Sketch from The Scrapbook Store

Hey there...Happy Sunday.

 Last week was a very tough one... Lots of things to worry about...  Health issues with my son (dog) we are still waiting to confirm, a lot of work in the office, family stress, financial struggling (the whole Island is suffering a lot), plus a Tropical Storm that most people wanted to pass so we can get water and avoid the rationing we are supposed to have starting next Wednesday, due to a drought.  So, I don't really complain.  I'm not a person to be talking about my negative happenings in life with everybody, but boy, my neck was in pain, my back hurt a lot...  It's the way my body works with all this, I guess.

This weekend I dedicated most of my Saturday to continue some office work so tomorrow (Monday) just have to complete some details I need to access from there... But today I said to myself "Scrapper Myra... At least you should relax an hour or two..."  And this means SCRAPBOOKING.

So I was very anxious to be able to participate in a sketch challenge a local store posted in facebook.  I so wanted to support this.  The owner is a very enthusiastic lady who really has made a significant difference in local scrapbooking business.  She's the one who first brought international scrapbooking artists to the Island in a whole weekend convention... and the rest is history.

Anyways... remember about my husband's birthday last May?... We had a blast at a local wine place and I made the cake topper.  You can read about it HERE.   So I made a page about that day.

I used the sketch provided, just that I went to a more rustic look instead of the suggested flowers and delicate borders... and I rotated the design counterclockwise for a better fit to the photos I wanted to use.  Good thing about most of the well balanced sketches is that you can rotate and have a different approach.

I used stamps to communicate time (for the birthday theme) and the good times we had tasting wine with friends and celebrating.  These stamps are from Unity Stamp Co...

The clock...the phrase "Good times"... the sentiment about age... and the phrase "it's time for wine and friends" with the different grapes names... I love these stamps.

I plan to add another page or a multipocket second page to this, so I can include other photos with our friends.  But for this page I only used three main photos showing my hubby, the cake, and the moment we were singing and someone took us a photo together.

I also used sequins and crystals, washi tape, burlap, cork sheet and more...

Here's the full page... and my take on the sketch.  I'm going to share this photo on the store facebook page HERE (The Scrapbook Store).  You still have time to participate too.  They will giveaway goodies among participants.

Have a great Sunday!

LCSC35 - Tarjeta de Cumpleaños

Hola a todas...

Por lo regular escribo los posts en inglés porque si han leido sobre mí, pues es una forma de referirme a la imperfección que es un tema importante dentro de mi visualización de este maravilloso pasatiempo del scrapbooking.  Siendo inglés un segundo idioma para mí, no solamente es una forma de practicarlo, pero también me permite equivocarme...jajaja

En realidad no importa el idioma, pueden utilizar el traductor que tiene el blog en la parte superior izquierda si desean cambiarlo.

En esta ocasión como se trata de otro post relacionado con Latina Crafter, trato de hacer honor al nombre y escribir en español (a veces en los dos idiomas para beneficio de mis seguidoras que no hablan español).

De todos modos, hoy les muestro una tarjeta sencilla que le hice a mi esposo para su cumpleaños, inspirada en el sketch del mes de Latina Crafter.

 Tanto a mi esposo como a mí nos fascina degustar vinos y nos parece un mundo fascinante ese del maridaje, los vinos, las diferentes características de las uvas, etc...  Celebraremos su cumpleaños en un lugar de vinos, con amigos y familiares... que es la mejor forma de disfrutar vino.

Para la tarjeta primero dibujé la silueta de una botella en un cardstock que luego corté para usar como molde cuando ya había quedado de la forma deseada.  Igual corté un"tag" de botella de vino para pasarlo por el cuello de la botella, y añadí otro tag estampado que dice "para ti".  Este sello es de Latina Crafter.

El sentimiento principal en lugar de ser estampado fue cortado con un "die" exclusivo de Latina Crafter que dice "Felicidades".

Aunque por supuesto el sketch fue mi inspiración, hice algunas variaciones al mismo para diseñar mi tarjeta, pero sin dejar de incluir elementos clave que confirman que la inspiración provino del mismo.

La base de la tarjeta la corté siguiendo la silueta del lado derecho de la botella para dar un toque especial.  Todo esto fue hecho a mano pues aunque no tengamos "dies" o moldes, podemos seguir jugando con crear lo que deseemos hasta que nos guste y eso mismo se convierte en un molde.

Espero les haya gustado.  Gracias por haber visitado el "blog" y por sus comentarios.  Recuerden que también pueden seguirme en Facebook.  Busquen bajo "Scrapper Myra" o hagan click en el botón que tengo provisto aquí en el blog en la esquina superior derecha.

Puedes participar en el reto de Latina Crafter durante todo el mes de mayo...  Haz click en la imagen a continuación para información.

Latina Crafter Sketch Challenge #33 (LCSC#33)

Hello my friends.

It's been a while since I don't participate in any challenge.  At least that's how I feel... LOL!  And being today the International Women's Day, I thought I could participate in a special one.  I decided to follow this March sketch from Latina Crafter.  What more special than that, huh?  

You can find information about it HERE.  You have the whole month to participate and at the end LC choose a winner.  It's cool and you get to play and have fun... go ahead.

Here's the sketch:

And here's my card...

For the strips in the background I used embossed vellum, which I also inked with different colors.  I stamped a sentiment from "There's no-one like you" kit.  The little heart if from a special kit distributed during last month's scrapbooking convention.  I love the imperfection of the vellum transparency and the fact I left the flower chipboard behind the sentiment, without any color.

Hope you like my take on the sketch... and tks for stopping by and for your comments.  Those are the nutrients to this blog.  Have a great day!

SEM July Sketch Challenge and a Special Thank you!

