Playtime

Here's a layout I made yesterday using random bits and pieces of scraps on my table...I can't WAIT until my new SC kits arrive!

I went ahead and jumped the gun on the Trendspotting class.  I used a few hexes I had leftover from a previous SC kit.  I really like them grouped together, which is really the only way I've ever used them on a page, lol!

My little girl loves to play outside.  I got this pic of her last week while we were waiting on the boys to come home from school.

I added some buttons and a fabric covered brad to the hexagons to give them some dimension.  I love the soft colors of this layout ;)

Happy Wednesday!  TFL!!!

Project Life

Here's my PL post for the week of August 13th - 15th...

I didn't take very many photos this week :(  So this PL spread is short and simple.  I guess now that the kids are in school, I won't have as many photos of them throughout the week, lol!

I printed this photo collage of my photos from The Color Run off of my home printer and just slipped it into a 12x12 album sleeve.  

I'm struggling to keep this Project Life thing going...I've wanted to quit so many times and I think this may be the last week that I document :(  I'm still on the fence, so we'll see...

Happy Tuesday!  TFL!

Hello Darling

Happy Monday everyone!  I hope you had a great weekend :)  I managed to get sick after mowing our lawn on Saturday so today I'm trying to rest and relax.  Friday is my birthday and I really don't want to be sick on my birthday.  Ugh...

Here's another layout I created for the Trendspotting class at Studio Calico...

Yes, I'm still scrapping vacation pics...I have so many great ones that I just can't help myself ;)  I really need to put a mini together to showcase all of my great Instax photos I shot on our vacation, but I've had a creative block on how that should come together.  I hate when that happens!

I'm still using my August kit from SC and adding in a few odds and ends from my stash that need to be used up.   I added the banner along the side of my layout to switch it up a bit...then dressed it up with a few embellishments and wood veneer arrows.

I realized after uploading this shot (oops) that you can't read all of the journaling on the tag.  It reads..."You didn't care too much for the water, but you loved digging your toes in the sand!"

My favorite embellishment on this layout is the star cluster on the left side of the journaling tag.  I had a bunch of stars lying around on my craft table so I decided to layer them in a random way using glue dots and stitch them together in a cluster.  I adhered a wooden button on top to add a bit more dimension and color, too.  I really like how it turned out and I can't wait to start trying out other punched shapes!

Have a great day!  TFL!

Remember Today Only

Ok, ok, I'm trying hard not to get too sentimental with this blog post (#200 btw!), but it's hard.  My babies are getting big and growing up.  Fast.  We were all walking up the driveway yesterday after the boys got home from school (so glad I had my camera in hand!) and I just thought, wow, these are the good ol' days.  Today is the best day.  Every day I get to spend with them is the best day.  All the crazy, hard, tough, busy, happy, fun days are the best day.  I feel very blessed and very lucky.  Even when things aren't going my way, or their way, we're lucky we have each other and that we get to be a part of each other's stories...every day :)  That's why I love scrapbooking so much.  It gives me a chance to remember the tiny moments that I would've otherwise forgotten about.  It helps me get through the moments that aren't always "picture perfect".  It helps me get my feelings across in ways other than words.  It just helps.  I'm a big ball of mush today...I just can't help it :)

Here's my layout for the Weekly Challenge over at Studio Calico...

This week's challenge was to use some sort of frame on your page.  I decided to frame the two photos with a large banner of patterned paper instead of just a plain 'ol rectangular piece.

I'm getting down to the nitty gritty of my August kit, so I can't wait for September's!

I misted my background paper with some Mister Huey's Opaque White to tone down the color a bit...
And once again I added some green glitter splatters and some Mister Huey's Silver splatters, too.

I'm so happy that it's Friday!  This week wasn't the best...just glad to get through it.  I hope you have a great weekend!  Enjoy :)

Anchors Away

Here's my take on this week's Sunday Sketch...

I kept my layout pretty close to the sketch, I just sort of smooshed everything together a bit.  

I made the banner out of various patterns of washi tape, which was super easy and fun to use in a different way.

I also used a lot of arrows and a bit of metallics in this layout, two trends that I've been working with in my Trendspotting class.  The journaling card is also from the class.

I just love this photo of my youngest son as he stood in awe of the "pirate" ship that went by our neck of the beach during our Florida vacation.  I used my Snapster App on my iPhone with the Cyan filter to get the "aqua" look around the edges of the photo.

I also used a "new to me" technique on this layout...sparkling glitter splatters.  I can already tell it's going to be my next obsession!  I found this great video at SwissGirlDesigns that showed me how to achieve the look :)  It's fun to try and really quite simple, hope you check it out!

