Halloween Configuration Book

Richele Christensen (http://californiaartgirl.blogspot.com) posted some awesome tutorials on building a Halloween Configuration book.  it was awesome!  Mine isn't done all the way - I need to go find some cool Halloween items to fill in the rest of my boxes.  Here it is so far!

Centipede #3 - Kit building

My girlfriend and I have a standing monthly crop date at our local Archivers store.  I used to pack all kinds of stuff, without much plan of what I was going to do... results = lugging a bunch of unused stuff + spending extra money in the store because I didn't have what I really needed.

So I started kitting up projects - usually I'll start with a photo or a sketch or a layout I found on a blog somewhere that I wanted to use as a starting point.  Then I'll go thru my stash and start pulling papers, alphas, embellishments, etc that I think I might want to use and create a kit from that.  Then when I get to my crop, I have a stack of 5 or 6 layout kits ready to go!

Here is an example of a kit I put together for a pumpkin patch layout I wanted to scrap.  I started with some photos of my boys that I knew I wanted to scrap.  Then I went thru my "inspiration pile" -  a stack of printed layouts, sketches, etc from teh internet and a pile of magazines, looking for a layout that uses 3 pictures that fit my photos.  Then I found another sketch that I wanted to use of embellishments run down the left side of the paper and went from there.

Here is what I pulled from my stash and tossed in the bag for this layout:

And here is the finished layout!



 

 

Centipede... bodies 1 & 2

Cropping last night gave me a chance to get started on my Centipede finally :-)

First challenge was to try something new & get messy.  I signed up for the Art Class with Wilna workshop over at 2 peas in a bucket.  An awesome mixed media workshop filled with lots of fun techniques to use on scrapbooking pages.  One of the chapters involved using Masking Fluid on your layout page to highlight a quote/title, then add water color over the top.  When you remove the masking fluid (basically dried rubber), it leaves an awesome mask of the quote.  Here is my take on the challenge!  Totally love the technique and will be definitely trying it again!

Natalie issued another challange to use the oldest product in your stash.  I happen to have a tub full of Scenic Route Alphas - I dug those out to put a title on this page....  also these pictures are well over 6 years old as well :-)  

So my poor little centipede only has two bodies at the moment!  but it is a start!!!

Happy Sunday!  Off to cheer on the Houston Dynamo soccer team today!

JBS Centipede + winners!

New game in town over at the JBS website....



Lots of fun & interesting challanges....  I must get started on some of them :-)

But firstly, I have stamps to mailed out to Evie (artfulscrapbooking) and Lori!  Send me your addresses and I'll get them in the mail this week :-).  You can email me directly at ritatimmons@swbell.net.  Congrats ladies!

Now back to the laundry....

Another UFO + giveaway

Still cleaning and sorting thru all the crafting stuff that I have managed to accumulate over the past 6 years since I started scrapbooking.  Holy cow!  How did I get some much stuff??!!??

Anyways, I found this layout kit from CKC 2007 and finally finished it!  2 points to me!

AND since I have FOUR BOXES of stuff that I don't want anymore... I am having a giveaway (and another point to me :-) )...  this is a brand new stamp-n-up set, never used!  I'll pick a name on Sunday.

Calvinball stats:
Blogging 14
Layouts 16
Cards 14.5
Other misc 30

total points = 74!!  apparently I can't add... not sure how I came up with 80 on Wednesday :-)

Better Watch out Doris

What a crazy weekend!!  Soccer games... weddings... zoo trips... church... egg hunts... easter bunny pictures... not sure we could have fit anything else in this past weekend!

Spent some time last night trying to clean up my mess I made moving my craft room.  I came across an old basic grey kit I had bought and BAM - a finished mini album from our spring break - 18 PAGES - 9 points baby!  WHOO HOO!

Sure pays to clean out a box or two sometimes!?!

I've also finished 3 layouts in the past week and on this one I made my own embellishments.  While cleaning I also found a picture frame I made at CKU in 2009(!).  The cool techinque was making butterflies out of paper flowers + gem stones + rhinestones.  So 2 extra points to me - 1 for cool embellie and 1 for using vintage stash - I figure something squirelled away for 5 years counts as vintage stash right??.

