Natalie means Christmas Day - GDT at Lasting Memories

I am so happy to have the opportunity to be a Guest on the Design Team at Lasting Memories this month. It's a really great Challenge month on this blog, and I hope you all will play along. The theme is "All About Me".

Today's Challenge reveal is "The Meaning of My Name," which I love because I love the meaning of my name! It describes me perfectly. My name means "Christmas Day." I absolutely adore Christmas. I could (and do) listen to Christmas music all year round. I love glitter and sparkle, and what other time of year is more sparkly than Christmas?! The smell of Christmas makes me smile, and I literally just adore everything about the holiday season.

I always knew my name meant Christmas, but when I took a Portuguese class and learned that Portuguese for Merry Christmas literally contained my name in Portuguese, Feliz Natal, I always loved that. So I incorporated that phrase into my paper with my Cricut.

This photo is of my husband and myself last Christmas. For our anniversary in October, he bought me tickets to two different concerts, combining my love of great music, Nashville, and Christmas songs! This is the two of us before we went to one of the shows - Drew Holcomb & the Neighbor's Neighborly Christmas at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center. (The dress and no leggings was because it was unseasonably warm - there was a tornado warning!) The other show we attended was a Johnnyswim Christmas at the Ryman. Both super great!

I journaled about my love of Christmas and the concerts on the page here.

Supplies:

Papers, acetate holly - Studio Calico
Fabric tape - stash from garage sale
Name paper - The Paper Studio Off the Bolt

I'm excited for the rest of the month's challenges at Lasting Memories - go play along!

Boy Mom - A Stick it Down Challenge

I used another sketch from Stick it Down for today's post. Not gonna lie - their prize this month is quite enticing!

This is a photo from Mother's Day - my first as a Mommy of two boys!

My journaling talks about how I'm officially a boy mom now, and I must accept all of the things that come along with that blessing. I'm a pretty girly girl, so it will be an adjustment, but I wouldn't have it any other way!

This sketch was different than what I normally use - what with the big circle, but I love how it turned out. I've been enjoying seeing inspiration lately with using threads and textiles a lot on a page, so I tried to do that a bit here with the thread on the wood veneer pieces. I also used some stamping with gray ink as subtle embellishment to bring together the gray on the page.

Supplies:
Paper, home stamps, chipboard sticker, wood veneer, labels - Studio Calico
Alphas - American Crafts
Journal Card - Me and My Big Ideas

Thanks for looking!

Show me your MEME face

Today I have a layout created from the sketch over at Sketch~N~Scrap.

I took this photo of my son on a trip we took a few weeks ago, he was giggling and being so happy, so I snapped a few really quick. When I reviewed the photos again, I about died laughing at this face he was making!

I laugh so hard every time I see this picture! I think it would be a hilarious meme reaction. Actually a friend of mine uses as such in our texts!

I love Crate Paper's Wonder collection, which is what I used for this entire page, except for the alphas, which are Studio Calico.

This was a fun sketch to throw together as we wrap up National Scrapbooking Month.
Thanks for looking!

Happy Family - May Counterfeit Kit Blog Hop

Thanks for visiting today! The Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog hop is underway. You should have arrived here from Elaine's blog.

I used my Sparklers kit to create a fun layout using one of the sketches from the Counterfeit Kit blog.

Here's the original sketch:

I didn't have small photos so I improvised. I cut the cute little polaroid frames from my cricut.

And that gold glitter ribbon is to die for! And the puffy stickers - oh so cute!

Supplies:

Paper - Crate Paper Confetti stack
Glitter and turquoise ribbon - Maggie Holmes
Frames - cut with Cricut
Happy, alphas and star stickers - Studio Calico

Here's a list of all the blogs in the hop in case you get lost!

CKCB
Jemma
Tina
Jane
Julene
Elaine
Natalie <--You are HERE
Lisa <--- Go HERE next!


Thanks for looking!

Welcome to Diagon Alley - a SBC sketch

Hullo everyone!

Today we have another fun layout from my birthday trip to Universal Studios and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. It was so fun! I'm such a HP geek & all the details were just great and like the books.

As guests at one of the Universal Resorts, we were allowed 1 hour early entrance to the HP section of the park. So this photo was taken when hardly anyone was in the park, then we rode the Escape from Gringotts ride without hardly a wait!

I found a fun paper pack from Reminisce (I bought mine on Amazon) with Harry Potter themed papers and a sticker sheet. That's where the brick paper came from.

Here are a couple detail shots

The little calendar I got on clearance at Hobby Lobby, and I love that it has the HP feel, but I could still write just a tiny bit of journaling to tell where we were. I'm planning for a pocket page on the other opening for more details. Pocket pages are not as fun, so I am always later to getting around to making those.

