Ladies and Gentlemen...START YOUR ENGINES!!

That is definitely a common sound around my neck of the woods this time of year. Of course, you may have guessed that I live in Indiana...home of the Indy 500 race. But to my surprise, when we went to Disneyworld last December, there is a race track that is modeled after the Indy 500 Speedway. It was nice to feel a little bit of home even when we were on vacation. So of course, we had to ride. My son, who was 9, LOVED it because he was just tall enough to ride AND he got his own Disney Driver's License. My daughter had just gotten her real driving permit. So it was off to the races for us!!

And just how perfect was it that Scrappin Sports and More carries a WIDE variety of racing papers and embellishments? Ahhh...it was meant to be!!

~Shannon

Products Used:

1375 Hockey

1329 Racing

1247 Racing Game

I Love To Dance

Kass spent years participating in Hip Hop and Pom classes at Jazz Tappin' Dance Academy.  She danced right through her senior year in high school.  She had no designs on becoming the best. She just really enjoyed it!  

I found these wallets tucked away in a folder of older sports photos so I decided to put them to good use.  They are from 2006.

To add a bit of dimension to the Girls Rule "Just Dance" (#1388) paper I traced Glossy Accents around the lettering.  Hexagons were cut out of the Girls Rule "Dance Life" paper (#1389) and embellished.

Spring into Soccer

I just love spring time!  The birth of new life, the beautiful flowers, fresh spring air after a rain; it just really renews the soul.  But in our house it also means the start of a new soccer season.  I decided to combine lots of bright fun springtime colors when creating this Spring into Soccer layout for Maddy.  It was easy to do using left-over pieces from previous projects.  I can never bear to throw away those beautiful little scraps and it always makes me feel better to use them up!  Here is the layout I created.

Hope you are all enjoying this beautiful spring season!!

Scrappin' Sports Product Used:
#1379 Title Sports Soccer
#1371 Title Sports Dance (Purple Stripe)
#1378 Title Sports Prom (blue Stripe)
#1381 Title Sports Tennis (yellow stripe)
#1369 Title Sports Cheerleading (gray stars)
#1357 School is Cool First Grade (green dots)
#1359 School is Cool Third Grade (yellow circles)
#1349 The Sport Is.. Soccer
#1395 Girls Rule Tennis (yellow & white circles)

For the Love of the Game layout by Carolyn Lontin

I love the Sports on Fire line by SSM especially when you mix it with a little bit of the Reflections paper, some stars from the Title Sports line and of course a layout just isn't complete without at least one card stock sticker! :)  

Tonight we had a  baseball game near our home football field - makes me really look forward to another football season this fall - even the hot sweaty dog days of summer tournaments in late August to prepare the boys for another exciting season!

Products used:

Sports on Fire - Football #1136
Football Reflections #1198
Title Sports - Wrestling #1384
Football Cardstock Stickers #5549

Thanks for stoppin' by!

~Carolyn

Welcome Guest Designer Lisa Moen!!

I am excited to introduce SS&M guest designer for the month of May.  I'm sure you will be just as inspired and I have been with her work.  First though, a little about Lisa :)

Hi, my name is Lisa Moen and I am so excited to be a guest designer here at Scrappin' Sports & More! I have been scrapping for a little over 15 years now and I enjoy it more now than I did back then, if that's possible. My husband, Greg and I live in Wisconsin and have 2 children, Sierra, 14 and Austin, 12. We also have a very rambunctious yellow lab named Bender. My kids enjoy playing baseball, softball, volleyball, basketball and my DD surprised me this year and is out for track!

I have really enjoyed playing with the Scrappin' Sports & More product and are so grateful they gave me this opportunity!

And now, Lisa's first creation for us :)

I love all the movement that Lisa created by the little stars and the balls!  Just wait to you see her next project :)

Thank You to our Guest Designer Jill Utrup!!

I want to send a big Thank You to Jill for being our guest designer this month.  I love her take on changing the 12 by 12 paper to fit onto an 8 1/2 by 11 page.  She had some wonderful ideas and we feel blessed to have had her a part of our team during April.

Today, we have a couple of final projects from Jill.  She created this soccer card using up her scraps from her soccer layout.  I love the addition of the zebra paper too!!

