2 layouts to start the week....

I created this first layout from pictures of my son's 9th birthday. I embossed the yellow cardstock with the happy birthday cuttlebug folder. I added the red, green, blue and yellow buttons on the curve which made it go perfectly for a challenge in one of my Yahoo groups. We are doing a game virtual crop and this challenge was Twister! Create a layout with red, green, blue and yellow circles! Truly I didn't even mean to follow it...I just realized it after the fact! LOL. I have noticed I'm doing a lot of embellies on a curve lately. Bling on Kate's layouts and buttons or brads on Nick's.

I have really been wanting the top note die from Stampin up but finances have gotten in the way. So to get the 'feel' of that that die for free, I freehanded a bigger version out of a sheet of patterned paper for the base layer of this layout. For the journaling I sat my 4 year old down and asked her to tell me all of her favorite things about her grandma. I journaled it as she rambled on. :) I used skittles (dew drops) to border the journaling to the left. I used my threading water punch on the right side. I also used staples for the first time!

Portrait Layouts

I found this really cool paper set that coordinates with both boy colors and girl colors. As soon as I found it I knew I wanted to use it for the pics I took of the kids last December. I was able to zoom in and get some great close ups of the kids that I really wanted to display individually. Kate's layout uses the brown, cream and pink set. Nick's has the exact same papers but in brown, cream and blue. I finished off Kate's layout with rhinestones, brown ribbon tied in a bow holding a ladybug charm on the page. Nick's is finished off with 20 brown brads in a circle. Both have their names diecut on the page.

12x12 here I come!!!

Whoo hoo!!!! I have made the transition! I have accomplished so much more than I usually do in a day. Once I got started I just couldn't stop.....12x12 ROCKS!!! I was really looking forward to being able to fit more photos into a single layout, but my first layouts I am sharing today (and next) have only one photo each, with the exception of one that has three, but that's okay. Baby steps right? :) Enjoy and let me know what you think of my move to 12x12!!

I had tons of photos of the kids playing in Crayola Land. Rather than scrap them all I asked the kids to look at the pictures and tell me some of the things they got to do in this jungle gym styled playground. Then I wrote each on a piece of paper and scattered it around like journaling confetti. It was a fun technique! You should try it! If you do link the pic or blog post in my comments so I can come see it :)

Goodbye to an Era

When I first started scrapping 9 years ago I was given the choice 8.5x11 or 12x12 by a lady at Michael's. She told me there wasn't much difference so I picked 8.5x11 because the supplies were a tad cheaper. I have regretted that choice almost from the beginning. When I made a gift album in 12x12 for my step-mom last Spring, it made me even more adamant that 12x12 was the way to scrap. You can fit so much more detail and creativity (not to mention PICTURES) into each layout. My big problem was that I'm a little OCD. It was making me ill to think that my albums wouldn't all match. I know....train leaving....first stop crazy land! LOL. Well, recently I discovered that Hobby Lobby sells my black leather albums in both 8.5x11 AND 12x12 sizes!!! So even though the new ones will be bigger...they'll MATCH!!!!!

Now that my 2008 album is complete, I can start the new layouts in 12x12! YAY! Here are my last two 8.5x11 layouts for a while. I still have 2-3 layouts planned and a spot saved for that I need to buy a few supplies to complete earlier in the book though. Enjoy the last of my smaller layouts and I hope you'll enjoy sharing the next phase as much as I do :)

I cut the letters 'Brrr' out of my red tag sale Cuttlebug alpha set. Then ran them through the swiss dotts embossing folder. I cut the brackets out by hand from a picture I found online. The snowflakes and the brads are from a winter swap I was in a few months ago.

I used scraps from the first layout and a few more coordinating pieces from Joann's to complete the second page. I used more brads and snowflakes from the winter swap I mentioned. I cut a navy piece of cardstock with my threading water border punch. I used my Fiskars scissors labeled 'clouds' to make the tab at the bottom left. Both the top right and bottom left tabs were run through the divine swirls embossing folder then inked with blue ink.

The Cuttlebug Spot and a little Mojo

I actually made 2 cards with leftover scraps from the matchbook album I made a few weeks ago. Both are 'MOM' themed and would be great as a mother's day card or even just a thinking of you card for your mother. They are both being sent away for card swaps.

