Friday Finish: Monkey Blanket and then some....

Happy Friday everyone, I'm so happy today because I get to show you the project I finished a couple of weeks ago.  It was gifted last weekend and totally loved!!!.  It is a very simple blanket, using Zack Sock Monkey fabric by Bethany Berndt Shackelford.  Now that name may ring a bell, because it is the same designer for the fabric for Sharla's sock monkey quilt.  We had bought some different monkey fabric to make Tina and her baby a quilt.  At the time we just knew it would be a girl because she already has two girls.  Then low and behold the sonogram said it was a boy. So we changed out some of the fabrics and were all set to go, when Sharla found the Zack and Zoey line and she just fell in love with it.  So we ordered the boy prints for Baby Samuel.

We decided to just do squares again because it is easy, and because it just looks so cute with these prints. It turned out to be about 54 x 54 after the borders were added and before quilting or washing.   I really love the red we used for the small border and binding, because it frames everything so nicely.

I decided to do loops for the quilting, because then if I accidentally crossed a line, it would just fit right in with all the other crossovers.  I used Signature's cotton thread in the color Parchment, which blended in nicely.  All of my loops weren't the same size but I was pleased over all with the finished product.

Now if we had stopped at this point and given the quilt to my friend she would have been extremely happy. Because she knows and respects the value of things made with love. But we decided to go one step further. My friend lost her husband suddenly last December, two weeks before she found out she was pregnant. She gave me all of his shirts and I'm in the process of cutting them up to make memory quilts for her and her children.  I took some of the odd pieces like the cuffs/collars and framed the quilt label with them.  Just so he would have a little something of his daddy on it.

Now the colors don't match really well, and the piecing wasn't great, but the point got across and my friend loved it. In fact after she finished opening the presents, everyone was just chatting and I saw her looking around, and I asked what she needed.  She wanted the quilt back.  And she sat and just stroked the label, remembering each of the shirts on the label. 

She told me later that she took it to a second shower that weekend to show some people that knew her husband and that it made some cry.  I told her it wasn't intended to make anyone cry, only to let her and baby Samuel know they are loved.

I did not get anything quilted this week, because I spent my time on Monday/Tuesday cleaning, and working on Quadrant 1 and 2 for my #TexasRoadTripQAL project.  I will say I am loving it so far.  I'm not doing the city blocks on this quilt, but I am doing them and going to make a wall hanging with them.  The fabrics are Alison Glass's Sun Prints and I so totally love them.  I still have to pick out my backing fabric, and I just can't decide.  I'm thinking one of the feathers, but I love the all. Here are quadrants 1 and 2 hanging on the wall at Sharla's office.  I wanted to take photos of them outside, but it has been raining and I don't want to put them on the ground.

It was a good week, but looking at the above photo, makes me want to get an iron out after those sections!!

Today I am linking up with Can I Get A Whoop Whoop @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Link a Finish Friday @ Richard and Tanya Quilts, TGIFF...at Quokka Quilts, Finish It Up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts, Needle and Thread Thursday @ My Quilt Infatuation and Fabric Frenzy Friday @ Fort Worth Fabric Studio.

July Layouts

I can't believe July is almost over, it seems like it just started yesterday. I have my July quilt cut out, but not a single block sewn on it. Hopefully I will get some done this week. I won't finish it but hopefully I will at least start it. Sharla is doing better, but still in a wheelchair, so my days are much busier than normal. Luckily I did get some layouts done to show you. First up is one using July Templatetopia by North Meets South Studios. I love those templates they just make everything easier. I also used Heart of a Friend Bundle by Trixie Scraps Designs. The photos are Tina and Ariella at her birthday party.

Up next is one I made using Love in the Garden pieces. If you love gnomes you will definitely want to get this kit. It is just so so so cute!!!! The photo is Callie and her "Beau".

Next up is a layout I did for a challenge on Trixie Scraps' Blog. It was a word challenge and the word was "Hot". I used King of the Pride for this one, because I thought the colors really worked with the word. I love the rich colors!!! The photos are Callie and Cole on Jockey Ridge.

