Wishy Washi

 Paper Issues has a "Wishy Washi" challenge going on right now.
Washi tape is all the rage right now in paper crafting so jump on the bandwagon!!

All you have to do is make something with Washi tape and link it up {here} over on the Paper Issues blog.

Or link something up you have already made!!
Every time you link something, your names goes into a hat for a chance to win $25 to use in the Freckled Fawn store!
Booyah!!

Hurry up!
Link something up!!
*****

I linked up these 2 cards using Bella Blvd tapes!

The challenge goes until July 28th so that gives you through next weekend to link something up!

Get on it!
:)
gretchen

Scrapping the Music

This month the girls over at Noel Mignon got to team up with the folks over at Scrapping the Music!

Have you checked out this blog before??

It is a fun site dedicated to inspiring you through music and challenging you to get creative using songs, lyrics, song titles, etc.

Fun stuff!!
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Check out this post at Scrapping the Music to see the inspiration and challenges for June.

Now the challenge that I worked with is this:

Is there a song you once shared or currently share with a special someone as "your song" together?

Why, yes there is!

:)

Our wedding was simple and very traditional.

Nothing hokey or crazy.

Except that we walked back down the aisle to music from Star Wars!

hehehe

I've meant to do a layout about that before but have never gotten around to it until now!
I used the Summer Wind kit from Noel Mignon to make this layout...

Can you tell I am loving my heart punch lately??
OK so if you would like to play along with this fun challenge and have a chance to win a $20 gift card to the Noel Mignon store, check out the challenges at Scrapping the Music and link up your layouts at the end of this post {here}.

You have until June 12th!

Get to scrapping!!
:)
gretchen

Show Me Your Chevron!

That is the new theme over at Paper Issues!
"Show Me Your Chevron!"
Chevrons are oh so popular right now in the paper crafting world.
And we want to see what you have made with them!
So link up your projects {HERE}.

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Link up your projects for a chance to win a Jenni Bowlin mini kit and your projects might even be featured on the site!
You can also win a Jenni kit by leaving comments along the small blog hop starting {HERE}.

So get to linking and get to hopping!
(no fooling!)
I am linking up these 2 cards that I made with Bella Blvd products!
Lovin' the chevrons!!
:)

Have a great Sunday!!
:)
gretchen

Fun challenges at Bella Blvd!

Hey!
All week there have been fun challenges going on over on the Bella Blvd blog.

Like today's challenge is to use punched circles on a project.
And here is a card I made...

{using the new Sunshine & Happiness line}*****
And then earlier this week one of the challenges was to use patterned paper as an embellishment.
So I cut a bunch of clouds out of a sheet of patterned paper from the Sunshine & Happiness line and used them to embellish this card...

*****
OUT
FOR
PUBLICATION
*****

And I also punched some circles out of patterned paper and cut a couple of tiny hearts out of patterned paper from the new Baby Boy line to make this card...

The other challenges are to use Cute Cuts on a project, use a sheet of the Borders on a project, and then use papers from 4 different collections on a project.
Great challenges!
And all of them very do-able!
:)
So I think you should play along!
You could win a big phat (yes i meant to spell that with a "ph") prize pack of $100 worth of Bella Blvd products!
All you have to do is play along with the challenges and link them up over on the Bella blog.
If you participate in one challenge, your name will be entered in one time.

If you participate in three of the challenges, your name will be entered in three times.

Make sense?

And how about a bonus!!
If you participate in all five challenges, your name will be entered in not five times, but TEN times!
There is a button at the end of each blog post to let you link up your completed projects.

You have until Friday, March 2nd, to get your links added on.

Winner will be announced on Saturday, March 3rd.
So get to scrapping!!!
{check out the Bella Blvd blog for more details and great inspiration for each of the challenges}
:)
TGIF!!
gretchen

psssssstt!!

Hey!

OK if I tell you a secret will you promise not to say anything??
I have a bit of insider info I am willing to share with you.
Here's the scoop...

There is a new challenge going up next week over at Noel Mignon.

And it is a tough-y!

