PRECIOUS PAGES by PAULA

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Beautiful Creation

Scrapping Everyday Miracles Challenge #18 was to create a layout showing God's wonderful creation in any way you see it.  I see God's beauty all around and felt that nature was a good way to showcase it in a layout.  I went on a nature hike and took some photos.  I found beauty in the design of a tree stump, the majesty of a crane, some wild flowers, a fungus that looked like a flower and a tiny little insect.  Psalm 90 Verse 17 says 'And let the beauty of the Lord Our God be upon us.' and I felt that was a good fit.  The twist to the challenge was to be sure to incorporate some stitching so I added some scrolls up the side of the page using a green thread that resembled the green in several of the nature photos.

Here's my layout:


I hope you have enjoyed my creation showing a tiny piece of God's mighty creation.

Monday, July 30, 2012

Work In Progress MONDAY!

For this week's WIP Monday I decided I would share some art journaling I have worked on this past week.  The first two pages were done with a base of water soluble wax pastels and the last one was a collaged napkin technique.  All pages used gesso, distress inks, Crafters Workshop Stencils and stamps.




Hope you have enjoyed viewing some of my inspiration pages.  Have a great week!

Sunday, July 29, 2012

CREATION FEST NORTHEAST 2012 BAPTISM

This year at Creation Fest my son and his father went forward to be Baptized.  It was a special moment and I am so happy that they brought home photos to share which of course I had to scrap.  The first page was done using Creative Scrappers Sketch #218.



and the submersion shots were done using this weeks Guest Designer Sketch from Colorful Creations which I rotated 1/4 turn clockwise to accommodate the photos.



I am so proud of them for taking this important step in their Christian walks.  Both of them had been baptized as infants but wanted to confirm and affirm these most important vows and their belief in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.  God bless you Thomas and David.





A CHALLENGING CHALLENGE

For DT Brandi's challenge on the Colorful Creations Super Hot Summer Blog Hop you needed to use stamps on a layout or card.  This in itself was a challenge for me as I am not a great stamper and usually only use stamping for sentiments on my cards.  But...the real catch was that you had to use 'SUMMER' stamps.  I knew I had some somewhere but I discovered they were very small and not very exciting. Today is the grand finale of the hop so I had to work with what I had.  That ruled out layout but I decided that I was determined to make a card.  Here is what I came up with:

Friday, July 27, 2012

It's Mojo Monday on Friday!

I'm back with another card using this week's Mojo Monday's sketch.  I've designed the card for Paper Secrets CYAO week 25.  Here's the sketch:


and the 3 items I used for CYAO were ribbon, stitching and 3+papers.  Here's my card:


Hope you have enjoyed seeing my latest birthday wish!


Thursday, July 26, 2012

A GOOD BOOK

I found this cute picture of my younger son sitting in the closet pretending to read a book.  I decided it would be perfect for the storybook challenge over at Child's Play which was inspired by the book Goodnight Moon.  I used the colors from the book (which I'm sure I read over 1000 times to both of my children), as well as that my photo is my son with a book.  I turned the sketch 1/4 turn clockwise from this week's Twisted Blueprints #5 at Colorful Creations to create my layout.  Here is my inspiration and the sketch:



and here is the result:


and now it's time for me to say...Goodnight Moon!



Wednesday, July 25, 2012

First Best Friend

I was so happy to find these old photos of me and my very first best friend, Santa and her brother Emanuelle.  I was able to enter this layout in two challenges - the first being "For Girls Only" at Colorful Creations and the other is Sketch #217 at Creative Scrappers.

Here is the sketch:

and here is my layout:


I hope you have enjoyed this little blast from my past!



Monday, July 23, 2012

Work In Progress MONDAY!

For the last several days I have been working on bookmarks for a craft sale I am doing in October.  I decided this would be a great project to submit for WIP Monday on Scrap Scene as I will be working on them for quite awhile but already have 15 completed.  I have really enjoyed mixing colors of Tim Holtz Distress Inks, adding fluffy ribbons and fibers and fun sayings.  I hope you enjoy viewing these.  I am thinking of selling them for $2 or 3/$5.  The backs of all of them are also decorated just with a more subtle pattern.  Here they are so far:






Hope you have enjoyed viewing my Work In Progress this Monday.  Comments gratefully welcome!

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Mojo Monday on Saturday!

For this week's Paper Secrets Card Your Ass Off challenge we were given this fun sketch from Mojo Monday and had to choose 3 items from a list.  Here is the sketch:


The 3 items I chose were 3+ papers, leaves and ribbon.  Here is my card:


Friday, July 20, 2012

COLORFUL CREATIONS SUPER HOT SUMMER BLOG HOP

Thanks for playing along in our “Super Hot Summer Blog Hop”!


My challenge for you is called "Sounds of Summer" and it is a Tic Tac Toe challenge.   After you have completed your project, post it in the Colorful Creations Gallery and tag it HOPTICTACTOE. Your layout or project must be newly created as of July 20th, and cannot be combined with any other CC challenges.  Here is the board:

Guitar         The Beach Eyelets
Double Page Layout         Flowers                                                                          Monochromatic
Stars                Buttons                 Distressing


Choose a row- vertical, horizontal or diagonal.  I chose the first row vertical.  Here is my example:





If you complete my challenge make sure to link it up at the bottom of this post to be entered into a drawing to win a RAK from me!

