Wow, I have some catching up to do again! The two layouts I mentioned in my last post seem to have figured themselves out, and cooperated when I tried uploading them to my Scrapbook.com gallery. I'll come back tomorrow and indulge you on those two layouts!
Tonight, I completed the second of a few layouts detailing our nieces wedding this past September. The first was the Silly Hats layout. I have permission to post my layouts of her wedding to my online gallery, so feel free to head on over and have a peek!
The color scheme S chose for her wedding was mainly black, white and blue, so I naturally stuck with those colours in this layout. I love the effect you'll see on the title mat and under the bells; taking a sponge dauber, I filled it up with Not Quite Navy ink (SU), and literally dabbed at the paper to create a spray painted-ish look. Love!!
On the grey card stock matting the photos, I used Whisper White Ink, and an Easter SU stamp that reminded me of rain, and stamped the background. Yes, it was a wet and rainy day, but it cleared up enough to make for some beautiful sunset photos during their photo shoot. It didn't matter that it rained. The day was still beautiful. ANother little element I included to tie the rain aspect into my layout is the little blue umbrella brad (Carta Bella Alphabet Junction).
The May your joys be many is actually a Jillibean Soup Christmas tag (Winter Tortellini), but I thought it worked beautifully here. The blue circle matted underneath that is Creative Memories, and both hearts on the page are K&Co.
Once again, Pinterest to the rescue! The sketch I came across there is what inspired this layout. I love how many pictures I was able to fit into it! Rather than using 3x3, which is what it called for, I re-adjusted the size to 2.5x2.5, so it would fit nicely on an 8.5x11 size layout. I think I could have gone a bit smaller, but I'm happy with the final result!
S, hopefully you like it, too!
Have a great night.
Hope you drop by again soon.
~a
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Monday, February 25, 2013
Birthdays
Good evening! Did y'all get snow today, too? It was warm, but we still got a couple centimetres of the white stuff. I didn't want to go out and shovel it- I didn't even want to brush it off my car! I guess other things around the house were more important.
Last weekend, and the weekend before, were fabulous. The girls thoroughly enjoyed their grandpa M's 70th birthday, and they enjoyed even more their own birthday, which was the following Friday. We spent the day at home, just by ourselves, and spoiled the girls rotten. They got their most favourite foods at every meal on Friday, they got to open their presents, and their mama made them each a birthday cake (one cake mix, but two round cake pans) with the color of icing of their own choice. It was a really good day.
Saturday was an absolute blast. We threw a party for them, and invited the rest of the family (grandparents, aunties and uncle, and some new friends- to the girls). We had quite a few guests grace our house (and spoil my children rotten), but it was a really great time of visiting, catching up with old friends (and making new friends in the process! Our children had never met, and they're only a week apart!!), eating fabulous food (and no, I'm not trying to toot my own horn! LOL), and beating a pinata senseless. It was just very simple affair- a fruit platter, veggie platter, grilled cheese for lunch, some finger foods, and the best.idea.ever. for a birthday cake.
Dairy Queen blizzard cupcakes.
Ever heard of them?? Ever had one??
I think that was the biggest hit. The kids loved it, and I'm pretty sure the adults enjoyed them, too. There's still a few left over, and one of them is calling my name. Unfortunately, its too late at night to enjoy them!! Maybe tomorrow night...
Now that I've caught you up on the events in our lives this past week, I can share with you a new layout that I made.
Not that long ago, I decided to go out and buy acrylic paint from the Dollar Store. I wasn't sure how much use I would get out of it, so I only stuck to purchasing a couple bottles. (I wound up having to buy another one, because one of my girls got a hold of it, and emptied the entire bottle on herself and the love seat in the living room. It was the end.of.the.world.) No word of a lie. There's still some faint blue stains in the carpet (leading to the bathroom), but every ounce of the blue stuff came out of the love seat. Phew!! I know that both can be replaced, but I'm not as concerned about the carpet as I am the love seat. I don't want to replace the love seat any time soon; one of these days I would love to replace the carpeting in the living room with hardwood or something else. One of these days, we do plan on tearing out the carpet on the main level of our home. Having said that, though, I'm elated that most of the blue paint came out of the carpet, too. We need it to last until we CAN replace it!
Anyways...
On the last few layouts (two of which aren't being posted because they are not cooperating), I've been using my acrylic paint. I've been using my acrylic paint to paint wood veneers that I've been finding down at Walmart recently. In the scrap candy aisle. They're only a $1.00 each, and there's maybe 6-7 pieces in each little packet. I've got everything from leaves to crowns to helicopters and wedding dresses. I urge you to go and pick some up if you haven't already! They make great accents to any project!
So, on this project, I found a crown and painted it Island Blue (DecoArt brand). Its such a pretty colour! I had done part of the title in blue alphas, so I wanted to pick up more of the blue throughout, which is why I chose to paint the crown blue. To bling it up a little, I added some Recollections pearl rhinestones, and a clear rhinestone.
