You are my Song

Practical Scrappers is featuring Stickles and Gems today. I so love adding these bits of glitter to my creations and opted for a stamped card as my part in the celebration.
~ You are my Song~

Paper: Glitz Design

Stamps: Prima, Glitz Design, Hampton Arts, Inkadinkado

Gems: MME

Gold Stickles: Ranger

~charity becker~

C & H Sugar

This picture of my family when it was still just the four of us is one of my favorites.

Mama used to call me and my older sister (Heather) "C and H Sugar."

It was one of my most loved nicknames. 

Wasn't I a cutie! :P

~ C and H Sugar ~

This layout is my entry for the Use It Tuesday Challenge #36: Uncut Paper.

I have been hoarding this flowered paper since Lost and Found first came out. It reminds me of the dresses Mama used to make for us from calico fabric. Seems the perfect paper to display this photo.

Sketch: Creative Scrappers # 218

Supplies:

Papers, brads, gems, stickers:

MME, Lost and Found 1 & 2, Lush 1, and Follow Your Heart

Twine: The Twinery

Tiny Type: MME, Lime Twist

Alpha: American Crafts

~charity becker~

Anticipate Delight

This is my first EVER monochromatic layout and I couldn't be happier with the result. It is featured at Practical Scrappers today along with a few things I learned on the journey.

~ Anticipate Delight ~

Supplies:

Papers: Graphic 45, Glitz Design, Webster's Pages, MME. Brads: MME and CTMH. Metal Tags: CTMH. Alpha: MME and Authentique. Trim: May Arts, MME, and stash. Ink: Ranger and CTMH. Chipboard: MME. Netting: Webster's Pages. Embossing Powder: Stampendous. Stamps: CTMH. Hampton Art, and Hot off the Press. Corner Punch: Fiskars. Buttons, Wings, and Butterfly: Stash. Liquid Pearls and Stickles: Ranger

This is my entry for the Once Upon a Sketch July challenge. Stop by the blog and view the amazing art that inspires their participants!!! Along with the sketch, we were challenged to interpret the theme friend. My hidden journaling explains why this photo with this title means friend to me. It reads, "It is said that if you raise your child right, in the end she will become your friend. That is my prayer for us."

If you haven't joined my blog please sign up before August 1st, 2012. I'll be choosing a follower

 with www.random.org to receive this prize pack!

~charity becker~

He's a Keeper

You gotta' love a man that likes to clean!!!

Even when my kids are playing pretend

my son is quick to pull out the broom and do a quick sweep.

I just hope this trait of his lasts WELL into his teens.

Sketch: Creative Scrappers # 217

Supplies:

Alpha: Cosmo Cricket
Brads: Basic Grey

Sticker Tab: Echo Park

Ink: Color Box and Ranger

Mist: Tatter Angels, brick
Burlap: stash

All Else: My Minds Eye.

~charity becker~

Tea Time to Reflect

On the 18th of July MME announced their second monthly challenge, Halfway There. It's all about July being the middle of the year.

This year has been SO jam packed for our family that I had to sit and think for a minute on how I'd interpret that theme. This meant a cup of tea,

and an idea was born.

What if every time I sat down for a hot beverage I had a sweet memory at my fingertips? What if my favorite people could sit down with me every time I had a cuppa? What if I could package up all those good feelings and send them to Mama, whom I see about once every 2 years?

What if I took that empty tea box

and covered it in paper

instead of tossing it in the bin?

What if I had a bunch of photos with people too small to really see well?

What if I trimmed those photos and made "tea bags" for brewing reflections?

What if I had so much MME product that the variety of

papers, trims, and embellishments was endless?

It seemed like such a good plan

that I did exactly that

with photos from the first half of this year.

Hope Mama, likes it!

Supplies:

Ink and Stickles: Ranger
Punches: EK Success, Punch Bunch, and McGill

White Buttons: Basic Grey

Star bling and brads, Crown brad: stash
Stamp: Pink Paislee
Embossing Powder: Stampendous

All Other Supplies: MME

~charity becker~

Wave Walker

There is always that collection you can't quite get over, no matter what may befall. Genuine by Authentique is that for me. Is it the blues, the sketch book look, the butterflies, the pops of yellow, the damask, the stitched effect? That would be yes, yes, and yes! No collection could better compliment these classic pics of my daughter enjoying the waves.

