PGCB 146: Black and White Challenge

Good Morning,

I'm hosting the newest challenge over on the Paper Girls!  About 4 months ago, I got the idea to do a Black and White challenge.  I was super surprised when Unity Stamp company also did a "no color" challenge.  I guess I was on-trend and didn't even know it.  😂

For my layout, I used a black and white photo, and kept all the embellishments black and white - with a pop of red - just because.  I feel like this layout has a Star Wars theme, which is perfect, since my son loves Star Wars. 

I hope you jump over and join us the Paper Girls and share your Black and White projects with us.

Cheers!
Kristy

Stuck?! Sketches Feb 1 Challenge

Good Morning!

I forgot to post this project during The Paper Girl's 6th (!!!) Anniversary challenge.  I can't believe we have been doing the Paper Girls challenges for 6 years now.  It has been a fun group of girls to be a part of and I can't wait to see what is yet to come!

For this layout, which we had to use 6 of something, in my case butterflies, enamel dots and hearts, I used Stuck?! Sketches Feb 1st sketch.  I am always inspired by their sketches, so I am sure you will see more of these posts.  Here is my layout...

Cheers!
Kristy

PGCB #71: Sparkle & Shine

Hi! Happy 2015! The Paper Girls has its first challenge of the year up, and it is hosted by yours truly.  For the challenge, I want you to show us how you add sparkle and shine to your projects.

Here is my card:

I used AC Glitter Paper along with glitter star from the Becky Higgins/Heidi Swapp Glitter Value Pack to add the sparkly pop to my card.  The star background paper is from the Sale-A-Bration catalog (starting today!!!) by Stampin' Up, called Irresistibly Yours Specialty Designer Series Paper (Item #138635).  It is white paper, with white resist stars.  I used a Metallic Gold Encore Pad (Item #132141) change the background from white to gold and make the stars "shine".  The stamp is from the Banner Blessings stamp set (Item #136720), also just released today by Stampin' Up.

I hope you will join in the challenge.  Make sure you link up your projects on the Paper Girl's site.

Cheers!
Kristy

PGCB: Ornaments

The final challenge of 2014 for The Paper Girls is up!  Wow!  I can't believe we are saying that.  To help get you in the holiday mood, Michele picked the challenge of ornaments...whether it an ornament you make for your tree, or a page about your ornaments, we just want you to get in a festive spirit.

For my project, I am sharing an ornament that was cross stitched for my tree.  The 2 chickadees represent my 2 bundles of energy.

We can't wait to see what your ornament projects.  Make sure you post them on The Paper Girls site for a chance to win the prize Michele has put together.

Cheers!
Kristy

Thank You!

Today I have a double feature for you.

1. SSInkspiration is featuring Stampin' Up's Truly Grateful stamp set on the blog.
2. The Paper Girls Challenge's challenge is to create a Thank You card and give it to a friend.

I decided to combine these into 1 project...

I love the background stamp from Truly Grateful, as well as other stamps in the set.  I also colored one of Stampin' Up's Autumn Wooden Elements for that little pop of color.

Be sure to check out the other projects on both sites!  We would love it if you would play along with us at The Paper Girls for a fun prize!

Cheers!
Kristy

PGCB: Mixed Media Project

Happy Monday,

I hope everyone had a great start to their November.  Mine was spent hiking with a bunch of Boy Scouts and just enjoying time with my kids.

It is the first Monday of the month, so that means it is time for a new challenge at The Paper Girls Challenge (remember, we have new challenges every 1st and 3rd Monday of the month!).  Today's challenge from Amber is Mixed Media.  Mixed Media: a single art composition involving two or more artistic media such as pen, ink, chalk, pastel, graphite, collage, paint, and any other media

For my project, I used Gesso to prep my paper, then cut vinyl and had help watercoloring over the vinyl - my daughter LOVES to watercolor with me.  Before I pulled the vinyl up, I traced the shapes with a pen to make sure it showed up really well.  This painting is now hanging proudly in the entry to our house.  

