Hey, Friends!

It's my turn on the Sketches in Thyme blog, today, sharing my layout for this fabulous sketch by Laura Rumble.

I had these photos of one of my boys, who was looking quite handsome in them, I thought. As a matter of fact, I had wanted to make the title of my layout 'Handsome Highwayman', but decided that it was too long for the page. I might go back and add 'handsome' in as a smaller word strip, or something, but then again, maybe not. :)
This guy of mine loves to design costumes and can be found as a character from a recent book, or when there is no new inspiration, a character from Star Wars, on any given day. Just the kind of thing a mom wants to document!

I chose Whisper White cardstock, from Stampin' Up!® for my background, used the packaging technique to create the watercolor splotches behind the photos, and then watered down some Folkart Pure Gold acrylic paint to make the gold splatters.

I did a wee bit of stamping behind the photos, just three little impressions from one of my favorite Stampin' Up! sets (Organic Grace-retired), just to add a bit of interest and visual dimension to the background.

 All of the embellishments were printed from digital kits. That fabulous antique pistol is from the Cedar Creek elements kit by Raspberry Road Designs. (Sadly, this kit is no longer available.) All the others are from various kits at Pixel Scrapper.

I cut the title on my Sizzix Eclips using the Emillia Script font using Basic Black cardstock from Stampin' Up!.

When it came time for the journaling, I liked the clean look of this layout so much, that I just couldn't do all of that writing around the edge, so I added my journaling to the back, instead.

That wraps up my layout for this sketch. I hope you enjoyed seeing it and you are inspired to come play with us at Sketches in Thyme!

Until next time!
Elizabeth

GATHER | Sketches in Thyme #380

Hello Friends and Welcome!

Today is my very first turn to share a layout for the Sketches in Thyme design team using this sketch created by Brenshevia.

And here's my page.

I knew right away what photos I wanted to use for this project.
We just moved to a new house, and I'm pretty excited about it. I decided to create an album to document just the house - what it is like now, and all the changes that we make during our time here.

I've been watching Nathalie DeSousa (one of my favorite YouTube scrappers) create some amazing layouts in her Life Crafted Album by Citrus Twist Kits, so I decided to use the same binder for my album.

To create my layout for this challenge, I started by rotating the sketch 90º to the right so it fit better with my page size of 5" x 8 1/4".

I used mixed media paper for the background and added some watercolor splotches using a blue ink to match the sky in the photo of our house.

For the papers, I looked through some digital scrapbook papers from various designers at Pixel Scrapper and decided on the green and the white washed brick as the main papers to use for this page. A few scraps of other digi papers mat the photo.

Next I went to some old Citrus Twist Grace Box kits to pull out embellishements from the Jen Hadfield Home + Made ephemera pack, and the title from the Pink Paislee Auburn Lane puffy stickers. Oh! And one of those iconic Tim Holtz tickets made the layout, too. :)

Lastly, I diluted some gold acrylic craft paint to add splatters to the pages.


For the left page, where I put my journaling for this two page layout, I used the SIT sketch #379, deisgned by yours truly.
Because of the small size of the page, I simplified the layering quite a bit, and chose not to use the word strips at the left of the sketch.

I love using sketches because they can save a lot of time when working on a project. I hope you are inspired by this layout to see that you can use a 12" x 12" sketch for projects in other sizes.

Until next time!

Elizabeth


CREDITS
Decorative Label Punch (retired) - Stampin' Up!®

Rumpel : A Not Fairy Tale

The problem with having a daughter who is a writer is that she tends to rub off on me.  And yes, I'm not sure if I like that.

So, what's this all about?

My eldest daughter is immersed in blog land in several capacities that all center around writing. Her latest endeavor is a blog focused on all things fairy tale. (If you want to check it out, visit the Fairy Tale Central.)

The featured fairy tale for April 2019 is Rumpelstiltskin, and, in coordination with the FTC, this same daughter is hosting a writing prompt on one of her other blogs, Intuitive Writing Guide.

Yes. You guessed it. The 'rub off' this time is that I couldn't resist taking the challenge and writing a scene for this prompt.

Without further ado, a scene from Rumpel, by yours truly.

Margrate stared at the letter. Sweat began to bead along her lip and brow and her lungs started gasping for breath. Fifty thousand yeflin was a lot of gold! Where was she going to get all that money? How was she going to get it? Her nerves shifted into overdrive and sweat began to roll down her back, too.

“Calm your self, Margrate. There has to be a way to do this. The children of Glashbain are counting on you.”

Margrate took a deep breath and willed herself to stop shaking. A few paces around the room didn’t do much to help counter the raw adrenaline pumping through her body.

