(Kelly) "My Perfect Pair"

Good afternoon!!! We are in the middle of a huge snowstorm here, predicted to get about 12 inches or more. So far, I have no idea how much we have gotten, but because of the high winds, the drifts outside of my door are a couple feet high!! I'm so glad I do not have to go anywhere today!
I have a layout to share that I made, combining a pile of challenges!! I started off with Sketch #197 from Creative Scrappers. I love this sketch, so I stuck pretty close with it. The next challenge is Case File #8 from CSI: Color, Stories, Inspiration. (Please see the sketch and case file details below!) This is also for the word challenge over at Bird Is The Word to use the word "Heart" somewhere in your title or journaling. I used it in my journaling, see close up. And last, but not least, Erin is hosting the weekly challenge over at ClubCK She did a fun challenge, another word challenge, and the word I chose was "Pair."
I absolutely adore this photo of Jeremy and Lilah, taken this past June on Father's day. Part of the CSI challenge was a journaling prompt, and I chose "The star of the show" and journaled about the two people in the photo. For the "Evidence" I chose Liquid Mediums (I used glossy accents and Shimmerz paint on the flowers and edges of paper) and "Something that sparkles" once again, the Shimmerz paint was used to add "sparkle" to my flowers, vines, and title.

Journaling close up: 

Thanks for taking a look!! As always, I really appreciate all of your lovely comments. Have a wonderful day!!

(Erin) "Sleeping Beauty"

Well, good afternoon to you all! I'm back from my trip and though we had to travel into and through a big snowstorm, we made it home safe and sound last night. We got over a foot of snow here, and because my hubby is one of the plow guys at his work, he had to get up at 2 AM, plow for 7 hours, and then work his shift until 6:00 tonight. I don't have a clue HOW he does it...but I'm thankful that he's a hard worker and can make it through!- especially after surviving me constantly nagging him to slow down for the last 3 hours of our trip. We almost went in the ditch once and came within inches of rear-ending someone- and while I was having a heart attack, he kept his unwavering cool. I just love that about him!

But anyways, I do have a purpose here today other than to ramble on, and that is to share with you my layout I created for the current sketch challenge over at Get Creative. As mentioned previously, they have teamed up with Once Upon A...Sketch this month and together they have both brought us some amazing inspiration to go along with their incredible sketches!! I will admit, this sketch had me scared, lol! I am not a grid person, but I got the idea into my head of creating a sort of "garden trelllis" to act as the cross bars on this sketch. So I punched a couple strips of paper and began adding flowers to create this sort of dreamy, garden scene to go along with these serene photos of Aspen at 2 weeks of age.You have got to agree with me that there is nothing more peaceful than the deep sleep of a newborn baby :). Here's a couple closeups for you: And the sketch:I'm so glad to have been able to get this one done! I have always enjoyed playing along over at OUAS and never miss their challenges- and now I am feeling the same about Get Creative! Love them! Thanks for coming out and having a look. I just got two big boxes of new scrappy stuff to play with and I just can't WAIT! So I'm sure you'll be seeing a big of me around this week ;).

Oh, and in two more days I get to be finally free of dial-up!! Whoo hoo!!!! So definitely be expecting more visits from me to your blogs :)- BYE for now!!

We are Guest Desingers today at Keeping the Best!!

Good Morning, I just wanted to share that the two of us are Guest Designing over at Keeping-The-Best!! They are a Russian sketch blog who recently contacted us, and asked if we wanted to design a sketch, (a new thing for us!!),  And to help provide inspiration, as well!! So for the first time ever, I (Kelly) sat down and tried to figure out how to draw a sketch!!! I was super intimidated, but I like what I came up with, and we made a couple of cute layouts to go with it!! Head over to http://keeping-the-best.blogspot.com/ to have a look, and to play along, too, if you'd like!!! Here's the sketch, and our layouts!! Hope you are all having a great day, we are enjoying the "sunny day after the storm.." watching the snow plows cleaning up and the neighbors shoveling out..and tommorow we are supposed to get another snow storm!!!

Here is Erin's layout:

And here is Kelly's layout:

As always, thanks so much for taking the time to stop by, and leaving lovely comments..we sooo appreciate it!! 

(Kelly) "1 Month"

Good afternoon!! I hope you all are enjoying your Saturday..I just got off work, and am waiting for my Mom to get here, she drove all the way from Texas! I thought I could get in a quick post, first! I have a layout I made that is actually a "re-do" of an old layout. I thought I'd never do this, but I redid a layout that I really disliked..it was the 2nd layout I EVER made, and it was terrible...So in order for it to look decent in Lilah's first year album, I made one that I like sooo much more! I used this awesome sketch from Sketchabilities, I love their sketches. I was also inspired by Workout #61 at ScrapFIT, "Blank Canvas." So...here's Lilah's new and improved "1 month" layout....funny posting this, as my last post was her 19 month layout...time sure flies!! Have a great afternoon!

