Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Top Ten of 2013: A Look Back Before Jumping Ahead!

Happy New Year's Eve! I can't believe we are at the end of another year. I am ready though. Ready to start fresh, ready to tackle new adventures and to hopefully experience a year that isn't filled with as many hard things. It has been a year of ups and downs, each of those bringing us new perspective and helping us to grow, but man...I'm hoping for more of the ups and less of the downs as we take on 2014.

Before doing that, I thought I would take a look back at my favorite projects from 2013. Today's post on S.W.A.T. takes a look at each of the design teams favorite creations from the drills we've had throughout the year. I have so loved being a part of the team and am excited to continue with them this year. We have so many fabulous challenges each month and the scrappy friends I've "met" through our interactions online are priceless. If you haven't checked out S.W.A.T. or participated in any of the drills you should really come take a look. The prizes are always incredible and the inspiration is amazing. This is the layout I picked to showcase as my favorite of all the drills this year. Honestly, I think this one is my absolute favorite out of all I created this year. I love the colors and the how the paint circles and splatters just come together so well.



Here are 10 others that top the list of faves this year:

 The title of this one says it all!


Some of my favorite pictures taken as we were walking back to the car after a photo shoot. So fun!


 This was my first of what I hope to be many canvas'. Had so much fun with this.


 That face! I just love how the black and white photo looks on this.


 My amazing nephew's senior picture. Fits his personality perfectly.


Twenty years and still in love. Can't ask for better than that.


Just love how this brings the true football feel out. Makes me excited for next season.


 I couldn't have asked for a more perfect line of paper to showcase this photo. Fancy Pants was just what it needed :)


My favorite card this year. Love the combo of colors.


 I don't know if it's the mix of papers, the colors or just the fabulous people, but this is one of my favorite two pagers this year. Love the frames.

Thanks for checking out this long post. Here's to 2014 and some fabulous scrapping to come. If you have a post with your faves (I've seen a lot of them floating around out there!) link it up in the comments section. I would love to drop by and take a look.

Lisa

Saturday, December 21, 2013

Santa Time

Oh, how I miss the days when my boys still believed in Santa and we took time to visit him each year. It was our tradition to always go on Nathan's birthday. This year I pulled out a very old picture of the boys on Santa's lap for our latest S.W.A.T challenge using a new sketch with the twist of Santa on the page. Here is my take and below you will find the sketch.


This brings back so many memories with Chris and his broken femur. Didn't stop him from sitting on Santa's lap though. I think Santa was a little scared he might break him though. He seemed relieved when David picked him back up and moved him back to his wheelchair. 

The sketch we used for this challenge was a Page Maps sketch. I followed the basics of it, though I didn't use the long piece of patterned paper and I didn't use a banner since there was  already a design in the upper right hand corner. I used a mix of My Mind's Eye and Carta Bella paper and finished it off with some cute enamel dots from MME, a journaling sticker from Basic Grey, and a chipboard piece from Echo Park.


Are you ready to give it a try? Head over to the S.W.A.T. sight and take a peek at the rest of the design team's work and then make sure you create your own and link it up. The prize this month is a pack of the MME that I used for this project. SCORE!

Happy weekend before Christmas.
Lisa

Saturday, December 7, 2013

S.W.A.T- Holly Jolly Christmas

Good morning. Popping in with a quick share of our latest first December challenge at S.W.A.T. The challenge is to use a Christmas carol as the title of your layout. I am in the middle of getting pages done for the album I update each year for my in laws. Luckily I have several Christmas pages to get to so this challenge fit right in for me. Here is my page.



I used a sketch from Alison Davis at Scrapbook Generation for my inspiration.



Head over to the S.W.A.T. blog and check out the rest of the inspiration from the design team. There are some fabulous layouts to ogle over.

Lisa

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Christmas Recipe Holder

Good morning. It is snowing and so cold in Colorado...4 degrees according to my car thermometer. This is the kind of day that makes me want to bundle up under a warm blanket and not venture outdoors. Unfortunately the kids still have school and I have an orientation for a subbing job I am starting.  
If you are here from the Practical Scrappers or S.W.A.T. blogs, welcome! Today I'm sharing a recipe card holder I made as a Christmas gift for a friend. What I love about this gift is that it's perfect for Christmas, but it is also usable all year long. 


