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Spring Time Traditions & New Pop Layout!

 

Like many of you, Minnesota residents saw an early Spring this year. And with it, came warm weather, ranging from the 60's to the 70's. Now, to some of you, that might not seem like a big deal, but to Minnesotans, it's pure paradise. Laugh. Very rarely do we have the good fortune of such temperatures this early in the year. Normally, we experience them around Mid-May or so, but it looks like we got lucky! Already, Ethan's enjoyed the sprinkler, the leaky bubble maker, the disorganized sandbox, the new big-boy bike, and the usual Summer treats, like popsicles and watermelon! We've even taken to walks around the block a dozen or so times...love the warm weather. Yes, we do.

 I snapped a couple shots of Ethan nibbling on a popsicle a few weeks ago during a warm afternoon heatwave. His friends had been over and on the front porch after a long play session in the sprinkler. I brought them towels to dry off with, and strawberry popsicles to nibble on!  They were a very happy group of kiddo's that afternoon. And, for a minute there, it almost felt like Summer!

Last week, while out at Archivers with a friend, I started working on a layout with the photos I had captured. Since then, I've been slowly adding to it. My schedule is so random these days. I do most of my scrapbooking at night, when all is quiet and peaceful.  Last night, I finally finished the layout and couldn't be happier about the outcome - it's a beautiful rendition of lazy Summer Days and all it's coinciding simple pleasures like biking, kite flying, butterflies, sunshine, flowers, and delicious Summer treats.

 

Butterflies {Martha Stewart}  take on a little bit of sparkle via the addition of shiny pink sequins and yellow antiqued brads. Surrounding them are chipboard clouds {Cosmo Cricket}, an animated sun {Bella Blvd. - THANK-YOU Stephanie!!}, a sprinkling of punched yellow chevron dots, red floral buttons {Bella Blvd.}, and large red/pink ornate journal spots {Anna Griffin}.

 

Tucked beneath an array of layers is this cute "Spring" tag from We R' Memory Makers. I'm a huge fan of their die-cut tags! They're well designed, and very affordable. 

 

In the right, lower corner of the layout is a mini shadow box. It's filled with B/W chevron patterned paper, a lt. turquoise  journal spot {Cosmo Cricket}, an Ampersand sticker {October Afternoon}, and other misc. phrase stickers {Bella Blvd., American Crafts}. I propped the surrounding frame on strips of foam core pop dot material {leftovers trimmed into strips}. The frame is from an old K & Company collection - it's cheery and bright. 

 

Snippets, Snippets, and more Snippets. I can't say that I'm very good at using them. Personally, I find random pieces of hand-trimmed papers difficult to work with. Still, I see everyone playing them up with a dissaray of paint drops/mist., stitching, fabrics, white space, etc. I have yet to figure out how they do it, but I envy their ability to see outside the box of everyday traditional scrapbooking. I'm still stuck in "grid format", but it's what ultimately works best for my style. White space has never really been my friend...neither has paint. Laugh. Kuddo's to those that can make magic from both! 

 

I'm still obsessed with American Craft's double stick tape. It's the best adhesive for adding strips of glitter to one's project! Here, I applied gold glitter to a 1' wide strip of double stick tape, and then set it underneath a punched border strip {Martha Stewart}. 

 

Anyone care to take a guess as to the owner of this red bike? That's right, Crate Paper! It's a brand new design from the Story Teller collection chipboard set. I've been looking for an excuse to use it, and finally, it has a home! Makes me want to go out and buy a bright red bike to take on trips to the lake and other bike-friendly locations...currently, I'm without one, but it's on my  "to-buy" list. 

Not sure if you noticed, but I added a "Pin It' button to the bottom and sidebar of my blog. Please do "follow" me at Pinterest if you're someone that adores color and eclectic designs as much as myself. I'm also a big food lover..Pinterest has me cooking, finally! Yeah!

 

Permanent Return - Hello Friends!

Spring is here! It means a new beginning. A fresh start. And I sure could use one right about now. It's been a brutal Winter  on many levels. I discovered I wasn't ready for love. After a couple dozen dates, two potentials, and my rejection of both, the truth was realized; I have a ways to go before giving my heart to someone. My identity is still on the fritz. It appears that the unforgiving nature of widowhood is demanding I refurbish a safety jacket for myself before jumping ship. I can't say I'm thrilled about it, but I believe that God has sincere intentions in all of this - I have to be patient, listen to my heart and be ok living the solo life. More importantly, I believe he desires that I know more of myself, and that I jump with both feet hitting the water at the same time. It make's perfect sense, but the processing continues on my end. Rebuilding is hard work, but I'm not where I thought I'd be at this point. "So, what exactly was I expecting by the fourth year?"  Here's the list...