You have until Sunday July 29th at midnight CST 
to complete challenges!
Can’t wait to see your creations!

What would a blog hop be without something fun
 to “hop” around for?

Let’s go on a treasure hunt!

Each DT member will give you a product or item from your stash to find on the hunt.  When you find the product gather it, and at the end you will find a fun challenge to do at the Colorful Creations Blog!

For your "Summer Treasure Hunt" my product is to raid your stash and find something that is lace.  




Make sure to leave a comment at each blog once you get your treasure hunt item, so we know you are playing along!

Here is your map in case you get lost!!

                             Paula      YOU ARE HERE!


Tuesday, July 17, 2012

PEACE IS THE WAY

I just finished a layout with the photo of the sign that inspired one of my recent art journal pages.  This photo was taken in Philadelphia in 2005.  I used a sketch from this week's Colorful Creations Guest Designer which I rotated 1/4 turn clockwise.  I am also entering this in the color challenge at Homespun Affair - red white & blue.  Hope you like it.

Here is the original sketch:

Here is my layout:


Monday, July 16, 2012

TAKING MY PENCIL TO THE SECOND FLOOR

The sixth challenge on the Second Floor was to use your pencil.  I rarely use pencil so this was a stretch but I knew what I wanted to try right away.  First I took my Tim Holtz Spring and Summer Distress inks and covered my pages.  Next I sprayed them with water, let them drip, mushed them together and eventually rolled paper towel over the last of the dampness.  I loved the color combination.  Next I took out several different Crafter's Worshop templates.  Using a pencil I added them randomly all over the page until I was satisfied.  Here is the result:


I usually use quotes over my art journal backgrounds but I was afraid that the words would get lost in the pencil so it took a bit of deciding for what came next.  I was just at EXPO and picked up a few word stamps at Rubbernecker that I felt would work well on this background because they were bold.  Here's the result:


I hope you have enjoyed another trip with me to the Second Floor.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

HOW REFRESHING! WATERMELON ICE!

Today I did an art journal page using the Twinkle Twinkle Little Star Summer of Color prompt Watermelon Ice. I used Distress Inks in Festive Berries, Picked Raspberry and Walnut Stain as well as two Crafters Workshop templates.  I finished it off with a quote that I had taken a photo of in Philadelphia back in the summer of 2005.



Looking at the post I am surprised at how different the shades look.  In person my art journal pages are more vibrant and closer to the ice.  Hope you have been refreshed during your visit today!  

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

"THE" LIBERTY BELL

Another day, another bell, another Liberty Bell - this time THE Liberty Bell.  


First I did a page of many wonderful quotes about the Liberty Bell using this sketch from Paper Secrets which I rotated 1/4 turn clockwise.




Next I did a page with photos of my children with the real cracked Liberty Bell using sketch #215 from Creative Scrappers.



Thanks for stopping by.  I hope that you have enjoyed a little taste of my family celebrating our Liberty.



RINGING THE LIBERTY BELL

Yes, these photos are of my children and they were taken in Philadelphia and they are ringing the Liberty Bell - but it is not the original one but the Normandy Liberty Bell at the National Constitution Center.  This is an exact replica of the Liberty Bell tuned to the same E-flat note that the original one made before it cracked.

This Liberty Bell was created to coincide with the 60th Anniversary of the D-Day invasions.  This bell was first rung on June 6, 2004 on the shores of Normandy.   If was first rung in the United States on July 4, 2005.  It was rung by my children also in July 2005.


To create this layout I used a sketch from StuckonUsketches as my inspiration.  This was the sketch:

Grand Re-opening of the Colorful Creations Blog





Colorful Creations has reopened their blog and are having a great sketch contest (see my earlier post to view my entry) and another giveaway chance to win some great blog candy.  Please pop over to the Colorful Creations Blog to check it out.  Be sure to say Paula sent you!  :)


Monday, July 9, 2012

RUSH HOUR FIREWORKS

No, there weren't any fireworks at rush hour today...my post is about the ChildsPlay Challenges Blogspot board game challenge.  The idea was to use this game as inspiration for your layout.


I had several different sized and shaped photos from our trip to the fireworks July 4, 2011 that were waiting for the perfect opportunity to be scrapped.  I decided this was it.


Hope you have enjoyed playtime!


