This's and Thats

Easy Ornaments

2011-12-12T20:42:00.000-05:00

I thought I would share a way to make easy ornaments. I even had my kids join in on the fun!
Here's what you need:

And some nice Christmas paper. I used the Apron Strings Designs December 2011 kit.
Here are my kids hard at work:

Just a few notes from our experience. You need a lot of pins. If you use a small styrofoam ball your pins may hit each other. You can add beads or sequins.
Here's our finished ornaments:

Have fun!
Anet

Apron Strings Smaller than a Breadbox July

2011-07-05T21:32:00.000-04:00

So I've been working with the Apron Strings kit for July and I have to say I am having a blast! Tonight I scanned/uploaded my layouts and sent them to Lori for the newsletter and I was absolutely on cloud nine to realize that the software I broke down and purchased about 9 months ago will stitch a 2 page layout with ease. Here I was scanning and stitching my 12" x 12" pages then using Photoshop to put them them together (when working with a 2 page layout). Well, I am not good with Photoshop at all. I am a Photoshop dummy, I admit it. So doing this was such a chore. Then tonight I notice that the Scan-n-Stitch software I'd been using has a "long page" option. AWESOME (yes I am screaming with joy)! Check out what I did:

(don't cha just love that bathing suit paper? I just had to do some fussy cutting and include it on this layout)
Anyway, if you are in search of good scanning software I highly recommend Scan-n-Stitch and if you are looking for a great scrapbooking kit at an unbeatable price, try Apron Strings Designs, I know you will love them as much as I do!
Anet

Sketchy Thursdays Part II

2011-05-18T17:46:00.000-04:00

So I have to show you this. While I was working on my Sketchy Thursday challenge my 8 year-old son asked if he could do a layout for the challenge. I thought it was so cute! Here's his layout:

and here's the sketch (he just used the right side too):

I am going to submit his. He worked hard on it. I hope there aren't rules against it.
Anet

Sketchy Thursdays

2011-05-18T17:36:00.000-04:00

It's been a while since I've done some sketch challenges. The Nuts About Sketches birthday celebration got me back in the mood. So here I am with the latest Sketchy Thursday challenge. Here's the sketch:

This sketch is so versatile! I decided to just use the right side of the sketch and I did change it up a bit. Here's my take:

Thanks for looking.
Anet

Wow - 2 posts in 1 Day!

2011-05-14T21:30:00.000-04:00

I just had to do a second layout for the Nuts About Sketches birthday celebration. Mainly because I was in the middle of a little Ice Castles marathon on the Hallmark Channel. Let me tell you, while I enjoyed the 2010 version (Ice Castles 2010) it definitely does not pack the emotional punch of the original.
Well, without further ado, here's the sketch:

and my take on it:

Interestingly I used the same product line (Pink Paislee's Hometown Summer) as one of the designers. It's a summer line but I found it worked perfectly for these pictures of my kids doing a theater show over spring break a couple of years ago.
Thanks for looking.
Anet

Nuts About Sketches Birthday Celebration

2011-05-14T21:14:00.001-04:00

So I came a little late to the party but had to throw my hat in the ring. Enough cliches for you? Here is the sketch:

an here is my take:

I love these pictures of my kids from Easter a couple of years ago! So cute. I should mention, in case you can't read the journaling, the Easter Bunny brought the hat and glasses - they are from a character on
Yo Gabba Gabba.
Anyway, more layouts to come.
Anet

A Couple of Cards

2011-04-08T13:22:00.000-04:00

It's been a little while since I last posted. Gets hectic here sometimes. But I've been working with the April Apron Strings Smaller than a Breadbox kit and I wanted to share.
First of all, let me just say, that I have never been much of a card maker. I always figured why should I bother making cards when I can just go buy them. Since I started designing for Apron Strings I've had to make cards as part of the my design team obligation. And I have to tell you, I love making cards now! It's so rewarding to take my scraps and whip out a card in 1/2 and hour! I also find that I dawdle less when making cards and I don't agonize over every little element either. I've started sending my cards too! When I send one I feel like I am sending a little bit of myself, not just grabbing a card, signing it, and throwing it in the mail. So, here are 2 cards I made with April's kit:

