Baseball Game: A Field Guide {CSI Case File No. 232}

We've got a brand new challenge at CSI: Color, Stories, Inspiration:

Here's my page. Clues I used to solve this challenge: Evidence - wood background, wood accents, mesh, animals, stitching, starburst shape, labels, vinyl, enamel dots; Testimony - Write a field guide.

Here are some details. My page started with the idea of creating a field guide to document this baseball game we attended when Tracee was visiting two summers ago. I'm not a baseball fan, but my teammate was singing the National Anthem to open the game, so I went to support her. Anyway, a clipboard seemed a perfect element to use for a field guide. I just happened to find this woodgrain paper in almost the perfect shade of blue. The clipboard is a Silhouette cut file. That silver clip is a metallic silver paper. The little cameras were cut out of an Echo Park patterned paper.

The brown letters are vinyl Thickers, which I used for the vinyl clue. The red and blue letters are rub-on letters that I've had in my stash FOREVER.

I found those baseball tickets on an Echo Park paper. How perfect! The starburst stamps are from Heidi Swapp, and I thought they looked like the fireworks that we saw at the game, plus they fulfilled the starburst clue. I think the camera was cut form an Amy Tangerine paper. The wood piece is by Studio Calico.

The baseball and pencil are also Silhouette Cut Files, and the bird, which I used because of the animal clue, is also by Studio Calico.

I hope you'll come by and see what the rest of the team made with this fun Case File, and definitely, you'll want to play along. We've got nine sponsors donating some awesome prizes:

What Does the Fox Say? {CSI Major Case File No. 227}

We've got a fun new challenge at CSI: Color, Stories, Inspiration:

I made another page for one of my students. Clues I used...Evidence: all of them! Testimony: Put your story in a frame (I put it on the frame)

Here are some details: 

I had this idea in my head, and when this Case File came up, I knew I had to use the fox die cuts to make this page. I wanted to use that song title and have the fox saying that this kid is awesome. That wood frame is ancient. Like maybe 15 years old. I think it's by Chatterbox. I wanted to add some flowers for the Case File clue, but how to make it work okay for a boy... I found some felt flowers and those layered flowers by Martha Stewart in my stash. 

The leaves are die cuts by Simply Graphic. I always go overboard with the mixed media. I just don't know when to quit. My page always looks plain, so I tell myself I need ink. Then, when I've done it, I wish I hadn't. Sigh. I should really take a class to learn how to properly do this!

I rescued all sorts of fuzzy bits from my stash for this page! There's a fabric brad for the fabric clue. That scallop paper is cut from the edge of a really old Crate Paper paper--one of those shaped papers. It was the perfect color, and I was happy to use it!

Lots of great prizes to be won by our generous sponsors. Come join us!

Good Day {CSI Case File No. 218}

We've got a new Case File open for investigation at CSI: Color, Stories, Inspiration.

For those who don't know, we've made a few changes to CSI. First, we have a new home, on Blogger. Second, we've changed our schedule. We will be having two reveals a month, one on the 1st and one on the 15th. Both Case Files will stay open for the entire month.

Here's our latest Case File:

Here's the page I made. Clues I used...Evidence: dots, glasses, animal (sort of--I used butterflies), weather elements, heart, leaves, cards, metal, circles, labels. Testimony: document something about the outdoors.

Tracee and I challenged each other to use the same photo, Case File, and this sketch from Grand Diva's Creative Corner along with Rochelle Spears' This or That challenge, which challenged us to use cork or wood (I used wood):

Here's Tracee's page. I love how we both used the same starting points yet came up with totally different layouts.

Here are some details. I used a bunch of different patterned papers. The stripe in the background is by We R Memory Keepers. That teal with the little starbursts is by SEI. The cloud paper and striped teal paper are by My Mind's Eye. I've had that flair badge in my stash forever--it came in a kit I got a long time ago. The stickers are by Echo Park, and the wood embellishments are by Jillibean Soup.

The floral paper is also from a My Mind's Eye pad. The chipboard title, which I colored with a brush pen is by 2Crafty. I had used a brad with dots but decided to add some dotty washi tape at the end. That yellow strip of paper with my journaling is by BasicGrey.

There's my little journaling card I used for one of the clues, from a My Mind's Eye pad, perfect for adding the date.

I hope you'll come play with us for a chance to win a prize from one of our awesome November sponsors:

November DT Work for 2Crafty

It's my turn at the 2Crafty blog today. Here's my post:

"Selfie Monsters"

Two summers ago, my friend Tracee visited me from across the ocean, and I had bought a selfie stick so we could capture our memories together. We were trying to work out how to use it and got a few wacky accidental pictures, like the ones pictured above. I thought these pictures would be perfect for one of our October Case Files at CSI: Color, Stories, Inspiration, which featured monsters. 2Crafty sponsored CSI in October.

When I looked at the clues in the Case File, I realized I had lots of different 2Crafty pieces I could use, specifically the speech bubbles, monsters, stars, and punctuation marks.

I adore the 2Crafty "Monsters!" I treated this little guy with gesso first and then used watercolor to paint him so that he'd have a sort of ombre look. The paint wasn't drying, so I added clear embossing powder, which gave him a cool bubbly texture. I created the sign out of the rectangle insides from "Polaroid Assortment Frames." Never throw those negatives away--you never know when they'll come in handy! I sprinkled some little stars coated with silver embossing powder about the layout. These stars are from the "ATC Tiny Hearts & Stars" sheet.

How cool are these "Interlocking Grid Panels" that I used in the background? I had coated them with gesso thinking I might pain them but decided to leave them white. I started to sand off the excess  gesso that had dried when it stuck to to the plastic on which I painted the panels, and then decided it sort of looked cool--like monster goo, so I left it. I colored the title from the "Selfies Word Pack" with red stamp ink. The cool gears, which I embossed with platinum metallic powder" are from the "Gears" set.

