this & that

Well, I have actually gotten a little tired of scrapping the most 

recent photos of the kids and our daily life.  I love the idea

of Project Life and I think it would probably be the most rewarding

album to look thru later on, as a real document of what we REALLY

did every day.  But, when I started scrapbooking it was because 

I loved looking back at older memories, some I had journaled 

about at the time in a diary or baby book.  

I used to tell me husband that I loved to scrapbook because

 it was usually of happy events or moments that I felt were 

worthy of my time...which is becoming invaluable every day - 

AND that in scrapbooking those happy moments I remembered why

my children were such a gift and it was essentially therapy for the 

terrible two's & three's and too soon to be tweens....ugh.

So, I have been looking back through this enormous Cropper Hopper 

photo file box that could hold thousands of photos...

I had arranged them carefully into categories and then into more

specific categories depending on scrapbooking necessity & importance.

Well, until recently, that ginormous box has been gathering dust.

In moving my scraproom, I have discovered lots of old/new toys! :)

Kind of like my children, when I hide a toy they have been fighting over and a 

few months later when I break it out, it is super exciting!

This was an old photo from December 2007, right before Sam turned 1.

I did this LO for the Scrapbook Circle Challenge #37, which is a Gallery Lift challenge,

found here:  http://www.scrapbookcircle.com/2012/08/challenge-37-gallery-lift

I based it on the sketch that Allison Waken lifted from another SC subscriber...

Three time lift!  Kinda neat...She used that lovely white painted wood plank paper, found here:  http://www.scrapbookcircle.com/2012/08/lifting-you-patricia/allisonwakenhappyboys1-3   

I also used the same Crate Paper paper for some arrow/triangular shapes like she did.  

I had been hoarding this wood plank paper & really didn't want to 

use it, so this got me out of that hoarding mindset...bad Jenni, bad. ;)

sweet tooth...My Mind's Eye

 

Sofia had to have two of her bottom teeth extracted the Thursday

afternoon before school started, the next morning she got braces.

It was a whole lot of activity for an 8 year old within a span

of less than 18 hours.  So, knowing that we were in for possibly

a few days of liquid diets and sore teeth and attitudes, I gave

her a peace offering in the form of her "last supper", or lunch as it was.

She wanted to go to IHop...goodness, with the IHop.

You would think it was the most renowned restaurant in the country.

 

Their new specialized pancakes took up their own special menu,

which featured this crazy red velvet pancake...personally I am not

sure it should be allowed and if she wasn't a child her cholesterol and

carb levels would be thru the roof...however, you only get one first trip to IHop.

 

 

I had to take a before photo to email to Shawn so he could see the ridiculousness

which I had subjected myself to...then I had to get an after photo because she

wanted to keep eating but I really thought she might be sick.

Ironically, I made the kids walk around Hobby Lobby afterwards so I

could get adhesive and I honestly didn't think they would make it.

I thought with all the sugar, they would be bouncing off the wall but

Sam could hardly keep his eyes open on the way home.

 



 

I did this LO with the MME August Challenge #2 in mind that linked here:

http://mymindseye.typepad.com/blog/2012/08/august-challenge-2.html

It is to use Holiday papers of some sort to scrap a non-holiday page.

I had just been delivered the new "All is Bright" collection which is fantastic!

And the reds in it are a perfect red velvet color!

 

ray of light...Sunday Sketch

          I have been avoiding doing any scrapbook pages of Sofia's

         First Communion so far.  I have so many great pictures and

it was a very well documented event that I may need to do a mini book. 

But, after getting the HeyDay Collection and papers, especially this rose

paper I had to do one.  Studio Calico's Sunday Sketch was perfect

for it too since it was based on a square grid and this was one of the

Hipstamatic photos that Shawn had taken with his phone.

Here is the link to their post:

 http://studiocalico.typepad.com/studio_calico/sunday-sketch/

 

I didn't stray too far from Maggie's sketch and made a serious effort NOT

to over-layer, which is really hard for me these days...

I watered down some mists and painted the butterflies with a brush.

 

 

I am loving this gold embossing Zing! powder.

 









HELLO ROUTINE.

          School started back today...thank goodness! And kinda sad too.

         Sam's first day of Kindergarten was today and now all our babies have

left the nest...or at least the nest from 7:50am-3pm...

It would/should seem a little sad, but Sam was SO excited and

wants to do everything his sister does, so he wasn't apprehensive

or clingy or whiney at all...I hope that means we did something right.

That, or he just wants to be closer to his sister...which would be okay too.

Anyway, the past few days have been a process of getting

everyone back into the routine, or idea of it, going to bed early,

so we can get up early...preparing an 8 year old for homework...again.

Last year, Shawn did more documenting of our everyday activities

BEFORE we started school...this year, I think we were lucky to get

a photo of them with their backpacks on and ready to go, much less

with their teachers or at their locker.  Shawn asked Sofia if she

was embarrassed that we walked her in and kissed her goodbye in

front of her friends...?  I think next year could be the "too cool for school"

attitude...or too cool for school with my parents 'tude.

gosh you're awesome!

