52 Sketches, #38

Every once in a while I manage to finish one of Julie's sketches (52sketches52weeks.com) on time!! This is week #38, a real challenge! I love it though, for how un-ordinary it is yet leaves lots to interpretation. Her sketches never disappoint.

And yes, more BoBunny Popscicle -- I have to use it all!!! I have to tell you though, my husband looked at this layout and said, "I don't like it, it looks like you just through it together". So I said, "But what about all the precision cutting?? Look at all the inking and the little custom photo corners and the cute pom-pom trim!! Are you sure you don't like it?" To which he replied, "Well, ok, I can see that you didn't just throw it together.... but I still don't like it." Oh well, I guess I can't win 'em all LOL! I actually really rely on him to give me an honest opinion and I value what he has to say.
This layout is more on the simple side for me as far as embellishing -- I could have dressed it up a lot more -- but the way I see it there's something to be said for simple once in a while. Thanks for looking. :)

Sketch Contest

PageMaps is having another sketch contest!! And in this one there are -- count 'em -- TWO ways to win. Go visit PageMaps at http://www.pagemaps.com/blog.php?do=blog&id=71 for all the details.

Here's the sketch:

And here's my take on it :) Lots of BoBunny and a little Heidi Swapp bling.
You better hurry the deadline is October 11th!!

KNK October kit Reveal #1

Here's the first of two reveals I have for KnK's October kit. The first is a layout showcasing my little Gracie girl with Scrap Within Reach papers and chipboard letters, Core'dinations cardstock, and beautiful little Tea-Dyed flowers by Petaloo.

I made the big flower to mimic those on the patterned paper. I tore the petals from the color-core cardstock and instead of inking the edges (as I am usually inclined to do) I used some Doodlebug Sugar coating. I threw in the 7 Gypsies photo turns to help make the flower center a little more interesting, stitched the stem with embroidery floss, and tore the leaves to also mimic those on the paper.

When it came time to put the title on I realized I had totally misjudged just how much room I would need for what I wanted to say. So after I roughed them up and inked the sides I squished all the letters together until they looked right and glued them to a piece of coordinating cardstock. Then all I had to do was trim around the word. I think it turned out way cuter than just sticking the letters down in a straight line!

My next project is a card. I've really been getting bored with the same old folded cards so tried something a little different this month, and I really love how it turned out.

The sentiment itself has been done time and again, I know, but I personally had never used it and it just seemed so fitting for what I wanted to express. I have also found that when I am making a card, if I make it with a specific person in mind I take a lot more care and time with it than if I was making it just to make it, for no particular reason. This one is for my mom. Not sure when I'll see her next, but when I do I'm going to give it to her.
Thanks for looking, I'll have more to share in a week or so. Happy scrapping! :)

Is this Cute or WHAT?

Want to make one? Join Kit 'n Kaboodles and Creativity Boutique for a class hosted by Nikki Sivils! Go here: http://kreativekaboodles.blogspot.com/
for all the details!!

KNK October kit is up

Knk's October kit features Scrap Within Reach, May Arts, 7 Gypsies, Tim Holtz, Core'dinations, and more! It's a very beautiful kit , but I gotta be honest, I sorta freaked when I saw it. It's purple. Purple scares me. I could have the most beautiful piece of paper on the planet sitting on my table just waiting for me to scrap with it but if it was purple....? I don't know. It's not even a matter of whether I like the color purple.... I do, a lot!! I just have this weird mental block when it comes to creating with it. However, I am very happy to report that after about a week of fretting, I have successfully created four different projects with the kit (come see me again on the 23rd for my first reveal) and I lived to tell you about it. I think I may even have conquered my paranoia over it. I think from now on, I'm going to scrap with purple. LOTS. :) Go on over to Knk (www.knkclub.com) and check it out. It's
F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S!

This is fun....:)

BG Love

Have I mentioned that I love Basic Grey? I have? Well I'll tell you again..... I LOVE Basic Grey. They just have an amazing way of making colors and patterns mesh together like they were meant to be.... in a way I would have never seen on my own. I sure wish I'd inherited "the eye" for stuff like that, like my mom has. Fortunately for me, I don't have to do it alone, scrapbooking manufacturers have done all that work for me. All I have to do is cut it all up :)
I finished this layout this afternoon -- in a rather rushed way actually -- but I'm fairly happy with it. You just about can't do it wrong with such beautiful papers.

