Sketch #20!

April has gone by so quickly, and here's our last sketch for the month.  This one is brought to you by Yasu.

Yasu introduced us to Gauche Alchemy - this month's sponsor! Here's a bit about Yasu...

What are three adjectives you would use to best describe yourself?

Friendly, sociable and creative

How long have you been scrapbooking?

I have been scrapbooking for about a year.

Why did you begin scrapbooking?

First of all, I wanted to start something new besides my college life. I was fascinated when I saw vintage look scrapbooking and mini books at a local scrapbooking store called Mystic Paper in

Mesa


,


AZ.
I didn’t know that you could creative oldness, what a fun paradox! Since then, my scraping journey has started!

What has been the most interesting or exciting scrapbooking experience you’ve had?

I had an email from Somerset Memories last winter and I was told to sent one of my Mini Book!!!! It is not published yet, I cannnot wait to see on the magazine I admire all the time!!!!

What is your favorite manufacturer(s)?

graphic 45

What are your favorite colors?

I would say red.

What product(s) can you not live without right now?
Crop-A-dile, Beeswax, Distress ink …..

Where do you find inspiration?

Everywhere from my daily life to antique stores!

What do you do when you get stuck in a “scrappers rut” or a “creative block”?

I hardly ever got stuck because I only scrap when I feel like I can create something today!!

What is your favorite scrapping snack?

No snacks but coffee or wine!

What kind of camera do you have?

SONY Cyber-shot DSC-T20 ( I really want a better camera!!!!)

Do you shoot pictures in manual or automatic?

Automatic

What is your favorite thing(s) to photograph?

Family, my favorite furniture, antique stores….

Do you have any hobbies besides scrapbooking?

Oh yes! Traveling, scuba diving, reading books, visiting antique stores and flea markets, thinking about interior design….

What is your best piece of advice to share with other scrapbookers?

There are no good or bad about scrapbooking. Every photo is more than a treasure for each one of us.  Don’t care about what other people think about your works, just create whatever you like to express yourself. ! It's all about having fun, isn't it?

 Here's Yasu's layout, featuring ephemera from Gauche Alchemy

 Layout by Nicole Martel
 

Layout by Lynlee Rutter
 

Layout by Kim Arnold
 

8.5x11 layout by Christie Wildes
 

We hope you've enjoyed all the bonus sketches this month!  Remember, you have until 11.59pm 30 April 2009 to upload your layouts into the gallery to be in the running to win a prize from Gauche Alchemy.   The gallery is overflowing with inspiring layouts right now! Check them out.

Sketch #19

Hello scrappers! I hope you all had a fantastic weekend. Here is the first of our final 2 sketches for the month. It's been a sketch bonanza this month and we at Inspired Blueprints really hope you've been having fun being inspired with the sketches.
Sketch #19 comes from the sweet and talented Christie Wildes.

Here's a little more about Christie...

What are three adjectives you would use to best describe yourself?
Oh wow – this so feels like that nightmare interview I frequently have!  *grin* Let’s see…I am extremely organized (however, my husband doesn’t label it so nicely ☺), optimistic, and creative.

Can you tell us a little about your family and/or pets?
I have been married to Andy for 7 years and we are a military family.  He has been in the Army for 14 years!  We have two beautiful children – Bayleigh, who is a very sarcastic and humorous 7 year old, and Layne, who is a mobile and mischievous 10 month old.  We also have a cat, Caleb, or at least I think we do – he likes to roam the neighborhood and come in for food. 

How long have you been scrapbooking?
I started scrapbooking in 1998, when I attended a Creative Memories home party.  After 6 months, a local scrapbook store opened up in my town and I never looked back. 

Why did you begin scrapbooking?
I started scrapbooking to put all those high school pictures somewhere.  I also wanted a place to document my college experience and I figured that scrapbooking was the perfect way!

What has been the most interesting or exciting scrapbooking experience you’ve had?
Seriously?  It has to be being asked to join the Inspired Blueprints and Little Red Scrapbook design teams.  Honestly, I am so honored to be a part of such a great group of scrapbookers and women.  I have been published a few times as well and it’s so neat to see your family in print.  ☺ 

What is your favorite manufacturer(s)?
Oh this is soo hard!  I am such a product junkie that picking just one is too hard!  I will list my top favorites, okay?  I know, I have to be a rule breaker.  I am currently in love with October Afternoon, Pink Paislee, Sassafras Lass, and American Crafts Thickers!