My mom is really trying to get Sam to be a golfer and he
seems pretty keen himself.  I thought our golf clubs looked so
cool in my car all stacked up and how cute is a 5 year old in a visor??

I really love stars...can you tell??
I have had this giant burlap star hanging on my board for months...
I couldn't figure out what do do with it until I looked thru all
Jillibean Soup collections and realized that there are a million
stars in the "Game Day Chili" Collection.
Jillibean has the greatest die cuts too...I love all the little date tags,
journaling spots and yep, more stars!

I am pretty much a sucker for stars and polka dots...

They are probably the graphics I gravitate to the most. 

In fact, I found lots of paper with stars that I had apparently

been hoarding for whatever reason. 

I didn't use it here, so I must not be able to let it go yet. 



HELLO my name is...sugar

Sam and I had lunch with the neighbors at the park last Fall

and Marianna bought these fabulously huge, full of icing and sugar

cookies for the kids.  Their little hands were barely big enough to

hold and Sam complained about them being really hard to eat...

He managed though.  Talk about a sugar rush!

I had to include the speech bubbles because that is totally

what I could here them saying to each other! :)

I used the Scrapbook Circle August Kit "True Stories" for this

layout and also used their August sketch found here:

http://www.scrapbookcircle.com/2012/08/august-sketch-challenge

I tried to make it more grungy and distressed since I was using that

great woodgrain paper and that little denim patch.  I also left a lot

of my threads hanging out on the front to make it look more distressed.

That is really hard for me to do, seems silly, but I am more of a tie everything

down neatly and keep everything clean and glued down. 

I misted the leaves I die cut to try to match the green of the park benches.



beginning.

Ok, so I really can't get enough butterflies.

I had these great photos of the kids with 3 caterpillars

they found outside.  One photo had two of them crawling up

Sam's arm...they were giggling because it tickled and it was

cute but a little creepy, literally.  They loved it and I

love that they aren't afraid to get down and dirty outside.

I was the same way as a kid and I might not be

willing to carry insects around anymore, but it is nevertheless

fascinating and part of being a kid.

This was a Sketch Challenge for Jillibean Soup, which of course,

has the perfect collections for butterflies.  Even though the kids

let the caterpillars go back to Mother Nature, I thought it

would be cute to have a "jar" full of butterflies on my LO.

I think I have gotten my monies worth out of those Martha Stewart punches!

Here is the link to their Challenge Post:

http://jillibeansoup.typepad.com/my_weblog/2012/08/layouts-and-a-project-on-thursday-sketch-contest.html





running down a dream..

We had just discovered the Hipstamatic app and

had playing with all the filters.  It was a beautiful bright

day but Shawn really saturated the colors...

It went perfectly with these papers from the August Scrapbook Circle kit. 

This was for their Challenge #36 Anything But the Beach:

http://www.scrapbookcircle.com/2012/08/challenge-36-anything-but-the-beach

We had a brunch picnic with some friends on my birthday at

the new Railroad Park downtown.  It has the best track for

riding bikes and it was unusually hot for that time of year. 

Pimento cheese, blueberry scones & bloody marys...yum!

This is a lot brighter and more vibrant than what I would

normally, do but I think it was good to challenge me. 

I just got some gold Zing embossing powder and I have a feeling

it is going to be showing up a LOT! :)

It is going to look like Tinkerbell has been hanging out in my craft room...



about this party hat...

I had previously scrapped the invite from your first birthday
but never included much journaling behind it.  I still need to
scrap Some if the actual photos from the party but these photos were
perfect for the October Afternoon Monday challenge to use name
of the paper to inspire you layout found here:
http://octoberafternoon.typepad.com/october_afternoon/2012/08/monday-challenge-let-your-paper-inspire-your-title-.html

I was trying desperately to get a photo to use on your first birthday invitation.

I tried several different times, but you refused to wear this hat. I guess because

it wrapped around your chin next to your ears...? You were NOT having it.

(An early sign of your seriously stubbornness about your own sense of style...??)

Definite foreshadowing.

Anyway, I finally gave up and decided not to subject you any longer...

But in trying to come up with a title and them I just HAD to go with

"It's My Party...( and I'll cry if I want to! )

The name of this paper I used for the background was called "Party Hat",

even though I chose to use the B-side, it still was the inspiration for the story!

a favorite photo...

How handsome are you two??  Gorgeous...
This was from a beach trip over Labor Day last year.
You both have that laid back, had a little sun on your face look.

Still using up the last of my Lily Bee stash...
This was for the Designer's Choice Challenge that was a color challenge.
They were beautiful beachy colors and perfect for this photo...
Here is their post:
http://lilybee.typepad.com/blog/2012/07/my-entry-1.html





JUST a Little PATEINCE...

