I'm alive and still scrapping...

Once upon a time, I used to scrapbook and then turn around and share my work on my blog. But, last fall life sort of got in the way. For a while I didn't even scrapbook. Then I made time for it again. Today, I am scrapping like crazy. But, I realize I left my blog a bit neglected.

Now, I'd like to share some of my work from last fall that was uploaded but never posted here.

Today, I am posting my final layouts from the "Croptoberfest" crop at Personal Scrapper from last October. (Yes, 5 months ago...) (I realize these two layouts are very similar, but I scrap for both boys' individual albums.)

The above layouts were all created using Studio Calico kits. Everything below was created with Jillibean Soup products that just make me happy.

I promise to share more work soon. It won't be another five months before I share!

Thanks Personal Scrapper...

Last month I participated in a crop over at PersonalScrapper.com. The owner, Erica, sent a prize out to every participant. It was a good prize - a We R Memory Keepers "Retro Glam" mini kit. I used the kit to make a layout for Kevin's album documenting Grandparent's Day at school. My mom was able to go to breakfast with him.

Everything on the layout is from the kit except for the title/date. I used three different sets of Thickers for that.

With some pop dots, the cardstock stickers (complete with bling) made great dimensional accents.

I still have some paper and stickers left in my mini kit. You might see a Reese layout using them in the future..

Catching up...

Last week I realized I had a small stack of layouts that I had started during "Croptoberfest" over at Personal Scrapper. One night when Tom was away, I had taken some scrap supplies up to bed with me to scrap. I had the basic frame of the layouts assembled, but needed to add titles and journaling. Then I forgot about them!

Adding the finishing touches to these four layouts made some time at my scrap table feel really productive!

"Don't forget Mom!" used last fall's Fancy Pants' Halloween add-on from PersonalScrapper.com.The layout is for Kevin's album. He was so sweet at the pumpkin patch we went to. Before we left, he insisted that I get in the teepee, so he could take a photo of me. (I had taken one of him with Tom and Blake.) Kevin wanted to make sure I wasn't left out!

The last three layouts put a Scarlett Lime Frugal Fab kit I received as a gift to good use!

One evening Tom took Blake to Boy Scouts and Kevin tagged along to be the "dummy" during Blake's First Aid presentation. After Kevin was finished, he moved along to his cousin Dane's Cub Scout meeting. (Kevin's den didn't meet that night.) He ended up helping Dane and Luke make US flags with icing on graham crackers. He got lucky because neither of them wanted their finished flag, so he got to eat them both!

In March, I attended a wonderful fundraising crop hosted by Shannon Zickel. My friend Debbie and my aunt Missy went with me. Before going to the crop, we stopped at a fun local spot, Lynn's Paradise Cafe, for lunch. They have the neatest photo op props outside, plus a fun giftshop that provided some more photo ops with their crazy sunglasses!

The mix of embellishments in the Frugal Fab kit were perfect for this layout!

Finally, I used the Frugal Fab kit to scrap photos of Kevin's trip to the city police department with Cub Scouts. It's a pretty simple page, but I like the mix of bright colors.

This weekend I was able to work on some DT work for Scrappin' {Sports} Stuff. Plus, I have several other layouts planned out. I can't wait to share these with you. They make me smile.

Happy scrappin'!

I feel like sharing...

I realized tonight that I had a few layouts left to share...

Over at PersonalScrapper.com, every so often I host a game called 6 degrees of Separation - a Scraplift game. The rules are pretty simple, we start with a layout and it's passed on to another scrapper who has three days to lift the layout anyway they want. They can lift it exactly or simply be inspired by one or more elements on the page. After the layout is lifted by six scrappers, the results are posted for everyone to see.

I usually start with a layout of my own to send out first. I did that in the last round with my "just precious" layout. It's pretty much made of scraps. I had that Pink Paisley rub-on that I was stumped on how to use. Not overly creative, but the end result was a simple page that I was happy to share. I think I'm happy that the photos remained the focus.

