Sketch challenge

Heres what I came up with for this month's sketch challenge. I hope you like it and will give it a try.

Heres my version of the sketch.

Remember to upload your layout in the Simply Obsessed gallery and link it back here. Cant wait to see your take on the sketch!

Also, remember that there is a crop and big sale in the store for NSD on Saturday. Hope you'll join us.

Suzanne

Jennifer's April Challenge

April showers bring May flowers! That is certainly true here the past couple days. It's been gorgeous up here in MI, and we've been getting enough rain lately also. The grass is super green and as soon as it quits raining long enough I can mow it. So, not sure if I want it to quit raining. LOL

So, my challenge is a simple one. Use lots of flowers on your layout. Get them out and use them! I have a drawer full of flowers and it just keeps getting added to. Layer your flowers, create a trail of them or just cluster them in a corner. No matter how you do it, just use 'em!
On this layout I folded a large flower in half and put another flower in the center.

Photo Challenge

Abbie has been posting Photography Basics mini lessons and challenges on the message board this month. My photo challenge is to read the lessons and challenges posted so far on the message board in the Plagued by Photography section *must be a registered user to view* and do one of the challenges. Be sure to post your picture in the thread and link back here.

Member Spotlight!!

We are so lcuky to have Chris aka emmapaige a member of the message board! She is always so friendly and participates in everything. We love you Chris!! Thanks for hanging out with us! Here is some fun things about Chris!



Oh wow! I am so honored.


Do you have any pets? Right now we don't have any pets. We needed to put down our dog Zoe only a few months ago and have decided we don't want to go through all the pain again.

Do you like to cook? I do like to cook but with the long hours I work, I don't get to cook as often as I would like.

What's your favorite food? Pasta and seafood - not necessarily together but together is good too!

Do you have brothers and sisters? I have one brother.

What sport to you like? Football (Eagles) and Baseball (Phillies) - can't you tell by my siggy????

How do you spend your free time? Since I get so little free time, I am very selfish with my time. Of course I try to scrap as often as possible and sometimes just veg in front of the TV watching stuff on the DVR(s). Anytime I can spend with the grandchildren is special to me also.

Tell me about a favorite event of your adulthood. The births of my children and grandchildren are the most memorable along with the marriage of my wonderful hubby. It's been 20 1/2 years and I love him as much today as I did the day we were wed.

What countries have you visited? The only one was Turks and Caicos (in the Caribbean) where my step-daughter got married. We'd love to go to Ireland one day.

What do you think you'll be doing five years from now? I'll have won the lottery, will have all our bills paid off, be retired and enjoying the time with my friends and family and scrapping all those wonderful trips we'll be taking. But since my chance of winning the lottery are extremely slim, I'm hoping to still have a job, good health for me and my family and still be scrapping!!

Are you a morning or night person? When I was younger I was definitely a night person but now I'm a morning person. Even on the weekends I'm up by 6:00 or 7:00 am.

How many times did you move as a child. Too many times! It was only five times but as a very shy child, it was difficult to make new friends in the new school.

Are you a beach, country or city person? I'd love to live at the beach but love the quiet of the country and the excitement of the city. Did that answer your question?


Again thanks so much for thinking of me. I know I'm much older than most of the people of the MB but I try to stay young in my thoughts and attitude (even though there are days my body tells me that I really am sixty - yes, that's right!)

4/15 - Sketch by Trish

This month's sketch is brought to you by yours truly! I was very intimidated to receive the sketch assignment because I am still learning Photoshop and my scanner is broken so hand drawing it wasn't an option; but it gave me a perfect opportunity to learn some of the features of Photoshop I otherwise might not have, so, here is the sketch!

I owe credit to the following for making it happen:
2Peas Proud to be Digital Kit
Ladybug Digital Kit -
http://www.freedigitalscrapbooking.com/
Flower Sketches Brushes
http://www.obsidiandawn.com/
Retro Shape Brushes

And here is my take on the sketch:

Don't forget to upload your layout to the Simply Obsessed Gallery and link it up to the Sketch thread in the forum! I cannot wait to see what you all do with the sketch!

xoxo

Trish

Playing catch up...

I was doing it yesterday, something I've tried to get out of the mindframe of forever. You know, that intense desire to get "caught up." It's something I've heard people like Donna Downey warn against (loved her at a CKU telling us to basically do a month in review page or year in review and then let everything else be gravy). It's something I've tried to rally members against (because really, you'll never caught up and if you do, then at some point you probably stopped really living and moved into your cave of a scraproom!!)

So it's worth revisiting again. I've got a couple tricks up my sleeve because my scrapping time has been slashed with work and having a more active (translation, crazy) life than I did a couple years ago when I really could get it all done. Some are old, some are new and I'd love to hear more of your suggestions.