Happy Thursday!  TFL!

I Love This

Here's a layout I made just for fun...just for me.  I didn't use a sketch, challenge, or prompt.  I just had these great photos of my daughter on my computer that I just had to get down on a page.  So my inspiration for this layout came from her silly, happy expressions.  All I knew is that I wanted this page to be bright, fun, and happy :)

I'm kind of on a doily kick right now.  Lately, I can't seem to do a page without one!  My favorite elements on this page (besides the doilies) are the aqua washi tape and the red and white striped patterned paper.  All of which came from Studio Calico's August kit, Summer of '69 +Add-ons.  I also used quite of few of their digital printables for this month.

Happy Wednesday everyone!  I hope you're having a great week and thanks for checking out my page :)

Destin, FL

I combined two of the Trendspotting class trends together for this layout...confetti and neon...

Since this page is very bright I grounded it a bit by using some black accents.  I think they really pop against the neon orange, pink, and yellow.

The confetti bits were already attached to those adorable tags from this month's SC add-on kit...I just put them together and stuck the "Hello" sentiment in the middle.

I love this photo of my kiddos after we had eaten at a great seafood restaurant, The Crab Trap, during our trip to Destin.  They very rarely get together for a shot...so when they do I take advantage!

Happy Tuesday!  TFL!

Legendary (good) Morning

It's Monday...where did the weekend go?  I was busy and the busier you are the faster time just seems to disappear.

Here's a quick peek at the highlight of my weekend...

My sister, Melissa, and I had such an awesome time at The Color Run in St. Louis this past Satruday!  I think we're going to have to make this a yearly tradition :)

Here's a layout I made last week for the Studio Calico Trendspotting class I'm taking...

For this assignment, we had to incorporate starbursts into our project.  I went big and bold with this one!  I used the cut file that came with the class and my Cameo to make the huge starburst design on my page.  I stitched each piece down and then carefully bent the paper upwards to give it more dimension.

This is a shot of my boys running to catch the bus on their first full day of school.  It was a beautiful morning and they were so excited!  The sun flare in the photo was pure luck so I just went with it and I didn't add a filter of any sort to the shot.

I used SC's August kit +Add-ons for this page.  The "Legendary" tag and "Good Morning" banner are from Ormolu.

Today I have to take Avery to meet her Pre-K teachers...she's very excited and I can't wait to enjoy that special moment with her!  Have a great day and thanks for looking!

Project Life Week 23

Oooh, it's finally Friday...whoot, whoot!  This has been a huge week for me.  My oldest son started fifth grade, my middle son started Kindergarten, and my youngest girl will be going to Pre-K on Monday.  All of our schedules are mixed up and different and we're trying to establish some sort of routine.  

Tonight, I get to whisk away all by myself to stay with my sister and her family because tomorrow we're doing The Color Run in STL!  I'm not a runner (apparently you don't have to be to run this 5k) but I'm super excited to be a part of all the wonder, color, and just to hang out with my lil' sis :)  If you get a chance, you've got to check out The Color Run video on YouTube...super cool!

Also, I have some very BIG news that I can't quite share with you just yet...but I will very, very soon...so.excited.about.this!

Ok,  here's my PL spread for the week of August 6th - 12th...

Keeping it real simple still seems to be working for me.  I like using bigger photos and I tried to add a bit more journaling this week.  Yes, I do realize I stamped the "xoxo" backwards, lol!

I didn't take very many photos throughout the week so I filled up one side of my Project Life spread with the photos I've been taking for Photo-A-Day August.

The one thing I forgot to mention in my "10 Things" was that we watched a lot of the Olympics.  I really enjoyed having something decent to watch on television in the evenings with the hubby and the kiddos.  I didn't have to worry about language, content, or violence, which was nice!

My favorite product from this spread has to be the "birds on a wire" washi tape from Freckled Fawn.

Wish me luck tomorrow!  I just wanna make it across that finish line...can't wait to share photos!  Have a great weekend and TFL!

Bringing Home the Gold

Here's a layout I completed yesterday for my Trendspotting class over at Studio Calico...

The challenge was to use something metallic on your page.  I used some glittery gold Thickers in my title and I transformed the wood veneer arrows with some gold embossing powder and my heat gun.  I also added a bit of gold sequins at the top and under my journaling tag.

I used my August SC kit for this layout and that super cute "house" badge is from Ormolu.  

Happy Thursday!  TFL!!!

Up, Up, & Away!