The centre part of the layout originally was dedicated to journalling (on the sketch that I used that inspired this layout), but as I was trying to figure out how I was going to make the journalling portion pretty, I came up with the idea of layering a few strips of scallop punched paper, on an angle, for some interest. I liked the way it looked so much, I decided not to cover it up (after adhering journalling strips and not liking that it was covering up the prettiness). Instead, the smaller blue half circle that's beside the larger circle (matting the crown) is actually a pull tab for hidden journalling. It also includes the date of the event we attended.
You're probably wondering what the deal is with the hats. Our niece got married on the first of September (2012), and silly hats were encouraged at the ceremony. The guests that came up with the most unique/goofiest hats would win prizes (which wound up being a bottle of wine. Pretty nice prize, actually!) There's a story behind Kyle's tacky piggy hat, but that'll be shared in a future layout. The girls, and their cousin Chloe, all got hats from the Dollar Store, so they could participate, too. Not that the hats lasted long.
I'm also trying to use up some of my older paper lately. The patterned papers I used on this project came from K&Co's Best Of Collection. There's 360 sheets of paper in it, and its great, but my only issue with it is its thin. Not always very functional if you want to...say...die cut something with your Cricut. Grr. Minor pet peeve. Sometimes even my paper trimmer messes up the paper. Anyways, there's a lot of gorgeous patterned paper in there, and I wanted to find something that would work well with red card stock, since red is the color of love, and since the major theme of this particular layout (though maybe understated) is a wedding.
You may or may not see more of it in future layouts. We'll have to see!
You WILL see more paint in the future- and in more colors than the three I currently own (blue, green, and antique white). Eek! I feel a Dollar Store shopping spree coming on!
See you next time,
~a
Last weekend, and the weekend before, were fabulous. The girls thoroughly enjoyed their grandpa M's 70th birthday, and they enjoyed even more their own birthday, which was the following Friday. We spent the day at home, just by ourselves, and spoiled the girls rotten. They got their most favourite foods at every meal on Friday, they got to open their presents, and their mama made them each a birthday cake (one cake mix, but two round cake pans) with the color of icing of their own choice. It was a really good day.
Saturday was an absolute blast. We threw a party for them, and invited the rest of the family (grandparents, aunties and uncle, and some new friends- to the girls). We had quite a few guests grace our house (and spoil my children rotten), but it was a really great time of visiting, catching up with old friends (and making new friends in the process! Our children had never met, and they're only a week apart!!), eating fabulous food (and no, I'm not trying to toot my own horn! LOL), and beating a pinata senseless. It was just very simple affair- a fruit platter, veggie platter, grilled cheese for lunch, some finger foods, and the best.idea.ever. for a birthday cake.
Dairy Queen blizzard cupcakes.
Ever heard of them?? Ever had one??
I think that was the biggest hit. The kids loved it, and I'm pretty sure the adults enjoyed them, too. There's still a few left over, and one of them is calling my name. Unfortunately, its too late at night to enjoy them!! Maybe tomorrow night...
Now that I've caught you up on the events in our lives this past week, I can share with you a new layout that I made.
Not that long ago, I decided to go out and buy acrylic paint from the Dollar Store. I wasn't sure how much use I would get out of it, so I only stuck to purchasing a couple bottles. (I wound up having to buy another one, because one of my girls got a hold of it, and emptied the entire bottle on herself and the love seat in the living room. It was the end.of.the.world.) No word of a lie. There's still some faint blue stains in the carpet (leading to the bathroom), but every ounce of the blue stuff came out of the love seat. Phew!! I know that both can be replaced, but I'm not as concerned about the carpet as I am the love seat. I don't want to replace the love seat any time soon; one of these days I would love to replace the carpeting in the living room with hardwood or something else. One of these days, we do plan on tearing out the carpet on the main level of our home. Having said that, though, I'm elated that most of the blue paint came out of the carpet, too. We need it to last until we CAN replace it!
Anyways...
On the last few layouts (two of which aren't being posted because they are not cooperating), I've been using my acrylic paint. I've been using my acrylic paint to paint wood veneers that I've been finding down at Walmart recently. In the scrap candy aisle. They're only a $1.00 each, and there's maybe 6-7 pieces in each little packet. I've got everything from leaves to crowns to helicopters and wedding dresses. I urge you to go and pick some up if you haven't already! They make great accents to any project!
So, on this project, I found a crown and painted it Island Blue (DecoArt brand). Its such a pretty colour! I had done part of the title in blue alphas, so I wanted to pick up more of the blue throughout, which is why I chose to paint the crown blue. To bling it up a little, I added some Recollections pearl rhinestones, and a clear rhinestone.
The centre part of the layout originally was dedicated to journalling (on the sketch that I used that inspired this layout), but as I was trying to figure out how I was going to make the journalling portion pretty, I came up with the idea of layering a few strips of scallop punched paper, on an angle, for some interest. I liked the way it looked so much, I decided not to cover it up (after adhering journalling strips and not liking that it was covering up the prettiness). Instead, the smaller blue half circle that's beside the larger circle (matting the crown) is actually a pull tab for hidden journalling. It also includes the date of the event we attended.
You're probably wondering what the deal is with the hats. Our niece got married on the first of September (2012), and silly hats were encouraged at the ceremony. The guests that came up with the most unique/goofiest hats would win prizes (which wound up being a bottle of wine. Pretty nice prize, actually!) There's a story behind Kyle's tacky piggy hat, but that'll be shared in a future layout. The girls, and their cousin Chloe, all got hats from the Dollar Store, so they could participate, too. Not that the hats lasted long.