1. Many of you have heard me talk about the annual album I make for my second-grade age BIL, Will. Basically I take a 4 by 6 album, some 4 by 6 pieces of Bazzill and all the random photos I've collected over the year. It took a morning and I had captured the essence of a year in this boy’s life! PS, this year I got to use up all my KI Fusion so it was rewarding to me as well to cut into my stash. Here's a sample of a page from an earlier book:



2. Like I said earlier, many of the SB personalities push those "year in review" books and I totally see the sense in those. Around the beginning of the year, there are always online classes available for this or go out on your own right now. Make it 1-2 pages per month and 12 to 24 pages later and you're done. Find a nice, clean sketch that will accommodate 8-12 pics and let loose. Make it as simple or as complex as you would like, but you get this done and then there is no guilt when you stay up an entire night cutting swirls out of a piece of Cherry Arte paper for one layout about spring flowers or something equally indulgent. Here's a VERY OLD sample from one I did one year as part of Beth Proudfoot's class through BPS, be kind:



3. Last night I started work on something I've been wanting to start for a long time that is 100% for and about Dylan -- his school album. I have been holding on to an old SB Etc. School edition where I saw some ideas. Basically, I'm getting an 8.5 by 11 3-ring album and it will be the place for his school pics, his artwork and anything else I want to include. I know we were all just talking about whether you scrap those - this is the perfect destination. Mine will have tabs for each grade level. I'm so excited, yesterday I scrapped his Halloween party for preschool last fall and it was too cute! Not to mention I got 12 or 15 pics on a two page LO...not too shabby. Sorry, no pics yet, but you get the idea

I'd love to hear how the rest of you try and feel like you're "caught up." Feel free to share in the comments (or express your feelings of overwhelming stress).

JUNE Guest Designer!

Simply Obsessed is looking for a June Guest Designer!


Here is what our guest designers will receive from us:
--During your month we will add your photo and bio to our website and you will be featured on our Blog
--You will receive one monthly kit.

--Please DO NOT upload your LO into the gallery until after the contest is over and the winner has been announced.

--Winner will be contacted by email on May 2nd

You need to do the following:
--Complete the "guest designer" challenge posted
*JUNE - Since the name of the site is Simply Obsessed - create a LO that has the Name either in the title, journaling, etc - be creative! Don't forget the flower!

--Send your LO to Heather at www.simplyobsessed@yahoo.com
1 entry per person, per month. Any size layout is allowed.
Guest Designer Responsibilities:
--The guest designer will need to provide us with a bio, headshot and contact information.
--The guest designer will receive a monthly kit from SO and they will be required to design 3 projects with short article for our blog.
--The guest designer will do QOTD/SQOTD for a week during the month they design.
--The guest desinger will participate on the SO Message Board and Gallery by posting a minimum of 5 times per week.

If you are selected to be a SO Guest Designer you will remain a part of the design team for 30 days. After your term has ended you will be asked to wait 6 months before submitting to the guest design team position again. You cannot be a guest designer more than twice over a 12 month period.

Good Luck and HAVE FUN!

Steps to Simple Stamping

Guest Designer Ashley wrote this great article on simple Stamping

Steps to simple stamping with acrylic stamps.

I know that to some of you stamping is something you have wanted to try, but don’t know exactly how to start. Well we are going to start simple. A card is easiest way to start.

First you need to know some basics with acrylic stamps. There are some stamps that will stain no matter what type of ink you use. It won’t hurt the quality of the image but beware of that fact. For acrylic stamps you want to use a dye based ink. With that said, let’s begin.

1. Get an acrylic block to position the stamps on,


2. Position your stamps, ink up really well and stamp.




3. Trim the image as close to the edge as possible.


4. Adhere them to your card with foam tape or pop dots.


5. To add “sprinkles” use a paint brush and paint the tops of the cup cakes with Stickles.



6. Stamp your sentiment, trim and adhere to ribbon.


7. After the stickles have dried, adhere the ribbon to the card and add some bling!


And voila! You’re done. Super simple.

Suzanne's April Reveal

When I saw what the new kit was I was a little nervous because I thought it was a more feminine kit and I only have boys, but I have really enjoyed using this kit. I also loved the add ons and ordered most of them. I have used the add on Bazzill and Ribbon in my layouts today. The lettering I used is from a previous kit.

Thanks for looking!

Guest Designer Ashley Harris

For the month of April our Guest Designer is Ashley Harris aka AshleyJane
Here is a little bit about her creations with the April kit.


1. How long have you been scrapping? About 5 years now.
2. Who are your three favorite manufacturers? Only 3? Umm...Bella Blvd, Dream Street and Cosmo Cricket
3. What three items do you tend to use the most on your pages? Besides paper, buttons, ribbon and flowers
4. Who are your main scrapping subjects? My children.
5. Where do you draw most of your inspiration from? Online galleries, magazines, etc.
6. If only allowed to scrap with 4 items (ie pp, chipboard, etc) for the rest of your life, what would they be?? Patterned Paper, Cardstock, Buttons, Rub ons
7. What's your favorite food to snack on while scrapping? Peanut butter M&M's
8. DO you have background noise going on while you scrap? If so, what? I listen to my play list on iTunes.
9. What's your favorite thread on SO? I really like the In the Spotlight. It's fun to see who is highlighted.
10. What's your favorite part about SO?? That the board is so active. There is always something fun going on.

