Stonehenge

You know what today is?  It's Harry Potter's birthday!  So happy birthday to the Boy Who Lived, and many thanks to author J.K. Rowling for giving us such a wonderful story.  Love the Harry Potter books.

So today I thought I'd share a layout from a kinda magical place.  Alas, I haven't started scrapping any of our pics from the Harry Potter studio tour, but hey, Stonehenge is pretty awesome too.

See the original pictures here.  One of the stories about the creation of Stonehenge is that it was originally in Ireland, but Merlin saw it and liked it and used magic to transport it to England.  The main problem with that theory is that Stonehenge had been on Salisbury Plain for a number of centuries before Merlin and King Arthur arrived on the scene.

Yep, magical translocation?  Totally plausible.  But not unless Merlin also had a time machine.  Oh wait, didn't he live backwards, where he got younger as time went on?  So maybe it is still possible...

Anyway, there's my title, I love that Well-Worn Alphabet for nice grungy titles.  And Gorgeous Grunge, why did it take me so long to buy that stamp set?  Love it.  The speckles on the title block were accidental though, I dropped the inked-up stamp on the cardstock by accident and then thought oh why not, so I added more.

Smoky Slate embossing powder FTW!  I wanted just a little something in that corner and the embossing powder did the trick.

Have a magical day, peeps!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Well-Worn Alphabet, Gorgeous Grunge
Ink:  Basic Gray, Smoky Slate, Versamark
Paper:  Basic Gray, Smoky Slate, Fall Flowers DSP (long retired)
Accessories:  Smoky Slate EP

The 100th Nacho Challenge!

Yep, it's a special occasion week for the Nachos--our 100th challenge!  So instead of having a new sketch or color combination for you, the challenge is to take a past sketch or color combination (or both!) and make something new.  I chose a couple of recent challenges...

Yeeeeahhh I'm kind of in love with this color combination.

I can't seem to get the sentiment in the same place as on the sketches lately, but this is the one I chose and then I turned it 90 degrees.

And there it is!  This is my little thank you to the challenge chasers who check out our lil' challenge blog every week and make such beautiful creations.  I used to participate pretty frequently before I was invited to be on the Design Team, and it's been such fun!  Hope you have fun with it too.

So you know what to do--check out the Nacho blog, which has some handy-dandy .pdf files with all the past challenges in one place, plus some eye candy from the DT, and then have fun taking a trip down Memory Lane with the Nachos!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  World Map, Starburst Sayings
Ink:  Island Indigo
Paper:  Pool Party, Island Indigo, Whisper White, Pistachio Pudding DSP
Accessories:  Starburst & Circle Framelits, Dimensionals

A-Team Wedding 3

Well, the hubs and I have been in our new house for a week now and I just wonder when all our stuff will arrive here from England :)  Can't wait to set up the new craft room!

More photos from my brother's wedding...since I have several layouts from this day, I did the same (or very similar) colors on all of them, but just changed what colors went where.  But on each one I kept the border of patterned paper on the bottom with the cardstock mat, so they still look like they coordinate.

Can't beat Stippled Blossoms for wedding stuff.

I was not so smart on these little flowers...I hand-cut them, then decided to mat them.  Would have been so much faster and easier to just punch them out square in the first place but what can ya do :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Stippled Blossoms
Ink:  Brocade Blue (retired), Night of Navy, Pink Pirouette, Riding Hood Red (retired), Pear Pizzazz, Garden Green
Paper:  Whisper White, Pink Pirouette, Night of Navy, Bella Rose DSP (retired)
Accessories:  Square & Postage Stamp punches

CAS Silhouette

Aha!  I found a draft blog post that's a card rather than a scrapbook page.  This one's a CAS CASE...I loved this card I saw on Splitcoast, so I had to make my own version.

I just had to get the Tempting Turquoise embossing powder when it hit the retiring list, I have fun playing with the colored embossing powders :)

Thanks for stopping by today!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Serene Silhouettes, Gorgeous Grunge, A Dozen Thoughts
Ink:  Versamark, Certainly Celery, Soft Suede
Paper:  Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White
Accessories:  Tempting Turquoise EP

Nachos: Kick Up Yer Heels

Howdy, Nacho fans!  It's time once again for a sketch from the Nacho Average Challenges team, and here it is:

I won't lie, this one didn't come easy to me, but here's what I've got:

The hardest part of this was getting the triangle panel the way I wanted it....let's just say there are several other triangle scraps now in with my Strawberry Slush cardstock.  The next hardest bit was that I decided to add the Kaleidoscope DSP layer *after* I'd already adhered that Strawberry Slush triangle and the ribbon to the card front.  Oops.  But I just couldn't leave it plain.