I picked up a wooden block and tin set from a Pick Your Plum deal way back in the spring intending to find some way to use them for Mother's Day. That time obviously came and went and when I found the box of goodies on the back of my craft shelf I decided they would make perfect recipe holders. They are just the right size to sit on the counter and if you are like me, you find yourself looking for your recipe the whole time you are cooking because you are constantly moving it out of the way as you make a mess in the kitchen. Anyone or is that just me?! Well, problem solved. With the recipe clipped on this baby, my sweet friend will never lose a recipe again.


Totally thought this little bird was so adorable. This is an older Christmas line from Imaginisce that I had in my scrappy stash. So cute. After painting the wooden block I glued some scrap paper and  added the Love sign and the bird to give the block a cuter look.


At this point you may be wondering how this cute little holder fits in the kitchen the whole year round. Let me show you!


Here's a look at the back side. Just flip it around and you have a cute little holder for the rest of the year, yummy little cupcake and all. Again I dug into my stash and brought out another very old line. This time it's Bo Bunny. Can you tell that I'm a paper hoarder? I have had this paper for so long and have been waiting for the perfect food page, it just never came until now. See, there is good that comes from hoarding! (Try convincing my sweet hubby of that.)

Off to tackle the snow with my handy Pilot. Today I am thankful for an SUV! 

Stay Warm
~Lisa~

Friday, November 22, 2013

Practical Scrappers: Pinterest Inspired



It's official. I have made my first Christmas craft for the year. That means it's really time to start thinking about the holidays. I can't put it off any longer. It has been so warm here that it doesn't feel like November is almost over. We finally had our first real snow yesterday and the temperatures plummeted so I guess reality struck there too!

Today we are sharing our Pinterest inspired crafts on the Practical Scrappers blog. (sidenote: Practical Scrappers was having some domain issues so be sure to click on the link I provided for the new web address and update any readers you may follow in.) I don't know about you, but I have to limit my time on Pinterest or I will find hours of my day just gone without even knowing it! While browsing the fabulous projects the other day I came across this little beauty.

Christmas DIY ideas | Skip To My Lou - maybe for mantle

Simple yet for some reason it just grabbed me. I liked the depth brought in with the different shades of paint and how the background had almost that woodgrainy feel to it. I have just recently started playing around with mixed media and painting and I thought this might be a fun painting to replicate for my Christmas decor. I wanted to keep the simplicity of it and work more on achieving some of the depth and texture onto my own canvas. This is what I came up with.


Please bear with me on the picture! I told you it was snowy yesterday and getting a great picture proved to be an  impossible experience. I will try to get a new one and update without the glare and hopefully with better representation of the color soon. Anyway, I started by applying gesso to the canvas to prepare. I then used a layer of gel medium. While the gel medium was still a little wet I applied my first layer of red with a 2 inch bristle brush. This allowed me to get the paint lines I wanted to see and create some of that woodgrain feel. When that was dry I added a small amount of black paint with a dry brush to add a little darkness in some areas. I didn't like how that looked so I went over it with a slightly wet brush that I had dipped in water to spread the black out a little. I finished by spraying a little bit of red Tim Holtz distress stain on top and brushing that in to get an even deeper shade of red in there. Finally I cut the word Joy using my Joys of the Season Cricut Cartridge and applied it with gel medium. 



Overall I am happy with how it turned out. The final layer of stain added a sheen to the canvas that I am not too excited about but I guess that is a lesson learned. I love the simplicity which will go well with some of the other decorations I have. 
What do you think? Do you have any Pinterest inspired crafts to share or any on your list to make this year?
Lisa

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Count Your Blessings



Happy Weekend! I can't believe it's the middle of November already. Fall was beautiful this year and the weather has continued to be pretty nice tricking me into not really thinking that Christmas is right around the corner. I love fall. The gorgeous colors, the still nice but not hot weather, football...there are just so many fun things about fall. Today I have a page I created for S.W.A.T. using both a sketch and the twist of feathers. I cut the feathers from my Cricut machine for this layout rather than using real ones. First, here is the Page Maps sketch we are using for this challenge:


And here is my take on it using a gorgeous picture I took during a recent ride we took on the Cog Rail to Pikes Peak.



I am also linking up to Paper Issues for their new Grateful issue and Creative Embellishments November Challenge. Check out their sites for more information and a chance at some fun prizes.