Fifty yeflin in two weeks. It was impossible.  And yet, she had to do it.

Another trip across the room and she turned to pace back to the other side of the attic.

Margrate screeched with fright when she saw a man just to the left of the door, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

“Really.  I’m not that frightening, am I?”

While Margrate worked at breathing in order to calm the thudding in her chest she studied the source of the question.  A shock of blond hair fell across his brow, drawing attention to the green eyes framed with light brown lashes. The intensity of those eyes was softened by the lines feathering their outside corners, but it was so slight that one could miss it. That fact left her wondering if she should take him at his word, or trust her gut, which was telling her that this man was not someone to turn your back on.

“That all depends.” said Margrate.

The man quirked a brow in question and Margrate found herself answering that question, almost against her will.

“Why are you here? And who are you?”, she said. Drat! Why do I sound like a teenager scared to answer truth or dare?

“The name is Rumpel.”, was the terse answer given. “And I’m here because I was informed that you need some gold.”

SOME gold, thought Margrate.

“What does that have to do with you? And how did you know that? And how did you get in here?” Sheesh! Couldn’t she just have a minute, just ONE minute to catch her breath and settle her mind so she would quit sounding so ridiculous?

“I’m here to make you the gold you need.”, came the reply while not a muscle moved in the man across from her.

Margrate shook her head and spit out the first words that came to mind. “Yeah, right! And I’m going to be crowned queen in three weeks time.”

The subtle change on Rumpel’s face could have been considered a smirk, if he wasn’t doing such a good job of imitating a statue. And now that she thought about it, he hadn’t told her how he knew what she needed, or how he got into the attic room.

“Regardless of your future plans, you need the gold before then, so I suggest that we get to work. Give me your necklace, please.”

“What! No way! And wait just a minute! How did you know about my necklace? And what do you want with it?”

“It is gold, isn’t it?”

“Yes, but … Wait! Aren’t you going to make gold for me?”

“That is the bargain, yes.”

“Then why do you need my gold necklace?”

“Do you want my help or not?”

Not sounded pretty good to Margrate right about now. No way, no how was he getting his hands on the only thing she had left of her mother.



Do you know what the really bad part is about this? I'm not a writer. But now I want to finish writing this story.

Ugh!!
Whoever said children get easier as they get older might not know what they are talking about! LOL

Thanks for stopping by for a visit.

I hope you have a fantastic week!

Sketches in Thyme : Sketch #360

It's sketch time over at the Sketches in Thyme blog!

This week's sketch was created by the lovely Shawn Lahr.  Isn't this fantastic?

Come on over to see what the Mavens have done with it, and remember, there's a new layout made from the sketch posted every day, Friday through Thursday.

Want a link right to each Maven's layout?  Here you go!

Maven Colleen  •  Maven Anna  •  Maven Angela

Maven Elisabetta  •  Maven Carolyn  •

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Elizabeth

Sketches in Thyme : I'm a Sketch Designer!

One of my ambitions for 2019 was to become amember of a design team ... somewhere.

I know.  That is not a very precise goal.  But it wasn't really a goal.  Just an ambition.

I'm very, very pleased to say that that ambition was realized last week when I was invited to be a sketch designer for Sketches in Thyme scrapping challenge blog.

I am beyond excited to join all of these ladies in bringing scrapbooking sketches and inspiration to crafters on a weekly basis.

 

Be sure to come over and check out the latest challenge.  We'd love to have you join us!

 

October Challenge Cards : Joyful Christmas Wishes

I'm participating in some card challenges at Scrapbook.com.  Since it's October, already, I decided that most, if not all, of the cards I make are going to be Christmas cards.

The basic card design was inspired by this card, which was chosen for me in the Gallery Inspiration challenge. 

XOXO
by Chantallemcdaniel
Scrapbook.com

I used the color palette from the Inspirational Card Challenge and came up with this card using the above card as a sketch.

This poinsettia stamp set is one of my all-time favorite Stampin' Up!® stamp sets, so I knew I would be using it for several cards this year.

I love to use gold emboss powder to stamp the flower a couple of times, and then cut them out and layer them using Dimensionals.

I wanted a patterned vellum for the bottom triangle of the background mat, but didn't have any, so I used my VersaMarker to make dots, and then heat embossed with a fine gold powder to create my own patterned vellum.

I stamped the sentiment for the Joyful Christmas set and die cut it using a Spellbinders die.

Lastly I added some yellow glitter glue to the flower center for a little bling, and just because it was awfully plain without it.