So now it's your turn to take on the challenge!  See a few more inspiration pieces on the Nacho blog and then get yer stamp on, ha!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Bootiful Occasions, Extreme Elements
Ink:  Strawberry Slush, Basic Black, Crushed Curry
Paper:  Bermuda Bay, Strawberry Slush, Basic Black, Whisper White, Kaleidoscope DSP
Accessories:  Crushed Curry chevron ribbon, white baker's twine, Brights Candy Dots, Dimensionals

Nago Cherry Blossom Festival

Hello again!  I'm back with yet another scrapbook layout that makes me happy.

The page base is the long-retired (sniff!) Almost Amethyst, and I built my own cherry blossoms using the recently-retired Floral Fusion Sizzlit.

I never used the Spencerian Alphabet stamps until after they retired, but I've had fun with it on scrapbook layouts this year.

There's a closeup of my flowers; the Sizzlit cuts three sizes at once so I decided to just vary how I layered the three shades of pink to make all the flowers look a little different.  You can see the original pictures here.

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Spencerian Alphabet, Summer Silhouettes
Ink:  Not Quite Navy, Regal Rose, Smoky Slate
Paper:  Almost Amethyst, Pink Pirouette, Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Greenhouse Gala DSP
Accessories:  Floral Fusion Sizzlit

The Bangles

Ok, today's scrapbook layout makes me ridiculously happy.

I was a kid when the Bangles broke up, but they'd been my favorite band since I was six.  So when they reunited and happened to play in the Hard Rock Cafe in Dallas in December 2003, I was *all over* going to that concert :)  These pics are from before we even got a digital camera!

This was actually the very first thing I made with the new In Colors; I waited specifically to get the new In Color 12x12 cardstock so I could use Blackberry Bliss for the page base.

I paired the new colors with some old favorite stamp sets, like Grunge Rock, Wing It, and Priceless.  Glad I finally got these pictures scrapped :)

Thanks for stopping by today!

Supplies:
Stamps:  Grunge Rock, Extreme Elements, Priceless, Wing It
Ink:  Whisper White, Blackberry Bliss, Basic Gray marker
Paper:  Blackberry Bliss, Hello Honey, Lost Lagoon, Whisper White, Strawberry Slush DSP
Accessories:  Curly Label punch, non-SU Sizzlits alphabet

Nachos: Anniversary Roses

Happy Tuesday, Nacho fans!  Are you ready for another stellar color combination from the Nacho Average Challenges team?  Here it is!

I had an idea of what I wanted to do as soon as I saw the colors, so here it is:

I know, I know, Stippled Blossoms *again*!  I guess I'm making up for waiting so long to buy it ;)  But it's perfect for an anniversary card...or a wedding card...or any kinda girly floral card.  But my parents' 40th anniversary was last month so I think they'll get this card.  It's more of a surprise when it's a month late, right?  ;)

Go check out the other Nachos' creations and then let's see what you can do with these lovely colors!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Stippled Blossoms, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink:  Blushing Bride, Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake, Chocolate Chip
Paper:  Cherry Cobbler, Blushing Bride, Crumb Cake Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla
Accessories:  Fancy Fan EF, Ovals Framelits, Dimensionals

A-Team Wedding 2

Another day, another scrapbook layout to share!

More pictures from the A-Team's wedding.  I've been hoarding that DSP I used, but I figured I could part with one sheet of it for some wedding scrapbook pages :)

Thanks for stopping by today!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Best of Shelli
Ink:  Brocade Blue, Night of Navy
Paper:  Soft Sky, Riding Hood Red, Whisper White
Accessories:  None

Happy Birthday Sadie

I'm so happy to be reunited with my pups!  So today I'm sharing a layout from Sadie's birthday.

Sadie is the disgruntled-looking dog in the red hat.  You can see the pics up close on this blog post.

And there's how I did the title, and I used the same DSP I made myself as from the layout for Vader's birthday.  I actually did these layouts back-to-back so they coordinate quite a lot.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies, mostly SU!
Stamps:  Happy Everything, Something to Say, Bow Wow
Ink:  Basic Black, Pacific Point, Riding Hood Red
Paper:  Basic Black, Crumb Cake, Riding Hood Red, Whisper White, Good Morning Sunshine DSP
Accessories:  Hexagon punch, circle punches, Scrap Pagerz Letter Template

Nachos: Moonlight Swallowtail

Mornin', stamping fans!  The Nachos have a wonderful sketch for you today, take a peek:

So many possibilities!  But I got a brain wave this week and made this immediately:

SHINY!  I stamped the Swallowtail butterfly in Versamark on my Hello Honey card base, then embossed it with Iridescent Ice for a tone-on-tone but glittery look.  I'm kind of in love with it.  And there are my two favorite new In Colors, Lost Lagoon and Blackberry Bliss.  Maybe sometime I'll get tired of that color combination, but it probably won't be soon.

