Scrap time!

This past weekend, it was a hot one for us in the Pacific Northwest. Don't get me wrong, I definitely welcome the warmth of the sun, but I'm not a snake living in the Arizona desert either!

So, we went shopping for a couple super soaker type water guns and had a great time getting cooled off! Here is a layout of two of my favorite people having a blast with two photos that sum up the fun:


And a few more pics to share:



Thank goodness for patio doors!

Happy June!!

Wow! I can't believe this year is almost half over. And June is pretty full of special happenings for this particular family!

Let me see, Father's Day & Nicole's birthday are on the same day this year, and Makayla will turn four and wants a pony party for her birthday. She has mentioned that no boys are allowed, so Papa and Daddy have to sit this one out. FAT CHANCE!! She will also have her dance recital this month and I can't wait to see her all dressed up in her little tutu and being such a girly-girl! She does like her nail polish and lipsticks, but the majority of her playtime is outside in the dirt with the rest of the neighbor kids riding bikes and getting boo-boos. =)

We will also be getting into full swing with our fundraising for our Relay For Life team, "It's All Relative". We worked at a golf tournament and in return they gave us all the proceeds. It was a huge success, as we raised $705 for the American Cancer Society. This was our third year hostessing the tournament and each year it just keeps getting bigger and better!

And I'm suppose to be getting some scrapping done in the midst of all this?! We'll see!! Godspeed.

My 1st Sketch!

I've been participating in a crop at Simply Obsessed this month and one of the challenges was to create a sketch and then do a layout based on your sketch. I can't believe how easy it was! Created my sketch in Word using the shapes provided in the program:


And my layout! Here is Butch and Makayla on her third birthday last year. Since she's almost four now, I'd better get a move on, don't ya think!


Used the Cosmo Cricket Hello Sunshine collection. I wish I could take credit for that cool looking circle scroll combo, but it came in a kit that I've had sitting here for almost a year. OOPSIE!!

And once I get this Photomerge thing figured out on PSE7, I'll be scanning my layouts. Thought I had it down, but OH, NO!! Any pointers for this not so savy user?

I took the plunge!

I have been eyeing another kit club for some time now and today, I did it!! Simply Obsessed has had adorable kits and I just couldn't resist any longer! The June kit is packed full of Jenni Bowlin and paired perfectly with Graphic 45.


For a six month subscription it's only $26 per month - that includes the shipping! - so a girl can't go wrong!

Homemade Card Kit

I never realized just how easy it is to assemble your very own card kit! It was a challenge over at Life Preservers kit club and I knew I had to give it a shot.

Just take a few scraps of coordinating cardstock and pattern papers, add some ribbon &/or buttons, and viola, the perfect mini kit! Just add adhesive, a few alpha stickers, and some ink when you're ready to play!


And the end result:


I think I may have started a whole new thing for myself! Thanks Von!!

Another sketch!

I am just lovin' these sketches! This particular one I did of Butch's Grandma June with his Mom, Aunt Mickie, and Uncle Billy. I believe it was taken at her 75th birthday celebration. I will be framing this one, so I placed it on a 12 x 12 cardstock base with coordinating color.

Layouts!

Remember that free sketch class I was telling ya about? Well, Susan has come up with some nice and easy sketches to get us in the scrapping' groove. Here are the first two with my layouts:

National Scrapbook Day.....

..... was yesterday and boy did we have FUN! Butch decided that we needed to treat ourselves so we headed into town to do a bit of "want" shopping. While he visited the liquidation sale at Joe's, Makayla and I went to Craft Warehouse to pick up a few sheets of cardstock.

Well, well, well! Look what we found!! A Make & Take mini book! We both made one and Makayla did all her own inking, tearing, placing embellies, and the only help from me was cutting that little tree on the cover and helping to line up the paper to the chipboard squares.




