Teaming Up with Creative Scrappers!

Paper Issues is teaming up with Creative Scrappers for CS Sketch #256.
And it is a fun one!

This is the sketch we were given...

and this is my interpretation of the sketch. I loved the hexagon shape. But since I wanted to use more than one photo, I decided to create two smaller hexagons. I made a pattern by tracing the hexagon on the actual sketch I had printed up, and then cutting it out! Old school I know, but it worked. :)
My layout is scheduled to be featured on the Creative Scrappers blog this Friday, but I wanted to share it here with my blog friends first. But you definitely want to check the CS blog out every day this week to see how all of the Paper Issues design team members used the sketch. So many great ideas, and every page looks so different!

Since Paper Issues is sponsoring as well, of course there is a great giveaway!

Yep! A $30 gc to the store. So make sure to check out This Post  over at the CS blog, and link up your project based on the sketch for a chance to win! :)

Changing things up a bit.
Some pretty bad storms blew through the midwest yesterday.
Thankfully, we only had some bad winds that took down a lot of trees by us.

This is one of the trees in the park across the street from us. Thankfully no where near our car, unlike that last big storm a year ago in October.
There were two big trees down in this spot.
I didn't realize how bad Illinois had been hit until I saw some of the news feeds here on the internet. Apparently Washington, Illinois was hit by a tornado that just leveled areas. :(

It's funny. I have grown up in the Midwest. Lived here all of my life.
And yes, we have always known that tornadoes are a possibility.
But I was never truly afraid of one. The past several years though, they feel like a real threat and we take the sirens pretty seriously here now.
Especially after what happened down in Joplin, Missouri in 2011.

I will definitely be keeping all those affected by the storms last night in my prayers.