That cute little camera is from the "Asst Mini Camera Set." I covered it with teal paper to match the papers I used in my layering and then found this fun skull clipart online to add on top of the camera lens (skull was one of the Case File clues). That cool speech bubble is from the "Word Bubbles" set, which six different pieces. I backed it with black paper, painted the middle red and topped it with some patterned paper. The googly eye was a fun, monstery addition inside the letter O.

The question mark, which I covered with patterned paper, is from the "Punctuation" set. 

2Crafty Products used on this layout:

Selfies Word Pack

Word Bubbles

Gears

Monsters

Asst Mini Camera Set

ATC Tiny Hearts & Stars

Punctuation

Interlocking Grid Panel

Polaroid Assortment Frames

"Beautiful You"

I wanted to create a lovely, girly layout for my friend using these darling photos of her daughter, and 2Crafty has so many beautiful pieces.

I just love the "Pointy Doily Frames," and I used them as a starting point for my layout design. There are two in the set, and I managed to use just one by cutting a piece of it for the bottom and using the rest of it layered behind the photos. I coated it with gesso for a soft, shabby look and added some rhinestones for a bit of sparkle. How beautiful is the "Climbing Rose Bush" piece? Since I scrap 8 x 8, there's no way I could fit the entire border on my page, so I cut one rose from it and tucked it behind some flowers. I painted the leaves green with watercolor and embossed the rose with gold embossing powder. I also used the gold embossing powder on the "Butterflies."

I just love the loopy font 2Crafty uses for many of their titles. I used the "You, Loopy Font" and painted it with green watercolors, which I mixed to match the leaves from the patterned paper I fussy cut. As a finishing touch, I used the remaining piece of the "Pointed Doily Frame" to highlight the year, from the sheet of "2016's."

2Crafty Products used on this layout:

Pointed Doily Frames

2016's

You, Loopy Font

Climbing Rose Bush

Butterflies

"Cute"

I'd like to share an extra layout I created for Stuck?! Sketches, which features 2Crafty's "6" Circle Revolution Frames." They were just perfect for the circles in the sketch:

2Crafty Products used on this layout:

6" Circle Revolution Frames

Thank you so much for stopping by today! I hope I've given you some ideas for using the awesome 2Crafty chipboard pieces.

Inside Jokes {CSI Case File No. 212}

We've got a beautiful new Case File open for investigation at CSI: Color, Stories, Inspiration:

Here is my page:

I used all the Evidence clues, and for the Testimony clue, I went here and chose #48--list inside jokes.

Here are some details.

I love this picture of Tracee and me laughing. It was the perfect photo for the story I wanted to tell. The chipboard Polaroid frames are by 2Crafty. That little camera was cut out of an Echo Park paper, and the leaves are cut from a BasicGrey paper. I used liquid pearls. I should use those more often!

I coated this chipboard frame with gold Zing embossing powder. The little citrus slice is a Silhouette cut file, and the fluffy flower is by Martha Stewart. I think the clear clocks are by Maya Road. I've had them forever.

The jars were cut out of a Dear Lizzy Paper. The chipboard arrow is by MAMBI. I cut out the title on my Silhouette Cameo. There are so many awesome brush fonts you can find for free.

The gold cursive word is by Heidi Swapp. And here I listed a bunch of inside jokes Tracee and I have and funny things we say to each other all the time. 

I hope you'll come play with us. Check out the awesome sponsors we have donating prizes this month:

Mad Props {CSI Major Case File No. 211}

We've got a brand-new Case File open for investigation at CSI: Color, Stories, Inspiration, and it stays open the whole month of September!

Here's the page I made. I used all of the Evidence clues and used the Inspiration Word "fun" for the Testimony.

Here are some details. I used some old 7Gypsies paper for the text clue. The red paper on the frame is also old, by Scenic Route. I've got some SEI Dill Blossoms paper (the lighter teal) and some old DCWV paper (the dark teal). That paper at the bottom layer beneath the photos is an old die-cut paper by Creative Cafe, and I used that for the border clue. The blue doily behind the bird was cut from a little card by We R Memory Keepers. I used the XO brad, which I just now realize is upside down, for my fabric clue. I found that little coin-operated binocular (I had to look up the name, LOL) in my stash when I went to the aqua-colored embellishment drawer that I organized a while back. I'm so glad I organized my embellishments by color because I never would've thought to use this embellishment on my page, and it was perfect for holding those eyeglasses that I cut from a MME paper--eyeglasses was a clue. 

I like to try to put meaningful embellishments on my pages that will help to tell my story, and since this page was all about how Tracee always likes to find props wherever we go to take pictures, I thought it would be fun to include some fun, random stuff on here.

I also found this pen in the same aqua drawer, as well as that label. After I was all done with my layout, I tried to put some ink drops on my paper without messing up the whole layout by carefully dotting the paper with three ink spots, but they ended up looking like rabbit droppings, as Tracee kindly told me. I was so upset with myself! But I fixed it by using a ink-splat stamp. I was afraid to stamp directly on the page and mess it up further, so I stamped it on paper and cut it out and pasted it over the offending spots. I cut my title out on my Silhouette cameo. Wood was one of the clues, so I dug out some of my Studio Calico wood veneer Tweets.

I have two whole drawers full of book plats, so I was very happy to use one on this layout. There's a little puffy sticker teacup for one of the clues, and you can spot a bit of lace poking out for the lace clue.

Check out all the awesome sponsors we have this month--you must come play for a chance to win!