Beach Layout

I am always amazed at how fast life is passing me by.  These photos of Aubrey are from 3 years ago.  We went to Ocean Shores,WA one last time before we moved overseas.  I loved going to that beach even if it wasn’t the kind where you dip  your toes into the water because it is just too cold.  Within minutes Aubrey was wet and muddy and having fun. 

I used the 8/4 Sketchy Thursday sketch to finally get these photos scrapped.  I sorted some of my photos last week and this sketch was just perfect for them.  I also added this layout to the Club CK Summer Camp challenge of the day which was to use colored pencils or paint on a layout.  I colored the circles with watercolor pencils, inked the edges and added a bit of Stickles to mimic the bubbles on the patterned paper.

I just love the Cosmo Cricket Salt Air line.  The colors are perfect and the embellies are adorable.  I cannot get enough of Cosmo Cricket.  I used my Cricut and the Plantin Schoolbook cartridge to cut the title. 

This page came together quickly for me and I am always happy to get our stories told. 

Have a great day!

Waiting for Dad

I made cute little shirts for the girls to wear and added a few decorations around the house as we waited for James to return from his last 6 month deployment.  The plan was for us to drive to Ramstein and greet him when he arrived just after lunch time.  However his flight was delayed and we stayed home.  His co-workers dropped James off just after midnight and our girls were sleeping.  I had printed the photos though so he could see how happy they were that their daddy was finally coming home. 

Since James is deployed, again, I figured I better get these photos onto a layout and in our albums.  I recently found Sassy Lil’ Sketches from some fellow Club Creating Keepsakes peeps and decided to give it a shot.  This layout is from the July 28th Reveal and I am pretty pleased with the way it turned out. 

I used My Mind’s Eye patterned paper and embellies for this one.  The cardstock is Bazzill as well as the brads.  Cosmo Cricket stickers and American Craft Thickers for the title.

Thanks for stopping by today! 

Home for the Holidays

This is a quick layout I made while playing along with Frosted Designs  Sketch Along Tuesdays June 28 sketch challenge.  I used a sheet of Cosmo Cricket's Mitten Weather along with the coordinating Ready Set Chipboard embellishments.  The green twine is from Martha Stewart, the cute pom pom trim was from a friend on the Club CK board.  I busted out my sewing machine and stitched down the edges.

Easy.  Simple.  Quick!  Here is the sketch:

 

Thanks for stopping by to have a look!

Sketchy Thursdays 4/28 Sketch

We just returned from vacation and I had a box of scrappy supplies waiting for me.  I was so excited to dig right into them. I loved this weeks Sketchy Thursdays sketch and was excited to pick out some photos to get started.  Club CK is also celebrating National Scrapbooking Day all week and on Monday they had a challenge to scrap three photos taken with your cell phone.  I was inspired to get these cute photos of my girls while we were on a lunch date at Macaroni Grill off my iPod Touch and into my scrapbook.  Two challenges completed with one layout makes me a very happy scrapper!

All the product used on this layout is from Cosmo Cricket's Upcycle line.  I love the colors and the little flower button is adorable.  The only extras that were not from Cosmo Cricket are the staples and the floss I used to thread my buttons. 

Since the iPod Touch doesn't have a great camera I used the Instagram App to add a fun look to the photos.  The app is free and I totally recommend it!  Actually, I am pretty addicted to it.  I take more photos with my iPod since I downloaded the app about a month ago. 

Thanks for stopping by today!

My Dolls

Have I mentioned how much I love Club CK's 1-Hour Challenges?  Because I really, really do!  I made this page for a challenge back in December.  I am so thankful for these challenges as I actually get layouts completed.  I find I need a kick in the rear to get layouts done sometimes. 

The photo was taken last spring at the Keukenhof Gardens in Holland.  The have a new theme every year and last year it was "From Russia with Love".  When we came upon these large matryoshka dolls I knew it would make for a cute photo.  It is seriously one of my most favorite photos of the girls and me!

