Back to school 2014 2 Layouts

The kiddos headed back to school last week. I now have a 2nd grader and a 4th grader- I am amazed at how fast time flies!! I think my kids attend THE best school!
I used a couple of die cuts from the Silhouette store to whip up a couple of quick 12x12 scrapbook layouts.

 This is my layout once all of the paper was ready to be adhered. Cute enough layout, but I wanted to add a little more to it, step it up a bit more.

 This was after I added a few little touches. I added some Washi tape, a couple of things hand cut from the coordinating paper stack, buttons, a flower, a dew drop and some twine. I only need to add Hailey's photo and the year and her teacher's name will be added to the apple.

 I kept Hunter's layout more basic and less embellished. This is more suited towards him.

And here are my cuties!! Gosh, can you believe how much they have grown?? I keep telling them that they need to slow down...but they do not listen. LOL

Thanks for stopping by!

Until later~

Caramel Apples at 4H Pocket page layouts.

I love pocket pages! I can get my photos into albums a lot faster with pocket pages, and they come in a wide variety of lay outs. 

Our 4H club made caramel apples last fall. They kids had so much fun making yummy apples!!

 

I used 2 different page designs for this layout. I used a horizontal 6x4 page and a page for 3 vertical and one 6x12 photos. Little mini layouts are fun to make and add a lot of interest to your pages. (They just don't photograph well.)

 I used Apple of my eye cut file by Miss Kate Cuttables for my this mini layout. The letters are stickers I had been want to use.

I used the small scallop file and the drippy border.

I used scraps of cardstock for my cuts and then used a little Baker's Twine to finish off my apple.

Brother enjoyed his apple, sister wanted no part of hers. She prefers her apples with peanut butter, silly girl does not like caramel! 

Thanks for stopping by!!

Until later~

First day of 1st grade 12x12 layout

My dear, sweet husband recently bought the Silhouette Cameo for me. I had been on the fence for quite a while about getting it since I have the Cricut and a bunch of cartridges. When I discovered that there is a way to cut my Cricut images with the Cameo I decided I really did *need* it. LOL
This was the first layout using cuts made with the Cameo.

The school is from Back to School- Too Cute by Jessica (I omitted the cute little face.)

Tab and Stars- Silhouette America Store

"1st Grade"- K-12 digital Cricut cartridge (I cut and off set with my Cameo)

Youtube has tutorials for cutting Cricut images with the Cameo, this is the one I used---->

Using Your Silhouette Cameo to Cut Cricut Cartridge Images 

Hailey was very happy with this layout. (She asked if I would do a layout next year of her second day of second grade. LOL) The green tab is a pull out. I will put all of her info for this school year there so it does not take up real estate on my page.

Thanks for stopping by!

Until later~

Simply Perfect In Every Way

It has been ages since I completed a scrapbook layout! My photo printer stopped printing everything except black and yellow months ago, but a recent call to the manufacturer and now I am back in business with a new upgraded model! (Why didn't I call sooner?) The new printer did not come a minute too soon either, I had just taken some pictures and needed wanted to get them scrapped right away!
Hailey joined Girl Scouts last Fall and she is loving it! As soon as she found out the GS would be having a Buddy and Me Ball she asked daddy if he would be her date. He was more than happy to accept.
After buying the perfect dress and shoes, practicing her dancing and warning daddy, "If you do any dance moves that embarrassed me I will pretend I don't know you!" our little girl was ready for her first dance.
It was -45* outside and the temperature was falling when it came time to head into town. Daddy took her for some fast food (so she wouldn't have to get out of the warm truck) and then they headed to the Girl Scouts building. After leaving her snow pants and clunky snow boots in the truck she was ready for some fun.
Each girl received a corsage and each couple had their picture taken, and then the dancing began! Hailey was so excited that most of the girls from her troop were there too,  she had a blast! (As a part of the physical education class at school the kids have learned a lot of different dances. Because she knew so many dances, my otherwise slightly reserved girl had no problems getting her groove on! Thank you, Mrs. J!!)