She was so proud of herself!! And we had a blast. You're never too young to start. =)

ATC Holder

During a cyber crop last weekend, one of the gals used this for a Make & Take. We had just finished up an ATC swap and she thought these would make cute holders, and trust me, they do!

You will need:
flexible cardboard - cereal boxes work great!
assorted papers & embellishments
10 - 15 sheets of plain paper
large button
3 feet of string, twine, or thin ribbon
scoring tool
your choice of adhesive
paper cutter
hole punch or crop-a-dile
1" or 1 1/4" circle punch

1 - Cut a strip of cardboard 12" long and 3 1/4" wide. Starting at one end score @ 2", 3", 7 3/4", & 8 3/4". Fold on the scoring lines.


-If you want to paint the inside of your holder, as I did, now is the time to do so to speed up the project.


2 - To make the pockets each sheet is measured 9" long by 4 1/2" wide. Fold the paer at 3" and then again at 6".


Glue the side shut and repeat for each pocket.


Using a 1" - 1 1/4" punch, punch a half circle in the top of each pocket:


Now that you have all your pockets assembled, you will take two strips of glue down the center of each one and stack one on top the other until you have them all together in one pile. They should accordian out like this:


3 - Now its time to decorate the outside of the holder. Cut the paper the same dimensions as the cardboard. Much easier to cover and embellish if done before attaching pockets.

4 - To attach pockets, glue stack onto the center back of the holder.

5 - To attach button closure, make a hole in the top flap (2" side), make a knot in your string and feed it thru the backside of the flap. Make sure you have at least 3 feet of string to wrap around the holder a few times. Attach a button to wrap string around when closed.

6 - Almost finished! Attach the front pocket to the inside front of the holder. It will fan out when opened:


And here's my finished holder:


These would also make for great mini brag books for Grandmas, handmade coupon holders for anniversaries, birthdays, new parents, the list is endless! Whatever you decide to make, HAVE FUN!!

(this project was adapted from a post by Greta Adams of NoelMignon.com)

Waste nothing!

Last week I made some ATC's and used the lined paper from a stack of journaling tags by Making Memories. They had this floral edge on it that I just couldn't see me using for a layout. So, I decided to use them for cards instead! What do ya think?


I'm all for using it up till all you have left is scraps for the trash!

Free Sketch Class!

Over at The ScrapRoom , they are having a free sketch class that runs the entire month of May! In today's economy, FREE is GREAT!! You'll need to be a member of the message board and sign up in the appropirate thread. There is no charge to be a part of the TSR community, so why not! Come on! Get over there and sign up today!

Happy May Day!!

Just wanted to share a little story of myself as a child, growing up. We had a next door neighbor who was wheelchair bound and lived alone. As long as I remember, I would take her water daily - she had no well or toilet - and bring in her mail. I would sit and visit with her daily and fix her hair. I throughly enjoyed those times of looking at all her pretties, sampling her baked goods, and her company in general.

On May Day, I remember picking a bouquet of flowers, placing them on her front porch, knocking on the door, and hiding so she couldn't see me. Although she made a big deal of it, Mrs. Bieke knew it was me! The look of joy on her face is something I will remember always. Rest in peace, Mrs. Bieke =)

FRUSTRATION!!!

Ever been accused of something that you didn't even know was wrong in the first place? Right now I am so frustrated, I just want to scream!! We received a parking citation yesterday, that unfortunately I didn't find until this morning at 6:25am, on my way to work no less. The frustrating part about it all is, we could have parked the rig in the driveway if we'd known it was illegally parked where it was at! How can one know these things if not posted?? Why not a courtesy knock on the front door? DAMN!

April has been a VERY TRYING month for Butch & I and we just want it over and done with. NOW!! Bring on a kinder, gentler May, PLEASE!!!!

Happy Saturday!

Today we are just chillin'. Nothing like a laid back day after a long work week and readying the yard for the season. =)

Yesterday was a day of discovery. While working in our backyard, Makayla spotted some ladybugs. At first she just wanted to look:


but curiosity got the best of her and she wanted to hold one:


Which she thought was cool until it started crawling! She flicked it off and decided she would just look from now on!!

