Well, this has been a fantastic month! We have really enjoyed sharing Christmas in July with all of you! I hope you have all enjoyed it as much as we have! I can’t believe it’s here already, but tomorrow is July 31st so tomorrow’s post will be the last official Christmas in July post! Well, partly Christmas in July and the rest will be our normal Sketch-It Saturday.

Today’s post contains a very versatile, quick and easy card sketch and samples that feature something that many people are quite aware of for a good portion of the year- football! If you’re not a football fan yourself, I’m sure you know one. And if you know one, I’m sure you know how passionate it can get! For many, summer brings training and marks the beginning of a season filled to the brim with practices, workouts, games and all the other trappings of this popular sport that so consumes its fans’ time. So why not bring that passion into our card making! Enjoy!

50-Yard-Line Card

by SarahKaye

Supply list (assemble your team):
*Card base- my template example is green and standard size 4-1/4″h x 5-1/2″w
*strip of cardstock- 2-1/4″h x 5-1/2″w, mine is pink
*strip of cardstock- 1-3/4″h x 5-1/2″w- mine is a preprinted sticker but you can use a strip you have either printed with a greeting or quote from your printer or rubber stamped.
*craft thread, embroidery floss, or fibers in coordinating color- mine’s blue craft thread
*adhesive

Instructions (play by play):
This is a super easy, extremely versatile card. There are so many variations that it would be impossible to make a sample for each of them! It is only limited by your own supplies and creativity!

I used scraps and one-of-a-kind things from my stash for each sample.

Below is the basic sketch that each design will be based on. The main focus of the card will be the strip down the middle of the card (at the 50 yard line).

Sketch (diagram):

Sample 1- For Sample 1, the 50 yard line strip, in this case a preprinted, self-adhesive quote block, extends all the way from one side of the playing field to the other. See? We’re seeing how versatile it is already! I used a green card base, pink cardstock and blue craft thread, all from my stash.

Sample 2- For Sample 2 I went off sides and decided to use patterned paper for the mat and a strip printed with “thanks” from my printer. You could also print a quote, or stamp a phrase or greeting on the center strip. I also altered the play by using waxy flax on one side and patterned brads on the other side.

Sample 3- For Sample 3 I used a border sticker mounted on cardstock and patterned paper. I punched two holes in the defense, pulled the craft thread through and knotted it.

Sample 4- For Sample 4 I rounded the corners of the mat and patterned strip, and used heart shaped brads tied with Astroturf colored fibers to one tight end.

Sample 5- In Sample 5 I used ribbon instead of craft thread, used a small piece with the “thanks” printed from my printer, and tore the right edge to give it extra texture and visual interest. (I was going to make a reference to the diamonds but that’s the wrong sport. LOL)

Sample 6- In Sample 6 I took it even a step further and went for the unbalanced line by tearing the solid gray mat way far back, rounding the edge of the ruler-patterned paper, and using a tag for the center strip, tying the ribbon through the hole in the tag.

Sample 7- In this sample I added a third, wider, patterned mat, used patterned brads in place of the fibers on each side, and huddled letter stickers off sides for my sentiment.

Sample 8- In Sample 8 I used a cut out stamped image for this one. A fake pump you might say. LOL I also added a scrap of vellum with a metal embellishment decorating the folded corner of the playing field.

Sample 9- For Sample 9 I used a cardstock border strip, attached a metal flower with a pink brad and went out of bounds with a monogram in the corner.

Sample 10- For Sample 10 I went for the three point stance on this one with a line of flowers with jeweled centers on pop dots, highlighting the center flower with a bright pink geometric mat.

Sample 11- You want even more yardage? Cut the strips short of the edge, this time a double matted printed sticker, accent it with brads and staple some ribbons on the edge.

Sample 12- For the final play, I attached a wire word, punched holes across the top and threaded ribbon through.

More options (additional plays):

*fold over the right edge, overlapping the center strip and secure with brads

*roll a torn edge

*tie down a folded over edge with ribbon or fibers

*cut it short on one side and round the edges off

*stitch the sides instead of wrapping with fibers or thread

*wrap with wire

*attach to the card with thread through eyelets

There are so many variations that I can’t even begin to list them all! Have fun and I’m counting on you all to make some and post them for us before the final whistle blows!

