4th of July Projects

I thought I would sneak in these two projects before the month of July came to an end.  Craig's brother, nephew, and his nephew's friend came from France to spend three weeks in the USA during the month of July.  They arrived in Boston on the 3rd and spent the 4th of July holiday with us.  We took them to a Red Sox game, out for BBQ and to the Boston fireworks.  It was great but it was so extremely HOT! We snuck in to see a movie in between the dinner and fireworks just to cool off.

I started with the Crate Paper "The Pier" collection because I want to use as much of my supply up of that before the next collections come out.  I added a few items from July's Studio Calico kit and a few older kits as well.  One of my favorite items on the layout is the "4th of July" printable.  I had never printed or used one before and I may be hooked!  It added just the right touch to my page.  This one was a free one from the Two Peas digital store.

I made this card a while ago in an attempt to use up a huge roll of washi tape.  I put two strips of washi tape on the cardstock and then used my Silhouette Cameo to cut out the flag shape.  I backed the card with the red and blue patterned papers.  Unfortunately, I forgot to send the card out this year.  

Did you create any projects for the 4th of July holiday?

Have a great week everyone!

May 2013 Studio Calico kit - Planetarium

Well, I don't know where the month has gone, but it is way past time for another "what I did with the month's Studio Calico kit from the time the kit arrived until the next month's kit arrived."  So here it is!

This first one is my favorite of the month.  The photos are from a cruise that my hubby and I went on several years ago.  

The page just didn't seem complete until I added the hemp twine across the top.  I think it looks a bit like a fisherman's net - perfect for an ocean page!

This next page documents our New Year's Eve tradition.  We always make Cioppino (a seafood stew) for our dinner.  Sometimes it is the two of us and sometimes we have a party, but we always serve Cioppino!

This next page just documents a Saturday we spent together recently.  I told my hubby that we could do whatever he wanted to do for the whole day.  We ended up going to a concert, going out for lunch, and then going to a movie.  My hubby loves to be out and about!

My last page has a lot of gold, glitter, and sequins!  We went to see the musical "Rock of Ages" when we were in London last month.  Towards the end of the production, there was gold confetti being thrown into the audience.  Of course, I had to pick some up to save for a scrapbook page!  The next day, we went back to take a few pictures of the front of the theatre since we couldn't take any pictures the night before.

I decided to play up the gold and cut my title out of gold POW glitter paper, used the gold and craft paper from Studio Calico, gold sequins and I punched out some more confetti out of the POW glitter paper.  Not my "normal" style (which I'm not sure what that is), but I think it turned out fun!

How many projects were you able to make with Studio Calico's May kit?

Have a good week everyone!

January 2013 Studio Calico kit - Block Party

I've enjoyed putting all of the layouts that I create from the current month's Studio Calico kit all in one post, so I'll continue this monthly feature in 2013.  I only post the layouts that I create from the time I get the kit until the next kit arrives at my door.  This challenges me to get as much done with the kit before I put it away.  I created four layouts and one card with the January kit.

This layout is probably my favorite of the month.  I love the photo of my kitty snoozing in the sun!

I did a lot of hand-stitching on this layout which was time consuming, but a lot of fun.

For this layout, I decided to try using circles.  I had cropped with Jennifer Larson in December and she said she loved using circles on her layout. I never really do, but was inspired to try.  I did some hand-stitching on this layout also.

This patterned paper was bright and fun - I thought it would be perfect for a birthday card.  I cut a circle out of the front of the card with my Silhouette.  The word "birthday" is layered over the empty space.  The word "happy" is actually on the inside of the card.

The last layout "Best Vacation Story Ever" was picked up by Scrapbook Trends to be published in the July 2013 issue, so I can't share it here yet!  

I was pretty pleased getting these five projects done with this kit.  It has been a few months since I got this much done.

How did you do with January's Studio Calico kit?

Have a great week everyone!

Scrappy Resolution 2013 - February

A couple of weeks ago, I posted here about my scrappy resolution for the year.  Every month, I'm going to create a layout or card (or both) using a previous Studio Calico kit from that month. 

This month, I created a layout using the Studio Calico Sunday sketch using products from the February 2010, 2011, and 2012 Studio Calico kits.  Here is the sketch:

My layout pretty much followed the sketch exactly - it made it really easy!

The colors of these BasicGrey and Crate papers made me think of this single photo I have from my first birthday.  I really tried to make the layout look fresh even though the products were older.  