And last but not least is the a layout I made using Got Glasses pieces. I love the colors on this one, and such wonderful elements. The glasses are just beyond cute!!!! The photo is Sharla, not really wanting me to take her picture, but alas I won that one..hehehe.

Ok that is it for how, but make sure you pick up some of these kits, they will be wonderful additions to your stash!!!!

So Much....

Ok April has sped by so fast. I swear I've started to post layouts 2 or 3 times, but then get distracted...squirrel. Yes I'm easily diverted. But today I'm going to show you layouts I've made using Trixie Scraps Designs kits. And she has had some great ones this month. First up is April Templatetopia and Heart of a Friend Bundle. Templatetopia is always a good deal, so you want to hurry and pick it up before it goes away.

Second up is Prima Ballerina a beautiful kit that is perfect for all your dance photos.  It is a wonderful combination of pinks and grays that really looks sophisticated.

Now for my favorite kit and probably my most favorite layout in a long time. The kit is It's Her Birthday and it is so bright and cheery.  I also used April Templatetopia.

And my last layout uses It's Her Birthday as well.  And features the same birthday girl, just one year later.  I love the mix of colors in this kit, they really go with so many things.

Now make sure you head over to Trixie Scraps Designs' store as soon as possible and pick up all of these wonderful kits!!!!

Grab Bags by JennCK Designs

Ok I suck I am so behind on blogging, but with everything with mom and Sharla, I just haven't had the heart or time to do it. For those of you that are friends and family, I'll give a short update. Mom is at rehab and doing good, they are working her hard, but I'm hoping she will be home soon, she is making good progress. Sharla has also been moved to a rehab facility last Friday. She has a great attitude, but has some work ahead of her.

Now lets get to scrapping stuff I have some really cool stuff to show you, the designers I work with have been very gracious about giving me time with everything happening, but I don't want to let them down. I am going to start with the wonderful Grab Bags created by JennCK Designs for DSD. They are all on sale for $4 through today, so hurry and get them!!!!

First up is a layout I made using her Holiday Cheer Grab Bag and Paper Inspired Grab Bag. They layout is Callie and Tom playing Angry Birds on Christmas day.

Next is a layout using her Friends and Family Grab Bag and Paper Inspired Grab Bag. The photos are Ariella and her favorite toy Tigger. She so funny when she laughs at Tigger.

Here is another layout that uses Friends and Family Grab Bag and Modern Tempates Grab Bag. The photo is Tina, Samuel and Angela taken about a week before they got married.

And lastly is a layout I made using Modern Tempates Grab Bag and Indian Summer. The photo is Tom and Callie taken a couple of years ago. She is definitely a daddy's girl.

So head over to one of her stores and pick them up today!!!!!

Sweet Pea

Happy Monday all, I hope you're having a wonderful day!! I know I am, because I got to scrap with a great kit by Just For You Digi Scraps called Sweet Pea and it's companion Sweet Pea Add-on. I love kits that are packed with flowers and this kit is just full of them. And it has wonderful colors to book. Just look at the linked preview below to see it's goodness.

My first layout is 'Angela posing for some dance shots, she is growing into such a beautiful young lady. I did the layout for the Song Lyric Challenge in the forum. I love doing challenges, they really help me get my scrap on (hehehe). I love the colors in this kit, purple is my favorite color and mixed with the greens, is just wonderful

My second layout is Tina and Ariella, aren't they cute!!!! I got a little cluster happy, but then I love to cluster. I did this layout for a Word of the Week challenge. And I loved using the word "wonderful". I also really love the textures on the papers in this kit.

So make sure you head over to the store and pick up Sweet Pea and Sweet Pea Add-on soon, you will find lots of great uses for it.