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WEEKLY SKETCH and WHO’S WHO?! GAME

Don’t forget about our regular weekly sketches! This week’s sketch post #65 can be found here. We want to see your projects using this week’s sketch!

Entries will be accepted until midnight on Sunday so you still have plenty of time to get your guesses in for the Who’s Who game! See the full details on yesterday ‘s post!

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RECIPE THURSDAY

Every Thursday we will delight your palettes with delectable, tried and true recipes for various occasions direct from the kitchens on our own design team members. If you missed the first Recipe Thursday, which focused on Christmas recipes, you can find it by clicking here. The second week we shared yummy summer/picnic recipes and that can be found here! Last week we shared recipes that are great for holidays other than Christmas, as well as any special occasion whether it be a graduation party, the annual fall trip to the apple orchard or company is in town and staying at your house. That post can be found here. There are bonus sketches in weeks 1 and 3 that would work great for a recipe album (or any other topic, of course!) so get out your favorite recipes and use one of these formulas to whip up a batch of recipe scrapbooks!

This week is our special recipe “pot luck”!. This collection will be dual-purposed; the recipes are good to take to a pot luck, and the collection itself is a pot luck! This is the place to find our designers’ favorite recipes that don’t fit into another category. So without further ado, welcome to the pot luck!

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Gerry’s Mexi Dip
from Caryl

This is my MIL’s go to dish and no one can ever pass it up! It’s great because you can make it up a day ahead of time to bring to a party and heat up.

1 jar salsa (I use the Tosito’s Medium)
1 cup Monterray Jack shredded cheese
1 small can sliced black olives, drained (optional)
Cream cheese

1. Spread cream cheese to cover the bottom of a 9 inch pie plate.
2. Pour the salsa on top of the cream cheese (about 1/2- 3/4 of the jar).
3. Spread shredded cheese over the salsa.
4. Sprinkle olives over the cheese. You can use a lot or a little, depending on what you like.

When read to serve, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook for 10-15 minutes until cheese is melted. Serve with your favorite nachos!

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Sauteed Zucchini
from SarahKaye

Melt 1-2 T. butter in pan, add sliced zucchini, garlic powder, pepper, oregano and paprika to taste. Sautee zucchini until tender. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese before serving.

Perfect for this time of year- it’s even good cold!

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No Peek Beef
from Caryl

1-2 pounds chuck beef
I large can mushroom soup
1/2 package onion soup mix

Put beef in crock pot. Add mushroom soup and fill half the can with water. Mix in water and onion soup mix. Cook on low all day–no peeking! Serve over egg noodles.

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Bruschetta Chicken Bake
from Jenny (via kraftrecipes.com)

1 can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken
1/2 cup Water
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1-1/2 lb. Boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1 tsp. Dried basil leaves
1 cup KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

HEAT oven to 400ºF.

MIX tomatoes, stuffing mix, water and garlic just until stuffing mix is moistened.
LAYER chicken, basil and cheese in 3-qt. casserole or 13×9-inch baking dish.
TOP with stuffing. Bake 30 min. or until chicken is done.

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Black Bean and Corn Salsa
from Liz

Ingredients
4 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 orange bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1/4 red onion, finely chopped
1 (16 ounce) package frozen corn, thawed
2/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce, or to taste

Directions
1.Stir the black beans, yellow bell pepper, orange bell pepper, green bell pepper, red onion, corn, olive oil, red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, apple cider vinegar, salt, cumin, cilantro, garlic, and hot sauce together in a non-reactive container. Chill in refrigerator overnight.

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Eclair Dessert
from Alanna

Ingredients:
1 box graham crackers
2 small boxes french vanilla instant pudding
3 cups milk
1 8-oz tub Cool Whip
1 tub chocolate frosting

Directions:
Mix boxes of pudding with 3 cups milk. Fold in Cool Whip. Take a 9×13 pan and layer graham crackers on the bottom. Spoon in half of the pudding mixture and follow by another layer of graham crackers. Spoon in remaining pudding mixture and top with one more layer of graham crackers.