Hello my friends... Happy day!

Scrapping Everyday Miracles is a blog I really love.  They have great challenges that are very tied to one of the things I love more about scrapbooking... which is you can scrap about ordinary things and document your life...  with all your blessings and things that are not things... you know what I mean?  I really love to scrapbook about special days, and birthdays and so on... but also about the table we've had for so many years, or the feeling I've got when I was sick...  and the blessing to have a house... the acceptance of less positive things you have to live with, and so on.

But anyway... They have a sketch challenge going on and I thought it was cool to participate since it's been a while that I don't contribute to their challenges.  You can find about it here:   July Sketch Challenge, and following is the inspiration sketch:

Ok... putting that aside, I have to tell you that I received all these goodies from friend Tameko.    She's a real artist and I know her from Friday Friends with Flair at Unity Stamp Co. since she usually participates and I do too.... You can know more about her here:  Creating my Peace.

I left a comment on her blog a couple of weeks ago, and I resulted the winner... Isn't it cool to receive these kind of surprises by mail?  I bet every scrapper loves to be surprised with crafty goodies.  Thank you Tameko...  

So...  that was the introduction...  SEM Sketch Challenge + New goodies + need to make a bday card for my boss =  Scrapbooking time...

I made this card for SEM Sketch Challenge using the new goodies that Tameko sent to me.

Loved this concept of circled borders and sentiments from Justrite brand, combined with different images or sentiments in the center...  plus I used Spellbinders and one of other stamps from Inkadinkado she sent. 

The circle at center is popped out in all its layers...  not only because I wanted it to be the main one, but because it is also a twist mandatory for the challenge.  The leaves at left, which I cut from patterned paper, are also popped up with foam.

I decided not to paint the flowers in this image because the card was going to be colorful already and did not want to over-color it...  so I just applied some Glossy Accents in the center of the flowers and added purple glitter.  Love it!

In the sketch there is a proposed sentiment at the bottom left corner, but since I used other sentiments throughout the whole design, I included the "Happy Birthday" wish/sentiment inside the card.

At the end I inked a bit the white background to provide some unity to all the elements...

Hope you all liked it...  My boss' bday is today but she's on vacation so she won't see the card until Monday the 29th.  Hope she likes it then.

Tks for the comments.

SEM Sketch Challenge

Here I am again...  Did I wish you Happy Thanksgiving?  Yes...  Happy Thanksgiving!  Hope you are having a wonderful day.

I wanted to share with you a layout I made with a sketch provided by SEM for their sketch challenge going on.  I though it was very inspiring.  Love it.

I made the page about my dog Malbec (yes, it's a name of a grape too).  He is 5 years old and is a big heavy Rottweiler with such a nice personality.  He's kind, obedient, lovable, tender, and I love him so much... like he was my own son.

Sometimes, when I am watching TV or sit at the family room, he places his face in my lap, and all you see is this tender look in his "not so little" face... that you could melt...  like in this photo I chose for the layout.

I used the number 5 because in my journaling I explain about him still being tender and lovable at age 5, like he was when he was a little puppy.  (Actually, I think he believes he is a puppy.). 

The title was handwrote and then cut and placed with 3D dots.

And here's my take on the sketch...   I also used some little circled photos of Malbec being a puppy, as part of the circle elements from the sketch.  Can you see them?

Hope you liked it.  Thanks for your comments.

Unity KOM Sketch and Ippity Challenges

Happy Weekend everybody...

I'm having a good time. Just doing some tasks and going around... but also took some time to make a card for the Unity KOM Sketch challenge.  And the good news is that I can link it also to the Ippity challenge and have double participation.

So, here's the sketch.

I used this sentiment I love a lot and DCWV patterned papers for the design.

I love the result and hope you also like it...

Tks for your comments and hope you have a great time this weekend.

:)

SEM's August Sketch Challenge

Hello my friends...  let's welcome a new week...

I know I know... this means, go back to work, or  school/college, or appointments... blah blah blah...  But it also a new beginning...  a new week of life...  let's thank God for that... and have the best attitude towards this new week...  Agree?

Remember I'm the guest designer for SEM this month?  Well, I made a layout for their August Sketch Challenge...  It is about a  neighborhood called "Pabellones" in Ponce, Puerto Rico and the house my husband grew up in.

You can see the sketch, my pick and others' friends versions HERE.  Besides, you might want to come up with your version and participate in this wonderful challenge.  Please visit SEM and take a look at this wonderful blog.

Here are some sneak peek pictures showing parts of my layout...

Below is the story behind my layout and you can see the completed page by clicking HERE.

Don't forget to leave your comment.  Have a great week!

Whenever my husband and I talk about our childhood or remember any stories from the past, it is about this place he talks the most.  Part of his childhood and younger years he lived at this place called "Pabellones" (pavilions), located in the center of Ponce (a municipality of Puerto Rico).  He always tells me about all the good, funny and even some bad things he lived and saw in that "barrio" (neighborhood), and he always talks about it with nostalgic feeling.  I have this picture of him in front of the house when he was a young boy (about 14 years old), and this other photo of the house the way it looks more recently.  I tried to show in the layout that there's a lot of history behind this house, so I stamped handwriting to use as background, and used vintage patterned papers as well as embellishments and letters that could support the look.  I punched holes around the layout and used twine to frame all the page and ended with two large eyelets to tie the twine several times.  My journaling is also handwritten so it supports the nostalgic, personal and vintage look of the layout.  The journaling says:  "I never lived in this "barrio" at Ponce, but have heard lots of stories from my husband John.  Most part of his childhood and youth he lived here, at house #9.  His stories help me know a little more from his past and roots, which is what make him be who he is today."