Meadowlark

Happy Thursday morning all, I know two post in two days. Well don't think I'm doing better, I'm actually doing the posts at the same time, just scheduling them to post at different times. Hopefully I'll get on a better schedule soon. But for now I want to show you layouts I made with a wonderful kit called Meadowlark by Ivory Keys Digital Dreams. This kit is soft and elegant, but still has a deep richness about it as well. The colors are wonderful and the elements are great, and it lots of flowers!!!

My first layout is of Sharla and Tucker. I needed photos for something else and so she sat on the futon with her Ipad for me to take the photos over her shoulder. But Tucker just had to get up next to her and do a little snuggling and kissing. I really love the range of colors in this kit.

My second layout is my friend Tina, her sister and their dad. Sharla and I took some photos of them a couple of years ago, and I love this one. The flowers in this kit just beg to be clusters and you know me, I can't resist.

This kit will be the prefect addition to your stash. It works for boy or girl and is packed with great elements. So head over to Stuff to Scrap and pick up Meadowlark soon.

Happy Saturday

Ok if this works I will be able to get caught up on showing ya'll lots of layouts. I'm trying to use the slideshow feature of photobucket. I've loaded all of the layouts I've been doing for Trixie Scraps (since I got the idea from her blog). I think there are about 30 layouts in the mix. It is so much easier than loading one layout at a time. If it works, then I'll try and do more of my challenge layouts this way and maybe I'll get caught up again (hehehe). We can only hope.



All the products for the layouts in the slide show are created by Trixie Scraps and can be found in her store.

Signature T

Hi all, I hope everyone is ready for Christmas. I've purchased all of my presents, wrapped about 90% of them and only lack stocking stuffers. But enough about me, today I'm going to show you layouts I made with a kit by Pixel Me That Design called Signature T. It is a great staple kit for your stash. It is feminine, but the color scheme is neutral enough that is can be used for almost any type of layout.

My first layout is of Tina, Samuel and Angela at the wedding. I love the green in this kit because it works with so many different types of photos. I did this layout for a template challenge.

Next up is Zoey, she was sitting beside me on the couch on the back porch and I started playing with her hair. Sharla started snapping photos. I think she looks cute, but by the look on her face she wasn't impressed.

This kit is just perfect for so many things, so make sure you head over to Stuff to Scrap and pick up Signature T soon. You will find lots of uses for it.

Nothin' But Treats & A Freebie

Happy Friday all, I know everyone is beginning to look forward to Halloween, I know I am. I love all the kids dressed up in costumes. The is just something about the little ones who are just learning how to trick or treat that makes me smile. Today I'm going to show you layouts made with a new kit by Scraps by Andrea called Nothin’ But Treats and give you a little treat. This kit is bright and colorful and perfect for scrapping those costumed cuties no matter what their ages.

My first layout is of a big baby (hehehe), it is my friend Tina dressed up as a baby for our office Halloween celebration. I think it was her first year working there and she was just looking for an excuse to wear her jammies to work. I love that this kit has Halloween colors, but in a bright cheerful manner.

Next up is Cole as a mime. He really wanted to be a mime and he was so cute doing his box routine...of course he had to explain the routine to you, just in case you didn't understand what a mime was.

The frame cluster I used on that last layout is my freebie too you. I tried to make it something anyone could use. The image is linked, so just click and download. And as always I love hearing from you, so don't hesitate to leave comments.

I hope you enjoy and you should check out Andrea's Blog for her freebie as well as my the others on her CT team. And then head over to Stuff to Scrap and pick up Nothin’ But Treats. It also has a cardstock pack and an add-on.

Another Catch Up Day

Ok today I'm going to show you some pages I've been creating for Victoria Feemster. She has so many great kits out right now. She is currently selling at Gotta Pixel, Scrapbook Bytes and SugarHill Co. and creating great things.

My first layout is using her kit called Eternally and features Sharla and Zoey. I love the colors in this kit, and although is might be a "love" type kit, it can be used for so much more.

Next is a photo of Tina, Liz, Gail, Linda and I on Tina's wedding day. It was so much fun catching up with old friends, although we didn't get to spend much time with Tina...she was just a little busy (hehehehe). The kit I used is called Friends Forever and I also used one of her Monthly Frames.

