Party Pants

Hello friends!

You will find me over at the Ink Road Stamps blog today with this fun, rainbow page!

You can see more details on the Design Team blog. These fun stamps just bring out my rainbow side! Go treat yo'self!

Peace, Love & Rainbows, friends!

Fussy Cuttin' with IRS

Happy Friday-eve!

I just wanted a quick post about my layout that is on the blog over at The Ink Road. It's all about fussy cutting the new alpha stamps. Ahhh the new collection is so amazing. You should definitely go buy it! Very versatile.

Here's my layout:

Visit the blog at Ink Road Stamps to see more details and see how I patterned the outline alphas!

All Around Best Bro - a Lasting Memories challenge

Happy Sunday everyone!

My goodness, I cannot believe September is almost over, along with my first month on the Lasting Memories Design Team. Time flies when you're having fun!

Today I have another layout I created for this week's challenge - "All Around". The theme is directions - anything goes. Or you can use circles. I actually used the word Around in my layout.

My sweet scrappy friend/pen pal, Cherylsent me a fun happy mail a while back that had these great 6x6 papers in it. We both have boys to scrap about, so they're perfect.

A few weeks ago, I was listening to Live Inspired and Tracie was talking to Crafty Jen Schow and mentioned that she did a YouTube series where she demonstrated different ways to use her 6x6 paper pads. I watched one of the videos, and it did have good ideas. I'm sure she probaby used them this way as well, I just layered them all behind one another to spread across the page. I actually cut some of the larger bits that were hidden behind layers to paper save.

I have seen this little quote about brothers and superheros pop up in different places, and I knew I wanted to incoporate it into my page. However, while I was designing the page, I really didn't have a space for it. So, I improvise. I just created a 6x8 page, and I plan to mirror against my 12x12 in my album.

I used my Cricut and free fonts from dafont.com to create the page. I have had the chipboard elements for forever - I picked them up from a Scrapbook Clearance store a while ago. They went perfectly with the great superhero papers. I cut the capes from one of the superhero papers.

I super love how the spread turned out. I hope you have been inspired to create with us over at Lasting Memories!

Supplies:
Gray cardstock - CraftSmith by Michaels
Superhero cardstock - Bazzil
Gray alphas - Amy Tangerine
Red foil alphas - Thickers by American Crafts
Superhero Chip board - American Crafts.

Thanks for looking!

Get UP! A Lasting Memories Challenge

Happy Hump Day (how is it hump day already?!)!

Today I have a very exciting announcement. I'm a new member of the Lasting Memories Design Team!

The sweet owners, Michele and Karen asked me to be a member of the Design Team, as they new me from a previous Guest Design Team contribution I did in June. This challenge blog is so wonderful and inspiring, I had to say yes! I am part of Team A, but I may very well be creating with Team B at times because the prompts are so fun!

I wish I could have made this announcement the day of the blog post announcing my new status, but we were out of town "roughing" it with no wifi! So here's a link to the wonderful Lasting Memories blog & my first challenge on their design team.

This month's theme is Directions & the first challenge is about going up. My layout is about GETTING UP on Christmas morning!

I just love my son's sweet little face as he's coming down the stairs to see what Santa left!

I can't get enough glitter Thickers, am I right?!

I popped up my sequins with some little foam adhesives. You can never have too much glitter or sparkle!

Yesterday Halloween crafts, today Christmas - You never know what I'm creating when! Haha

Supplies:

Background paper - The Paper Studio
Red glitter Thickers - American Crafts
Sequins - Basic grey
Frame - Simple Stories Say Cheese collection
Christmas tree - Recollections at Michael's

Thanks for looking & I hope you will play along at Lasting Memories!

Toes in the water, Toes in the sand - a SBC sketch

Today we have another great sketch to start your week over at Scrapbook Challenges!

I love a good 4x6 photo layout, so this was right up my alley. I used my cricut to cut the title. I have had the plastic storage circles for forever & was excited to finally use one to hold some seashells we found on our trip. The little flower came from a cute scrapbook store in Maui (back when we did cool things like that before children...), and I used my trusty old dictionary to stamp the boat at the bottom.

