Sketch #1-16

Wahoooo! Yes, I'm back with a brand new fun sketch for ya'll! :)  
I love to sketch, it's very relaxing and heaven knows, I need that. :) LOL!
Here you go! 

Sketch #1-16
 Sketches Creatively Yours

Hope you like it!

Oooh, and of course I had to create a brand new  layout using the brand new sketch... LOL!
The photos are blurry because Noah took Daniel's hands and they swung their arms back and forth. I grabbed the camera and the action is so clearly visible. I treasure this set of pics like you wouldn't believe... I just totally {heart} them... so special.

"Connection: Made"
12x12 layout
created by Ali MacDonald

Journaling: 
These photos of one moment in time are really special because they depict a bond between Noah and Daniel. Our two youngest sons are close in age but worlds apart in their interests and the life each leads.  Noah, due to Autism Spectrum Disorder, has a difficult time making 1:1 connections with others, and this affects the way he and Daniel interact.

On this day, Noah unexpectedly took Daniel's hands in the hallway and proceeded to swing his arms back and forth. It was a fun surprise, and Noah's eye contact with Daniel was amazingly direct. I grabbed the camera on my desk! I don't remember if they were singing or not, or what the "game" was about,  but the smiles on their faces say it all. Mission accomplished.

Connection: made!

August 15, 2014

Photos and journaling by Mom/Ali- Feb 25, 2016

Daniel- age 14

Noah-  age 12 

Would love to see what you create with the sketch! Link it up in the comments and I will come by and visit! 
 I've missed you all.  xox 
~

Sketch #1-16

Wahoooo! Yes, I'm back with a brand new fun sketch for ya'll! :)  
I love to sketch, it's very relaxing and heaven knows, I need that. :) LOL!
Here you go! 

Sketch #1-16
 Sketches Creatively Yours

Hope you like it!

Oooh, and of course I had to create a brand new  layout using the brand new sketch... LOL!
The photos are blurry because Noah took Daniel's hands and they swung their arms back and forth. I grabbed the camera and the action is so clearly visible. I treasure this set of pics like you wouldn't believe... I just totally {heart} them... so special.

"Connection: Made"
12x12 layout
created by Ali MacDonald

Journaling: 
These photos of one moment in time are really special because they depict a bond between Noah and Daniel. Our two youngest sons are close in age but worlds apart in their interests and the life each leads.  Noah, due to Autism Spectrum Disorder, has a difficult time making 1:1 connections with others, and this affects the way he and Daniel interact.

On this day, Noah unexpectedly took Daniel's hands in the hallway and proceeded to swing his arms back and forth. It was a fun surprise, and Noah's eye contact with Daniel was amazingly direct. I grabbed the camera on my desk! I don't remember if they were singing or not, or what the "game" was about,  but the smiles on their faces say it all. Mission accomplished.

Connection: made!

August 15, 2014

Photos and journaling by Mom/Ali- Feb 25, 2016

Daniel- age 14

Noah-  age 12 

Would love to see what you create with the sketch! Link it up in the comments and I will come by and visit! 
 I've missed you all.  xox 
~

I promised... :)

I promised you that Sketches: Creatively Yours would re-open some time in the future...

Well, it's been longer than I'd like, but  it looks like we're on track to restart the S: CY blog!!

 What do ya'll think of that?

 I would love to hear your thoughts, ideas,  and/or suggestions!

 xox 
~

Sketch 9-13

Hello everyone!

Sooooo pleased you bring you a brand new free, fun sketch for your inspiration, and the "takes" of our Guest Designer, Angela Fehr and the Sketches: Creatively Yours Design Team!

Here's the latest Sketch, created just for YOU!

Sketch 9-13 created by
 S: CY Team Leader
Ali MacDonald

The inspiration piece this week is a beautiful photo of a sunset. It was taken from our back deck on a Nova Scotia winter's evening in February.

'NS Sunset'
Inspiration photo
Credit: Kate MacDonald

The challenge this week was to use this gorgeous photo to inspire a layout.
For example, this could promote textural, colour, shape, or topic inspiration, or anything that makes you feel creative.
Please be sure to tell us what you took from the inspiration piece when you post it to your blog and link it below using Mr. Linky. We'll be by to peek and leave you some "loves"!