I can't wait to see what you create for this challenge.  You have until Saturday, Nov 15 to link up your projects!  Go ahead and get messy!!!

Cheers!
Kristy

PGCB: Anything Goes

Hi!

It has been a while since I posted a scrapbook page.  I have to admit, I've missed scrapping.  I've been focusing on other things lately, but I will be back to scrapping even more...soon.

But I did find time to finish this page.  I admit, I started it a while ago.  I got stuck on how to finish it, so it sat in a box waiting until the time when the thought came to me.  So when The Paper Girls challenge of Anything Goes came up, I thought why not pull this page out and figure out what it needed.  It turns out, after adding the title and some simple hand doodling, it was complete.

Don't forget to enter your creations on The Paper Girls.  You have until November 1st to link up your projects.

Cheers!
Kristy

SSInk: Watercolor Wednesday

Hi!

In keeping with the watercolor theme we have had on my blog this month (you still have time to enter the Paper Girl's Watercolor Challenge!!!), I have a card featuring Stampin' Up products for SSInkpsiration's Watercolor Wednesday.

I used the Lucky Star Textured Expressions Embossing Folder on white, first, then added layers of watercolors to over the embossed Stars.  A diecut B with a little faux stitching, some White & Tangerine Tango Two-Tone Trim, and a stamped sentiment from the Flower Patch set complete the card.

I can't wait to see your watercolor projects!

Cheers!
Kristy

2 for 1: Concentrate

Happy Monday!

Today's 1 layout for 2 teams.  :-D  I love when I can combine projects.

The layout is based on the sketch on SSInkspiration today.  I loved that I could features papers from the Stampin' Up All Abloom Designer Series Pack on my layout, along with the Sans & Stripes stamp set to make the title.

Today's challenge on The Paper Girls is to use watercolors on your project.  I love the soft element that the watercolors add to this layout.

Make sure you play along with these challenges!  And most of all, have fun!

Cheers!
Kristy

Growing in Unity Winner (and a PGCB Challenge)

Hello!

Welcome back to another fun week of crafting and projects from my house.  I need to announce the winner for the Growing in Unity comments from last week.  But first, I want to share a "bonus" Growing in Unity project, that is also a Paper Girls Challenge project.  I used February 2014 SMAK Kit: Camera Ready to make this page about my daughter going Back To School (The Paper Girl's Challenge for 9/2/14: Back to School)

Thank you to everyone who commented on my projects last week!  All your comments were very inspiring.  The winner (courtesy of Random.org) is:

Kris BAugust 27, 2014 at 9:25 AM

Beautiful card! Love how you stamped the butterflies onto the background! Lovely sentiment!

Congratulations Kris!  Drop me an email by Sept. 14th at kmackeen1@gmail.com and let me know the 2 Itty Bitty Stamps you would like.  

And don't forget to enter your Back to School projects on The Paper Girls by Sept. 14th everyone!

Cheers!
Kristy

PGCB: Red White & Blue Challenge

Hi!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer.  Ours has been busy since the kids got out of school, which is great, but it also means less time for crafting.  :-(  I was able to sneak away a little bit to create a page for The Paper Girls' Red, White & Blue challenge, using the Pansy 1 sketch from Scrapbook Steals and the wonderful Brenda Smith.

I took the red-white-blue color scheme pretty literally with my page, using only red, white and blue paper & glitter on my layout.  I love the patriotic feel of the page, and as much as glitter can be the bane of my existence, I love the extra sparkle it added to the page.

I promise, you will see me around more this summer.  Mama needs this sanity to keep her going.  ;-)

Cheers!
Kristy

PGCB: Let's Celebrate Blog Hop

Welcome to the Paper Girls' Blog Hop to celebrate our 2nd Anniversary.  It is hard to believe that it has been 2 years since 9 friends started a little challenge blog.  Happy blogiversary to us! 