Have a super weekend.
Lisa












Saturday, October 19, 2013

Corn Queso Dip

I'm back for a quick post and this time it's not about scrapping! There's a new favorite appetizer recipe that I've been promising to get out to the other football moms. I figured it's such a hit I would share it here. Not only that, but it is extremely easy and we love easy, right?

Corn Queso Dip
2 Cans Sweet Kernel corn
2 Cans White Shoepeg corn
1 Can Rotel
8 oz. cream cheese cubed
1 C. shredded cheese- I have used different kinds, usually whatever I have on hand
1/4 C. butter
Salt, pepper

Combine together and bake at 350 for about 20 to 25 minutes, stir. Bake another 20 minutes. Most of the time it is a little runny but thickens up as it cools. Serve with tortilla chips.

See, super easy and way too addictive. Enjoy!

Lisa

You @ 15: S.W.A.T. Sketch Drill

I'm back today with my take on the mid month drill for S.W.A.T. I love the sketch we worked with by Janessa Franco. The added twist this month was to use wooden embellishments. I immediately had a picture in mind and idea and have to say it came together super easy. Probably one of the fastest layouts I've put together in awhile.


Don't you love that sketch? Here is my take on it.


Yes, that is my awesome boy. I love this kid. He is growing up so amazingly fast. In two months he will have his license and a new sense of freedom. I am both dreading it and looking forward to it. Less trips for mama to make but at the same time I spend a lot of time talking with him and his friends in the car and I will miss that. This was a favorite snapshot I was able to capture while he sat in the Husker stadium with his friend Noah waiting for all the parents (minus me!) to finish their half marathon this last May. I love the smile that just shows him loving life at the moment.

Don't forget to head over to the S.W.A.T. blog and check out the other designers takes on this sketch. Then link up your own take for a chance at an awesome prize. And don't miss the fabulous changes made to the blog while you are there. The blog's been given a facelift and it turned out awesome!
Lisa

Friday, October 18, 2013

Pinterest Inspired with Practical Scrappers

Happy Friday! The kids have been out of school all week for fall break and it has been busy. I also have been interviewing and filling out paperwork for several schools for substitute teaching positions. I will officially have my first day back in the classroom next Tuesday. I hate to admit it, but I am rather nervous and hoping it all comes back to me the minute I walk in to the class.

Today is all about fall inspiration on the Practical Scrappers blog and where better to be inspired than Pinterest? I try to limit my time on Pinterest because when I do get on, I get lost. Time seems to disappear and before I know it I have pinned and drooled and laughed for way too long. Anyone else feel me? I created a card today to send to a friend. It is Halloween color inspired even though it isn't a Halloween card per se. Unfortunately I had a difficult time getting a great picture and my battery died before I could try for a different one. Hoping you can look past the odd angle. :)


My inspiration came from the photo below. I love the mix of gray, orange and black. I happened to spot the perfect washi on clearance yesterday as I was walking through Michaels with my son. I mimicked the layers by stacking my washi and used circles instead of pumpkins.  It's a loose interpretation but isn't that what is so fun about inspiration? What I see may be different from the next person, and what speaks to me may not really hit the next person as something they would enjoy.
                                                  Halloween Hurricanes from My Heart's Desire Simple way to get some Halloween color in your decor ~ layer dried beans!
So how about you? Where do you find your inspiration? Are you a Pinterest addict, an occasional viewer or have you never pinned? Leave me your name or a link to your Pinterest page in the comments below. I'd love to follow you. And I would love if you followed me here as well.

I'll be back tomorrow with October's second drill for S.W.A.T.  It's a fabulous sketch that you won't want to miss.

Lisa



Monday, October 7, 2013

Practical Scrappers: Fall Equals Football

I have to admit that one of the reasons I look forward to fall so much is because it means football is here. Growing up it didn't matter so much, but as a mom with a kid who loves every aspect of the game it has grown on me and I can even say I understand a good deal of what's going on on that field! Now that Nathan is in high school and playing for his school it has become even more fun to watch him play and to be involved in something that is so important to him. I admit the late and long practices, the time commitment, the injuries, the stuff that adds the extra to our life during football season can be stressful and take a lot of work, but the pay off of watching him do what he loves worth it in the end. Last night I sat in the kitchen with other parents from the team as a roomful of boys watched the video of the game they had just finished. Seeing him interact with this amazing and fun group of guys and watching them hanging out and being part of a team made my heart so happy. He is part of something he loves and he is growing up so fast I know that I need to enjoy it now before he is gone and taking that next step towards independence.
Anyway, today I was featured on Practical Scrappers and shared just a couple of the layouts I've made since Nathan started playing football. If you are coming from there, welcome! If you are just joining me here you will have to head over there to check out what I shared there.
Here is the latest layout I've just finished. It is from last year of high school ball for Mountain Vista. I dug deep into my stash and used part of an older Little Yellow Bicycle line that I had. I love the fun design of the paper and it lent itself perfectly for the larger professional photo I had from the year. I had a few pictures (just some of the over 400 I have sitting on my computer from the season! and that's widdled down after deleting and sorting through loads of pictures to keep the really good ones.) printed that showed him in action so I chose to turn this into a two page layout. I'm loving how it turned out.