Here's my take on this week's Sunday Sketch Challenge at Studio Calico...

I had some fun photos of my brother, hubby, and oldest son from when they went parasailing on our vacation that I couldn't wait to scrap.  I took this week's sketch and turned it upside down because I wanted the title on the top.  I used the banners to represent the tilted angles of the sketch.  

 
I added the wood veneer stars from SC to carry out the theme from the star on the parachute and all the products I used for this layout are from the Summer of '69 August Kit +Add-ons from Studio Calico.

I couldn't help myself from using doilies on my "boy-themed" page...they reminded me of the fluffy parachute, too!

I hope you're having a great week...I can't believe it's Wednesday already!  xo

I Love The View From Here

Here's a layout I made for my Trendspotting class that I'm currently taking at Studio Calico...

I used one of my favorite photos from our Florida trip as my inspiration for this layout.  The picture was taken while we were eating at a local Destin seafood spot, The Back Porch.  I think the colors in the photo are just AMAZING!

For this assignment, we had to use an ombre effect on our project.  I took the little notebook paper pocket that came in my August SC kit and used three different shades of Mister Huey's Color Mists on it to create the effect.

The "HERE" arrow is a Silhouette cut file I purchased a while back.  

Here's a better shot of the ombre effect on the paper pocket that I used to hide my journaling tag.  I also used some Mister Huey's to brighten up a few of the SC wood veneers I used on my layout.

Hope you're having a great day!  Thanks for looking :)

My Cutie Pie

Happy Monday to everyone!  My kids start school today and I'm so glad we can get back to a more "normal" schedule!  We've had a great summer, but everyone around here can tell that it's time to get back into the swing...and we're all ready for Fall.  This year I've got a fifth grader, kindergartner, and a pre-schooler.  Wow!  This year is going to be very different for this stay@home mom and very busy to say the least!

Here's a layout I made late last week using Studio Calico's August Kit +Add-ons and their latest cut files that coordinate with their kits...

My mom bought all of the kids waterproof cameras to take on our Florida trip and they had such a great time taking their own pictures.  Avery couldn't stop clicking even after she used the last exposure!  I'm hoping to pick the photos up today...can't wait to see what they captured!

I kept this layout fairly simple, but with a lot of tiny embellishments...I just can't help myself ;)

I hope you have a great day!  TFL!

This Is Where I Want To Be.

First and foremost, I want to give all of my blog followers a big XO for all the support and wonderful comments I've been receiving lately :)  I'm so glad you're enjoying my posts and layouts and I just want you all to know it means so much to me that I can provide a little inspiration for you in your own crafting and scrapbooking endeavors.  I'm truly honored that you take time out of your day just to stop by and check out my little blog :)  Thank you all so much, from the bottom of my heart!

Ok, ok...enough of the mushy stuff :0)

I played along with Studio Calico's Weekly Challenge this week.  This week's challenge was to use a black and white photo on your layout so you wouldn't have any color matching issues with your photo and paper.  

Here's my layout...

I have to admit that I had a hard time with this challenge at first.  I've been using very brightly colored photos in my layouts all summer long (thanks to my Snapster app on my iPhone :) and I honestly couldn't remember the last time I scrapped a black and white one.  I spent at least an hour scouring my pics looking for the perfect black and white contrast when I found this photo of myself my shadow snapping a pic of the beach while we were on vacation.  When I found it, I knew it was the one.

I intended to use a lot more colors and patterns, but the photo wasn't matching up with anything I liked so I went a little more monochromatic.  I still really like the way it turned out though ;)

I used my Summer of '69 kit +Add-ons for this layout.  I used my Cameo to cut out the "geotags", "HERE arrow", and the "THIS IS WHERE I WANT TO BE" sentiment.

Have a great weekend everyone!  TFL!!!

Oh Happy Day

I signed up for August's class Trendspotting at Studio Calico and our first assignment was to use triangles on our page.  I have to admit that I've never really focused on the shape, but after creating this layout, I will definitely be using them more often!  

I cut the triangles out of my background paper using a craft knife and a little patience.  Then I slipped pieces of black and white polka dot patterned paper behind them and adhered them with tape on the back of the page.  I think it adds a really nice "pop".

I used the multi-colored hexes to add another triangle element to this layout as well.  The background paper is also comprised of tons of tiny triangles which helped me in lining up my cutout triangle shapes.
 

I used my new SC kit +Add-ons for this page and the "oh happy day" and "arrow and heart" journaling cards were bonus downloads from the class.  

Well, it's Thursday already!  This week has flown by :)  Have a good one and TFL!