Tuesday, January 29, 2013

01/29/13 - All about "ME"

Good Morning, friends!
I hope all is well w/ you today!

I am stopping by w/ a post that is all about "Me".
What does that mean exactly?
Well, 1. I have a layout to share in which I am the main subject
   and 2. I have an announcement to make.


First the layout:

"Me- Nov 23, 2012"
Supplies: SB.com Cozy Winter kit, EK Success Paper Shapers Large Tag Punch
American Crafts Amy Tangerine Photo Op Date StampZig Pen Black, Whale of a Punch Large Circle punch


I created this for a challenge over at SB.com.
The challenge was  a "technique" challenge and the technique was to use punches.
I love punches and I have quite a few in my stash, but sometimes I forget to use them.
For my layout I used an old 'Large Circle' punch to create the frame for my little picture and a new 'Tag' punch, for the border going across the page
BTW - When I say "old" I mean really old! It was the first punch I ever bought!
And when I saw "new" I mean really new! I just purchased and received the punch this past weekend from SB.com! I have had a re-newed interest in tags lately and when I saw the tag punch used on a few layouts in the gallery, I just knew I HAD to have it (Yes, HAD to, LOL)!
 
IDK about you, but I don't have a lot of pictures of just me because I am always behind the camera. And the rare times there are pictures of me I usually don't like them (you know how it is), so I was super excited with these pics and couldn't wait to scrap them! (Is it bad that I think I look GOOD, LOL?!) The only problem w/ the pictures was there was a lot of distractions in the BG: both people and objects. That is why I created the large frame and overlapped my items the way I did. In the end I am happy w/ the pics AND the layout!
 
And now for the announcement...
(drum roll, please)
Remember I tried out for the "Childs Play Challenges" DT?
Well, I am very excited to share that I was selected!
Yay!!!!
I've known for about a month now but had to keep it super secret until the made the official announcement on the blog. They did so today so now I can share! :0)
My first challenge will go live on the blog on February 13th.
Can't wait!
I hope you'll stop by and visit me there and see the creations from the other DT members and maybe even play along!
 

Saturday, January 26, 2013

01/26/13 - "They Say it's Your Birthday"

Good Morning!

Earlier this week we had a special day for someone in our family; It was my daughter's birthday!
My Madi turned 11 on Thursday.
Since her birthday landed on a weekday (Yuck!) we didn't do a whole lot.
Her daddy baked her a cake and she got to open presents. But unfortunately after that she had to do homework. I know total Bummer!
In fact as she was doing her homework she actually said to me "Today doesn't feel like my birthday.."
Awwww! :0(
So to make her day feel a bit more special I allowed her to stay up extra hour before going to bed.
That made her happy! She loves staying up late!
Oh, and I made her pinky-promise me she wouldn't be grouchy or give me a hard time when I woke her up the next day. The pinky-promise worked because she wasn't!
I told her I need to make her pinky-promise me that for EVERY morning because she is ALWAYS grouchy in the morning, LOL!

Here are a few pics -

Madi posing for me:


The giant cake her daddy made her:
(Madi's special request: 4 layers of cake - 2 red velvet and 2 funfetti.  In between is frosting that was created by mixing together whipped cream, cream cheese and crushed cookies & cream candy bars.  Talk about sugar overload, right?  It was originally supposed to be just 2 layers, 1 each of the different flavors of cake but my husband thought it would be more fun to make it this way. He was right, it was more fun, but my goodness, our tummy's were hurting after, LOL!)


Madi's kitty, Panini, checking out the cake:

 
Madi blowing out the candles:

 
Panini waiting for her "mommy" to open her presents:



And that night she stayed up late watching one of the DVDs she received for her birthday; Season 1 of "Chowder":

BTW - "Chowder" is the show that inspired her kitty's name!

This is Panini and she is in love w/ the main character, Chowder:

This weekend we plan on finishing Madison's birthday celebration by taking her to Oak Glen.  She wants to go there to have a slice of their super-crumbly apple pie! Hopefully, since it's been raining a lot, there will be snow for her to play with as well!

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

01/23/13 - Use It Tuesday #48

Hi all!
 
Just sharing the latest layout I created.
I felt like scrapping last night so I pulled out the list I made for myself of all the challenges I would like to participate in and decided to create a layout for the latest challenge over at Use It Tuesday.
 
"Use it Tuesday" is a blog that I discovered a couple of months ago.
Just like other challenge blogs "Use It Tuesday" presents different types of challenges to participate in. What makes them different is that they require that you use hoarded supplies on your creations.
As you know, that's what I have been trying to do: use up my stash.
So imagine how excited I was to find this blog!
 
 
I created a layout for Challenge #48:
"Warm it Up: Use Red, Orange, and/or Yellow"
Please make a project that uses at least one of these color

 
I had originally planned on using ALL 3 colors on my layout but when I came across the pics of my son opening one of his gifts this past Christmas, I decided I wanted to scrap them. Obviously the 3 color combo wouldn't work w/ these pics or the theme, so I went w/ using just the color red as a way to satisfy the challenge requirement.
 