• Complete, total self-reliance - turns out that I'm not very good at managing light fixtures in our home. I pulled one off the ceiling a couple weeks ago by accident. Thankfully, Jeff, a close confidant of mine, is an electrician and offered his services to replace the fixture - hurray for handymen!
• Man Material - supposedly, year five is the ticket to finding Mr.Right...straight from the mouth of a psychic. So far, she's a 100% accurate!
• An Established Career - guess having that piece of paper is important afterall. Two years to go.
• A Blossoming Social Life - here's the biggest confession of all; my social life is 'nil. There's no time. And I don't even know where to go to meet people. I'm making it a goal to "get out" this Summer. Anyone up for a weekly scrapbook visit at the local Archivers? Love to start a local scrapbook hub of sorts...looking for members to join me. 
• Peace with the Past - there are still occasions when I'd like to hit the rewind button, followed by the pause button. No such luck. Living with loss takes time.
• Identity Crisis Year Two, not Year Four - Sometimes, I feel like a stranger to my own self. Very little about me is recognizable these days. A door has opened and the person inside is requesting I get to know her better. She's the next great challenge on this widowhood journey -  .
• The Single Parent Expert - There are days when I feel like pulling my hair out. Being a single parent is tough business. It is one of the hardest jobs in the world. Amazingly, we're chugging along smoothly...but, I'm  still no expert.
• Chasing Dreams - Not enough time in the day to chase them. Plus, food and shelter are always first. :) 
• ART - I love art. It's a passion that's followed me since childhood. I put it on the back burner years ago. Lately, it's grip on me has been impossible to ignore. Creativity is calling!
• Inside the Widowhood Community - last, but not least, I always pictured myself connecting indepth with other young widows. Just recently, I located a local "young widow" organization - it's been a goal of mine to find out more about them. I want to contribute. I want to be useful. 

It's a hefty list, isn't it? It might even be too much. I'm firmly aware that I shouldn't be so hard on myself. None the less, to reflect upon it is healthy, in my mind. In a small way, it establishes a clearer picture of what I need to work on the next couple of years. Positive attitude, right?! Ok then, I'm done..and yes, blogging is in my future. I miss it tremendously. Stick with me, and I promise to turn this place around, starting with a couple updates a week ;)

I plan to make it a weekly routine to partake in a night of scrapbooking at one of the local Archivers. Anyone already in the habit? Would love to find a group (or create a group)to enable my scrapbooking addiction! :))

Igloos + Frozen Hot Chocolate

I'll admit, I'm one of those moms that doesn't take her kid outside every other day and that's because I can't bare dealing with the frigid temperatures that seem all to common this time of year in the Midwest. Though, I clearly recall my mom bundling us up on an almost daily basis and throwing us out the door for a few hours just so that she could abstain from having to listen to us moan and groan about boredom in the middle of Winter. Can I blame her for wanting some quiet time? Not necessarily and thankfully, I had three other siblings who took to the great outdoors with me! We spent hours making snow forts together  - I clearly recall the huge mounds of snow that the snowplow would regularly leave behind for us because we just so happened to have lived on a corner lot. Those super compact snow piles came in extra handy for fort building! We'd take a shovel to them and build ourselves the biggest snow fort in town and then we'd crawl inside like sardines and pretend to be real alaskans. I tell ya, it was always the highlight of the season! (Are you catching the Minnesota accent here?)

The reason I share this lil' story is because Ethan had his first official "fort building" experience last week. I bundled him up in the appropriate "frost-bite prevention" gear and we headed outside to excavate the four foot snow piles near our driveway. I'd been working on them "hills of snow" for the last two weeks! We took to one with a shovel and made a "just-the-right-size" fort for Ethan. He played in it all of two minutes before tearing out a hole from it's top and then finally, he took to tearing it down altogether. I quickly ran inside to get my camera before the entire thing disappeared so that I could grab a couple shots of the fort and Ethan inside it. I was able to capture a handful of images. And thankfully so too because within a short five minute timeframe, the fort was completely gone! Ah them busy boys..what are you gonna do?!

I quickly created a layout from the images I caught that day - the layout's color palette isn't what we'd call "tradtional" per say, but it works; Blue, Orange & Silver.

 

Do you ever wish that your camera could capture the sparkle of glitter in the same way that you and I see it? It's a huge bummer that it doesn't - this layout looks ten times better in person! The title is really the main focal point of the layout because it glistens vibrantly! It's soooo pretty...

 

Have you ever tried layering transparency on top of chipboard  or other types of materials for creating your own one-of-a-kind embellishments? I see K & Company use this technique quite frequently in the production of their 3-D embellishments. Because it's easy enough to pull off at home without extra costs being involved, I recommend giving it a try! Even if a transparency design isn't of the right size for whatever it is your doing, trim it down so that it does fit...or, use smaller size  transparency die-cut pieces for piling on extra dimension! I do it all the time! 

 

Ok, so speaking of transparency. This particular blue frame was obviously too big for the space in which I wanted to use it on, but I chose to ignore it's size and instead, threw it on anyway! Note how it extends beyond the right edge of the embellishment combination (just above the title) that it sits above it. Even though it doesn't necessarily frame anything, it's a still a worthy detail!

 

I'm sure you guys have noticed that I'm not real big on journaling extensive amounts of information. Whatever doesn't make it on the front, will more than likely find it's way to the back! I'm entirely ok with altering the location of a layout's journaling.

This small section of journaling fits within the cozy confines of a chipboard frame - note how I ignored the labels instructions for what to write. Forget "birth date", weight and length! I treated it like any other journaling spot and jotted down a quick tidbit about my photos instead. 

 

Do you recognize anything here? How about the Martha Stewart paper doilies, do they look familiar to you? I had a couple extra on hand from my previous project and thought they'd make perfect "snowflakes"! I layered them beneath a sheet of tracing paper and then topped them with starburst die-cuts and shimmery blue flower stickers (KI Memories). To attach the tracing paper, I used a quick application spray adhesive, though only lightly as tracing paper tends to curl when exposed to it. I rolled a brayer over the top of the tracing paper to forgo those annoying pesky air bubbles..don't have a brayer? Use your hands instead! Though, I found that using a brayer was easy and fast! 