Oh yeah - this photo is from Thanksgiving holiday - another bonus point to me!

I also made 4 Easter cards last night to send to my family.

Blogging 13.5
Layouts 14
Cards 14.5
Other misc one time points 29

total points = 80!!!

Hump Day....

i started another layout today but soccer practice got in the way of completion....  spent all afternoon cutting out easter stuff for decorating bags at church - that deserves a point.  and my son turned my scrappy space into a lego creation center, so of course I had to stop everything and build legos with him :-)  if i go blog about it, that is another easy point.

if doris gets birthday points, then we should get birthday points if we wished her happy birthday on FB, right?? LOL.  I hope it was a good one!

Blogging 13
Layouts 11
Cards 12.5
Do gooder 3

use photos within 1 week of taking them 1
scrapping past my bedtime 1
shopping 2
scrapping with kids 2
household chores while scrapping 1
using at least 5 jbs products on the page 3
Scrap in public 1
Schedule scrappy play date 2
Tech for sake of scrapping 1 
Cleaning up after myself 3
Eating chocolate 1
Other misc one time points 3
total points = 60.5

A march JBS layout

Here is a layout I made mostly from my March JBS kit.   I scraped a rectangle of gesso on the paper first, then sewed around it to make a place to build my layout.  I cut the title out with my cameo.

Blogging 12
Layouts 11
Cards 12.5
Do gooder 2
scrapping past my bedtime 1
shopping 2
scrapping with kids 2
household chores while scrapping 1
using at least 5 jbs products on the page 3
Scrap in public 1
Schedule scrappy play date 2
Tech for sake of scrapping 1
Cleaning up after myself 3
Eating chocolate 1
Other misc one time points 3
total points = 57.5!

Survived Monday

Wow - amazing how stuff piles up when you take a week off :-)

But I did manage to finish another layout this evening and started another one!!  need to make a birthday card tomorrow for my mom too.

Calvinball points....

Blogging 11
Layouts 10
Cards 12.5
Do gooder 2
scrapping past my bedtime 1
shopping 2
scrapping with kids 2
household chores while scrapping 1
using at least 5 jbs products on the page 3
Scrap in public 1
Schedule scrappy play date 2
Tech for sake of scrapping 1 (will explain next weekend when get back home and can do photos)
Cleaning up after myself 3
Eating chocolate 1
Other misc one time points 3
total points = 55.5!

Spring Break Almost Over :-(

As the end of Spring Break approaches, I finally found the top of my new crafting table and was able to finish a layout!!  This one is inspired by one done by Doris - just love it.  It is a couple pictures I took of the boys exploring in the state park this week - we had a great trip to Chicot State Park for a few days - A bit cold in the mornings, but nice afternoons.

While there I finished 12 Easter cards and 12 Easter tags (a kit I picked up from Archivers).  Also worked on a mini album - will post about that after I finish the journaling.

Calvinball points....

Blogging 10.5
Layouts 9
Cards 12.5
Do gooder 2
scrapping past my bedtime 1
shopping 2
scrapping with kids 2
household chores while scrapping 1
using at least 5 jbs products on the page 3
Scrap in public 1
Schedule scrappy play date 2
Tech for sake of scrapping 1 (will explain next weekend when get back home and can do photos)
Cleaning up after myself 3
Eating chocolate 1
Other misc one time points 3
=54 POINTS!  not bad for taking a week off :-)

Spring break!!!!

First official day of our spring break trip... Chicot state park here we come!

Calvinball status:
Scrap in public 1
Schedule scrappy play date 1
4 layouts 4
Tech for sake of scrapping 1 (will explain next weekend when get back home and can do photos)
Blogging today 1
Cleaning up after myself 1
Eating chocolate 1
Scrappy shopping 1
= 11 points!!!'  Not bad for a days work :-).