We have had a fun two years getting to know you and seeing your projects.  IWe've said goodbye to a few of the original Paper Girls (Judy, Sheryl, and Kyla) and now today we are saying bye to Heather. We appreciate all the work these girls did and wish them all well.  Life gets busy.  And crazy.  And  we know all too well that sometimes crafting and blogs have to be pushed aside for awhile.  We will miss you girls, but you will always be Paper Girls!!!

Okay, now back to the hop!  The fabulous store Creative Embellishments is offering a $25 gift certificate to our random winner!  Creative Embellishments carries wood veneer shapes, chipboard, and stamps.  They have so many wonderful designs to choose from.  Please give them a big thanks from The Paper Girls over at their blog or facebook page.

For our hop today we have created projects that have a Celebration theme and that use either wood veneer or chipboard shapes.  For my project, I created a fun little card using the Foxy stamp set from Sweet Stamp Shop, and a wooden speech bubble and wooden dots.  My kids are obsessed with the song, "What does the Fox Say?"  So when I saw this set, I knew it would be perfect for celebrating my son's 7th birthday.  

I love adding wooden elements to projects.  You can color them (like I did on this card), you can stamp on them (like on this scrapbook page), or like I did here, add a Thicker to it (I also added a little ink around the edge of the speech bubble).  If you haven't used wooden or chipboard elements, I encourage you to try them.  If you don't have any in your stash, Creative Embellishments is a great place to start.  ;-)  Don't forget, you have a chance to win a $25 gift certificate for Creative Embellishments by hopping and commenting on all our blogs.  

And here's the hopping order:

Paper Girls Challenge Blog  <<< Hop back here to enter the Rafflecopter drawing

Erica

Charity

Deborah

Michele

Cathryn

Kristy <<you are here

You have through Friday, April 4th to enter to win the gift certificate.

Good luck!

Photo Inspiration on Paper Girls

Happy Monday!  I'm the hostess with the mostess for the newest challenge on The Paper Girls Challenge blog.  I decided early on that I wanted to do a photo inspiration. Those are some of my favorite challenges. As soon as I took these photos (on my cell phone!) at Laumeier Sculpture Park in St. Louis, MO, I thought, what a cool scrapbook page that would make.  I loved the mosaic look and how the colors came through. 

Here is the photo inspiration (ignore the photographer captured in some of the reflective tiles...  ;-) ).

I used all the colors and the mosaic look to inspire my project...

I have had this print/cut file from Studio Calico in my collection for a long time.  I have always like mosaics and stained glass windows, so I had to get the file, even before I had a Cameo to cut it with.  In this case this, I actually printed the file on some watercolor paper and went to town with the watercolor paints. It was great to feel like a kid watercoloring.  ;-)  A little gesso and a doily I inked with silver ink and I had a base to include to my One Little Word for 2014.  This is going to be the cover page for my book.

 And in case you were wondering what the actual sculpture is, here it is - a giant mosaic cat!  The kiddos had so much fun climbing through it like they were little kitties.

If my photos have inspired you, we would love to have you link up your project over at The Paper Girl's blog for a chance to win a little prize I have sitting here for you.  :-)  Be sure to check out the blog to see all the projects The Paper Girls' made.  I love seeing how everyone was inspired by something different!

Cheers!
Kristy

New Year's Traditions

Welcome to 2014!

I hope everyone had a wonderful start to the new year.  We started our year off with our traditional Rose Parade viewing, cinnamon rolls, and marshmallows to throw at the screen and each other (very long story...).  I decided to take this opportunity to scrap this memory.  I want my kids to remember it as fondly as I do.  This layout was for both Simple Sketches, sketch 19, and The Paper Girls Challenge, Wishful Thinking challenge.

One of my goals this year is to try a new technique or product each week.  My new technique/products used on this page is my gelatos around the edge of the page.  I also added a little glaze on my page to add some dimension.  This was the first time I used these as well.  Woohoo, 1 week in, and I'm keeping my resolution.  ;-)

I look forward to sharing more with you this year.  I hope you will tell a friend or two.  ;-)

Cheers!
Kristy

PGCB: Cut It Out!

Happy Monday!

