another Happy Toot! sketches and layouts?

So happy to announce I won over at Elle's studio for the sketch challenge!  you can see the post HERE.  Speaking of Elle's studio did you see this?  Yep, I should be receiving these any day now!  So excited I'm finishing up my December Daily.  AND my daughter has a school project where they have to sell something, I thought that it would be fun to make gift tags, using my cricut AND this WONDERFUL product!

So I was thinking about sketches and layouts and inspiration this morning.  I read a blog that commented about giving themselves permission to use a sketch.  I TOTALLY understand that!  Why do we think we have to do it ALL ourselves?  it's okay to look and be inspired (THANK YOU PINTEREST!).  I love the challenge of look at some one's layout/sketch breaking it down and making it my own.  I think that "study" came from the MANY hours that I spent in the DREADED fabric store with my mom with nothing to look at but pattern books. (my brothers HATED this as well...)  this is NOT very exciting for a little child.  ANYWAY, my point is, that my mom would ask me if I liked a certain pattern.  As a child I couldn't get past the material used.  My mom would ask me to look past the material and LOOK at THE PATTERN!  As I got older the "vision" came, and I understood what she meant.  Thanks mom for those TORTUROUS hours in the store I did learn something but I still DON'T like the fabric store.... :)

Okay now I feel better, got that off my chest!  I do have a layout I wanted to share of my BEAUTIFUL mother on her birthday.  I used the Hallow's Eve kit from Scrapbook Circle....

closeups:

 Oh, one more thing before I go!  On NBC there is a new show called Grimm, I wanted to watch it from the commercials--looked kind of good.  I had to screen it first (to see if hubby would like it) and ended up watching it twice yesterday.  Once by myself and once with hubby, he liked it.  You can watch the first 3 episodes online (the pilot will screen until 12/3).  It's basically your good vs. evil with a twist of Grimm's fairy tale...
Gotta run--well, actually can some beans!  Thanks for stopping in for a visit!