Scrappy Play Date

Off to scrap at Archivers!  Hopefully I get some layouts done so I can win some actual Calvinball points that are legit :-)

And 4 hours later....

This is what I have!  TA DA!  Awesome new scrapping table!!!

Now if only a genie would come move all my crap and organize it for me :-)

New Scrappy Space!!

So my son thinks he needs his own room (he is 10 1/2) and that means I lose my current scrapping space.  Since I am getting kicked out to the family room, the compromise was that I get a real crafting table.  Enter IKEA and this fabulous kitchen island.  Of course now I have to put the darn thing together... will send before/after pictures when I am thru.  but here is a peek....

Jealous??

Calvinball Points - the easy way

So I don't even have to scrapbook and I get to earn points - i love this game :-)  The real points will come Saturday night at my monthly crop trip to Archivers!!

linking fellow calvinball players and/or this post on your blog 1

entering scattergories - I did the letter E 1

doing your scrappy shopping at jbs - had to use my gift card :-) 1

1 point for planning a scrappy playdate - friend & I are going to Archivers to Crop Saturday night 1

and one for technology!  will report on it after I am done... been wrestling my new silhouette cutter and made myself a mask, which I will use to stamp thru.  hopefully works out as cool as I hope it does 1

Calvinball points:
Blogging 6
Layouts 4
Cards .5
Do gooder 1
scrapping past my bedtime 1
shopping 1
scrapping with kids 1
household chores while scrapping 1
using at least 5 jbs products on the page 1

linking fellow calvinball players and/or this post on your blog 1

entering scattergories - I did the letter E 1

doing your scrappy shopping at jbs - had to use my gift card :-) 1

1 point for planning a scrappy playdate - friend & I are going to Archivers to Crop Saturday night 1

and one for technology

=total 20.5!

stuck....

Started new layout... stuck on details to add.

On the good note - Dynamo won their game tonight 1-0!

Calvinball points:
Blogging 5
Layouts 4
Cards .5
Do gooder 1
scrapping past my bedtime 1
shopping 1
scrapping with kids 1
household chores while scrapping 1
using at least 5 jbs products on the page 1
=total 14.5!

School Report Layout

Another layout!  Inspired by this digital layout by Celeste Smith @ JBS:  http://www.jennibowlinstudioinspiration.blogspot.com/2013/02/another-great-digi-sale.html

Mine is all traditional paper - lots of JBS goodness, both old & new included.

While I was formating this picture to add, got lost in the old pictures... can't believe how much my boys have grown!

This one was taken on Sunday, March 4, 2007

 

 This one was taken February 20, 2013

Calvinball points:
Blogging 4
Layouts 4
Cards .5
Do gooder 1
scrapping past my bedtime 1
shopping 1
scrapping with kids 1
household chores while scrapping 1
using at least 5 jbs products on the page 1
=total 14.5!

Another Weekend Over

Sunday night... another weekend behind us.

Here is a card I made for Megan's Bridal Shower on Saturday:

Blogging 3
Layouts 3
Cards .5
Do gooder 1
scrapping past my bedtime 1
shopping 1
scrapping with kids 1
household chores while scrapping 1

Calvinball day #2

Today started out well... made a card for Bridal Shower and finished cutting out stuff to decorate Easter bags at CCE class tomorrow.  Then the nice weather and text from a friend at the bar totally derailed me... oh well. Was beautiful outside sharing a few beers with a couple of friends :-)

Blogging 2
Layouts 1
Cards .5
Do gooder 1
scrapping past my bedtime 1
shopping 1

New Online workshops!!!

Ania-Maria is hosting a new online workshop at EntreARTistes site that starts on March 11.  She has one of my favorite scrapbooking styles- I love her work!  It is so amazing and fun and messy.  I am a sucker for online classes and thinking about taking this one as well :-)


Here's the link to the class info:  http://annamariawolniak.wordpress.com/2013/03/02/new-online-workshops/

Have a fun scrappy weekend!

Calvinball 2013!

It's BAACK!  It's going to be a great month over at JBS forums!