And a few close ups. Got my Heidi Swapp arrows that I sprayed to make green and cut out my title several times with my Cricut to layer so that it pops off the page a little.



Do you see those awesome hashtag chip pieces? One of the friends that I have met through this fun craft just started a business with her husband making some amazing chipboard and wooden embellishments. It is called Creative Embellishments and they have made some very cool designs and more are coming in each day. I made the "mistake" of following them on FB and they keep posting their newest sets. Let me tell you it is not helping me with the idea of being content with what I have...just saying.

I'm off to bed and hopefully to sleep. I'm on my second wave of whatever nasty bug has gotten ahold of me. I have been taking some antibiotics and thought maybe I was on the mend but I guess I was wrong. I'll be checking in with the dr. tomorrow for sure.

Have a super Monday!
Lisa

























Saturday, October 5, 2013

Fussy Cutting with S.W.A.T.

Hey there and happy Saturday! I just got back from my son's football game where I froze even in my layers. Wow- football weather is here and I'm not ready for it. It was a great game though and a very decisive win for our team which was awesome.

Today is drill day at S.W.A.T. and we are challenging you to some fussy cutting. For those who aren't sure what that is, it is simply targeting and cutting specific pieces and patterns out of of paper or fabric. You can see some great examples of this by the design team on today's post. You often see this done with large flower patterns where the flower is cut out, but it can also be smaller pieces that you may not think about. For my layout I chose a piece of chevron pattern paper and cut individual lines of the chevrons out to make borders for my title block.



For the middle, I cut a thicker piece with three of the chevron colors and then cut an orange piece out as well and popped that up to add a dimensional layer to the border. Cutting the chevrons doesn't seem like a very big deal and that's the fun of fussy cutting...it doesn't have to be intricate or complicated. It really is about using what you have and seeing how you can use left overs or paper that may match your layout to enhance what you have. It is a cheap and easy way to add that extra to your page.

Why not give it a try?  If you do be sure to visit us on the S.W.A.T. blog and link it up. Creative Embellishments, a new laser wood and chip cut company with some amazing pieces, is sponsoring this weeks drill with the chance to win some great designs from their store. I just loaded up on a few of their designs and am anxious to use them. I got this awesome lighthouse piece that is perfect for so many of the pictures I have of different lighthouses we have seen on some of our vacations, something I love to do.

Lisa

Monday, September 23, 2013

Practical Scrappers: On Trend with Stencils (and Birthdays!)

Happy Monday! This is the start of a super busy week starting with the Broncos Monday night game tonight. Always a big one in the Peeples house. Can't miss a chance to watch the Raiders go down in flames. :) Homecoming is this week as well and that means a full calendars worth of activities for the high schooler. Can't wait to see him all decked out in his outfit Friday night.

Today you are lucky enough to get two posts in one. Somehow last week Blogger screwed up and the post I had scheduled for last Monday never happened. So I am going to share this weeks project as well as the one that should have shown up last Monday. First up is a layout I made using stencils. Stencils have become pretty popular and there are tons of ways you can use them. I chose to pull out my gesso and Tim Holtz distress pads to use with a Studio Calico stencil I recently purchased. 


I love the texture this adds to the layout. You can see it so much better in real life, but the gesso gives a little bit of dimension to the page and adds that visual interest. I tried to get the gesso on pretty thick to make sure the bubbles came out clear. After the gesso dried I dabbed a makeup sponge onto my ink pad and rubbed over the dried gesso. The gesso resists the ink pretty well so you get that great contrast. 



You can kind of see the roughness of the gesso here. That is the texture that I love so much. I think next time I will try a thicker modeling paste to see how that works. I think I've found a new technique and tool that I am definitely falling in love with! How about you? Do you work with stencils and what is your favorite way to use them? Share your ideas!!

