Happy Thanksgiving!!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of ours friends at Scrappin' Sports & More.  We wish you all a safe & happy Thanksgiving Holiday.  I hope you get to enjoy the day with family & friends.  In celebration of the holiday, we have been focusing on what we are thankful for and of course my family is #1 on my list.  The only thing missing from this layout is our two furry felines :)

Scrappin' Sports & More Product:
Calendars Made Easy #1283 May (yellow flowers)
Family & More #1278 Family
Down on the Farm #1299 Steer (Red)

Embossing...

One of my favorite things to do lately is emboss!!  For this layout, I used 2 different types of embossing.  For the title, I placed some chipboard behind the cardstock and gently rubbed it with some sandpaper.  It works best if you temporarily adhere the chipboard to avoid slipping. 

The 2nd form of embossing that I used was with an embossing folder.  I wanted to mimic the tracks that the snowmobile would leave behind, so I ran the cardstock through my Sizzix using an embossing folder and again, lightly sanded the raised part. 

To add more dynamics to the page, I used torn scraps of our new sports line and popped out some bright yellow from the pictures for a little more pizzazz.  Although none of these papers were originally designed for a snow page, they worked together perfectly because Scrappin Sports & More is so versatile!! 

So tell me, what is your favorite way to emboss??

~Shannon

Products Used:

#1271 Brother Sister Paper

Wrestling Paper (Summer 2010)

Music Paper (Summer 2010)

London In July

Today I'm sharing a page I created from our recent trip to London.  We are so fortunate to get to visit our family over there every other year.  This year was the kids first trip to London and even though they enjoyed the sites, they were happy not to have to ride the tube after the first 2 days.  Who would have thought it would be in the 90's in London!

I used the July calendar page as my main background for this layout.  I also used the Game Day Swimming (stripe) and the Mother paper from the Family Line (red).

Scrappin' Sports & More Papers Used:
#1285 July Calendars Made Easy
#1269 Mother/Mom Family & More
#1250 Swimming Game Day

Scrapping out of context

The photos on the layout were taken at an outdoor concert last year.  They were not intended to document a relationship or any other emotion, but when I started looking at them, they showed a very candid moment between my husband and my son.  So many times these moments happen and we don't think to take a picture.  I call this my happy accident. 

Another element to this layout is the quote.  I searched high and low for words that would express their relationship.  I finally found it in this quote found at http://www.quotegarden.com/ .  Instead of adding a title, I enlarged the quote and emphasized a few words to convey the meaning of the layout.  No journaling needed. 

Another happy accident is the shirt my husband was wearing.  The writing on the shirt was camoflauge.  I added simliar paper to bring the colors across the layout.  How wonderful that Scrappin Sports and More had just the right papers.  Who knew a paper with a hunting theme could work so well on a Father's Day layout? 

~Shannon

Scrappin Sports and More
Products Used:
#1273 Grandpa-Papa Paper
#1274 Uncle-Aunt Paper
#1245 Huntin Game Paper

Graduation Cards

I know for many people, Memorial Day weekend equals Graduation parties.  I am no exception this year.  So instead of a layout, since none of my kids are old enough to Graduation from High School, I decided to make a couple of cards.  For the first one, I used some Scrappin' Sports Custom Paper.  This paper is so fun, letting you create your own sayings, picking your own colors.  If you are interested in seeing all the paper styles and colors we offer, just click here. 

My second card is simple cut from the Generations paper and I've added a bunch of rub-ons from the Graduation Rub-ons Sheet.  So if your in a hurry, you can recreate this is a couple of minutes.

I hope everyone has a safe holiday weekend.  Enjoy those graduation parties :)
Scrappin' Sports Product Used:
#1278 Family/Generations Paper
#1269 Mother/Mom Paper (red on graduation hat)
#906 Custom Spirit Names (hats off to the grad/ way to go)
#631 Graduation Rub-On
#7015 Graduation Academics Rub-on (note: this item has been discontinued and may not be available)

Graduation...a time of reflection

When we were given the assignment to highlight gradations, I thought about doing a page of a neice or nephew since my kids are still too young, but then I started looking through an old album that I had made pre-scrapbooking.  And let me just note that I was destined to scrapbook...even back then.  I saved everything and found a way to make it pretty...even without EMBELLISHMENTS!!  *Shock*  I know...I should have warned you before I said that!! 

So I came upon probably one of the only pictures taken of me for my high school graduation.  My family wasn't "big" on taking pictures and I am pretty sure my neighbor took these and gave them to me later.  THANK YOU MRS. REUTER!!!!

So my advice to all you graduating and whose children are graduating is this...
1.  Take LOTS of pictures
2.  Document the "real" moments (the jitters, the tears...)
3.  Don't forget the journaling.  If you have a notebook that people can write message in...use some of those inserts for a page or two. 
4. Finally, carry plenty of KLEENEX!!!!!


Finally, Scrappin Sports and More has TONS of graduation themed products.  As well, the Family line is mostly solid colored (as seen above) and you can easily find your school color combination.  Still want more?  Customize YOUR OWN PAPER!!!

