Meet October 2015 Guest Designer – Sandy

featuring products from Crate Paper, Echo Park and Simple Stories

Screenname: writerlady

First name: Sandy

Favorite Color: ocean blue (I’m not sure that’s a real color name, but it’s my very favorite color)

My craft supply 'must have': Right now it would be Heidi Swapp Color Shine mist in gold. Of course it’s always patterned paper – that’s my first love and what got me scrapping in the first place.

I mostly create: 12 x 12 layouts. I’ve only made 2 2-page or double page layouts. I don’t always have that many photos to make a double page layout. I am thrilled to be scrapping my tiny little grandson now. He has my heart for sure. I also make mini books, the occasional 8 ½ x 11 layout and some pocket pages to put on the other side of a 12 x 12 layout when I have more photos to include.

Guilty pleasure: I hope I can have more than one… In scrapping, it’s Heidi Swapp's Gold mist and my much loved patterned paper. In life it’s Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, watching Project Runway and Downton Abbey or going shopping in a nice little store just for myself.

BIO: I’ve been married to my hubby for 24 years and we have 4 sons between us. 3 of them are raising children. Between them, there are 3 girls and 5 boys, plus one new baby boy. They mostly live in other states, so I can see my grandchildren in person 1 to 3 times a year. My youngest grandson’s mother and I agreed that I’d make a book with a full year of daily photos for the family to look back on. She sends me at least one photo a day (and sometimes 5 or 6). I love it! We also have 3 cats and 3 dogs – including the dear Chihuahuas you may have seen in my gallery.

I made a scrapbook including my mom’s family tree for her 60^th birthday, about 16 years ago. Shortly after that, I was injured at work and, following surgery, I was bedridden for about a year. I picked up digital scrapping at that time. I was on some digital scrapping creative teams for several years. Then there was a lull in my scrapping while I was collecting paper scrapbook goodies. 4 years ago my dear hubby bought me a Workbox and that was the real beginning of my paper scrapping. The day he was finished building it I made my first real paper layout that I loved and I’ve never looked back.

I am thrilled to be the Guest Designer this month. ACOT became my scrapbooking home when I attended my first crop here in 2008. I didn’t realize until now that I have been here for 7 years! I will have some fun challenges for you – I hope you play along.

Layout: 'Safe in Daddy's Arms'

products used:

About the project:

Love this photo! I used the yummy Simple Stories We Are… Family Collection Kit. I loved the little embroidery circles that I punched out with a circle punch and the beautiful cut apart cards that I used 2 of around my photo and 1 that I fussy cut for this layout. I used 3 of the alphas and a border and a tab from the sticker sheets. The only other things I used were enamel dots from my stash, stars and arrows from American Crafts Journey and Heidi Swapp Mists.

Ok – funny craft mishap (we’ll have a little game about this): I was spraying on my mist, and I had the sprayer portion in my hand, to drip some mist on my layout. Now – this was the last layout I worked on, and I was tired. My arm knocked the gold mist over and it spilled all over the top left part of my layout. Oh my goodness… lol. Anyway – I cleaned it the best I could and then got creative and fussy cut the heart from a cut apart card, added the word sticker and sprinkled some enamel dots. I can still see it, but dh and ds say they can’t. What do you all think?

Layout: 'As You Grow'

About the project:

As I was looking through my photos to decide what to scrap next, I remembered one of the cut aparts in the Simples Stories We Are… Family Collection Kit. It has this wonderful list of things I wished for my little grandson Chance as he gets older. I love him SO much already and watching him grow is the greatest joy in my life. I made it the second most important part of my page (cause Chance is the first, always). I used the Making Memories page as my backing, and the 6×8 elements sheet with the beautiful list on it. Again, I used the wonderful alpha stickers. I fussy cut some hearts that came together and popped them up and I used a label sticker for my journaling. I also popped up a hearts sticker at the top right. I used 2 arrow with heart stickers and some little saying stickers from the elements sheets. I finished off with homemade enamel dots and arrows from American Crafts Journey, along with Heidi Swapp Mists.

Layout: 'Thankful for Family'

products used:

About the project:

This was the first full day we were down in NC with our new grandson. My stepson and his beautiful partner took us out for barbeque. Now this photo was taken in July but look at the colors in it. I thought it was perfect coloring for the Echo Park The Story of Fall by Lori Whitlock. Who says you have to only scrap fall using a fall kit? I scrapped summer. The beautiful background paper is called Wood Floral. I fussy cut some of the banners on the top left and popped up parts of them. I covered the rest of the paper with clear gesso. Then I used my favorite stencil by Hero Arts – it’s got tons of little heart groupings. They aren’t all the same, so it’s fun to play around with.

I used Ranger Texture paste and applied small amounts to the stencil with a palette knife. I dried it a bit with my heat gun and while it was finishing drying, I mounted my photo on Rulers page (side B). Next, I cut a rectangle from the Floral and Leaves paper, layered it under the fussy cut banners and applied a sticker border from the Element sheet. I then chose a 3×4 journaling card and layered it with my photo across the rectangle to make an L shaped layout. Now it was time for fun! I did my journaling and added a couple of stickers (some popped up) to create a little group next to my journaling. I added a flair from my stash with another sticker and an arrow sticker to make a second group. I punched some little flower out with a circle punch and added them to the top on the right, stapling them. I added my journaling with a Thankful sticker and 2 different colored alphabets from the alpha sticker sheet. I then added 3 red and 3 yellow enamel dots from my stash and this layout was done.

Project: 'Family'

products used:

About the project:

I loved this veneer house from Crate Paper Wonder. I loved being with my stepson and his little family so very much and I wanted them to have some photos from the few days we were together and from some of the photos my dear future DIL sends me daily. I wanted to make this as pretty as the one on the packing material the house comes in, but it was more important for me not to forget anyone. There is me, my DH, my darling grandson, his 2 older brothers and 1 beautiful sister and his mom and dad. I added some of the wood paper I had left from mounting my photo in the first layout using the Simple Stories We Are Family Collection Kit. I used stickers that looked like Scrabble tiles and spelled Family, a 3 heart sticker and 2 little flower stickers. I put a tiny rhinestone in the center of each flower. I also added the Home cut apart and a little location sticker. I was thinking about possibly framing this or putting it on a layout for them. Any ideas anyone?

Thank you ACOT for giving me a chance to create with these delicious goodies!

All of us at A Cherry On Top would like to thank Sandy for the wonderful project details she provided. Welcome Sandy! Be sure to check out her challenges during the month on the Message Board.