Oinks.

I am finally feeling among the living again! I've been sick with an upper respiratory infection for two weeks... Three trips to the doctor, two rounds of steroids, and two antibiotics later, I am feeling about 80% normal. So of course tonight, I'm scrapping!

I finally have a chance to play with Sketch N Scrap's Facebook summer crop. This page was based off sketch #99. I combined this challenge with Elle's Studio July challenge to use stamps - I used FIVE different Elle's Studio stamp sets on this page. For my journaling, I was inspired by the handwritten challenge this month at ScrapYOUrself.

When we were in Michigan several weeks ago, we drove past this ice cream place called Oink's. They have 58 flavors of ice cream. The place is always packed. I tried a few samples before deciding on Mackinac Island fudge... oh my goodness! It was amazing! If you're in the New Buffalo area, you must stop in for a treat!

Thanks for looking :)

patterned paper: American Crafts (Hello Spring)
die cuts: Echo Park (Summer Dreams); Elle's Studio
ink: Studio Calico; Memento (tuxedo black); Staz On (jet black)
acrylic & letter stickers: Elle's Studio

birthday giveaway!

It's my birthday and I have some summer goodies from Elle's Studio to give away! Summer is my favorite - not just because of my birthday - and I'm sharing some of my favorite summer embellishments with you!

Elle's Studio summer journal cards & cork/acrylic/vellum embellishments

All you have to do to enter is follow me on my Facebook and Instagram accounts. Sorry, US residents only.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

This Week's Smiles.

I don't have much this week to share. I have been awfully sick for two weeks with an upper respiratory infection, which has made my asthma go haywire. After three trips to the Dr in the past two weeks, I am finally feeling better!

My boyfriend has been so great at helping around the house and keeping up with chores. I came home from work last night and he had flowers and my birthday gift waiting on me. New running shoes! :)

Today is my birthday... 33! I am hoping that now I'm feeling better I can return to running and scrapbooking!

Linking up with Annie for week 231.

love today.

Today I found the Let's Get Sketchy July 15 challenge + Colorful Creations July 1 challenge and made this page!

The colors from Amy Tangerine's Oh Happy Life collection were perfect for the color challenge at Colorful Creations. Although, this photo makes the page look rather muted. It's actually much brighter in real life.

I converted my picture to black and white before I even chose my patterned papers because there were just TOO many colors in the photo. We found this cool wall downtown that had a brightly painted mural which was very pretty, but makes for a very busy photo!

I added some bits from my Elle's Studio monthly kits and that rubber piece is vintage Studio Calico (I think). Thanks for looking!

the world is waiting for us.

Throwback to last August when we visited Green Bay and Packers training camp. I was inspired to scrap these photos because Lasting Memories has a summer adventure challenge for July. Summer to me means football training camp and that's why we were in Green Bay!

I had no idea he was going to propose while we were there, but that makes this place even more special to me!

I used mostly Pink Paislee's Summer Lights collection + some Elle's Studio and Echo Park which coordinated nicely with the muted colors from Summer Lights. Thanks for looking!

supplies
patterned paper: Pink Paislee (Summer Lights); Echo Park (Summer Dreams)
die cuts: Elle's Studio (January 2017 monthly kit); Echo Park (Summer Dreams)
stamps: Elle's Studio; Kelly Purkey (Go See Do)
acrylic hearts: Elle's Studio

true love.

I got to play with the Echo Park Wedded Bliss line this morning. One of my friends from college recently got engaged and this is one of her engagement photos. I actually turned in sepia because I thought it would look better with this paper collection.

I used Sketch N Scrap #133 for this page. Since I don't really do paint or mixed media, which is what it looks like behind the photo, I used some die cut layers. Sometimes using collection kits are really great because they make putting pages together a breeze!

New Buffalo.

A couple weeks ago we had some time off work and headed up to Michigan for an overnight getaway. After dinner and ice cream, we headed to Lake Michigan to catch the sunset. We cut it very close but we did make it in time and the colors were gorgeous. I love a good sunset.

I saved the photo on the left from my Snapchat. The New Buffalo text was one of the Snapchat filters. I used sketch 132 at Sketch N Scrap and was dying to use some of Pink Paislee's Summer Lights patterned papers. The colors actually coordinated well with some of the pinks and purples from Elle's Studio. I had lots of fun pulling out my summer and beach themed stamps. I probably have at least 20 stamp sets that are summer themed!

supplies
patterned paper: Pink Paislee (Summer Lights); Elle's Studio (Live Laugh Love)
stamps: Studio Calico (Aloha; Fun in the Sun); Kellie Winnell (Looks like Summer); Technique Tuesday (Summer Adventure)
ink: Memento (Tuxedo black)
acrylic hearts, die cuts: Elle's Studio
washi: Echo Park

book review: The Heirs.

The Heirs, by Susan Rieger, starts as Rupert Falkes dies and leaves behind his widow, Eleanor, and their five boys. An unknown woman emerges after his death and claims Rupert was the father of her two sons and requests inheritance for them. Thus begins an endless display of characters that are difficult to keep track of and stories of adultery and secrecy. Each chapter is named for a person in the book and the story is told somewhat through the point of view of that person.

The book was long and I felt unattached to the characters. The story line bounced around and was hard to connect all of the dots. I had a hard time really getting into this book, and although toward the middle I did feel more engaged, a shift occurred and I felt distant again.

The idea behind the book sounds entertaining and could be easy for an audience to connect to, but that is lacking here. 

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

featured at Sketch N Scrap!

Sketch N Scrap featured my Pike Place layout this weekend on their Facebook page!

 

This Week's Smiles.

I've missed the last couple of weeks linking up because of work, but before I head into work today, I wanted to link up real quickly.

Last week, my purple coneflowers started blooming.

and this week we celebrated Independence day.

One of my friends invited me out on his new boat and we watched fireworks at the end of the night.

Sky Safari.

I have today off work and some fresh photos to scrap! Using sketch inspiration from Stuck?! Sketches July1 reveal + the June challenges at Elle's Studio, I made this page. I went with the split complementary color scheme and used green/red combo on a non-Christmas page. I wouldn't have thought it was possible!

A few weeks ago, we took Austin's niece and nephew to the zoo. One of the rides was a Sky Safari ride that they really wanted to do, but I was terrified.

supplies
patterned paper, die cuts, stamps, acrylic pieces: Elle's Studio
stamps: Studio Calico (Aloha kit); Kellie Winnell (Looks like Summer)
ink: Memento (Tuxedo black); Versafine (onyx black);

winner at Challenge YOUrself!

I was selected as a winner at Challenge YOUrself for June!