Thank you, CPC!

Looking for my T-Day post?  Click here.

I mentioned recently that, sadly, Child's Play Challenges will close down at the end of 2014.  Being a member of this team has been a wonderful experience for me.  The toy-related inspiration prompts suit my fun-loving personality and my playful scrap style perfectly.

An additional benefit of being a design team member has been the exposure my work has gotten via the CPC Facebook page.  I'm honored to have had my layouts featured FIVE times over the last year on the Facebook page, and I thought it would be fun to share screen caps on my blog.  The one above is from my absolute favorite CPC challenge--Colorforms.

Here is a page that I created for the Lego prompt.

You can see how the colors of The Cat in the Hat inspired this page.

The CPC Hot Wheels prompt inspired this brightly-colored page.

Last but not least, here's a page inspired by the Scooby Doo prompt.

I just want to say a public thank you to Child's Play Challenges for having me on their team this year and for choosing to spotlight my work on their Facebook page.

I also want to remind all of you that our final two challenges are still open on the Child's Play blog.  You have until the end of the month to create a scrapbook layout inspired by our Polar Express challenge and/or our Lite-Brite challenge.  If you're looking for some fun inspiration, be sure to check out these challenges.  Happy scrapping!

CPC Lite Brite Reveal

Dear readers, I have some good news and some bad news for you today.  The good news is that it's time for the mid-month prompt to go live on the Child's Play Challenges (CPC) blog.  The bad news is that this is the final CPC challenge...ever.  CPC is closing down at the end of 2014.  But as they say, "Don't cry because it's over.  Smile because it happened."  I think that our final CPC challenge is sure to bring a smile to your face.  In fact, my sample page is all about joy.

Supplies: orange cardstock from Wausau Paper; black cardstock from Bazzill; dotted paper from Echo Park; bokeh paper from Lawn Fawn; scalloped paper from Crate; paper confetti from October Afternoon; stickers from Bo Bunny; pen from Foray.

 
For this challenge we invite you to create a scrapbook page inspired by the Lite-Brite toy.  I do have Christmas memories associated with this toy.  (Thank you, Santa Claus!)  However, I don't have any photos of myself playing with the Lite-Brite back in the day.  That's okay, though.  At CPC, we encourage everyone to interpret our challenges broadly.  And that's what I did, this time around...

For my page, I used photos of my son and husband preparing cupcakes.  Although my page topic has nothing to do with Lite-Brite toys, you can see how the Lite-Brite influenced my page design.

I imitated the look of the Lite-Brite by scattering confetti across a dark background.

I call this page "The Joy of Cooking," and the journaling reads "Who knew that making orange cupcakes could be so fun!  We should all approach life with this much enthusiasm."

I hope that you'll consider approaching our final Child's Play challenge with enthusiasm.  I'd love to see your interpretation.  You have until the end of December to link your page up on the CPC blog.  Happy scrapping!

Snow Bunnies

Happy December, scrapbookers!  Today I bring you new inspiration from Child's Play Challenges. 

Supplies: cardstock & scalloped paper from American Crafts; bokeh paper from Imaginisce; crackle paper from KaiserCraft; phrase stickers & dark blue paper from Bo Bunny; upcycled plastic packaging, alphabet stickers, & lined paper confetti from October Afternoon; flair badges & all other paper from Lawn Fawn; gingham ribbon from ReStyle; pom pom ribbon from Scrapbook Fantasies; rhinestones from Dee's Place; pen from Foray; sequins & snowflake confetti from my stash.  

This month we invite you to create a page inspired by the poster for the movie The Polar Express.  For my design team sample, I took my cues from the falling snow depicted on the poster.

In addition to scrapbooking photos from a snowy day on Lake Superior, I also created a shaker box page accent with falling "snow" inside.

The shaker box started life as a scrap from a sheet of cut-apart cards and the empty packaging from a used-up set of enamel shapes.  

To create the shaker box, I first removed the branding card from its plastic sleeve and used it as a template to cut the snow bunny card to size.  After placing the snow bunny card inside the plastic sleeve, I poured in a selection of sequins and confetti.  Like falling snow, these sequins and confetti can move about freely inside the plastic sleeve when the page is tilted and turned.  

