Life – Helmar’s June Challenge

Helmar posted their first monthly challenge on their blog and I was really excited to see it! It’s a gorgeous sketch by DT member Lydell Quin! Well, I was a bit intimidated considering I wanted to make sure my project was Helmar-worthy for one, but also because when I think of Helmar’s fabulous adhesives, I think of Tracy Weinzapfel (who I didn’t find out until later that she’s the president of Helmar?!!) and when I think of Tracy, I think artsy artsy artsy! Pretty and artsy. Not exactly my comfort zone kinda stuff? Anyway, if you know Tracy, you know she’s a high-energy, you gotta try it, very inspirational, very motivational type of positive person, so I just HAD to do something that was outside of my norm.

When I looked at the sketch, I first thought of a photo of Christian I’ve been wanting to sketch, but the idea that formed wasn’t really do-able w/o being about the resize the photo, so I scratched that idea. Then I remembered that I’ve been wanting to scrap one of the last ultrasound photos of Christian…it was from a series that came out exceptionally clear and you could see his profile perfectly. The rest came to me immediately after, but I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to make it look the way I’d like. In order to create my layout, I had to flip and rotate the sketch. I replaced some of the floral details with Larry’s and my sketched hands, but still included a few close to the central image. I combined this challenge with one hosted by Becky (fellow DT member) on Sketches4All. Her challenge is to journal around your page and add one other technique she uses in the sample posted in the thread. Here’s what I came up with:

Here’s a close up of my sketching. I haven’t sketched a thing in years and have never taken a single class, so please excuse the amateur quality to it:

This is the fabulous Helmar sketch I got to work with:

This is how I flipped it to make it work for me:

Materials:

Lily Bee (Helmar Prefered Partner) This & That patterned paper (“pretty fabric”)
Core’dinations (Helmar Prefered Partner) G45 Core Impressions cardstock
American Crafts white cardstock
Prima flowers
Webster’s Pages Vintage Inspired Netting (original version)
Webster’s Pages Sparklers
Pink Paislee Cushies foam alphas
Pink Paislee (Helmar Prefered Partner) Artisan elements circle
Queen & Co. Rhinestones
Tattered Angels Shimmer mist (used to “paint” the bg paper, circle and alphas)
Distress Inks

Adhesives:

Helmar 450 Quick Dry
Helmar Gemstone Glue
Helmar Craft Glue

TFL!

Paper Secret’s May Challenges

The May challenges have been posted on Paper Secrets. Enter any or all of the 4 challenges to be entered to win the monthly prize! One is a card sketch challenge with a twist. The twist is to use a bare chipboard piece on your project and alter it in some way. For my card, I used a Maya Road butterfly and coated it with a Viva Pearl Pen (kind of like liquid pearls). Here’s what I came up with using Webster’s Pages, new Trendsetter 6×6 papers, bloomer, trims, pins, and their sparklers from last year:

Another is a layout challenge based on a pagemaps sketch. I combined it with a “something old/something new” challenge on Sketches4All that also required you to add sparkle and dimension to your project. For this one, I went with MME’s original Lush line (the light blue patterned paper, trim and brads) and mixed it with Lush 2 (the fuchsia and navy papers and journaling spot). The buttons were also old, as were the WP and Cosmo Cricket alphas for the title. Here’s how it turned out:

The journaling is just explaining how incredulous we were when when Matthew was an infant (he was early too) and Madison was a year old (90th percentile for height and weight), how often we were asked if they were twins. Ha! 😀

The last example I have is for the stash/supply challenge. For this month, all you need to do is use 3 or more rubons on your project. For mine, I used a Kraft base, scraps for the matting, American crafts trim, yarn from my stash, and Bo Bunny rubons. Since I wanted to add dimension w/the rub-on images, I adhered them to plain cardstock, fussy cut them, then popped them up with foam dots. Here’s my example:

