MSD 28-31

MSD 30 Dirty Jobs (use ink or paint all over page)

MSD 29 LA Ink (use a rub-on)...Title is a rub-on

MSD 31 - Antiques Roadshow (use black & white photo and distressing - I sanded edges of photos as well as inked a lot)...Brian's great-grandma

MSD 28 So You Think You Can Dance (use YOU in the title)

MSD 27

This challenge was called Survivor and you needed to use rope or twine somewhere.  I did Joshua's raingutter regatta from last fall and tied knots in some twine and wrapped around the journaling area on two pictures, plus added it to the tag under the group photo.

MSD 24-26

This is the May 26th challenge - Amazing Race.  You had to complete your layout in an hour or less...all you could begin with was your cutters and adhesive.  I reached in to the photo box for Joshua and pulled out these pictures...I used yellow paper because it would complement the basketballs in the border sticker - plus it's J's favorite color.  The sticker border is byFrances Meyer, the arrow and journaling box are all by Storytellers (these were the three required elements besides the time limit). The cardstock and vellum quote are by DCWV.

The May 25th Challenge was Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and we were supposed to use at least one "retro" item.  This Basic Grey paper I found as I was looking for paper for the May 24 challenge screams retro to me...and it was perfect for these pictures of Joshua in last year's Halloween costume.
The font is retroish too - Arnprior and the molecule things in the title were clip art in MS Word - also looked pretty retro to me. I downloaded the images of Lewis from the internet because there are a lot of similarities between Joshua & Lewis - and not just their looks!

The May 24th Challenge was Sasy Yes to the Dress and you were to use pearls, lace/ruffle, and stitching (hand, machine, fake).  I was still on a heritage kick and did this picture of Brian's great-grandmother, Olive.  I used little stick on pearls that I got in the dollar bin that last time I was at JoAnns, the lace is stuff I've had forever, and I hand stitched it to the page. The paper is Basic Grey &cardstock is Bazzill.  The silk flower is from a friend. Love how this turned out!

MSD 23

MSD 21 & 22

I've gotten the challenges done in time, but just haven't had a chance to put them on here...

The May 21st was called Ghost Lab (no idea what that show was).  Supposed to use a transparency or something transparent.  I used the plastic cover from an old Cricut mat and cut out a spider web from the Mini Monsters cartridge.  Then I traced it with glitter glue.  The perfect embellishment for a page about a young Spider-Man!



The May 22nd challenge was Who Do You Think You Are? - the celebrity genealogy show on NBC.  I've been doing a little research on my great-grandpa and his service in World War I (due to a book my 9 year old read that made him rethink all of his battling games (Star Wars, etc.) and question war).  My mom had a picture of him in his uniform, an envelope from a letter he sent home, page 5 of a poem that he wrote about a Solider's Life (no idea where the other pages are), a letter from a commanding officer that talked about what they did, and a copy of a letter from Teddy Roosevelt (yes, the president), thanking his Engineering company (he was a Private and an Engineer in France) for marking the grave of his son Quentin.  I did a little research on that, not knowing that not only did Teddy's youngest son die in World War, but that Teddy died just 6 months after his son.
Then I signed up for a two week trial on ancestry so that I could get a copy of his Draft Registration card and Service card.  This kit from Creative Memories was perfect for all these aged documents and the sepia picture.
Makes me have more questions about him...he died 11 years before I was born, my mom was only 10.  I have a few stories that my great-grandma told me.  But I wonder why he never married until he was 32 (Grandma was 21), what did he do in France during the war, besides build & repair bridges and roads and make maps...did he fight in any battles? Was he really exposed to mustard gas and that is why he was bald (a story my mom remembers hearing)?
And how did he react and what did he think of France & Europe, coming there from this valley that is not very populated now, almost 100 years later, where he was a miner.  I remember how totally different things seemed to me when I lived in Spain - and that was during peace, not war.
I love genealogy...even when it leaves me with more questions than answers.