And speaking of spring things, how about these Bleeding Hearts! They are so HUGE this year and blooming like crazy!


And this morning, I decided a bit of scrapping was in order. Here is Nicole & Makayla making our Easter posies a few weeks ago. I used the Cosmos Cricket Girl Friday papers from my The ScrapRoom April kit. I love my crafty buddies!!


Have a great day! Godspeed

Just to say Hello!

Using the Making Memories Love Notes line, I created this card for my April card swap group. I had a hard time trying to use this paper for layouts, but it came together quite nicely for this. =)


It is a glorious Spring day in the Pacific Northwest, so I'm off to enjoy it!

Godspeed.

Just wanna say....

....you know when you've seen the perfect picture cause all you want to do is look at it and go "AWWWW!" Well, I scrapped it so I can say that over and over and over as many times as I want!


Come on, say it with me..... "AWWWWW!"

Spring layouts

A few weekends ago we had the pleasure of some beautiful sunshine and spectacular warm days and decided to make the best of them! We picked Makayla up around 11AM and had a fun filled day.......

feeding the ducks:


playing in the park:


doing some spring cleaning outdoors:


and celebrating Makayla's Great Grandma's 72nd birthday:

And yes, we were pooped when it was all said and done, but one of those days that you never wanted to end! =)

Godspeed.

Happy Easter!

I know I'm a day early, but wanted to wish you all a Happy Easter! This afternoon was filled with a flurry of activities including making these pretties for our dinnertable tomorrow. Nicole, Makayla, and myself had fun with buttons, felt, ribbon, paper, and glue dots to create these pretty flowers! And since tomorrow we'll be getting together, we made some cute little cupcakes for dessert. I don't know of a better way to spend an afternoon!!

Guess What?

Today at The ScrapRoom its my turn as Guest Designer! Thanks Janine!! The topic today is:

April 4 - Layered Felt Flowers
I discovered a newfound love for felt on my layouts and cards and when asked, this one seems to be right up my alley! I used some felt shapes from my ever growing stash and others I cut using my Original Sizzix and some dies I have. Here are the three samples I made:

Sewn with a button center:

Layered and attached with a brad:

Sewn together with a beaded center:

Each took only a few minutes to put together and with a little imagination, one could make plenty ahead of time for those layouts or cards! Have fun!

HELLO SUNSHINE!!

Really!! The sun is shining right now as I type and is forcasted to last thru the weekend! I won't be here long but wanted to share with you some cute little embellies that our Diva Janine at The ScrapRoom has challenged us to make. She'll be doing this all month and so far, I'm loving them all!!

April 1 - Paper Posies
Just scrunch your paper scraps, rip out three different sized circles, ink the edges, and attach your favorite fastener, which I sewed a button:



April 2 - Add glitter to sticker letters
Unfortunately, I don't have any glitter, but will definitely keep this one in mind for the future. There's nothing worse than needing just one more letter but its the wrong color! Now, I could just make my own!!

April 3 - Add Pattern Paper to Chipboard
I just traced my chipboard shape onto my pattern paper, cut it out, attached with Elmer's Spray Adhesive, and it was dry in 30 seconds. Next I sanded the edges with an emery board and spritzed on some Maya Road Red Mist. While it was drying I punched a circle for my center, then inked both it and the flower base. To assembled I used a pop dot for attaching the center flower for depth, and a glue dot for the button.

This was so EASY and I wish I would have tried it sooner!!


So, check them out this month and get inspired! Now, I'm going out to play in the sunshine!!

The Results Are In!

But unfortunately, I wasn't the big winner or even a runner up. But it was sooooo much fun and it was great to get know the ladies over at Life Preservers better! Congrats to the winners and Von has promised us another fun game in the future.