And finally we have this great card she created to wish her son good luck before the big game. 

Stayed tuned as we have another great guest designer being featured during the month of May!

Another teacher gift...

Need an easy card to give the teacher? Here is one that is easy and the kids can even help!!

Step 1: Cut a piece of brown cardstock 12" x 4". Score it at 4 1/2", 5 1/2",  6 1/2" and 11". Tent fold the center so that the card stands up. The 11" fold will be the flap that comes over to make the top of the owl, but don't adhere it yet. Cut triangles fromthe edges of the 11" fold so that it looks like the owl's pointy head (see above).

Step 2: The eyes...

Use a scallop punch and 3 circle punches (or google eyes) and layer them on top of each other as shown.

Step 3: The body...

Cut  4" strips of different colored patterned paper. Rip them and layer them onto the body. You can also use a border punch of you want a more finished, lacey look.

Step 4: Finishing...

Add the eyes at the top and fold the top over slightly. I added an upside down bracket to add eyebrows and give the owl and expression. Cut a triangle beak and adhere between the eyes. Using a  scallop punch, cut one scalloped circle and cut in half for the feet.

Then add your greeting. Other suggestions... "Owl always love you". "Owl love you forever" "Owl be your friend". Can you think of others?

~Shannon

Products Used:

Wrestling

Ducks

Football

Football Game

On the Edge Basketball



Teacher Gift Weekend

Hey there scrapbook fans...stay tuned this weekend for a couple of tutorials to help you get started on those end of the year teacher gifts!! (yeah...we're here to help!)

First up is this adorable little backpack mini album...perfect to add class pictures to as a reminder of the students that year. Make an extra one for yourself as a keepsake...or as a gift to a classmate that is extra special!

Here's what you will need to begin this project...
11" x 3" strip of cardstock (I used brown)
11" x 2 3/4" strip of cardstock (2)
2 pieces of ribbon - 8" each
2 brads
2 magnets (optional)
4" x 2 1/2" piece of patterned paper (8)
5" x 5" piece of patterned paper
3" x 2 3/4" piece of patterned paper (either cardstock weight or reinforced with cardstock)
2 1/4" x 2 1/4" square piece of patterned paper (either cardstock weight or reinforced with cardstock)

Step 1:
Score 11" strip at 4 1/2", 5 1/2" and 6 1/2". Crease and fold up the center to create a tent fold.

Step 2:
Score top flap piece (3" x 2 3/4") at 1 1/4" and 1 1/2" and ahere to top back of backpack to create flap closer. (Note...you can use a corner punch to round the edges of the front flap if you want that look).

Step 3:
Score 5" x 5" square at 1/2"on one end so that you have 5" x 4 1/2" piece. Score at 2 1/4" and fold in half, adhering top edge to folded 1/2" edge.

Step 4:
Fold in half to form 2 pockets. Using a circle punch, punch 1/2 circles at the tops of each pocket.
Score 2 1/4" x 2 1/4" pocket flap piece at 1" and 1 1/4" and adhere the piece to the back of the pocket.

Step 5: Inside Page Assembly
Score 11" x 2 3/4" strips at 4 1/2", 5 1/2" and 6 1/2".
Adhere center tent folds to frame tent fold.
Adhere decorative pieces (4" x 2 1/2") to the page inserts and add your own embellishments, photos, etc.

Step 6: Final Assembly
Punch/Make 2 sets of whole in the back of the backpack to run ribbon through. Secure each by tying knots at the ends.
Place brads on lower fronts of flaps. Line up with mini magnets and adhere magnets to the main frame and pockets. (Note: if you don't have magnets, you can secure the brads all the way through so that the brad is your closure)
Adhere pocket to the front of the backpack.

And here is your final project! And because Scrappin Sports & More has such an extensive school line...you can find just about any color to use on your backpack. I used the Kindergarten and 3rd Grade papers so that I could use the blue and yellow to match my son's school colors.

Stay tuned tomorrow for another fun project!!

~Shannon

Mini Album {Part 1}

Hey, everyone!  It's Nicole here today to share with you how to create a simple mini-album complete with pockets using only TWO sheets of 12X12 paper!