What are your favorite colors?
Probably blue.  I went through a phase where it seems like every page I created had some sort of blue on it.  I enjoy using almost all colors now though.  Each color has its place in my scrapbooks depending on the mood I am trying to portray through my page.

What product(s) can you not live without right now?
My circle punches and my Cats Eye chalk ink!

Where do you find inspiration?
All over the place.  I love to look through online galleries to gather inspiration.  Mostly though, sketches provide so much inspiration to me because it is like a blank canvas and I can use it anyway that I want.  LOVE it!

What do you do when you get stuck in a “scrappers rut” or a “creative block”?
I usually just take a break.  If I can’t seem to get my mojo back, then I will search for a page online that catches my eye and totally scraplift it.  That usually leads to my own interpretation, which in turn, get’s my creative juices flowing once again.

What is your favorite scrapping snack?
Anything chocolate.  But, I don’t eat at my table because I am a klutz and I am afraid I will spill something and make a mess.  So, I just snack between projects.  Might be the only time you don’t find me with food in my mouth.  Seriously.

What kind of camera do you have?
I have a Sony A-200 DSLR. 

Do you shoot pictures in manual or automatic?
Automatic.  I so need to take a photography class to learn something about my camera.  Lots of buttons and I keep it on automatic. 

What is your favorite thing(s) to photograph?
My kids.  I just love capturing our daily lives.  Watching my baby boy grow and getting his expressions and habits on film means the world to me!  They are usually pretty willing subjects too.  Usually. 

Do you have any hobbies besides scrapbooking?
I enjoy to read and sew.  One word for ya – Twilight.  Need I say more? 

What is your best piece of advice to share with other scrapbookers?
Enjoy your process!  Don’t worry about how long it takes you to complete a page or how to get your page to look like someone else’s.  Just do your thing and enjoy it.  It takes me a long time to finish a page and I always have to add stuff and add more stuff, then take away other things.  But, I am so okay with that.  That is my creative process and I love it.  My pages wouldn’t be complete without it.  It is my stress reliever and sanity saver.  I did say I am an Army wife right?  ☺


Here is Christie's sketch and layout...

And layouts from the rest of the team....

Jennifer


Lisa


Lynn

Have fun with this latest sketch and I'll be back tomorrow with the final sketch brought to you by Yasu! :) Happy scrapping!

Guest Designer - Aud Randi

Meet Aud Randi - one of the very talented community members at Inspired Blueprints, and this week's guest designer!

Hello! My name is Aud Randi and I live with my husband and two teenage daughters, aged 15 and 18 in Bergen,Norway.  During the day, I work as a study leader for a large engineering company in the oil business.

All my free time I spend with scrapbook-related activities like browsing the internet, reading magazines, shopping for supplies, and of course creating layouts. I started with this hobby in September 2008 because I decided to make an album for my youngest daughter's 15th birthday. As I have never before been a great fan of putting pictures into albums, you could say that I have a lot of catching up to do.

I was so surprised when I was asked to do a guest design for Inspired Blueprints, but also very happy. I have tried to do my very best with these sketches, and I hope that you like them!

Aud has taken inspiration from Helen's (#17) and Jennifer's (#18) sketches and they are gorgeous!  Thanks Aud for all of your support.

Sketch 17

Sketch 18

You can see more of Aud's inspiring work in the Inspired Blueprints gallery.

Sketch #18

Meet Jennifer Yates, another of our talented Inspiration Team members!

What are three adjectives you would use to best describe yourself?   I guess I would say…Artistic, Passionate and Loving.

Can you tell us a little about your family and/or pets? I live in Flower Mound Texas, a suburb outside of Dallas, with my husband Mark of 13 years, our son Mason, who is 4 ½  and our daughter Maren, 18 months. I should also include our Black Lab "Duke", Yellow Lab "Dempsey", our cats "Elvis" and "Priscilla" (I know…I am a closet Elvis Presley fan!!) and my son's two frogs "Barney" and "Gordon." It is basically a Zoo around my house!