MSD 20 - Nathaniel carving Pumpkins 2008



The challenge for May 20th was Iron Chef...the secret ingredient to be used was stamping...and not just slap a stamped image on somewhere, it had to be fancied up.
So I used Nathaniel's Cars glitter glue pens (which I figure is just like Stickles, but I've got a way better variety for free) and colored pencils.  The paper & cut outs (parentheses & Pumpkin) are from Storytellers and the cardstock is Bazzill (from ST as well).
I colored all the pumpkin stamps, but the row of pumpkins have glittery green stems & vines added, as well as the tiny pumpkin in front being cut out from another image and "popped" up on the front of this one.  The cat has neon green eyes. THe pens used were from Creative Memories

MSD 20 Simple part 2



The Challenge for May 20th was title Rich Girls...and we were supposed to use embellishments, etc. that were "rich".  So I used stick-on pearls (joanns), a "jeweled" brad (costco), shimmery ribbon (repurposed from a package), fancy button (costco) and glittery chipboard tulip(a friend sent me).  The paper is from K&Co. and the vellum sticker title & journaling box/tag are Creative Memories.

MSD 18 Simple Wishes

May 18th challenge was Chopped...we were supposed to "fussy" cut something - around elements in paper or picture or something.
This is a picture I took of Grace a couple of weeks ago and I love it.
Love the way the whole thing came together.
My Mind's Eye paper, Creative Memories ink, photo corners from an old Storytellers Club kit (May 2004), Papyrus font for the quote I found on the internet and last, but not least, pop-up dots!

MSD 17

The Challenge for May 17th was Food Revolution and we were supposed to use 5 specific things (journaling in strips, metal, paint, flower, ribbon/fiber/etc)...my day has been crazy today and not all in good ways...oldest son had meltdown at dentist for fillings, husband in hospital with flare up of his Crohn's disease, youngest two still runny noses from their colds, household chores I just can't keep up with...and that's just the beginning.  High School Musical 3 was on tonight - one of my guilty pleasures - so I watched it as I put a fussy baby to sleep and drew my pathetic & scary drawings.  As I did this I remembered a bright spot in the day - my 4 1/2 year old picked me a dandelion because he loves me :)
Hopefully tomorrow will be better - husband coming home (as long as he's not in pain and they give him meds so I don't have to be taking him back to the ER this weekend), runny noses dry up, sore mouth feels better, etc.

MSD 16



The challenge for May 16th was Don't Forget the Lyrics!  I've been wanting to use "Amazing Grace" for the title of a layout since she was born :)  These are some pictures I took of her last June...playing in the backyard, checking out a leaf and an earthworm one of her brother's brought her :)
I used the Lyrical Letters Cricut cartridge (and Design Studio) to make the title, the CS and journaling boxes and green mat are from Creative Memories.  The cut patterned paper I can't remember. 

MSD 15 J's Class Picture



The May 15th challenge was called Solitary...not sure what that show was.  However, we were to use just 10 items...one of each one.  So I used 1 class picture, 1 piece of white cardstock, 1 piece of patterned paper (Storytellers), 1 vellum quote title (DCWV), 1 brad (robot), 1 ribbon, 1 spiral paper clip, 1 copper word tag (Fun), 1 apple sticker (Miss Elizabeth), 1 journaling box (CM).  Being as there's only something like 12 days of school left and 6 of those are half days, guess it was time to get this picture done!

MSD 14



This challenge was Design Star and was supposed to focus on the person scrapping (ie me).  I wasn't sure what to do, and then decided to do some more mission stuff.
One of the cultural events that I went to on my mission was a ballet in Valencia (El Lago de los Cisnes (Swan Lake) done by a Russian ballet troop).  We were able to attend 2 events during our mission (usually a bull fight and a soccer game).

MSD 13

May 13th Challenge was title X Marks the Spot...I have no clue what reality show that one is.  I wasn't sure how to use this one as we had to not only mark something with an X on our page, but also use "X Marks the Spot" as the title on our page.  I kept thinking pirates. Then yesterday afternoon we went geocaching for a bit...I realized that was a perfect use of X Marks the Spot.  So I scrapped some pictures for N's book of geocaching that we did last Augst.  The paper is older than he is...some I've had for probably 6 years that I got in a booklet by Hot Off the Press.  The metal Xs are from Joanns - bought about the same time.  The journaling box & arrow are made from CM paper.  He totally loves it...and I'm so thrilled to finally have used this paper that I never knew what I'd use it for, but just kept hanging on to it for some reason :)

MSD 12

The May 12th Challenge was Keeping up with the Kardashians...never watched it.  And the challenge was having the first & last word of your title start with the same letter as your first name. 