~ wave walker ~

I used a few different dry embossing techniques on the papers behind the photo, but saved my favorite to frame my sweet girl. The photos were placed in an embossing folder so that the design framed my focal point. Then I sanded the raised design to get the distressed look.

Imagine my delight at receiving these yellow toned die-cuts from October Afternoon as part of a prize package from Scrapbook Steals! I combined them with sticker usage tips by Katerina Hunt and Enamel Accents by Ranger.

But the true inspiration behind this page is the amazing Erin Schultz with her Guest Design spot on Scrapbook Steals as the Pearl #1 Sketch Artist.

Pure Yum...check out the sketch and then play along at Scrapbook Steals.

It's just too much fun NOT to!

Supplies:

Paper, Stickers, Alpha, and Tiny Type: Authentique. Ribbon: May Arts. Twine and Brads: MME. Gem Flowers: Theresa Collins. Die Cuts: October Afternoon. Embossing Folders: Provo Craft. Ink: CTMH. Enamel Accents: Ranger.

~charity becker~

So Glad, You're Back!!!

Graphic 45 has such fun images that I can't help but pull out the scissors and start cutting. The clowns from the Le Cirque collection are so happy and come in such great poses that I was inspired to make a welcome home card.

~ So Glad ~

I added a little black flocking (Ek Success)

with a corner stamp (Glitz Design) 

and red twine (The Twinery) to compliment the characters.

~ You're Back ~

The fussy cut clowns spilled right over to the inside of the card where a flying pig and shocked children looked on. Stampendous embossing powder, with an MME stamp and Ranger ink

helped create a fun border. I also added a sprinkling of Clearsnap glitter fibers.

I used my balloon punch and beading wire for the clown near the top of the house. The alpha is EK Success with a touch of mesh behind the letters to help them stand out. The curtains are made from bits of lace I had in my stash. The corners of the card are stamped with Ranger, Acrylic paint and a CTMH stamp. 

Don't forget to become a follower before August 1st

for a chance at this prize pack!

~charity becker~

Drift Wood

Snip apart a mesh produce bag, add a few pins, tie on some twine and you'll have a very eclectic kind of layout. This page I made especially for today. Practical Scrapper's is having a feature on projects with Pins. The Paper Girl's Challenge is featuring Mesh ...any variety. Please check out BOTH sites today and get lot's of scrappy inspiration!!!

~ Drift Wood ~

Papers: MME and drafter's vellum

Die-cuts: MME and Prima
Alpha: American Crafts

Pins: Theresa Collins and stash

Twine: MME and The Twinery

Mesh Produce Bag: Sunkist

Assorted findings: stash

Sketch: Creative Scrappers # 215

Be sure to become a follower on my blog before August 1st.

I'll be choosing a winner for this prize package.

Fancy Pants Chipboard Banners

My Mind's Eye Twine

We R Memory Keepers Clear Stamps

Clear Snap Smooch (Banana Custard, Sweet Melon, Lettuce, and Plum Berry)

Bazill Basics Vintage Marketplace Stickers

Fancy Pants Beach Babe 6x6 paper pad

Ranger Enamel Accents

Studio 18 Butterfly Charms

GOOD LUCK!!!

~charity becker~

Damsel

A Ladies Diary, by Graphic 45 is not printed in the colors I normallly scrapbook with, but the illustrations are so yummy I decided to buy just a few pieces.  After a bit of hunting I found this photo of my daughter and husband at the local father/daughter dance. She looks so classy in her simple dress and beaded jewelery that I knew it was just the right one. Lots of flocking, a little fussy cutting, and some dimensional embellishing later...

~ Damsel ~

Rather then cut this beautiful lady out completely I left a rim of paper around the design to give the look of a die-cut. A few Gems and a littl Glitter Glue and she was ready to grace my layout.

SUPPLIES:

Paper: Graphic 45

Stamps: CTMH, Glitz Design

Gems: Recollections, MME

Pearls: CTMH

Flocking Powder: EK Success

Glue and Glue Pad: Tsukineko

Trim: Recollections

Alpha: Making Memories

Glitter Glue: Hampton Art

Ink: Stampology

Shaped Scissors: Fiskars

~charity becker~

MCM 91: Thanks

I have a giant stash of black and white papers, but I scrap with them SO little.

I'm digging into that stash and going classy with Thank You cards.

These two cards are created with a mixture of Me and My Big Ideas and GCD Studios paper and some other stash goodies as well as Imaginisce flowers, drafter's vellum, CTMH stamps and ink, and punches from Stampin Up and EK Success.