My next layout was a lift for the game. I asked my friend Mel to send me a starting layout. I loved her original and lifted it pretty close. I didn't use as many embellishments though. For this layout, my focus was on the journaling. I really wanted to put into words how precious Blake's handmade Mother's Day windsock was to me. A challenge for an online crop at PersonalScrapper.com inspired me to scrap these photos from Father's Day '09 of the boys with my dad. I used new papers from American Crafts' Abode line. I just added a tag for journaling, a scrap of Fancy Pants ribbon and a couple different alphas. Simple is good. Finally, I have another layout that uses the Pink Paislee "Starlight" line that I received in my designer kit from Scrappin' {Sports} Stuff. I thought these photos of Blake with his Boy Scout Troop selling hot dogs over Memorial Day weekend went well with it. I love the banner stickers that coordinate with this line. Speaking of Blake and Boy Scouts...my boy is finally home. We picked him up at camp on Friday night. I missed him! I spent most of yesterday hugging on him!

Today we took a day trip to visit Tom's family. We enjoyed seeing Toy Story 3 in IMAX 3-D. (It might just be the best Toy Story yet! LOVED it!) Yes, I cried. A lot. Then my boys all had fun out on the river boating with Tom's younger brother and his family.

Tonight I finished up a mini album for our spring break trip that I hope to share soon. I need good daylight to take photos.

I just realized today that June is almost over! I hope everyone is enjoying summer. :)

Summer with PersonalScrapper.com

Usually when my PersonalScrapper kit arrives, I can't wait to scrap with it. But, when my June kit arrived earlier this month, I didn't feel like diving right in to it. PS is taking a break this summer, so I knew this kit would be the last until September...But, I do love it. The Fancy Pants "Rusted Sun" line is one of my favorite Fancy Pants releases ever. I am in love with the color scheme.

Well, I am proud to say I finally scrapped with my kit. Some of it. And I have finished five layouts with it so far. All of my layouts use photos from a single outing to a local lake two summers ago. The boys and I went to the lake for a picnic after Vacation Bible School. It was a fun afternoon and I was a bit too thrilled with the photos when I ordered them. I had several 5x7 enlargements!

I think the Rusted Sun line matched them perfectly!

I made a 2-pager of the actual picnic (McDonald's happy meals!) and skipping rocks:My new favorite layout - "it's all in the details" - has a lot of journaling. I had two sheets of this patterned paper and cut the flowers out of one of them to layer with. I also added lots of bling.

The 5x7s weren't always easy to work with... (Kevin reminds me of Forest Gump in that first photo!)

Another simple layout...I distressed the edges of the photos on this one.

The design for "duck, duck...Goose!" was inspired by a layout on the Jillibean Soup blog by Kim Moreno. I have plenty of product leftover in my kit and hope to create more with it soon!

A little Rockabilly...

Paper Trunk recently released a fun, new line - Rockabilly. I think it is my favorite release from this company. The patterns are very fun and the color scheme is fun and vivid. I especially like that they added embellishments - flair and chipboard - with this release.

I ordered the full Rockabilly line as an add-on from PersonalScrapper.com this month. A summer online crop started over at PersonalScrapper this week, and I've been able to put my Rockabilly papers to good use.

There was a challenge to use a black background for your layout with a little bling added. Black Bazzill Swiss Dot paper was included in the add-on. I spritzed it a bit with some Pearl Glimmer Mist and then went to work on the rest of my layout. I used red and green Glimmer Mist on the chipboard cherries, too.
It's just a simple page to document how much Kevin enjoys his chocolate milkshake (with a cherry on top!) treats at Steak 'n Shake. After finishing this page, I thought it still needed "something." So...I tore the corner off and but some of the cherry paper in its place.

The next challenge is one that I'm starting to look forward to at each crop. It's a sketch by the wonderful Lisa Hidy. I made a few adjustments to her sketch, but LOVE how this one turned out. The journaling card is cut from the back of one of the papers. The lines were all at angles, but I cut it down so they'd run straight for journaling. This shot is from last fall. We were in J. Crew and I turn around to catch my boys sporting hats and striking poses for me. They aren't right. (How many times have you heard me say that?)

Oh, and what is a crop session without a layout about Reese?

PS member Lindsey posted a challenge to use six (or more) circles on your page. I guess I could have cheated and pointed out the circles on the background paper. Instead, I punched six circles from various patterns, wadded them up, inked them and layered them into "flowers." These photos were taken when Reese was just 3 weeks old. She's crying because she didn't want to leave my house!

This last layout is my new recent favorite.

The photos were taken on Blake's 10th birthday. He'll be twelve in October. Which reminds me...he'll be 13 in 16 months and 3 days.