I also made a few Valentine's cards with the kits.  I had remembered that Stephanie Howell had created some fun cards with the February 2010 kit, and lifted them.

I used my Silhouette for the border and they were super easy to put together.  They turned out so cute!  (Thanks Stephanie Howell!)

How about you?  Have you used any product from older kits lately?

Have a great week every one!

Cat Nap

Once in a while, a question will pop up on a scrapbooking message board asking if people create projects specifically to fit a particular call or if they just submit what they have already created.  It usually seems like it is looked upon negatively if you create pages specifically for calls - like somehow it is not as meaningful or something.

I do both - if I happen to have a layout that I have already created that fits the call, I'll submit it.  But lots of times, I'll read the call and it will spark an idea and I'll create a page specifically for that call - and I'm not afraid to admit it!  Some of my most favorite layouts have been created specifically for calls!

The latest call for Scrapbook Trends totally inspired this page.  The call reads:  

Real Life: I Love My Pet - Our pets become members of the family so create a layout to detail your pet's place in your home. Does he/she have a special place to sleep or eat? Any funny quirks? Get them down on paper!

The call made me think of my silly cat Sumner and how he loves sleeping in a sunny spot on the chaise lounge in our dining room.  He will keep moving closer to the edge to follow the sun as it moves and more than once has fallen off of the edge!

I used mostly the January Studio Calico kit on this page, but just a couple of bits from older kits such as the wood veneer "S."  Studio Calico recently stopped giving store credits for getting published in Scrapbook Trends using their kits, and I'll admit that it is kind of freeing!  Even though my main purpose  for getting published was never the SC credit, it was nice.  But now that it isn't an option, I have been finding myself digging through other supplies for something to add a perfect touch.

I put the journaling on a hidden journaling card - I loved the little Pebbles envelope that was included in the kit! 

I love this page to bits even though I created it specially for a call! (Wish me luck!)  So what do you think - is there anything wrong with creating a layout specifically for a call?  What do you usually do?  I'd love to know!

Have a great week everyone!

Scrappy Resolution 2013 - January

A couple of weeks ago, I posted here about my scrappy resolution for the year.  Every month, I'm going to create a layout or card (or both) using a previous Studio Calico kit from that month.  I have been a subscriber for three full years now, so I have a lot of product to choose from!  

This month, I ended up using product from January 2010, 2011, and 2012 on my layout (yay!)  My inspiration came from the wood veneer letters in the 2012 kit.  I had used a lot of them and when I put them away, I had written down a few words that the remaining letters would spell.  The words "SUMMER" and "WI" were both still possible, so I thought I would use those in my title.

I had taken photos when we were in Wisconsin at my parent's cabin last summer of my family playing a game of "yard toss." Outdoor games involving bean-bags are very popular in Wisconsin for whatever reason!  I combined papers from the kits and cut and used a wood-grain paper for the background.

I cut out a sun for my title and hand-stitched a few sun rays.  It was a fun challenge and I'm happy with the results!

I also decided to see what I could do with a couple of remaining items from the 2010 kit.  The kit came with some little school themed cards.  I knew the two that I had left would never work on a layout for me, so I decided to make a card with one of them.  

I also used the last flower sticker from the set, some leftover black cardstock, and patterned paper from the 2012 kit.  The other stickers were from my stash.

How are you doing on your resolutions?  Would anyone like to join me in my resolution?  I'd love to hear about it if you do!

Have a great week everyone!

Doors

I seem to take a lot of photos of my husband in front of cool looking doors when we are traveling.  I don't know  when I started, but when I look back through vacation photos, there are always photos of him in front of doors.

 Craig in front of an old barn door at his grandparent's farm when we were on vacation in Wisconsin.

Craig in front of a door in Florence, Italy.  He doesn't always cooperate when I'm taking photos.

In front of a door in Barcelona, Spain (yes, that's a cigar in his mouth - yuck!)

I decided to create a layout with this door vacation photo after looking through my November Studio Calico kit and seeing the woodgrain paper.  There were enough dark colors in the kit to make a masculine layout.  I added the sticker letters from a different kit because they were the perfect color.

The stars were cut out with my Silhouette Cameo with a design from the "Cut it Out" class from Studio Calico.  I used a few wood veneer stars now that I safely have a package on its way to me from Two Peas.  I didn't know how much I would love them!

Have a good week everyone!