Here is the sketch from Scrapbook Steals. Join us and post your creations on the Facebook Page!

~charity becker~

You Are So Special

My Mind's Eye, Lost and Found 2 has such yummy glitter and patterned papers it makes putting a card together a *snap*. After trimming these design elements from a single page, and layering them with a little seam binding and twine I had a card ready to go!

~ You Are So Special ~

Supplies:

Paper and Twine: MME

Seam Bindng: 7 Gypsies

Gems and Button: Stash

Lagoon Stickles: Ranger

I used this sketch by Kristy Lee for Scrapbook Steals.

~charity becker~

Gluten Free Snickerdoodles

This cookie has become a recent favorite at our house and is just too good NOT to share.

The recipe is mine after reading, trying, and adjusting several BISCUIT recipes.
Please feel free to print, share, or gobble with delight. Just remember to link with

 love if you re-blog.

preheat oven to 400

mix 1 tablespoon of cinnamon with 1 tablespoon of sugar

set aside

MIX TOGETHER:

1 1/2 Tablespoons of butter or shortening

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

ADD:

1 1/8 cup almond meal or flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

MIX WELL, FORM INTO 8 BALLS,

ROLL IN SUGAR-CINNAMON MIXTURE

PLACE ON PARCHMENT LINED COOKIE SHEET

FLATTEN TO 1/2 INCH THICK

BAKE 10-12 MINUTES

ENJOY

~charity becker~

Sweet Bliss

I recently had the great joy of

celebrating my cousin's wedding.

The reception was held at a local park.

The midwest is still in the grip of a

heat wave and the bride and groom

wisely provided water guns for the guests.

Needless to say we were ALL a bit damp

but full to the brim with laughter when we left.

~ sweet bliss ~

Supplies:

Paper: DCWV, Mariposa and Drafters Vellum. Embossing Powder: Stampendous and Wow. Punches: EK Success and Creative Memories. Trim: stash. Flower: Prima. Stamps: CTMH. Heart Brad: WRMKeepers. Ink: Ranger and Stampology.

~charity becker~

my MESSY cake baby

DCWV paper packs a colorful punch and mixes up so beautifully. This layout uses papers from the Be Mine, Tajmahal, and Mariposa stacks. This is my interpretation of the July Stack-a-holic challenge.

~ my MESSY cake baby ~

Supplies:

Papers: DCWV

Trim: May Arts

Alph: MME

Brads: MME, CTMH, stash

Tiny Type: Authentique

Stamp and Inks: CTMH

~charity becker~

Fashion?

Here is my layout for Scrapbook Steals Turquoise #10 sketch, and now I am Totally Turquoise!!!!
Graphic 45's line, A Ladies Diary, is full of fashion plate images and delightfully chic ladies. It gave me an ironic pleasure to use a few of those images to illustrate this "early morning" photo.

~ Fashion?
this is my Gucci mug! ~

The flowers are made with two EK Success punches, Webster's trim, and MME gems.

Supplies:

Paper: Graphic 45

Punches: EK Success

Alpha and Brads: Basic Grey

Trim: Webster's Pages

Blue Flowers: Bazill Basics

Tiny Type: Authentique

Gems and Twine: MME

Ink: Stampology and CTMH

~charity becker~

Be Happy

I love the dreamy, whispy quality

of this MME paper.

It combined so beautifully with hot air balloons.

Really there isn't much to say

so take a breath and just

~ be happy ~

Sketch: Scrapbook Steals MCM # 86

Paper: MME

Trim: Stash

Pearls and Ink: CTMH

Tiny Type: Cosmo Cricket

Stamps: Glitz Design and Michael's

~charity becker~

Point of View

I've been out of the loop lately with the MME challenges, but slowly I'm catching up on everything. This month's first challenge was to make a monochromatic layout. I have SO much My Mind's Eye it was hard to pick just one color. But in the end I choose blue because it had the same tones as my photo. The journaling reads,
"Sometimes the slightest shift in the way you look at things, a seemingly insignificant change in perspective can alter your life forever."
Author Unknown
~ Point of View ~

With the exception of the stamps, ink, Stickles, and punches, this layout is entirely MME.