First, cut your papers into SIX 4"X12" strips.  Then, fold FIVE of them in half with the side you would like to see on the INSIDE of your fold.  Cut the last strip in half to make two 4" X 6" pieces.

Now, take a standard letter sixed envelope (4 1/2" X 6 1/2").  Lick and seal the flap closed and then cut the end off to make the envelope 5" long.  This will be your pocket between your pages.

Adhere your envelope to the outside of one of your folded strips of paper.  The opening of your envelope should be toward the end of your strip (away from the fold).  I put the envelope a little bit away from the edge (1/8").

Next, put double sided tape, or strong adhesive around the edges.

Now, remove the backing of the tape and adhere another strip of paper over the top of your envelope being sure to line the edges up carefully.  (Nice bandaid, eh?)

Now you have a pocket in between the pages of your mini-album!

Continue by adding envelopes and strips of paper until you have used all 5 strips of paper.  That will create 4 pockets and a total of TEN 4" X 6" pages for your mini album!

Here's what it looks like from the front!

Now, you just need to make a cover for your album.  Right now, you see the "back side" of the paper showing.  Simply adhere one of your 4" X 6" pieces- one to the front and one to the back!

And, VOILA!  You have a 4" X 6" mini album with a front, a back, TEN Pages and FOUR pockets with just using TWO pieces of 12" X 12" patterned paper and four letter envelopes!

Stay tuned for my next post where I will share the the album again- this time with photos, journaling and embellishments!

Products Used:
#1375- Title Sports: Hockey

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope you were inspired!!

~Nicole

Jazz Dance

I love to scrap the professional dance photos of my girls.  We aren't allowed to take photos at the recital so it's fun to get really nice pictures of them in their costumes.  My youngest daughter's jazz costume this last year was the perfect fit for the myriad of dance papers Scrappin Sports carries. 

I used the Girls Rule Prom #1392 paper for the background and covered the quote with a piece of Title Sports Dance #1371.  I then hand cut the title out of the Title Sports Dance paper and popdotted that over that title box.  I added some bits of The Sport is Dance #1341 for contrast and there you have it! 

Baseball pitching layout

This past weekend, my son's baseball team played in a five game tournament in which my son pitched five innings during the second game & he was on fire!  I love the simplicity of SSM's Sporty Words Line - worked perfect for my two photos!

Products used:

Sporty Words - baseball paper #1397

Game Day - cheerleading paper #1240

Dotted Baseball paper #1004

Cardstock baseball stickers #5544

Thanks for stoppin' by!

~Carolyn

Football by Jill

I really Love this picture that Jill took; really looks like the ball is coming right at you!!  Jill has done an amazing job showing how you can cut down the 12 x 12 Football Title Sports paper and make it fit perfectly for the 8 1/2 by 11 layout.  The addition of the blue stars from the gymnastics paper adds just enough pop of color to really highlight the title letters. 

Scrappin' Sports items used:

#1374 Title Sports Gymnastics (blue stars)
#1372 Title Sports Foorball
#5549 Football stickers

Flying High

We are on vacation here in Maine this week and the weather has been AMAZING!  It feels very summerlike, but we still have eight LONG weeks of school before it will really be summer.  Both of my kids got new kites for Easter this year and have been dying to take them for a spin.  We finally got the chance this past Sunday- it was a gorgeous, sunny, breezy day when there was nothing else on the calendar!  So, we went down the road to a park about 5 minutes from home where there is plenty of open space to fly their kites.  It was really the first time that they could fly them without a lot of help from mom or dad.

Here's Elizabeth and her kite!  I had a fun time using the "Title Sports" collection for this layout.  The bright colors are so fun for summer-day activities!

Here's a close up of the fun pattern of squares:

And, here's a close up of the cute diecut kite!

This layout is based on a sketch from the fabulous Heather Landry!  Thanks, Heather, for letting me share it!

Products Used:

#1381- Title Sports: Tennis (yellow)

#1371- Title Sports: Dance (purple)

#1378- Title Sports: Prom (blue)

#1373- Title Sports: Golf (green)

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope you were inspired!
~Nicole

Bowling 3.0

With teenagers, I am often not included in their "events"...luckily, their camera phones and iTouch obsession with Instagram allows me to snag their photos so I can still scrap the fun!  Inspired by the simplicity of the Instagram format that my daughter used to take these photos, I created this layout documenting her bowling day.  Each semester, the Humanitas program that she is enrolled in at school rewards the kids with above 3.0 GPAs.  This semester's reward was bowling!  Even though she didn't "win"..she had a blast hanging with her classmates, bowling, eating pizza and just being outside of school for a day!