The first card is my take on this week's Mojo Monday Sketch. What a fun sketch they offered up this week and I really had to think a bit to figure out how I was going to incorporate my paper crafting style of little to no stamping into the sketch that has the big image spot. I ended up using pink mulberry paper and 2 coordinating papers from JoAnns that have a 'mother' theme. I matted the top piece with the same cardstock as the middle stripe. The 'MOM' letters are cut from the reverse side of the 2-sided mulberry paper. The ribbon is just the closest match I could find in my stash. I hope you enjoy it :)

The second card followed (well mostly) this week's challenge on The Cuttlebug Spot. It was there first time offering up a sketch as the challenge and I think it was a GREAT sketch!! To see the original click HERE. I used the same patterned papers, cardstock and 2-sided mulberry paper. The center O was covered with primas as a way to incorporate the flower from the sketch. Totally different spot, but it's there! LOL. :)

'I Love You' card in cream and grey??

I wasn't really sure about this paper when I bought it. It seemed so pretty, but an 'I love you' layout or card in cream and grey? It's like saying, "I love you....but I'm a little gloom about it!" LOL! I bought it anyway because it matched some wedding stickers I had. Here is a card I made with the scraps. I used my Swiss Dots embossing folder and primas. I wish I had a bigger grey prima on hand to put as a 3rd layer behind the cream one, but oh well. I am happy with it none the less. :)

Blog Candy Alert

Head on over to one of the most talented paper crafter bloggers I've come across in quite a while. I have been so inspired by her work and I think you will all be too. To add to all the fabulosity that's on display over there...she's also giving away blog candy in celebration of 100+ followers!!! Check it out before April 1st!!!

POPSICLE TOES

A little Q&A never hurt anyone...

I was tagged by my friend Margie and couldn't pass up the chance to ramble on myself. LOL...so if you want to get to know your fellow blogmasters better, post one of these yourself and invite your friends to do the same. If you post one....come back and link to it in my comments...I'd LOVE to read it. You can always just answer in a comment here. I don't mind long comments :)


1. What were you doing before you started this post?
Catching up on my blog subscriptions and eating a PB&J on wheat =)

2. What is the last thing you read/are currently reading?
Proofreading a looong email I was getting ready to send.

3. Do you nap a lot?
Not nearly enough in my opinion, but I'm willing to bet still far more often than most other mom's of 2 kids.

4. Who was the last person you hugged?
My daughter, Kate. She just got her ears pierced last night and I did another clean and turn this afternoon and gave her a hug when we were done.

5. What is your favorite TV series?
I don't watch a lot of TV, but the only thing I watch religiously now is Grey's Anatomy, but my favorite shows of all times were probably the longer running dramas like Dawson's Creek and 90210 (no I don't watch the new one at all LOL). I had so long to really get attached to those characters so I still catch them in reruns when I can.

6. What was the last thing you said out loud? You don't need another juice box.

7. What websites do you always visit when you go online?
Blogger, myspace, facebook and I'll admit it....perezhilton =) LOL

8. What was the last item you bought?
Other than dinner out last night and Katie's ear piercing....the last actual ITEM I bought was the stylized flower embossing folder.

9. What is your most challenging goal?
To create 365 projects this year. Cards, layouts, swap items...etc.

10. If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished- anywhere in the world, where would it be?
South Florida. I miss home =*(

11. Favorite Vacation spot?
Disney. We have been twice (I have gone a few times as a kid too) and it's always are happiest trips.

12. Say something to the person who tagged you:
Thanks Margie! You, as always, rock =)

13. Name one thing you just can't resist no matter how bad it is for you:
Reese's Pieces

14. What is your favorite item of clothing?
Probably blue jeans. I wear them daily and love them =)

15. Whis is your favorite beauty product?
I have naturally curly hair so my Aussie mousse is definitely a lifesaver!

16. Name one thing you can not live with out:
My children

17. Has a celebrity's haircut ever influenced you on your own hairstyle?
Not really. The only bad thing about curly hair is it's hard to change the style too much....but I do tend to change the color on a monthly basis.