Ink: CTMH

Stamps: Scrappy Cat

Punches: EK Success, and CTMH

Ranger Stickles: lagoon and Black Diamond

Sketch: Kerys Sharrock for Scrapbook Steals, MCM# 89

~charity becker~

All on a Twiny Day

One day last week I woke up to rain and busy children. They had all gotten up early and were deep into an imaginary game. I prepared their breakfast and headed off to my scraproom,

with a half hearted invitation for them

to join me when they had finished. They tend to play these imaginary games for hours

and hate being disturbed.

Not so much.

They gobbled their food, loaded up their craft supplies, and made it to the scrap room before I had my sketches printed!!!!

We made twine necklaces instead.

I guess those sketches will have to wait.

For the charms we used Tim Holtz

Type Charms, and MME paper.

I added jump rings and strung them

on baker's twine. We used twine by

My Mind's Eye, The Twinery,

and a generic brand from Pick Your Plum.

We dug through my box of broken jewelry and found 3 clasps. After using a Slip knot and two Sailor's knots I snipped the loose end to 1/4 of an inch. Then I got out the glue gun and coated the knots with hot glue. I found that if I used the tip of the hot glue gun to spread the glue the result was similar to a clear sleeve. (the bright blue twine) However, if I let it cool a little and used my fingers to roll it I ended up with a more opaque finish. (red and blue twine) Either way, now they won't be fraying.

(And the kids are pretty happy too! :)

~charity becker~

Sea Stars

Practical Scrappers is offering tips on how to get vellum out of your stash

and onto your pages. Stop by for some great ideas.

I love these photos of the kids with their "giant" starfish and wanted to

highlight how proud they were of what they'd "caught."

A quick punch with a star or scalloped circle and my

proud beach combers were standing in the spotlight!

~ Sea Stars ~

(No starfish were hurt for these photos and I CERTAINLY didn't let them bring any home!)

Paper and Chipboard: My Mind's Eye

Punches: The Paper Studio and CTMH

Alpha: Jillibean Soup

Brads: Crate Paper

Ribbon: CTMH

Sketch: MCM # 86

~charity becker~

LAUGH and the world laughs with you

Paper Girls Challenge Blog: using Rub-ons

Watching children laugh is one of the most enjoyable, heart warming activities on earth!

Getting them to laugh during a photo shoot is nearly unheard of.

When my three started giggling my husband started snapping photos.

They were nearly falling off the fence before they could finally stifle the mirth.

 I was laughing right along with them!

~ laugh ~

The wide open sky line and obvious emotion in these photos made a perfect combination for adding rub-ons to my layout. I used an office supply alphabet to be sure I would have enough of each letter.

~ and the world laughs with you ~

Paper and Diecuts: MME

Rub-ons: HeadLine Sign

Trim: yard sale

Ink: CTMH

Chipboard and Brads: Basic Grey

Alpha: Basic Grey and The Girl's Paperie

~charity becker~

The Color of Home

One of my favorite parts of the drive home is the mountains in the distance.

I love listening to my children ohh and ahh over their beauty.

The closer I get to the mountains the happier I am.

One day we will move back to my mountains and I can see them everyday.

Till then I'll dream about them in color!

~ the Color of Home ~

Kristy Lee's MCM sketch # 88 provided the basis for this layout.
I used My Mind's Eye; Follow Your Heart paper and chipboard.

Gems and Pearls are all MME.

Alpha is American Crafts.

Ink is CTMH.

~charity becker~

Spring 2012

School photos have surely come a long way since I was in grade school. Gone are the pukey backgrounds and the stiff, crying children. Maybe that Mona Lisa smile really means she just KNEW is was going to use MME Lost and Found 2 for this double page layout!!!

This delighful sketch by Julie Koets, for Scrapbook Steals. She has a simple, tailored style, that I had fun dressing up with LOADS of hand made blossoms.

Because the background paper was so detailed I went with charcoal blossoms for simplicity.

Papers and Trim: My Mind's Eye, Lost and Found 2

Punches: E K Success and Punch Bunch

Alpha: K and Company

Ink: Close To My Heart

Buttons: Basic Grey

Stickles: Ranger

~charity becker~

'Bot Wars

A companion page to Tuesday's post and done without a sketch!!! So Proud of myself!

But really, with such adorable subjects how could I go wrong?

~ 'Bot Wars ~

Papers: Fancy Pants, To the Moon

Brads: Basic Grey and stash

Punches: CTMH, Uchida, The Paper Studio

Trim: gift from Misty Buck

Stamps: American Crafts

Ink: CTMH

~charity becker~