Here is the layout:
 
"Finally"
Journaling: "David and I don't believe in young children having cell phones. Because of this, Joseph didn't get a phone until Christmas 2012; 6 mos before his 18th Birthday"
 
 
I chose the title "Finally" because I'm sure that's what my son was thinking when he opened his present.  He's been wanting a cell phone so badly but as my journaling states, we don't believe in kids having cell phones.  Joseph will be an adult in 6 months (Yikes!) so we decided it was okay for him to have one now.
 
As you can see I went a little crazy w/ my layering and doodling, LOL!
But I'm okay w/ that because it was fun and that's what scrapbooking is supposed to be: FUN!
 
And I used up so much old stuff on here!
The  snowflake rub-ons,  journaling tag, word strips, title letters, scalloped mat (behind the title and tag) are all from a Scrapbook kit I bought in December of 2010.
The papers I used aren't from that kit but are just as old (maybe even older!).
Gosh even the buttons are a couple of years old!
 
After I was done w/ the layout I realized I had used yellow and orange:
yellow = word strips and title letters
orange = snowflake (on the top circle)
 
So without even trying I wound up using ALL 3 colors like I had wanted to...
Yay me! LOL!
 
 

Thursday, January 17, 2013

01/17/13 -SIT Sketch #100

Good Morning!
 
Today I am sharing w/ you the latest sketch over at Sketches in Thyme.

Here is the sketch:
 
 

The 3rd sketch of the month is always a 2-pager, but as you already know, I don't do 2-pagers, so here is my take inspired by the Right-Hand Side of the sketch:
 
"Let's Swim"
 
I hate the water but my husband and daughter love it! When they get the opportunity to get into a pool they do, and have lots of fun too! This layout not only shows them having fun in the pool but having fun together! They have a strong bond and absolutely adore each other!
 
Even though I cut the original 2-page sketch in half I was still able to fit 8 pics on one layout.
How cool is that?!
For me that is very cool as I wanted to scrap all these pics of my husband and daughter but wasn't exactly sure how I was going to do it.
 
As you can tell I cheated a bit w/ this though...
I made the picture placement easier on myself by printing all the pics out as a grid and then cutting that grid out into one large pic.
 
Which just goes to show you that sketches don't always have to be followed exactly.  They are there to inspire and jumpstart your creativity.  As a matter of fact, the rule at SIT is that you can "flip, rotate, and adapt the sketch to work for you- as long as we can still see the sketch in there".
So that's what I did...made it work for me.
And I love the finished product!
 
Now it's your turn to show us how the sketch works for YOU!
Don't forget to stop by SIT and link up your project.
When you link up to any of our January sketches, you're entered to be a guest designer with us in March!!
 

Monday, January 14, 2013

01/15/13 - Layout #10

Hi there!
I made a few changes to my blog...
Unfortunately all of the changes weren't exactly intentional.

I went to make 1 little change and while I was doing that I figured I'd try a few other things, just for "Ha-Ha"s...
Boy was that a mistake!
I wound up completly messing up my blog and then I couldn't get it back to it's original state! Yikes!
So finally I got my blog back to being somewhat decent.
::sigh::

Well, on to the reason for my post.
Last week I shared w/ you that I was challenging myself to complete 120 layouts for the year.
120 for the year equals 10 layouts a month.
As of Sunday Night the total number of layouts I have created for the month of January is 10!
Yay, me!!
 
In honor of that milestone I'd like to share the layout:
 
 
"...the Walking Dead"
Journaling: "A tender moment turns into a scene from the Walking Dead"
 
 
I actually got the journaling/title idea from my husband.
I took these pictures during our outing to see the "Festival of Lights" in December.
When my husband saw the pics, he uploaded them to his instagram w/ the journaling/title as his caption.  I decide when I finally scrapped them that I would copy his idea.
(Thanks, hubby!)
 
On another note, this layout also marks a first: the first time I ever used Washi Tape.
I love the way Washi Tape looks on layouts! I also love that it comes in so many different colors and patterns! But I have always been afraid to use it!
Silly I know!
So what got me to finally take the plunge?
Yup, you guessed it!
A challenge. A Scrapbook.com Challenge.
The challenge was to scrap a layout  using the theme of "New" as your inspiration. New could be interpreted any way: New Supplies, New Pics, New Techniques, whatever "New" meant to you.
So I decided to use the Washi Tape as my "new".
I was hesitant at first but love the end result!!
Now I think I need to go shopping, LOL!
 
Oh, and if your wondering what changes I actually MEANT to make to my blog...I simply wanted to add a count of the layouts I have created on my sidebar. I'm hoping this will help keep me on track w/ my scrappy goal.

Saturday, January 12, 2013

01/12/13 - City Crafters Challenge


Hi there!
This is a rare occurence...
 me blogging on a Saturday.
But I wanted to share a page I created for the current challenge over at the City Crafter's blog.

The challenge was to create a page w/  book paper on it.
I discovered the challenge right when I was planning on creating a layout of my daughter and her kitty reading together.
Perfect timing!

