Mosaic Hello

Mornin' y'all!  Daphne is already pestering me to go for a walk but I'm going to type this up first.  I got in my craft room for just a minute yesterday and made this:

We've got a few challenges today, so let's go in alphabetical order.  Here's the As You See It Challenge:

For me it's definitely hello cards or similar.  I just counted seven hello cards posted last week alone : )  I send out at least 4-6 cards per week so this is definitely what I do the most!

Next up is Inspired By...:

I love those colors together!  I used Summer Splash, Pretty in Pink/Strawberry Slush, and Basic Black and I want to come back to this color combination again.

Next up is Retro Rubber:

This time I made SURE my stamps are older than a year (I made a card for this last week only to discover my stamp set will have its first birthday next month); Mosaic Madness is 13 years old and Happy Day is 12 years old, so they're definitely retro.  I went down the left side with sequins, ribbon, and die cuts.

And finally I have the TGIF Challenges sketch:

This sketch made me think of Mosaic Madness immediately so that's what I did.

Okay, time to make my girl happy and go for a walk in the beautiful weather.  Cheers!

Supplies:
Stamps:  Mosaic Madness, Happy Day
Ink:  Summer Splash, Strawberry Slush
Paper:  Summer Splash, Basic Black, Thick Basic White, Floral Impressions DSP
Accessories:  Textured Notes dies, Mosaic punch, black ribbon (not SU, I think), black sequins, Dimensionals

The Biltmore

Scrappy Monday, y'all!  We went on a little trip this weekend to Cologne and Koblenz and I have a funny story to share :)  We had lunch in Koblenz yesterday and I went to the bathroom before we left.  I know you've seen public restrooms where the sink is motion-activated, but have you ever seen a sink like that where it's got the hand dryers on it too?  Like, the faucet sticks straight out over the sink and it's got these two wands on the sides sticking out like airplane wings.  Every sink has its own hand dryer, which sounds great on paper, but...I kept activating the hand dryer by accident while I was trying to wash off my hands.  Multiple times.  AND the sink didn't drain properly either, so the hand dryer sprayed water all over!  Happily (for me, at least) the hand dryers were angled in such a way that all the water got sprayed all over the mirror instead of me.  There were three little girls in the bathroom washing their hands at the same time and the looks on their faces were just priceless.  I got back to our table and laughed so hard I had tears streaming down my face and couldn't hardly even talk to tell the hubs and the spawn why I was laughing.

Anyway, today I have scrapbook layouts from another road trip, this one to the Biltmore outside of Asheville, North Carolina.

Aww, teensy weensy little Ryan!  He was just two and a half in these pictures and now he's FIVE.  Anyway, it was pretty hot the day we were at the Biltmore, which is one reason why I chose the deep orange Dusty Durango page base.  I paired it with the Country Club Simply Scrappin' Kit from ages ago.

The peacock feather pattern is also part of the same kit.  I used the Mosaic Madness stamp set and coordinating punch for page accents.

Today's color palette:  Dusty Durango, Cajun Craze, Not Quite Navy, So Saffron, and Whisper White.  I love Dusty Durango and Cajun Craze together :)

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Empire Alphabet Upper, Broadsheet Accents, Mosaic Madness
Ink:  Not Quite Navy
Paper:  Dusty Durango, Not Quite Navy, Cajun Craze, Thick Basic White, Country Club SSK
Accessories:  Mosaic punch, 1 1/2" circle punch

Madame Tussauds

Scrappy Monday, y'all!  We're back from a week-long trip to Maine with Bennet and Missy.  We totally lucked out too--we were in Acadia for peak fall foliage!  It was GORGEOUS up there and we had a fabulous time.  I finally got back in my craft room this weekend (I made the card and scheduled the post for SUO Challenges before we left) and did some work on scrapbook pages.  I doubt I'll make my goal this year, but I'm currently at 136 pages, which isn't terrible (original goal was 200).

Anyway, since we just got back from a trip with Bennet and Missy (and our sons, now), I thought I'd share a layout from a trip together in 2011.

Somehow it looks like I missed blogging these pictures, but it's when we went to Madame Tussauds in London.  If you've never been, I do recommend it--the wax figures are AMAZINGLY lifelike.  At this one, the first big exhibit is done like a red carpet premiere event with all the celebrities.  There's a wax figure of a photographer (you can see her on the far right, just above the pic of us all at McDonald's).  I saw that wax figure, then had to go to the bathroom and when I came back, I walked in front of the wax figure and then apologized before I remembered she's wax.  She looks so real!