Obviously, I need to find a better adhesive to use under vellum, because the spots of adhesive from my ATG gun show through loud and not-so-clear! lol

If you aren't already a member of the Scrapbook.com crafting community, I hope you'll check it out.  It's my favorite place to join in the challenges and share my love of scrapping, both cards and layouts.



CREDITS:
Stampin' Up! : cardstock (Cherry Cobbler, Garden Green, Whisper White), Joyful Christmas stamp set (retired), Early Espresso ink, gold emboss powder, Scalloped Tag Topper punch, Stampin' Dimensionals

DCWV : design paper from The Christmas Stack

Spellbinders : Nestabilities Label Fourteen (retired)

Hampton Art, Studio G : glitter glue

Greeting Card Set: A Birthday Gift

Hi all!

Been a while since I've posted anything here.  A l-o-n-g while.

I had considered combining all of my blogging into one place, and making that place my business site at Shepherd's Song Creations.  I stopped posting here, for that reason, but I've decided I don't like that way of doing things.  I'm the type of person that compartmentalizes things, and so I seperate 'personal' and 'business' as two different categories.  I know that in this day of personal branding, there is the trend to merge the two, and market 'you', but that just isn't the way I work.

And so, although I may (and probably will), make reference to some things going on in the business category on this blog, and include links to my site, the projects that you see here are in the 'personal' category; just the things we do for fun, family, or friends.

So ... here is the first bit of fun I have to share!

I've taken the plunge and started a YouTube channel: Nutty's News  (genius, yes?) ...

...  and here is a video share of a recent project.

Three P's challenge: Frosty Feathers

Hi everyone!  Today is the day for the big reveal.

The first challenge has gone live at Three P's challenge!  This blog is all about getting together your Pages, Pocket Cards and Pictures . . . Three P's ~ how cute is that?

Join us two times a month, on the 1st and 15th, for fantistic fun and scrapping inspiration.

The first challenge is Frosty Feathers: include a bird somewhere on your page, and add some frost or bling with glitter, rhinestones, or something else that sparkles.

And here is my page for this challenge.

Now it's your turn!  Come over to the Three P's blog to check out the other projects and be sure to join us yourself!




 Credits:
All supplies and tools are from Stampin' Up!®

Documented Faith: A Stall??

I really entered into this adventure with a lot of enthusiasm and ambition.

I'm not sure if it was reality bringing me down to earth from the clouds where I'd been soaring for a while, or if it was some stumbling because the enemy was trying to trip me.

Whichever the case, I've had a lot of reflecting, praying, searching and deep conversations going on this week.  I know God is doing great things right now, I'm just a little fractious over the fact that an uphill climb isn't a steady upward incline.

There are often little dips in the slope that actually cause you to go 'downhill' for a while.

This is a very good reason why we must remember to have God's perspective...

		Documented Faith Week One ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Some Verses A Few Praises

This week's verse, as well as the Isaiah verse, have been a great foundation for me to start with this year.  It's the plans that God has for me that I need to focus on so I can really embrace WHO that makes me, in Him.  And I need to remember, the way is in the wilderness and the stream is in the desert.  Guess that means everything won't look so pleasant around me!

Coming soon!

It's only a secret for a little longer.

Check back here on January 15th to find out what it is, and just how big it is!

See you then!

In a 'Nutty'shell: 2014 in Review

Well . . .

There wasn't a whole lot going on in my blog this year. 
I started out with some scrapping, dropped in now and then to share a project, and then decided, toward the end of the year, that I was going to be more consistent with my blog.  Which now becomes the resolve for this next year.

My word for this past year was 'Diligence'.  Although my presence here has been sporadic, and really, my efforts in several areas of life this past year have been so, I still feel I have arrived at the end of 2014 with a better grasp of that word, and how I need to implement it regularly.

One of the things that helped me with that was a goal-setting webinar I saw, given by Amy Porterfield and Michael Hyatt.  It was very encouraging, helped me organize my thoughts and how to act on them in the coming year and confirmed for me that many of the traits I have that some people consider to be 'perfectionism' or 'controlling', are really just a good grasp of the details that are part of a project or situation, and how to move through those to accomplish a goal.

I'm really looking forward to 2015, not only because I'm joining many other ladies for Documented Faith, but also because it's a chance to take what I've learned this year ~ the seeds planted, and put them into action next year ~ see the flowers bloom!

Fairwell 2014!

See you all next year! 

Documented Faith 2015: Getting Started

It all started with this post on my blog ~ here ~ where a friend made a comment.

Which lead me to ~ this post here ~ on her blog.

And then, to ~ this post here.