But I am going to give you a head start.
It is going to be a "recipe" challenge.

That means you have certain "ingredients" you have to use to make your layout.
Wanna know the ingredients you are going to need??

I just so happen to know them!
Here they are:

2 sheets of card stock
3 sheets of patterned paper
1 ribbon
1 twine
4 stickers
2 different alphas (thickers or stickers)
A pinch of stitching
A dash of rub ons
a smidgen of fabric

And here is another secret for you.
I've already made a layout with the recipe that might help you out a little!

Here is how I used the ingredients:

2 sheets of card stock: pink & kraft matting the photos
3 sheets of patterned paper: background paper, pink paper that I punched the butterflies out of, stars cut out of a sheet of pattered paper
1 ribbon: scalloped
1 twine: pink/white
4 stickers: the pink circle stickers (i cut the largest circle in half & used it on the top & bottom of the page
2 different alphas: "Grandpa and Grandma with Thickers and "with" with My Mind's Eye tiny stickers
A pinch of stitching: around the pictures
A dash of rub ons: the "&" in the title
a smidgen of fabric: burlap

{I used the Study Hall kit to make this layout! However, everything pink I pulled from my stash of Pebbles products. The round stickers are Jenni Bowlin and the "&" is Hambly}
*****

Does that help at all??
OK one more secret!
I am pretty sure there is going to be a prize involved with this one!
But you did not hear it from me!

Mums the word!
:)
gretchen

Color Combos Galore

Well looky here!

I get to be the guest designer over at Color Combos Galore this week!
{what that really means is that Midnight Rooster is the sponsor over there this month and i was the only Midnight Rooster designer who had a chance to make anything this week! lucky me!}

This is the first time I have ever participated in these challenges and it will not be my last!
Basically (in case you are not familiar Color Combos Galore challenges) each week the challenge involves a color palette with a twist.

For instance, this week's color palette is soft with some pink and blue/purple.
The twist is pearls.

And I made this ...

I put a little simple greeting inside...

I made this card using the August kit from Midnight Rooster (Summer Shandy).
Now go check out Color Combos Galore and see all the better stuff that people made for this challenge!

*****
P.S.

Tomorrow is the Midnight Rooster September reveal!

Oh, and it is Friday!
:)
gretchen

Black tank top

Yesterday was my day to put up a challenge on the KI blog.

The challenge is to scrap an outfit!
It can be an outfit of yours or a favorite outfit of a child or an outfit you have your eye on...whatever.
Just scrap it!
I pulled out some of the new Hot Date line & scrapped about the handy black tank top that I have basically worn all summer long!

Those black letters in the title are the fabulous, normally white/graph print Hip Chip letters that I love so much.
But the white just didn't look right on this layout.
So I changed them.
I peeled the printed layer off of each chipboard letter to expose the raw chipboard underneath and then colored them black with a Sharpie.
Easy!
{i did the same thing on this layout}
I've also used ink and paint on the raw chipboard.
The Sharpie is my new thing.
I make much less of a mess!
:)
OK so if you scrap an outfit, make sure to link it up on the KI blog so we can see it and leave you some love!
:)

New challenge!

After a little summer hiatus, the challenge blog over at Noel Mignon is back up & active!

And the new challenge is very appropriate:
What did you do on your summer vacation??

Scrap it!

I did some fun stuff this summer,

but I also did a lot of running!

So I scrapped about it...

{I grabbed the cardstock & brads from my stash but everything else is from the Noel Mignon Salt Water Taffy kit!}

I kept this layout pretty simple since the pictures are so busy & colorful.

And that is a sun rub-on over the "summer" in my title & a cute watermelon border underneath!

I am still on a banner kick and I thought I would spice this one up a little bit by mixing the Lily Bee flag stickers in with the Sassafras border sticker.

*****

Join us & scrap about your summer!
Link up your layouts here.

*****
Happy Monday!
:)

gretchen

Forgot

Aw, poor forgotten layout!
I totally forgot to post the layout I did for the June My Mind's Eye sketch challenge!
Here is the sketch...