 

One of my favorite scrapbooking techniques is combining and overlapping varied style "phrase stickers". I always have a nice selection of phrase stickers on hand. Also, color coordinated die-cut shapes/cards regularly display phrases which can be of great use!  I often trim them apart for utilizing in different ways on my layouts/projects.

 

Now lets talk food, shall we?! For too long, I've foregone "real food" to eat whatever happens to be immediately available in the kitchen cabinet or the closest eatery. Being that I'm always tired and without extra free time to cook high tailored meals, it's always been easy to justify my less-than-perfect cooking skills. Because I want for Ethan to truly know what it means to eat "good food", I'm devoting this year to learning how to cook! It's vitally important to me that he understands the true value of a home cooked meal and the appropriate way in which to consume and enjoy it!

So, over the weekend, we took to making homemade strawberry pancakes, syrup and a delicious chocolaty drink. Yes, I made syrup folks and it was the richest syrup I've ever tasted in my life! I located the recipe for the pancakes and syrup in the Jan/Feb 2011 issue of Food Network magazine. I hunted down my local target for the necessary ingredients before getting started.  I literally almost got in a fight with one of the Target employees over a bottle of buttermilk because they'd been expired and she wasn't going to let me have one. As far as I'm concerned, two days over the expiration date isn't the end of the world. She managed to find me an extra non-expired bottle in back (thank goodness!). When we got home, Ethan and I cooked the pancakes and syrup together. I quickly blended the chocolate drink while the pancakes cooked to perfection on the stovetop. We then sat down and ate it all up! Num. 

Conclusion: Every ounce of sweat spent cooking the meal was worth it! Can't wait to make it again!

 

Recipe Credit: Joy Bauer at joybauer.com

Frozen Hot Chocolate

1/2 cup chocolate syrup (preferably Ghirardelli as Hershey's didn't cut it for me!) 
1 cup fat-free evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups ice cubes (I adjusted this for a smaller size drink - I split the recipe in-half)

Pour all the contents into a blender and blend 'til smooth! That's it! Be warned, this stuff is super rich - expect to drink only about 4 oz. of it before calling it quits! Afterall, it's made with evaporated milk...need I say more?

Again, if you have a recipe you'd like to share, I'd love to hear about it! For now, I'll check back with you guys a little later this week! I'm taking a few days to focus my energy on creative endeavors as Eric's anniversary is tomorrow..it's already been a longgg few days!  Have a great Tuesday everyone!

Couldn't start the week without posting this!

Remember my mentioning a 12"x 12" layout in my last post that I had been working on for the last couple of days? I quickly snapped a few photos of the project this weekend while on hiatus from Ethan (basically, within a two minute open time slot, I took a bunch of photos with the thought that now is better than never). Whatever that hiatus turned out to be, it wasn't very long. Laugh. There really isn't a whole lot of free time on the weekends for me to play with my camera..not even Ethan enjoys partaking in photography with his mom anymore. Guess the "at the home" paparazzi got old really fast! Can't say I blame him - the last thing I ever want is someone flashing a camera in front of me while saying "Cheese!" I'm typically not very photogenic...go figure.

So, here it goes! What do you think of the color palette I used for creating this layout? Does it not remind you of a peaceful, serene living room with cozy cream couches and soft purple pillows? The warmth of the orange/grey floral pattern paper (Cosmo Cricket) offsets the coolness of the rest of the layout. It sort acts like wallpaper, really. I love it. Simply, sophisticated and cute. And the "Just Because" represents my reasons for loving the little guy, which are many. 

The photo (on the layout) needs to be credited to Krysten Halek. We recently had another photoshoot with her (photo below!), but there's been little time for me to jot down an order for the new photos. Here's hoping I'm able to complete this task in the coming week..we'll see.

 

 

This is really my favorite aspect of the layout - it's of a light gold painted chipboard butterfly (GCD) that I further accented with a kraft color journal sprout (Jillibean) and hand-crafted felt flower. The flower itself has been tucked away in a drawer the last couple of weeks. For some odd reason, I had an inkling to create felt flowers after finding piles of old wool felt in my crafters closet. I have an assortment of colored felt pieces still remaining that I intend on creating with at some point..first, I need to pick up a Big Shot, which is on my Christmas list this year! It'll be my present to myself :)

And yes, I don't own a "traditional" die-cut machine. I'm die-cut machine deprived!! It's sad, isn't it?! Laugh. I've been an avid scrapbooker for five years and still without one of these nifty machines. The cost has always been a major fear factor for me...though since having noted the various ways to use die-cuts lately, I'm crazy about them! Does anyone have a great website they'd be willing to refer me to purchase a discounted Big Shot? What's the best way to buy this manual, "must have" machine? And how about the die-cuts themselves - when and where's the cheapest place to find them?!

 

You have them. I have them. We all have them!! Who's not addicted to border punches at this very moment?! There terribly desirable and as far as I'm concerned, you can never really have enough of them..at least I can't anyway. Laugh.

So, I was contemplating alternative means to make use of my border punches as I feel horribly guilty in owning so many of them. After adding the butterfly to my layout, I simply wasn't happy with it still, so I thought to myself that it might be worth my while to add some vertical elements beneath it. Because I'm pretty much flowered out at this point (seriously people, I'm tired of flowers...it's not that I don't love them, though I feel like I'm creating with them all the time - what about you? What is your current relationship with your flower stash?), and because I'm a border punch hoarder, I turned to one of my recent border punch purchases and punched out two long strips of cream color foliage. I then chopped them up into four separate 2" sections and tucked them beneath the top of my butterfly.

