STS Birthday Challenges

As I posted earlier this month, that May is the 2nd birthday of Stuff to Scrap! That means there were lots of challenges, chats, and speed scraps. If you participated in at least 6 of the 9 special birthday challenges this month, you get a MEGA kit for free...it is this ADORABLE fairy tale kit! It has absolutely everything in there! :-)

So here are most of them...this one is the Use It or Lose It Challenge. They give you a mini kit and you have to use everything in the kit on the layout at least once.

Spumoni Gardens 2 Mini by Jensen Motley Crew Designs

This one is for the Song Lyrics challenge. The song was "For the Longest Time" by Billy Joel. The lyrics from the song that I chose to use were

"And the greatest miracle of all
Is how I need you
And how you needed me too"

Formal by Digi-Designs by Nicole

The next challenge I completed was the Font Challenge. The font was called Angel Tears and can be found here if you like it. I was doing a two page spread and really love how the layout turned out, problem is, I don't really like the font on it! lol I mean, I LOVE the font, but just not on THIS layout! So I have already changed it for when I print it out.

Little Men by NitWit

This challenge was called the Recipe challenge. Here are the ingredients we had to use:
1 - one-word title
2 - photos
3 - unique shapes
4 - papers
5 - ribbons/bows
6 - flowers
7 - other embellishments (frames, buttons, stitches, leaves, etc.)
And here is what I came up with.

Circus Fun for Everyone by Growing Pains Scrapped

And the last challenge that I completed this month is the Ad Challenge. They gave us an ad, which happened to be a diapers ad and asked us to find inspiration and create a layout based on it. The part of the ad I took the inspiration from was the wavy lines and the large picture. I totally LOVE how this layout turned out! I love that I used the wavy lines and the large picture. Once I picked this picture and the kit the layout came together so quickly! I am THRILLED with it!

Tattered Frannies by NitWit

The other challenge I completed this month I already blogged about in this post. That makes all 6 challenges I needed to complete to get the MEGA kit, can't wait to get ahold of it! :-)

Scrap N Chat 5/29 and Speed Scrap 5/31

On Sunday May 29th at 10pm EST, Scrappin Serenity is hosting a Scrap N Chat as part of the Stuff to Scrap 2nd birthday celebration! Please click on the link to be directed to Stuff to Scrap and the Birthday Challenge forum.
Scraps N Pieces is so excited to be hosting the last speed scrap of the
month on May 31st! Here are the details. Click HERE to head to the forum at
Stuff to Scrap.

and here is a look at the participation prize. Half of this kit was
given away earlier this month as a birthday gift and the other half is
available now as the participation prize for the Speed Scrap, so be sure to
mark your calendars so you can get the rest.

Speed Scraps Galore!

This weekend there were 3 speed scraps (well Saturday, Sunday and Monday, so I guess not completely this weekend lol)

Here are the instructions for Saturday's Speed Scrap:
STEP 1: Find at least 3 pictures or more, in sequence, that tell a story.
STEP 2: Find 3 papers, at least one must be patterned.
STEP 3: Use the pattern paper for your background and then stack the other 2 on top, making the top paper smaller than the one beneath it so you can see the paper behind it.
STEP 4: Arrange your pictures in sequence in the center of your layout, so it tells a story.
STEP : Duplicate the following elements and use them on your layout however you want: a scattered element (bead spill, sequins, confetti, etc.), texture of some sort (stamp texture, paint splat, glitter, etc.) and an element of your choice.
STEP 6: Also use 1 button and another element of your choice, these are NOT duplicated.
STEP 7: Add a title that goes with what is happening or what they are doing in your pictures, along with journaling and a date. Don't forget your drop shadows.

And my page!