Victoria has the cutest kit called Lullaby that is just precious. I used it to create a layout featuring Cole. He was just learning to crawl and we decided to give him some incentive. He was such a cute baby.

I've worked with some fun kits, but I have to say that Slurpy Facials and the matching Slurpy Facials Word Art have been some of the funniest. There is just something silly about them that makes me smile. Since you won't find cheerleader photos of me anywhere, I used some of Angela taken a couple of years ago when she cheered for Upwards.

The next kit I'm going to show is called Sweet Serenity and is a great mix of green, blue and orange. I used Cole making a silly face...I know you're shocked that I have a photo of him doing something like that, but I got lucky and caught it...hehehehe.

Ok we're close to the end, next is a layout that features no one...yeah it has a photo on it, but not of people. The layout is called Gotta Have and it features thing I carry around with me every day. The kit was called Unordinary Girl, but she has not released it since moving stores. I loved the colors in it.

And last for today, but by no means least is her latest kit which is available at Scrapbook Bytes called Sweet Treats and is a bright cheerful kit. I used a photo of the boys getting their favorite summer treat, ice cream.

Well that's it for today. I've got a million things to do today, but you should head over to one of Victoria's stores and check out all of her cool kits.

Making Memories & Freebie

Happy Sunday all, I hope each of you had a great day. It was busy at work today, but Monday and Tuesday are my days off so I get to take it easy. But enough about my boring life, it is time to show you a layout I made with a new kit by Digi-designs by Nicole called Making Memories. Making Memories is a fabulous kit for any occasion and any picture!

My layout is of Tina, Samuel and Angela. I love this series of photos because they were having such fun. I also love the color scheme for this kit and the elements are great too, including lots of pretty flowers.

Now for the freebie. I created a word art for you using the alpha from the kit and a couple of the elements. I hope you like it. You can download it by clicking on the preview below. Feel free to leave comments, it is always nice to hear from my fellow scrappers.

Make sure you stop by Stuff to Scrap this week and pick up Making Memories because it is on sale for 30% off and stop by Nicole's Blog to see the links to her other CT members who have freebies for this kit. And I'll be back later this week with more layouts to show you.

Polka Dot Plum Layouts

Ok, time to do another catch up posting with all the cool stuff I've gotten to use from Polka Dot Plum Designers. I was sad when they were down this week, because of their hosting company. But they are up and going again, and they are even having a sale this weekend, 30% off.

The first designer I worked with this month was Victoria Feemster, and let me tell you she has some pretty kits. I used her kit Boyish Charm and it is perfect for those stinky...uhh sweet boy layouts. Of course I used my favorite boy, Cole. The photo was taken several years ago, but as per the norm, he was making a face. I did the layout for a template challenge and I love the papers in this kit with the simple layout.

My second designer was Donna Duncombe and I love the colors in her kit Sunkissed and Sunkissed Solids. I used this kit to create a layout in my Lyric Challenge in the Polka Dot Plum forum. I love the little sun element and as I was playing with the layout the title popped into my head and as simple as that I had my example. Of course it is easy when you have great papers and elements to work with, not to mention a very cute subject (my one and only Tucker Joe).

My third designer is Pampered Princess and I just love her kit called Cora. The colors and elements are really pretty. The layout I did is Callie and Tom on Mother's Day. I love alpha that came with the kit.

My fourth designer is Sir Scrapalot Designs (I still smile when I see that name). I used the kit to do one of the template challenges in the forum and I really like it. The photo is Mom, Callie and Cole on Mother's Day. Let me tell you those are some moving and jiggling kids, I swear half of the photos have one or the other blurry (hehehe). I love the papers in this kit, plus it has sticker flowers and fabric flowers, and I love the name...Busting Out All Over

Now I have a few more to show you, I've done all of these as template challenges in the forum, the first week of May was all template challenges and they've extended it until next Wednesday because of the down time. This first on is Tucker again, and I used the kit called Doodles and Poodles by Allison Pennington.