Note how they protrude upward and reinforce the vertical direction of the layout's title - they help to extend the size and coverage of the butterfly and it's surrounding elements. 

So, if you happen to own a whole schmorgasboard of boarder punches, instead of just thinking of them as a means of creating a decorative border or two, why not consider other options for using them? I've seen scrapbookers use them in the most subtle ways...a punch here, a punch there...they're awesome when utilized sparingly.

 

 

A last in-depth look at the layout for you, these petite butterflies are the cutest things ever. About six months ago, I made it my mission to focus solely on collecting pre-made 3-D embellishment stickers. I now have a 3-D sticker stash to last me the rest of my life. These things sure come in handy when I'm in a hurry. I forecasted that maybe school would require me to find alternative means to save time while scrapbooking and boy, do these babies do the trick, or what?! Crazy about'em. When Joanns put on display K & Companies newest 3-D stickers (via drawers - Life's Little Occasions Collection), I bought nearly half the offerings. I got them 50% off by accident thanks to a misplaced sign. Talk about perfect timing! A buck each! :))

 

Ms. Martha Stewart's latest December issue has pushed me to rethink cooking these days. Now, I'll openly admit that I'm not that savvy of a cook..actually, I'm a terrible cook! I typically avoid cooking like the plague. Laugh. Anyway, I saw some delicious sugar cookies in Martha's December issue and thought for sure I could make them and low and behold, I did!! These babies were as easy as 1, 2 & 3! They came out perfectly too, which has me really questioning my chef abilities now..just maybe I can cook after all? Quite possibly..we'll see where it leads. 

Spot the cookies on my computer. Ethan took to eating one after they found their way out of the oven and left it broken on my computer. Notice that the head's been displaced from the rest of the snow man. I guess a cookie has to be in perfect condition before it's considered edible. Ethan did mention to me that he didn't want to eat the snowman because he felt bad...maybe this was the end result of his interaction with the now headless cookie! Poor guy...

Speaking of Martha's December issue, there's a wreath something or other in it that I'm currently working on for you guys! I'm considering turning it into a tutorial, though it might have to be a less intensive tutorial compared to some of my others. It is of course Christmas themed and I realize that their are a whole plethora of Christmas tutorials out there right now, but I'm totally in the Christmas sort of mood...this wreath tutorial will be another take on my doily tutorial, though with small rectangles and images instead. Do join me? I'll share more on this a wee bit later on...

Happy Monday to you all! I'm off to read a short story for the ol' English class today...should be eventful! Chat with you a lil' later on - thanks for stopping by! ~ CM

 

 

 

 

First Official Fall Layout of the Year!

Ok, so I've been investigating my blog stats and sure enough, many of you are still visiting me!! Yay! Knowing this makes me extra excited about sharing this new layout with you this evening. It's been a work in progress this last week or so and finally, upon Friday's arrival, I devoted a solid three hours on finishing the layout. Yippy! This particular layout is filled to the brim with details galore - it also houses one of my very favorite Maya Road products - their *uber* cute printed doilies!! I was unexpectedly challenged by the right half of this layout - it felt "empty" and plain to me. I didn't want to add another layer of pattern paper because I was concerned it would "feel" needlessly heavy and get in the way of all the details on the left half of the layout. So, by throwing in a few modestly sized doilies instead of pattern paper, I was able to balance the two sides of the layout quite perfectly. Problem solved!

If you remember, I posted these photos of Ethan a week ago - I fell in love with them instantly, so I had to print them out and scrapbook them right away before forgetting about'em..does this ever happen to you? I can't even begin to tell you the number of times I've lost site of all the great photos I have on my computer. After altering these, I told myself, "Make sure to print them so as to not forget their existance!" I did. Once week later, they're at home on a page. I couldn't be happier....

 

Doilies. Doilies. Doilies. My love for them has yet to subside. I layered a few with Vanilla and Black cardstock circles before adding them to my layout with pop-dots. I then decorated the largest doily with an Elle's Studio journal spot, Sassafras flower, K & Company butterfly and vintage button. 

 

Here's a closer look at the largest doily - isn't it beautiful?! What I like most about Maya Road's "Kraft" color doilies is that they're entirely neutral!! When working with a neutral backdrop, you can't go wrong by adding a splash of color, which is exactly what I did! Bright Yellow, Turquoise and Peach bring this doily to life while the black vintage button offsets it all - it's an eye catching combination! 

 

I have a confession...and because I rarely purchase punches anymore (I already have too many!), I was awestruck and surprised when I brought home one of Martha's new border punches last week. It's title is unknown as I disposed the packaging already. Shame on me. Laugh. I regret doing so now because I've been unable to locate the punch design's name online. The design itself is noted on the layout - it's the lace border that sits between my two rows of photos. Technically, it's not a border punch per say because it doesn't achieve a decorative edge on a pre-existing paper. Instead, it creates and shapes it's own separate lace-like design, which I totally love! It reminds me of the old fashion ribbon candy served over the holidays! Delicious!

The number "2" chipboard piece is of a Sassafras chipboard number collection titled "Top Ten Blues" - don't you just love the name?! On top the "2", I applied the letters "U" & "S" to symbolize "us". It was both I and Ethan playing out in the leaves together. Talk about feeling like a kid all over again..I tell ya, kids keep us young! 