18.What is your drink of choice?
Lipton's iced tea with sweet n low. Occassionally A&W root beer.

19. What is something you do every day?
Shower? Go pee? Play with my kids? Play chauffer? There is a list....LOL.

20. What are you wearing right now?
Black shorts (yes it's 30 degrees outside, but I have no intentions on leaving the house...LOL) and a red KC Chiefs tee.

21. What's your favorite room in your house?
My bedroom.

22. What is your favorite color?
Yellow and pink is a close second.

Sketches! in pink, banana and rose

I did it again! Combined multiple challenges into one, that is. I really hope none of the PTB mind that I do that from time to time. If anything, one would think it's great because it introduces followers of one challenge to the others :) Right??? Okay, I'm justifying here...LOL. Anywho....

This card is my creation for the color challenge over at Color Throwdown Weekly Papercrafting Color Challenges. Every week, they give you a color combo to create with. They colors listed are Stampin' Up colors, I believe, but being as awesome as they are over there, they welcome you digging through your own stash of any old brand paper and finding similar shades. The colors this week were, Pretty in Pink, Barely Banana, and Regal Rose. My colors were similar shades from the DCWV cardstock line.

Once I had my color palette chosen, I headed over to Sketches! by Tamara to check out her card sketch this week. She never ceases to amaze me and this week did not disappoint. You can see the original sketch by clicking HERE. Thanks for looking :) I'm off to create more cards. I absolutely LOVE when I'm in the zone :)

Once I was done and moved on to the next card idea I realized it also fit this week's challenge to use food or drink as a theme in your creation over at Cute Card Thursday. Lucky me...three birds, one stone :) Make sure you check out this blog because they always have fun challenges like that! Every Thursday :)

2 for 1 card

This particular card is a 2 for 1 special. Whoo hoo!!! I followed this week's Mojo Monday sketch #76. You can view the original HERE. I started by working from the Papertake Weekly Challenge. This week's theme was hot chocolate. We were to use the color combo brown, pink and orange. Not sure how 'hot' my shades of pink and orange were, but they are there. LOL.

Hold on to your bows =)

What a fabulous challenge. I was in quite the card making 'zone' this weekend and decided to check out all of my favorite card making challenge blogs. Over at The Cuttlebug Spot, this week's challenge was to do it up with bows. I struggled with this one at first, but found such inspiration in one particular card created by design team member Donna. Click on her name to check out her blog. I LOVE her blog and all her work and want to take the time to shamelessly pimp out her blog, since I so shamelessly scraplifted her creation LOL. I hope my friend who is receiving it likes it :)

Easter Card

This card is for a swap I am in. It's an Easter theme. I used this week's CPS sketch #105. You can see the original sketch HERE. This was made almost entirely of scraps so I'm not sure of any brand names. I have really made an effort to start using layout leftovers to make cards. The grass paper and colored egg papers were both found at Joanns. As was the blue grossgrain ribbon. The lamb paper piecing was received in a swap so long ago, I couldn't tell you who or which group. It's been in my stash and this Easter theme was JUST the time to pull it out!

The One & Only You

I have been creating all day! Lots of pages done. I am working on a virtual crop and it's inspired me to do so much :) Here are 2 of my favorites. They are pictures of my daughter when we were putting up our Christmas decorations. She was so excited to break into last years popcorn tin only to discover TOWELS!!! Needless to say she spent all day VERY upset that Mommy stored Christmas towels in there. LOL

This layout is my take on this week's Pencillines sketch. Check out the original sketch HERE.

This is my submission to this week's 52 sketches...52 weeks challenge. I had a lot of fun with this one. I omitted the title from the top because it was just really hard to fit all the elements on an 8.5 x 11 layout. I also used my favorite blingy gems on a curve instead of paper, but I think it works =) Thanks for looking.

BUBBLES!!!

I finally finished the last of my swaps over the weekend. At least till next month...hee hee. I did this title for an Everyday Living-Kids swap over at Scrapbook Bingo. I just wanted to share because I had to have made 3 different titles hating each one a little more than the last before I finally settled on this one and loved it. It's very simple but the 3D embellies are busy enough I think =)