And now, you are about to follow the rest of the story as it unfolds.  Yes, I joined Stephanie, my friend Rushed Lady, and many others for Documented Faith 2015.

God is so good to bring to us the things we need, at just the right time.  And Documented Faith is one of those things.  This past year has been one of many where I was battered and bruised by an enemy who never fights fair!  But the whole time I have been clinging to a promise God gave me in 2011.

So many times I have thought I was seeing the fulfillment of that promise, but then the rug was pulled out from under me.

Ah! Yes!!  The epitome of 'the trial of your faith'.  I've matured in many ways through these years, and I'm looking forward ~ yes, I said 'looking forward' ~ to what this next year holds. 

I don't expect any less battles, but I do still have Faith ~ hope for the unseen.  Maybe this is the year that promise will be fulfilled.  I know it will be a year where I celebrate me ~ The Me that is a Princess ~ a daughter of the King of Kings, and that in itself is going to make it a year worth remembering.  But now I have a group of other women who are walking the same path, that of Faith, however that plays out in their lives, as a support group.  There is comfort and strength in those numbers.

So ~ sit back, grab a cuppa, and hold on!  This could be a bumpy ride.  Or it could be a 'Happily Ever After'.

Maybe it will be a little of both.

		Title Page ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Documented Faith 2015

Life, Friends & Love: The Color Throwdown #323

Hello!

I've been getting inky again.  This time I'm playing along with The Color Throwdown, specifically ctd323.

I was a bit disappointed when this challenge stopped using Stampin' Up!® color names for the selections, mainly because I eat, sleep and breathe Stampin' Up! colors for my scrapping, so it was super duper easy for me!  Now I have to work a little more! LOL
I do understand that many players had the opposite perspective, that they felt stymied by those names, felt like they had to use those colors, and maybe some didn't play because of that.  Thanks ladies, (over at CTD), for recognizing that and reaching out to those crafters.  Sharing our creativity with others who understand and appreciate is what it's all about, after all.

And now, on to my creations.  More pocket cards!  Yah!

I used Kiwi Kiss, Blush Blossom, Rose Red and Very Vanilla for my color selection.
While I was looking through my stash for some Rose Red cardstock, I came across a package of Cameo Coral.  yep!  I think I might be making another set of cards substituting that for the Rose Red.

Flower punches are always a favorite, pearls a must, and some gold embossing is a special treat for any project.

 

I'm really reflecting on the 'Life Happens. Love Helps.' sentiment right now.  Love is so powerful, and not just the love God showed when He gave us His Son, born in a stable and cradled in a manger, and ultimately crucified on the cross to pay our debt of sin; but also the love we demonstrate toward each other.  It covers a mutlitude of sins, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things and endures all things.  Even the rough places in relationships, circumstances and the world around us.

The Greatest of these is Love . . . . What Christmas is all about.

Merry Christmas!

Credits:
Stampin' Up!®: cardstock~Kiwi Kiss, Blush Blossom (both retired), Very Vanilla; ink~Kiwi Kiss, Blush Blossom, Rose Red (all retired), VersaMark; stamps~Vintage Vogue (retired), Petite Petals, Bordering Blooms; punches~Petite Petals, Boho Blossoms, Decorative Label, Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack, Elegant Butterfly, Scallop Edge Border; gold emboss powder, basic pearls, basic rhinestones

Scraps: dark pink cardstock, gold cardstock

Mojo Monday meets Project Life®

It's been a long time since I've played with any challenges.  I had to step back from them for a while because of all the things demanding my time, but it's something I've missed.  I know I need some 'me' time.  Time to put aside the load I carry on a daily basis and refresh my perspective, my emotions and my attitude.  What better way to do that than to indulge in some creativity??

Which means I have decided to play along with some challenges again, and the first project I created this week is for playing along with Mojo Monday #376.

This is the sketch Julee created . . . . .

. . . . . . and this is the Project Life card I created.

I dug into my scraps ~ Yeah!! ~ and didn't cut into a single big sheet of anything to make this.  One of the things I like about creating PL cards is how many of my scraps are used up. 

I plan to use this one as a mat for a photo but don't know which one.  I'm just going to add it to my PL stash, and see where it fits sometime.  Who knows.  It might wind up with a verse, or sentiment, or date, or title or something on it.  At least it's some scraps out of the folders and into a creation . . . . . some 'me' time taken . . . . . and sweet time spent being creative.

