstock: Bazzill, DCWV; Patterned Paper, Element Stickers: Crate Paper; Alphabet Stickers: Martha Stewart, American Crafts; Sequins: Doodlebug Designs

A scraplift...

Hey, all!

I have a quick new layout to share with you...it is a scraplift of Lisa Dickinson's wonderful layout "9 months," which can be found in the August 2010 issue of Scrapbook Trends Magazine.

Thanks for stopping by...enjoy the work week!

CS #132

Hello, everyone!

I finally got to scrap for fun! It's been awhile since I've been able to be crafty. I just recently procured the Crate Paper "Snow Day" collection and have been dying to use it. Gosh, I love Crate Paper. I also used sketch #132 from Creative Scrappers for my layout, although, I gotta say that I have many projects that I have made that could apply to this sketch...I love gridded layouts. Anywho, here is my layout:

It seems like it is becoming a tradition for me to make a layout about trimming the tree, as I did an almost identical layout last year. We even took pictures with some of the same ornaments!

As always, thanks for stopping by! Hope your work week goes well...

Altered Clock

Hey, all!

Sorry I have been MIA for awhile...I've been super busy and totally neglecting my blog...and I expect this trend to keep up at least through December...I think it's a busy time of year for pretty much everyone.

I do have a project to share, though. I've never been big on altered projects, but with the newest challenge up at Just C & S, I couldn't resist. The challenge is open to anything you want...all you have to do is make an altered item. Here's my before picture (only $3 at Target!):

And here's my after:

(sorry for the terrible photos...)

I figured I should immortalize my favorite paper (Crate Paper "Bliss") for all of time (do you get the super, super corny pun?).

Thanks for stopping by...happy Friday and have a WONDERFUL weekend :o)

Just C & S sketch #9

Hey, all!

I hope you had a nice weekend...there is a new sketch posted at Just C & S to get your week started off. Here is my take on it:

I had fun with this one...I've missed doing my "grid" layouts and I love that I got to use some of my old Crate Paper "Lemongrass" collection. I love the colors in it.

Head on over to Just C & S to see the other takes on the sketch.

Have a nice work week!

Jump for Joy!

Hey, all!

I hope you're having a happy week...I don't know about you, but my week is going by super, super slooooooooow. Is it bad that it's only Wednesday and I am eagerly awaiting the weekend? Hmmm...

I wanted to share a layout that I created this weekend. I made it using an old PageMaps sketch. I thought this was the perfect way to use up some of my Crate Paper and ribbon scraps...And anything that helps me to use up scraps is a good thing in my book.
Aren't those pictures so much fun? Two of my best friends came to visit me at the end of June and we had so much fun catching up...and jumping around on the beach at night, being total dorks (no alcohol was involved...I promise).

Thanks for stopping by!! (And for more info about the current SOTB DT call contest, click here)

CS #107

I finally get to play along with Creative Scrappers again! I've sort of missed my Sunday morning tradition :)

Here is my layout using their most recent sketch:

I had to bring my Crate Paper "Bliss" back because I love that collection so much (and if you've been reading my blog for awhile, you know my obsession with it!). This layout did not turn out as I had envisioned it...it's way too busy, but it took me so long to do that stupid hand-stitching, that I think I'm just going to leave it alone for now :)

Have a happy Sunday!

Missing sketch artist...

Hey, all! The weekend is finally here!! And I am finally getting some crafting done. Since, I've been out of the crafting game for quite awhile, I figured I would use some sketches to get me back in the groove. I found this sketch and I absolutely adore it...unfortunately, I have zero idea where I got it from. I usually make a note of these kinds of things, so I can give the artist credit...but the name is so small on the bottom, that I can't tell. If anyone knows where I might have gotten it from, please, please tell me, so I can give the appropriate person credit for their fabulous sketch:

And here is the layout I made using the sketch...I copied the sketch almost exactly because I thought it was so, so fabulous. The sketch itself was a work of art! :) I used some scraps from my April Polka Dot Whimsy kit to finish this (got to LOVE that awesome Crate Paper!).

OK, I'm off to enjoy the much-needed weekend. Thanks for stopping by!!

hi!