Go check out the Nacho Average Challenges blog for more stampy goodness and then go create something pretty!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Swallowtail, Chalk Talk
Ink:  Versamark, Blackberry Bliss, Lost Lagoon
Paper:  Hello Honey, Blackberry Bliss, Moonlight DSP Stack
Accessories:  Iridescent Ice EP, Chalk Talk Framelits, Circle punches, Dimensionals

Friday Flashback: Right at Home

Friday again, and that means it's time for a Friday Flashback!  This week's stamp set is Right at Home, and our flashback today is a bit on the abbreviated side.

Yep, that's it!  This card is from 2006, and I used my favorite technique of polished stone on it.  So here's the new card:

Ummm, I was trying too hard to use a sketch and I'm not overly fond of it but let's just keep moving shall we?  I now know why I hadn't used this stamp set more often:  it is a PAIN in the REAR to color!  The lines are super thin, the spaces are tiny, and it takes forever.  But my brother and SIL moved into a new house not too long ago so at least I have someone to send this to : )

I think THIS is the way to do the images in this stamp set:  don't color 'em!  So much faster.

That's it for this week, thanks for stopping by!

Supplies, last card only:
Stamps:  Right at Home, Background Basics, Something to Celebrate 2011
Ink:  StazOn Black, Real Red, Night of Navy, Whisper White
Paper:  Night of Navy, Real Red, Whisper White, Real Red DSP
Accessories:  Watercolor Wonder Crayons, Labels Collection Framelits, Dimensionals, Oval & Scalloped Oval punches, Hexagon punch

A-Team Wedding 1

We played a sneaky trick on our parents yesterday.

We told everyone we were going to get back to Texas on July 5, but instead we showed up on July 2 and crashed my mom's birthday dinner.  It was really fun :)

But anyway, this is a stampy/scrappy blog so here's a scrapbook layout for today.

My brother and SIL were the only ones in the know on the surprise yesterday; the pics are from their wedding.

Their names are Adam and Adrienne, a.k.a. the A-Team, so hence the monogram.

That's it for me today, thanks for stopping by!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Morning Post Alphabet, You Are Loved
Ink:  Pink Pirouette, Riding Hood Red
Paper:  Pink Pirouette, Riding Hood Red, Night of Navy, Bella Rose DSP
Accessories:  None

Coming Home

Today is my mom's birthday, so I picked this red white and blue layout to share today specifically for her enjoyment.

These pics are from when my little brother returned home in December 2012 from a 6-month deployment to Afghanistan.  (One of Adam's friends wondered to my mom, "She just made that layout now, isn't she a little bit behind?"  Oh Devlin, this is nothing.  The very next layout I made was for pics taken in 2003.)  So why, you may ask, did I use mustache paper on this?  Adam had grown a deployment mustache, so my mom gave everyone on the welcoming committee a fake mustache to wear when Adam arrived at the airport.  Adam got the last laugh though--during his last layover before home, he'd shaved his mustache off ;)  And the only mustaches in the pictures are Devlin's and my grandpa's, and both of those are real.

There's a closeup of my punch art Captain America shield, and I have to say thank you to Devlin for the idea because his sign in one of the pictures has a Cap shield on it.  I used a combination of circle punches and Framelits to make it, with a star punch in the middle.  And I'm a dork so I got the Captain America DVD out to make sure I made the shield correctly.

Happy birthday, Mom!

Supplies:
Stamps:  Rough Type Alphabet
Ink:  Cherry Cobbler, Midnight Muse marker
Paper:  Brilliant Blue, Cherry Cobbler, Very Vanilla, retired Brilliant Blue DSP, non-SU mustache DSP
Accessories:  Star punch, various circle punches & Framelits, Labels Collection Framelits

Nachos: Happy Day!

Howdy, Nacho fans!  Are you ready for a great summery color combo?  Because that's what we've got for you at Nacho Average Challenges this week!

 I love me some bright happy colors!  And my dear mama's birthday is tomorrow, so I think this might be her birthday card!

I'm kind of in love with that chevron pattern.  And Starburst Sayings.  And Candy Dots.  I think the only way I'd like this card better is if I'd coated the main image in Iridescent Ice to make it all sparkly, but sadly I just thought of that right now.  I think my mom will forgive the lack of glitter.

So now it's your turn!  Make something patriotic, or just plain summery, and link it up on the Nacho blog!

Cheers, peeps!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Starburst Sayings
Ink:  Rose Red, Pacific Point
Paper:  Pacific Point, Coastal Cabana, Whisper White, Coastal Cabana DSP
Accessories:  Starburst Framelits, Regals Candy Dots, Dimensionals