Here's the beautiful interpretation of our Guest Designer, Angela Fehr!

"Pierced ears" layout
created by S: CY June Guest Designer
 Angela Fehr

And... we're in for a treat today, because Angela was ALSO inspired to create a card using sketch 9-13!

"You are my Happy" card
created by
S: CY June Guest Designer
Angela Fehr

Our Design Team also came up with some great ideas for using this sketch and inspiration piece, so let's keep going!!

"The Karate Kid" layout
created by
 S: CY Design Team Member
 Elisha Pharr

Elisha told me that she took her inspiration "from the beautiful reds, blues, and black in Kate's breathtaking photo. I tied those colors in with my choice of papers and accents on the karate 3-D stickers used on my Layout. This is my Gavin, G-Man, getting his yellow belt in January of this year."

"Will You Guide The Sleigh Next Week?" layout
created by
S: CY Design Team Member
Patchi Moussatche

Patchi told me that she took her inspiration from the winter theme of the photograph. :)

"American Girl Tea" layout
created by
 S: CY Design Team Member
Heather Bridges Topich

"Irish Horizon" layout
created by
S: CY Design Team Member
 Karen Zabuska

Karen said that she was inspired by the horizon and the clouds in the photograph. "Once again, the sketch fit perfectly for a horizon view my son took in Ireland. Those puffy clouds, one of the days it did not rain day.  You can see traces of a storm if you look closely."

"Fun Together" layout
created by
 S: CY Senior Designer
Ann Seleshanko

Ann said her inspiration was the sunset and so she used the colour yellow to underscore this. :)

"Memories of Patrick" layout
created by
S: CY Team Leader
Ali MacDonald
(Journaling by Kate MacDonald)

Journaling reads: Patrick, a complete sweetheart, was a Percheron/Thoroughbred cross. Standing 18 hands high, he was the largest horse that many of us at Rohan Wood Stables had ever seen, let alone ridden. He was black in color with three white socks, and had a striking number 1 shaped blaze running down the length of his face. I had the opportunity to ride Patrick when his owners were kind enough to loan him to me for my C1 level Canadian Pony Club Testing, as Grace was not quite ready for that level of technicality. Although he was very lazy while being ridden, he was calm and aimed only to please. Sadly, Patrick passed away from colic at the age of 6, several months after these photos were taken. He was loved by all, and will always be remembered as a gentle giant. 

For my layout, I took the purple-y grey from the clouds in the photo as my inspiration.

Here's Mr. Linky-- You can use him to post your creation so that we can then go see your work and leave you some love. Everyone enjoys that! :)


Today marks the last week for our current Design Team.
Here's the excellent Team we are saying "Thank You" to, today:

Card Sketch Designer/Design Team Member Vikki Whittington

Design Team Member Patchi Moussatche

Design Team  Member Heather Bridges Topich

Design Team Member Elisha Pharr

and

Design Team Member Karen Zabuska

Thank You all so much for your beautiful work with our sketches (and creating Card Sketches, in Vikki's case!) here on the Blog. It has been appreciated and your creations were much enjoyed!

My thanks to Ann Seleshanko, Senior Designer here at S: CY for her behind-the-scenes work. Despite a 'beyond busy' schedule with a family, plus studying full-time for her education degree, she consistently does a beautiful job of creating layouts to honour what means the most to her. Ann, thanks for being my back-up gal. You're awesome.

Today we also want to thank our June 2013 Guest Designer Angela Fehr!
It has been a  pleasure having a fellow Canadian here with us-- your work is phenomenal and we look forward to working with you again, Angela. Thanks so much for being our Guest Designer!

We appreciate all our readers, and hope you have enjoyed the new sketch format I have been using. The "jury is still out" about what format sketches will take in the coming months, so I welcome your feedback. If you would like to leave private feedback, you can email me at peteali @ eastlink. ca (with  NO SPACES) .

Thank you for popping in to see what's up at Sketches: Creatively Yours. Keep us on your "radar" because there are new things on the horizon!

I'll keep you posted!

Thanks Angela, Thanks Team, and Thanks readers!

