One Page + Few Extras
I had high hopes to complete the mini album this week. Sadly, I wasn't able to complete the album, though I did get another page done since the last post. Part of the reason for the slow down is because last evening, I didn't feel up to scrapbooking. I sat in my living room watching Super Nanny and Carrier for two hours. It hadn't been my plan to sit my rear on the couch for that long, but it was either that or climb into bed early. I knew there was no way I would fall asleep early, so I chose to watch the tube instead. I was feeling rather "blue" last night. Kept thinking about Eric and all the things he's going to miss seeing as Ethan gets bigger and bigger. Already, Ethan's made a lot of progress in the development arena. He's turned into Mr.Chatty and loves to interact more one on one with me. He's such a funny little guy. I know that as Ethan continues to grow, there will be greater milestones in Ethan's life that Eric will miss. He won't physically be there when Ethan rides a bike for the first time or when Ethan steps foot on a bus for the first time to go to school. It's a loss that results in a kind a pain that's far worse than any kind of pain I've ever felt before. I want so badly for Eric to be around for these kinds of events. Without him, I'm worried they'll feel incomplete in some way...aren't dad's suppose to be there to teach their kids how to ride a bike or wave when they watch their kids get on a bus for their first day at school? I know I will find a way to celebrate these kinds of milestones without Eric with us, though it still feels unfair. So, as I sat on my couch last night, I did nothing. Absolutely nothing. It seemed the ideal activity at the time. Today, I'm doing a ton better. I felt like a lump on a log this morn'en, but that's because I didn't fall asleep till midnight last night. Go figure. Maybe it was all that tv action. I did finish up a page this afternoon. Take a look:
Supplies: My Minds' Eye Confetti Collection ("Surprise Girlfriends Polka Dots/Pink Paper"), Violet Cardstock, Doodlebug Designs Paper Frills ("Ladybug"), Amy Butler Lotus Tea Box ("Full Moon Dots Flat Paper"), Magenta Cardstock, Creative Imaginations Narratives Transparency by Karen Russell, Jenny Bowlin Studio Mini Black Bingo Cards, Hero Arts Clear Design Stamps ("Asian Elements"), MME 29th Market Collection ("Happy"), Amy Butler Lotus Tea Box Die-Cut Cardstock ("Ephemera"), K & Company Glitter Stickers ("Glitter Alphabet-Green") Pink Paislee Press Ons ("Vintage Moon"), & Scenic Route Rub-Ons ("Afterthoughts").
Many of you are probably wondering where I picked up that beautiful butterfly..it's actually a digital element that I purchased at O'Scraps a few days ago. You can find them here. I printed them up on Kodak Premium Matte Photo Paper. I'm cutting them out by hand as needed. When purchased, they're each nearly 8" - 10" in height and width. I downsized them to 2" x 2" so I could fit all of them on a 8.5" x 11" sheet of paper. Here they are below:
Speaking of digital elements, I've sort of grown addicted to digital pattern paper and elements. I'm not by any means a digital scrapbooker. I don't plan on going this route because I've never been one to do a lot of scrapbooking on my computer, though some of the paper and elements I've been seeing lately are very cool. I picked up a bunch of kits and paper pattern sets a few days ago. I started printing them yesterday using my HP Printer. See samples below:
The colors are extremely rich. This is because the patterns are printed on matte photo paper. Part of me wishes I had a wide format printer, but I think the cost of the refills would put me out of business entirely. Plus, the 8.5" x 11" sheets are good enough. I'm just excited to have another means of purchasing pattern paper. I'm a pattern paper junky. One can never have enough pattern paper. That's always been my philosophy. The digital paper patterns above were purchased from these locations: O'Scraps & We are Storytellers.
On another note, I've been playing around with making my own fabric brads. Today, I finally went out and bought a few button making kits at the local fabric store, which may be used to make your own brads (as seen all over Etsy and at Heather Bailey's blog). When I got them home, I immediately started working on a few brads using my fabric collection from my quilting days. Here's a small sample:
Can't wait to use them on a future project. So cute!
Lastly, have I been living on a another planet? I just realized that Amy Butler's K & Company scrapbook line has a ton more to offer than what was available at Michaels. Check out these die-cut butterflies!
There's a ton more Amy Butler product that I've not seen before at the K & Company website, here. Maybe one of you knows more about it than me. I could be totally clueless. The only people that sell the new Amy Butler lines in Minnesota are Michaels. So, if you know of anybody else selling these lines, please let me know. Thanks!
Thank you to everyone for all the kind comments in response to the mini album. They're truly appreciated! Have a great day you guys! Take care.