I love this photo. Grace was about one month old, and practically fit in the span of Billy's two hands. It's so amazing how fast they grow! I am so thankful for my camera. Makes it certain I will never forget little precious moments like this one.

Biiiiiiiiig Trees

On Labor Day we went to the Redwood National Forest in Northern CA. We love making this trip and I never get tired of it! It's close enough to our place that we can make a day of it, see some sights, have a little picnic, walk through some of the beautiful groves, and make it home before bedtime :) A tourist was kind enough to take our photo at the end of the walk. A rare moment with all of us in front of the camera! Of course Cassie did a little of her own exploring -- this was her first real excursion anywhere and she loved it! She's still a little confused with what the leash is all about, but she gets better every time.

Here's a picture of Katy sitting in a crevice in a tree -- yes that is one tree! That was a pretty big step for her to get up there. She's normally pretty cautious about being up high, and she was a good four feet above her Daddy's head when she got all the way up there!

-- and then another of the girls standing in front of a fallen tree. What you see behind them is the underside of the tree and the part of the root system. Pretty amazing, huh?

You really can't grasp from pictures just how majestic these trees are. They are so beautiful!

For a little perspective, here's Billy standing with the girls. He is 6' tall and completely dwarfed next to the trunks of those trees.

This was the one tourist-y thing we did. We thought the girls would get a big kick out of it, and they did!! This is the Tour-through Living Tree. We drove our van through it when we left and they thought that was really something :)

Overall, a really great day. I would highly recommend visiting there if you can. It's kinda like the Grand Canyon -- the pictures are pretty, of course, but when you see it in person it takes your breath away.

KnK September Kit Reveal #2

This layout is my favorite creation from this kit! I used an acrylic sheet that was in a previous kit (May 'o8, I think), the Basic Grey Doily, the super-cute 3 Bugs paper, and one of the big chipboard ladybugs. This is my first attempt using an acrylic sheet as the base for my layout and now I am wondering why I waited so long to do it! I really love how it turned out. The photo is my sweet Katy, on her first birthday. She actually had ladybug themed invitations and a ladybug cake, so naturally when I saw this kit I thought of those photos immediately :)

Next is a birthday card I made for my Granny (whos birthday is September 12th, Happy Birthday Gran!). I used the little ladybug stamp and embossed it (using the red embossing powder on top of that dark rosy color may not have been the best choice -- but you can still tell what they are, right? ) and then I used some black diamond Stickles for the dots. I also embossed the "Y-O-U". Reminded me of how much I love the embossed effect.

This is the cute 7 Gypsies altered purse. The first photo shows the finished product on the outside, and the second is a peek at the album, which I first covered with paper and a few little embellishments and then attached a photo sleeve to each section. Both sides of the album are done this way, so that you can change out the photos as often as you want.

So there you have it! With the September kit I created one double-layout, two single-layouts, a card, and an altered purse complete with album. :) And a still have a few paper scraps left, I could probably manage another card or two! This was one of my favorite kits to date, for sure. Thanks for having a look!

Studio Calico Sketch Contest

Go here: http://www.pagemaps.com/blog.php for details of this great sketch contest! I had fun with this and while the end result of mine doesn't look exactly like the sketch, I got some great inspiration from it. Thanks PageMaps :)

Who's King-of-the-Hill ?

Now that's entertainment! Who needs television? Did you see that head-butt?! Keep in mind these are tiny fawns, still with spots. I rolled on the floor laughing when I saw this! I wish the quality was better. It looks a lot better on my Windows Media viewer.

Video credit goes to my Dad :)

Can you say.... LAZY?

Our little lady has decided it's just too much for her to stand up to eat or drink.... she has to lay down or else she might faint from the exhaustion of it all. Too funny!

Look how big she's getting! I can't really even hold her in my lap in the car anymore, and definitely NOT while I am driving. She has landed on her favorite toys though, an old slipper and a pair of last summer's flip-flops I hadn't brought myself to throw out yet. Not the spendy little bouncy ball and toys we got her from the pet store. What is it about puppies and shoes? At any rate, our little princess is really settling in to her place in the house. On the couch, on the bed, on a lap...... course I don't think I'd have it any other way. :)