I need to go find some kleenex now...(sniff, sniff)

I scrapped!

OK...so on this first layout, I scraplifted. I LOVED a single-page LO by Anabelle O'Malley in the June issue of Scrapbook Trends. I stretched it into a 2-pager using new Echo Park papers. I take so many photos of Reese, I'm going to have to start printing them all out in photo collages!

I thought it was too funny seeing Kevin try to sneak into the photos I was taking of her. Then it seemed like they were both competing for my attention (and prime photo position!).

Next up is a quick one I threw together using new Jenni Bowlin Playdate papers. I LOVE them! I added some Jenni Bowlin chipboard stars from my stash and covered them with gold Stickles. It had been a while since I'd used them! I also added an October Afternoon label and finished it off with two different Jenni Bowlin alphas. These shots are from Opening Weekend in April.

This weekend I also completed several design team layouts for Scrappin' {Sports} Stuff. I'll post them later this week.

Happy scrappin'!

Life moves pretty fast...

Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.

- Ferris Bueller

This quote really sums of my life right now. Everything is going by really fast. Our week consists of an event nearly every night. I'm not complaining though. I'm enjoying it. My boys will only be young once and with Blake starting middle school in the fall, I'm reminded of how fast times does go by.

With that being said, I'm snatching moments to scrap late at night when the boys are in bed. I have a lot of moments I want to capture for their albums and stories that need to be documented before I forget them.

My new Personal Scrapper kit arrived earlier this month. The May kit contains My Mind's Eye "So Sophie" papers. It a really pretty kit, but there was one sheet of striped paper that I didn't like matched up with the others. I really liked the pattern alone, so instead of using it sparingly, I opted to go with it as a background paper for this LO for Kevin of Kaitlin's graduation over Mother's Day weekend. Everything on the layout is from the kit.

Using my latest order from Scrappin' {Sports} Stuff, I completed another page for Kevin documenting the first year all four boy cousins on my side played ball in the league. My title is sort of the like the "before & after" puzzles on "Wheel of Fortune." You can read it Everyone Plays or Play Ball.I am loving the mix of Pink Paislee "Starlight" papers with Little Yellow Bicycle "Generation Z" embellishments.

Check back tomorrow for more scrapbook layouts.

Rain, Rain go away...

It's been raining since late Friday night. I'm tired of rain!


Sunday was a lazy, rainy day. I worked in some time to knock out a few more challenges for the Personal Scrapper online National Scrapbook Day crop. Everything I made used the same kit - Personal Scrapper's July '09. There was a challenge to use up a PS kit. I was already down to scraps, but was really able to stretch that kit out!

The kite on a journaling card inspired me to dig out these photos of Kevin from a Cub Scout event in '08. I kept it really simple for the "something old, something new" challenge. The old is the kit, but the new is the one "super" flair in the upper left hand corner. I just purchased it on Sunday.
I had these photos from Father's Day '06 on my desk. I saw a LO by Kim Moreno in the June Scrapbooks, Etc. magazine that I LOVED, so I lifted it. I thought it would work for the "finish up a PS kit challenge." But...it didn't. Then I realized the blue pattern I used for the photo corners had a purple dot in them. With purple, I had all the colors of the rainbow represented for the "Rainbow Brite" challenge. So no one would think I was making up the purple dot (it's hard to see), I also added some purple brads for accents. I'm really happy with how this one turned out. These photos have been pulled and refiled countless times in the almost four years I've had them!

I thought the blue floral pattern left over in the kit would make a nice Mother's Day card. I made three cards, actually. One for each of our mother's and then one for my Grandmother.

I do not consider myself to be a cardmaker, but with the help of cards shown in the May Scrapbook Trends and June Scrapbooks, Etc. I found the inspiration I needed to create cards I liked.

But I STILL had stuff leftover in that July '09 kit!

So, I made cards until I ran out of supplies in the kit.

I made four of them. Again, I used cards in the magazines for inspiration.

And now, it's back to work...

National Scrapbook Day projects...

Yes, there is such a thing as National Scrapbook Day. It falls on the first Saturday of May each year - the same day as the Kentucky Derby.

PersonalScrapper.com has an online crop going on in honor of NSD with 15 challenges posted. You get a prize for doing all 15 challenges. I'll give you one guess as to how many challenges I hope to complete...