Chat soon... I promise!!
~

S: CY Sketch 8-13

Hi there, everyone! 
We have a  fresh new S: CY Sketch for you today, and inspiration from our Guest Designer Angela Fehr... plus the whole Design Team! Please be sure to try the Sketch & share your creation with us using Mr. Linky, located at the end of the post. We'd love to come and see what you've made and leave you some luvs. 
OK: let's rock and roll and have a peek at the latest sketch, shall we? 

Sketch 8-13
by
S:CY Team Leader
Ali MacDonald

And here's today's inspiration piece... a paint chip from Chip it!! 
Our challenge to you today has "No Rules"-- simply take what you like from the colours, image etc... and create something great using Sketch 8-13.

Inspiration piece for Sketch 8-13
(Source: Chip it!)

Our talented June Guest Designer Angela Fehr has interpreted the new sketch and inspiration piece as follows.  We're certain you'll enjoy her work!

"Kick" layout
created by
 S: CY June Guest Designer
Angela Fehr

And now, let's have a peek at what the S: CY Designers came up with to share this week!

"Sweet December" layout
created by
S: CY Design Team Member
Patchi Moussatche

Patchi told me that she used the colour palette as her inspiration for this layout. :)
 

"{Heart} Them" layout
created by
S: CY Design Team Member
Karen Zabuska

Karen said: "My Inspiration for this sketch is the hearts that are in the paper and the heart in the title. I also used the colors of blue and white with black writing.  I knew all the hearts showed how much we loved them and the list to journal what we think of them.  These are my buddies."

"I am Thankful and Blessed" mini-album pages
created by
 S: CY Design Team Member
Elisha Pharr

Elisha wrote that "The elements that I pulled from the inspiration piece were the colors and the heart balloons. The balloon journaling card I tucked behind the photo fit perfectly and these are some of my favorite colors to work with."

"These kids" layout
created by
S: CY Design Team Member
 Heather Bridges Topich

Regarding inspiration for this layout, Heather told me that "the colors seemed old-fashioned to me, so I pulled a background paper that resembled old fabric."

"Cruising the Thames" layout
created by
S: CY Senior Designer
Ann Seleshanko

Ann emailed a note with her creation saying that her inspiration for this layout was the colour palette the paint chip provided.

"B'day Bliss '12" layout
created by
S: CY Team Leader
Ali MacDonald

Journaling reads: Daniel, we celebrated your 12^th birthday in August 2012 with a pool party for some of your friends. It was a hot, beautiful summery day. Before we went outside, there were gifts and a delicious DQ ice-cream cake depicting a big green sea turtle to celebrate summer. The turtle on the cake also commemorated your Leatherback Sea Turtle project from Grade 6. 

I took my inspiration from the deep blue and cream swatches of colour and the linear way the paint chip was blocked out. The dark ink I used to distress the edges of the outer piece of cardstock mimicked the distressed-looking hem on the model's party dress. And yes, I even got a splash of RED in there! LOL 

Thanks soooo much for your work on that beautiful LO, Angela! You made the sketch come alive & thus shared tonnes of scrappy inspiration... your sense of style is truly "bang-on," yet fun, fresh and unique. Loved what you created.  

I want to thank the S: CY Design Team for knocking it outta the park this week: Wow girls, you sure came through!  Really great job! 
Readers and bloggers, please use Mr. Linky, below, to link us up to your creation. We'll be by to leave you some love!  


~

Our June 2013 S: CY Guest Designer

Welcome everyone, to JUNE 2013, and a fabulous new month at Sketches: Creatively Yours!!

Every month we feature a brand new Guest Designer and June is no exception. I am especially pleased today to welcome a talented Canadian artist to the S: CY Blog.

Please wave a warm hello to Angela Fehr! Thanks for being here, Angela.

S: CY June 2013
Guest Designer Angela Fehr

Angela sent along her Bio so we could learn  a little more about her.
Bio:
I'm an artist through and through! From my home in northern British Columbia, I create art every day. As a homeschooling mom of three children, ages 7, 8 and 10, and a wife of fifteen years to Wade, I have a lot to juggle, but courtesy of my large studio space and an understanding family, I have an exciting part time business as an art educator, teaching both watercolour painting and paper crafting. I'm a member of several art societies, and a published paper crafter, and it is true what they say about creativity - the more you use it, the more you have! I'm also a newly born athlete, discovering a love for sports after I turned 30 (I'm 36) and I love to play soccer, cross country ski, bike, run, swim and this Sunday I'll be doing my second sprint triathlon, which is both scary and thrilling!