Thanks for looking!
Anet

What's Scrapping

2011-03-25T13:03:00.000-04:00

A friend of mine has started a new blog. It's all about challenges and inspiration. You should check it out. It's called What's Scrapping. On Saturday one of the blog contributors, Amy Bender, posted a sketch challenge. Here's the sketch:

and here's my layout based on the sketch:

I know I haven't posted in a while. I went back to work part-time and I am just getting settled into a new routine. I hope to post more this week.
Anet

The Scrappiest

2011-02-28T20:45:00.000-05:00

Just came across this sketch blog last week and I LOVE it! So many sketches with so many chances to get your name in the drawing to win. Fun way to be more productive. I was only able to do one of the sketches this month but I hope to do more (if not all!) in March.
Here's the sketch:

Here's my layout based on the sketch:

Gotta love those Gingerbread Houses. I always feel bad chucking them. So here it is, preserved forevermore.
Anet

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Punch

2011-02-28T20:27:00.000-05:00

This is the first post about something I know you will be hearing a lot more about. Last summer at CKC Valley Forge my scrapping friends and I came across this punch at the Friday night crop:

It was in a clearance basket at one of the vendors tables. We came across it at the end of the crop, after a day of shopping and classes, so we were all a little punch drunk. Jokes and laughter ensued. We did not get the punch then but quickly regretted it. One of our group purchased it for us and now "Josie", as we have named her, gets passed around our group and she has her own album that we all contribute pages to.
I got to have Josie over the holidays and will have a few pages about her coming up but right now I have this page which I did based on a Scrapbook Sussies challenge.

Here's the ad the layout is based on:

That's all for now.
Anet

Sketchy Thursday 2/17

2011-02-23T20:20:00.000-05:00

So, it's that time again. Sketchy Thursday! I just put the finishing touches on this tonight. I actually broke out the Quickutz Star Shadow and remembered why I loved it so much! Here's my layout:

Here's the sketch:

Thanks for looking!
Anet

Sketchy Thursday 2/10

2011-02-16T16:40:00.000-05:00

Here's my layout for Sketchy Thursday:

The pictures are from our annual Christmas card photo shoot on Thanksgiving. Here's the sketch the layout is based on:

Thanks for looking.
Anet

Last Minute Lucy & The Paper Variety

2011-02-15T10:24:00.001-05:00

Just call me "Last Minute Lucy" because I started this cupcake gift tag on Friday and just finished it this morning. I made it for a challenge on The Paper Variety challenge blog. You are supposed to link your project by noon today. Please note that it is currently a little after 10am EST.
So here's the challenge:

and here's what I made:

The prize is the January kit from The Treasure Box. I've been loving that kit since it was revealed!
Thanks for looking.
Anet

Sketch Support and Jillibean Soup

2011-02-10T12:58:00.000-05:00

I have to tell you that I love, love, love Allison Davis. She's the awesome creative mind behind Sketch Support. It is really her sketches that started me on my whole sketch craze and I took her class a few months ago over at My Creative Classroom and learned a lot. So I am very pleased to show you what I did for the challenge over on the Sketch Support blog. The challenge was to create a project using Jillibean Soup products and this sketch:

here's what I did:

Thanks for looking!
Anet

Sketchy Thursday 2/3

2011-02-09T10:05:00.000-05:00

I love this sketch! You may notice me using this sketch again, I've already used it for 2 layouts. Here's the sketch:

and here's my take on it:

Don't you just love the Jillibean corrugated bird and flowers?

I used Midnight Rooster's January kit.
Thanks for looking!
Anet

A Little Midnight Rooster Anyone?

2011-02-06T17:13:00.001-05:00

A challenge on the Midnight Rooster blog led me to create this layout with a flower I made myself. I've been wanting to try this for quite a while (thanks for the push Michelle!).

I used the January Midnight Rooster kit which has an adorable exclusive flower already in it that is begging to be used. Maybe on my next layout. But I must admit that I really want to try that rolled flower idea and I've watched the tutorial so that may be my next layout.
Before I go here's a close-up of the layout.

If you want to try making this kind of flower yourself, here's where I found out how: Satin Flower Tutorial. Take your time and be prepared for a few errors before you get it, but once you do you'll be whipping these out by the dozen! Just be careful playing with fire! (I am a firefighter's wife so I had to put that in there)
Thanks for looking!
Anet

Rockin' the Sketches

2011-02-04T10:49:00.001-05:00

Yup - the creative juices are still flowing. Another reason I think I have been able to churn them out the past few days is that I printed some pictures in 2x3 size. What a fun way to switch it up.
Today's layout is from a sketch challenge over at the A Million Memories blog. This layout flew together based on the sketch by Marie Ramirez:

here's what I did with it:

and here's a close-up for you:

Off to do some more creating!
Anet

Scrapaholic Mama!

