Queen of Procrastination

Well, the deadline to enter the contest I had thought of entering is three days away and this Queen of Procrastination has not made any steps toward getting these pages submitted.

In part due to lack of time to sit and write out the material lists. And, I will admit, partly because I am a chicken.

As the day approached, I became more and more nervous about sending them in. So, I decided to just go ahead and post some of them here. I really have been having fun working on these pages.
I've just been selecting my favorite photos and colors that inspire me. And maybe one of these days, I will send them some where!
I have a few favorites. On the top of the list is the page titled "grow". I love the photo of Franky and Red walking in between the two giant trees. So metaphoric of life and watching Red grow.

My second pick has to be the "peek-a-boo" page. The day I took these pictures, Red and I had spent a fun evening in the front yard. One I don't want to forget.

The third page I like the best is "happy". My parents had just sent Red a new driver and golf bag. The smile on his face would've lit up a dark night. That page was quick and easy. Love the colors, too.


The "makin' a splash" page was a lot of fun to put together. Those colors are such a representation of summertime. They make you feel as though you are a part of that wonderful day in the water.


I like the page of us at Morro Bay, too. It isn't too often that I relinquish control of the camera long enough to allow a picture to be taken with me in it! Franky and I have made a pact that I will start letting him have some "behind the camera" time so that Red will remember what I looked like as he looks back at his childhood!!!



I hope you all enjoy my work! I will keep everyone posted. You all will be the first to know when I do submit a layout! Until then, I'm going to keep on playing and having fun recording our memories.

Inspired

I wanted to add a few more layouts that I finished this weekend. I feel so InSPirEd lately! Hope you all enjoy my little works of art. :)

"True"

The last page of the day. Everything is tucked away neatly where it belongs until another day. On the final page, I decided to use a great shot of my parents. I love when I catch my Dad glancing at my Mom. You can see that look in his eye. The one that says 'I have found my soul mate', 'I am so lucky she is mine', 'I love and respect you'. It is the look of true love.

In the journaling, I wrote how lucky I was that I had them to show me what true love is.

Thanks Mom and Dad for everything you are. I love you guys. :)

My Creative Weekend

...has almost come to an end (tear.) I had such a blast working on these pages. Some of my favorite pictures from the last year or so. I have to give another shout out to my adorable husband who helped out with Red so that I could create! THANK YOU a million times!

I now have seven finished 12x12 inch pages. Funny thing is, I don't have an album that size. I've looked several places over the weekend but being my picky self, didn't find one that I thought was perfect. So until I find it, my pages are in a plastic container.

I am so excited about these pages. Every time I finished one, I thought,"Oh, now THIS one is my favorite." I still don't know which I like the best. Let me know your favorite. I'm kind of leaning toward the "Always" page. I love the colors. The picture doesn't do it justice!

I love this picture (below)of the kids. It is too cute. They have all grown so much. I love that I've been able to take so many pictures each time we've gone to MN. I really enjoy looking back at them and seeing how much everyone has changed.

When I was snapping the picture of this layout, Red decided to get a closer look. I love that his little tootsies are in the picture!

I hope everyone enjoyed this nice long weekend. I'm taking a break to take Red to BK to get rid of some energy in their monkey cage. I hope to finish ONE more layout tonight. If I do get it done, I will post a picture of it.

Happy Memorial Day.

A Rainy Day

Perfect weather to play inside. Franky and Red were watching the race so I got to have some fun. (Thanks, Honey.) I am so behind in where I should be with Alex's book that I just used a few random pictures. The "Nest" page is a photo I took in the Spring. Just something fun since I love all things "nesty."

The picture of Karlie and Chelsie in the page below was taken last fall when we visited. Such an adorable picture. Shows off what great personalities they have and what beautiful girls they have become.
The "I promise" page picture was taken of my two favorite guys on Mother's Day. Aren't they just too cute?

It was great to be able to work on something fun that also documents our lives so that we can look back at these moments and remember them like they just happened.
I hope you all find something that gives you as much pleasure.

A little escape.

A Little Fun

Lately my "scrap booking" room has been feeling a little neglected. I haven't worked on anything since February. I walk into the room, leaf through some of the neat things in there and then walk out. So, last weekend, I decided to play a little.

I have never really been one to make cards. The thought of working on a card only to have it meet an uncertain fate usually doesn't appeal to me but, I decided to make my Mother's Day cards and a birthday card for one of our nieces.

I had so much fun! It was surprising how much I enjoyed making them. The pink one was the birthday card, the "Love" card was for my Mom. I will definitely do more of these!

I hope to have a scrap booking day sometime soon. Hmm, there's a three day weekend coming up... Maybe I'll get to play some more. :)

A Funny Valentine...

I decided to go "home made" for my parents for Valentines Day this year. A little juvenile to some, perfect in my book. I have been dying to try using fabric as a medium so this little project seemed just right.

Most of you know my Mom is about fabric as I am about scrap booking supplies. When they moved to MN., Mom says she was embarrassed by the number of boxes that contained crafting supplies (namely material!). So, I guess you could say I came by the "more is better" (especially for all things beautiful, junky or rusty) attitude naturally. : )

To begin my project, I cut poster board into heart shapes. I covered them with the material and the sewed around the edges. I (unlike my Mom) am sewing challenged. Meaning that when you take a close look at the sewing on this album, it looks like Alex did it!!!