My web site and blog can be found at http://angelafehr.com and I can also be found on Facebook as Angela Fehr Artist.

Angela sent me three recent favourite projects, which I'll share here with you.

The first is a beautiful card using the "Claire" paper collection from Close to My Heart.

"Happy Birthday" Card
created by
Angela Fehr

The second creation is an altered record album that Angela made into a photo album for her daughter Samantha.

Altered record album
created by
Angela Fehr

The third project is described by Angela as "a watercolour painting I'm particularly proud of, titled 'Debutantes.'"

Watercolour painting
"Debutantes"
by 
Angela Fehr

From the above, you can all see why I'm so excited to make the announcement introducing Angela as our June Guest Designer.

Angela, we're so looking forward to your creative input this month here at S: CY!

A WARM WELCOME, and thanks for being here with us!!!!!!


~

Our May 2013 WINNER!!!!

 Time for our May 2013 Prize draw! The prize today is a beautiful "My Acrylix" stamp set from Close To My Heart! It's called "Year 'Round Cheer." It was a Limited Edition set and is no longer available, making it highly desirable for the winner's personal stamp collection!
This premium CTMH stamp set comes with a foam stamping sheet, a sturdy, handy snap-closed envelope, and TWELVE versatile acrylic stamps that are sure to make your scrapbooking & cardmaking projects shine.

S: CY May Prize
 CTMH
 "Year 'Round Cheer" Stamp Set

The greetings on this stamp set are: Fresh Start; I Love You; Stay Lucky; Sing in the Rain;  Happy Mother's Day; World's Best Dad; Hello Sunshine; Back Yard BBQ; Back to School; Trick or Treat; Give Thanks; and 'Tis the Season. These are so cute- each greeting sports a cute icon depicting those words.
The winner of this set will be thrilled. :)

So.... let's do that draw shall me? 

We had just two entries this month: 

1. Carol
 and
2. Cindye

We use Random.org to choose winners here at S: CY so we gave it a go, and here u is the result!

Drumroll please:

May 2013 Winner: #1

Our S: CY winner this month is Carol!!!!!!

Congratulations, Carol.

Please email Ali your postal address so she can pop your prize of a CTMH Stamp Set into the mail ASAP! :)

Ali's email addy is pete ali @ eastlink .ca (no spaces.)

Thanks for popping in, everyone!

See you tomorrow, with a brand new, talented S: CY Guest Designer!!

~

Sketch 7-13

Hello S: CY Peeps! 

It's Friday and that means REVEAL DAY! But first, let's have a peek at the prize for this month!

Our prize for the month of May is a beautiful "My Acrylix" stamp set from Close To My Heart! It's called "Year 'Round Cheer." It was a Limited Edition set and is no longer available, making it highly desirable for your personal stamp collection!
This premium CTMH stamp set comes with a foam stamping sheet, a sturdy, handy snap-closed envelope, and TWELVE versatile acrylic stamps that are sure to make your scrapbooking & cardmaking projects shine.

Let's have a peek at the May prize, shall we? 

S: CY May Prize
 CTMH
 "Year 'Round Cheer" Stamp Set

The greetings on this stamp set are: Fresh Start; I Love You; Stay Lucky; Sing in the Rain;  Happy Mother's Day; World's Best Dad; Hello Sunshine; Back Yard BBQ; Back to School; Trick or Treat; Give Thanks; and 'Tis the Season. These are so cute- each greeting sports a cute icon depicting those words.
The winner of this set will be thrilled. :)

How do you win? 
Well, we will do things exactly the same way as we have done in other months!  
Here's an explanation.

How does the Challenge work?

We will draw for a prize at the end of EACH MONTH. There will be TWO layout  sketch challenges every month, so that means you'll have two chances to win the monthly prize. 

The amount of time you have to enter varies with each Challenge, so be sure to check carefully in the info on the Sketch you are creating your layout for. The due date will be CLEARLY NOTED for you. :) 

LAYOUT SKETCH CHALLENGES: 

When a new layout Sketch is posted on the Blog, you will also see an inspiration piece accompanying the Sketch.