2011-02-03T21:09:00.001-05:00

So I had a great scrapping day today. The creative juices were just flowing. I am thinking it's because of the snow day yesterday. The kids and I had a great day and it put me in a great mood. I finished off 2 layouts I've been working on and almost have a third completed.
The two I completed today are both with the Scrapbook Sussies January kit and I love how they turned out! The pictures don't do them justice (I need to work on that). The first one I am going to show you was done using the January Sketch:

and here is my take on the sketch:

and a close-up:

Next I did a layout based on the one-page sketch from last week over at Sketch Support:

here's mine:

here's a close-up:

I guess I changed things up a bit. Quite a bit. Still I am really happy with how these layouts look. Loving this kit!
Hope to get the next layout up by the end of the weekend.
Anet

Sketchy Thursday 1/27

2011-02-02T20:35:00.000-05:00

I've had this layout ready for days. My photo editing software did not want to cooperate though. Not sure if I like Windows 7 or not!
Anyhow, I worked it out as best I could so without further ado, here it is:

and some close-ups:

Here's the sketch:

I'll have some more layouts for you tomorrow if the weather cooperates! Snow days are severely cutting into my cropping time! They do make for great pictures though.

Anet

A New Sketch Site

2011-01-23T16:43:00.000-05:00

Well, it's new to me anyway. Get Your Sketch On I just finished a layout for this week's sketch and thought I'd share. First here's the sketch:


GYSO #3

Here's my layout based on the sketch:

I admit I changed it up a bit. For example I used the slider embellie in place of the third photo and I moved everything over to the right.

I've noticed that I've been skipping titles on my layouts a lot lately. I think I need to brush up on my titling skills. I'm thinking of taking this class, Masterful Scrapbook Design, over at Get it Scrapped. They are focusing on titles in February and I think I need a little refresher.

Feeling Sketchy???

2011-01-18T13:50:00.001-05:00

I am so into sketch challenges these days and just stumbled on a great one. Sketchy Thursdays
Here's the sketch:

Here's my take on the sketch:

I used the December 2010 Apron Strings kit. Thanks for looking!
Anet

Blog Hop Winner

2011-01-10T19:58:00.000-05:00

Winner, winner, chicken dinner...actually it's hamburgers at my house but anyway...
I used Random.org to pick and the lucky winner is Gina L.! Gina, just send an email to Lori at lori@apronstringsdesigns.com and she'll send you your prize.
Thank you all for your kind comments. I wanted to share another layout that I just finished today using the January STABB.

I am loving this kit!
This time I tried taking a picture of the layout as opposed to scanning it. I am not sure I like the results. It's easier but I don't think I've figured out all the best settings. Of course ever since I changed over to Windows 7 and was unable to bring my stitching software with me (oh Image Zone, how I miss you!) I haven't been thrilled with my scans either. Any advice?
I scanned this layout too and here are the results:

Maybe I'll play around a bit more tomorrow. If I do I'll let you know how it goes.

Anet

Exciting News and a Blog Hop!

2011-01-07T09:58:00.000-05:00

I have been bursting with this news for about a month now. I was offered a position as a Sous Chef on the Apron Strings Designs Design Team. Of course I accepted! Working with the January Smaller than a Breadbox kit has been a lot of fun. Today I get to share some of my creations with you as well as invite you to join in on the Blog Hop Apron Strings is hosting this weekend. It's a chance to win some great prizes!

Why Apron Strings? Because you get all the newest goodies on the market!

Here's a layout I created with the January STABB kit...

Okay, now for the fun stuff. If you came here from Amy's blog, your next stop is Jennifer's blog. Be sure to collect all the answers to the question "Why Apron Strings?" along the way then email Lori (lori@apronstringsdesigns.com) with them by Sunday evening for a chance to win the cool prize below. The Blog Hop starts here: Apron Strings Designs Blog so if you came to my blog first make sure you go back and visit all the blogs. From the Apron Strings Blog you should visit the following blogs to collect all the phrases:
Laura Williams
Melanie Holzwarth
Amy Crockett
Anet Tietjen (you are here!)
Jennifer Halleck
Kristen Perez
Maria Swiatkowski
Sarah Fleming
Patricia Moussatche (Patchi)

Here's what you can win!