I'm also trying to use up some of my older paper lately. The patterned papers I used on this project came from K&Co's Best Of Collection. There's 360 sheets of paper in it, and its great, but my only issue with it is its thin. Not always very functional if you want to...say...die cut something with your Cricut. Grr. Minor pet peeve. Sometimes even my paper trimmer messes up the paper. Anyways, there's a lot of gorgeous patterned paper in there, and I wanted to find something that would work well with red card stock, since red is the color of love, and since the major theme of this particular layout (though maybe understated) is a wedding.
You may or may not see more of it in future layouts. We'll have to see!
You WILL see more paint in the future- and in more colors than the three I currently own (blue, green, and antique white). Eek! I feel a Dollar Store shopping spree coming on!
See you next time,
~a
Thursday, February 21, 2013
First Time
My track record has been pretty poor lately. Sorry for that!
There are a couple new layouts that should be added to my Pinterest in the near future; for now, I'll share my most recent layout (which I haven't uploaded yet, so look for it late tonight or tomorrow).
Back when Addison was still a little baby and we were trying to cope with her Colic, we brought her to the lab in Arcola to see if her blood work would turn up anything (because at that point, we had no idea what was bothering her so). Of course no little ones like having sharp objects stuck into their arms (or tied around their arms, for that matter), but she was a trooper. The girls at the hospital (naturally) thought Addison was adorable. I don't think its often they have little ones grace their lab, so it was a highlight in their day to see someone so sweet and wiggly.
To reward Addison for her bravery, the lab tech gave her a purple stuffed teddy, and its been a favourite stuffy ever since then. I just had to scrap it!
I absolutely love how this layout came together. I love the papers together, and the colors are gorgeous. I began with the half circle banner (which is from Carta Bella's Merry & Bright collection), and based the colors I chose on the colors in the banner. I also began with a sketch that I found on Pinterest.
What I love most about this layout? The clustered elements. It draws your eye in and keeps your focus on the picture and keeps it there. Next, it would have to be the colors and how the patterns weld so beautifully together.
I hope you enjoy this layout as much as I do!
Take care, and until next time...
~a
There are a couple new layouts that should be added to my Pinterest in the near future; for now, I'll share my most recent layout (which I haven't uploaded yet, so look for it late tonight or tomorrow).
Back when Addison was still a little baby and we were trying to cope with her Colic, we brought her to the lab in Arcola to see if her blood work would turn up anything (because at that point, we had no idea what was bothering her so). Of course no little ones like having sharp objects stuck into their arms (or tied around their arms, for that matter), but she was a trooper. The girls at the hospital (naturally) thought Addison was adorable. I don't think its often they have little ones grace their lab, so it was a highlight in their day to see someone so sweet and wiggly.
To reward Addison for her bravery, the lab tech gave her a purple stuffed teddy, and its been a favourite stuffy ever since then. I just had to scrap it!
I absolutely love how this layout came together. I love the papers together, and the colors are gorgeous. I began with the half circle banner (which is from Carta Bella's Merry & Bright collection), and based the colors I chose on the colors in the banner. I also began with a sketch that I found on Pinterest.
What I love most about this layout? The clustered elements. It draws your eye in and keeps your focus on the picture and keeps it there. Next, it would have to be the colors and how the patterns weld so beautifully together.
I hope you enjoy this layout as much as I do!
Take care, and until next time...
~a
Monday, February 11, 2013
China Dolls
I couldn't resist scrapping a layout dedicated to the beautiful, perfect, tiny little girls I gave birth to. I wasn't sure I had made a layout documenting exactly how tiny they were, so that's how this layout came to be! It was also the result if flipping back through all the older pictures, hunting down shots of the house we owned in Manor.
I can happily report that my next layout WILL be of the house in Manor. Watch for it!
The layout of my preemie babies is pretty busy. It's a bit busier than I wanted it, but I think that the main focus still remains the photos. And, that's the most important to me!
A piece of scrap paper with multiple hearts punched from it, that was lying on my scrap table, inspired the row of punched hearts at the top of the photo mat. I used some of those hearts for the banner along the bottom portion, alongside the journaling spot. For a little extra something-something, I cut a small piece of green patterned paper and layered it behind one of the hearts. I also punched a circle from that paper, and created a date tag, at the top right of the page.
I wanted to add more detail to my layout, without making it too heavy, so I pulled out the cuttlebug and embossed away. I really need to buy some more of them! It felt a little boring and flat without any patterned paper, so I added a larger piece of (SU) patterned paper. Add some punched borders, as the sketch that I lifted shows, and you've got the layout I created!
I hope you enjoy, and thanks for dropping by!
~a
I can happily report that my next layout WILL be of the house in Manor. Watch for it!
The layout of my preemie babies is pretty busy. It's a bit busier than I wanted it, but I think that the main focus still remains the photos. And, that's the most important to me!