Refrigerate for at least 12 hours. Then spread softened chocolate frosting over top and ENJOY!

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WEEKLY SKETCH and WHO’S WHO?! GAME

Don’t forget about our regular weekly sketches! This week’s sketch post #65 can be found here. We want to see your projects using this week’s sketch!

Entries will be accepted until midnight on Sunday so you still have plenty of time to get your guesses in for the Who’s Who game! See the full details on yesterday ‘s post!

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SECOND CHANCE BINGO

The correct answer, the song that was chosen by more players than any other song, is Frosty the Snowman!

AND THE SECOND CHANCE WINNER IS…

MAUREEN REISS!!!

Maureen was chosen at random from all the correct guesses. Congratulations! Send your address to me at sarahkozy@hotmail.com and I’ll get your prize out to you!

MORE PRIZES AND GIVEAWAYS!!!

There are still more chances to win! The month is not over yet and we want to make the most of it! There is a new game starting today, the month-long participation game, (two more sketches will be posted before the end of the month!), PLUS there will be several random giveaways, too! Check back every day because you never know when you might win a little goody for yourself!

As a reminder, here is a re-post of the original guidelines for the GIANT giveaway for the month-long participation contest. All you have to do in order to be entered to win this fabulous prize is create and post!

“You will definitely want to play along with us this month, too, because we have a GIVEAWAY! Our own design team member Liz has an online store, Thoughts 2 Paper (http://www.thoughts2paper.com/) and she is sponsoring our big July event. (Thanks, Liz!) Whoever plays along and posts 3 at least projects using any 3 of the July sketches (including bonus sketches) will be entered to win a Zutter Distrezz-It-All, a $40 value! (Due to shipping costs, continental US residents only please.) Be sure to check out Liz’s store- here’s a DISCOUNT CODE! All Unscripted followers will get a discount on their orders if you enter this code: 254u2shop during the whole month of July! (The code must be entered exactly as you see it.) So go check out her great store!”

There will be THREE PRIZES awarded! Three names will be drawn at random from everyone that has posted at least 3 projects during the month of July. The first name drawn will be the grand prize winner, then the next two names will receive a special goody! So get creating and post those links!

WHO’S WHO?! GUESSING GAME

OK, now on to today’s game!!!

Below are photos of the design team as children. The photos are numbered 1-8. Your job is to guess which designer is pictured in what numbered photo! There is a catch- only 8 of the 10 designers had old photos available- but we’re not telling you which ones! So, 8 of the 10 designers in the sidebar are pictured below and you have to figure out who they are! (Note: There is a photo in the side bar that is not labeled with a name. That’s Linda. )

Simply list which designer you think is in which photo and email your entries to Arielle at ariellehemp@yahoo.com with the subject “Old Photo Who’s Who“. (That will make it easier for Arielle to sort them.) She will reply to each one that’s been received within 24 hours, so if you do not receive a confirmation, please resend your list. Guesses will be accepted until midnight this Sunday, August 1st. The winner will be announced on Monday, August 2nd.

And don’t forget about our regular weekly sketches! This week’s sketch post #65 can be found here. We want to see your projects using this week’s sketch!

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(Don’t forget to read the post below and get your Second Chance Bingo guess in before midnight EST tonight!)

SECOND CHANCE PRIZE

Don’t forget that you all have a chance to win a Second Chance Bingo prize! And ANYONE can play! There is one song from the master list that was chosen by 23 of you- more than any other song! The full details can be found here. All you have to do is leave a comment on the original post (not this post) with your guess as to which song was chosen most! (Guesses entered on other posts will not be considered.) Guessing will be open until midnight EST Tuesday, July 27. That’s tonight so go to Friday’s original post, check out the full details and enter your guess!

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QUOTE-IT TUESDAY

Welcome to Quote-It Tuesdays! Every Tuesday in July will be filled with quotes you can use for lots of different topics. They are great for sentiments on cards, for scrapbook layouts and endless other projects! If you use them, we want to see your projects so don’t forget to post a link!

We are even giving away word art FREEBIES!

The full size files are available to download through 4shared.com. Just click on the image at the bottom of the post and it will take you to the download site. If you are new to downloading printables, there are simple instructions following the images.