Hey, all! I hope everyone had a nice weekend. I barely got any crafting done, but I did clean and organize my scraproom - something that was way overdue. I donated a lot of supplies to charity, so I didn't feel as bad about all the money I have wasted on unused scrapping supplies...ha!

I was able to make a few cards, though. Here they are:

Thanks for stopping by...enjoy the week!

Just us girls...

Hey, all! I have a quick layout that I wanted to share with you. I made it with the April Polka Dot Whimsy kit. The kit this month is awesome...has tons of fun papers and embellies. I'm especially loving the Crate Paper Paper Doll collection...

Thanks for looking...have a nice week!! I'm going home to visit my family for a week...so excited! Hopefully I will come back with lots of fun pictures to scrap :)

Basic Grey Goodness

Hey, all! So, I have found a new collection that I absolutely love. If you read my blog frequently, you know that I am totally in love with Crate Paper's "Bliss" collection for the pinks and greens. Well, now I'm totally in love with Basic Grey's "Green at Heart" collection. Such FUN colors - purples, greens, pinks and oranges...totally yummy.

Here is a layout I made with it today:

Isn't she the cutest doggy in the world?

Don't be surprised if you see a lot more layouts made with these fun papers. I think I'm in love :)

Scraplift yourself!

Hey, all! I hope your weekend is starting off well...

...Do you ever get stuck on layout ideas but are still in the mood to create? This happened to me tonight, so I just decided to scraplift myself.

Here is the original:

And here is my new one:

I definitely think the original is the better of the two, but I'm not too displeased with the new one either. I'm still trying to scrap these pictures from my best friend's wedding, despite the fact that their photographer did a horrible job (ha!). I like using the colors pink and green with these photos, too. I just think the colors go well with all the pictures from the day. I decided to venture away from my usual Crate Paper and use some of the paper's that came in this month's Polka Dot Whimsy kit.

Hope everyone has a great weekend...I have to work this weekend, so I hope that everyone has a little bit more fun than me! :-)

New layout...

Hey, all! I just wanted to share a new layout with you. If you've been following along with my blog for some time, you know by now that I am a HUGE Crate Paper fan. How could I not be? Just look at these super fun "Bliss" papers. I'm pretty preppy so I've always loved the pink-green color combo....

This is a scraplift of Delaina Burns' layout, "Katie's 12." I know the picture looks funny because my best friend, the bride, is whited out...however, most of her wedding photos came out like that...super bright...it's a little frustrating because I think she should stand out in all these pictures...oh well....

Also, as an important side note, I used the Martha Stewart loops punches, which are up for grabs in this month's challenge. Ok, that's it...I promise that I will not mention my current challenge again until I announce the winner. I'm sure you're tired of hearing about it...ha!

Card Attempt

Hey all! So, remember how one of my goals was to start making cards? Well...I made one today. I don't know how people are so good at them. I still have a loooooong way to go! Oh well. Here it is:

I also made a new layout today:


Notice how both of my projects used the Crate Paper "Season" collection. I have decided that I am totally in love with Crate Paper. Between this collection and their "Bliss" collection, I am sold. And I think it's safe to say that I've gotten my use out of the glimmer mist over the last few days. I should probably lay off of it for my next few layouts...ha!

Also, just a reminder that entries for my sketch challenge are due by Sunday. Winner gets a $25 gift card to Scrapbook.com!

Giveaway winner and a sketch!

Hey, all! So, first I want to give a big THANK YOU to everyone who participated in the giveaway. I got a lot of awesome input. The consensus is that you want to see sketches, challenges, and techniques.

And, now for the winner...I went to http://www.random.org/ to pick a winner...and that winner happens to be Ms. Schwiet! So, Ms. Schwiet, please email your mailing address to kraftykat9@gmail.com and I will get your prize in the mail.

As previously mentioned, a lot of people said that they wanted to see sketches. I've actually never done a sketch before, so I figured that I should start off fairly basic:

And here is one of the layouts I made with it:

And then I flipped the sketch on it's side to create this one (using super fun Crate Paper):

If you decide to use this sketch, I would love to see your work...just link it to this post.