I started scrapping on Friday night and stayed up way to late scrapping while keeping an eye on the weather. Then I was up early yesterday morning (awaken by storms) and decided I might as well scrap. Although we headed out of town mid-morning for a birthday party, I was still a productive scrapper. Remember - I have 15 projects to knock out!

For the "National Scrapbook Day challenge" to scrap something scrapbook-related, I scrapped my scrap space. (Did anyone else notice I have "scrap" mentioned FIVE times in that last sentence?) "Old Space New Space" documents how my space used to look (using Mamma's old row of sewing cabinets) and how it looks now that I invested in scrap storage storage cubes at the beginning of the year. I used the American Crafts "Teen" line/Diva paper kit I purchased at Shannon Zickel's fundraiser crop in March.

I find that once I have a coordinated line or "kit" out, I like to continue using it. I work faster that way and feel that it keeps my mojo going. So...I continued on with the "Teen"/Diva for my next challenge. It was a "Collage" challenge to use three photos (minimum) side by side like a collage.

The 3 smaller photos were actually printed as a collage. If you read my blog, you've seen my green Lucky Brand bag before (here). (I love her!)

The amazing Lisa Hidy/jakobsmommy created a sketch that was used for one of the challenges.

I altered the sketch a bit since I only had two photos to scrap and moved the title and journaling placements. I LOVE how this one turned out. I used the American Crafts Valentine's kit with "I heart you" papers (from Shannon Zickel's amazing crop!). This is a line that I was worried I wouldn't use, so I just kept the kit out and looked for photos to match up to it.

I liked these b/w photos of Kevin with his cousin Reese from last fall. "Love Reese to Pieces" (get it???) is a scraplift of a layout by PS design team member Heidi for the "Scraplift the DT" challenge.

There was also a recipe challenge to use 1-12x12 sheet of white cardstock (check!), 2 patterned papers (heart and stripe), 1 solid (pink), one alpha (check!), and three embellishments (flair, sticker, felt cupcake). These b/w shots are also from Kevin's birthday in November. I didn't get too original with the song challenge. Knowing these b/w shots of Blake with family at his birthday in October would match this kit, I simply went with "We are Family." Yeah...not too creative...I do like my page though!

So many challenges, so little time...

Crop layouts!!!

Last week Personal Scrapper posted a mini online crop. After using up the Eerie papers, I was a bit stumped on what to work on next, so the challenges were quite welcome.

Fellow PS member, Lisa Hidy, posted a great 2-page sketch for the crop. I altered it just a bit, but LOVED using it. I was able to use my new "hot spot" Cosmo Cricket chipboard letters from Archiver's for part of the large, mixed title. I used Scenic Route "Salem" papers with these photos from 2007.The Monochromatic Challenge was a hard one for me - they always are! I decided to keep working with the SR Salem papers and pulled out the green patterns and a sheet of coordinating green cardstock. I liked the way a mask was used on a layout by Stacy Cohen in Scrapbook Trends' February issue. I also incorporated Stacy's ruffle technique on this layout of Kevin with

his new cousin Reese in late September. I always love challenges to use multiple alphas since I LOVE to mix my alphas. "100% fun" came together pretty quick. I switched back to the SR Salem line for this one. I was stumped on the "fears/phobias" challenge until I came across this spider photo in the photos I used for "one perfect fall day" (above). Both Blake and I are terrified of spiders, so I used this fun photo of a hay bale spider at the pumpkin farm to tell the story. I was stumped for design inspiration, so I reviewed Shannon Zickel's gallery on her blog. I know she is great about leaving plenty of room for journaling. The hand-stitched spider was all my idea though! I drew it with pencil, poked the holes, then erased my lines. It didn't take as long to stitch as I thought it would - that was a good thing!My last completed layout for this crop was for the "Mix it up" challenge to use five different products. Sticking with the SR Salem line, I used cardstock, patterned paper, stickers, chipboard adn brads. However, I wasn't able to get this one posted before the crop ended last night.My goal was to finish all ten challenges, but my body wasn't cooperating and chose sleep over scrapping. I had a migraine on Sunday and have been battling what is likely the "Kentucky Crud" since then. I've been going to bed early and trying to get a lot of rest.

I hope everyone else is staying well!