I used Bazzill cardstock for the base.  The patterned paper and chipboard embellishments are from Cosmo Cricket's Pixie-Licious line.  The black felt stickers are from American Crafts and the purple ricrak is from Maya Road.  The pink and purple bling is from Kaisercraft.  I used a Fiskars border punch for the journaling spot and on the blue patterned paper below the photo.

Thanks for stopping by today! 

Happy Valentine's Day!

I will be celebrating Valentine's Day with JG and our girls today.  We generally don't plan anything over the top for Valentine's Day and this year is no exception.  I made JG and the girls Valentine's cards weeks ago last night.  Since I planned ahead waited until the last minute to finish them they are simple and went together quickly.  Here is the one I made for JG....

I used the Create A Critter cartridge for the Cricut to make the adorable sheep.  I love this cartridge and have been using it constantly since I received it.  The background paper is from Cosmo Cricket's Pixie-Licious line and the pink letter stickers are Cosmo Cricket's Tiny Type letters.  I am sure you all know of my undying love for all things Cosmo!  I punched the heart from a scrap of purple paper and then covered it in Stickles.  The twill ribbon is from Martha Stewart Crafts.  The card took me 10 minutes to make and I actually like it!  I don't think I have ever had a project come together so fast before.  I guess sometimes it pays to procrastinate.

I promised the girls a midday bubble bath for Valentine's Day.  I can appreciate that they enjoy the simple things still.  Then I am making ribeye steaks for dinner with garlic mashed potatoes and sauteed zucchini.  A little pound cake with fresh strawberries for dessert to top it all off and that is what I consider to be a perfect day.

Do you have any plans?  So many people dislike this day but I think it is a great day to shower those you love with a bit of extra love and treats. 

P.S. Make sure you come back tomorrow as I will be having a giveaway to celebrate my 2 year blogiversary! 

Miss You "Sew"

I completed this layout for a Club CK 1-Hour Challenge in early January.  The challenge was to create a layout using the rule of thirds and I just lifted the sample because I was too tired to think of something different and I loved the original by the über talented Maggie Holmes.

The photos are from the last time I hung out with my McChord girls before we moved to Germany!  Hi Elina, Yanahlyn and Lisa!  Princess Brittany didn't join us this day and I am sad she wasn't there. Look how small Lolo was...she was just 2 1/2 months old!  And Aubrey...well, that little toddler has grown into a beautiful little lady.  Time just goes by so quickly.

I used Bazzill cardstock and the rest of the materials are from Cosmo Cricket's Material Girl line.  Just like everything else from Cosmo Cricket, I loved this line so much!  A huge, huge thanks to my Club CK Secret Santa (Hi Patty!) for sending me the Material Girl Paper Crafting Kit! Since the line has a sewing theme throughout I played on that word and used Tiny Type stickers for my title, "Miss You Sew".

Thanks for stopping by today!

Baby, It's Cold Outside

I made this layout during a Club CK 1-Hour Challenge back in early December.  The theme for that particular week was to use lyrics to a holiday song on a layout.  I made a quick photo collage using Photoshop Elements 7.  Using the collage made it super easy to finish this page in just under 60 minutes, especially since I created it last year!  All I had to do was sharpen my photos and drop them into the collage. 

I love these challenges for a couple of reasons.  First, sometimes it is the only layout I get to work on during that week.  Second, sometimes it forces me to work outside of my comfort zone.  Finally, you can win prizes!  I was actually a random winner for that week!  Who doesn't love to win free stuff?  If you are not a member of  Club CK you should check it out.  Basic membership is free and gives you access to the club forums, idea gallery and fun contests such as the 1-Hour Challenge. 

Here are the page deets:  The patterned paper, chipboard snowflakes and adorable snowman sticker are all from Cosmo Crickets Mitten Weather line.  The Tiny Type stickers are Cosmo Cricket as well.  The brown "BABY" letters are American Crafts Foam Thickers, purple pompom border is from Bo Bunny Crafts and purple bling is from Kaisercraft.  I used a brown Sharpie to draw a border around the page. 

Finally, while I am a very pale person, I am not quite as ghostly looking as I appear in the bottom photo!  I swear!



