I am a Twisted Sister!

I have been holding this in for a couple of weeks now and I'm so excited to be able to announce that I am a Twisted Sister, designing for Twisted Sketches!! There will be a new sketch posted every Wednesday (with a new card sketch posted on Saturdays), and each one with have its own twist.
You can find the current sketch here; sketch 114 was the DT application and you can see everyone's super creative take on it! This was mine:

The twist is vintage, and my take on the twist is the photos--this is me and my paternal grandfather in 1978. I have so many fond memories of playing with Grandpa in the pool! He passed away nearly three years ago now, but I haven't been able to bring myself to scrap these yet. It felt really good--I sure do miss him!
The little fish were fussy cut from Fancy Pants Beach Babe papers, as was the big wave/flourish shape. I added some jewels and buttons, tore the edges of my white base and then added a blue behind; the edges of the blue were inked in a lime green (chalk in from the dollar bin at Michaels). Thanks for looking!

It's been too long!

Wow, we hit Spring Break, and then the end of school just smacked me upside the head! I've been busy busy busy juggling both girls with me at home AND at work. I've been stuck in that ridiculous Midwestern heat wave that's been deep frying us here in Michigan for the last week and a half, and boy, does that really take it out of you! I haven't been crafting as much as I'd like to, but I have a few projects that I'd like to share. :)

I made this mixed-media piece for my daughter's dance studio. They have a silent auction each year at the spring recital; the funding goes toward field trips, scholarships for dance camps and to bring in special instructors for classes. I used a lot of paint, Mod Podge, patterned paper (Imaginisce), ink (Staz-On, Distress Ink), stamps (Glitz), stickers (Jolee's)...oh, it was fun. And the best part was that it brought in the second largest amount at the auction!

My dad and his girlfriend decided to have a commitment ceremony rather than a traditional wedding last summer. We had a family reunion at my dad's campground (Long Lake Outdoor Center); it was a wonderful weekend! I used some heavy Distress Inking, bubble wrap painting and a bit of burlap under the photos. No patterned paper in this one! (Bazzill, Prima, Distress Ink)

Hmmm...ok, I think one more :)

The girls and I stopped for lunch one day at Panchero's and the baby was in such a happy mood! She was laughing and making faces at her sister. My girls love their Mexican food; Evie like quesadillas and Ellie likes beans! This layout was made with my June 2011 Scarlet Lime kit; all kinds of goodies from Sassafras Lass, Glitz, Basic Grey, and more. I added some Glimmer Mist and badges from American Crafts.

I challenge you!

It was 80 degrees in central Michigan just over a week ago. We had snow on Monday. It's not really been terribly cold (40s), but with the damp it feels so chilly. I think it probably has something to do with our minds knowing that it's supposed to be spring, too.
So who's with me in shaking the blues (and the chills!) with a little scrappy challenge? One of my favorite challenge sites is The Color Room; each week, they release a sketch with associated color palette. I love their sketches, and trying to stay within the palette is a real challenge. I almost never get them done on time, though, so I'm challenging myself (and you!) to tackle this week's palette:

Maybe these bright, summery colors will cheer me up!

I also have a layout to share with you; I won a prize pack full of the new Beach Babe line from Fancy Pants on Facebook a bit ago, and used it for some old summer photos of one of my sisters and me. I love how this turned out; the colors, papers and embellishments in this line are sooooo fun!

This collection has a whole package of the cutest, coordinating chipboard banners! I painted the edges of mine in a lime green. I was also super excited to finally use some teeny little clothespins that my friend Heidi gave me a while ago!

Someday...

I just love these photos of the baby...with the weather finally nice enough to go out and play, Evie has been spending time in the backyard. Ellie isn't jealous, but she loves to stand at the sliding doors and watch Sissy playing! She bounces, shrieks, bangs, and babbles at big sister. I love the bottom photo because you can see her cheeks all puffed up because she's grinning at her big sister. :)

This is based on a Page Maps sketch. I thought these Fancy Pants Road Show papers captured the mood I felt with the photos: joyful, because my babies are happy, but also a little somber because they're growing so fast. Before I know it, both of them will be running free out there. It seems like they need me a little less every day. I've been doodling a lot lately, and I really love how it works with this design.

Another little angel

Happy Monday?
I'm beating off my case of the Mondays with some scrap therapy! I made this for the May Guest DT call over at Sketchy Thursdays, using their sketch:

Most of this is just simple layering; I did use some decorative scissors around the border. The center is Puerto Rico Glimmer Mist underneath my "stamp"--a felt coaster and some white paint. I free-handed the clouds from some coordinating paper (all of these papers are Creative Memories Wishes & Dreams). The final touch was picking out some of the stars on the background paper with silver blending filament. :)

My Birthday Girl

I can't believe my itty bitty baby girl is a year old!
To celebrate, we had a one-derful (haha, aren't I funny?) birthday party with our family and friends. Ellie got to attack her very own chocolate cake. I'm sure you'll see photos in upcoming layouts. :)



I created this layout using one of my favorites from her one year photo session. I love that I can take my kids into the studio whenever I want!!
To create the blocks on the background cs, I used three shades of Glimmer Mist and four sheets of scrap cs/cardboard. I blocked off the areas I didn't want Glimmer Mist-ed and sprayed away, one block at a time. The patterns within the blocks were made by a napkin used as a blotter. After it all dried, I doodled the black lines around the blocks.
This design is loosely based on a sketch from The Color Room (Palette 51). I love their sketches, and need to make a real effort to get my interpretations on sketch and palette done BEFORE the deadline! ;)

Miss Art's Papercrafting School

If you haven't yet, check them out! The site will go live May 1 with exciting classes and kits :)