One of the members of my scrapbooking group on FB issuesd a layout challenge.

2 page layout-check
1 basic color-Beige
2 accent colors-Black and red
Min. 2 photos per page-Yep
I journaling block-Got it
Simple embellishment-Oh yeah!

So while the other ladies are trying to settle on a deadline I got my layout done. :-)

 I used an old My Mind's Eye Lost and Found collection. I really wanted the photos to be the focus of the layout so I kept things very simple.

 For the left page I used a die cut page, a 4x6  and a 5x7 photo, I added a strip of coordinating designer paper and a punched border. I added a little journalling, a few black rhinestones and the butterfly that was one of the coordinating pieces. They red glitter accents were already on the paper.

The right side is where I used my 8x10 photo collage. A matching strip of paper and rhinestones to tie the two pages together and then I added an embellishment cluster to finish this page. I popped dotted a die cut from the collection on top of some black tulle I ruffled and tied and 3 black feathers. 

 

A close up of the feathers, tulle and die cut.

It is hard to believe how grown up my little girl looks!! I don't need to tell you that she had a wonderful time, and will remember this night for years to come. Daddy took her for ice cream (her most favorite thing EVER!!) after the dance and by the time she got home she was totally worn out, but oh so happy. I must say, Hailey's first dance was "Simply Perfect In Every Way!"

Thanks for stopping by!

Until later~

The Mayflower ll

A couple of years ago hubby had a committee meeting in Massachusetts and one of the things he saw was the Mayflower ll. (The brown box on the right is for his journaling.) I like clean and simple layouts mixed in with my more fancy, schmancy ones. I used 2 border punches and 2 die cuts, Versamark ink and clear stamps and a tiny bit of bling on my layout. The paper is from the Little Yellow Bicycle’s “Saturday’s” collection, love the Americana papers!

Thanks for stopping by!!
Until later~

Load Challenge Days 4 &5

I dropped in to share days 4 and 5.  I am still scrapping photos from the Fall of 2009. I had tons of pictures from our trip to Slate Run park to play in the leaves. (We had one little birch tree so Slate Run was a good place to go play in the leaves!)
 I am using the divided page protectors for the rest of my pictures from this trip so this will be the last 12x12 layout with these photos. (I do have a couple of spots for some small layouts and a title to finish for these pages.

I think I am going to put the rest of the pictures from our trip to Chestnut Ridge Park in some divided protectors too, so this may or may not be the last 12 x 12 for these photos. :-)

I am still working with the Pink Paislee Prairie Hills paper collection. I kept both of these layouts pretty flat so I can fit more pages in my binder. I used the Cricut to cut my title.
Thanks for stopping by!
Until later~

LOAD Challenge- Days 2 and 3

For days 2 and 3 I made 12 x12 layouts. I used the final Sketch of the Month Kit from PI for them. The kit featured the Pink Paislee Prairie Hill paper Collection. The papers are a good choice for scrapping Fall pictures.

Up first is "Destination Unknown"- I love snapping photos of the kids from behind as they are walking away. (They make cute "The End" pages for mini albums.) We were walking through one of the Metro Parks in Columbus, Ohio when I fell behind to get this picture.

 I used five 4x4 squares of paper (front and back of 2 and then another design.) All of the squares were distressed with a distress tool and then inked with Vintage Photo Distress ink. The photo was popped up and I added a little ribbon.

The girl loves her daddy!! And Daddy loves his girl!! :-)

So, is any one else doing the LOAD (LayOut A Day) Challenge? If so leave me a link so I can see what you are working on in October.

Thanks for stopping by!

Until later~

Life Unscripted

I do believe this is a first on my blog! A layout with pictures of me, as an adult!! LOL Granted the photos are a couple of years old, but that is my babies and me. :-)

I am using Authentique's Loyal paper collection again today. I am loving the greens and blues, and the patterns too and how they coordinate so well with my pictures. I also love that the kids are wearing matching hoodies, aren't they adorable? The pictures were taken at our favorite Metro park, gosh I miss that park! I am going to use this layout to challenge you to scrap yourself.