The next one I used the kit Cora again, and it is Tina at the carnival. She was going to ride the carousel for us, but they said she was too tall. This is before hand, she was laughing at Sharla and I as we took her picture.

Next is Princess Zoey. I swear every day she gets more and more spoiled...not by me of course, Mom and Sharla do it, never me (ok maybe me too). I used a kit by Allison Pennington called Kiss Kiss...I won a bingo game on iNSD and got a wonderful gift certificate to her store, so you'll be see lots of her stuff in the future.

An my last one for today is Callie and I think it is Erica, but they were playing a game at DNOW and had to pass a gummy life saver from one to the other, using only toothpicks and no hands. I have to say it was very entertaining to watch. I use Busting Out All Over for this layout.

Don't forget the store is having a sale this weekend, so head over to Polka Dot Plum and get some goodies.

Polka Dot Plum Layouts

Ok, I've been on the CT team for Polka Dot Plum for a couple of months now and I'm am quite thrilled by that fact. Such awesome designers and wonderful kits. But with things getting busy at work, I've not blogged about all the wonderful kits I've gotten to use, so I'm making up for that today. It's going to be a long post, but lots of great layouts too. I think I blogged about all the layouts I created for March, so now to catch up on April.

My first designer was Danielle Corbitt Designs and I used her kit Nothing But Net which is so cute, and it even has some pieces you can color to match your team. I created two layouts with it, the first being Callie when she was coaching Upwards basketball at church. She took her job seriously, including reminding them to keep their hands up in the air. She did that by example, I swear she spent 75% of the games with her hands raised. I love the little doodle player (he is one of the things you can recolor).

My second layout using Nothing But Net isn't of anyone, but Sharla and I were trying to catch a ball going into the net. This is my best shot of the day. But the layout shows a lot of the great elements in the kit.

The next kit I used was called Just A Day by Sir Scrapalot Designs (yes I do love that name). And it is a very bright cheerful kit full of eye popping pinks. My first layout is Sharla standing in an overgrown area of wisteria. The real funny part is afterwards when going through my pictures I found a baby possum sleeping very close to where she was standing (she wasn't thrilled by that idea). I used this layout for a lyric challenge at Polka Dot Plum and I really liked the lyric as the title.

My next layout using Just A Day is of Tucker. I decided to use some of the other colors besides the pinks to show the kit's versatility. He is such a happy dog and he makes me so happy, the title came easily.

The next kit I used is Defining Moments by Brandy Designs. I love the deep rich colors of this kit and had lots of fun with it. My first layout is one of my possum shots. Sharla still shivers when I show it to her (hehehe), a little freaked that it was so close and she had no idea. I did this as a speed scrap, and I really love how the cluster worked.

My second layout is Mr. Cole posing by his new truck. I did it as a second example in the lyric challenge like the earlier one of Sharla. However this time I used more of the lyrics in the layout. I have become a big fan of lyric challenges, because it is a great way to get titles and even some journaling.

My next kit...I told you this was going to be long...You Look Wonderful Tonight by Utski Design and is a great kit. It has deep colors with some touches of black, which I really love to use on layouts. My first layout is one I did for a template challenge and is packed with flower pictures from this spring. I love the odd shaped pieces on the template and the black stamp element I used on the top and bottom.

My second layout using You Look Wonderful Tonight is Angela, a friend daughter. It was taken at her Mom's wedding and she looked so beautiful, and that smile was just too cute.

Ok my last kit for April was called Grace by Polka Dot Plum Designs. If you stopped by last weekend you may have picked up a quick page I created using the kit to celebrate iNSD. I also used it for a one day only lyric challenge in the forum. I used the song Bless This Broken Road and a photo of Tina and Samuel on their wedding day. This is one of my favorite layouts I've done.

I've already started to work on my May layouts, but I think this is enough for today. Make sure you head over to Polka Dot Plum and pick up some or all of these kits, you won't be sorry.