October 2012 Studio Calico - Roller Rink

My November 2012 Studio Calico kit arrived on my front porch Thursday night, so it is time for another blog post featuring all of the projects that I completed with the previous month's kit.

In October I got the main kit and two add-ons (kind of by mistake - I had a code for $25 that expired at the end of the month and forgot to use it when I purchased the first add-on - opps!!)  I have never bought two add-ons before and won't anytime soon - it is WAY too much for me!  I got a total of four layouts and two cards created with the kit.

This layout is my favorite of the month.

I call my little kitty by many names - and usually not by his real name!  I just thought this was a fun way to use the MME "Hello My Name Is" tag.  I cut the tag in half and used the bottom half at the top of the page under the banner.

This page I created with a photo I took of Craig's grandma Mayme on her 92nd birthday this summer.  

I thought the combination of colors and patterns had a very "antiquey" feel to them - a perfect look to scrapbook a layout about her age!

This layout I scrapbooked after Hurricane Sandy.  

My sister has pointed out that I printed "Irene" instead of Sandy - I'll have to fix that at some point!  We were lucky and didn't even lose power or anything.  We did have lots and lots of twigs and branches that we had to pick up this weekend though.

This layout is about my Grandma and Grandpa Booth's kitchen.

I usually ask for my mom's help when journaling about something from a long time ago, but this time I didn't.  I wanted to write down what I remembered without having my memories confirmed or denied.  

My last project was a card for my dad for Veteran's Day.  I was going to make a few 4th of July cards to use up some of the red/blue lined washi in the kit and I realized that the same card could be used for Veteran's Day.

This isn't the card that I sent to my dad - his was on kraft cardstock.  After I sent it, I wanted to see if it would look better on white and I think it does.

Have a great week everyone and enjoy your Veteran's Day holiday!

Grandma Mayme @ ninety-two

My husband and I drove home this afternoon after spending a weekend in Sturbridge, MA for Craig's cousin's wedding.  We were lucky that it was only an hour drive for us.  The rest of the family flew in from all over - California,  Texas, New Hampshire, Michigan, Arizona, Wisconsin, New Jersey, and Switzerland.  We had a great time relaxing and spending time with our family.  

At the heart of the Ledvina family is Mayme - Craig's grandma.  She turned ninety-two this August and is looking as good as ever.  We are so lucky that she is able to fly across the country and attend special events with her family still.

Here is a photo of my husband, Mayme and I from the reception this weekend.

She's the shortest thing ever - so cute!

We were able to be with her on her 92nd birthday this August.  We had a cookout at Craig's parents cottage in Wisconsin.  I created this layout of a picture that I took of her that day.

The layout was created with the October 2012 Studio Calico kit, Roller Rink.  The kit included gold washi, which I didn't initially think I would use.  On this layout, I ended up using it as a border for the photo, the border for the layout, and then I punched flowers out of it and surrounded the photo with them.  I love when I end up using something I normally wouldn't because it came with a Studio Calico kit.

Stay safe for those of you that are in Hurricane Sandy's path!

July 2012 Studio Calico - Elmwood Park

Today I'm sharing all of the layouts that I created with the July 2012 Studio Calico kit, Elmwood Park, from the time the kit came until I received the August kit.  This post is a little late this month due to a vacation last week and really bad internet connection in the woods of Wisconsin!

I absolutely loved Elmwood Park and created seven layouts with it!  In addition to the main kit, I also got the add-on Monkey Bars.

My first layout, "I Took Shorthand," is the second in my random fact series.  The October Afternoon paper from the 9 to 5 collection couldn't have been more perfect for the layout, especially since I didn't really have a photo to go along with the topic.

I used my Silhouette Cameo to cut the circle/bubble cluster out on the layout "The Look of Terror."  It was time consuming to back it with different patterned papers, but I love the way it turned out.

"Laurie's Pond" has some fun misting and I used the Silhouette to cut out some cattails to embellish the page.  The photos are some really old ones of my parents.

I did some fun layering on my layout "Kitty Love."  I loved the Basicgrey paper with the big letters on it and cut them out for my title.

This next layout "The Ledvina Farm" is pretty much a scraplift of "Kitty Love."  I received the cow stamp from a RAK from a SC gal and put it to good use right away!

I used the stamp set in add-on #4 to create a word border on my layout "Topsfield Fair."

My last layout "Quebec City" was spotted by the team at Scrapbooking Mag and will be published in an upcoming issue of their new Ipad only magazine.