What are you waiting on?  Get to scrappin'!  :)

~Shannon

Scrappin Sports & More Products Used:
#1276 Nephew/Niece Paper
#1271 Brother/Sister Paper

Project 12...the good and the bad

April was a month of ups and downs for our family.  We went on a WONDERFUL vacation, but ended the month in a serious car accident that totalled our vehicle.  So this month when I was working on my Project 12 layout, I wanted to make sure to document it all.  Because afterall, what is life but a bunch of ups and downs.  We often document the holidays, the cute things our kids say, etc.  But sometimes it is good to write down what went wrong...or a trying time we're going through. 

I hope that this inspires you to scrap some of the harder times.  Afterall, it is from our darker times that allow us to see the light! 

Blessing to all!!
~Shannon

Scrappin Sports and More Products Used:
#1275 Cousins Paper

They Call Me Mom

With Mother's Day right around the corner, I had thought about doing a layout about my own mother as well as one about myself.  But, since my kids are so much more photogenic than either my mom or myself... well, once again they became the focus of yet another one of my scrapbook pages.  This is a photo that was taken over the holidays and remains one of my favorites of them. 

When those special family moments occur make sure to reach for Scrappin' Sports and More's Family line of papers to preserve those memories.  I used the Mother/Mom paper on this layout incorporating the word Mom (that's already printed on the paper) into my title - quick, easy and looks great! 

Supplies:
#1269 Mother/Mom Family & More paper
#1253 Volleyball Game Day paper
#1040 Defining Swimming paper
#1164 Cards, Anyone? Young & Active paper
#7520 Swing Rub-on

Project 12 - Spring Break

Here's my layout for the March Project 12 sketch.  Hope you like it!  I focused on just one week of the month of March, the week we spent in Florida with our daughter watching her pitch for her college softball team.

Journaling reads:  "When March finally rolled around, we were ready.  The last few months had taken a toll - record snowfall, cold temps and gray skies..... FLORIDA here we come!
Micah was going to Orland with the Coe College softball team.  Leo and I were going too.  Gosh, a week in the sunny south sure would be a welcome change from the snowy tundra of Iowa.
Landing in Orlando with the sun shinning and blue skies - had we died and gone to heaven?  I think so.   We had a great time  (even though it rained the last couple of days of our trip).  Most of our time was spent at the softball field but we did get to spend a day full of fun at Universal Studios."

I loved using the teal colors in the Umbrella Stripes and Tiles paper - a perfect match with the shirt that my daughtere was wearing a couple of the pictures and with the shades of red to accent, the perfect 1-2 combination!  I'm loving doing these Project 12 sketches.

Thanks for looking!

Products used: 
# 1269 Mother/Mom paper
#1041 Umbrella Stripes and Tiles paper
#7521 Up & Down Rub On

Last Day of March Madness

It took me a long time to decide what March Madness meant to me.  It is the one month from fall until summer that we are not slammed with sports.  We still have basketball and indoor soccer and track starts at the end of the month, but it's not crazy busy with sports.  So, since I have more time at home during March, I get ready for Spring.  Yes, you guessed it, cleaning.  While I was cleaning my son's room, I decided to take a picture of his diverse task in reading.  Then I decided I should capture his entire space at age eleven and the result is the 2 page spread you see below.

Scrappin' Sports Papers Used:

#1296 Horses from Down on the Farm

#1271 Brother from the Family Line

#1240 Cheerleading Game from the Game Day line

#1237 Baseball Game from the Game Day line

 

Make sure you stop back on Thrusday as the Design Team takes on the Project 12 February Sketch from Scrapbook & Cards Today.

What does love mean to you?

Valentine's Day is just around the corner. Show the people you love what they mean to you. Our Family And More line of papers will work perfectly with any project you do about those we hold most dear.


Here's a layout using a quote from a favorite book of my kids' as they were growing up, Love You Forever by Robert Munsch.

Products used:

#1269 Mother-Mom 12 x 12 paper
#1278 Family-Generation 12 x 12 paper
#1169 Defining Prom 12 x 12 paper

No turning back...

One of the things I love most about Scrappin Sports and More papers are that they are 2-sided! Sometimes the back has another image, and sometimes the back is mostly one color. At times I take some very busy pictures and need a more subtle paper to match. Scrappin Sports and More has me covered!! Not only are the backs perfect for a more subtle look, the different lines coordinate perfectly with each other. For this layout, I used papers from the Family and More Line and the Young and Active line. Because the papers were mostly one color, I could even die cut my letters for my title to achieve a perfect match.

Products Used:
Item: 1271 Brother-Sister
Item: 1101 Balancing Act
Item: 1273 Grandpa-Papa

Introducing Shannon Blinn

Hi! My name is Shannon Blinn and I am thrilled to be designing for Scrappin Sports & More! I am the mom of 2 very active children (Bailee and Logan) that keep me busy, but give me lots of opportunities to scrap! I am also married to Shane. We all live in Fort Wayne, Indiana with our 2 beagles, Annee and Jenny.

Here are a couple of layouts created by Shannon.  First up is this adorable layout of her kids.  It is just perfect with the Family Line brother & sister paper.
 
Brother & Sister
 

Products Used:
Item: 1271 Brother/Sister

Next up is Going Up, using some fun kite paper from our Young & Active Seasons line.  There is nothing better than spending the day with Dad having fun :)

Products Used:

Item: 1220 Go Fly A Kite Paper

Come back tomorrow for some more great inspiration from the next member of our Design Team.