It feels so good to be back in the grove of scrapping after having to take a little break due to injuries and surgeries.  (Not to worry - we are all on the mend now.  :-D )

There is a new challenge up on The Paper Girls Challenge today: Cut It Out.  It is time to dust off your machines - whether it be a Cricut, a Big Shot, a Silhouette, or even your scissors - and join in the fun!  Make sure you check out all the projects over on the blog.  The Paper Girls really outdid themselves this time!

For my project, I used my Pretty Pennants cartridge on my Cricut to make the banners behind my photo.  I was inspired by the new Amy Tangerine stitching templates to add a little more dimension to the heart.  I didn't want to use too many other embellishments because I really wanted the heart to shine.

 

Thanks for visiting!

Cheers!
Kristy

PGCB: Stitch it up!

Hi! 

Happy Monday to everyone!  I hope you had a wonderful weekend.  I've had a whirlwind couple weeks.  Two weekends ago, I was in Salt Lake City for the Scrapbook Steals Retreat.  I had a total blast, and got to hang out with 4 other Paper Girls.  This weekend, we picked up my mom at the airport for visit.  :-)

As I was thinking about Jessica's challenge for The Paper Girls today, I thought it would be fun do to a page about meeting her and the other girls at the retreat.  So I used my Amy Tangerine stitching templates to stitch a "photo corner" on my layout.  (The paper is also from the American Crafts class we attended at the Retreat.)

One day I hope we can get a picture with ALL The Paper Girls in it.  Thanks for visiting! 

Cheers!
Kristy

PGCB Blog Hop: Fall Decor

The Paper Girls have put together an amazing blog hop with lots of inspiration.  Take a few minutes for yourself and hop along our blog hop for a little extra help with that “Fall Decor”?

 

A hop wouldn't be a hop without prizes.  The Paper Girls Challenge Blog has a Scrapbook Pal gift card up for grabs...See details below on how to win!

 

Here is the line up:

The Paper Girls Challenge Blog: www.thepapergirlschallenge.blogspot.com <- Did you start here?

Kristy: www.mamasanity.blogspot.com  <- You are here!

Amber: www.allamberallthetime.blogspot.com <- Visit here next!
Erica: http://stampingstarlette.blogspot.com/
Charity: http://menemenetekeluniversity.blogspot.com/
Heather: http://heatherskraftykorner.blogspot.com/
Charissa: http://akihasmommascraps.com/
Jessica: http://errantscraps.blogspot.com/
Michele: http://about-the-paper.blogspot.com/
Cathryn : http://www.catscrapcreations.blogspot.ca/
Becci: http://b-handmade.blogspot.com/
Misty: http://mistylynnwhat.blogspot.com/
Deborah: http://scrappinthelittlethings.blogspot.com/

And here is a fun project to hopefully inspire your thoughts on fall décor:

 
I used my Cricut to cut a BUNCH of leaves (honestly, I don't remember how many, but it is was a lot).  I used Fabrications paper by Teresa Collins, which matches the wreath I made at the beginning of the month.  After inking the leaves - and my hands - I started gluing the leaves down to the paper.  To make sure I had the right sized paper, I simply used the paper that came with the frame, flipped over, of course!

The words are from Stampin' Up.  I got them through Sale-a-bration last year and hadn't used them yet.  By adhering them to the glass, I can create different backgrounds to match the seasons or holidays.

On to the important part - PRIZES!!!

How do you get your hands on the gift card to Scrapbook Pal? Would you like a chance to win?

Get an entry for commenting on each of the blog posts, "Like" the Paper Girls Challenge on Facebook, and being a follower on our blog (all are required for an entry). You will see some fabulous projects and find some inspiration.

You have until Sunday, October 6, 2013 at 11:59pm MST to comment. We will announce the winner on Wednesday, October 9, 2013 at 9:00 am MST. International readers are welcome to play along but currently we are only shipping prize packs to the US and Canada due to shipping costs.

Now hop on over to Amber's blog!!!