Lolo's Second Birthday LO

After looking at photos on the computer I have found several layouts that I hadn't shared here yet.  So over the next week or so I will be adding new things here. 

This layout is one I completed a month or so ago. I love Cosmo Cricket and these papers and embellishments from their Pixie-Licious are so bright and cheerful. I used an exact-o knife and a pair of micro tipped scissors to cut the large shape (an idea I got from the Cosmo Cricket blog) and then I matted my 5x7 photo of Lolo picking a flower before adding it to my page.

The chipboard hearts and butterfly tag are also from the Pixie-Licious line and the letter stickers are Cosmo Crickets Tiny Type stickers. The small purple flower brad on the tag is from Making Memories.  The teal-ish ribbon is from Martha Stewart Crafts, purple ric-rak is from Maya Road and the cream crochet trim is from Webster's Pages. I used a black Uni-Ball Signo pen to draw the borders around the patterned paper and the Bazzill Basics cardstock. 

That is the basic details of the page. 

Thanks for stopping by to have a look!

 

What? Another layout?

Yup!  I finished this one this morning!  I actually started working on it yesterday and then finished it up earlier.  I worked out of my comfort zone a bit with lots of patterns but I love the papers so much and I loved the end result.  I have also never put a title right on a photo before.  I fussy cut the flowers and vine and used some Zots to pop it off the paper.  I would normally use foam squares but I ran out and need to get some more.  I can't wait to use my scraps to make some cards! Cosmo Cricket rocks my socks off for sure!

I have some more layouts to work on and I have some new product to inspire me!  Since James is out in the field for the next week I hope to bust some more pages out.  Besides, using my stash means I can buy some more....just in time for the Cosmo Crickets new release that I haven't seen yet ;-)

Scrappy Post

It has been a very long time since I have posted any scrapbooking layouts.  Honestly, I haven't been scrapping as much as I want to lately.  Time has certainly gotten away from me...it always does.  I finished both of these layouts after being inspired by the Cosmo Cricket blog.  Julie has been sharing sketches and encouraging readers to play along. 

This layout of Aubrey was made using the Cosmo Cricket Nutmeg Paper Crafting Kit.  I have had these pictures printed for a while now and never got around to getting them scrapped.  I love Aubrey's chubby arms and her confident steps.  The Nutmeg papers perfectly suited the pictures and I was extremely pleased with the finished layout. 

This layout makes me smile because I absolutely love the happiness on my babies faces!  While inspired by a Cosmo Cricket sketch I used October Afternoon papers and added some Kaisercraft pearls. 

These are the only layouts I have completed this year and I am very ashamed to admit it!  Things have been busy and I really need to upload and order some prints.  My little photo printer has been giving me some troubles lately so I need to start planning better before I place an order online.  It also doesn't help that my scraproom is a disaster!  I need to spend a day putting everything back in its place.  Now that James is home he can entertain the girls while I clean up. 

Thanks for looking!  I always appreciate folks stopping by my home in cyberspace!  Have a great weekend!

CHA Favorites

I have been stalking some of my favorite scrapping blogs all month for sneak peeks of the new lines they would be releasing this week at the CHA-W convention. There is so much out there to buy but Cosmo Cricket has my favorite lines so far! I hope I can get the Joyride Paper Crafting kit soon, it is adorable. Jenni Bowlin has managed to come out with another stunning line, Homespun. The page was designed by one of my favorite bloggers, not only for her amazing talent but also a fellow military spouse, Stephanie Howell. If you haven't checked out her blog you really should. I love her style! Finally, have you seen the new line by Elizabeth Kartchner? She worked with American Crafts to come out with a beautiful spring line with adorable papers and embellishments. This is definitely on my gotta have list!

If you want to see many other products being released this spring you should check out the Creating Keepsakes Blog and the Paper Crafts Blog because they posted some great videos on their sites.

Sorry there are so  many links but I didn't want to add photos and violate any copyrights that are in place.  Wanna share your favorites?  I love reading comments!