SAM Challenge - Celebrations

Its the first Monday of the month - must be time for a new SAM Challenge. Stampamemory is celebrating it's second birthday this month - so the Design Team decided it would be appropriate to scrap a celebration.  Our most recent Sadler Celebration was Kieran's 13th birthday (blacked out faces of his friends for blogland (their faces are usually that mucky in real life honest)).

I just had to use the Celebrations DSP.  This is the month for retiring items .... and yes all the Designer Series Papers will be retiring - I wasn't sure about this one when I first saw it but I am pleased to say, I've almost finished the whole pack.  Its bright colours have worked well with my photos this year.

I love the Stars wheel too (rumoured to be retiring but I will update this when I know for sure) - I love that it matches the star punch.  

I've used the paper crimper to add texture to all of the pieces and the Bigshot Timeless Type alphabet for the numbers, Kieran is now officially a teenager! Olivia and I made the cupcakes - and we found some cute icing 'toppers' in the shape of balls together with some grey striped cupcake wrappers to make them 'teenage boy' proof.

 Bunting is so now - I love it .... wonder if Stampin' Up! will bring the bunting punch to us in the new catalogue this time? 

Kieran always has so much fun with this group of boys - and they are all so lovely ... its great to be able to scrap these photos and the event.  

So if you fancy putting a page together to celebrate an event please do join in .... post your link here and check out what all the other designers have come up with.

Back again very soon with more news of retired items, how to get your hands on the new catalogue, a launch party date and a OLW update.

Signing off ... a very busy crafting stampin bee

Nikki

x

 ps - I forgot to mention, I've found a new site for layout inspiration - www.pencillines.com - check them out.

 

SAM Creative Challenge

After a very long break we are back ... and thank goodness we are, because I haven't scrapbooked for ages :)  This month's challenge is a sketch - check out all the details here at the Stampamemory site  ... and here's my take on it ... 

The beginning of the new catalogue has left me feeling like my wings have been clipped - with so few colours and only two packs of Designer Series Paper I struggled to put this page together.  Roll on my first order arriving - I've included all the new colours and some new pattern papers :)

Baja Breeze is now part of the permanent colour range and I love the new Greenhouse Gala papers .... such beautiful colours and I can't wait to see the Daffodil Delight and Pear Pizzazz colours in real life.

When I was looking through my photos I couldn't believe that Marmalade hadn't been scrapped before. Olivia made her fat ginger striped cat in Braehead, a large shopping centre outside of Glasgow.  I was food shopping with Kieran who was a baby at the time and Paul and Olivia went to The Bear Factory and came out with Marmalade. I can still remember her running up to me with a cardboard box, Marmalade's head sticking out one side and his tail outside the other .... he has been attached to Olivia's side ever since ... he was over-stuffed and kitted out in a pair of blue and cream PJ's, I know that he will be moving into her first home with her .... he is one very loved ginger and cream cat.  He even has his own birth certificate and passport :)

When Olivia was very little, she used to squeal with delight because Marmalade could 'talk' to me ... he'd tell me all sorts of things .... like it was bath time or that Olivia needed to go to bed because it was way past her bedtime .... he is one very special cat.  I've managed to wash the PJ's a few times but I have never been brave enough to actually wash the cat :)

Hope that you can join in our sketch challenge- if nothing else taking part in these challenges ensures you create at least one page per month ... that's twelve a year .... and if you are like me and need a deadline to create then the new monthly SAM challenge will come in handy.

Looking forward to seeing all of your creations.

 

SAM Sneek Peek

Are you missing SAM - yes I am, yes I am :)   ... scrapbooking production has dropped off - there are no urgent dates to meet ... but that's okay, behind the scenes we are cooking up a brilliant revamp ... so to just keep you interested here's a little layout from me ...

Hop on over to StampaMemory to see the full story and page.

Come back on Saturday to take part in a Christmas In July blog hop with the ESAD demonstrators ...

Till then