How long have you been scrapbooking?  I have been scrapbooking about 5 years and LOVE every minute of it!

Why did you begin scrapbooking?  Like many, after the birth of my son I wanted to document his life, so my friend Molly and I took a class, Scrapbooking 101, at our local scrapbook store.  We were SO overwhelmed with all of the products and embellishments but were totally HOOKED and haven’t looked back since!

What has been the most interesting or exciting scrapbooking experience you’ve had?  My favorite scrapbook moment would have to be meeting Ali Edwards and taking a class from her. She is such a creative and inspiring person.  I just love her work! Heidi Swapp is another all time favorite! I love all her products. It was so exciting for me when, through encouragement from my friend, I entered a Heidi Swapp Layout Contest "Things I Love" through our local scrapbook store and WON!  Heidi judged all the layout submissions from around the country and the winner was chosen and "published" on her BLOG. It was a great thrill!

What is your favorite manufacturer(s)? Oh my goodness…to many to list but a few right now are Sassafras Lass, October Afternoon, Pink Paislee and Jenni Bowlin.

What are your favorite colors? PINK! PINK! PINK!  Hence the color of my scrapbook room and blog!!  Like diamonds a girl can NEVER have enough!

What product(s) can you not live without right now?  Ilove the Hambley overlays, any kind of 3-diminsional stickers and American Crafts “Thickers” are a must for almost every layout I do.

Where do you find inspiration?  I seem to start with the photo and from there that really helps me determine the direction I want the layout to go…from the choice of papers to the embellishments.   I also love to look through magazines!

What do you do when you get stuck in a “scrappers rut” or a “creative block”?I never thought I could get tired of scrapbooking but sometimes I need a change of scenery, so I try to step back and do something completely different.  Take a day to not think about it, which is hard to do…and try to approach it with a fresh mind.  I also keep a notebook with me so while driving in the car or cooking in the kitchen, if I think of something, whether it be a title or layout idea  I will sketch it out and have that next time I go to scrap.

What is your favorite scrapping snack?  I usually don’t eat when I scrap.  But I love anything with caffeine (coffee is my FAV) to keep me awake!!!

What kind of camera do you have? A Canon Rebel XSI.  I love it!  Totally worth the investment!

Do you shoot pictures in manual or automatic? Well…I’m still trying to educate myself on that!  It really depends on the setting.  I don’t like to use the flash so I try to shoot in as much natural light as possible.

What is your favorite thing(s) to photograph?  I love to photograph my kids and the sweet moments between them.

Do you have any hobbies besides scrapbooking? Does shopping count as a hobby??  I love to draw, make jewelry and pamper myself with pedicures!  I do wish I had more time to read.  If I’m not chasing the kids around I’m scrapbooking in my free time!

What is your best piece of advice to share with other scrapbookers?  Scrap what inspires you at the time and what you are drawn to.  Try not to feel so overwhelmed because you are not caught up or you’re not scrapping in sequential order.  What is most important are the wonderful memories you are creating for you and your family!!

Here's Jennifer's sketch and layout to inspire you for Sketch #18!

 

Layout by Lynn Kopas 

Layout by Lynlee Rutter 

 

So what are you waiting for..let's get scrapping!  Upload your layouts to the Inspired Blueprints gallery by the end of April to go into the draw for a prize from this month's sponsor, Gauche Alchemy!

ps. there's two more sketches this month...keep your eye out for them!

Sketch #17

Meet Helen Salthouse, one of our Inspiration Team members...

What are three adjectives you would use to best describe yourself?  Creative (!), curious, tenacious.

Can you tell us a little about your family and/or pets?  Well, I could tell you a lot…!  I am a single parent to four children, three teenagers – one girl – and an 11 year old boy, my baby!  We have a long-suffering dog, Basil, who is a Large Munsterlander (no, no-one else has heard of the breed either), and two cats.  One is an as-yet unneutered tom, Sonny, who we are currently spraying with water every time he attacks the Christmas tree.  Missy, a more mature female cat,  isn’t impressed by his arrival.

How long have you been scrapbooking? Over a year now.  I started just after Christmas 2007.