If you missed it, the first week of quotes and word art was summer and that post can be found here. The second week was family and that post can be found here. Last week was quotes about vacation and the beach and that post can be found here. For this, the final week of Quote-It Tuesday, we celebrate Christmas! And that includes new word art freebies! Enjoy!

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Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful. ~Norman Vincent Peale

He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree. ~Roy L. Smith

The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other. ~Burton Hillis

There has been only one Christmas – the rest are anniversaries. ~W.J. Cameron

Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time. ~Laura Ingalls Wilder

It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air. ~W.T. Ellis

Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love! ~Hamilton Wright Mabie

Christmas is not as much about opening our presents as opening our hearts. ~Janice Maeditere

At Christmas play and make good cheer,
For Christmas comes but once a year
~Thomas Tusser

May the spirit of Christmas bring you peace,
The gladness of Christmas give you hope,
The warmth of Christmas grant you love.
~Author Unknown

I love the Christmas-tide, and yet,
I notice this, each year I live;
I always like the gifts I get,
But how I love the gifts I give!
~Carolyn Wells

There’s nothing sadder in this world than to awake Christmas morning and not be a child. ~Erma Bombeck

Instructions for printables. Click the image you want to download. A new window will open. Click the “download now” button and save it to your desktop (or other folder where you will be able to find it easily). Programs you can use to print the word art are: your favorite desktop publishing program, photo editor or Microsoft Word, or any program that opens .jpg files. If you are a beginner with printables, an easy way to print it would be to use Word. Here’s how in MS Word. Open Word, click the drop-down menu “insert > picture > from file”. Select the file you just downloaded and it will insert that picture. If you click on the picture, a box will appear around it. You can grab the box in one of the corners and drag to resize it to the desired print size (if you want an exact measurement, make sure your ruler guides are on). All that’s left is to load the desired paper into your printer and print it!

The word art freebies were made by SarahKaye and are free for personal use only. They may not be sold or distributed in any other manner.

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WEEKLY SKETCH

And don’t forget about our regular weekly sketches! This week’s sketch post #65 can be found here. We want to see your projects using this week’s sketch!

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DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT!!!

Each Monday, Wednesday and Friday in July we will spotlight one of the fabulous members of our design team. At least until we run out of designers. Each and every one of them contributes to the team in their own unique way and this is our way of helping you get to know them! They have each prepared a special Christmas in July blog post on their personal blogs. It might have to do with special memories of Christmastime, a special holiday project they’ve been working on recently, favorite projects they’ve done in the past, perhaps someone might even choose to go with the “July” part and reflect on some of their favorite summers! The blog posts will be as different and special as the designers themselves and they will all be interesting to see! While you’re there, take a look around their blogs, read previous blog posts, see other projects they’ve done. I guarantee you’ll find lots of good stuff to enjoy!

Today’s Designer Spotlight is on…

JENNY!!

Meet our final designer and blog owner, Jenny! She lives on the East Coast with Keith (artist and husband-extraordinaire), and her miniature schnauzer, Oliver.  She is mom to 3 grown kids; one helps with the driving an hour and a half (one way) to work 4-5 days a week. All five drive her crazy and all five are her life. She is a Registered Nurse at a long term care facility by night and, well, since she recently started working nights, that’s about all she does. She is one of the dedicated night nurses that are walking the halls and taking care of our loved ones while we’re snug in our beds. She started nursing school later in life, has worked very hard to get where she is in a short time, got her RN last year and now is doing what she loves. When she’s not working or sleeping, she likes shopping (OK, what woman doesn’t?!). But this woman likes antique shopping and finds the most wonderful things! When you check out her blog, This Everyday Life, to see her special spotlight post, look through some older posts and you’ll see many of the interesting things she’s found!

“I love the Christmas holiday. Family and close friends enjoying the magic and spirit together. The making of memories together…that’s what is most important to me…”

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WEEKLY SKETCH and SECOND CHANCE PRIZE

If you missed it on Friday, we had a Bingo winner- congrats to Jenn again! But if your last words didn’t get called, you were too late to post “Bingo” or you were too late to play at all, WORRY NOT! You have a chance to win a Second Chance prize! And ANYONE can play! There is one song from the master list that was chosen by 23 of you- more than any other song! The full details can be found here. All you have to do is leave a comment on the original post with your guess as to which song was chosen most! (Guesses entered on other posts will not be considered.) Guessing will be open until midnight EST Tuesday, July 27. Go to Friday’s original post and check out the full details and enter your guess!