Last Monday's On Trend was all about the birthdays. I definitely was glad to work on that one as we are in the midst of major birthday season for our families. Seems like we are celebrating just about every week! I chose to beef up my card supply and used my washi supply to help out. Here are the three birthday cards I created.




Love that washi! So practical and so fun to use. All these cards took were a little washi, a little ink, some stamps and a few embellishments. Simple to make and super cute. 

Don't forget to head over and check out the On Trend post at Practical Scrappers. There are some great looking projects on the blog.

Be back soon!
Lisa

Saturday, September 21, 2013

S.W.A.T Drill with Fancy Pants

Good morning! I am excited to share the newest drill and layout from the S.W.A.T team today. It is a sketch with a twist challenge and the twist is to use twine. Bev Code provided our sketch and I loved it from the moment I saw it.


Awesome sketch, right? I knew right away which picture I was going to scrap because my scrappy friend Stacey had just given me a 5x7 picture of Chris and his best friend Creighton along with several papers and embellishments from the Fancy Pants Memories Captured collection. She had bought the same supplies for herself and we were each going to scrap our own layout and then see what we each came up with. It's a way for us to "scrap together" while still far apart. I have mentioned how much I miss my best scrappy friend, right?? Anyway, here is the layout I came up with.



What an awesome picture, huh?? Don't let those two cute smiles fool you. When these two are together you never know what will happen next. I love looking at this photo and remembering how super cute these kiddos were and how much fun they had growing up together. Now they are both in junior high and still cute in that junior high kind of way (wouldn't they love me saying that?)

I won't leave you hanging. I plan to share Stacey's take on this photo challenge soon. In the meantime why don't you take a stab at Bev's sketch and link up to the S.W.A.T. site. There is a gift certificate to 3 Scrappy Boys at stake! Don't forget to get your twine on there too.

Lisa

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Crazy!

You know those periods in your life that just seem crazy busy? All of the sudden that is my life...non stop craziness. I just got back from a surprise trip coordinated by my husband to celebrate my 40th birthday which was last week and our 20th wedding anniversary which was a couple of months ago but went by mostly unrecognized because I was only a couple of days post surgery. He was awesome enough to plan a beach getaway, something I have been wanting to do for awhile now. He and I haven't been away on a trip together for years. We stayed at a friend's place in Del Mar, California and it was amazing. Less than a block from the beach, ocean views from the fabulous front deck. We relaxed, did a little exploring, mostly spent time sitting at the beach and just had some fabulous, uninterrupted catch up time together. There was a piece of me that would have stayed forever but alas we are back to reality and schedules and commitments. Yesterday alone I made 6 trips to the school and back...6! Ridiculous.

That isn't all that's taken my time. The weekend before we left on our trip I was surprised when my doorbell rang and my best friend was standing there, suitcase in hand and plans to spend the weekend hanging out with me. We had the best weekend! We met up with a couple of my super, amazing friends on Saturday for a fun birthday lunch, sat and talked and talked and talked, and this will make our husbands proud...even watched the Huskers game on t.v.! We made it to Archiver's to scrap on Sunday afternoon which was absolutely fabulous and so very normal for us. It made me miss her closeness even more. Thanks, Stacey for taking time to come and see me and for the surprise you were so good to keep! I know it was hard for you :)

I am behind in posting a couple of projects that went live while I was on my little trip. Forgive me for being late! First up is our first September drill at S.W.A.T. The challenge is to incorporate 3 S's into your project: stamping, stitching and spraying. I decided to create a two page layout of Grandpa's visit by train when the boys were younger.


I sprayed on the gray striped paper with a gray mist to give a little bit of the mist look without it standing out. The arrows are stamped and I faux stitched at the top of the page and stamped stitches over the arrows. I wanted the photos to take a little more center stage since they weren't super close ups. I liked the pop of orange against all the gray to give some fun interest to the page.

The second layout I have today is for the On Trend Monday at Practical Scrappers. We were to use gesso on the layout. I am pretty new to this stuff and did something pretty basic since I am just starting to experiment with it. You will definitely have to check out the other designers projects as there are some pretty amazing things they have done! For my project I used the gesso and painted a white frame for my photo. I took an embossing folder and pressed it into the wet gesso to add a little texture. When dried it didn't stand out quite the way I thought it would. I would go thicker for the next time and maybe add some color to help the pattern stand out. That's the fun of experimenting. It gives you better ideas for the next time.