March Sheetload

I've been dabbling in cards on and off now for about a year and some of the best inspiration comes from Sheetload Of Cards. I decided this month to use their sketch in my monthly card swapping group and our theme was Male or Female Adult Birthday:


The photo is one taken of the roses from my Valentine this year. He has such good taste, doesn't he!

Cruise Wk #8

Well, we are heading home now to sunny Southern California. It's been a fun cruise and about to get interesting. Yes there is still a layout, but a tricky twist to be revealed on this coming Sunday. Hmmmm, what does that crusie director have in store for us??

This week, no procrastinating from moi! We are to make a layout based on this sketch by Mindy at Restless Creativity :


And my take on her sketch is Makayla transplanting her little sprouts into larger containers. She was so careful and had to do it by herself!


I'll have to check back with ya on Sunday for the finale and maybe some exciting news!! Afterall, a year subscription to Life Preservers is at stake!!

Cruise Wk #7

After Tokyo, we set sail for the states. Enroute, we had a thief going thru our cabins rummaging thru all our scrapbook supplies!! By the time it was discovered we were only left with three brads, a yard of ribbon, one piece of pattern paper, two flowers, and one 12x12 sheet of cardstock. We were sent into the ballroom under lockdown until the thief could be found! So, we made the best of it since they also made it an open bar to contain this cruise ship full of angry scrappers!! We can get vicious if need be, I tell ya!! Anyways, we land in the chilly air of Alaska and using just the items listed above, in addition to adhesive, black pen, scissors, and paper cutters, we had to create our next layout.

So, here I am, procrastinating is my middle name, and waited until late sunday to get mine posted. While looking at the rest of the layouts, two things stuck out to me.....they were all 12x12 and no titles. I thought, okay these gals have been at sea too long! NO!! It was me, I messed up!!!


All I can say, is the cruise director was so kind and allowed me continue on the cruise with the rest of the scrappers. She is the bestest cruise director!!

And just one more thing. I really thought it looked too plain, so I had to go back and add some cut little rubons. Shhhhh, don't tell Von!! But doesn't it just add to the whole layout! =)

Catch up time!!

EGADS!! Where did March go??

First let me catch you all up on my virtual cruise. Week #6 ended up being a crazy port of call for me and no time to scrap! Remember that free pass I spoke about? Well, I used it already. We ended up in Tokyo, Japan and the sushi was just too good to ignore and since I'm not a raw fish eater on a regular basis, it didn't like my system all that much!! I know, TMI!! =) That's what so fun about this virtual stuff, you can just make up excuses as you go! LOL!!

Cruise Wk #5

This particular week on the cruise we were to create a layout that was anything but a 12 x 12 size. Since I've been dabbling in the 8 1/2 x 11, it was perfect for me. I found this sketch in Scrapbooks Etc.'s 2008 Page Planner. By the way, I also earned myself a 'free pass' for the cruise just in case I get overwhelmed by life one of these weeks!

These photos are from this past weekend when we celebrated Greg's birthday.

Cruise Wk #4

Got a bit behind in posts about our virtual cruise. So, let's get caught up.

This cruise has been a blast and this is week #4. Unfortunately, during the week we were accidentally locked in our cabins while at port. It was quite lonely in there and the object was to do a layout of those we'd miss the most. This one was especially easy for me, since my husband,children & grandaughter, are the most important part of me.

These photos are from this past Christmas:

Framed Artwork

Well, I did it. I finally decided that some of my layouts need to be seen, not hidden away in books on the shelf. Since its "almost" Spring, I decided to showcase my most recent floral photo layout.


Unfortunately, Mother Nature isn't cooperating today and my home is rather dark, so, I photographed this near a brighter window instead of its proper placement in my kitchen. How I long for bright, sunny skies .......

Enjoy!

It's coming!!

Spring is on its way and lookie what I saw outside my bedroom window!! Love the site of the crocus in bloom, cause it means Spring is almost here!!