(Erin) "Keep Up!" Scrappin' Patch layout

Hi there! This is actually auto-posting for me (hopefully!) as I am out of town, but I wanted to make sure I shared with you my final layout for Scrappin' Patch using the Nordic Holiday collection from Basic Grey.

I saved the cooler grey and blue tones for this layout and utilized lots of scraps to create the matting behind my photos- typical photos of Gunner when we're outside. It's very difficult to get any good shots of him when we're outdoors as he takes off the moment his feet hit the ground! Usually he wants to go straight down the driveway, which drives me nuts! Lol...

On this particular wintry day he trudged through the snow like no other :).

Be sure to check out the Scrappin' Patch blog here to see my post. Have a great day and I'll see you soon!

(Kelly) "19 Months"

Good Morning...I have a layout to share today using the February kit from Artful Delight. This is my last project with this kit, and I gotta say, I have really loved this kit and what I have been able to create with it!!  I believe there are still Scrapbook Kits for sale in the AD Store. I kept this one pretty simple..I've been trying to document each month of Lilah's life to keep track of her likes/dislikes, personality quirks, and the cute little things she says and does, that I'm afraid I may forget otherwise. I used bits of the LYB Paradise collection for this one, and more of the Pink Paislee Mistables trim, misted to match the teal colors in the papers I used. I used sketch #196 from Creative Scrappers, I just rotated the sketch. I hope everyone is set to go for a wonderful weekend!! (Me, I'll be working...and we're supposed to get a huge snow storm...)

(Erin) "Let's Ride"

Good afternoon!! I hope this Wednesday is treating you nicely...as it should :). I'm feeling a little bit of scrappy "pressure" today~ we leave tomorrow afternoon for my hubby's hometown 7 hours away to attend his best friend's wedding reception (they married in Mexico). We'll be gone for FOUR days...and four days without scrapping is like four days without BREATHING!! Lol...but seriously, I am a daily scrapper, so not being able to touch my supplies for four long days will be tough for me. So I'm trying to get as much in as possible before I leave :).
Today I have a layout to share with you that I created using the February sketch over at Crafty Sketches. I've been trying to figure out what I wanted to do with this one ever since it came out. It seems there are a lot of sketches lately with circles (which I really do love) and I'm always trying to come up with new ways to do my circles. I've had this idea in my head for a while now but wasn't really sure it would work...luckily it did :).
These photos are of my oldest, Wyatt. After doing so many pages lately with "pretty" colors, I really needed to do a more subdued, masculine layout with just a hint of pretty. The colors in these photos are tough for me to work with but I didn't want to turn them black and white as I just loved them the way they are (especially how you can see the pretty dogwood bushes in the background of the left photo- they are so pretty and red in the winter!). So I dug in my stash and decided on these Webster's papers from the "WonderFALL" collection. I don't normally use the reverse sides of the more designed papers, but in this case they worked out quite well. Here's what I came up with: I loved adding all the pretty earthy-toned elements, especially my "bare branch" which is leftover from a little Prima flower bunch from which I'd cut all the flowers. I also used burlap twine remnants to accent the circles and create a pretty little bow to dress up my bare branch:Here's a little bit of a closer look at my torn circles:And the lovely sketch which provided me with much inspiration! :And there you have it! The kids are ALL napping right now so I'm off to see if I can fit just one more project in before we take off. But if not, I wish you all a wonderful weekend and you'll be sure to see me back here soon! Take care :).

(Erin) "Smile" Prima February BAP

I decided to join in again this month over at Prima for their Build a Page challenge. We were provided a lovely sketch to work with :). I just love this sweet photo of Gunner and the colors came together really nicely...I am, however, uncomfortable with the white space...I'm never real comfortable with white space!Here are a couple of closeups for you. I touched up almost everything with a small amount of gesso:And the sketch:Thank-you for checking in and having a look. Now go and enjoy your day!

(Kelly) "Fashionista" Get Picky sketch challenge

**This is our second post today. Please scroll down to see today's FD sketch reveal!!**

Good morning!! I hope you all are doing well. Things are going great here..Lilah had the flu for the last two days but fortunately seems to be 100% better today! I am so very thankful because she is nearly 2 years old and I can count on one hand the number of times she's been sick..she's a super healthy little girl, and I thank God for that. I definitely count my lucky stars, especially knowing what Erin is going through having a house full of sick children! I can't imagine!