A piece of scrap paper with multiple hearts punched from it, that was lying on my scrap table, inspired the row of punched hearts at the top of the photo mat. I used some of those hearts for the banner along the bottom portion, alongside the journaling spot. For a little extra something-something, I cut a small piece of green patterned paper and layered it behind one of the hearts. I also punched a circle from that paper, and created a date tag, at the top right of the page.
I wanted to add more detail to my layout, without making it too heavy, so I pulled out the cuttlebug and embossed away. I really need to buy some more of them! It felt a little boring and flat without any patterned paper, so I added a larger piece of (SU) patterned paper. Add some punched borders, as the sketch that I lifted shows, and you've got the layout I created!
I hope you enjoy, and thanks for dropping by!
~a
Friday, February 8, 2013
Looking Back
While the kids napped this afternoon, I pumped out two layouts. I'm quite impressed with myself, actually. When you've got your groove on, a lot can be accomplished! And, not only did I get two layouts done, I also vacuumed, cleaned the bathrooms, and re-organized and cleaned out the front entry closet this morning. It was a very productive day!
Every day, for the month of February (and then some), I'm tackling one room or cupboard- anything that desperately needs some cleaning and organization, and I'm getting this beloved house of ours straightened up. The girls are going to be three- I've decided I've lived in a baby proofed house long enough, and its time to start bringing out some of my prized possessions. My wedding pictures made it out onto the sofa table, along with my wedding bouquet; my prized hand made table runner for the sofa table (that I bought while visiting Michigan a number of years ago- specifically an Amish town, but I don't remember the name of it), and the table runner for the kitchen table. I need a centre piece, but haven't the slightest idea what to put there!
I printed out a whole bunch of pictures this afternoon- I had a ton of picture frames that I found in my linen closet when I cleaned it out yesterday, and I plan on putting up the rest of my gallery wall tomorrow, hopefully. If not tomorrow, definitely in the very near future. Its already become obvious that I desperately need more picture frames! Currently, the gallery wall is only on one side of the wall into the basement. It may expand to the other side of the wall, too. We shall see!
Back to scrapping. The first layout, Published, is celebrating my first.ever. publication in a magazine. Every so often, I submit my layouts to Canadian Scrapbooker magazine. I make a lot of one photo layouts, and it would be nice if they accepted more of those, but they don't. Well, they do, but they prefer multi photo layouts. Such as the one that was published. The girls were riding on their little scooters in the backyard last spring. Originally, I was going to title my layout Zoomy, because it was (and actually still is) one of their most favorite sayings. But, once I found the paper I used for the layout, inspiration hit me, and I changed the title to Metro. The lamp post was ingenious, and the girl- well, she was too. It just worked. Beautifully!
I picked up the colors in the girls' outfits- the pink in Addisons' dress, and purple, instead of blue, for Maren's dress. That is all in the original layout that I made. That was published.
The layout about being published was made with papers from the Faded Denim collection by Colorbok. Mostly. The green/yellow patterned paper is from another collection, and at the moment I'm not sure what it is. Once again, I was inspired by a layout I found on Pinterest. How did I ever survive before Pinterest?!
There is a tag peeking out from the side of the picture in this layout- its hidden journalling for the kids. The tag reads, 'don't ever give up on your dreams'. Being turned down a number of times didn't stop me from submitting layouts for publication. I kept hoping that one day my dream would come true. And, it did. I hope they hang onto their dreams and never let go. One day their tenacity will pay off.
The second layout, Great Oma, happened while I was flipping through older pictures, looking for material to scrap about our life in Saskatchewan. I feel its important for the girls to know where they came from, and give them a glimpse of the house they lived in for the first year of their lives. I've been avoiding doing it, and part of me still wants to avoid it. I'm not totally sure why- I miss living in Saskatchewan, and part of me wishes we were still there. The other part of me is uber happy that we're here back in Alberta. I honestly can't put my finger on why it bothers me so much. But, its there.
Anywho, when I saw these pictures of the girls meeting their Great Oma for the first time, I couldn't help but smile. She obviously loves children- which is testimony to why she had so many children to begin with (9, as a matter of fact!!) Every time we visit her at Miller, she brightens right up. The kids are the highlight of her day. The smile on her face, and the obvious happiness they bring her, warms me to the core, and makes me smile in turn. She doesn't know who they are; she doesn't know that they are my children. But, it doesn't matter. They are children, they are full of life and energy and purity, and they give her more to be happy about and look forward to than anything the nurses could give her.
The girls were only 5 months old when they met their Great Oma for the first time. She was in the hospital with a broken hip, and I remember her asking whose kids they were when we walked into her room. She remembered me as a small child myself. She couldn't believe I was old enough to have my own children. And, twins to boot!
The first thing that comes to mind when I think of my Oma (their Great Oma), is Blue and White. To me, they symbolize being Dutch. Most of the artwork in her house, and in her apartment before she moved into Extended Care, was what I call Dutch Blue. I don't know the correct term for it, or what style of art it is. Its just Dutch. Heh. That's where the colors come from in this layout. I thought the yellow would stand out nicely against the blue, so I used a yellow/green combination patterned paper for the journalling spot the title work is adhered to, and for the banner. To tie the red of the title work into the layout, I used a pink paper flower.
