Scrap-Busting Sketches

It's no secret that I looooooooooooooooooove October Afternoon.  In particular, I love the weekly sketch challenges on their blog.  Very often, these sketches are great for using up scraps.  In this post I'm going to share with you two layouts that I made for recent OA sketch challenges.

The first one, titled "Bookworms" (below), is from OA's most recent sketch challenge.  I stuck to the sketch pretty closely, except I added lots more circles above the block of photos.  I think my reason for doing so is self-evident.  :)

Supplies:  patterned paper, stickers, buttons (all from October Afternoon); burgundy cardstock (The Paper Company); kraft cardstock (Wausau Paper); pen (Gelly Roll by Sakura); decorative scissors (Fiskars); border punch (EK Success); thread (DMC); pencil; standard office hole punch.

Every single piece of patterned paper on this layout is a scrap.  Say hi to the scrappy bookworm (below)!

I mixed and matched the stickers in the title and journaling, using some older stickers and some newer stickers (below).  The journaling reads: "We all love to "read" books!"  Even those family members who are not yet old enough to read independently still love to be read to and to look at illustrations.

My second layout for this post is called "Fall Walk" (below), and it is from an older sketch challenge.  Again, all the patterned paper on this page came from scraps.

Supplies: patterned paper, stickers, journaling card, ribbon, metal accent (all from October Afternoon); background cardstock (TPC Studio); pens (Zig); ink (Clearsnap); dimensional adhesive (3M).

The journaling on this one reads: "On days when Scott officed from home, we sometimes took walks at our lunchtime.  Lots of fun!"  For an extra touch, I popped the fussy-cut fox off the page with foam adhesive (below).

Thanks for stopping by to check out my scrap-busting OA layouts.  Before I go, I want to leave you with one final thought...  I'm writing this post on the evening of September 11, 2011.  Lots of bloggers are writing about the significant anniversary that is taking place today, but I can't.  Even after ten years, the pain is still too strong.  It's not that I want to forget about the events of September 11, 2001.  I couldn't forget, even if I wanted to.  But thinking about it for too long is just too difficult.  I still can't read books or watch movies about that fateful day.  I feel sad not only for the people who lost loved ones on that day, but also for the people whose lives are still being affected by the events that took place ten years ago.  If I could have one wish today, I would wish that all the fighting could end and people everywhere could live in peace as brothers and sisters.  So, instead of thinking too long about the significance of today's date, I chose instead to spend time on Blogger.  I am so pleased with all the wonderful friends I have met all over the world via my blog.  I wish that everyone in the world could be as kind and friendly as scrapbookers seem to be.  Thanks, fellow bloggers.  You give me hope that someday the world will be a kinder, gentler place.