Hello Easter by Digi-Designs by Nicole and Scrappy Cocoa

Here are the instructions for Sunday's Speed Scrap:
1. Select 4 papers, use one for the background and two of them cut out big shapes and place in the middle and off slightly to one side. (set the other one aside for now).
2. Select one photo and do some kind of photo treatment on it, Frame it with the other paper or with a frame.
3. Use at least 3 stitchings somewhere on the layout - it can be the same stitches or different
4. Select 5 other embellishments, repeat one at least 3 time and put them on your layout however you would like.
5. Make something hang off the edge of your layout or make a small cluster on one of the corners.
6. Use a tag someplace on your layout and add a title with an alpha or font.
7. Add journaling (if your would like) and any finishing touches - shadows, etc...

And my results!

Best Friends by Digi-Designs by Nicole

And finally Monday's Speed Scrap Instructions:
1. Choose 1 or 2 photos and at least 6 papers (at least 1 being a pattern paper). Layer 3 papers as your background using one pattern paper.
2. Place your photo or photos on the bottom half of your page either off to the right or left side. If you are using 2 photos, they must be touching.
3. Cut circles out of 3 of your papers. Place 1 behind the photo(s) so that it is sticking out somehow. Place the other 2 circles on the top half of your page on the opposite side from where you placed your photos. The circles should be off the side of the page and overlapping each other in some way.
4. Create at least 4 additional layers behind your photos using papers (the papers can be repeated from the circles or background papers), ribbon, ric rac, stitching, etc.
5. Create a cluster of at least 4 unique elements on the side of your photos closest to the edge of the paper. Create a smaller cluster using 3 elements on the other side of your photo(s). Create a third cluster up by your 2 circles.
6. Add at least 1 background element to the page. Add some sort of fastener (stitching, staples, etc) to fasten down the background papers.
7. Add a title using an alpha. If it is more than 1 word, only use the alpha for 1 word and use a font (or more than one) for the other words. Add drop shadows, the date and journaling (if you want) and any finishing touches.

What I created!

It's Elementary by Designs by Dani

Mother's Day Gifts 05/2011

For Mother's Day this year I decided to make these mini albums for both mom's. I love how they turned out. The purple one is for my mom, of course, since she LOVES purple! :-) And the pink one is for Kevin's mom. I realized after I made hers that it is the same paper/scheme as the explosion box I made her last year. :-) So they match and she has them in her cabinet together! :-)

She is so fun to watch open these types of gifts as she has the best expressions! :-)

Speed Scrap at STS 5/23/11

Speed Scrap at STS on 5/22

Holy cow this is going to be the speed scrap weekend!! lol Here is another one!

BAK Sale at Stuff to Scrap

There is a Build A Kit sale at Stuff to Scrap. All kits are on sale for $1.00 on May 21st and May 22nd only. Hurry and snag them while you can, this is a great deal! The flyer is linked.

Speed Scrap Saturday at STS

Digi-designs by Nicole is having a speed scrap hosted by her CT Admin. I hope you can all join in for some fun. Take a look at the participation prize below. Hope to see you all there.

Teacher Appreciation Gift 5/6/11

I loved the altered chipboard I made last year for Tye's teacher so I decided to make another one for his teacher this year. While my friend Carol was here visiting we went to a LSS and I found all this paper and stickers for first grade/teachers. So I used it to make the clipboard. I love how it turned out and she did too! You can click on the picture to see it better.
These are the flowers and the buttons and the ribbon at the top of the clipboard and it says "First Grade".

This is the ribbon at the bottom and the sticker that is a pencil holder and a small milk carton with a plant growing in it! SOOOOO adorable!

And then I went ahead and did the back too. I am not sure the "Miss" part stands out very well, but it is what it is. I wasn't sure what to do because she is getting married this summer, but I don't know what her married name will be so, I couldn't put it!!! lol

We gave it to her after school, so it was just us in the classroom.
She was super excited!

Tye had to examine it...he had not seen the final product.

It took us awhile but we were finally able to convince Tye to get his picture taken with Miss Paugh and her new clipboard.