I just love how this layout came together. Quickly, seamlessly, and incredibly quickly! And, with the kids (half way through it) interrupting me every two minutes. Of all the layouts that I've made lately, I have to say this one is my most favorite. There is a lot of love, meaning, and sentimentality behind this layout. I'll treasure it for years to come, and I hope the girls do, too.
The sketch that inspired this layout didn't include any room for journalling. I needed to add a little something about the girls meeting their Oma, so added a few lines underneath the title mat, and journalled away. I think I'll have to do more layouts of their Great Oma in the future. They need to know what a good natured, saucy, strong lady she is!
I'm grateful and incredibly glad they had the opportunity to meet their Great Oma. I only wish they could have met their Great Grandmother on their Papa's side (Grandpa). She would have been enamored with them, too.
Till next time...
~a
Every day, for the month of February (and then some), I'm tackling one room or cupboard- anything that desperately needs some cleaning and organization, and I'm getting this beloved house of ours straightened up. The girls are going to be three- I've decided I've lived in a baby proofed house long enough, and its time to start bringing out some of my prized possessions. My wedding pictures made it out onto the sofa table, along with my wedding bouquet; my prized hand made table runner for the sofa table (that I bought while visiting Michigan a number of years ago- specifically an Amish town, but I don't remember the name of it), and the table runner for the kitchen table. I need a centre piece, but haven't the slightest idea what to put there!
I printed out a whole bunch of pictures this afternoon- I had a ton of picture frames that I found in my linen closet when I cleaned it out yesterday, and I plan on putting up the rest of my gallery wall tomorrow, hopefully. If not tomorrow, definitely in the very near future. Its already become obvious that I desperately need more picture frames! Currently, the gallery wall is only on one side of the wall into the basement. It may expand to the other side of the wall, too. We shall see!
Back to scrapping. The first layout, Published, is celebrating my first.ever. publication in a magazine. Every so often, I submit my layouts to Canadian Scrapbooker magazine. I make a lot of one photo layouts, and it would be nice if they accepted more of those, but they don't. Well, they do, but they prefer multi photo layouts. Such as the one that was published. The girls were riding on their little scooters in the backyard last spring. Originally, I was going to title my layout Zoomy, because it was (and actually still is) one of their most favorite sayings. But, once I found the paper I used for the layout, inspiration hit me, and I changed the title to Metro. The lamp post was ingenious, and the girl- well, she was too. It just worked. Beautifully!
I picked up the colors in the girls' outfits- the pink in Addisons' dress, and purple, instead of blue, for Maren's dress. That is all in the original layout that I made. That was published.
The layout about being published was made with papers from the Faded Denim collection by Colorbok. Mostly. The green/yellow patterned paper is from another collection, and at the moment I'm not sure what it is. Once again, I was inspired by a layout I found on Pinterest. How did I ever survive before Pinterest?!
There is a tag peeking out from the side of the picture in this layout- its hidden journalling for the kids. The tag reads, 'don't ever give up on your dreams'. Being turned down a number of times didn't stop me from submitting layouts for publication. I kept hoping that one day my dream would come true. And, it did. I hope they hang onto their dreams and never let go. One day their tenacity will pay off.
The second layout, Great Oma, happened while I was flipping through older pictures, looking for material to scrap about our life in Saskatchewan. I feel its important for the girls to know where they came from, and give them a glimpse of the house they lived in for the first year of their lives. I've been avoiding doing it, and part of me still wants to avoid it. I'm not totally sure why- I miss living in Saskatchewan, and part of me wishes we were still there. The other part of me is uber happy that we're here back in Alberta. I honestly can't put my finger on why it bothers me so much. But, its there.
Anywho, when I saw these pictures of the girls meeting their Great Oma for the first time, I couldn't help but smile. She obviously loves children- which is testimony to why she had so many children to begin with (9, as a matter of fact!!) Every time we visit her at Miller, she brightens right up. The kids are the highlight of her day. The smile on her face, and the obvious happiness they bring her, warms me to the core, and makes me smile in turn. She doesn't know who they are; she doesn't know that they are my children. But, it doesn't matter. They are children, they are full of life and energy and purity, and they give her more to be happy about and look forward to than anything the nurses could give her.
The girls were only 5 months old when they met their Great Oma for the first time. She was in the hospital with a broken hip, and I remember her asking whose kids they were when we walked into her room. She remembered me as a small child myself. She couldn't believe I was old enough to have my own children. And, twins to boot!
The first thing that comes to mind when I think of my Oma (their Great Oma), is Blue and White. To me, they symbolize being Dutch. Most of the artwork in her house, and in her apartment before she moved into Extended Care, was what I call Dutch Blue. I don't know the correct term for it, or what style of art it is. Its just Dutch. Heh. That's where the colors come from in this layout. I thought the yellow would stand out nicely against the blue, so I used a yellow/green combination patterned paper for the journalling spot the title work is adhered to, and for the banner. To tie the red of the title work into the layout, I used a pink paper flower.
I just love how this layout came together. Quickly, seamlessly, and incredibly quickly! And, with the kids (half way through it) interrupting me every two minutes. Of all the layouts that I've made lately, I have to say this one is my most favorite. There is a lot of love, meaning, and sentimentality behind this layout. I'll treasure it for years to come, and I hope the girls do, too.
