First Runner-Up!

I just found out that I made first runner-up on the American Idol contest at Scrap-Tastic! Yeah! We started with 27 girls and I made it to second place... whoo-hoo!! No prize for second (as far as I know), but still the honor of making it that far and having created some FANTASTIC layouts! It sure was a lot of fun!! Congrats everyone who participated! Check out the American Idol gallery and see all of our layouts!!

Butterfly "Ad-Spiration" #1

This month's ad-spiration comes from CLOTHING! Isn't it amazing how much we spend on clothes... and behind each clothing line is a famous designer somewhere! So why not take some inspiration from the clothes we wear or see! Let's put all those designers to good use in our scrapbooking!

Teaching elementary music, I see a lot of fun shirts and outfits come through my classroom. I've been known to sketch designs on post-it notes during class! This time, I just rounded up the school camera and actually took a picture of my inspiration! This is a shirt one of my student's was wearing earlier this week...

I loved the way the butterflies went across the shirt, and the soft swirly design underneath. I duplicated that look on a doorhanger I made for my girlfriend's birthday (I'm sending her a gift full of pampering items). I used a scrolly rub-on, then cut out butterflies out of patterned paper and bent the wings up when I attached them to the page to give them dimension.

Next time you go shopping, look twice at the designs, colors and patterns in the clothes around you. You may be surprised what you may find to use as inspiration on your next scrapbook project!

Butterfly "Ad-Spiration" #2

Here was another butterfly themed ad-spiration I got from clothing! Just can't get enough of those graphic tees out there right now! Seems like every time I turn around, I see a GREAT design! I need to just go shopping with a sketch book!!


This month, one of my student's T-shirts had a butterfly on it written over and over with the words "butterfly kisses." I loved the butterfly, but I loved the words even more! It was such a great design element!


I took the idea of the printed words and created two cards. Both were inspired by the T-shirt's design. The first card was a butterfly birthday card. I cut out the butterfly out of patterned paper (from this month's Flutter kit!) and then took a stamp and stamped over the top of it. This recreated the look of the T-shirt.


The second card was a mother's day card. I again stamped words, but this time onto transparency and laid the transparency over a Jenni Bowlin journaling flower. It created an entirely different effect!


Thanks for looking! And be sure to look twice at all the T-shirts out there for your next inspiration!

FINALS!!

Well... I can't believe it, but I made it to the final round of the American Idol contest! Here are my final two layouts.

Last week's layout had to be inspired by a love song. You had to use a love song as a title and some of the lyrics somewhere on the page. I used a favorite photo of my husband and I! We were in my uncle's wedding together as junior bridesmaid and junior groomsman! Who would have thought we'd walk down the aisle again 12 years later as husband and wife!! It was such a fun layout to do!
This week's layout was our final challenge and was a scraplift challenge by none other than my very best friend Christine! She won last year's American Idol challenge and they used her winning layout as inspiration. Again, our title had to be a song. I used a photo of Carson from Florida. I love the softness and serenity of this layout!

Now the wait begins... the winner should be announced tomorrow! Keeping my fingers crossed!

WHEW!! Made the top 8!!

Wow! Just found out today that I made the top 8 in the American Idol contest at Scrap-Tastic. I ended up using that "perfect" picture of Carson that I had taken at the butterfly exhibit! It was such a fun layout to do. I used mostly Prima papers so I could also enter it at Prima's Build-A-Page contest. Its definitely one of my favorite layouts recently!!! Must be the cutie in the photo!!! LOL!

Addicted Scrappers May kit!!

Check out the May Addicted Scrappers kits! They have a boy themed kit with MME "Star Bright" papers and a girl themed kit with American Crafts Spring and Summer "Flutter" papers. I was able to design with the girl "Flutter" kit and just love it! Lots of butterfly inspiration! Here are a couple projects I just completed.

That perfect photo...

I just love it when you achieve "that perfect photo"!!! And I have to admit, I just LOVE these two photos! Now granted, its nice to have a "perfect" background... we took the boys to see the butterflies at some local botanical gardens, but its much harder to get that great smile. I can't wait to scrap these pics!!