On to my layout...I made this for the sketch challenge over at Get Picky. I found these photos that I had forgotten about...Lilah's Grandma had given her these sunglasses and this hat, and for an entire day, she wore them around the house..thinking she was sooo cool...lol..

I used more MME paper, I tried to do something different with it and grunge it up some. I had a lot of fun messing with the flowers, using various mists and gesso to get them to match my photos. I also have a new found love...my sewing machine!! I have rearranged my room so it is more accessible, and whereas I used to use it on occasion, I've now been using it on almost every layout, I love it!!

Sketch Along Tuesdays 2.21.12...Farewell Frosted Designs!!!

Good Morning!!! We are excited to share a couple of layouts with you for this week's sketch challenge over at Frosted Designs. Sadly, this will be our last set of projects for FD, as our DT term is ending. We both really have enjoyed being a part of such a wonderful community..FD was the very first DT for both of us, starting when we guest designed there back in July. We felt sooo very honored to be asked to join the team, and have truly enjoyed taking part in inspiring Frosted Designs' followers and participants!!  But life has become quite busy for both of us, and we had to make the choice to not sign on for another term. We just want to thank Barb, Debbie, Andrea, and all of the other leaders and members of the team for the wonderful experience!!! Ok, enough with the sappiness :) Here's the newest sketch, and our layouts!!

Erin's layout:

Kelly's layout:

(Erin) "Itasca"

**This is our second post of the day- please scroll down to see not only Kelly's version of the OUAS Feb 15th challenge, but also our BLOG HOP GIVEAWAY WINNER!!**

After the weekend I've had, I'm surprised I was able to get a layout completed! My poor little Gunners got sick Friday night (when Josh was gone, of course)- he was up ALL NIGHT long, vomiting- coughing- feverish- just MISERABLE. Turns out he has a horrible ear infection (a first for him) and he's been having just the worst time with it. Up again all last night as well. Really makes me wish that my kids had grandparents around so that I could get some rest! It's tough...my dad passed when I was 13, Josh has no relationship with his dad, my mom is at the opposite end of the country, and Josh's mom is 7 hours away...so at times like this, we're pretty much on our own. Friday night when he was so sick, I called the Emergency Room and the nurse told me I should bring him in. But since Josh was gone (and had the only vehicle of ours that can fit everyone), there was no way for me to do so. And she commenced to make me feel like a horrible mom because of it...like I was supposed to find some magical way to transport all three of my children into town to the doctor @ 11:00 at night.

Such a horrible feeling.

So for those of you who have that extra family around to help you out, be grateful. I know Kelly hates it when I tell her that since her SO's parents drive her nuts most of the time, lol...but still. It's a fortunate thing to have that backup when needed...

But on to my layout. I created this page for the February 15th Once Upon A...Sketch challenge focusing on vacation memories. Once again they've teamed up with their sister site, Get Creative for this one! They had tons of amazing inspiration to offer us!

I chose to scrap a photo of Kelly and myself at the Mississippi Headwaters at Itasca State Park. We would go there every year for a family reunion and I have so many fun memories from that time. Unfortunately, this photo is old and grainy- but it's really all I had to work with. I used the new MME Miss Caroline "Howdy Doody" line for this one. It got really busy on me, but I think I like the result despite it. I knew I wanted to do a bunch of layering and to break up the business, I smeared some gesso all over my background. And of course, Nadia's sketches always seem to bring out the best in me... I was fortunate to get my hands on some gorgeous Manor House flowers, including the large pink one. LOVE them...
My journaling reads as follows: "My most fond of vacation memories are of the Ingebrigtsen Family Reunions @ Itasca State Park. Catching frogs w/Mark & Steve- and Kelly of course! Fishing for sunnies & crappies. Pocahontas & John Smith. Scaring eachother at night in our tents. Tons of family, bike races, and the famous croquet tourney. So fun!"

Nadia's beautiful sketch:Thanks for having a look. Oh, and if you're interested in a little Crackle Paint tutorial, I have one up over at the Scrappin' Patch blog!! It's pretty basic, but for those of you who have never tried it out, be sure to head on over there. You just might like it when you try it!!!