The sketch that inspired this layout didn't include any room for journalling. I needed to add a little something about the girls meeting their Oma, so added a few lines underneath the title mat, and journalled away. I think I'll have to do more layouts of their Great Oma in the future. They need to know what a good natured, saucy, strong lady she is!
I'm grateful and incredibly glad they had the opportunity to meet their Great Oma. I only wish they could have met their Great Grandmother on their Papa's side (Grandpa). She would have been enamored with them, too.
Till next time...
~a
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Valentines
I have a fun little project to share tonight.
How many of you are racking your brains, trying to figure out what to do for your special someone/significant other for Valentines?
I was, until a couple days ago. My thoughts spanned the Spectrum- what could I buy, do for or make for my husband? Then it hit me. I'm not sure how the idea surfaced. I like to think I thought up of it all on my own, but I may have had some inspiration from an outside source. *Ahem pinterest*. Maybe.
I'm just going to stick with thinking up of it all in my own :D
Valentines coupons! I made valentines coupons for Kyle. Ten of them, to be exact, and they range from sweet little compliments whenever he wants them, to an hours massage (by a professional, of course). They'll never expire, so he has all the time he needs to redeem them.
I needed a little help thinking up of coupon ideas, so I googled it. There's quite a few options! There are a lot of downloadable templates out there. Not so many for creative romantic activities. But, there were enough to make 10 romantic coupons for my dear husband.
And, I'm so proud of it! I can hardly wait to give it to him.
Are you hand making/crafting gifts for your special peeps? How about your kids? There's a ton of ideas for the littles out there, but I'm just going to stick to the store bought route. The kids spied really cute stuffed animals at Wally World, so I'm thinking I just may buy them one each of those.
Till next time...
~a
How many of you are racking your brains, trying to figure out what to do for your special someone/significant other for Valentines?
I was, until a couple days ago. My thoughts spanned the Spectrum- what could I buy, do for or make for my husband? Then it hit me. I'm not sure how the idea surfaced. I like to think I thought up of it all on my own, but I may have had some inspiration from an outside source. *Ahem pinterest*. Maybe.
I'm just going to stick with thinking up of it all in my own :D
Valentines coupons! I made valentines coupons for Kyle. Ten of them, to be exact, and they range from sweet little compliments whenever he wants them, to an hours massage (by a professional, of course). They'll never expire, so he has all the time he needs to redeem them.
I needed a little help thinking up of coupon ideas, so I googled it. There's quite a few options! There are a lot of downloadable templates out there. Not so many for creative romantic activities. But, there were enough to make 10 romantic coupons for my dear husband.
And, I'm so proud of it! I can hardly wait to give it to him.
Are you hand making/crafting gifts for your special peeps? How about your kids? There's a ton of ideas for the littles out there, but I'm just going to stick to the store bought route. The kids spied really cute stuffed animals at Wally World, so I'm thinking I just may buy them one each of those.
Till next time...
~a
Monday, February 4, 2013
It Is Done
So, if you've visited my blog and headed over to my Pinterest, you'll notice that there's a few layouts posted there- along with the sketches that inspired me. If you haven't been over there yet, go check it out so you'll know what I'm talking about!!
Sketches really help me out. I feel like I lack in the creativity department all on my own, and as a result, I have come to find that I rely quite heavily on sketches. They're a great tool- may as well utilize them!
So, lets see...where do I begin?
Oh...my Klutz layout. I nearly broke my toe trying to use my foot as my weapon of choice to move the kids' potty out of my way one afternoon this past summer, and I wound up stubbing it instead of gracefully moving it. It didn't hurt so much that I passed out (which has happened to me before), but I sure did see stars! The bruise is testimony to that. I don't bruise often, and when I do, it takes quite a bit of force (or the right end of a certain object).
As far as my design goes, the blocking and the space for journalling really inspired me. I wanted to have enough space to journal about my aptitude for klutziness, and I wanted to find a design that was clean and simple. Lately I just don't want too much clutter or things going on. I've liked the clean and simple design style for quite some time. Now I'm adopting it as my own! You'll find that's true of all my layouts recently. I'm not sure if it will change, or if it does, it won't happen any time soon.
My By Herself layout is dedicated to Miss Maren, and her eagerness and desire to accomplish things on her own. It makes me really proud (and relieved, in a way) when she grabs the wash cloth from my hands and insists on washing herself after I've done washing her hair. She's growing up and showing her independence while she's at it, and that's what makes me so proud. Sadly, she soon won't need me for anything...I suppose I should enjoy helping her while it lasts!
I really liked the punching aspect of this layout, and think I might try and work more of it into my layouts and cards- especially full page punching. I love the way it looks! My favorite part of this layout: the journalling spot. Such a fun place to put it!
Since I made a layout all about Miss Maren, I figured I should do one all about Miss Addison. Both girls are so unique; I still marvel at how different they are, and they were born only 9 minutes apart! Addison is the thinker. She will sit and figure things out- try and make sense of how things work, or why they do the things they do. Sometimes the questions she asks impresses me- they are so deep for a soon-to-be-three-year-old!!!