And don’t forget about our regular weekly sketches! This week’s sketch post #65 can be found here. We want to see your projects using this week’s sketch!

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PAINLESS JOURNALING SUNDAYS with SarahKaye

Welcome to the fourth and last week of Painless Journaling! I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have!

Many people say journaling is the hardest part of scrapbooking and these exercises are aimed at helping you unblock your creative writing mojo! Basically, Painless Journaling is designed to get your creative juices flowing and open a part of your brain that will allow you to better express yourself in your journaling efforts.

For those of you that didn’t catch the PJ posts the last three Sundays, you can find the introduction and first exercise, Color Me, in this post. You might want to read through it to get the most benefit from each lesson. The second post, The Whole Picture, can be found here, and last week’s post, Word Bank, is here. Try them, they’re lots of fun!

WEEK 4- CLUSTERING

PART 1

This is a fun and easy exercise that only takes a few minutes, is extremely helpful and I’ll bet you refer to it over and over!

You simply start with a single word in a circle in the center of the page and write words that pop into your mind. Then go from there and see where it takes you! See the diagram below as an example. It’s a free association exercise to get your brain out of your normal rut and into a creative mode. Use as many branches in as many directions as you want!

Here’s a word to get you started. Feel free to use your own word (especially if you have a set of photos you need to journal!) but here’s a suggestion if you just want to loosen your brain and get creative.

SMILE

PART 2- APPLICATION

If you have photos you need to journal but want to find a unique presentation, use this technique to see what your mind tells you that you didn’t know was in there! LOL

For instance, if you have birthday photos, use “birthday” or “age” or “party” or something like that for your center word and see where that goes. If you have photos that aren’t for any occasion, pick something in the photo at random- maybe part of the landscape in the background like “tree”, something like “silly” if that’s what pops into your head. Then set aside the photos and see where that word takes you. It may do nothing more than warm you up for your journaling, or it may inspire you with that perfect way to present those photos.

Let us know what you come up with!

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GIVEAWAY!!!

Remember, whoever plays along and posts at least 3 projects using any 3 of the July sketches (including bonus sketches) will be entered to win a Zutter Distrezz-It-All!!! The details are in this post. It is offered by our own designer, Liz, at her store Thoughts 2 Paper. And here’s a DISCOUNT CODE! All Unscripted followers will get a discount on their orders if you enter this code: 254u2shop during the whole month of July! (The code must be entered exactly as you see it.) So go check out her great store for lots of items to make your next project fantastic!

Unscripted Sketches #65

We hope you will visit the Unscripted Sketches Designers’ blogs:

Alanna, April, Arielle, Caryl, Debbie, Jenny, Linda, Liz, Marcy and SarahKaye

GUEST DESIGNER- KELLY!!

This is week 4 of 5 Saturdays in July that we’ll have a guest designer!

This week’s guest designer is Kelly. Click on her name above to zip over to her blog, Crafting Creatively, and check out all the other wonderful projects she’s done! Thanks for joining us this week and showing us this sweet little winiter card, Kelly!

Ready to Play? Using this week’s sketch, upload your creation to your blog or gallery. When you add your link below, please be sure it is a direct link to your Unscripted Sketches project. Please give credit to Unscripted Sketches #65.

TOP 3 Announcement!

Once again this week, there was a lot of wonderful work to choose from. We look forward to seeing more great projects using this week’s sketch!

Our Top 3 picks for last week’s sketch #64 are Peri, Lisa and Heather. Congratulations!!!!

Here are their projects! Click on their names above to visit their blogs and see their projects full-size.

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No more Bingo words because we had a winner today! Congrats, Jenn! If you didn’t win or if you didn’t have a chance to play, there is still a chance to win a Bingo prize in the SECOND CHANCE Bingo guessing game! The details are here in this post! Good luck!

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