Today's color palette is Rococo Rose (first time to use that in my scrapbooks, though I admit not a ton of it shows), Merry Merlot (I still haven't used this color very much), Mint Macaron, Perfect Peacock, and Whisper White.  For ONCE I did a layout with Missy on it that is NOT green and gold!!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Mosaic Madness
Ink:  Mint Macaron, Merry Merlot marker
Paper:  Rococo Rose, Merry Merlot, Perfect Peacock, Thick Whisper White, Perfectly Artistic DSP
Accessories:  Mosaic punch

Venice 2013

Scrappy Monday, y'all.  Our week is not off to a great start:  we suspect Ryan is coming down with pinkeye, and our dog Sadie had an accident in the kitchen last night.  I'll be taking Ryan to urgent care as soon as he finishes breakfast.

In the meantime, here's a couple of layouts I finished in the last few weeks.  I finally took pictures of a very large stack of finished layouts yesterday :)

See the original pictures here and here.

I used a pack of patterned paper called Venetian Romance, and wouldn't you know it looks perfect with pictures from Venice.  I used it for two layouts from our first visit to Venice as well.

Today's color palette includes Crisp Cantaloupe, Cajun Craze, Pistachio Pudding, Dapper Denim, and Very Vanilla.  The patterned paper has hints of Island Indigo in it, but Dapper Denim matched my photos better so that's what I used for the stamped accents.  The Indigo on the paper is diluted enough that it still looks like it coordinates with the Denim stamped accents.

Well, as soon as kiddo finishes his toast, we're off to the doc.  Cheers, y'all.

Supplies:
Stamps:  Mosaic Madness, Coffee House Alphabet from Inkadinkado
Ink:  Dapper Denim, Cajun Craze
Paper:  Crisp Cantaloupe, Cajun Craze, Pistachio Pudding, Very Vanilla, Venetian Romance DSP
Accessories:  Mosaic punch

Russian Selfies

Scrappy Monday everyone!  It's a gray day here, pretty chilly and we're expecting rain this afternoon, so I chose a gray layout to share today but it's one that makes me giggle.

See my original blog post here, I pretty much copied what I wrote on that for my journaling here.

Today's color palette includes Basic Gray, Daffodil Delight, Cucumber Crush, Night of Navy, and Whisper White.  I think I subconsciously put green and yellow on at least half of my scrapbook layouts now...I blame Missy! ;)

Cheers, y'all!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Letterpress Alphabet, Rough Edges Alphabet, Mosaic Madness
Ink:  Cucumber Crush, Night of Navy, Daffodil Delight, Basic Gray marker
Paper:  Basic Gray, Cucumber Crush, Night of Navy, Thick Whisper White, Quatrefancy DSP
Accessories:  Mosaic punch

Friday Flashback: Mosaic Madness

Happy Friday, y'all.  And guess what...my due date is TOMORROW.  Which is frightening.  I know that the vast majority of babies are not born ON their due dates, but I'm still kinda hoping.  So I'm getting a pedicure today, and hopefully going out for one last date night with the hubs tonight.  And wondering if I should do crock pot chicken taco soup for dinner tomorrow...I mean, what if I DO go into labor?!

Anyway.  I don't feel like doing a whole lot now because it's like I'm the human embodiment of the quote "That's no moon...it's a space station!" but I have been doing some stamping and scrapping (because it involves sitting but still being productive).  So for today's Friday Flashback, let's check out the archives for Mosaic Madness!

Also features Empire Alphabet, Magical & Mystical

First up is this layout from Greece!  Actually I did two, and used Mosaic Madness on both, but this post is already going to be pretty long.  I do love this layout.

Also features Curly Cute

Here is a tribute to the Stamp-a-Ma-Jig.  That multicolored panel?  All hand-stamped.  Yes, it took forever, but I really liked how it turned out.

Also features Teeny Tiny Wishes

Something quick for Father's Day, though I think the circle element needed a mat too.