(Kelly) "Getaway" **Plus Blog Hop Giveaway Winner in this post!!!**

Good Morning!!! Happy Sunday..I love Sundays, my favorite day of the week..relaxing at home with the family, scrapbooking, and hopefully some baking/cooking are in my plans for today. But lets get down to business :) I have a great layout to share with you, that I made for 2 different challenges. The first is the current Once Upon A...Sketch sketch/journaling challenge...with the criteria being Holidays/Vacation. The second challenge this is for is the A-Z challenge at Scrapbookers Anonymous, the current letter being "G". But before I go into detail..it's time to announce the winner of our RAK for the Love is in the air blog hop.....
Using Random.org....the winner is...#21 Jasmine S!!!! Congrats, Jasmine!! Please email me your shipping info...scrappinsisters4@gmail.com, so we can send you some goodies :)

Anyway, back to my layout...I decided to scrap this photo from our summer trip up to Grand Marais this past summer. The photo was taken in front of one of the beautiful waterfalls on the hike up to Devil's Kettle...a truly magnificent place to go!! The journaling says:
"When vacation time comes, we always head up north to visit family in Grand Marais. This photo was taken on a hike up to Devil's Kettle- so beautiful there!!"
Now, for the letter "G" for the SA challenge, I used G in my title "Getaway" and I also used some wood Grain paper, and there are Globes on the top left of the patterned paper background!! I thought this paper was perfect for a travel themed layout!
Ok, enough chatting :) Here's my creation:

Here's the OUAS sketch:

(Kelly) My Creative Sketches Challenge

Good morning!! I hope you all are enjoying your weekend so far!! Me, I'm pretty tired today, after a late night in the ER last night (don't worry, everything is fine, now.) And very little sleep after finally getting home from there, only to sleep poorly. Oh, the joys of pregnancy!!! But the plus side is, I have a day off today, and Lilah's Grandpa is here today playing with her, so I have the whole day to be creative, if I want!! So that's wonderful. I got started this morning with this layout, which I made for the current challenge over at My Creative Sketches. This sketch is wonderful, I knew I wanted to work with it right away..and then I saw that they are giving away Prima products, and I was sold!!

I was excited to use some of the new My Mind's Eye Howdy Doody line, so beautiful!! I'm really loving the floral and woodgrain patterns, very girly and charming. I also used some Kaisercraft flowers, die cuts,  and wood doilies, and Prima flowers and flourishes. Thanks for looking!! 

(Kelly) "You Two..." MME Challenge

**This is our 3rd (Wow, 3rd!!) post for the day, guess we're trying to get em all in before the weekend!! Please scroll down to see A lovely layout from Erin, and an AD layout from me!! Thanks for visiting!**

Good Morning...again!!! I have another layout to share, I made last night for  Blog Challenge #32 over at the My Mind's Eye blog..using the lovely sketch they offered up, along with a "You" theme. I just checked over there, and there are already over 50 entries! So anyway...here's mine..I adore these photos of Lilah and Jeremy the other morning..just way too cute!!! I'm not sure how comfortable I am with how "full" this page is..it started out simple and beautiful, but then I kept adding more and more, and I'm not 100% sure how I feel about the final outcome..oh well!!

(Erin) "18 Months" Get Picky Sketch #17!!

**This is our second post for today- make sure you take a look at Kelly's adorable Artful Delight page!!**

Hi there! Normally, I am happy for it to be Friday. Josh only works until noon on Fridays but today he's making a 6-hour drive to get our new vehicle and won't be home until late late tonight :(. So it's another day of "single mom", lol...again, I sympathize and respect those parents who do it all alone!

But moving forward, I have a layout to share with you that I created using Sketch #17 over at Get Picky! At first, I had no clue what to do with this sketch- but it just seemed to come together. I've been having so much fun keeping track of Gunner's little quirks every month- he is just ever-changing!! He has the funniest and most persnickity (sp??) personality. He never fails to make me laugh :).

The sketch:I sure hope you all have a GREAT weekend!! I'll be putting in some scrappy time, I'm sure- so check back! I always love it when I get visitors :)- and guess what?? In just a couple of weeks, I will FINALLY have satellite internet- meaning NO MORE dial-up!! I do try to make it to eveyrone's blogs as much as I can, but it takes a LOT of time to do so...I look forward to being able to show you some more love here real soon!!!

(Kelly) Artful Delight Feb. Kit & Creative Scrappers sketch!!

Good morning...and happy Friday :) I have a layout to share..I once again combined my February kit from Artful Delight with a wonderful sketch from Creative Scrappers...I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I really LOVE this kit!!! For this layout, I used almost 100% Jillibean Soup...such fun, bright, adorable colors and patterns!! I thought they worked perfectly for these photos of Lilah when she was just under 2 months old..isn't she sweet? I'm sure it's clear by now that I definitely do not scrap chronologically...I really skip around. I just have had these photos sitting around, and I love them, and felt they deserved a layout all their own!! Thanks for looking!!