Why did you begin scrapbooking?  I bought a book and a kit for my daughter from the guy who comes round to my work (at school) with books for sale.  I also bought one for my sister which I forgot about, and in a bored moment I dug it out and caught the bug!

What has been the most interesting or exciting scrapbooking experience you’ve had? Well, apart from being on this DT… I took part in a Bad Girls Top Designer contest, which was quite nerve-wracking.  The standard of work was exceptional and I genuinely had trouble sleeping the night before the next week’s survivors were announced!  Because each week’s challenge consisted of a class with an assignment, I learnt an awful lot and my scrapping really improved.  I’ve also won a couple of competitions and been asked to guest design on Scrapping Out Loud, and one of my Los is about to be published.  These are all firsts for me, and seeing the email in my inbox is SOOOO exciting!

What is your favorite manufacturer(s)?  I love Basic Grey, I can always find something of theirs that’s perfect for any LO.  Also Creative Imaginations for their wonderful co-ordinated collections, and Sassafras Lass because their designs are so groovy!

 

What are your favorite colors?  Hmm…If I had to choose just a few colours to work with it would be green, light brown (no, not beige!), orange and a dark red.  I like strong colours with a splash of white.  At the moment, anyway, lol!

What product(s) can you not live without right now?  The things I use most often are a needle and thread – and my piercing tool which someone appears to have bent before returning it to the pot upside down!  I love rub-ons too.

Where do you find inspiration?  That’s a good question.  Often it’s just in the papers I’m itching to use at the time, or a technique I want to try, but more and more I’m using sketches as a starting point – although they very often end up looking quite different, which is fine.

What do you do when you get stuck in a “scrappers rut” or a “creative block”?  Sketches again!  Or I just take a break for a couple of days – creative block usually kicks in when I’ve been scrapping like a loony for a week or so.

What is your favorite scrapping snack? Remarkably, I don’t eat when I’m scrapping.  My work area is about three foot by 18 inches and my paraphernalia stretches for yards all around me.  If I’m lucky I can balance a cup of tea somewhere nearby.  I’m also quite paranoid about grease and, erm, chocolate fingerprints!

What kind of camera do you have?  Haha, a rather old one that I bought second-hand off ebay.  It’s only 4 pixels and not rechargeable.  I’m longing for a better one but it’ll have to wait (see Q1, above!)

Do you shoot pictures in manual or automatic?  If it’s coming out rubbish I fiddle about with the settings, but generally I just change the bit where it says portrait, landscape, sport etc.

What is your favorite thing(s) to photograph? I absolutely love taking pictures of plants and flowers close-up.  My daughter takes some awesome ones too, drops of rain on leaves and stuff.  I’m a keen gardener so this is a great way of recording the things I’ve grown and my visits to other gardens which I find very relaxing.

Do you have any hobbies besides scrapbooking?  The gardening – although that’s a fair weather activity.  I like going to see live music, I try to do this once a week.  Not least because it’s a bit tiring doing it too often! 

What is your best piece of advice to share with other scrapbookers?   Make notes of your ideas, scraplift inspirations, techniques you want to try etc.  The more you get down on paper, the faster the ideas flow.

Helen has inspired us with a double page layout for Sketch #17!  Here's her sketch and layout...





Layout by Sarah Ward



Layout by Kim Arnold



Enjoy!

March Gallery Winner

We do apologise for the delay in announcing March's winner. Life does get the better of us sometimes. But here is the winning, random layout...

Congratulations Tara. You will be hearing from us very soon regarding your prize.

Sketches #15 & #16

It's time for the next 2 sketches and the first comes to you from Nicole Martel.

Here is Nicole's sketch and layout...

Sketch #15

And more layouts from the rest of the team...

Jennifer

Helen




Anne-Marie

Our next sketch comes to you from Sarah Ward.

And here is Sarah's sketch and layout...

Sketch #16

More layouts by...

