Tender Moments: Opal #4

I have been trying to go back and complete layouts for Jonah's first year album. I love reminiscing over these pictures. He was such a sweet baby. He still is sweet but he's got that three year old stubborness in him now. :) I used Scrapbook Steals Opal #4 sketch to jump start this layout.

Authentique patterned papers with some chipboard Thickers, thanks to my swap box pall Amanda G.!! I just inked them up and they were perfect for this layout.



I randomly cut some papers that I thought would go with the colors in the pictures. Added some word sentiments from Authentique and voila, page done!
Have a sweet day!

Papercraft No Go's :)

I had fun with these cards I made for Paper Crafts Magazine.

This one was a bit outside my norm. I cut out the center of the card adn added a piece of vellum. I loved teh look but it's definitely a bit more busy than my normal card. I love the Blissful collection from Authentque.
Hope your Sunday is super sweet!

Joy Cards! Take 2

So my idea of a joy card is something home made that I can quickly send off to someone I care about and want to send joy too. These are simple cards...mailable with just one stamp mostly. I hope you all are having a fabulous Friday. (I made all of these cards while I was at the scrapbook steals retreat this month)
I have to get ready for Halloween parties :)

Thrifty Thursday Halloween Style Batman Minifig

Kuddos to my hubby for crafting the form for this costume. Jakob wanted to be a Lego MiniFig for Halloween but it wasn't until the last minute that he decided he wanted to be a BATMAN MiniFig!!! Travis got to work and built all of the parts out of a piece of sonotube and a home depot box. :)

Then I got to work painting. First I masked off the area that would be yellow with masking tape and paper. I then painted the head black. Later, after removing the mask I painted the mouth and chin cleft. And here we are with the ALMOST finished product (we have cool hands too). I added velcro tabs to the box and attached the cape he had from a previous Batman costume. He is going to wear a long sleeved gray shirt and his homemade minifig hands made out of PVC pipe. Those need a little tweaking before tomorrow's school reveal. This only cost a few dollars but he is in heaven.

Hope your day is thrifty and fun!

Thrifty Thursday Postponed

Taking my little sickie to the Dr. this morning. Hope he's gonna be fine :)

Besties layout from the SS retreat.

So I love this layout so far but I feel like it needs something...It's driving me a bit bonkers but hopefully by tomorrow I'll have it figured out.

Who doesn't love the new LOST AND FOUND II by MME. The yellows and aquas are a dream I tell ya.

More journaling perhaps?!?!? Needs an anchor of some sort. Any suggestions. I did get some new lovelies in the mail from my swap buddy...maybe something in there will work. Have a super day!

Two Peas in a Pod

Best buds!

These boys just make me smile. They have such a good time together. A little crazy at times. :) They're in the same class at school and are unable to sit by one another (mostly I think it's Aaron's "fault" because he just can't control himself when he's around Ben...his energy boils over). They're doing better at church and Aaron has been learning to self master his enthusiasm.

Like I say here, thank goodness Ben is the calming influence in this duo. Because if they both were as exciteable as Aaron we'd be in serious trouble :0 hahaha.
Have a super day!

Had to share...

Jakob came in whining at me the other day to help him get his jacket off...technically this is HIS jacket (my mom bought it for him when he was just a wee thing). I laughed so hard and then grabbed my camera. No help from mom until she documents it for future blackmail attempts.
Here's little J with his "cool dude" jacket on. Yeah, that's more like it. I let my kids wear what they want now so hopefully when it matters they'll listen to me...here's to hoping right.
Have a sweet day!

Falling for you: MME Skectch Challenge #28

Here's the card I made for the sketch challenge with "Fall" as the theme. You can see the sketch on the MME Blog. I LOVE the new Lost and Found papers.

Lost and Found II as well as Black Bird
Have a great day. I'm off for a walk with the family.

Just Call Me: MME Challenge 28

I used MME's Card Sketch #28 for the starting point on this card. All the papers and embellishments on this card with the exception of the photo turn arrow are MME. I love the colors and textures of their Lush line not to mention the new Lost and Found and and Stella and Rose. Just gorgeous.

I hope you're all having a great day. I can't wait to get this card in the mail. Guess I'll be making another card today as the theme was supposed to be fall...hahhaha

Glue Arts and Glowing: Now with Glitter

I don't usually scrapbook many Halloween photos but I do always love the way they remind me of the fun we had. I still can't get over what a super duper cute Superman my baby made that year.
So, I got busy creating a page with these adorable pics, Authentique Paper's Glowing collection and Glue Arts brand adhesives.



I started by using my Glue Glider to run adhesive along the edges of my photo mat.