Did you notice my new blinkie over there-----> I have joined the October 2012 LOAD (Layout a Day) Challenge over at Let's Scrap. Ia m looking forward to completing 31 layouts/cards in one month! (Wish me luck!! LOL)

Thanks for stopping by!!
Until later~

Grandma and the Cousins

I have been playing around with different styles of layouts lately and having a blast.  I am not usually one to leave a lot of white space or use only one photo, but here is another one. I used the “Loyal” line by Authentique!

This photo was taken just before we moved to North Dakota, last year. We had headed north for cousin Mitchell's Graduation party. It was a good day. (This is another layout with the journaling on the back. I didn't want it to interfere with the cleanness of the layout.)

Thanks for stopping by!!
Until later~

Beautiful Daughter

This is our Beautiful Daughter! Little girls love to feel like Princesses, and Hailey is no different. She loves putting on pretty dresses and twirling around. I am so glad I have these pictures of our Princess twirling in her Easter dress!

Once again I used the Echo Park’s This & That Graceful line, the colors and patterns are perfect for "girly" layouts. The title is 2 stickers from the sticker sheet in the This & That Graceful collection. (I used the word stickers on the top right photo to cover a shiny brass door knob in the picture. I couldn't crop it out so I covered it up. LOL)
Thanks for stopping by!!
Until later~

Beautiful*Lovely*Pretty

I have made another layout using the hospital photo of our newborn baby girl, but I decided to do another one when I saw this layout. (With the Sketch of the Month Kits I have been constructing my layouts first and then finding photos that work on each layout. Totally out of the box for me, I always start with my pictures first and plan my page around them.)

Again today I am using Echo Park’s This & That Graceful collection. To change things up I didn't do a lot of embellishments or layers and went more linear.  One of the sheets of paper in this collection had various strips- which are perfect to cut apart and either use as a 12 inch border or alter them for your project. I used 5 of those strips on this layout, my inspiration for staying linear. (The flag strip I trimmed each flag and I added rhinestones to the flower strip after I "fish tailed" the ends and distressed it with ink.) The birdcage is a sticker from the collection (I added the bling.) and so is the journal card. I also added rhinestones to the flag border strip. I invested less than 20 minutes on this layout, and ended up with a page I am very pleased with.
Looking at that picture I wonder where the last 6 years gone. I will say it for the millionth time, "Time is flying by way too fast!!"
Thanks for stopping by!!
Until later~

Discover yourself

Don't you love the hat Hailey is wearing? Hunter made that in art class in Kindergarten. This was one of his favorite projects. The boy can make anything out of paper. He  made a Buzz Lightyear Costume for himself that fit perfectly when he was done. Give the boy a stack of copy paper, a little glue, some string and a roll of Scotch tape and he will amaze you!! :-)

The next 4 layouts I will be sharing are from  Echo Park’s This & That Graceful line of papers. This was the May Sketch of the Month Kit. (I am going to miss this kit club. Ashley included add of the measurements for all of the pieces on the layouts. I loved that!!) I think I ended up with a pretty darn cute layout!
** I wanted to add that I added my journaling to the back of this layout. The story is included, but does not distract from the photo.**
Thanks for stopping by!
Until later~

Butterfly kisses

Today is sister's turn to be the star of my layout. This is the 3rd page I made using the Coconut Lime Soup collection by Jillibean Soup using a Sketch of the Month kit.

(You can click the photo for a larger view.)