That sketch is right up my alley, so I made this layout using my Bees Knees kit from Noel Mignon!

Sorry to be so short!
Gotta run!
{pun totally intended}
:)

gretchen

Birthday challenge!

There is a new challenge up at Noel Mignon.

Since it seems like everybody over on the Noel message board is either having a birthday or knows somebody having a birthday in the next couple of months, it only seems fitting that we have a birthday-themed challenge.

This one is called the
"They Say It's Your Birthday" challenge!
And since you can never have enough extra birthday cards on hand, I made a couple for the challenge using the new Mary Ellen kit!

*****
OUT FOR
PUBLICATION
*****

OK!
That's all I've got today!
Happy Tuesday!
:)
gretchen

New challenge!!

There's a new challenge up at Noel Mignon!

Now technically this shouldn't be a "challenge" but for me, it is.

The challenge is just to use stamps on a project.

For most people that is no challenge at all.

But for some reason, I don't ever stamp.

So this "challenge" was good for me then!

{well it was good after i finally found my dang clear block!}

And this stamp from the Jump & Jive kit is pretty cool so I really wanted to use it!

And this is what I made...

I think I used bits and pieces from 3 different Noel Mignon kits!
I love how well her kits all mix together!

And you know I don't want to waste a single bit!

The challenge runs until the 29th so come play along with us!
There is a pack of new Hambly washi tape up for grabs for one lucky participant!
Don't miss out!!
(here is the challenge)
*****
And in other fun Noel Mignon happenings, here is a little taste of what is coming next!

{swoon}

:)

happy day!!

gretchen

delightfully {un}domestic

There is a new challenge up at Noel Mignon.

This is the "Domestic Goddess" challenge.

The challenge is all about scrapping your domestic routine...

or lack thereof in my case!

Hence this layout...

I used the Delightfully Domestic kit here.
Obviously my title is a play on the name of the kit!

And since I am no domestic goddess, I have no pictures to add to this page.

But I didn't really want to embarass myself any further anyway.

*****
As if that Delightfully Domestic kit wasn't good enough, Noel has a new kit for sale as of yesterday
(so you better get yours quick!).

This is "Jump and Jive"!!

Oh the goodness!!!

{get yours here}
:)
Happy Tuesday!
gretchen

*****

P.S.

The Paper Issues blog hop is still going on here!!

It's not too late to hop along with us!

KI sketch challenge

Happy Monday!!
There's a new challenge up on the KI blog!

Lisa Dickinson came up with a great sketch to use as the challenge...

And this is the layout I made...

I used some of the new KI glitter cardstock with a sheet of calendar paper, quick strips, & Scribbles from the Over the Rainbow collection.
Then I went back to some old favorites (lace cardstock, brads, & good ole bling!) to complete the layout!

Thanks for looking!
And have a great day!
:)
gretchen

P.S.

The Paper Issues blog hop is still going on two posts below!!

new challenge

There is a new challenge up at Noel Mignon!
It is the "It Takes Two" challenge.

That means that everything on your layout has to be done in twos.

If you use one of something, you have to use two.

And you can't use more than two of anything.

Now I present to you the layout that took me a full week to complete...

2 pictures
2 pieces of cardstock (red & kraft)

2 patterned papers (that scalloped border came off the striped piece of Sassafras)

2 chipboard stars

2 alphabets (red & silver)

2 brads

2 photo corners

2 pieces of masking tape (overlapping each other on top of the big picture)

2 staples

2 types of journaling (written & typed)

{i didn't plan that but it works!}

This was officially the hardest {scrapbooking} challenge I have ever completed!
I dare you to play along with us!

You can see everybody else's layout here.

And, seriously, I dare ya!

:)
gretchen

Noel sketch challenge

Happy Monday!

I hope you had a great weekend!

And happy Valentine's Day too!!
*****

There's a little sketch challenge going on over at Noel Mignon right now.
The girls at Noel Mignon teamed up with Sketch Inspiration for this one.

Here is the cool sketch they provided for us...

And here is the layout I made with it...