She is also our affectionate little sweetheart. She's constantly asking for hugs and kisses and telling us she loves us- and not just loves us, but loves us very much. She's a beautiful little soul!
She's our clown. She's sharp, and often has witty comments in response to things we say or ask.
She's such a neat mixture of both Kyle and I; she's the perfect little package.
Both girls, as I tell them often, are just right.
What drew me to this sketch was the simplicity of the design. Just the picture and banners poking out from underneath. Tons of white space, and I think that's what initially pulled me in. Instead of banners, I wanted to use a round scallop circle stamp, but I wasn't liking it poking it out from the bottom; so, I moved it to the side. I feel it balances the design a bit better, with the third scallop circle functioning as the title mat and journaling spot. I absolutely LOVE the teal paper stamped in white, and then matted on top of the black card stock. That's my most favorite part of this layout!! (So is that sweet little lady bug brad that's hanging from the white ribbon. Way too adorable!!)
Lastly (for now), is my Fork Please layout. The girls are funny- they ask for forks for everything. Seriously. Ev.ery.thing!!! They would rather eat finger foods with forks than their fingers. They must have inherited their dislike of dirty hands from me. Even though I'll eat certain foods with my fingers and not utensils, I cannot stand dirty hands otherwise. Makes the whole of me feel icky.
I had a lot of fun putting this layout together. I love the stamping in the background- its grungy and terribly imperfect, but I like the effect it lends. I also love the dark shade of teal paper paired with the retro square patterned paper. The colors look fabulous together! The unexpected burst of colour the orange card stock adds is a lot of fun, too. I just wish the orange of the letter stickers was closer in tone to the paper. Oh well. The brightness of it really makes it pop.
My favorite aspect of my design is that giant flower. It came from Rebecca (beyondbzr) over at Scrapbook.com, and I'm finally getting around to using one (of the two) she sent. It was part of a prize I won last year. Whoo! What do I love so much about it? The inked edges of the flower. I used my More Mustard SU ink to color the edges, and I love the way it turned out! It gives quite a bit more dimension to an already beautiful flower. And, the leaf? Love.it!!! That came from a silk hydrangea flower (one of many, actually), that were used in a little project for my house, and I thought I'd hang onto the leaves instead of throwing them out along with the stems that the flowers came off of. The leaf may be a little large for the flower, but it still works well. In my humble opinion.
So, there you have it! I've caught you all up on my last couple layouts- all in one blog post. How about that for efficiency, hey?!
Speaking of winning prizes...I checked into my email this morning, and found an email from Emily Anderson, who works for Scrapbook.com. Those of you that are familiar with SB.com will be familiar with this name. I won $10 off my next purchase, just for uploading a layout to the gallery this week. And, you know what's funny?
I was thinking about just that very thing last night as I was trying to fall asleep in bed. I was just thinking to myself how nice it would be to win something like that from sb.com (though, I was day dreaming of winning $100). Meh, $10 is better than a boot in the pants!
Hopefully Kyle buys me another pre-paid Visa so that I can use up what's left on the one I currently have, AND the $10 off coupon that I just won. Before March 30. I've been hinting that Valentines would be a good opportunity to buy me another one...heh
Till next time!
~a
Sketches really help me out. I feel like I lack in the creativity department all on my own, and as a result, I have come to find that I rely quite heavily on sketches. They're a great tool- may as well utilize them!
So, lets see...where do I begin?
Oh...my Klutz layout. I nearly broke my toe trying to use my foot as my weapon of choice to move the kids' potty out of my way one afternoon this past summer, and I wound up stubbing it instead of gracefully moving it. It didn't hurt so much that I passed out (which has happened to me before), but I sure did see stars! The bruise is testimony to that. I don't bruise often, and when I do, it takes quite a bit of force (or the right end of a certain object).
As far as my design goes, the blocking and the space for journalling really inspired me. I wanted to have enough space to journal about my aptitude for klutziness, and I wanted to find a design that was clean and simple. Lately I just don't want too much clutter or things going on. I've liked the clean and simple design style for quite some time. Now I'm adopting it as my own! You'll find that's true of all my layouts recently. I'm not sure if it will change, or if it does, it won't happen any time soon.
My By Herself layout is dedicated to Miss Maren, and her eagerness and desire to accomplish things on her own. It makes me really proud (and relieved, in a way) when she grabs the wash cloth from my hands and insists on washing herself after I've done washing her hair. She's growing up and showing her independence while she's at it, and that's what makes me so proud. Sadly, she soon won't need me for anything...I suppose I should enjoy helping her while it lasts!
I really liked the punching aspect of this layout, and think I might try and work more of it into my layouts and cards- especially full page punching. I love the way it looks! My favorite part of this layout: the journalling spot. Such a fun place to put it!
Since I made a layout all about Miss Maren, I figured I should do one all about Miss Addison. Both girls are so unique; I still marvel at how different they are, and they were born only 9 minutes apart! Addison is the thinker. She will sit and figure things out- try and make sense of how things work, or why they do the things they do. Sometimes the questions she asks impresses me- they are so deep for a soon-to-be-three-year-old!!!