Here's another scrapbook layout, this time from Hearst Castle in California.  Know what I just realized?  I got that picture in the top left enlarged to 5x7, but somehow the photo I had in my archives is with the 4x6 placeholder.  Oops.  So in the real finished layout, that's a 5x7 photo and doesn't have a big distracting white border!  : D

Also features Happy Day

And another Stamp-a-Ma-Jiggy card.  I love stamp sets that have matching punches.

Also features Perfect Peacock, Too Kind

Okay, this one is a little different:  the Mosaic Madness stamp I used on this one is the border underneath the sentiment, instead of one of the mosaic shapes.

Also features Simply Sketched

*suddenly noticing how often I use yellows with this stamp set*

Also features My Paper Pumpkin stamps

Oh hey look, not yellow.

Same sentiment as the card above :)

But there it is again.

Also features Best of Greetings

So there's the Flashback part, which wasn't everything I've got in my archives but I don't want to bore anyone.  Ready for the new project?  Spoiler alert:  I love these scrapbook pages.

I mentioned earlier this week that I had done the rest of my Spain layouts, so here's the first one!  (And this is why I redid the Shenanigans layout in a different color combination.)

I think I need to refresh the ink in my Midnight Muse ink pad, it's not *quite* dark enough on the patterned paper here.  Anyway, I love stamps like Mosaic Madness for our travel layouts; sometimes you just need a little accent stamp that isn't really themed, so I like these that can be any color and go along with everything.

Segovia layout #2, and on this one I used different mosaic stamps for the accents but they still coordinate with the first layout.  And I just love how the Coastal Cabana looks with the pictures.  I used the Best Year Ever DSP on all the Spain layouts, it's one of my very favorite DSP packs.

There's a closeup of some of the mosaic elements from this layout.  Super quick and simple to do, and they look good too :)

So here's my Spain palette again:  Coastal Cabana, Calypso Coral, Crushed Curry, Midnight Muse, Soft Suede, Sahara Sand, and Whisper White.  Dog hair not included.

I'm going to go get cleaned up and ready to go for my pedicure.  Cheers, y'all!

Supplies, last two layouts only:
Stamps:  Mosaic Madness, Morning Post Alphabet
Ink:  Midnight Muse, Calypso Coral, Crushed Curry
Paper:  Coastal Cabana, Calypso Coral, Midnight Muse, Whisper White, Best Year Ever DSP
Accessories:  Mosaic Punch

Friday Flashback: Letterpress Alphabet

Happy Friday!  Have you enjoyed Spring Break Scrap Week?  I'm finishing out the week with a Friday Flashback for Letterpress Alphabet, and you know how much I love my alphabet stamps :)  So let's take a whirl through the archives, shall we?

Also features Spencerian Alphabet

Geez, sorry about the terrible picture quality on this one.  Well, the original photos are fine, it's my picture of the layout that isn't good at all.  It was shortly after this that I figured out where to take pictures of layouts in our house in Alabama.

Also features Spencerian Alphabet

But not before I got both of these not-so-great ones.  Glare!

Ahh, here we go.  Much better photo of the layout.  And also the only time hubs and I have been to Turkey.

Also features Stars & Swirls, Amazing to Zany, Star Studded wheel

How about a card using the Letterpress Alphabet?  I'm still rather proud of this one, wait 'til you see it opened up:

It took a while to make with all the Stamp-a-ma-jigging but I still love it.  And it's Baylor Colors :D

Also features Spencerian Alphabet...again, and Noteworthy and Mosaic Madness

Here's a layout from California with some lovely bright colors.

And here's another one from Europe.

Also features Snow Flurries

I think I made this card when I was trying to come up with ideas using Snow Flurries.  I loved those little stamps but it was a challenge to make them the focal point of a card.

Also features Cold Play, Merry, Swirling Stars wheel

Oh man, this was from way back when Stampin' Up! had the spectrum ink pads!  I kinda miss those...

Also features Rough Type, Toxic Treats, Elementary Elegance, Carry On

Okay, there's the last England layout for today (though I do love it!) and now we're ready for this week's new creation!  Let's journey to St. Petersburg...

Oh dang, I got a glare on the photo in the bottom left corner.  It was really rainy and overcast when I took the picture of the layout and that makes a difference.  Anyway, this was the last place we visited in Russia before our cruise ship left, you can see the original photos here.  With no glare.

The cathedral is located on the Fortress of Peter and Paul, but it was the only thing we visited on the fortress so that's why I put "cathedral" rather than "fortress" on my page title.