Thanks for looking & go try out the sketch!

Out of my zone - A double page spread - SBC sketch!

So today I completed a DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD layout for a Scrapbook Challenges sketch & it was intimidating at first, but has turned out to be one of my favorites!

I used to do double page spreads all the time about 7 years ago, but have gotten away from them. However, this Flashback Friday sketch was calling my name (and a few special Halloween party photos), so I gave it a try!

Seriously, how cute is that minion and that Snow White!? I just love those babies!

I used my FAVORITE Halloween paper from Carta Bella. The background paper was in a box of paper from a garage sale, but the other pages coordinated so well with it! The sweet black vellum letter stickers are from Studio Calico.

I had picked up this gorgeous orange glitter tape a while ago at Michael's, and the swirly background paper just coordinated perfectly with it! I layered a few black puffies on top & perfect - the sketch's "stand out" photo was done!

Thank you for looking! Go participate over at Scrapbook Challenges - even if it's outside your comfort zone - you may be surprised at yourself!

A mood board page - St. Patty's day green!

Today's challenge at Scrapbook Challenges is a March mood board.

I love the colors & they are perfect for my newborn son's baby album.

I used a 12x12 Studio Calico paper pad & cut down the papers. I especially love the green flower embellishments I picked up on clearance at Hobby Lobby!

Hope you're inspired to create today!

Thanks for looking!

Adventure Ahead - a SBC sketch layout

Happy Friday!

Today's layout is from a Flashback Friday sketch over at Scrapbook Challenges.

I love the Scrapbook Challenges blog because it's so flexible. I didn't have 3 photos to fit this sketch, but never fear! Use a journaling card!

Ahhh we're all dreaming of a beach getaway right now!

Thanks for looking & have a wonderful weekend!

A Design Team!

I am so incredibly excited to announce that I am part of the Winter/Spring 2016 Design Team over at Scrapbook Challenges!

March is going to be a great month of challenges - I've already really enjoyed making layouts with the prompts. It's so hard keeping them to myself until the reveal!

Nice to check off one of those New Year #goals I set a couple of month ago!

Thanks for looking!

My first sketch challenge!

I found this lovely website called Design Team Calls that tells you of upcoming try-outs for design teams, as well as current challenges on scrapping blogs. Yes, please! I picked some fun challenges that I'm planning to try this month. I've never done one of these, but worth a shot. It's been kinda fun so far!

I completed the July sketch challenge at Boys Rule Scrapbook Kits blog. I loved it! I ended up using some of my scraps stash & it came together really quickly!

I love the bright colors for Easter/Springtime. It's hard to not use too many "girly" colors for my boy pages, but my boy says pink is his favorite, so I guess I shouldn't worry about it too much! He might mind more in the future though...

One more of a close up, just because I love his silly, cute face in this photo!

If you're lacking for some inspiration, or even just need a way to get some pages done quickly, I highly recommend a sketch challenge. It's fun & the composition is already done for you!

Thanks for checking in!
~*Natalie*~

Back on the blogging wagon

I have had this little gem for a bit, ever since I traveled abroad during college & wanted a way to share my journey with my family and friends back home. It has been neglected for many reasons. The main reasons being time & lack of important things to say that could not fit into a short Instagram or twitter post. Oh & a toddler. It's hard to get much of anything done with those running around. (And somehow we thought it was a good idea to create another one!? Haha, j/k. I'm excited. And oh-so-ready for #2 to arrive.)

Well I've recently been super interested in other blogs & contemplating going out to be a design team member for some of my favorite products. From my research, a blog is a basic necessity for the design team member, so I'm relaunching! I hope to gain a few followers, to inspire & be inspired! I plan to use this blog now to post projects I've completed for myself and some for contests or whatever else fun inspiration I find online. The travel blog of yore must take a backseat since we do not travel as much due to the aforementioned little ones. However, I will be posting my scrapbook pages of the travels we do encounter, so it's a bit of a two birds, one stone scenario.

Thanks for reading!