Christie

Kim




Lynn

Many of the embellishments used on all this months' layouts are provided generously from our sponsor for the month, Gauche Alchemy. I heard they have a new kit out so do remember to head on over to check it out. :) Remember any layout you submit this month qualifies you for a chance to win a Gauche Alchemy kit. Good luck and we can't wait to see what you do with these new sketches! :)

Guest Designer - Yumiko Ubukata

This month, we have two very SPECIAL guest designers. And they are none other than scrappers at Inspired Blueprints. We have been so awed by all your talent and creativity and we really wanted to showcase some of you. :)
Our first guest designer this month is .... Yumiko.

We've been noticing Yumiko's work in the gallery and she's got a fun scrapping style. Her layouts are bright, colorful and never fails to bring a smile to your face.

Here's a little more about Yumiko:

Hi everyone. I’m Yumiko Ubukata. I live in Japan with my husband and a lovely three-year-old daughter. I’m so honored to be a guest designer for Inspired Blueprints today. Thank you for inviting me here. I’m so happy.

I started scrapbooking in 2006 when my daughter was born.One day I found a scrapbooking book at a bookstore and I read it over and over everyday.This hobby quickly became a part of my life and has expanded to stamping, photography and sewing.

I love bright colors and happy layouts but I also love dark colors and bittersweet atmosphere.
Please feel free to visit my blog : http://yumiko-1104.cocolog-nifty.com/blog/

And here are Yumiko's layouts for sketches #13 and #14...

Gorgeous layouts, aren't they? Thank you so much, Yumiko, for your inspiration. :)

We've already seen some layouts in our gallery for sketches #13 and #14. Keep them coming in.. and who knows, you may be our next guest designer! :) Happy scrapping everyone! :)

It's Sketch Bonanza Month at Inspired Blueprints!!

Wow! We had over 200 submissions to the gallery last month. Thank you to all who played along and a big WELCOME to all the new scrappers who joined our community last month. We can't wait to get to see more of your work. :)
It's April and it's sketch bonanza month at Inspired Blueprints. This month, we have 8, yes you read right, 8 brand-new sketches for you. Why 8, you might ask? Well, we asked all 8 of our inspiration team members to contribute a sketch each for this month. At the same time, we'll featuring each of them along with their sketch so that you can get to know these awesomely creative ladies a little bit more. :)
We also have a new sponsor this month... GAUCHE ALCHEMY.

Gauche Alchemy is a new kit club, brain child and passion of co-owners
Amy Wing and Heather Dollak.  Whether your addiction is vintage
ephemera, found objects, beautiful fabric, trendy paper, or unique
embellishments, you’ll want to check back frequently for our offerings.
 Each kit will be one of a kind, based on a broader theme.  Our kits
are designed to make you laugh, question social convention, and remind
us of our past (the good, the bad, and the whimsical).  Each kit is
full to the brim of fabulous finds and artistic goodness.

Gauche Alchemy has generously sponsored product for our team and you will see these products on our layouts throughout the month. Gauche Alchemy will also be sponsoring a kit to one lucky scrapper this month! To qualify for the draw all you need to do is submit a layout/card based on any of the 8 sketches we will be releasing this month. You can submit as many layouts and cards as you wish. :)

Our first inspiration team member to be featured is the sweet Lynlee Rutter.

Here's a little more about Lynlee.

What are three adjectives you would use to best describe yourself? Sensitive, Loving, Creative.

Can you tell us a little about your family and/or pets? I have been married to Gary for 10 years and we have 2 children, Georgia (9) and Will (2 ½). We have recently sold our family farm and moved South, which we love, Gary works away from home in the mining industry now, so he is only home for 10 days a month which is really hard, but it does mean I get more time to scrap, and you’ve gotta love that.

How long have you been scrapbooking? About 5 years.

Why did you begin scrapbooking? My Mum had been to a Creative Memories party, loved the idea, and thought I would love it too, we went and bought a heap of supplies, and it just kind of snowballed from there, so I think I can blame my addiction on Mum.

What has been the most interesting or exciting scrapbooking experience you’ve had? Well, being lucky enough to join the fabulous Inspired Blueprints team is very exciting, and then I recently taught my first scrapbooking/card classes at a retreat. I absolutely hate talking in front of people, so I was incredibly nervous, but it all went really well, and I actually enjoyed it, and have been asked back again, so that was pretty exciting too.

What is your favorite manufacturer(s)? Now that is tough, Basic Grey of course, but then I really love Sassafras Lass, Pink Paislee, and Cosmo Cricket.