I'd love to see your interpretation of this Polar Express challenge.  If you decide to play along, you can link up your layout in the sidebar of the Child's Play blog.

CPC Mid-Month Challenge

Hi, scrapbookers!  It's time for the mid-month reveal at Child's Play Challenges.  This time around we are making pages inspired by Hot Wheels toy cars.  Here is my DT page.

Supplies: cardstock from Wausau Paper, themed paper from Reminisce, printable ticket from Echo Park, alpha-numeric stickers from October Afternoon, phrase sticker from Basic Grey, Candi dots from Craftwork, corner punch from Creative Memories, pens from Zig.

The flames in the Hot Wheels logo inspired this page.  Well, that and the fact that my son has a toy firetruck in some of the photos.

Want to play along with this challenge?  You have until the end of the month to link up your page with the CPC blog.  Our first November challenge also runs through the end of the month, so you have two ways to play along with CPC.  Happy scrapping!

CPC November Challenge

Hello, everyone!  After letting Princess Leia take over my blog for the last two days, I'm back--and just in time, because today is the November design team reveal at Child's Play Challenges!  Here my page, entitled "The Lions in Winter."

Supplies: cardstock from Bazzill; spray mist & leaf patterned paper from October Afternoon; die cut dotted paper from Graphic 45; chevron stamp & swirl patterned paper from My Mind's Eye; washi from Love My Tapes; pom poms & ribbons from Scrapbook Fantasies; crystal cabochon from Olla Podrida Etsy; brown ink from Tsukineko; black ink from Hero Arts; black gesso from Ranger; acrylic paint from DecoArt; lion sticker from PSX; glitter film from The Paper Company; pen from Foray; standard office hole punch; upcycled jumbo bubble wrap.

This month we have an exciting crossover challenge with the blog Pixels and Paper.  To play along, we want you to create a layout using the following inspiration image and a "recipe."  The recipe is: something gold + an animal + at least three patterned papers + "bling" + something from your stash that is over a year old.

The inspiration photo is a Christmas/winter scene, and it influenced me to scrap a winter photo.  

As far as the recipe goes, I used lots of gold ribbon for my "gold," my lion photo for the "animal," and three patterned papers (a yellow leaf print, a die cut dotted print, and a brown swirl print), all visible in the photo above.

For the "bling," I tucked a faceted cabochon into the layers to the right of the title tag.

Finally, for "something over a year old," I used this lion sticker.  I've had it for about ten years!  Speaking of lions, can you believe that these lions at the Lake Superior Zoo in Duluth, Minnesota, actually LIKE to be outdoors in the winter!  It's their choice to remain outside.  They enjoy their heated rock.  I was so surprised by these lions that I just had to scrap their photo and write their story on my page.

Are you ready to try this photo prompt/page recipe challenge?  If you make a page, you can submit it to BOTH Pixels and Paper AND Child's Play Challenges and be in the running for prizes at both sites.  All types of layouts--traditional, digital, and hybrid--are accepted at both sites.  I hope you'll play along with us this month!

Inspired by Alice in Wonderland for CPC

Welcome back, blog readers!  Today I have the pleasure of sharing Child's Play Challenges' mid-month challenge with you!  This time around, we invite you to create a layout inspired by the classic Disney film Alice in Wonderland.

Supplies: cardstock from Wausau Paper; fussy-cut butterfly & key patterned papers from Kaisercraft; spray mist, mini alphas, & all other patterned paper from October Afternoon; heart punch from All Night Media; round alphabet stickers from Bella Blvd; acid-free notebook paper from Cachet; stamp from My Mind's Eye; paint from Ranger; vintage playing card from Olla Podrida etsy; clock face, key charms, & resin rose from Natalie May etsy; rhinestones from Dee's Place; border punch from EK Success; household twine; pen from Foray.

My sample layout, which you see in the photo above, incorporates a lot of imagery from the film.  I used a playing card, a clock, keys, hearts...

...and even a [resin] rose painted red!