 

This is a composition of further details lended to the layout..I'll be honest, I spend a great deal of time finalizing the little stuff I enjoy sprinkling about my work. For me, their role is just as important as the big stuff! They're often the connecting pieces between the various embellishment creations and paper pieces that underly a layout like this one. Also, they're great for establishing scale variation - big and small work hand-in-hand to create balance and interest on a layout. As I always say, "Don't forget the small stuff!" 

The Gray Floral Strip is hand-trimmed from We 'R Memory Keepers "Olivia" pattern paper. A small epoxy brad was inserted into one of the flower centers of the strip as shown above.

The lively emboldened red polka-dot brad above is from the Girls Paperie - I layered it with a repeat of the flower from the floral strip, a black label circle sticker (Jenny Bowlin) and lastly, a hand-trimmed Yellow cardstock circle (Fiskars "Mini Pinking" Edgers). 

There's one more item I'd like to mention about the image above before I leave you tonight...it has to do with 3-D stickers. How often do you buy 3-D/layered stickers? Have you thought about making your own instead? Do you make you own already? If not, it's worth giving it a try! They're not all that impossible to make - all one needs is a bunch of pop dots (small and large), small die-cut pieces, misc. stickers and scrap paper. The key is to find the perfect combination of items, which can often take quite a bit of time and lots of experimenting back and forth. To save on time, I suggest pulling out your favorite sheet of 3-D stickers and analyzing how they were manufactured/created. 3-D stickers are a great resource for finding ideas to create your own one-of-a-kind embellishments!! After building the "Adventurous" combo, it dawned on me that it looked very similar to a 3-D sticker I had tucked away in my sticker stash. I hadn't intended on it to look the same, but it does! Clearly, this is economic means of scrapbooking..I have plans to work with this idea some more in the very near future...maybe a possible tutorial at some point? I think so....

Thank-you so very much for joining me you guys in the sharing of the new layout! It feels tremendously good to connect with all of you once again...I do hope to return in another week or so..no big tests this week, though Monday presents a math exam I'm not looking forward to. Laugh. I also have a small speech in the works as part of a class symposium. I expect to go fairly well, but that's only if Power Point agrees with me. Laugh. Anyway, have a fabulous week everyone! See you soon!

Bonding Time + A September Catch-Up

Finally, a chance to sit down and share my brand new world with you!! So, I've navigated my way through nearly four weeks of school and quite astonishingly, I'm still alive and haven't flunked a single exam as of yet. Like a disciplined student, I'm focusing most of my energy these days on homework (and let me tell you, I have lots of it!!)..when I'm not crunching numbers or reading a hundred pages of some literary novel, I'm either working (Crate), chatting or playing mom. I'm also spending almost two hours in my car a day driving back and forth from school. I've already decided that for next semester, it'll probably be a whole lot easier for me to take some online classes..though I hear for those that you have be ultra-motivated and self-disciplined. I think I could manage to keep myself on tract...laugh. Anyway, it feels so good to be back in this familiar place with all of you!! I appreciate you allowing me these occasional updates as it keeps me rooted in my passion for scrapbooking and provides me an outlet in which to stay connected to the crafting community. Even though I've been busy with school, amazingly, I've been able to squeeze in some time for scrapbooking..and even card making (the new "quick fix" for fulfilling my creative addictions). I'm now scrapbooking in thirty/sixty minute time increments. No longer is there three hours available to me to sit and scrap. No. Instead, it's use what you got and run with it! So the layout above is one that had been sitting at my desk for nearly an entire week! I worked on it incrementally as time allowed. Eventually, it came together. This is the official end result. Can anyone guess where I found the color palette for my layout? How about the latest issue of "Where Women Create"..do the colors look familiar now? I love their latest cover!! If you haven't seen it yet, I'd recommend a visit to your local Barnes & Nobel..they should have it there. You could probably find it online also. It's a beautiful issue....

The photo is one I grabbed a month or so ago - it's of Ethan and my father. The two share such a special relationship with each other. When I found them sitting amongst themselves looking upon a colony of ants and Ethan asking hundred plus questions about the ants, I just knew I had to capture the moment. It's precious. Sadly, the ants weren't welcome in grandpa's garage. They eventually perished and Ethan learned a new lesson - Grandpa doesn't like ants near the house. Laugh.

 

 

After finishing the layout, I realized that it displays some of my quintessential scrapbooking techniques. All of us have our favorite "go-to" techniques. It's hard to not do the same thing over and over again. I know that I have plenty of them that I turn to while in creativity mode. I can't see forgoing them entirely as they're reliable and convenient, especially when I'm not able to come up with brand new ideas! I bet you know the feeling...so what exactly on this layout is something I always end up doing no matter what project I happen to be working on? Well, the purple oval frame is a duplicate idea of something I've been sharing here the last month or so. Secondly, the layered flower is a constant fallback. Third, borders, borders, borders..love them! And finally, fourth - Black cardstock!! It's a contrast creator and it doesn't matter what color palette I'm working with, Black is almost always existent in either small or large amounts on my projects! So, I've not anything fresh to throw at you today...at least not with this layout. I just wanted to show you that utilizing familiar techniques will always result in beautiful results..you can't go wrong with what you already know! 