The overall design was a scraplift challenge on another site. The fourth challenge is a manufacturer challenge. This month’s featured manufacturer is Glitz. Unfortunately, I do not have any of Glitz’s fab products, so I wasn’t able to create an example for this challenge. Hope you stop by and join in on some of the great new challenges and don’t forget, we have a wonderful event scheduled to take place this Saturday, May 7, 2011 (National Scrapbooking Day), as well as the Scrap Your A** Off contest starting May 13th (sign up before May 12th to join in). HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE! 😀

Recent Layouts and a Card

Wow! Now that was a really busy weekend! The Birthday Bash on the Paper Secrets forum is now closed, but you can still enter the challenges until the end of the month. For each completed project, you get an entry into the monthly drawing for the April prize. 😀

Here are a few more projects I completed for the challenges. I combined some of them with challenges on other sites. This first one is for the “Remember When” challenge. The requirement was that your layout had to reference the number 2 in some way. Whether it’s twins, an age (even a number like 11 counts since it has two 1’s in it), 2 friends, 2 days, etc. I used a photo that only included 2 of my children and Matthew was 2 at the time this photo was taken. 😀 When I’m referring to just Madison and Matthew, I tend to call them “My M&M’s,” that’s where I got my title. I combined this challenge with one in a Sketches4All group. Kaori challenged us to create a layout using metal embellishments. Here’s what I came up with:

Materials:

Bo Bunny Gabrielle 12×12 cardstock papers
BB Gabrielle Trinkets
BB Gabrielle Brad
BB Gabrielle diecut stickers and alphas
The cover of the BB Gabrielle Noteworthy journaling pad
American Crafts cardstock
Distress Inks

Adhesives:

Helmar 450 Quick Dry Liquid
Glue Arts Glue Glider Pro Perma Tac

Another Paper Secrets challenge is the “Wonderful BD” (BD being birthday) Technique Challenge. For this one, you need to create a birthday themed layout with the following requirements: hand cut/fussy cut an element from patterned paper and use pop dots to add dimension to the cut element. Use at least 2 different alpha stickers and incorporate either glitter or stickles on your project somewhere. I combined this challenge with Ilene Tell’s on Back Porch Memories. For her challenge, you just need to use kraft cardstock as the base and the background. Here’s what I came up with:

Materials:

Kraft cardstock
Webster’s Pages Garden Gala 12×12 cardstock paper
WP Storytellers Diecut Alpha Stickers
Stickles

Adhesives:

Helmar Scrap Dots
Glue Arts Glue Glider Pro Perma Tac

Next I have a card to share that I created for the Shabby Chic challenge on Paper Secrets. For this challenge you could create a card or layout, but they have different requirements. The layout requires you to use a pre-1950’s vintage photo, which I did not have, so I went with the card. For the card, you just need soft colors, paint, stitching and ribbon. Here’s my take on the challenge:

Materials:

Graphic 45 Once Upon a Springtime paper pad
American Crafts cardstock
DMC embroidery floss
May Arts Ribbon
Distress Ink
Folk Art acryllic paint

Adhesives:

Helmar 450 liquid (to attach the ribbon)
Glue Arts Glue Glider Pro Perma Tac

The last project I have to share with you today is a simple tag. This one was for a sketch challenge on Sketches4All. The twist was that it had to be just black and white. The challenge is now closed, but to view the sketch, CLICK HERE. This is what I came up with:

Materials:

Echo Part Be Mine 12×12 Paper
American Crafts gingham ribbon
E. Line Prima flower

Adhesives:

Glue Arts Glue Glider Pro Perma Tac

Tools:

Imaginisce I-Top

Don’t forget I’m also offering up some blog candy for comments left on any post between April 3, 2011 and April 9, 2011! One comment per post per day please! Followers of my blog have a chance to win a separate prize! See THIS POST for further details and pictures. TFL!

For Someone Special card – Cardabilities challenge entry

This is the card I made based on the sketch posted on Cardabilities for their current challenge:

Materials:

American Crafts white cardstock base
Kanban English Riviera diecut elements

Adhesives:

Glue Arts Glue Glider Pro PermaTac
American Crafts This to That foam dots

Tools:

Martha Stewart border/edge punch

If you’d like to see the sketch I used for inspiration or would like to enter your card into the challenge (entries must be linked by March 13th), CLICK HERE.

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