I want to keep with a certain vintage, antique, musty, dusty, distressed theme in my HP pages, so the clusters of objects arose from that idea. I grabbed some fabric, a ripped dictionary page, a glitter tape from an old headband & even the metal wrapping top from a bottle of wine! Haha - sometimes being a pack rack pays off and I finally use all the silly bits I save..

So the paperclips used to hold the clusters together came from my Nana's house when we cleaned out her belongings after she passed earlier this year. The funny thing is that for some reason I remember those triangular paper clips from my childhood. I'm not sure at all why, but I specifically remember her showing them to me and thinking they were neat because they were different. I'm glad I have a few to use in my memory keeping now. :)

Supplies:

Brown cardstock - CraftSmith by Michaels
Brick Paper - Reminisce Wizard101
Kraft Paper - Studio Calico
Orange Cardstock - the Paper Studio
Calendar bit - 7 Gypsies
fonts - dafont.com, written by Cricut
Other bits as listed above

Thank you for looking and go play along at Scrapbook Challenges!

Weasley's Wizard Wheezes - a SBC Sketch

Today I have a page from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter! My husband booked us a no-kids trip there for my birthday this year & we had a blast. The Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley villages in the parks were amazing! I was very pleased with the level of detail and how authentic they made them.

I love that this is a Flashback Friday sketch on the diagonal. I have noticed that diagonal sketches are trending in scrapbooking lately, so I guess it's just back!

I saw the round graphic on pinterest and scraplifted it on my Cricut. You can find the original inspiration here.

Here are some details:

Supplies:
Wooden Paper - Crate Paper Wonder Stack
Background Cardstock - DCWV Coral Couture
Background Patter paper - Crate Paper Wonder Stack
Semi-hidden journaling tag - Studio 112

Go play along with this fun sketch!

Thanks for looking!

Choo Choo Journey - a DCWV Challenge

Today I have a fun page to share that I created for the May challenge over at Die Cuts With a View. For their challenge you create a page using mostly DCWV stack products, and the sketch they provide. I really love how my page turned out - the vintage feel I love.

We recently visited the TVA Rail line in Chattanooga & rode a train. It was super cool. My 3.5 year old loved it. You can go around the train yard and see inside the different cars.

Here is the original sketch:

I busted out and oldie, but goodie stack - The Main Street Stack, which is premium and has yummy felt embellishment on some pages! I also used a tiny bit from the 8x8 Travel Stack.

I've been seeing rolled paper straws in layouts trending lately, and I love it. I just had to try some of my own. The green ended up looking a big like money I think.

I had to move the title down since the paper had its own border, but I thought it was so perfect for the vintage feel I wanted with these train photos.

Paper - DCWV Main Street Stack and Travel Stack
Stash cardboard
Stash Brown Scroll label
Wood Veneer letters - Studio Calico
Brass Brad - Spare Parts by the Paper Studio

There's still time to play along at the DCWV blog!
Thanks for looking!

Hello Kitty - Cute as a Button!

Today I have a 3 challenge layout! I created this page of me with Hello Kitty on my birthday with the sketch from Grand Diva's Creative Corner for this month.

I also used the mood board over at Creating with Paper and More. The colors were so fun & bright - pink, lime and turquoise. There were ribbons and buttons on the board - all just screaming the level of cuteness of Hello Kitty!

I also used this layout to participate in the This or That Challenge over at Through the Eyes of Rochelle Spears. Her Challenge was buttons or flairs - and it inspired my title!

Supplies:
Patterned papers - Pink Paislee, Studio Calico and Chickaniddy
Pink Letters - Studio Calico
Glitter aqua letters - Heidi Swapp
Turquoise letters - Amy Tangerine
Tickets - Studio Calico

Thanks for looking!

Discovery - a Stick It Down Sketch Challenge

Today I have a fun layout created from a sketch over at Stick It Down. Their double page had one page that looked exactly like a Project Life page I have, so I used the pocket sleeve for one side of my layout.

My page also works for the This or That Challenge over at Through the Eyes of Rochelle Spears. For May, the challenge is to use Buttons or Flair, and I used buttons on the left page.

I custom made the top left pocket card from a paper stack & cutting out patterned papers.

Here are a couple close ups of the embellishment details. I added some thread to my buttons & the ampersand chipboard for some added texture.

Supplies:
Patterned paper - Studio Calico
Chipboard, yellow thread, puffy alphas - Studio Calico
Pocket Cards - Me and My Big Ideas
Wood Veneer Circle - Dear Lizzy
Clips - Around the Block
Black and white thread - Target

Thank you for looking!

Hoppy Easter - a NSD challenge!

I'm still catching up on all the lovely National Scrapbooking Day Challenges from Saturday - they're so fun!