 

This felt flower has had my heart since I first saw it..it's of one of American Craft's felt flower collections - their last seasons "Wedding" collection, "I do". It's one of my favorite collections from AC. It's both elegant and subtle..and pairs perfectly with juxtaposing bright, bold colors!!

 

Do you have a favorite embellishment type that you always end up buying? My downfall is KI Memories Rubber Embellishments. They're cute, little and oh so rubbery. It's always nice to have an alternative texture to introduce to a layout..the rubber embellishments always stand out of the crowd! This orange/brown combination above is of course KI - Paisley Parade Softies!

 

So I made a card...I don't consider it an entire success, but it works. It's actually already packaged up and ready to ship..can't say whose it's going to because I don't want to ruin the surprise, but lets just say I'm a wee bit late with this one. I can't wait for this person to open the envelope and find the card...she's been soooo good to me!! Many of you know her too..here's a hint "BB". 

 

I love a lolly pop flower every now and then..this one is constructed of Vanilla cardstock lightly sprayed with Tattered Angels "Purple" mist. I carefully added the mist because I didn't want to saturate the flower with color. After adhering my flowery layers together, I topped it off with a large size Vanilla button, a 1" Grey Green cardstock circle, a starburst punched circle (Cosmo Cricket :: Making Plans) and a medium brad from My Minds Eye. 

 

It appears that on the weekends, we have some free time to navigate our local eateries, shopping districts, childrens activities and more. This quaint, nummy cake shop found us this morning..or shall I say I found it! I ran into it by accident while looking for child related adventures to partake in with Ethan today. We stopped by and grabbed ourselves two gigantic, delicious homemade cupcakes!! They were the best cupcakes I'd ever had in my life!! Seriously, if you're in the Minnesota area, stop off at this place..I promise you won't regret it! You may gain a point or two before you leave, but you won't regret that either! It's called "A Piece of Cake"! Supposedly, they've been in business for ten years (what rock have I been living under?)! And it shows too because their pastries and cakes are top notch...I fed myself a "Cinnamon Spice" cupcake and Ethan went straight for the Red Velvet. The two of us could only eat three to four bites of our dessert. They were that rich! The frosting alone nearly had me in a coma!! We ended up bringing the leftovers home..I just finished mine this afternoon. Ethan still hasn't gotten past bite four. Something tells me I'll have his gone before the end of tomorrow. Shhhhhhh, don't tell him that his mom ate his cupcake!! 

 

I'm ending it here folks! And yes, did you notice the small bite I took of the cupcake? Divine!! Anyway, I hope to return to this place in a couple of weeks. Again, if you're still hanging around here, please note that your visit is greatly appreciated by me!! I know it's not the same, but hey, it's better than nothing, right?! I'm seeking to be back on "full time" come Summer (possibly earlier depending on my credit load next semester)...have a fabulous weekend everyone!! I'll see ya a lil' later! 

A Last Minute Cancellation

 

hmmmm, how on earth did Christine find time to scrapbook while away in California? I bet you're sort of wondering what I was really up to this weekend..well, I didn't quite make the flight to San Diego..I'm still very much in Minnesota. I decided to cancel my trip at the last minute after awaking from a brief afternoon nap and finding myself more tired than I'd been prior to taking the nap. I was absolutely exhausted last Thursday. My flight was scheduled to leave Friday morning and I simply couldn't find the energy to pack my bags and leave again. I hadn't seen, nor predicted, that my body would come to a halt just prior to another out-of-state trip. Actually, I was sooo looking forward to going to Camp Widow. I had made it my top priority last week to prepare for the event as I scrambled here and there in search of last minute items to take with me to CA. I arranged the sitter and the whole nine yards..I was oh-so-close to going, but it appears my health had different plans for me. Good thing I followed it's lead because I ended up feeling pretty crummy both Thursday & Friday. I wallowed around with a two-day migraine and was sulked in fatigue. By the time Saturday rolled around, I was raring to go again. Sigh. I woke up Saturday morning secretly wishing I was in San Diego with the rest of the widow crowd, though I wasn't. I quickly realized there was still vast potential for me to make the weekend a good one though. Unbelievably, I finished a layout during my time home. I also cozied with the little guy lots and lots because I missed him a whole bunch last week while away at CHA. The weekend actually turned out to be a great opportunity for me to reconnect "at home". I always feel semi-detached after returning home from a trip. I think my plan for next year will be skip CHA all together and head straight way to Camp Widow instead...I'd like to be fully onboard for the gathering without having to worry about scheduling conflicts. I've learned that I'm not one capable of traveling thousands of miles within a week's time. Nope, it's just not for me...no siree.

 

 

 

 

It felt only appropriate that I should sneak in a wee bit of scrapbooking this weekend. After all, I was home and relaxation was at the top on my priority list. I recently received an invite to guest design for Webster's Pages for the month of September. Without question, I said "Yes!!" I'm a long-time fan of Webster's Pages and to prove it, all one simply has to do is review my previous kits. They're mini paper pads are some of the cutest mini's out there and are a convenient, economical means of hoarding every single pattern paper that Webster's Pages has ever produced. Their vintage ornate style products are a dream to create with as they're a near perfect match with my overly ornate scrapbook style. It's extremely easy for me to play with their collections. So, I thought it an ideal way to spend the weekend - enjoying scrapbook goodies I love and creating a layout all my own. It was wonderfully refreshing & liberating...above are a couple of peeks at the layout. The full reveal won't be 'til September. I know, such a long ways away!! I promise, it will go by quickly!! I'll have other WP layouts to share as well in September..still worken' on them of course! 