I love these pictures of our sweet girl taken in October 2010 at Chestnut Ridge Metro Park in Columbus. It was a gorgeous fall day, Hunter didn't have school that day and daddy took the day off work. So, we decided to visit a new park. City, State and National Parks have always been our "thing." We love finding new parks to explore. An added bonus is when the park has a play area for the kiddos, and this one had a nice one. We walked down to the dock, walked through the woods and of course checked out the playground. Daddy says these are his all time favorite photos of Hailey, so I am so happy that they are now out of the photo box and ready for an album.
 With the title of Butterfly Kisses I had to add an assortment of punched butterflies. (Once again I only adhered the body of the butterfly to my page and bent the wings up for added dimension.) I didn't place my embellishments in a triangle this time, instead I sprinkled them around my photos. I did however use the triangle, do you see it? It is the brown/floral paper- the butterfly on my title, the journal box and the thin strip at the top of the page. (I wanted to add the strip to my page, but because I had not used braown anywhere else on my page I needed to tie it to the bottom of my page.) I also got to use those cute little rhinestones in pink, blue and green. (The girl LOVES bling!)
I just did a little journalling and called it done. LOL (And yes, I fixed my journaling. LOL)
Thanks for stopping by today!
Until later~

Homegrown

There are several things I miss about Ohio- family and friends, Flyers Pizza, scrapbook stores, having more than two grocery stores and our garden. Right after we got married hubby brought home a couple of strawberry plants, I could hardly wait for them to start producing the most delicious berries each spring. My sweet husband always let me sample the first berry. Over time the kids came along and they too waited patiently for the season's first juicy berries. And being a good momma, I let the kids have the honor of having the first berry of the year.

As soon as I saw the strawberry paper in the Coconut Lime Soup collection by Jillibean Soup I knew which pictures I wanted to use. (I am bad about saving photos until I get just the "right" papers. LOL) Don't you think the papers are perfect for this layout! I am so glad I waited to scrap these pictures!

We haven't done an "I Spy" for a while so I think this would be a good one to use.

Did you spy 

*my embellishment triangle

*layered embellishments

*stickers over my photos

*a sticker letter title

*slightly rounded corners

*3 designer papers

*a scalloped border

*a butterfly with bling (the wings are not attached to the page for more dimension)

*2 cute kids (LOL)

So, did you notice everything the first time or did you have to go back for a second look?  :-)

I am already planning a garden for next year, and I am hoping that I can grow our own strawberries once again! 

Thanks for stopping by!!

Until later~

You are my Sunshine

I love, love, LOVE this face!! I can not help but feel so overwhelmingly blessed beyond measure every time I look at my children. They are both huge blessings in my life and they really are my sunshine!
This layout was inspired by a Sketch Kit Club featuring Coconut Lime Soup  by Jillibean Soup. I love all of the fun patterns in this collection, and the different sizes of the patterns. (As an example- I used the pink with butterflies on this layout, if the butterflies had been larger I may not have used them here.)

I can not tell you how many times I have seen a scrapbook page or a card and wondered why the creator had done things the way she did, and would love to know her thoughts. So... I am going to share my thought process with you today. One thing I have really been working on is creating "movement" on my pages. One way I am doing that is by placing things in triangles, it keeps your eye moving across the page. This photo gives you a better idea of what I am talking about- the small circle and heart is on the top photo, embellishment cluster on the right and then more embellishments on the lower left.
I went a little trendy by including banners on my page and then mixed in some embellishments with an old feel to them- the button with twine and the hand cut Mason jar with twine.
Another thing I have noticed is that my layouts look flat. The remedy that I used lots of layers with my embellishments. By using my stickers over my pictures that helped to connect them to my page.
Thank you for letting me share my thought process with you. And Thanks for stopping by!!
Until later~

Fair Food Layout

One of our favorite things about fairs is the food. Everything just tastes better at the fair! :-) Maybe the attractions of fair food is it is something you only have once or twice a year. In our family we each have our own favorites- Hailey loves corn dogs, Hunter likes the gigantic slices of cheese pizza, hubby like the funnel cakes and I would vote for the sausage sandwich with peppers and onions. We usually follow it down with an over sweetened lemonade.
Today's layout features some fair food. (Because hubby was a judge for the State fair we were always provided food in the Governor's building. Prime rib with all of the fixin's. LOL)

 I used several Cricut cartridges on this one: Country Life, Baseball, Carousel, and Indie Arts.

Wow, hubby has lost almost 50 pounds since that picture was taken!!  