My page is called "Cards & Cupcakes," and it will go in my Spring Break album.  My family visited northern Minnesota during spring break, and you know, in Minnesota, the spring can be a lot like winter, with cold temps and lots of snowfall.  Here is what my journaling has to say about that: "Being snowed in at the hotel was no problem.  We brought our homemade cupcakes and a pack of cards to the lobby and had fun."

If you saw my last blog post, then you saw how I created DIY stencils for this page.  I took a bunch of little paper scraps, punched heart shapes in them, and temporarily taped them to my background page.

Ready to stencil the background!

Usign pearlescent Stickles paint, I stenciled the hearts onto the background.  I immediately removed the stencils and let the Stickles dry, then I spritzed parts of the background with peach spary ink in a shade slightly darker than the cardstock.  The slick surface of the Stickles resists the spray ink, helping the hearts stand out even more.  This was a fun way to get some use out of little paper scraps and add excitement to an otherwise plain cardstock background.

After stenciling & adding mixed media: hearts galore and a unique background!

If you are interested in creating your own Alice-inspired layout, please share it with us at Child's Play Challenges.  This challenge, as well as our Jack in the Box challenge, are open until the end of the month.  You can link your entries via the linky tool in the sidebar of the CPC blog.  Happy scrapping!

Jack in the Box--October CPC Challenge

Hi, everyone!  Wow, we had such a great response to our September CPC challenges.  Let's keep it rolling with our first October challenge, which goes live today.  This month we invite you to create a page inspired by that classic childhood toy the Jack in the Box.  I made a zoo page for this challenge.

Supplies: cardstock from Bazzill; all paper from Kaisercraft; spray mist, enamel shapes, & large alphabet stickers from October Afternoon; mini alphabet stickers from Doodlebug; ink from Tsukineko; stamps from My Mind's Eye; chipboard from Scrapmatts; doilies, sequins, flowers, & ribbon from Natalie May etsy; pen from Foray.

I was lucky in that I had some paper ("Hidden Treasures" collection by Kaisercraft) that included a cute picture of a Jack in the Box monkey.

No Jack in the Box paper in your stash?  No problem!  You are free to interpret this challenge in any way you wish.  You could make a page about clowns, about someone named Jack, or about something in a box.  Please be sure to visit the Child's Play Challenges blog for even more ideas from the rest of the design team.  Happy scrapping!

CPC Mid-Month Challenge

Hi, everyone!  I'm here to introduce the mid-month challenge over at the scrapbooking blog Child's Play Challenges.  During the month of September, we want to see how the book The Cat in the Hat inspires you!  Here's my design team sample.

Supplies: blue cardstock from Bazzill; white cardstock from American Crafts; patterned paper, spray mist, & alphabet stickers from October Afternoon; ink from Tsukineko; Candi dots from Craftwork; washi from Love My Tapes; rhinestones from Dee's Place; pens from Zig; black gesso & pearlescent paints from Ranger; white paint from DecoArt; stamping ink from Hero Arts; upcycled plastic lid & jumbo bubble wrap; sequins & beads from my stash.

Obviously there are lots of directions you could go with this challenge.  You could create a page about a pet cat.  But I did that for my last CPC reveal, and I wanted to do something different.  You could make a page about a Cat in the Hat themed attraction, which I have done that before too.  What I finally decided to do for this DT sample was limit myself to the same red, blue, black, and white palette of Dr. Seuss's famous book.

As far as subject matter goes, I chose a photo from a local nature center--nothing related to cats at all.  Good thing we're all about creative interpretation at Child's Play!  Speaking of creative, I did a bit of mixed media work on this layout.  I stamped a pattern of circles with black ink and jumbo bubble wrap, I used an old plastic lid to stamp with pearlescent paint, and I scattered an array of sparkly bits and bobs across a black gesso background.

Little did I know, when my husband took this photo of me a couple years ago, that it would one day remind me of a silly pop song.  You just gotta love "What Does the Fox Say," right?

I want to remind you that this Cat in the Hat challenge runs concurrently with our sequins challenge.  Head on over to Child's Play Challenges to enter one or both of these challenges.  Happy scrapping!