Sunday, July 8, 2012

COLORFUL CREATIONS RECIPE BLOG CHALLENGE

If you are here for It's Christmas in July click here http://preciouspagesbypaula.blogspot.com/2012/07/its-christmas-in-july.html 
or for I'm a Ginger Snap Scraps Girl Blog Hop Day 2 click here http://preciouspagesbypaula.blogspot.com/2012/07/im-ginger-snap-girl-blog-hop-day-2.html


Colorful Creations has re-opened their blog and is starting off with a wonderful fun challenge.  I used their recipe to cook up my multi-seasonal layout.
1) one photo
2) some squares
3) At least two types of lettering or fonts
4) flowers

The fun part for me was the combination of summer and winter - which actually was the theme of the photo.  The photo was taken at Disney's Blizzard Beach - a fun ski resort themed water park.  My layout is winter themed starting with a base page with embossed snowflakes which I sanded, a photo mat of snowflakes, some lace snowflakes, a large snowflake diecut.  But to this I added a flower in the center of the diecut as well as a strip of lace flowers on a gingham ribbon along the bottom edge.  To complete the recipe I used some thickers letters which I added some liquid pearls to for the title, and some letter stickers on the bottom for the date.


Thanks so much for stopping by!  Keep Cool.

It's Christmas in July!

Welcome to the Christmas in July Card Blog Hop!

If you have arrived here from An'Jenic http://anjenicgibson.blogspot.com/
you are in the right place.

The hop started at Ashley - http://thebloghopprincess.blogspot.com and if you get lost anywhere along the way the full line-up will be posted there as well as the blog candy information.

Please have fun hopping the complete line-up for some wonderful ideas and chances to win some candy.

I decided to make 2 very simple cards that could be duplicated easily.

The first was done with a Tim Holtz Sizzix Embossing folder that reads Merry Christmas.  I used some Coredinations Whitewash Cardstock backed in green.  I sanded that and mounted it on some red cardstock which I then mounted on a 5x7 card which was edged with Tim Holtz Distress Ink Evergreen Bough.


My next card was done the same way using a Darice embossing folder that reads Peace on Earth.  For this card I used Coredinations Whitewash cardstock backed in blue.  I sanded it and mounted it on some SEI patterned paper and then mounted this on a 5x7 card that was edged with Tim Holtz Distress Ink Salty Ocean.


Your next stop on the hop is:  Cori - http://createdbycori.blogspot.com

I hope that you have enjoyed my projects and all those along the way and that you will be on the way to creating some beautiful cards for this Christmas using some of the ideas you have found on this hop.

Enjoy the rest of your summer!  Merry Christmas!



I'm a GINGER SNAP GIRL Blog Hop - Day 2


Welcome to the second I'm A Ginger Snap Girl Blog Hop!

The wonderfuly talented customers of Ginger Snap Scraps have teamed up to bring you awesome projects and inspiration using the items they have purchased from the store!




If you are just joining us, please begin at the Ginger Snap Scraps blog.


If you came from Cyndy - http://arcyscraps.blogspot.com/ then you are in the right place!

For today's project I created a pink friendship card. I started with Coredinations raspberry/pink cardstock and a Cuttlebug Embossing folder. I sanded it down and put it aside. Next I took a 5x7 blank card and Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pink Raspberry and blended ink on the edges. I took a white sheet of cardstock and stamped my message with the same distress ink and blended the ink along the edges. I tied some Doodlebug Twine around it and added a Petaloo pink flower with a beaded center. I attached the white to the embossed sheet and then attached them to the card base and Voila!





I am your last stop on the hop so I hope you have had a lot of fun and gotten some great inspiration!


Now for some awesome blog candy!

Ginger Snap Scraps is giving away 4 $10 gift cards to four lucky followers!
To enter to win, just comment below letting us know you did any of the following:

Follow Ginger Snap Scraps the blog.



To celebrate our second customer blog hop, we are taking 15% off all items in the store!


Hope you have enjoyed the hop and that you will stop over at the store and enjoy some shop!





Thursday, July 5, 2012

FLAVOR OF THE WEEK SERVED ON THE SECOND FLOOR

The flavor of the week at Twinkle Twinkle Little Star Summer of Color 2 was Wild N' Reckless Sherbet.  I totally fell in love with the colors the first time I saw them.  I had been planning a canvas for my Second Floor challenge and decided that the colors would make the perfect background.


I covered an 8x10 canvas with gesso and then started dripping on reinkers, gouache paint and oil pastels one at a time and smearing them in with a credit card.  Before adding my Second Floor 'found objects' my canvas looked like this:


I then added a variety of children's game pieces to the canvas and here is the completed piece.


I hope you have enjoyed your sherbet on the second floor!  Thanks for stopping by.

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

A VERY HAPPY 4TH!

I will start this post by wishing everyone here in the USA a Happy Independence Day and a big thank you to those in the military that have given time and even lives to make and keep this possible.

Today I am sharing a layout I did with some photos from last year's celebration.  We had spent the day having a barbecue at friends house and then attending a big fireworks show in the evening.  It was wonderful to be able to celebrate with friends.  This year is a quiet one as we are new residents of Delaware and haven't met many new friends yet.  Michael couldn't make it because he threw out his back and needs to rest it to be able to work and I planned to barbecue for me and the kids but got back from a disastrous grocery shopping trip late so we had a roasted chicken and mashed potatoes instead and will have a big barbecue tomorrow night.  Hopefully we will get to see some fireworks tonite.


I did this layout using a sketch on Colorful Creations for their Plus Two challenge, and I also have entered this in the Red White and Blue challenges at Outlaw Women Scrapbook Emporium and a Homespun Affair.  

Thanks for stopping by...