There's company here this week and I didn't have this picture printed out, so I did a quick digital layout.  I used Creative Memories digital program, and all the elements on the page (file folder "mat", paper, string of beads) are things I downloaded from digitalfreebies.com over 4 years ago.

MSD 10 & 11

Blogger wouldn't let me in yesterday, so here are the latest May Scrapping Days challenges. 

This is MSD 11 - Project Runway.  We were to make an embellishment.  I made decorative circles...I've had the plastic circles since before Nathaniel was born, I think!  Same with the little glass effects "water" droplets. 
The paper is Storytellers and Creative Memories.

This is the challenge from the 10th - Real World.  We were supposed to do a layout about an every day moment.  This was our every day moments in March of 2007 - he was always in that exer-saucer some friends lent us :)  I used Storytellers paper and some diecuts, Creative memories paper and some fun stamps that I got a couple of years ago because of the cute monkeys and I have a little monkey boy :)

MSD 9

I got this one done early today :) It's called Color Splash.  We were to use green as the predominant color with one other color with it.  Also we were supposed to use 4 squares.  I cut one picture into a square and then made 3 decorative/title squares that go down the center of the page.  I used products by Pebbles, DCWV, Bazzill, and Creative Memories.  The upper right picture is the front of a little fold-out booklet that has a total of 4 pictures, plus journaling.
Love the colors and can't believe it's been 4 years since I took these pictures!!

MSD 8

The May 8th challenge was 19 Kids and Counting.  We were supposed to use a number in the title.  My number titles are 2021 and 2025...the years my boys will go on their missions.  I took the pictures in 2009 when we were in Utah for a family reunion/birthday. I did the little interviews yesterday. 
My mission was one of the best experiences of my life and I can't wait for my sons and daughter to have the same opportunity.

The rest of my NSD Challenge Layouts

This was the Raising Sextuplets challenge.  You had to pop-up (raise up) 6 things on the page.  I did Nathaniel's 2nd Easter and "raised up" six of the eggs.  The background paper is from Storytellers, the journaling block and blue, orange and green paper is Creative Memories paper and the red paper is Bazzill.   

This was the Addiction Challenge.  We were supposed to show in our layout what scrapbook item we're addicted too.  Well, I'm sure my main addiction is paper, but I didn't feel like cutting lots of pieces of paper up.  I also "collect" my storytellers kits (which I have quite a few of, even though I haven't been able to subscribe for several years, thanks to friends sharing their surpluses).  And, I love autumn themed supplies.  So this is a family picture from 2007 at the FFA Harvest Festival in Winters.  The paper is from Storytellers, as is the photo corners and tab, the stickers are from Joanns & Die Cuts With a View, as is the orange cardstock. The green paper is from Creative Memories.

National Scrapbook Day...

Storytellers, in addtion to their month long cybercrop for May, has all kinds of challenges & games on National Scrapbook Day. Here are the ones I've gotten done so far...I have a couple more I want to get done before the deadline tonight :)

Brian in a production in college.  This was for the Big Brother challenge (use a big photo mat).

I couldn't have found more perfect paper for this challenge - Cupcake Wars!  Someone sent me this paper quite a while ago.  The challenge was to have a cupcake of some sort on the layout and use the word SWEET in the title or journaling (i did both).  I saw a LO on another blog months ago titled this and knew I'd have to do a LO of Grace's adorable chubby cheeks some day.  I used the Once Upon a Princess Cricut Cartridge for the title ;)

This was the American Idol challenge - use red, white and blue...not necessarily patriotic.  These are pictures I took of Grace on her 10 month day.  I used Bazzil cardstock for everything, but the title - that was just some random white cardstock.  I added white ribbons and white flower brads. I used the Alphalicious cartridge for this title.

These are some pictures and postcards from my mission.  This was part of the Mythbusters challenge where we were supposed to use something architecural on the LO or pictures with need stuff like that in it.  So I immediately thought of Spain :)  All the papers, journaling boxes, pen were Creative Memories products.  The title was cut with the Lyrical Letters cartridge.  The pictures with tabs at the side have slide out journaling underneath.