Today's color palette:  Mint Macaron, Not Quite Navy, Hello Honey, and Whisper White.  And that's it for me today, hope you had a lovely week and are looking forward to a great weekend.  Cheers!

Supplies, all SU!, last layout:
Stamps:  Letterpress Alphabet, Rough Edges Alphabet
Ink:  Not Quite Navy, Hello Honey
Paper:  Mint Macaron, Not Quite Navy, Hello Honey, Thick Whisper White, Not Quite Navy DSP
Accessories: nothin' but a Stamp-a-ma-jig

Kind Peacock

Salutations and greetings, friends!  How's your day going so far?  It's a lovely day where I am and I've finished my run for today so it can only get better from here ;)  I don't think running will ever be fun.

When I was a kid, we'd visit my great-grandmother and she'd take us out to a park and my brother and I would chase peacocks, that was fun :)  Perfect Peacock is not retiring, but Too Kind (sentiment) and Mosaic Madness (the design across the bottom) both are.

I made my avian creation with some help from Colour Me...!

I added just a smidgen of Mossy Meadow for the leaves, but other than that I stuck with the challenge colors.  I also used the sketch from Freshly Made Sketches:

Slightly modified to make the two strips on the sketch stamped elements instead.  And that is all for me today, have a wonderful Thursday :)  Cheers!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Perfect Peacock, Too Kind, Mosaic Madness
Ink:  Night of Navy, Lost Lagoon, Melon Mambo, Crushed Curry, Mossy Meadow
Paper:  Crushed Curry, Night of Navy, Whisper White
Accessories:  None

Athens Acropolis

Scrappy Monday, peeps!  I've been scrappin' so many pages so fast lately, it's hard to choose what to share next.  Today I've got not one, but two layouts from our Mediterranean cruise, specifically when we got to see Athens!

See the original pictures here and here.  We spent most of our day in Athens at the Acropolis (of course!) and the Acropolis museum.  How 'bout a closeup of my stamped title:

Ya know, it took me a long time to use the Empire Alphabet after I first bought it, but I can't seem to get enough of it lately.  And how about that owl?!  It's from a set called Magical & Mystical that I bought from the amazing JanTInk a few years ago, and this is the first time it's seen ink in my house.  (JanTInk is kinda a little famous in the stamping world, and I own stamps that used to belong to her.  I've also met her IRL, she's really nice in person.)  Anyway, about that owl.  It's actually just part of the stamp:

It took me two tries to get just the owl to stamp *without* getting a ghost image of the moon, but lucky for me I decided to do the owl first rather than waiting until I had the entire title stamped out and then messed it up.    And then the second time I had to draw in a little bit where the tail isn't that well defined on the original stamp, but I thought it ended up looking okay in the end.  So why an owl?  Well, most of the temples on the Acropolis are connected to Athena, the patron goddess of Athens, and the owl is her sacred bird.  Lots of gods had sacred animals or birds, like Hera is associated with peacocks for example.  But anyway, I had to put an owl on there for Athena.

Oh hey, I said two layouts, didn't I?

I couldn't fit all the pictures onto just one layout :)  The three pics on the bottom half of the right page are all from the Acropolis museum; on the left are the best guess we have at what the Parthenon's pediment sculptures looked like before they got blowed up and otherwise damaged, and in the bottom right corner is a pic of me with one of the real caryatids from the Erechtheium; the ones actually out on the Acropolis are replicas and the real ones are safe and protected in the museum.

There's my color combination for the two layouts:  Groovy Guava, River Rock, Brilliant Blue (for the bright blue sky in all the pics), Chocolate Chip, and Very Vanilla.

I didn't realize until I started these pages just how close the soon-to-retire In Color Crisp Cantaloupe is to the long-retired In Color Groovy Guava.  Really, they're like a half a shade off of each other.  They do seem to have a tiny problem of recycling very similar colors.  Now we just need to revisit some of the purples...

Cheers, peeps!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Empire Alphabet, Magical & Mystical, Mosaic Madness
Ink:  River Rock, Chocolate Chip, Pacific Point
Paper:  Groovy Guava, Chocolate Chip, Pacific Point, Very Vanilla, Brocade Background DSP
Accessories:  Artisan Label punch, Mosaic punch, circle punch