Three things make up an S: CY "Sketch challenge"... 
1) The layout sketch 
2) The inspiration photo
3) A Challenge described in words

What should you do for a chance to win the monthly prize?

1. Look at the layout Sketch and Inspiration photo. Read the challenge.
2. Check and write down the due date! It will be clearly noted in each challenge. (One challenge will be finished before the next one starts.)
2. Create a layout that fits the challenge.
3. Post your PAPER OR DIGITAL layout on your Blog and share it with us by the Due Date, using "Mr. Linky." Mr. Linky can be found at the bottom of the post, but ONLY until the due date! Once the due date passes, Mr. Linky disappears. 

What does the Team at S: CY do?
1. After links are posted, the S: CY Team will visit every one of them to leave some "love." :)
2. I will send you an "I Played Along..." badge to proudly display on your Blog! :)
3. I will compile a list of all the links to LOs for each Sketch Challenge into a permanent link list in a post on the blog. Each entry will be numbered in the order it was received. This number becomes the number that will apply to you in the prize draw. (Example: If you are the third person to post your work, yours will be link #3 in the list.) Then, if, using Random.org, your number (ie: "3") is drawn, you are the winner!!
3. We will do a PRIZE DRAW using Random.org at end of the month. Draw dates will be announced as each month starts.

 QUESTIONS? Shoot me an email at peteali @ eastlink. ca (NO SPACES).

MAY CHALLENGE DETAILS

** PRIZE this month is a beautiful Close To My Heart Stamp Set called "Year 'Round Cheer." **
**DUE DATE  for today's Sketch Challenge (Sketch 7-13) is Thursday, May 30th, at 12 midnight, Atlantic Standard Time (AST)
**You will use Mr. Linky to post the link to your completed Sketch Challenge entry. Mr. Linky will be at the end of today's post!

**PRIZE DRAW FOR MONTH OF MAY will be on May 31st, FRIDAY after 9 PM AST
**REMEMBER- we welcome both paper and digital layout entries!
**International participants are welcome to enter the contest!

~~~~~~~~

Here's today's brand new fun, free Sketch:

Sketch 7-13 created by
 S: CY Team Leader
Ali MacDonald

And today's inspiration piece:

Painting created in Nov. 2011
by Ali's son
Noah MacDonald, age 10

Here's what our Guest Designer, the fabulous Keely Yowler came up with this week!

"Sweet Silly You" layout
created by
 S: CY Guest designer
 Keely Yowler

The S: CY Design Team came up with some wonderful layouts too. Here they are:

"Cartwheels"
 layout created by
S: CY Design Team Member
Heather Bridges Topich

"Don't Want to Forget This" layout
created by
S: CY Design Team Member
Karen Zabuska

"Dino-Land" layout
created by
S: CY Design Team Member
Patchi Moussatche

"Back in Time" layout
created by
S: CY Senior Designer
 Ann Seleshanko 

"Reward: School Dance" layout
created by
S: CY Team Leader
 Ali MacDonald

Note: This is my little guy, Noah, with his Educational Assistant, at a school dance. (Noah painted the inspiration piece for this week.) He has Autism Spectrum Disorder and was enjoying himself so much, the school staff had a hard time getting a great photo. I was so glad to have these, and loved the pictures, so they went on a layout anyway, blurry or not!
Journaling reads-
Event: School Dance

Reward for: Participation in recycling program 

Grades:  Primary to three 

Date: April 2012 

Noah had just turned 10 yrs old and these photos were snapped by his Resource Teacher, Mrs. W. He was dancing with his main EA, Mrs. S., alongside the other kids, and as you can see by their smiles, they were all having a grand old time! 

Thanks to everyone for stopping by this week!!  Special thanks to Keely Yowler for bring a wonderful and talented Guest Designer this month- We hope you can come play again soon! :) Thanks for inspiring us.

Remember, you have until May 30th at midnight (AST) to enter your interpretation of Sketch 7-13. 

Use Mr. Linky below, and you'll have some S: CY visitors, receive a Blog badge to display and gain a chance to win the prize this month! 

(Note: We have very few entrants this month, so please do enter, and you'll have a really great chance of taking home our Stamp Set!)

See you all soon, when we announce the **winner of our Stamp Set** on the evening of May 31st!  
~