MSD 5&6

 

The Challenge for May 5th was The Singing Bee and we were to use lyrics from either a song by Uncle Cracker or Bruno Mars (I still don't know who he is).  Both were songs I'd heard before.  I ended up using a line from Uncle Cracker and changed You Make Me Smile to You Make Us Smile and did a LO with pictures we took of the kids on Easter this year, and a family picture taken at the same time.  I used Storyteller paper, Creative Memories alphabet stickers and misc. flowers and brads.

May 6th Challenge was Trading Spaces.  We were given a sketch (I don't really like sketches) and told we had to flip it in some way.  I flipped it and then still moved things.  Here's Grace hunting Easter Eggs.  All Paper and stickers are fromPebbles except the CS - that is Creative Memories.  And the eyelet lace - I got that at a flea market in Arizona about 8 years ago :)

MSD 4

The May 4th Challenge was called Raw Nature...there were to be no people in your photos. I'm hoping this qualifies. It's pictures from the Living Memorial Sculpture Garden in Siskiyou County, California. I took them when we were visiting for Memorial Day in 2007 (before we moved up here the following year). My dad is in the American Legion and they do the gun salute out there every Memorial Weekend Sunday (as well as at the 3 local cemeteries on Monday). It was a very solemn place, and very peaceful, but made you really stop and think about our freedom and how we've come to have it.

MSD 3 and Nurses Day

Well, lots was going on today and I didn't know if I'd get the MSD challenge done or not - it was called Plain Jane and we could only use cardstock (and pictures and adhesive) on the LO.  I used my Once Upon a Princess Cricut cartridge for the title and butterflies and did Grace's 2 month picture from November 2009 in a pretty dress her Grandma Lorrayne made for her.

 Then I pulled out my Everyday Paper Doll cart and made a card for my husband to take to class tomorrow.  He's in nursing school and tomorrow is Nurses Day (this will accompany brownies that I made also).

2nd MSD Challenge

This is the May 2nd challenge...Twentyfourseven.  (All the challenges relate to reality shows somehow - I guess...I don't watch too many, so I'm not 100% sure).  Anyway, we had to use 24 of one thing and 7 of another.  I used 7 pictures of Joshua and 24 brads.  These pictures were taken at a beach in San Diego in June 2007.  After we'd gone to Arizona to visit grandparents and great-grandparents, we came back via San Diego with side trips to Sea World and the Zoo.  Joshua wanted to go to the beach so badly...and we managed to squeeze in a quick stroll.

Woo-hoo!!  This won the prize for the Twentyfourseven challenge :)  It's always so exciting when my name gets drawn out of the hat - I think the kids get more excited than I do that Mommy won something :)
In a week or so, we'll get an exciting package of scrapping goodies in the mail from Storytellers :)

May Scrappin' Days begins!!

The Storytellers Club website has hosted a month long crop for - I don't know how long.  I think the first was in 2005 probably.  I've tried to participate every year and some years do better than others.  I always enjoy it and get quite a few pages done.  This year there's some tech issues and the gallery isn't up, so we're uploading our layouts to photobucket and then imbedding them in our posts on each contest/challenge.  I'm also putting mine up here - and whatever else I get done.  The May 1st challenge (that is due today) was called "What Not to Wear" and you were to use, polka dot print paper, striped print paper and two other prints.  That is hard for me to do, since I don't usually mix patterns too much.  I made it work on this layout of Grace - using a polka dot cardstock for the base, a print for the mat and then 2 additional prints for flowers.  I wanted to use some cute white rub-on letters for the title (Miss Grace), but cannot for the life of me find them.  But it works with out a title and if I ever find those letters, I can always go back and add it.

Also, here is the banner I made for Joshua for his birthday - using my Cricut.  The letters & horses are from the Old West cartridge.  The banner shape is from the Lyrical Letters cartridge.  He totally loved it.  Nathaniel wants one. Joshua says his name is too long for me to make a banner.  Nathaniel was heartbroken.  I told him it wasn't too long, I would be able to make one.