Here is what I came up with:

"This Book Belongs To: Madi and Panini"
Journaling: "Panini does not like to cuddle but on this day she seemed to make an
exception joining Madison while she completed her reading homework.
I love these pictures! October 13th, 2012"


(Sorry, I know it's not the greatest pic but because of the bulky elements of the layout I couldn't scan it and for some reason I can never seem to get a great pic when I use my camera! If anybody has any tips I invite you to share them w/ me.)

This layout was also inspired by a challenge over at SB.com called the "5 Ingredients + Yours". The challenge requires the use of 5 different items, or ingredients, and then you can add what ever else you want. Here's a list of the 5 required "ingredients":
1. Ticket(s)
2. Red
3. Something angled
4. Photo corner(s)
5. Typed journaling

The hardest part of the challenge for me was the typed journaling because I always hand write mine.

BTW - this is my 8th layout of the month.
Only 2 more to go to meet my monthly quota!
:0)

Monday, January 7, 2013

01/07/13 - Scrappy Goals

Over at Scrapbook.com there is a challenge called "Scrap A Page A Day". 
The goal is to have 365 layouts done by the end of 2013.
As amazing as that would be there is no way I could do it!
Now that my kids are getting older I have a lot more free time, but even w/ the extra time to scrapbook a page every day would not be an achievable goal.
 
Despite the inability to play along w/ the challenge, I decided to use it as inspiration and create my own goal for the year. 
I have never created a goal like this before. Instead I just counted how many layouts I created along the way and at the end of the year had a total.

For 2012 I created a total of 48 layouts.
I know that doesn't sound like a lot, but considering I only scrapped from July 13, 2012 - December 31st, that equals approximately 9.6 layouts a month.
My layout totals grew as the months went along: I started w/ only creating 2 layouts in July but in December I had created a whopping 14 layouts!
Based on these figures, I decided to set my goal at 10 layouts a month which would equal 120 layouts for the year.
 
So that's my goal : 120 layouts for 2013.
 
So far this year I have created 6 layouts. Thats more than half of my goal for the month and we are only in the 2nd week.
Great start!
I just hope I can keep it up.
 
BTW - after coming up w/ my own goal, I came across another challenge over at SB.com called "Volume Scrapping" and it's goal is for each player to decide how many layouts or cards they want to create for the year and work towards that goal using the "challenge" as a way to motivate ourselves and others. 
Apparently "great minds DO think alike"!
 
And just cuz I hate blog posts w/ out pictures, I'm sharing one of the layouts I made this month:
 


 "1st Pic 2013"



Thursday, January 3, 2013

01/03/13 - SIT Sketch #98

Hello there!
It's only the 3rd day of the New Year but so far so good!

Today I am sharing w/ you the latest sketch over at Sketches in Thyme.

Here is the sketch:
 
 
 
And here is my take:
 
"The Apple Tree and Us"
Journaling: "Oak Glen, CA - Dec 16, 2012.
David, Madison, Joseph and I spend the afternoon in Oak Glen. While there David saw
this apple tree and thought it would look good w/ the color effect function on our camera.
He was right!"

 

I realize the title isn't grammatically correct but I was trying to put the emphasize of it on the apple tree and added the "and us" after the fact because I realized it was silly to call it "The Apple Tree" when the large focus picture had Madison and me in it as well.

FYI: I used Nikki Sivils' "Audrey" collection for this layout.
Here is a link to it at the SB.com store if you're interested in learning more about it: Audrey.

And, as always with these posts, I now invite you to come show us what you can do w/ the sketch.
Stop by SIT and share your take with us - you have until January 31st to do so.
If you get chosen as a top 3 you'll be invited to join us as a Guest Designer in March!

TFSB!

 

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

01/02/13 - (Post #2 for 01/02/13) I'm a Winner!!

I don't usually post twice in one day but I just wanted to stop by and share that I was chosen as a "Top 3" over at  Scrap It With A Song !!! Yay, me!
I was chosen thanks to my "Last Christmas" layout.
 
Love that layout and so glad others did as well!
 
As a "chosen one" I get to display this badge on my blog:
 

I will display it and I will do so with pride!

Thanks for the honor Scrap It With A Song!!!!

01/02/13 - And so it Begins...

Happy 2nd day of the new year! 
I started off the new year right by creating a new layout yesterday! 
I figured it was appropriate for my first layout of the year to be about my resolutions so I created this:

"Resolutions"
 
Along with creating a layout on the first day of the year I decided to start right in on the challenges!
This layout was partly inspired by the following blogs:
Another Freaking Scrappy Challenge - which is challenging its players to create a layout regarding new years resolutions...
And
ScrapFIT -  which is challenging it's players to use stars on their layout.

Check!
Check!

Also I am still challenging myself to use up my old stash. I put a big dent in my stash last year, yay,   and this layout Is a great start for this year as almost all the items on here are at least 2 years old.
Also, all the paper minus the BG piece, is from my scraps-stash.

 I'm hoping this is a sign of things to come...a scrappy-productive year!

03/27/23 Planning with Urban Journal Season Ink

My printer was having issues and I fixed it but during the interim I was not scrapping and lost my mojo ::le sigh:: But I've still been ...