Cheers!
Kristy

Sketch & Stamp Challenges: A Double Dip

Hi All! 

Happy Monday!  I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.  Ours was the usual craziness, but that is always the way when you have 2 kids, right?

I have to admit, I am combining 2 Design Team projects into 1 today.  Bad Kristy, but hey, it happens to all of us, right?  Right?  Jennifer over at Stylin' Stampin' Inkspiration designed a great page sketch for us to use - head on over there to see the sketch.  And Heather asked us to "make our own stamps" at The Paper Girls Challenge.  I thought these would be great combined together!

Here is my page:

Recipe (all items Stampin' Up):

Paper: Winter Frost DSP Stack (#132183), Venetian Romance (#130144), Polka Dot Parade (#126902), Quatrefancy Specialty (#130141), Whisper White (#124302), Strawberry Slush (#131295)

Ink: Baked Brown Sugar (#131174), Coastal Cabana (#131175), Crisp Cantaloupe (#131176), Pistachio Pudding (#131177), Strawberry Slush (131178), Summer Starfruit (#126991), Stazon White (#106960)

Punch: Blossom (#125603), Pansy (#130698)

Etc.: Hung Up Cute Clips (#129389), Pearl Basic Jewels (#119247), Glue Dots (#103683), Clear Block Bundle (#118491)

 

As you can see, I was feeling a little sentimental.  I never do a page about me, and when I saw this picture, I thought, why not???  Go for it!

 

Remember I mentioned that The Paper Girls Challenge was to make our own stamps?  Well, for me that was my SU Clear Mount stamping blocks.  To make the background, I laid out all my ink pads and blocks.  I pressed my blocks right into the ink, and then onto the paper.  (The new ink pads work GREAT for this, better than the old style.)  Oh wait, I have a couple helpers that can show you what I did:

 

 

Note to self when I do this again...don't let the kids use your good SU ink pads.  I may have some Strawberry Slush on all my ink pads now.  But the kids had fun and were so proud of their work - that is the most important thing!!!

 

Cheers!
Kristy

PGCB #39: Wired Up Challenge!

Hi!  Happy Labor Day to my US friends.  My family has enjoyed a lot of family time this weekend.  It has been wonderful!

I am hosting the challenge over at The Paper Girls Challenge blog - and it is all wired up!  I have had a box of jewelry wire and a wire jig in my scrap room for a few years and I haven't done anything with it - it was bought for scrapbooking, not jewelry.  I figured this was a great chance to finally break it out and use it!  I have two layouts featuring wire up on The Paper Girls blog today:

 

This layout has actually been on my blog before.  It was based off the Practical Scrappers scrapbook sketch in June.  For more details on this layout, click here!

 

This layout was based off Scrapbook Steal's Aquamarine 8 sketch...and there will be a second side to with the boys, but for how, here are the girls.  I used heavier gauge wire on this layout to form the word "Girls", and then held it down with some brads.  The papers were from the my Studio Calico August kit (Marks & Co) with embellishments from my stash.

 

Thanks for visiting!
Kristy

PGCB #35: 3 Journaling Cards

Happy Monday!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer!  Ours is in full swing here.  Sorry I've been a little MIA on my blog lately (I'll be making up for 2 weeks off with LOTS of new projects coming!).  We were in Florida for a fun filled family vacation.  It was a wonderful time and I took a TON of photos.  You will be seeing a lot of them over the next weeks...or months.  ;-)  And here is the first...

There is a new challenge today over at The Paper Girls Challenge...using 3 journaling cards on a project.  Can you find them on these project? 

I wanted to show that journaling cards don't have to be just for journaling.  I cut 3 from Crate Paper's The Pier Accents and Border pages:

• The geotag with the journaling (which was actually cut out from the full journaling card)
• The yellow "Happy" tag
• The pink square with the white scallop circle behind the geotag and the beach ball, also from The Pier collection

I also used Scallop templates from Kiwi Lane Designs to add a little color and patterned paper (all from the Gossamer Blue June kit) to the page.

See you tomorrow with another fun new project!