Today I'm sharing a layout I did with a grid design for the 4pm challenge over at the Scrapbook and Cards Today Magazine blog.

These little boogers posed for me on Easter Sunday in their Sunday best and a colorful spring layout was definitely needed for their fun little photo.

These are a couple of detail shots of the grid. I got the cute little egg and carrot on super clearance at Michael's after Easter!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Studio Calico
White word paper - Pink Paislee
Colored pattern paper and transparencies - Studio Calico
Stickers, Chick, and Washi - Studio Calico

Thanks for looking! There is still time for you all to play along!

Crazy Love - a NSD challenge!

So I was out of town for National Scrapbooking Day, but admired all the creations, inspirations and challenges from afar. However, I realized that some deadlines for submissions for NSD challenges could still be attained, so here goes!

I got this lovely cut file for FREE over at The Cut Shoppe. There were a few sweet goodies in the file to choose from, but I picked Crazy Love.

What a perfect title for this sweet photo?! This was taken in the hospital when my little boy, Lachlan, was born. His big bro, Heath, wanted to help feed him, and CRAZY LOVE describes just how much love I have for these boys & their love for each other. I'm sometimes a little jealous that my baby loves his brother more than me! haha!

Here are a couple details.

So I also happened to use my May Counterfeit Kit, Sparklers. I tried this fun bokeh stamp technique on my background paper from the Forgeries on the Fourth post for the month. I think I still need a bit of practice, but it will do for this page! I love the contrast of color with the black and white title. And that was a fun theme in the inspiration kit for the month.

Suppplies:
Cardstock - Studio Calico
Stamps/Ink - Studio Calico
Orange/Yellow watercolor paper - Amy Tangerine
Black and White title paper - Me and My Big Ideas
Cut File - The Cut Shoppe
Fabric stickers - Amy Tangerine
Enamel dots and starts - Studio Calico

Thanks for looking!

Fall Festival - A SBC Sketch Challenge

I love today's fun sketch over at Scrapbook Challenges & I used some DELICIOUS papers I just picked up at the fabulous Studio Calico Warehouse Sale! Seriously - the sale was so fun!

That metallic copper star paper caught my eye immediately! And I love how the vellum lets the stars shine through. The original sketch had a doily, so I went with it and the metallic theme I had started and now I have a glittery, starry night at the Fall Festival. My son and I were minions, and the hubs was supposed to be Gru, but the bald cap didn't work so well...

Here are some details:

Supplies:
Black Star Cardstock - Studio Calico
Triangle Vellum - Seven Paper
Black and Silver Chevron - Me and My Big Ideas
Silver Doily, silver tag and white alphas - Studio Calico
Orange glitter tape - Recollections
Stick pins - Tim Holtz

Thanks for looking & hope you're inspired to play along!

Worth it! - A SBC sketch

Hello!

Today we have a layout from Hawaii for a sketch challenge over at Scrapbook Challenges.

Somehow all my Hawaii pages end up in the orange/pink/red family! Ha - these were also pre-kids (sort of, prego here), so my husband and I were in front of the camera a lot more.

The title of this page is Worth It because it was a struggle to drag my prego butt up Diamond Head on Oahu, but the gorgeous view was totally worth it!

Supplies:
Cardstock - The PaperStudio
Patterned Paper - unknown
Hawaiian flower and Heart chipboard - Me and My Big Ideas
Red and Yellow cardstock - DCWV
Vellum Stickers - Amy Tangerine

Go play along on with the sketch crew!
Thanks for looking!

Sparklers - a Counterfeit Kit

Hello, and May the 4th be with you!

Today I'm sharing with you the Counterfeit Kit that I created for this month & a scrapbook page I made with it.

I love how fun and bright this kit is, and it's clearly meant for scrapping celebrations.

Here is the original inspiration for this kit, I took some from each kit/add-on.

Here's a couple more shots from my kit:

I recently acquired the Maggie Holmes "Confetti" Stack and it was so perfect for this CFK, I hardly needed more. I tried to put in a good mix of the soft aquas and corals with the bold black and white patterns. I added some funky alphas, some banner stickers like in the embellishment kit, and of course we needed some confetti for such a festive kit! Hopefully I will find a good way to use it...

I went ahead and created a layout with my kit too. This is my Mom with my newborn back in November. I'm trying to use more of my favorite colors (coral and aqua) in my scrapbooking, even though I have two boys.

I love these alphas from Studio Calico, and had to wait to get some more at the sale to use multiple letters!

Supplies:
Camera Paper - Amy Tangerine
Other Papers - Maggie Holmes "confetti"
Alphas - Studio Calico
Paper Ephemera - Crate Paper "wonder"

Thanks for looking!