Thanks for stopping by!!

Until later~

Today's layout is yet another one from 2008. One of the first things Hunter spotted at the fair was the huge slide. He made up his mind that he was going to ride it. He didn't even mind the climb to the top either.

 I hand-made a trio of rosettes and used sticker letters for the title and date on this layout. (Wow, can you believe I didn't use my Cricut? LOL)

The designer paper is from an old collection from K&Company- Hopscotch. 

The ribbon and photo mats are from Paper Trey Ink.

 Yea, looks like he likes the big slide!

One of my rosettes. (I would have added a little something to the center but it is pretty bulky already.) The Scor-pal sure makes rosettes easier to make! :-)

Thanks for stopping by!

Until later~

The Ohio State Fair Butter Cow Layout

Today I am sharing another layout featuring pictures from the Ohio State Fair - 2008. For several years we were able to enjoy opening day of the fair. Hubby was a crops judge, so he would spend a couple of hours working and then the rest of the day we enjoyed the sights, sounds and smells of the fair. One thing we always had to see was the Butter Cow. Yeah, until I moved to Columbus I didn't "get it" either. LOL

Don't forget you can click on the photos to see them larger.

 On this layout I used some "antique" designer paper.  In other words- stuff I have had forever. :-)

 If you click on this photo  you can learn more about the Butter Cow. 2008 was the year of "Mount Buckeye." Did you know that Ohio was home to 8 of our Nation's Presidents? 

I will admit that while doing a little research on the Butter Cow I came up with way more information than I had expected. Thank you Google!! :-)

I used the Country Life ("Cow Country") the Gypsy Font ("Butter,") and Animal Kingdom (cows) Cricut cartridges. I used the Upper Crust border punch on the strip of green designer paper. The buttons are from Fancy Pants Designs, with a tiny bit of Baker's Twine tied in one. I added a few shaped brads and finished off the strip by using the Tiny Attacher on both sides.
 Thanks for stopping by!!
Until later~

Ohio State Fair 2008

If you have been following this blog very long you already know I do not scrap in any particular order. I like to go through my photos and whatever catches my attention is what I work on. So that is how I ended up with my 2008 pictures of the Ohio State Fair in the next few layouts I will be sharing. (Another reason I love scrapping older pictures is the little walk down memory lane that is sure to follow.)
This layout was inspired by a Cricut cartridge I picked up just after Christmas- it is Carousel. Not only are there lots of Circus related die cuts on this cartridge, but there are some that could be used for a variety of subjects. (Don't forget you can click on the photos to see them larger.)

 I coordinated my cardstock and designer paper with the colors in my photos. The colors give this layout a fun fell, don'tcha think? :-) The "Rides" title is a layered cut on the cartridge. I love the ease of using pre-designed phrases for titles.

 I really like the ride cuts, and even though the pictures are not roller coasters and ferris wheels they work so well together. I used my Gypsy to determine the sizes of my die cuts.

 This was Hailey's first mid-way ride. She was a little nervous in the beginning- she how she has her tummy sucked in? LOL Sure sign she was a little scared. But one trip around and the girl was waving and smiling!!

I know I will be using the ticket cut many times! Here I added a few stamped phrases  and a little distress ink around the edges to make them pop.

You can also see the Apron Lace border and the tiny little staple from the Tiny Attacher in this details photo.

A couple of little embellishments and a couple of black photo mats and I called this one done. LOL

Thanks for stopping by!!

Until later~

Mabel

Christmas 2007 brought Mabel into our family for a short time. We loved her long, floppy ears and her sad eyes! Mabel loved to bark- I swear that dog would bark at the wind. LOL

Again I used a layered base- the designer paper has Spring themed text but because I covered so much of it that really doesn't matter. I used 2 Cricut cartridges on this layout- Animal Kingdom and Mickey and Friends (dog house and bones.) To add details to the words I used a white gel pen to add groupings of dots. I used Vintage Photo Distress Ink on the edges.
Thanks for stopping by!
Until later~