It was actually pretty cute. Dad was the first one I talked to on the day they received it in the mail. I told him that I had fun making it but told him that it was kind of tough sewing around the heart shape. So, very matter-of-fact, Dad proceeded to tell me that next time, I should get one of those markers that you use on material that disappears. Then, outline the place I want to sew around and that would give me a line to follow when sewing my project together. He also said something about starting with practicing sewing straight lines. Yada yada!!! It made me smile that Dad would take the time to give me sewing pointers. I think next time, I will follow his advice!!!

They LOVED the album though. Despite the terrible sewing, when you look at the finished product, it was pretty awesome.

P.S. Dad, when you guys get here at the end of the month, I have planned to set aside a half hour each day for sewing lessons. I still haven't bought one of those markers. Maybe we can begin with sewing straight lines?! : )

Room Redo...

My nieces, Karlie and Chelsie, have recently made-over their bedrooms. Such a cool thing, I decided to make a little project for them to hang on their wall...a little piece of me! I had such a fun time making these little collages. (Aside from the 20 blisters I have on my fingers from using the hot glue gun!) Sounds like they like them as well as I did!

Can't wait to see pictures of the finished room redo...

Hint, Hint...

That means YOU guys...

: )

My heart is full...

Here is my first project of the year. I used pictures that were taken on Easter of 2006 near Springville. That was the first year we took pictures there. It has become a tradition and we have done this every year since. I made a mini book with the same pictures for both my parents and Franky's Mom that year. Now almost 2 years later, I'm excited to have an album of my own.

I love the pictures. Red looks so little. He had such chubby cheeks. I miss that! He's so big now. I love, love the picture of he and Franky walking together. It is so sweet. Such handsome boys. I am so very lucky.

Anyway, the album was super quick and easy to make. It was nice to sit and work on something that didn't make the dining room and office look like a natural disaster hit! When that happens, Alex inevitably walks by the dining room and says, "Uh, Mom, you need to get in here and clean up your mess!" : )

Just Call Me the Grinch...

After getting some great pictures at Grandma Mary's Ice Cream Social, I decided that I should create an album to commemorate this wonderful day. Just for her. Being that I have a scrap book store (aka our office) at my disposal, on Sunday I started the project.

I could tell immediately that this was going to be a favorite book because of the colors I chose and the pictures I was using. But then my Mom started helping me with it. Page by page, the book started to become more than just a book about the ice cream social, it became a bonding experience...

All of a sudden, I began to turn green. Yep, no joke. I was turning into the Grinch. I wanted to keep the album to myself. It would be MINE-ALL-MINE. I couldn't bear to part with it!!!

We worked on it until midnight on Sunday and continued Monday morning. All I could think about was how beautiful the album was looking and how much I wanted it. As we were punching holes in the pages to get them ready to be placed in the album, my Dad stepped in to help. Now, it was a "whole family" project. Franky had cut out the pictures, Mom and I had designed and completed the pages, and Dad punched. How could I give it away?

When all the pages were finished, I put the album together. Franky helped choose the order in which the pages would go. All the while "Grinchy" thoughts raced through my head. I sat the completed album on my work table to take pictures of it (as I do every album I make). As I held the pages to capture them on film, I began to think..."My Mother-In-Law is going to LOVE this. It is absolutely beautiful and all of the family is in it! I can't wait to give it to her!!!Let me give it to her now!!!"

My color returned to normal. No longer a Grinch, but very grateful for the day that my whole family worked together to bring so much joy to Grandma Mary. Who by the way LOVES, LOVES the album! : )

I have a copy of all of the pictures I used making the album. Maybe I'll make another one. Maybe I should recruit more family to help with this one. The end product is awesome, but so is the process. : )

So goes the tale of the Grinch.

A Shabby Advent

This SeASon always gets my creative juices flowing. I am so proud of my latest "work of art", I had to create a post just to celebrate it. I guess some of us never out grow the "look what I made" stage! The pictures truly do not give it justice, it's even neater in person. : ) Brag, brag...

I have always been fascinated with advent calenders. The idea of celebrating each day leading up to Christmas brings out the kid in me! I have thought about buying one for Red Head but just haven't found one to fit in with my decorating style. So, yesterday I was checking out some of the scrap booking sites I like and saw a twist on the calender. They had made one on the back of a cookie sheet using different paper and embellishments. Each one made by someone different, they were a representation of the person's individual style. That got me thinking...

I had an large old window hanging in my dining room just begging to become something great! I took it down, measured it and started working. I began rummaging through my left over Christmas decorations and scrap booking supplies. I found paper and embellishments in colors that coordinate with the Christmas decorations already in our home.

I cut twenty five squares to represent the 25 days of Christmas, then began creating a layout for each day. It was so much fun. I got more and more happy with it with each finished square. I had started working on it at about 7:oopm and at 12:00am the moment of truth came...I applied the adhesive squares to the paper and pressed them on my window. I slowly picked up the finished product and to my delight, everything was secure and hanging perfectly in place. Yipee!! The calender now hangs proudly in our dining room. I look to be eating in the dining room (instead of Red Head's kitchen table) for the next 25 days, just so I can enjoy it. : )