OUAS August Sketch Challenge

This month's theme at Once Upon A...Sketch was "I'll Never Forget."  Uhh.  What a great theme right?  We scrappers scrap everything we don't want to forget, but this theme really hit home this time.  I knew the picture I would use right away.  October will be the first anniversary of my Grandad's death.  I won't go into all that he meant to me and my family, but I'm guessing that all of you who have THE most special grandparents in the world will understand.  Because he really was.  My journalling is on the tag under the picture.  It talks about how at my wedding, he didn't say much.  He never did, but he also didn't have to.  Doesn't his smile say it all?

Once Upon a...Sketch June Challenge

This month's challenge at Once Upon a...Sketch is to showcase your guilty pleasure.  Don't you just love that?  I loved looking through all the design team's guilty pleasures.  I actually felt a bit guilty doing it...like I was snooping or something!!!  

One of my many guilty pleasures is owning way too many crafting goodies.  I LOVE getting new stuff for crafting.  This picture is from Christmas this year, when I of course, got more!  This one is actually my Stampin' Up paper piercer, which I love!

Once Upon a Sketch March Challenge

This month's sketch at OUAS is once again fabulous, and the theme was, "What does your weekend look like?"  Here is the sketch:

Here's my very unexpected take on it.  I really pictured this layout being less cutesy and more frilly like the sketch showed, but as it took shape, I just couldn't help it!  This is what came out.  Do you love the flower or do you love the flower?  My sister made it; isn't it gorgeous!

I did some stamping around my tag this time with the journaling on it.  My weekend definitely doesn't always resemble this, but this was a weekend to remember for sure!

Once Upon A...Sketch February Challenge

This month's sketch at OUAS is gorgeous and super feminine and featured a love theme.  Seriously an easy topic to scrapbook, right, since I only scrapbook pictures of things I love!  

I really loved this paper from My Mind's Eye Lost and Found Two collection because of the travel theme and do you see in the bottom corner the little words "so much fun?"  So here are my two best girl friends in the world, and we have definitely been on many adventures together.  We are still super close even though we live far apart now, but it never fails, the minute we're back together, it feels like no time has gone by.  I hope for everyone to have a friendship like that.  It is truly special!

Something Old, Something New

This month's sketch at OUAS is gorgeous once again!  The theme was "The Start of Something New," and like many others I'm sure, I first thought of the biggest new thing that has ever happened to me, which was my wedding day!  Here is the sketch:

I showed the finished layout to my husband, who usually humors me, looks closely at it, then gives me a "good job," or "I like it, honey," or some other nice and supportive comment.  This time he actually said, "Whoa, that is a girly page!  There's no manly in that!"  Ha!  I thought that was cute because for sure it was the day where I felt the most feminine I have ever felt!  I had lots of fun with this layout! Journaling is on the pull-out tag under the top picture.

Winter Fun

After my husband and I got married, we were living in student/family housing on the campus of our university here, and we wanted to cross country ski but were way too on a budget to actually go buy good skiis.  Nevertheless, we found these skiis for $10.00 each during one of the many "moving" sales our neighbors had as people took turns getting jobs and moving away.  Deal of the century.  These babies were OLD, but in useable shape, and we got a few good uses out of them before they got too beat up to use.  Good times.

Here is the sketch I used from Once Upon a Sketch.

Lovely

So today is pretty much the best day of my life.  Let me just tell you what that's like.

Today's my birthday, so last night was "Birthday Eve," which my husband helped me celebrate by cooking me dinner, buying me my favorite milk--I know that sounds super weird, but don't knock it--watching several episodes of Alias, which meant going to bed late.  But that didn't matter because I have today OFF!  As in, I took a personal day.  I figured, I never use 'em all anyway, so I might as well.  Good idea!  Why have I never done this before??

So this morning I got to sleep in, take my dogs for a run, go to Michaels just to see what was calling my name with my 40% off coupon, stopped by City Brew to get an eggnog latte...do you see where this is going!  And then, yes, craft the day away!!  Here's what came out (so far...it's only 2:38 p.m. right?)

Once again I love this month's sketch at Once Upon a...Sketch.  Honestly, there are a lot of talented people who hook up to that blog.  Here's the sketch.

Here's my layout.  This is an old photo of my grandmother...probably taken in the 1930's.  She died in car accident when I was three years old, so I only have two memories of her.  Actually, this page kinda made me sad as I was making it, like I had regrets that I wish I could've changed, but I guess I am just sad I never really knew her.  One thing I do know about her is that she collected tea cups, so I incorporated that into the layout.  I absolutely know she would've been a central figure in my life if she had lived, just like my granddad was.  What an amazing couple.  

Now it's time to see what other crafty business I can get into...

Good Times

Here is a layout inspired once again by the sketch at OUAS

I actually had this layout done at the beginning of October but have had no chance to upload it until now, so good thing their sketch challenges are a whole month long!

Here is one of my nieces on one of our swimming trips this summer at the pond.  There is hidden journaling that pulls out on the orange tag.

Summer seems like a long time ago now that it is snowy, but I sure do love me a cloudy day with some crafting time :)  Nothing better than that!

Together

I have been waiting for the perfect moment to scrap this precious photo of my nieces and nephew running up my mom's (their grandma's) driveway toward her house as fast as they could possibly go.  I love how they are caught in motion with all the fall colors behind  them.  They were so tiny!  Well, about 5 years later, they still have a blast every time they are together.  That's what this layout is all about.

The Once Upon a...Sketch blog teamed up with Color Inspirations this month and has been doing such amazing challenges, but this was my first chance to play along.  Honestly, I didn't think I would because all of the specifics kind of intimidated me, but I ended up really enjoying the challenge and the direction!  Here was the challenge for this week:

Once Upon a Sketch August Challenge

I feel like I've stumbled upon the jackpot of all card and scrapbook challenges lately!  I just discovered the Once Upon a Sketch blog, and look at this gorgeous sketch!  If that isn't inspiration, I don't know what it.  My favorite part right away was the fence.  Ooooh, I love it!  

And then my life got even better when I realized I have the *perfect* little fence for this page.  

This great picture of my cat really got my juices flowing with some hidden journaling (behind photo) about how very lazy she can be on a hot summer day.  These beautiful papers from Pink Paislee were perfect!

While I jumped up to take another look at the sketch, there she went and hopped right up on my chair.  Sorry it's a little fuzzy because she's so quick, but of course, she had to approve before I showed her to the world!