That's it for me today. Heading out to run some errands and catch up some more from my time away. Have a super week.
Lisa

Monday, August 19, 2013

Catching up!



Last week was a whirlwind with the boys starting school and all the activities in full swing. Saturday we had Mom's camp with the football team and that night was the Silent Auction fundraiser for the team which turned out awesome. All that added up to CRAZY for me and a lot of catching up for this week.

Saturday a new drill went up on the S.W.A.T blog. The new challenge is a sketchy challenge with a twist. The twist? Pull out those stickers and use them up! Now we aren't talking Thickers here. That doesn't count.

Here is my layout. I doubled up on this one and used the sketch for the second half of my layout. I used an older Bo Bunny line that I bought long ago knowing that I had and would have more than enough zoo pages coming up since we love going to the zoo.


I used stickers to help make the border on the right side of the page and backed and popped up a few more stickers from the line to add some fun and dimension to the page.  Here is the sketch you will be working with if you come over and join in the challenge. There is a gift certificate to 3 Scrappy Boys up for grabs!


My second layout of the day is an older layout of Nathan and his fifth grade pictures for the Back to School post on Practical Scrappers. I look at this picture and then look at my 6 foot son who towers over me and has muscles and can't believe it's the same kid. (And yes, I am about that far behind in school pictures!) If only they would stay so young!  I also used an older Bo Bunny line for this layout. Bo Bunny seems to be the theme of the day.


Off to catch up on cleaning, bills, errands etc. Have a great week!
Lisa

Monday, August 12, 2013

Sunbursts with Practical Scrappers

Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love you, tomorrow.... ok. Done with that. But tomorrow is the first day of school and after a crazy summer with teenage boys I can't say I'm too heartbroken. Maybe a tiny bit, but the whole schedule thing and a little bit of structure is really needed here. And with school starting it means football games start soon and this football mama is looking forward to that!

Today I have a layout created for the On Trend post at Practical Scrappers. We are focusing on sunbursts today. I love the look of sunbursts and have created several layouts and cards using the fun rays. For today's project I decided to take a little different turn and created a cover for the notebook that I keep to house all of my crafty ideas, deadlines, random thoughts, title ideas, sketches...etc. Up to this point it has just been a boring red composition notebook, not much to spark creativity. Now I'm loving the look of it!


Love these papers from the Echo Park Here and Now collection. I decided to go bright and a little bit girly since I don't have that chance too often. I live in a boy world so I try to add some cheer and girl wherever I can! I love the sunbursts and the fun Epiphany Craft hearts. The only do over I really would love to have done is the background. My original idea didn't work so I had to cover it up a bit and make the best of it. I'm getting so much better at embracing my mistakes and moving forward but it sure wasn't easy to not just trash it and start a new one. Only the fact that my notebook is already half filled with ideas and begging for me to continue kept me going :)

Happy Monday and here's to a great rest of the week!
Lisa

Monday, August 5, 2013

On Trend: Negative Space Layouts

It's Monday and a very busy one at that! Making a quick stop in between haircuts and shopping for school supplies, groceries and orthodontist appts. to drop off a page made for the On Trend team at Practical Scrappers. This weeks trend involves using negative space in a layout or card. Negative space is the space left when something has been cut out or removed. It is definitely something we are seeing more and more of in the scrapping world.

First my layout:

Does that girl look happy or what?? This is my niece Mikayla on her twelfth birthday. If there was ever a little girl more obsessed with horses and dreaming of owning her own one day I'm not sure where to find her! This girl lived and breathed horses. She was more than surprised to find out that her present that year was her very own horse, and we were lucky enough to be in town on the day they took her to surprise her. It was such a fun thing to be involved in.

In the close up below you can see that I fussy cut a few arrows from my patterned paper and added some embellishments in the open space. I also used a chipboard title and backed it with cardstock and patterned paper to make a title piece. I don't have a close up here but the little heart is also backed in the pink chevron paper bringing a little fun to the middle of the heart.

I love the look of using negative pieces and though I didn't use it here one of the ways I've started to do this is by using my Cricut. There is so much that can be done with a die cut machine like the Cricut or the Silhouette. Are any of you jumping on the negative trend? I'd love to see some of your pages. Feel free to link them up here or on the Practical Scrappers blog.
Lisa