(Supplies: I used mostly the Truly Scrumptious kit from Noel Mignon with a couple of pieces from Very Virginia thrown in)

*****
P.S.

I'll be back later tonight with the winner of the sketch app giveaway!
{see below}

You can still leave a comment if you want a chance at the app!
:)
gretchen

Send a Valentine!

Yesterday was my day to put up a challenge on the KI blog.

Well yesterday was 1 week until Valentine's Day.
So the challenge seems like an obvious one!

The challenge??

Send a Valentine!

Make a gift.

Send a card.

Buy some candy.

Leave a note.
Whatever!

Just do something to make someone's Valentine's Day great!

I made little happys (how do you spell that??) for my girls at work.
I used my KI supplies to make tags to put on some treats.

The lips lollipops came from Wal-mart...fabulous!!
:)
So that's the challenge!

If you make something, link it up to the KI blog and make sure you comment

here too!

You have 6 days...hop to it!
:)

gretchen

MME card

Hey there!
I made a card for the latest challenge over on the My Mind's Eye blog.
{there is a card challenge and a layout challenge you can participate in}

The challenge is to make a card based on this sketch...

So I grabbed by Very Virginia kit, found some My Mind's Eye in it, and made this card!

The challenge ends on Thursday so there is still time to play along!
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FYI...

There is going to be a blog hop going on tomorrow & Thursday to show off sneak peeks of the new Noel Mignon kit.

There will be prizes involved!!
:)

{hint: check out Kim's blog starting at 8:00 AM CST tomorrow and then I will eventually see you back here along the way}

Happy Tuesday!

:)

gretchen

new Noel Mignon challenge

There is a new challenge up at Noel Mignon!

This one is more of an inspirational/color combo challenge.
Here is the inspiration...

{from the Creature Comforts blog which is a way cool site}

And this is what I made...

I used the fabulous Very Virginia kit for this one!

Now come play along with us!

{learn more about the challenge here}

:)
gretchen

Getting misty

There is a new challenge up at Noel Mignon!
The challenge is to use mists on a project.
Whereas for most of you this probably isn't really a challenge, it was quite the challenge for me!

I am a misting rookie and I have to admit that it kind of scares me!
I am a messy scrapper anyway, so if you add some mist into the mix I might have to move my scrapping out of the house completely!
However, I will admit that my first experience with misting was fun!

I was just practicing on some white cardstock but I liked the way the silver mist (from the Very Virginia kit) looked so I used the practice cardstock as the background for my printed journaling here.

I hand cut "funny" out of white cardstock.
But it was just too white for my liking so I gave it a little spray with the mist too!

And this is how it all turned out...

{I used the Noel Mignon Bedford Falls kit here. The mist is from the Very Virginia kit though!}

The challenge runs through next week so you have time to pull out your mists and play with us!
I mean, everyone is doing it.
*****
And while you are thinking about challenges, Paper Issues has a fun one up!
It's a NEW year and that means a NEW challenge!

Scrap anything "new": New Year's resolutions, new baby, new clothes, using new scrapbook products, etc etc.
If it is new in any way, we want to see it!
Link up your projects here!
There is a great Nikki Sivils prize pack up for grabs!
*****
:)

gretchen

Before you put up your Christmas stuff...

You should get in on the new challenge up at Noel Mignon!

It's the "Outdoor Decor" challenge and it is all about how you decorate the outside of your home for the holidays.
So I scrapped about how for like the 8th year in a row we still have NO CHRISTMAS LIGHTS up on our house!!

{everything is from Noel's Bedford Falls kit}

I tend to get a little wordy with my journaling so I ended up doing most of the journaling on a piece of cardstock that I stuck on the back of the layout.
There were just one too many journaling strips for my liking on the original version of this page!

The challenge runs until the 31st so you still have time!

*****
I think I might brave the traffic & snow and hit up a couple of after-Christmas sales.

Call me crazy!
{but you probably already do!}
:)
Happy day after Christmas!

gretchen
*****
P.S.
The My Mind's Eye blog hop is still going on!
Check down a couple of posts...right after Justin Beiber!
:)