What are your favorite colors? Blues, pink and browns.

What product(s) can you not live without right now? Versacolor Pinecone Ink, Stamps and chipboard anything.

Where do you find inspiration? Online, magazines of all types, but mostly the photos.

What do you do when you get stuck in a “scrappers rut” or a “creative block”? Walk away for a while, maybe hop online and blog hop, or flick through a magazine.

What is your favorite scrapping snack? I try not to snack when I’m scrapping, but I always have a bottle of water on hand, boring I know.

What kind of camera do you have? Nikon D40X digital SLR.

Do you shoot pictures in manual or automatic? Mostly auto., but sometimes I put it on manual, I’m still learning.

What is your favorite thing(s) to photograph? Definitely my two kids.

Do you have any hobbies besides scrapbooking? I love cooking, home decorating, camping, listening to music and my all-time favorite pastime, other than scrapping, is snow-skiing which we don’t get to do very often, but when we do I just love it.

What is your best piece of advice to share with other scrapbookers? Get outside of your comfort zone and don’t be afraid to try new things, that new technique or product might just end up your favorite. Mix it up and just have fun.

Lynlee's Sketch
Sketch #13

Lynlee's layout




Helen



Jennifer



Nicole

Next we feature the talented Lynn Kopas.

A little about Lynn...

What are three adjectives you would use to best describe yourself?   Sarcastic, Helpful, Grateful (not necessarily in that order … )

Can you tell us a little about your family and/or pets?  I’m currently living with my handsome boyfriend, our yellow lab and my 2 cats (he’s not so much a cat guy !!)

How long have you been scrapbooking?  2.5 years. I remember my Mom advising me not to buy too much in the beginning in case it was a “passing phase”hobby that wouldn’t last … you should see my scraproom now,  2.5 years later …

Why did you begin scrapbooking?  To complete an album for my parent’s 50th Anniversary !!  I was instantly HOOKED !!! I can’t imagine not scrapbooking.

What has been the most interesting or exciting scrapbooking experience you’ve had?  Being chosen for DT member for Inspired Blueprints !!! My first CKC was Awesome … I was like a kid in a candy store at the Vendor Fare ~ nothing like your first time !!!

What is your favorite manufacturer(s)?   Scenic Route, Sassafras Lass  (right now anyway !! LOL !!)

What are your favorite colors? Sage Green, Pink, Brown

What product(s) can you not live without right now? Scarlet Lime Kits, Calendar tags, you’ll see them a lot on my LO’s, Bling (of any kind), Jenni Bowlin Bingo Cards, Thickers …I seem to collect Thickers !!!

Where do you find inspiration?  Magazines, Sketch Sites, Blogs

What do you do when you get stuck in a “scrappers rut” or a “creative block”?  I do something completely different like organize, edit and print photos and organize my scrapbooking products then I’m back to being creative !!

What is your favorite scrapping snack? COFFEE &  CHOCOLATE, CHOCOLATE and more CHOCOLATE !!

What kind of camera do you have?  Canon 40D – LOVE IT !!!!! It’s my first digital SLR !! I had a Canon 35mm with 3 lenses when I was younger – I’ve always loved photography !! I’ll always be a Canon girl !!

Do you shoot pictures in manual or automatic? AV mode mostly !! When I’m brave I try to go full manual !!

What is your favorite thing(s) to photograph?  Our “grandkids”, pets and some scenery (landscapes, gardens, flowers)

Do you have any hobbies besides scrapbooking?  Photography, Organizing (anything)!  I love to organize and reorganize my scrapbooking products !!

What is your best piece of advice to share with other scrapbookers?  Have fun, and embrace the hobby – scrap with friends – it’s the BEST !!! And I would say journaling is important – capture the emotion of the moment while it’s still fresh in your mind !!

Lynn's Sketch
Sketch #14



Lynn's layout




Yasu




Kim

So there you have it! Our first 2 sketches out of 8 this month! We hope you're as excited as we are to get down to some serious scrapping this April. Remember to upload your layouts and stand a chance to win a Gauche Alchemy kit!

It's been a long blog post today so we will introduce our guest designer tomorrow. Stay tuned!