Beautiful Boy

Way back at the beginning of October I won a free Scrap kit from the Fiskateers and Little Yellow Bicycle. First, a little plug. If you're not a Fiskateer, check it out over at www.fiskateers.com. Tell them Samantha T. #6363 sent you. The unique thing about the Fiskateer community is that it's all about people who 1. Love Fiskars and 2. Love to craft. This is not a paper crafts only community, it's people who love to sew, knit, do floral arrangements, and/or paper craft.
Also, if your not familiar with Little Yellow Bicycle, you can check them out here. LYB does beautiful papers, funky embellishments, and (my personal favorite) fabulous board books. They even have paper that's pre-cut to fit their mini books. I've made quite a few baby books for gifts this way!
Alright, on to the layout I promised. The hardest part about this layout was deciding what to use. The scrap kit I won was so packed full of beautiful papers and lovely embellishments from LYB's Autumn Bliss line that I couldn't decide what not to use! I know you've all been there...you just can't decide which side of a double sided piece of paper you like better.
First up is a page called Beautiful:That Beautiful Boy is my youngest. I took these pictures just at the beginning of fall when the weather was perfect and the grass was still green! The papers used here are Bronze Tonal, Autumn Argyle, Blue Linen, Multi Geometric, and Autumn Stripe. What photos can't show is the great texture these papers have. Some of the parts of the paper are shiny and raised a bit (I believe they call it Thermography over at LYB). I also used the Clear Cuts Shapes and the Epoxy Stickers (all from the Autumn Bliss Line).

Here's a close up of some of those Clear Cuts, Epoxy Stickers, and some hand stitching I did:The second page of the layout is called Bliss:
The papers used here are Bronze Tonal, Multi Geometric, and Autumn Stripe. I again used the Clear Cuts Shapes and Epoxy Stickers.
The Clear Cuts and Epoxy Stickers really add depth and dimension to the layout.
Hint: I used a fine tipped glue pen to adhere the Clear Cuts to the paper. I just traced the pattern with glue, that way the clear cuts are adhered, but you can't see my glue through them. Here's a close up of some of that detail:
One last picture of the pages side-by-side as they are meant to be a set. I hope you enjoyed this layout...oh, and if you want to see everything in this gorgeous collection click here to go directly to LYB's Autumn Bliss page on their web site. As you can tell, I really enjoyed working with this collection, it's just perfect for those great fall pictures!

Halloween Week

Get out your ghosts and goblins, it's Halloween week! It's been a truly busy few weeks for me, and I really haven't even thought about making Halloween cards. Then, last week, my redemption came in the mail. I won a Making Memories Vintage Findings Halloween Kit from the Making Memories blog! Not only is this kit gorgeous, fun, and spooky, it also comes with everything I needed (minus a few base pieces of card stock) to make a few fun Halloween cards. I've got 2 for you today, and am hoping to post 1 or 2 more this week.
First up is a fun Halloween Damask print that I covered in stickles. I think the glitter really makes it pop. I also used a Fiskars Pearls of Wisdom Corner Squeeze punch (also a blog prize from the wonderful ladies over at Fiskateers).Second is a sparkly (and spooky) witch. I love the paper in the background, and don't you just love those black, sparkly brads?The only non-kit items here are the ribbon and the thread.

So many things for 1 little post

I think I'll start with my contest submission. American Crafts' Blog is having a food inspired layout/card contest. I decided to play along this week and also showcase a little fun I get to have. Occasionally, I get to do a little scrapbooking for Make-A-Wish. Just in case you're not familiar with Make-A-Wish, here's a 1 sentence synopsis of what they do: Since 1980, the Make-A-Wish Foundation has granted the wishes of more than 171,000 children - one wish every 40 minutes. So, my page for today combines the American Crafts' contest with a Make-a-wish page:
Supplies(all are American Crafts unless otherwise stated):
Paper: Spring/Summer - Preserves
Spring/Summer - Scones
Everyday - Word (backside)
Flair: Everyday - Friends
Thicker Stickers: Foam Root Beer Float Pink
Glitter LAX Powder
Rhinestones - Basics clear Rhinestones by Kaiser Craft

But this post isn't done yet... Look what I got in my mailbox today:
This is a scissors with my Fiskateer number (#6363) engraved on the blade. All this just because a few months back I joined the Fisk-a-teer community. Are you a Fisk-a-teer? I love, love, love being part of this community! The Fisk-a-teer community is a group of wonderful craft enthusiest who especially love Fiskars products. And really, who doesn't have at least one Fiskars tool in their craft arsenal? At the Fisk-a-teers community, they hold crops, have contests, have a fantastic blog and message board area, and a fun gallery too. If you want to become a Fisk-a-teer too, you can send an e-mail to Rebecca at rpeck@Fiskars.com and tell her you'd like to be a Fisk-a-teer, and that Samantha #6363 sent you. They like to "meet" all of the new fisk-a-teers personally and let you know what the site is all about. This is a great community for all crafters; paper, yarn, and fabric alike.
Well, if you got though that very long post, you deserve a hand! Thanks for sticking with me today.