Sequins! CPC September

This month at Child's Play Challenges our prompt is: sequins. It is a fun, trendy challenge that you could take in almost any direction.

Supplies: cardstock from Neenah Paper; patterned paper from My Mind's Eye; index cards upcycled from Lily Bee packaging; chipboard from Scrapmatts; twine from Canvas Corp.; heart punch from All Night Media; corner punch from Creative Memories; ink from Hero Arts; pens from Zig; sequins from my stash; upcycled paper bag.

For my inspiration piece, I used a sprinkling of sequins to enliven a kraft background.

Did you spot the kitty (Maggie) in the photo, among the books on the shelf?  The title of this page is "Cats & Books"...

...and the journaling, written along the side of the photo on tiny index cards, says "best things in life."

Be sure to check out the CPC blog to see inspiration from the rest of the design team.  Happy scrapping!

The Flintstones! (CPC)

Time for the mid-month reveal at Child's Play Challenges!  This month we invite you to create a scrapbook page inspired by the televison show The Flintstones.

Supplies: background paper from Lily Bee; orange paper from Bo Bunny; gold chevron paper from Pink Paislee; fussy cut banner paper from Imaginisce; cardstock from Bazzill; title card from Studio Calico; tape from 3M/Scotch; ribbon from Berwick Offray; chipboard from ScrapMatts; rhinestones from Dee's Place; sequins & spangle from my stash; corner punch from Creative Memories.

People and dinosaurs live side by side in the world of the Flintstones.  This inspired me to make a scrapbook layout using photos of people together with (animatronic) dinosaurs.  The layout is above, and a few detail shots are below.

I'm still kind of obsessed with adding rhinestones to everything.

Sequins and a spangle are also good for sparkle.

It was fun using these fussy cut banners to enliven some empty spaces.

This challenge runs through the end of August.  For more information, and to see inspiration from the rest of the design team, please visit the Child's Play Challenges blog.  Take care!

CPC August Challenge

Hello, all!  I'm just popping by today to let you know the new theme for August at Child's Play Challenges.  This time around it's a classic toy: Weebles.  No matter how often you knock over a Weeble, it automatically pops back up, grinning all the while.  That perpetual, painted-on Weeble grin inspired me to use smiley face stamps on my layout.

Supplies: white cardstock from American Crafts; yellow cardstock from Wausau Paper; patterned papers, stickers, die cuts, & enamel shapes from October Afternoon; stamp from Inkadinkado; stamping ink from Hero Arts; edging ink from Autumn Leaves/Stampology; pen from Zig.

My retro-looking smiley face stamps accompany photos from a recent weekend of tie-dyeing.  A colorful grid design, made up entirely of assorted patterned paper scraps from my stash, ties the whole page together.  Overall, the effect is pretty groovy.  :)  Here are a few detail shots.

There are many other ways to draw scrapbooking inspiration from Weebles.  Please visit the Child's Play Challenges blog to see what the rest of the design team created.  Hope we'll inspire you!

CPC Mid-Month Challenge: Cootie!

Supplies: background cardstock from Bazzill; all other cardstock from Wausau Paper; alphabet stickers, die cuts, enamel shape stickers, & grid paper from October Afternoon; all other patterned paper from Carta Bella; purple decorative tape from 3M/Scotch; gifted butterfly tape; metal butterfly charm from Olla Podrida; chipboard frame from Scrapmatts; glitter paint from Ranger; ink from Clearsnap; corner punch from Creative Memories.

Cootie--that funny old insect-building game--is our inspiration toy for the latest CPC challenge.  Running with the idea of insects/bugs, I made a page about a visit to a local butterfly garden.
 

~detail shot 1~

Butterflies, in all their different forms, are some of my favorite "bugs."  :)  Everyone on the design team had a slightly different interpretation of the Cootie challenge, so be sure to check out the CPC blog to see the rest of the team's layouts.

~detail shot 2~

If you feel motivated to create a scrapbook page inspired in some way by the game of Cootie, be sure to link up to Child's Play Challenges by the end of the month.  Happy craftings!