Beach LO - Under the Sea theme - Me at age 5

Ahhh, summer 1972. Here I am playing in the sand with my pail in Atlantic City, NJ. Notice how I squat vs. sit in the sand? I have never liked sand on me. I loved to play in it and attempt to build sand castles, but I would never sit down in it...even when I played in our neighborhood sandbox. My mom always said she never had to change my clothes; I was the cleanest kid on the playground!

This beach LO continues this week's theme at Cuttlebug Challenge blog: Under the Sea using Digital Designs created especially for Cuttlebug Challenge blog by Wendy (thanks, Wendy!) I used the adorable fish on my card (previous post), but for my LO I chose the star fish and the crab* as photo corners/adornaments. I also used the same copic markers, Bazzill card stock, and BasicGrey Color Me Silly collection. My embossing folder is Cuttlebug Bloom Dots. Isn't it perfect with these BG papers? "SUN" is Paige font by QuicKutz and the journal block is Spellbinders Labels 4.

Techniques:
1. Faux 12" border: "A day in the..." is computer-generated in landscape format (11" long). I cut the strip at ~3" and glued my sun to hide the 1" gap in the strip.
2. Embossing a 12" strip: Emboss the first 5" on one end. Carefully place the middle of the strip in the embossing folder so that the pattern is maintained as closely as possible. *Sandwich the folder between the two embossing plates, but allow part of the folder to hang out of the sandwich so as not to disrupt the embossed pattern. Repeat from * for the end of the strip.

*Yes, I do know that crabs are blue. I was raised in Maryland and love Maryland crabs and Old Bay seasoning. Crabs are only red once they are dead. Please allow for creative license here; I felt that a blue crab would not stand out as much on my LO. Besides, this was on a NJ beach. I have never seen a NJ crab; maybe their crabs are red :)

Be Inspired #98 - Under the Sea

This week Cuttlebug Challenge blog is sponsored by Digital Delights by LoubyLou. The best part about digi stamps is being able to print them in whatever size you desire! Isn't this fish adorable? I colored him with copic markers Y17, YR04, and R29 then fussy cut him out. To create the "ocean" I embossed with Cuttlebug D'Vine Swirls embossing folder. I used BasicGrey Color Me Silly papers, SU jumbo eyelets, and string. I found the acrylic stickers at the dollar store (fish "bubbles.")

Have a fin-tastic day!

Cuttle Your Pages #3 - Book It - Emboss Title

Here I am at age 4! I remember I loved this red dress. Red is still my favorite color. This is week #3 for our new Friday feature at Cuttlebug Challenge blog. Our Wednesday challenge is "Book It" and our LO technique is to emboss our title. I created tags using "Back to the Books" on my LO (did I stray too far to reach this week's "Book It" theme?) I used the Swiss Dot Cuttlebug embossing folder on "Nursery."

Other supplies: Making Memories Ledger Schoolhouse 12x12 paper and Making Memories eyelets (on tags), scraps of card stock in white, yellow, navy, and deep red. I computer generated "the text and used my Pazzles to cut out "Nursery School."

I am really excited over our Cuttle Your Pages Fridays. This is my third LO for my scrapbook of me. This is so motivating for me! I will complete this album, one page and one week at a time :)

Be Inspired #97 - Book It

For this week's Cuttlebug Challenge I purchased a chipboard book from the dollar store. There were two holes in the chipboard and a rope binding it together...ugly, but it was only $1. I covered the book with SU papers and mod podge, added Chatterbox jumbo brads to the holes, and bound it with SU ribbon. The tag is also made from SU card stock and SU chocolate chip ink. The stamp "Imagine" is by Stampers Anonymous. My Cuttlebug embossing folder is Spots & Dots. The felt flowers are also SU and the mini brads are DCWV. Funny how a $1 book is covered in $5 worth of paper and embellies :)

My Great-Grandparents and great-great aunts & uncles

"I can see clearly now..." is our Cuttlebug theme this week...use acetate or acrylic on your card or project, add a little Cuttlebug love, and link it to Be Inspired #96. Welcome to week #2 of our new inspiration: Cuttle Your Pages Friday scrapbook layout. Our technique this week is to emboss a mat.

I inked up my Cuttlebug Script embossing folder with black ink, then embossed a scrap of paper. I layered the quote on top (top left corner.)

My acetate came from a 12x12 Roots by Creative Imaginations. I cut the 3x3 squares and placed one over my great-grandparents (on the far right in the picture) and the others spelling "ROOTS" across the bottom. These are all attached with mini brads by Making Memories.