I've been on vacation since the 17th and haven't had a chance to do anything with the August kit!  I'm hoping to play with it tonight!

Have a great week everyone!

Kitty Love

I am having so much fun working with the July 2012 Studio Calico kit, Elmwood Park.  I finished my sixth layout with it last night and I have at least one more in the planning stages.  I have so much of the kit left - it looks like I haven't even started playing with it!  I bought one add-on this month - Monkey Bars and I bought more SC paper.

This is one of my favorites that I have created so far.  I cut out the letters for the title from the BasicGrey paper.  The 'o' didn't match the other letters at all, so I cut out a heart from another paper.  

I love the exclusive denim thickers that came with this kit.  I honestly wouldn't have thought I'd like them much, but I have used them on three layouts so far.

The Studio Calico wood veneer birds that came with the kit are so adorable!  I couldn't resist putting a few of them on a cat page.

The August kit arrives at my door on Tuesday, so my next post will be my monthly installment of "what I got done with my SC kit before the next month's kit arrived at my door."  It's going to be a big one this month!

Have a great week everyone!

XOXO

I was starting on my fifth project with the January 2012 Studio Calico kit, County Fair, and I hadn't even touched the BG wooden buttons or the Jenni Bowlin doily flowers.  I liked them, I thought they were super cute, I just couldn't figure out how to make them work on a layout.  I was at work one day and an idea popped into my head that used both of them (shhhh, don't tell anyone I think about scrapbooking while I'm reviewing tax returns!)  I sketched out the idea on the paper pad next to me so that I wouldn't forget it.  This layout is the result.

The 20th anniversary of the day me and my husband met was this last Wednesday.  He was in California on business for the entire week, so I didn't even get to give him a kiss or hug!  I decided to make a layout about how I was feeling that day.  I wrote the journaling on our anniversary and worked on the layout the rest of the week.  The photo is from our wedding eight+ years ago.  

I came up with the title 'XOXO' when I was looking at the remaining SC wood veneer letters that I had. So many X's and Q's!  I realized that the Q's and O's were exactly the same except for the little tails on the Q's.  I broke them off, filed them down, and used them as O's.  (disclaimer - I used the Q's turned O's on a different layout - I wanted to make sure this layout was perfect!)  I traced the flowers onto the AC dandelion cardstock and used that as a backing for the flowers.  I sketched out stems for the flowers and hand-stitched them.  I used the wooden buttons with a bow to 'gather' the stems of the flowers.

Have a great week everyone!

Brenda

Happy Holidays!

I was in Target recently in the cat litter aisle - so exciting, I know.  I saw the most adorable Christmas gear for cats - I immediately thought about dressing up my kitties Sumner and Elliott and taking photos for our Christmas cards for the year.  I didn't buy the outfits that day, I wanted to get my husband's opinion first.  Of course he thought it would be hilarious, so I went back to Target last weekend and bought a Santa hat and beard.

Elliott was really good about wearing the hat and beard.  He seemed to forget that he had them on and just sat there and let me take pictures of him.  Sumner was good for about 30 seconds before he started to try to get the hat off.  I got a few pictures, but he looks pretty angry.  Normally, he is the sweetest kitty!

I used Shutterfly to create the cards and they are pretty adorable.  I'm happy to be getting them out on time this year!  I decided to make a layout with the photos.

I used the Studio Calico December 2010 kit, Metropolitan.  When I was in the beginning stages of planning this layout, I decided to take a peek at the SC Sunday Sketch which I rarely participate in.  The sketch made the creation of my layout really easy!

My favorite  item that I used was the green glittery trim from the kit.  I never would have thought that I would use this embellishment, but it worked perfectly on this page.

I'm heading to Wisconsin on Friday to visit my family for the holidays.  I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!

Brenda

Ho ho ho!

I thought I'd share a Christmas card today that I made quite a while ago.  I had received the reindeer sticker on the card in a care package from Making Memories when they sent me a new Slice to replace the broken one that I had.  Around the same time that I got the reindeer sticker, Cards was having a style challenge to use green, red, brown, and reindeer on a card, so I thought I'd try it out.  This is the card I came up with.

The green and red patterned papers are from a company called Memory Box.  The background die cut stamp and the fabric brad are both from BasicGrey.  The pin is from Maya Road.  I cut the "ho ho ho" shape out with my Slice.  

I'm so glad that I saw this challenge otherwise I don't know if I ever would have used that sticker!

Have a great week everyone!