Oh Sofia...you do need patience and will need a whole lot
more of it in the future.  If you are anything like me,
even more so...After all the craziness of July 4th you still
had this smile on your face, so maybe there is hope for you! ;)
This bandanna started as a belt, then moved to a cape,
then ended up on your head.  Very fashionably creative!
Red lips from popsicles make you look so much older than 8...oy. 

This was the Elle's Studio Thursday Sketch:
http://ellesstudio.blogspot.com/2012/08/sketch-thursday-89.html
and I think my sixth LO using the July Scrapbook Circle kit. 
I just can't seem to let go and use anything else yet!

In cleaning up my craft room and trying to move it to the new and
improved craft room...i.e. not a closet...I found a bunch of little
scraps of fabric that I had tested different stitching and colors
out with.  I used that scrap of muslin as the background for my title.



TODAY...HERE & NOW

We have SO many great photos from our trip to the beach this

year and they are perfect "scrapbook fodder", as my husband says.

This was right after we got out of the car and walked down that evening. 

The lighting is perfect that time of night and Sam was all smiles!

This was for a Lily Bee Sketch Challenge found here:

http://lilybee.typepad.com/blog/2012/08/sketch-challenge.html

I have been hoarding every little piece of LB paper I have until the

new lines come out (ahem), so this was a great sketch for that...

except that now I have less little pieces...



fourth of July...LBD August Kit

We have a little problem using pretty much only our phones to
document anything these days...And as a lover of symmetry,
I love the proportion of all the instagram shots!
Shawn somehow managed to get all four cousins
looking at the camera at the same time, which honestly
has only happened maybe two other times!!
I don't care if there are silly faces or looks that personify
trouble, ahem...but everyone looked at the camera!
Or phone, whatever, anyway, this was our
small Fourth of July celebration!

I used some of those great primaries from the kit and

my silhouette to cut this shape, that I have used for a sun

before, but used as a firework burst.  Lots of Silhouette

die cuts, layering and pop dots, my favorites!



JUST imagine...LBD August Kit

We get the greatest candid photos from the beach, and that
is what I was trying to highlight with this LO.
Simple reflective images that make for great
scrapbook pages with little journaling. 
It isn't like I was trying to describe some enormously important
event that took place, but just give an overall feeling to the walks we
had on the beach, with the sun behind us, casting shadows...

I thought this paper looked like sea oats and just imagined it

like it was curling up between the dunes...The kit included

one of my most coveted products in a while, this cloud vellum

from American Crafts...I tore it and layered it with some

other punched clouds...

simply wonderful...LBD August Kit

We had a fun little photo shoot in the back yard after
church one Sunday.  If there is one thing I can count on my
kids (and my Mother-in-law) for is to pose!
They can hold a pose and smile til the cows come home,
or until my daughter finally whines that her cheeks hurt...
Anyway, they are great easy subjects to photograph!

I wanted to emphasize all the florals and colors
of the photo and foldies, that I decided to use the kraft paper
as a grounding element for the page mat as well as a piece
inside each floral somehow.  I watercolored a piece
of paper as the mat for the whole layout in a great contrasting
color, that I am obsessed with now and even though
it is a lot busier than ehat even I would normally layer,
I am pleased with the way it came out. 
It is the perfect layout for something with a grandmother,
in my not so humble opinion...;)

Sassafras has teamed up with Studio Calico and hopefully

some other folks to deign some collections and I am
so excited...That was one of my favorite companies and they had
such cool details, way before everyone else did, glad they
are back! Even though this product isn't a new one, these
"Foldies" are such a cool idea...I cut mine up to make them
fit with ehat I wanted to do but the prints and idea
is all the same...this is where I used the majority of
those Glitz rhinestones...

that BOY...LBD August Kit

I have been on a little retro kick with all the old photos
of Shawn that my mother-in-;aw gave me and some I
found of myself...I thought these primary colors & alphabet
paper & book page were perfect for a school photo. 
And the little wood veneer figures since it reminds me of
asking for a hall pass for the bathroom!

I love the little chevron bag
from Whisker Graphics and have always used
them in the past as a photo mat, but used this one as
a little pocket for some hidden journaling.

They still use that same mottled blue "sky" background for

school photos today...some things never change!

embrace radiance...LBD August Kit

The new Little Black Dress Kit for August has some great
versatile pieces...lots of bright primary colors, but also some pretty
florals and this fabulous Elle's Studio stamp. 
I am loving all the stamps that Elle's Studio has put
out and this one is no exception...!
I stamped it in several colors of brown and then
strung it thru some ribbon included in the kit. 

This photo was taken a while ago, in 2005, when we
took Sofia to Tuscany for a couple weeks in September.
This was at sunset on the little balcony off the
kitchen, which was her favorite place to be...
The light was unreal and although I am not afraid
of a little touching up with Photoshop, this photo
needed nothing but print paper...Hence, the title.

The kit also comes with these really cool rhinestone jewels

from Glitz that I used more of in another layout, but

a couple here...I have a little issue knowing when enough

is enough with my layering, which I have come to accept as my "style".

But i loved theses photos too much to overcrowd them with

too much embellishment...