The decorative papers are:
7 Gypsies Awning (stripe)
7 Gypsies Small Script
Design Originals Dictionary

The embossed mat and folder tab are from my scrap bag. I computer generated "My great-grandparents Fred & Alma Erno." I fussy cut to make the paper look like a folder tab.

I am so excited to be a part of Cuttle Your Pages Friday. I am finally starting on my own scrapbook album of ME and my heritage. As I mentioned last week, I am not going to be concerned with chronological order, but rather just getting pages made, one week at a time :) Will you cheer me on?

The photo is from the 1930s of my great-great Auntie Yvonne's wedding to Uncle Mac. Auntie Yvonne is my grandfather's (Raymond Albert Erno, Sr.) sister. Their other siblings are in the picture, yet my grandfather is not pictured...this was years before he married my grandmother (Jeannette Dumas), so she was not sure why he is not pictured either. Just in case you were wondering, my maiden name, Erno, was changed from Renaud. We pronounce it like this:
"yes erno?" LOL

Be Inspired #96 - Clearly Creative

Our Cuttlebug Challenge for you this week is to use acetate or acrylic on your card, project, or layout. Don't forget to Cuttlebug it :) I have wanted to create a window card like this for several months and I finally had the chance to try it! I really like how it turned out (can I say that?) I embossed the decorative paper with Cuttlebug Stylized Flowers embossing folder. Here is another view:
And one more at a different angle:
Other supplies:
Signature Studio die cut (quote/sentiment) and decorative paper,
SU card stock, EKSuccess border punch,
paper piercer, acetate, and adhesive.

Easy card to make!
Brief tutorial:
Cut base card 8.5"x 5.5". Score & fold. Cut front and border punch. Also border punch the cut off piece. Prepare inside of card. Carefully place sentiment so that it is just below card front/top flap. Attach 4"x 5.5" piece of acetate to back of the top flap. Attach cut off piece and trim. Decorate front. Voila!

I hope you like this as much as I do. Why not give it a try? Then link it to Cuttlebug Challenge #96 for a chance to win an embossing folder!

Cuttle Your Pages - Embossed frames

Cuttlebug Challenges is now adding a weekly Friday scrapbook layout post called Cuttle Your Pages. Each week we will feature a technique; this week is embossed frames. We will attempt to follow the same theme as our Wednesday "Be Inspired" challenges. This week is Be Inspired #95- Sympathy. I chose to create a page honoring my mother's brother, Gary Provencal, who passed away August 11, 1973.

I embossed my paper frames with Cuttlebug Diamonds in the Rough embossing folder to coordinate with the Bo Bunny diamond scrapbook paper. The tags are created with Bazzill card stock, vellum quotes, scrap ribbon and mini brads. To tie the tags in with the photos, I embossed a scrap of red Bazzill and added it to one tag (second from the left). The title is cut from QuicKutz alphabet Tangerine font and shadow.

The center picture is me with my Uncle Gary in October 1969. He purchased this metal kitchen set for my third birthday. The other two pictures are of Uncle Gary in December 1972 at my grandparents' house. I have so many happy memories of him! He used to call me "Gretel"; read stories to me (and never fussed no matter how many times I asked him to read the same book over and over); took me to the zoo, the circus, shopping; and ate my peas for me when my mother wasn't looking!

I hope you will go to Cuttlebug Challenge blog and see the beautiful scrapbook pages my DT sisters have created. I hope you will join us! I have been wanting to get my baby pictures out of the old magnetic album they are currently housed in; this is just the motivation I needed to get started. I could not pry these 3 photos out without the use of Un-du. I am not going to worry about scrapbooking chronologically. I am going to go where the motivation takes me and eventually it will all come together!

Be Inspired #95 - Sympathy

Sympathy cards are difficult cards to make, especially when you need to send one. Our Cuttlebug challenge for you this week is to create a sympathy card. I used the elegant Textile embossing folder on a white piece of card stock. Then I stamped my sentiment in chocolate chip ink (both SU!). I used a Scor-it to emboss lines above and below the sentiment. The border punch is by EKSuccess and the strip of decorative paper is DCWV Garden Party.

Make your card and link it to our Be Inspired #95 challenge. I look forward to seeing your beautiful cards!

We have enjoyed a very busy summer with lots of family trips as well as family visiting us. I have two more trips this month; one this weekend and one the last week in August-Labor Day. (School begins September 7th for us.) This explains why my only blog posts for the past month have been my Wednesday Cuttlebug Challenges posts. I have a surprise for you...I am working on something special...please come back Friday to see what I am planning :)