 

 

Speaking of which, this is the beautiful photo montage I used on my first WP's layout. Lately, I've been highly intrigued by photo collages - I'm attempting to include more photos on my layouts! Usually, I'm a one/two photo kind of scrapbooker because I'm easily overwhelmed by multiple images. I'm known to focus more of my effort on paper, embellishments, pretty flowers and other knick-knacks rather than photos while I scrapbook because collage is a favorite technique of mine. Well, I'm learning that collage can be just as well a component of photo formatting as it is a part of my everyday scrapbooking. It turns out that the technique of collage is easily transferable to photography! There's a whole 'nother world out there in reference to photos and how one goes about resizing & combining them. Photo templates are a dime a dozen these days and they've become a huge resource of inspiration for me lately - because I'm really starting to feel it's important to include more than two photos on a project, I'm turning to photo templates for unique & fun ways to coordinate multiple photos on a layout. In doing so, I'm recognizing that there's a wide span of uncharted territory I've yet to discovery in terms of scrapbooking, which means you'll see more multi-photo layouts from me in the future. 

 I'm going to end it here..already the evening has caught up with me. It always does, especially Sunday evenings. Laugh. I imagine you understand the feeling. Nighty - Night you guys! See you in a couple days!!

Number Three of Four + September

 

Things are sort of settling down around here after a long week of scrapbooking. It feels tremendously good to have accomplished four layouts in one week and amazingly, I still have the urge to scrapbook some more..this week has served to remind me that August will be my final month to focus solely on this hobby. Starting September first, I'll be attending the University of River Falls as a full time student. I keep wondering if while in school I'll have the necessary free time to partake in scrappy endeavors as I'll be plenty busy with classes, homework, part-time work and the little guy once I'm fully invested as a student. Because I'm not entirely sure of the answer to this conundrum, I wholeheartedly appreciate the free time that's been available to me this week to work on scrapbook pages. I've really enjoyed it and am sort of sad to see it come to an end. I imagine this feeling is a minor indicator of what's to come in the very near future, yet at the same time, I look forward to what lies ahead for me.  I've always wanted to achieve my bachelorette degree in business (marketing specifically). Taking time away from this one passion will ultimately result in my achieving a long awaited goal and for far too long, I've been putting it off. This Fall is the optimal moment for me to begin college once again and I've promised myself that I'm going to follow through all the way to the very end, no matter what sacrifices have to made along the way. In the long run, it'll be the degree that will establish the kind of future I want for myself and my son. You may notice that around September, this place will slow down some. A layout or small tutorial will pop up here and there, but mostly, my hours will be devoted to school and family. I mention this now because I wish to give enough forewarning of the changes you might find here after September 1st. Being that September is only a month-in-a-half away, it won't be long before I find myself beneath a pile of books, ten page essays and final exams. Somewhere amongst all the chaotic changes, I hope to fit in an hour or two of scrapbooking & blogging and when I do, you'll definitely hear about it here...just know that updates won't be as frequent as they are now. Fortunetely, this Summer has been very good to me :) I can't believe how much I've been able to accomplish thus far into the season - both here and at Crate, but that's a whole 'nother story. Moving along...

Above is a peek at my final layout for Crate Paper just prior to CHA and in debut with Crate Paper's new releases, which have been premiering on the Crate Paper blog all week. Believe it or not, this is #3 of the four layouts I created this week..the fourth I created for Elle's Studio in conjunction with their new, upcoming online class, "Journaling in Your Own Words". If you haven't heard about it yet, I'd recommend a quick hop n' jump to the Elle's Studio blog to find out more about this awesome three week event! It's absolutely free and as rumor would have it, Ali Edwards is contributing as well along with a host of other talented designers! Below is but a small (I mean small) look at what I came up with for the class (shhhheeee, don't tell anybody I shared this):

 

 

Isn't it delicious!? Oh my goodness, the colors are breathtaking!! I'm suddenly in love with pastels...maybe it has something to do with Sassafras's latest release, "Indie Girl". I included the collection on much of this layout and boy, let me tell ya, this is a splendid collection to work with. Limes & blues fair well with just about anything, including Peach! I was so very happy to have found this by my door last week...I couldn't wait another day to dig into it, so of course, I had to use it on this project...what do you think?! Do you like the colors? Do tell me...I'd love to hear your feedback :)

I suppose I should finish sharing images of my "Snow Days" project before the night leaves me for good.

 

 

 

 

 

I covet circles. I used them again on this layout, but instead of topping them off with stars like I had on my last layout, I used them to frame a colorful new pattern paper from Crate Paper's "Snow Day" collection called "Candy"..fitting, eh?! I say it's quite adorable indeed! 

 

 

This sort of shape is easy to trim from any style pattern paper - I used a mini size die-cut page as a template and traced around it. I then trimmed the tracing from my pattern paper and layered it with dark color cardstock for added dimension..super easy I tell ya! No guesswork involved here..no siree!

 

 

 

Not sure what it is about me and layered paper tails, but I've been working with them quite a bit recently because they're wonderful for creating directional movement and for accenting lone standing embellishments on my layouts. By laying them down at varying angles, they take on a whole new look and definitely help to create a little bit of excitement on a project..doesn't take much paper to create them either - love that!! 