I then added glitter and watched the paper transform before my eyes. I loved the look of the glitter crusted edges.





Next, I used Glue Art's Raisen's to pop up the Trick or Treat title block on my page.





This was perfect because the ric-rac underneath didn't make the title bulge where the two overlapped.



Some more Raisen's for my hand cut banner.



I used the Glue Arts Mounting Squares to attach the rick-rack to my page and it held beautifully. Extreme tac just like the label states...I'm not worried about my trim shifting :)





Really, just a little piece of Heaven right here. :)



I loved the Glue Arts combopack of  Raisen's and U-Cut-It adhesive foam because I had the perfect dimensional adhesive choices all in one pack. I cut off a piece of the adhesive foam and used it to raise up my "Fright Night" label here.

I hope you enjoyed the tips I've shared here today and I know this year I'm going to make sure and scrap my Halloween pictures as soon as they're developed.

Happy Scrapping!
All paper elements used are from Authentique Paper's Glowing Collection
All adhesives used are from Glue Arts
Paper: Black Scratch Brocade, Newsprint, Harlequin Patches
Headline: Trick or Treat, back: newsprint corner piece
Noteables: Beware of Candy Overload
Icons: Fright Night, Happy Haunting
Other: Architectural trace paper, EK Flower Burst Punch, Glitter, Fab Rips from Studio Calico, ric rac


PLANNING A TRIP TO THE GREATEST PUMPKIN PATCH AROUND!!!

Thrifty Thursday Goes Retro:

I found this navy blue pleated polyester shirt and just had to have it! Hahaha. I love the color. The sleeves need to be taken in and shortened...I need help for that. How 'bout those bells. Those pants really balance my hips...not saying I want to go back to the 70's but it was fun to flirt with them for a day.
Then later that day I found this belt at a different thrift store in town.
Yup, I'm liking how it can be dressed up. The necklace was a find too. Shells and mother of pearl. I really like chunky jewelry. I'll try to get better pics but it's been super crazy around here and until I fix the sleeves...
oh, total oufit cost $4.75 (the necklace was $3.00)
Hope your day is a thrifty one :)

Just a few things I've Learned: with Gathering

I saw the new Sketchy Thursdays 10.13 sketch and knew I really wanted to do a layout about myself with it. Layouts about personal things are super hard for me sometimes. I do want my kiddos to know what my thoughts and desires are so why not scrap it :)
I framed the photo with pieces from the Gathering Tabloids set. I love the lattice from the Flourish paper!! I honestly think this collection was made with me in mind...the colors and patterns speak to me :)

Using Tiger Lilly Glimmer Mist and a butterfly mask I spritzed my foundations paper from Authentique.

I sewed the whole foundation paper to a piece of Kraft cardstock. I wanted this layout to look like it was worked on...like my life.


Various flowers. Circles from Gathering Icons and Elements
Journaling:
-being abandoned by your father is hard but it's not the end of the world
-working hard in school really pays off. Scholarships are for those hard workers who earn them
-being married keeps you balanced and develops your tolerance and acceptance levels. It's nice to have two perspectives
-being a mom is the hardest and most rewarding thing I've ever done in my life. My children teach me how to be a better person every day
-I am imperfect but God still loves me. I feel that love embracing me when the world seems to be crashing in around me
-your true friends will love you and be by your side no matter what religion you are or what pant size you wear. They will support you in life's worst trials and in the happiest of times
-you can't change people... you can only love them and hope through that love that they will want to change
-being healthy is hard work but it's worth it. I want to be around for a long time
-the laundry and the dishes will NEVER be done
-hugs from my kiddos can make a hard day good
-chocolate doesn't fix anything...but it sure tastes good
-I am here on this Earth for a purpose and I'm doing my best to live up to that purpose

Hope you have a wonderful and amazing day!

Wonder: SS Opal #2 Sketch

I made this layout with the Scrapbook Steals Opal #2 Sketch.

This is my baby boy Jonah when he wasn't even two months old yet. Now he's three and tearing through the house. I love my snuggle buddy.



The little feet pics were blurry but making them small helps and you still get the idea.
I hope you're having a wonderful day.!!!

AUTHENTIQUE October Color Challenge: Spooky

Hello everyone!! I just got back from a whirlwind trip to SLC. So many wonderful people, great classes with Fancy Pants, MME, Authentique and Teresa Collins. It was a blast! So my first order of business is to share with you Authentique's October Color Challenge!

I had so much fun with this card. When I first saw the challenge I thought I might need to add some orange in it, but as I created it came together wonderfully.

I hope you're all having a beautiful Monday!!! Make some time to create today!