Then, of course, Tye wanted to take our picture! lol

I went into the classroom the following Thursday and noticed she had it on her desk with some papers clipped to it and then the next day, Friday, she was using it during the reading groups and one of the kids asked her where she got it. So she told them and showed it to them. One of the girls said, "I want one!" lol Uhhhh nope! lol Anyway, I am glad she liked it. :-)

Cards, Cards and More Cards

Well I have been super busy making cards the last couple of months...between family and friends I will have made and sent out 16 cards for April and May birthdays! Yeah that is a lot of cards. So here are some. I will try to put who I sent the cards to if they have already been mailed, if not I will try not to state who the cards are for.

The first one I sent to one of my online friends--I honestly cannot remember which one though! lol (I think either Alicia or Marilee) I am not sure if I like the pink or the purple buttons better! lol I like them both! I think the purple buttons stand out better, but with the pink button I think the ribbon stands out more! lol The purple button card is still in my stash to use at a later date.

I copied this card design from my online friend Marilee (yep the same one from above). The sticker set came with 3 sets of balloons/stars so I went ahead and made two of them at this time.

I made two of these one I sent to either Alicia or Marilee...like I said I can't remember who I sent which one too! lol The other one is sitting in my card stash.

This is one of the two cards I made for my dad. This one was from Kevin and I and the other card was from Tye. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of it. I asked my parents to do it and they did, but I haven't received it yet. I will post it when I do! :-) If you click on this picture you will see the washer that I stamped "DAD" on it! I thought it was super cool!

I had some leftover stickers from a set that Kevin's mom gave me. I decided to use them and make a quick card. :-) I saw this card some place else with a stamp I think it was on the middle piece. But I decided the stickers worked just as well. Especially for a cute Thank You card. :-) I ended up using the card with the butterfly on it for Tye's teacher for Teacher Appreciation week.

During general conference I decided that I could be doing something while listening/watching the speakers. I had some leftover paper so I started creating these cards. This is the same design as the card above, just different papers and such. :-)

Here is the other set of cards I made with the leftover paper. I LOVE the stickles I put on the candles! Makes the flames so fun! :-) You can click on the picture to see it more up close.

This card is made with the left over paper from the other card I had made my dad. I will end up giving it to my brother for his birthday. Hopefully he doesn't look here before I send the card to him, I don't think he looks here often, if at all, so I think I am safe. lol I know you can't see the stamp so well, but I wasn't sure how else to do it. I like the stripes and the dots with the different color buttons. :-)

Here is the boy set just like the birthday girl set above. I finally got some blue ric rac so I got them done. I made all of the 3 sets of balloon stickers into cards, so I have a stash! I also went ahead and finished up the final set of girl balloon stickers so I had some more on hand! :-) I didn't have any stars left, so it is a bit more plain than the other two, but oh well, it works just the same.

I saw these cards on a blog and asked the girl how she did them and so she gave me the link to the tutorial she made showing how to do the pinwheel card. I really love how they turned out. I bought enough to stuff to make them for card club, whenever we end up getting together again to have card club! :-)

My niece had her birthday on Wednesday and like I said I had so many cards to make, I actually have all the cards made for the end of the month, but had not made the cards for the first two birthdays of the month of May...oops! lol Sooooo I was going to make a dance birthday card, but I didn't have any stickers or cricut cuts to be able to do that. I asked my friends if they had the dance carts, but they didn't have it. Then I remembered I had bought these lady bug stickers specifically to make my niece's birthday card. Since before she was born she has been called "ladybug". So it is easy for me to buy stuff for her and make cards (as long as I remember about them! lol). So I used my cuttlebug and embossed the card and then sanded it to show the green core through it. Then put the stickers on and the label. I think I finished the card in about 5-10 mins! It was super quick and easy! Glad it came together so great!

Now to the other May birthday that I did not have the card already done for. I was going to do a cricut cut and started looking at carts. I saw my Mini Monsters cart and started looking through it to make a card. When I realized that there is an actual monster cart cut!!!! OH YEAH, another easy card ahead! lol So I cut all the pieces and assembled the whole thing in abt 15 mins. Then I stickled the eyeballs on it! lol If you click on the picture you can see the stickled eyes! I love how it turned out!!! I sure hope Taylor likes it when he gets it!