She is also our affectionate little sweetheart. She's constantly asking for hugs and kisses and telling us she loves us- and not just loves us, but loves us very much. She's a beautiful little soul!
She's our clown. She's sharp, and often has witty comments in response to things we say or ask.
She's such a neat mixture of both Kyle and I; she's the perfect little package.
Both girls, as I tell them often, are just right.
What drew me to this sketch was the simplicity of the design. Just the picture and banners poking out from underneath. Tons of white space, and I think that's what initially pulled me in. Instead of banners, I wanted to use a round scallop circle stamp, but I wasn't liking it poking it out from the bottom; so, I moved it to the side. I feel it balances the design a bit better, with the third scallop circle functioning as the title mat and journaling spot. I absolutely LOVE the teal paper stamped in white, and then matted on top of the black card stock. That's my most favorite part of this layout!! (So is that sweet little lady bug brad that's hanging from the white ribbon. Way too adorable!!)
Lastly (for now), is my Fork Please layout. The girls are funny- they ask for forks for everything. Seriously. Ev.ery.thing!!! They would rather eat finger foods with forks than their fingers. They must have inherited their dislike of dirty hands from me. Even though I'll eat certain foods with my fingers and not utensils, I cannot stand dirty hands otherwise. Makes the whole of me feel icky.
I had a lot of fun putting this layout together. I love the stamping in the background- its grungy and terribly imperfect, but I like the effect it lends. I also love the dark shade of teal paper paired with the retro square patterned paper. The colors look fabulous together! The unexpected burst of colour the orange card stock adds is a lot of fun, too. I just wish the orange of the letter stickers was closer in tone to the paper. Oh well. The brightness of it really makes it pop.
My favorite aspect of my design is that giant flower. It came from Rebecca (beyondbzr) over at Scrapbook.com, and I'm finally getting around to using one (of the two) she sent. It was part of a prize I won last year. Whoo! What do I love so much about it? The inked edges of the flower. I used my More Mustard SU ink to color the edges, and I love the way it turned out! It gives quite a bit more dimension to an already beautiful flower. And, the leaf? Love.it!!! That came from a silk hydrangea flower (one of many, actually), that were used in a little project for my house, and I thought I'd hang onto the leaves instead of throwing them out along with the stems that the flowers came off of. The leaf may be a little large for the flower, but it still works well. In my humble opinion.
So, there you have it! I've caught you all up on my last couple layouts- all in one blog post. How about that for efficiency, hey?!
Speaking of winning prizes...I checked into my email this morning, and found an email from Emily Anderson, who works for Scrapbook.com. Those of you that are familiar with SB.com will be familiar with this name. I won $10 off my next purchase, just for uploading a layout to the gallery this week. And, you know what's funny?
I was thinking about just that very thing last night as I was trying to fall asleep in bed. I was just thinking to myself how nice it would be to win something like that from sb.com (though, I was day dreaming of winning $100). Meh, $10 is better than a boot in the pants!
Hopefully Kyle buys me another pre-paid Visa so that I can use up what's left on the one I currently have, AND the $10 off coupon that I just won. Before March 30. I've been hinting that Valentines would be a good opportunity to buy me another one...heh
Till next time!
~a
Sunday, February 3, 2013
My Inner Nerd
I'm dropping in once more tonight before I get my scrap on to share one more thought with you.
For some, it may not be possible to view my online gallery. That would be due to the fact you are not a member of Scrapbook.com. Either I would need to provide the direct link to the layout I made, or I could direct everyone to another site, that requires no (I think) membership.
Such as Pinterest.
I don't know. I was just thinking it might be easier to view my projects, if you're interested.
So, if you're interested in seeing what's inspired me and what I made using that inspiration, follow along. I'll include this link to every post I make here so nobody has to go searching for it!
I hope that makes things a little easier on you kind folks!
Till next time!
~a
For some, it may not be possible to view my online gallery. That would be due to the fact you are not a member of Scrapbook.com. Either I would need to provide the direct link to the layout I made, or I could direct everyone to another site, that requires no (I think) membership.
Such as Pinterest.
I don't know. I was just thinking it might be easier to view my projects, if you're interested.
So, if you're interested in seeing what's inspired me and what I made using that inspiration, follow along. I'll include this link to every post I make here so nobody has to go searching for it!
I hope that makes things a little easier on you kind folks!
Till next time!
~a
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Scrapbook.com
Well, sorry its been so slow here on the home front! I've been debating whether I'm going to keep my blog going, because I hate that I have no storage left, and my husband isn't keen on spending money (monthly) to beef it up. I'm actually on the same page as him. So, since I said that, I find it annoying (personally), that my beloved readers need to view what I've made in another location.
On the bright side, my blog is still being read! I had two lovely comments, and its encouraged me to keep blogging, despite this minor little blip (and really, that's all it is).
So, without further adieu, here's the link to my online gallery, so you can go and peruse it at your leisure!
Hopefully it works. Let me know if it doesn't!
On the bright side, my blog is still being read! I had two lovely comments, and its encouraged me to keep blogging, despite this minor little blip (and really, that's all it is).
So, without further adieu, here's the link to my online gallery, so you can go and peruse it at your leisure!
Hopefully it works. Let me know if it doesn't!
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