Credits:
Stampin' Up!®: Cardstock ~ Whisper White, Pistachio Pudding; DSP ~ Venetian Romance; Victorian Crochet Trim; Basic Jewels Rhinestone; SNAIL®; Dimensionals; Envelope Punch Board (for rounded corners)
Petaloo: flower

Project Life: Nutty Style

I just read a very inspiring post at This Blog.  I know it's a few months old, but it is timely for me.  You see, I've gotten hooked on Project Life®.....Sort of.

Sort of??

Yah!  I still like to make traditional 12x12 layouts, but I also like the ease of Project Life.  So what do I do about it??  Combine, of course!

Now, I also have YEARS of back scrapbooking to do.  And the post mentioned above fits, because it gave me some ideas for how to organize all that history so I can actually accomplish the scrapping.

These are my first three goals:

These are baby steps, but you have to crawl before you can walk . . . . . I am going to do this!

Pink Bauble Earrings: Craftsy Class by Aga Kruk

I really, really, really  like earrings.  Especially dangly ones...and big hoops.  There's just something about the swing and sway of some fun and pretty gems hanging from your ears.

And my little girls really, really enjoy choosing earings for me to wear.  They take turns and even though each one has their personal favorites, which tend to be chosen more often than others, they all recently agreed on one thing.

"Mom, you need new earrings."

Yep, they decided the selection was rather poor, and I should do something about it.

I've made myself earrings before, but was running out of ideas for anything 'new' and didn't want to make any of the designs I'd done previously.  Then I received an email from Craftsy for a contest, (This was a while ago!), where the winner would receive some classes from their wishlist.  Weeeelll...I didn't have any classes on my wishlist so I clicked on over to Craftsy and did some browsing.  I put a few classes on my list, and Wire-Wrapped Stones, Crystals and Clusters by Aga Kruk was one of them.

I didn't win the contest, but I did wind up purchasing this class and I'm thoroughly enjoying it!  For one thing, Aga and I share a Polish heritage.  I love listening to her accent! =)
For another, her designs are so fresh and lovely, and I wind up with lots of ideas flying through my head every time I watch a session.

These earrings are the result of the first project lesson, and I love them!  A bit of wimsy, a little romantic, and a whole lot of fun.......to make and wear!

I've already started branching out and creating some of my own designs using the techniques Aga teaches in this class.  And I'm really looking forward to the next session.  Who knows what will wind up in my jewelry box next!

A First Knitting Project

Here it is!

One of my little girls, who thought she didn't like knitting, has finished her first project and isn't so intimidated any more.

I'm very happy to say that she is giving this to a friend and is very pleased that she was able to make such a special gift.

As for me, this is not a first project, but it is a first shawl for another little girl who informed me that her sisters each have a shawl that I made for them, so now it's her turn. 

As soon as I finish this, I'll cast on some mittens to keep little fingers warm this winter.

Nesting, Nesting, Nesting

No....NOT because I'm expecting! lol

I just want to spruce up my homey place.  The fact that the comforter on my bed has large holes appearing in it every time I pull it up at night means I also have a need to spruce up some things around the house.

I have a new quilt all planned, and even lots of fabrics chosen for it.  We'll see if I have enough...or wind up with a reason to spend some money!  =)

I've also been browsing Pinterest, the Antique Pattern Library, Ravelry and my own hoard of crochet pattern books for some lovely edgings I can put on pillowcases, a bed ruffle and window trimmings.

I have lots of ideas in my head and have even gotten started!  Here's a peak at a filet crochet panel that will be part of a bedspread.  I'm still working out the details...whether it will be all crochet, or crochet panels alternated with fabric panels, but I've started and I am really enjoying the quiet time to work on it, as well as seeing my time and effort grow into something pretty.

The pattern for this panel can be found in Grand Album de Modèles pour Filet No. 3, (chart No. 45 on page 12 of the PDF.) edited by Edouard Boucherit and available for free at the Antique Pattern Library.  (Scroll down the page of the first link to find the file listed under the editor's name.)

Thanks so much for stopping by today.  Happy Spring!

makin' tracks

Here's another scrapbook page.  Yah!  I've been pretty productive lately!  But, if you read my last post, being productive with the scrapbook pages means I've been accomplishing things elswhere, too!

I used Creative Scrappers Sketch #259 for this LO and will be linking this up over there.

Since I tend to invest my money in paper, ink and stamps, all the phrases have been stamped and cut out by hand.  The title was cut with my eclips.  I had tons of fun making this LO.  It came together very quickly and that has added to my excitement to finally be putting some pages together.

Thanks for stopping in!

Credits:

DP: DCWV Stack 8

Cardstock & punches: Stampin' Up!

Stamps: Close to My Heart

Title Font: Kimberly Geswein~KG The Last Time