It’s a super easy calendar to put together,so it's a fun, fast and easy project to complete for the rest of the year.
BTW, Lori is going to have some challenges going on this weekend over on the Apron Strings Blog so be sure to check back for a chance to win!
Lastly, leave a comment here for a chance to win. I'll select a winner on Monday morning.

Noel Mignon Challenge

2010-12-16T16:46:00.000-05:00

So Noel is hosting a cool challenge over on the Noel Mignon Blog with a really awesome prize. I had to throw my hat in the ring. As soon as I read the challenge I knew what I was going to do. I have to admit I didn't realize how much journaling was involved though. I had to make all that journaling work with my layout so see the second picture below to check out what I did.

The journaling reads:
"It was Christmas 1977 and there was a big, red present under the tree. But with no tag I had no way of knowing who the present was for. I ran into the kitchen to ask my mom who this huge present was for. She replied "It's for you, from your father."
Christmas 2010. I've had Fuzzy-Wuz-He for 33 years now. He's seen smiles and tears, nursed me thru childhood illnesses and breakups with boyfriends. When I left my mom's house, Fuzzy-Wuz-He stayed behind to keep my mom company. After I had kids they got to enjoy playing with him everytime we visited mom. When mom passed away, Fuzzy-Wuz-He came to live with me again and now he stays on Lily's bed to keep her company."

The bear has held up well, as you can see from the photo which I took earlier in the week.
Anyway, I am going to my scrapbook group's annual cookie exchange/crop tomorrow night so I hope to have some more layouts for you next week (before the craziness of the holidays really starts).

A Little School Layout

2010-12-08T15:38:00.000-05:00

So this layout came together so easily and I am really happy with the way it turned out. I used an Apron Strings kit (October 2010 STABB) and a PageMaps sketch (January 2009).

I tried a new idea I got from Allison Davis - painting around the edges of the photo. I think I'll definitely be doing more of that in the future.

Another Holiday Layout

2010-12-02T19:58:00.000-05:00

This is one I started at the Black Friday Crop but couldn't figure out the title on. Just finished it up tonight.

I have another one that I am working on but I may need to wait for my Black Friday purchase from Scrapy Land to arrive. Stay tuned.

Black Friday Scrapping

2010-11-29T20:45:00.000-05:00

My crop ladies and I have started a tradition of sorts, we scrap the afternoon away on Black Friday. Whoever wants to shop gets it done in the morning then we all meet up and crop our hearts out. This past Friday was no exception. I got a lot done and had a blast! Here's my first Christmas layout of the season, albeit with 2008 photos.

There will be many more to come!

Halloween

2010-10-31T20:34:00.000-04:00

The big day! Here are my 2 crazies all decked out. Will's costume is handmade by me and I have to say it has tested my sewing ability to the point that I think I need to start from square 1 again. I'll update you when I start sewing classes in 2011.

The Last of the Sussies Layouts

2010-09-29T12:47:00.000-04:00

I just finished uploading the last of the layouts for the Sussies challenge and I wanted to share them here. First some birthday layouts.

And this magazine ad was the inspiration for the layout following it.

and the layout:

So that's it for the Sussies challenge. The rest of the week I'll be cleaning my scraproom.
Anet

A Little Sussies Challenge

2010-09-27T15:54:00.000-04:00

So I've been working all month on a challenge over on the Scrapbook Sussies Blog. It's almost over, Thursday is the last day for entries, and I am sad to see it end. Before it ends I wanted to share some of the layouts I've done for the challenges. I am actually pretty pleased with them. I used Sussies kits for all of these layouts.

this page 1 (page 2 is below)

Page 2 (I used an Allison Davis sketch)

Anyway, I'd so love to win - it's an awesome prize, but it's also been fun just playing along.

Anet

My First Blog Post

2010-09-10T16:22:00.000-04:00

Okay, so here it is, my first post on my new blog. I created this blog to share my scrapbook pages and projects. So, without further ado, here's my layout completed yesterday for the September THAW (Three-a-Week) challenge over on Willow Traders.

There will definitely be many more layouts to come! Thanks for looking.