pages galore

Here are the pages I've done lately.  I like some, and I'm just eh about others.  


Used For the Record from Echo Park.  Love that line!!!



 I got this idea from a Maggie Holmes page.  She'd used two different color backgrounds for a 2 pgr.  Then brought the opposite color into each side.  I love all her stuff!  On this page I used Dear Lizzy paper and emb.  mixed with some American Crafts spring paper.  Had fun making this!



  This one kinda just came to me.  I used several papers from October Afternoon Thrift Shop pack, plus a fun Unity stamp set.  This kind of banner was a new one for me, too.  I just loved these pictures so much, I'm glad I waited for the right papers and the right idea!

This is the 2nd page I've made using the Cosmo Cricket Joy Ride pack.  The colors are so different from what I'm used to, it makes me think outside the box.  This is the first time I've stamped a title in forever!

So, I loved this Imaginisce line when I 1st saw it, but it's given me some big problems.  I went through several different background colors, then finally settled on this teal.  Like my little puffer fish.  I bought the little stamp because I thought it wsa adorable!  Glad I got to use it.  And I added some Distress Stickles to the title to give it a little worn feel.

Another paper line I've had forever!  My Minds Eye, Feeling Groovy, Penny Lane.  The purples finally matched a pic I had.  I'm glad I am using some of my older stuff!

Another older line from My Minds Eye.  I also added some doodle bat Dinos that have been on my computer forever!  Saw a cool layering effect with the scallop circles and wanted to do the same thing on this page.  Didn't work out quite right, so I just used them as a giant mat.  And, omg how stinkin cute is AJ here?!!?

This one was supposed to be done for Sarah's bday last year as a part of the table set up.  I didn't finish it until now.  :)  I like that I waited a bit though, becuase I just got the large flower border punch.  This is one of my favorite pics of the two of us, too.

Another 2 pager!  AJ kept asking when I was going to do a beach page about him, so I did.  I used some paper from a DCWV summer stack.  Again really old paper!  Totally stole the bottom border from the archivers samples.  But it was much harder since I didn't have the die!!  Then to give it a little punch, I layered some of the embellishment.  They were cut from a sheet of pattern paper and pop-dotted up.

That's all for now.  I am in the zone right now, so hopefully more will be coming soon!

Was that May we just passed?

So, a month and a half later, I'm back.  I really don't know where the time went.  May always seems to fly by.  Kids are almost done with school.  1 1/2 days left, but they are fun happy time days.  Sarah and AJ both are a little melancholy about the end of school.  They really love to see all their friends every day.  The nice thing is they still play well with each other, so they shouldn't be too bored.  I will have to look online for activities and crafts for us to do.  Outside activities, while I'm still able to waddle about.  :) 

fuzzy baby belly self portrait

I've hit trimester number three!!  This pregnancy is flying by too.  I know these last 3 months will be the best (not).  I've started having some clothing issues, so I am shopping tomorrow.  That always makes me happy.  Even if I am buying tents.  :) 

There have been several pages finished in the last little while, plus a book for Ma on mother's day and a book of some of Jon's pics from Europe.  Don't have pics of the last two, but I will get the ones of my pages up here.  Right now, though, we are getting ready to have a nice healthy meal.  Cereal has lots of vitamins and minerals.  :)

here's another one :)

I have had this crate paper sitting on my shelf just waiting.  Waiting for the right pics, waiting for the inspiration to strike.  Waiting, patiently.   Other friends used this line as soon as it came out, but like I said, it wasn't right for me then.  I knew I loved the Snow Day collection right away when I saw it.  And finally the perfect scrapbooking storm hit, a combination of inspiration, the right pictures and time.  I'd had such a slump before this stretch, that it  makes me happy to just get stuff done.  Plus, these pictures, that AJ took btw, were just too cute.  I was also inpsired by a lot of the pages I've seen out there with the paint splatters.  I'm sure I didn't do it the same way everyone else is, cuz mine turned out a bit different, but I like it anyway.  The background paper that I had picked out just wasn't quite right and the paint I think made it perfect.  I may not do it again for awhile though, I hate waiting for paint to dry. 

I had fun making this tag too.  I love using my texture boutique!!  That, a little paint and ink.  I love how much you can change a plain piece of kraft paper into something really cute!

And to top it all off.  Here are some sweet pictures of Jon and AJ playing football in the backyard.  Jon tries his hardest to pass on his sports wisdom to AJ and AJ  tries his hardest to soak it all up.  I love watching them together!

Both of them are making sound effects of a collision.  hee!!hee!!

definitely related

I finished!!    I may have neglected bathrooms and dusting and vacuuming to finish, but it's done. 

I used the Girls Paperie Kitch line.  love it, love it, love it!!  As hinted to, there are more banners.  Plus, a rosette!  I wanted to get as many of the fun patterns on this page as I could.  I think I got a good balance.  It's right on the edge of going over, but that's how I am most of the time.  I tried several backgrounds before settling on this one too.  I tried kraft, of course, and a nice cream color, but neither one made the patterns pop.  I found this blue and bingo, decision made.  They are fun colors and cute patterns that match what my pics are saying.  Happy me!!

I like how the pattern paper looks like a ribbon.  It really makes your paper scraps go a lot farther!!!  And my rosette.  That is the thing I love the best about my scoreboard!  Thanks Martha!

banners, banners, banners...