As design notes, I fussy cut the bowling pins and ball from the Sports Head On Bowling paper and used Glossy Accents on the ball to give it a bit more dimension.  The pins are pop dotted off the "lane" I created from the Girls Rule Track paper, too.
Products Used:
Girls Rule Track #1396
Game Day Swimming #1250
Game Day Bowling #1239
Sports Head On Bowling #1321

All Star baseball layout

It's been hit or miss with the weather if the boys get to play baseball or not ... but last weekend they were able to get a few games in during a one-day tournament.   I love my son's new team's uniforms and I love how I can mix and match so many different SSM lines!!

Products used:
Title Sports ... Gymnastics paper #1374
Sports on Fire ... Baseball on Fire paper #1133
The Sport is ... Baseball paper #1337
Super Size Sticker - Baseball #5564

Thanks for stoppin' by!

~Carolyn

Altered "Gift" Can

I am a collector of all kinds of packaging, from boxes my photos arrive in to plastic containers my craft supplies come in to great bags from stores.  Any of these items can be spritzed up for gift giving!  Last week was one of my dearest friend's birthday and I need something special to package her gift.  I couldn't just wrap it in plain ol' paper.

I designed this altered mini-can (from some Prima flowers) around the "The Sport Is" Music Paper (#1346).  My friend is a love of music, so this was a perfect place to start. I also used the complimenting black/white striped Hockey Paper (#1375) from the "Title Sports" line.  Pops of pink were thrown in for a bit of contrast and femininity.

I even decorated the top of the can!  

Great Soccer Tags by Jill

I am glad to be able to share another great idea from our April Guest Designer Jill Utrup. 

As soccer season is starting up again in Ohio, it is the perfect time to use these tags created by Jill. These two tags go back to back of each other and were laminated to keep them from getting damaged.  They were then strung together by ribbon and put on her soccer daughters soccer bag so that she can self check to see if she has everything for practice or games!  Such a great idea!!

A Bottle of Sunshine!

Have you ever wished you could send someone a bottle of sunshine?  Well, I have!  If you have a friend or family member who could use a little cheer, you can send a bottle to brighten their day!

First, I talked my husband into drinking some of the Starbuck's Frappacchino's from the grocery store.  Then, I ran the empty bottle through the dishwasher and cleaned off the label.  Then, I set to work creating SUNSHINE!  I picked out the yellow candy from some leftover Easter goodies.  Then, I covered the cap with some fun Tennis paper from the Girls Rule collection.  Then, I traced and cut a sun on to the same paper and adhered it to the front of the bottle.  Finally, I added a bow and VOILA!  A bottle of sunshine!

Products Used:
#1395- Girls Rule: Tennis

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope you were inspired!

~Nicole

They make beautiful music together...

The Concert Band is playing so beautifully this year...it actually brought tears to my eyes to hear them play in the Spring Concert.  I wish a scrapbook page could share that (the video on disc will go in my scrapbook, though) sound...but you'll have to take my word for it. 

The Sport Is Dance and Music papers also play beautifully with the the Girls Rule Music papers to make easy work of this layout.  I think that is what I like best about Scrappin Sports papers..they all just work so well together! Sort of like the Concert Band, beautiful music!!

Products Used:

The Sport Is Music #1346

The Sport Is Dance #1341

Girls Rule Music #1404

Game Day layout

One of the great things about SSM papers is that you can mix and match the different lines with their custom papers!   I really like how the words on the custom paper highlight this photo of my son during fall baseball last year.  I love when layouts seem to fall together all by themselves especially when using all scraps (with the exception of the custom paper of course :) )

Products used:
Custom Marbled paper #901
Game Day - Baseball Game paper #1237
Defining the Game paper - Defining Baseball #1005
The Sport is Baseball paper #1337
Cardstock Stickers - Baseball #5544


Thanks for stoppin' by!
~Carolyn