 

 

Yes, this is an image heavy post..be wary! Laugh. Just had to leave you with this cute lil' bird..and few "real life" images of the new "Snow Days" collection..see below:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have a wonderful Friday my dear blog visitors! It's time for me to run off and catch some zzzzzzz's...wait, one last item - Crate is giving away the Restoration collection tomorrow at their blog! How cool would it be have this collection to play with over CHA? Visit Crate Paper's blog tomorrow afternoon to see what all the fun is about..ohhhh Restoration..happy dance everyone!! Ok, I'm done being silly..can you tell it's getting late? I certainly can..take care you guys!

The Marathon is over..well, almost.

All three layouts are finished..I completed the very last one this afternoon using Crate's final collection, Snow Days, which will premier tomorrow at the Crate Paper blog. The above layout is by far the most detailed of the three layouts I created for Crate. I spent nearly seven plus hours on it! Unbeknownst to me, midway through the project, I quickly realized that I was without an actual "Star" punch..how is it possible that I've been scrapbooking for four years without a "Star" punch? I made an emergency visit to JoAnn Fabrics and picked up two "Star" punches; big & small. The additional stars turned out to be the perfect accent for my layout...a scrapbooker can never have too many paper punches!! Nope, never....

 

 

 

Ohh, yummy circles (my favorite shape of all time!). I layered most of the stars with various size circles trimmed from both pattern paper and cardstock. The stars serve as a sort of trail for the bus..the bus is literally "On The Go!" 

 

 

I'm a huge fan of Crate Paper's chipboard, especially with these latest releases..you'll notice one big difference this time around with the presentation of their chipboard pieces. They're sold on a full 12" x 12" sheet! Originally, the chipboard pieces had been packaged via two separate 6" x 12" chipboard sheets. Viewing them on one large sheet makes it a ton easier to see all the chipboard pieces, don't you think?! I'm *uber* excited that Crate Paper is now showcasing their chipboard this way..split packaging can sometimes make it difficult to locate exactly what it is your looking for. It seems that rub-ons are often split as well, which is a huge pet peeve of mine. Laugh. I don't want to flip through a book to look at rub-ons! Too much work..at least for me. Laugh. 

 

 

 

 

I also adore the fonts that Crate Paper utilized for some of their titles & phrases in this collection. All handwritten fonts are my best friend right now..what about you? What sort of fonts are you loving right now? I'm a total font junkie, though I don't have the budget to fulfill my fontiliscious desires right now. Thank goodness scrapbook companies like Crate Paper make pretty lil' phrases for scrapbookers like me. The above tiny banner sticker above stole my heart almost immediately. 

I took a bunch of photos of the School Spirit collection before I started cutting into it this morning. I failed to photograph "Restoration"..after quickly realizing my unrelenting forgetfulness last night in not having photographed "Restoration", I thought it a good idea to grab a few photos before getting carried away with my project. I'll openly admit, they're not the best of photos, but they'll have to do for now...here's what greeted me at my desk this am:

 

There's the 12" x 12" sheet of chipboard!! Pretty cool eh?! Do you like it? I love it!!

 

 

 

See the cute ol' number & alpha paper hiding amongst all them papers? This is my favorite pattern paper from the "School Spirit" collection..can't ever go wrong with alphas & numbers!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fabric brads are a new addition to the Crate Paper line-up. They've been a great extra to have on hand while building my layouts. I still regularly like to show off a brad or two from time to time. They're perfect filler material! Have a vacant corner or phrase that needs accenting? Throw in a brad..it works like a charm!

 I'll return tomorrow with my third final layout..it's to coincide with Crate Paper's final debut tomorrow, "Snow Days". Also, I'm sort of the middle of designing a new layout for Elle's Studio..which means I have one more project to finish before the fifteenth. The scrappen' marathon is almost over...I'll seriously need a massive size cup of Panera Bread Ice Tea after this week is over!! Sounds sooo good right now!! Nummm...hopefully you guys are having a great week thus far and are enjoying the many sneak peeks out there. See you tomorrow!

 

Running a Scrappen' Marathon

 

The marathon is on and I still have two more layouts to go! I'm not going to post much tonight as far as written content is concerned, but I'll leave you with some images of my most recent layout for Crate Paper's big premier today. If you haven't already been there, I recommend checking out the Crate Paper Blog as "Restoration" is finally up for the viewing - it's astonishingly beautiful! Crate Paper has definitely outdone themselves again..last season it was Brook that won all the acclaim..this Summer it's Restoration that steals the show! I have to tell you that I watched this collection come together from the very start. I had know idea it would be this good! When I saw the patterns on actual paper, I just about died..along with the rest of Crate Paper's design team. All of us fell madly in love with it! The colors and patterns literally take your breath away and leave you craving for more. It's almost unbearable to cut into because you just want to hold onto it "as is". I was forced to cut into my Restoration stash and nearly half of it is gone already. I told Crate that I wanted more..laugh. Can you blame me?! Anyway, I quickly wanted to share the premier and the project before I left you again this evening..be back tomorrow night with a second layout! We're breaking layout record numbers here!! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just a quick design tip from today's layout..to create the butterfly, I simply painted two different size butterflies with Vanilla acrylic paint. I then stamped each one with a large polka-dot background stamp and embossed the stamped dots with white embossing powder and my heat gun. I then distressed the butterflies with Ranger Distress Ink (Burlap of course!) using a soft sponge. The final addition was the chipboard piece, "27" - from Crate Paper's new "Restoration" chipboard set! 

Off to get the little guy to bed..it'll be another longgg night for me! :))