Oh, and since I ran out of room for my journaling on the front, again, I wrote it on the back.  Just talking about how even though they don't look a lot alike, you can definitely tell they're related by all that goofiness!  Which I'm sure wasn't mine or Jon's fault.  :)

One more thing before I go.  Last night, since Jon wasn't home til late, I made the kids some good ol' grilled cheese and tomato soup.  And I took a picture.  don't know why, but I did.  The cheese was all melty and yummy :)

feeling vinatge-y

Had fun at the antique stores today.  Looking for teacups.  We found one.   But we took some fun pictures.  I might use these for color inspiration soon. :) 

•  Bright yellows and greens with bright blue
• melon, mustard and periwinkle (i like that name)
• more greens, yellow and orange
• Really pretty turquiose with cream and white and a touch of lime.  :)

It was fun reorganizing some of the shelves so I could get these pics too!

I am super close to finishing my next page.  Another night sitting up with Jon should see it finished.  We'll see if I make it today.  Oh, and here's one last picture from the antique trip.  If I was doing the 365, this would totally be my pic of the day. It just struck me as funny. ;)

Jubilee and Twigs

I am so excited to to say that I got two pages done that I am pretty proud of.  Yay me!!!  I've been staying up late with Jon and working on them.  Trying to spend some time with him and still get something done. :) 

Here's the first one.  I used the Jubilee line from the Girls Paperie new collections.  I fell in love with this plaid paper the moment I saw it and knew I wanted to use it on a page for something.  It's just so stinkin pretty.  I really fell in love with their whole release this time.  They rock!!!

Loved seeing how much she changed over these years.  It's crazy how fast time goes by.  Here are a couple close ups, too.

I am so totally in love with all things banners right now.  I know everyone else is too.  I can't help but use them on my layout lately.  I had fun making this one.  I handcut the first piece then used that one as a template for the rest.  Add some letter stickers and a bit of stitching and you're done!!  

Here is the second.  I was over at my friend Marnies' house and she was going thru her paper stash.  She decided that she wouldn't use these papers from the Little Yellow Bicycle Twig line.  Lucky me, I got to take them home.  Thanks Marnie!!!!!!  Anyway, I didn't know what I'd use them for either, but when I saw these pictures of AJ, I knew they'd be perfect!  Love the way it turned out. :)

And miracle above all miracles, this one was all me.  I didn't use a sketch or get an idea from another layout.  All me.  Again, you can tell I'm pretty proud.  :) 

Again with the banner.  This one was too cute to pass up and already adhesive.  My fish were made from the leaf paper.  I just rounded one end of the leaf, added a brad and a tail and popped them up.  I made sure to have room for my journaling, too.  I've not been writing as much as I should.  On the other layout, I didn't my journaling on the back so at least I would have it somewhere. 

And that's all for now.  I've got several more ready to go.  Just need to plan a bit and they'll be up in no time.  I hope.  :)

here we go again, again.

So, I have been reading friends blogs and this has inspired some action on my part.  I figured, hey, I've got some stuff going on I could probably, maybe talk about.  What with this being growing inside me and all.  I want to be like Elizabeth Kartchner and tell you what size the baby is now according to fruit, but I've got no idea.  I will say that week 14 is going well.  It's been nice to feel normal again.  It was weird how right at 12 weeks I instantly felt better.  What I don't like so much...having to get the new clothes.  Yes, I know that there are new cute styles of maternity clothes out there now, but I still feel fat.  It will only get worse, but I'll try not to complain to much.  If you read this though, you may have to put up with the occasional bitch session.  I am going to revamp the look, too.  Not sure what I want to do, but something.  This will work for now.

So the inspiration that I got from my wonderful friends was to get back to scrap booking!!!  Amy keeps bringing all these awesome pages into the store (and I am truly in awe) which makes me long to do something I am that proud of.  And then seeing Amanda's pages on her blog...well...I realized that if she is working and baby sitting and being mommy of 3 and wifey and coming up with all these amazing pages, I can surely make a page here and there.  And type on this blog.  :)  I love that I have friends all around me that are so creative and so inspiring. 

So without further ado, I did do a scrapbook page last night.  A two-pager even!!  It's not the best, but at least it's something.  I used an older Bo Bunny line called Calypso (i think).  I used to subscribe to a kit of the month club.  Each month I would get a box full of goodies.  Some of which I used, most I did not.  This was one of those line that I liked, but wasn't sure how to use it or it just didn't hit me.  When I came across these pictures of my kids and nieces and nephew at the park I saw how well the colors would all work together.  I like that this line uses primary colors, but all in ways you wouldn't expect. 

Here is a shot of the butterflies.  I LOVE using butterflies on my pages.  I used a great Martha Stewart punch, some yellow pattern paper, some of my trusty chestnut roan ink and some yellow Stickles.  Just a touch of adhesive in the center of the butterfly lets the wings become 3D.  

And this shot shows the border punches.  I sat and looked at all this paper so long trying to figure out how to get all these fun colors and patterns to work right on my page.  Layering border punches is always a great idea since you can get a punch of color in a small space.  It's not too overwhelming.  And let me tell you, I was kinda afraid at first to use the red, but I think it worked.  I also used some of the yellow Stickles in the center of the grommet.  So you'd see that instead of the boring paper underneath.