Felt it!!! by Abbie Torroll

Wanna know what I love?! Easy ways to dress up a scrapbooking page for CHEAP!! LOL

You can buy felt sheets for 10-15 cents from Walmart and any of your fav craft stores. Felt comes in so many colors and designs. It really can be a GREAT way to dress up a page inexpensively and make the page "your own"!!

Here are ten fun ideas of how to turn that simple felt sheet into something fun!!

1. Cut out simple shapes like buttons or flowers to add to your page. You can add stitching to this for extra jazz!

2. Let a piece of felt serve as a sheet color on your page.

3. Mount a picture on the felt for a soft look, while adding extra height to the picture:)

4. Use paint or marker to create a design on the felt. Use the sheet as a sheet of patterned paper.

5. Stitch a pocket on your page with felt to store the journaling or extra momentos.

6. Add layers of felt to a pattern on patterned paper for extra dimension. For example, adding felt leaves to some flower paper.

7. Stitch a patchwork design with your felt on your page for a nice border.

8. Cut your title letters out of the felt. For extra POP, stitch or outline the exterior of the shapers.

9. Create fun 3-D critters, flowers.... by cutting out TWO of a shape, and stuffing and stitching it together. This can take some time, but the look is SO fun!

10. Cut strips of it for a fun, furry ribbon look!!

Any more ideas? I would LOVE to hear them!! Share them here!

Brandy's April Reveal

Hasn't it been fun getting to see all of the Design Team reveals spread out like this? I love it. I feel like I am really getting the most inspiration out of these I can as I check in every days. And inspired I have been -- so much pretty stuff!!

By now, most of you know that I am a sucker for sticking a ton of pics on a sheet of paper and I didn't disappoint...thanks for checking us out!!



(ignore the freaky scan that gave me a second lower lip...)



(this card also includes a chipboard sticker from Basic Grey that I just had to use with those pearl flowers!!)

Jennifer's April Kit

I really loved the soft colors in this month's kit. I had so much fun creating with it!
The calming colors worked perfect for this "Nap time" layout.


The brown and blue colors in this kit made it even more versatile. This layout is of my daughter and a Great Dane we met at an Easter egg hunt.
"Eye 2 Eye"


I love how the pinks in the kit worked with this picture of my daughter and a pink marshmallow peep.
"Pink Marshmallow Peep"


And finally, I made this piece of home decor using some chipboard pieces that I already had and covered them with papers from the awesome April kit. I used the wing rubons on a neutral color that was also included in the kit and then cut the wings out. I added ribbon and flowers from my stash and some twigs from the backyard.

Here is a close up of the female bird. I love how the pearl flowers worked as eyes.

B-I-N-G-O

and Bingo was his name-o! Alright pretty corny I know! Come play here! Pick your 10 words out of the 50, PM Diana A with your words, and then check everyday to see if any of your words are called. Be the first one to get all 10, yell BINGO and you won yourself a nice little prize!! Easy, Peazy Lemon Squeezy (That's what my son says all the time) LOL!!
Hope to see ya there.
If you aren't a member of the MB then go register, email me at simplyobsessed.com and send me your username and I will magically grant you access to the best place on earth! LOL!!

Brandi's Projects: April Kit

This kit just screamed vintage & shabby so I couldn't resist creating my projects with that style in mind.

I don't do 12' x 12' pages but I didn't let that stop me from using the great border sheet in the kit. I just cut it all out and cut it down to frame my 8" x 8" page! I had a lot of fun cutting all the elements for this page and of course I had to add wings to my "Angel" (I hid her horns with the butterfly! LOL!). I didn't completely adhere all the pieces down so that the edges lift up a bit creating some dimension & texture.
The "Home" card was perfect for this page showing Drew's first home. I added the tiny Making Memories letter stickers from my stash and cut the journaling block from one of the patterned paper sheets I have a ton of thank you cards to make so I got started on some. I stamped (Yes! I used a stamp! LOL!) the sentiment & hand cut the flower. The Jenni Bowlin button was perfect for my flower's center. I inked everything to make it more shabby looking.

~B

Abbie's Reveal

Good Morning everyone!!

I loved working with the kit this month. When I opened the kit, it just seemed to OOZE Spring!! With all the soft colors and pretty designs and rub-ons, this kit is perfect for all your spring and easter pictures!

Here is what I made:

Have a good day and happy scrappin'!!

April DT Reveal by Trish

Hi SO Fans!

I am very excited to reveal my projects with this month's kit! While I thought this month's kit was beautiful, I was petrified when I received it because it is all so PRETTY.. and I am not typically a "pretty" scrapper... but I dove in and I was surprised how easily the papers and coordinated embellishments came together so easily! You don't want to miss out on this kit, it is perfect!

Thanks for coming by to check out my projects! Now, go check out the store before all these kits are gone!

xoxo

Trish