LOAD1012 - Day 31 - Candy

The prompt for Lain Ehmann's Layout a Day (LOAD1012 - S.H.O. Time) challenge for Day 31 was to journal about Candy.  There were a lot of great prompts, but I simply journaled about my daughter passing out candy on Halloween a couple of years ago. 

Some observations about the process and products:

1. I've done a lot of Halloween pages this LOAD, but this is the first Halloween page where I've used Halloween papers and embellishments.  Love this Stampin' Up! Paper pack.
2. However, this is NOT the first page where I've used these Heidi Swapp ghost alphas. LOVING them.
3. I absolutely love the duck face pose, said no mom ever.
4. This page came together SO quickly.  I don't know if that's because it's a relatively simple page, or if it's because by going through this exercise of scrapping every day, it's becoming easier and more automatic.  I'm in my supplies more often, so I spend less time searching for items.  Maybe it's a combination of the both. 
5. I'm so sad this is the last day of LOAD.  It was so much fun this time around.  And even though I skipped a couple of days here and there, I always came back and did the prompt.  31 pages in 31 days.  Boo-yah!

LOAD1012 - Day 30 - Caution

The prompt for Lain Ehmann's Layout a Day (LOAD1012 - S.H.O. Time) challenge for Day 30 was to scraplift one of your own pages. I scraplifted this page.

Journaling around the photo collage reads:

What a fun Halloween! You & your girlfriends went dressed as pop stars. Megan as Katy Perry...Taylor as Ke$ha...Shelby as Taylor Swift...You as Lady GaGa...and Alicia as a bodacious Nicki Minaj. You met the guys (including Megan's brother as a great Justin Bieber) to go trick-or-treating. We had a great time putting your costume together and you all looked fab!  

Some observations about the process and products:

1. I find it humorous that I literally took 75 pictures of this group on Halloween.  And only 5 of them made it on to the page.  I guess the rest will live in cyberspace forever.
2. When you use an 8x10 photo or photo collage on a 12x12 page, there aren't a lot of journaling options.  In this case, I chose to journal around the collage, and I think it worked out pretty well.
3. I would like more alpha stamps.  And more alpha stickers.  You can never have enough alphas.  Can you imagine Lady Gaga ever uttering that statement?  "You can never have enough alphas," said the lady in the meat dress.
4. And Jordyn's Halloween album gets another entry.  Epic Pass!

LOAD1012 - Day 29 - Darth Owen

The prompt for Lain Ehmann's Layout a Day (LOAD1012 - S.H.O. Time) challenge for Day 29 was to create a critter or embellie using fingerprints. I created a fingerprint lightsaber using my index finger for the black base and my pinky as the red shaft.

Journaling Reads:

Should we be worried that you want to be a member of the dark side? Surely someone this cute isn't capable of evil! You were happy to have Dad take you trick-or-treating. You didn't stay out the entire time but you still got tons of candy.

Quote underneath the washi strip reads: This will be a day long remembered. It has seen the end of Kenobi, it will soon see the end of the Rebellion. -Darth Vader  

Some observations about the process and products:

1. Title alphas were left over from a Lisa Bearnsons kit called All about me.
2. Black border and red & white checked washi tape are recent purchases.  Scrapsupplyaholic.
3. Owen's Halloween album is growing. 
4. I love that the Darth Vader quote says "This will be a day long remembered" and my journaling tag (which I had selected before finding the quote) matches the quote with "Life is meant to be remembered".
5. I don't think I'll use the fingerprint technique again, but it was fun to do something different.

LOAD1012 - Day 28 - King Owen

The prompt for Lain Ehmann's Layout a Day (LOAD1012 - S.H.O. Time) challenge for Day 28 was to use a masking technique. Another "out of my element" challenge. I don't use masks or mists or any of that, but I do have some templates. I painted the red journaling block to the right of the photo using a stencil. I don't LOVE how it turned out, but the end result = another memory captured.

Journaling Reads:

Owen, all you cared about this Halloween was having a sword. Even though you can't take "weapons" to school and even though we have a ton of swords, you wanted a new one. We spotted this shiny sword and thought it would be perfect for royalty. Then we saw the cape and the crown, and it was settled...King Owen.

Some observations about the process and products:

1. Eh
2. Not my favorite page, aesthetically speaking.
3. But, I've forever recorded one of Owen's Halloweens.  And that's the point.

LOAD1012 - Day 27 - Psycho Clown

The prompt for Lain Ehmann's Layout a Day (LOAD1012 - S.H.O. Time) challenge for Day 27 was to use a wet technique. I thoroughly enjoyed watching Pam's video, although, the concept of "messy" and I don't go together really well. I used the splatter technique and I'm pleased with how well this "messiness" fit my page topic.

Journaling Reads:

Liam, you wanted to wear a scary costume this year...Mission Accomplished! You enjoyed scaring the trick-or-treaters.

Some observations about the process and products:

1. I originally intended different pictures and a different topic when I was creating this splattered background paper.  But, I thought the effect went better with the scariness of this picture.
2. The black border along the left is a recent purchase.  Because, apparently, I don't have enough scrapbook supplies and I constantly have to buy more.  It's an illness.
3. I would have never tried this splatter technique if it wasn't for LOAD.  Not sure I'll use this technique again, but, ya never know.
4. I hated this costume of Liam's, but he loved it!
5. Looking forward to finally putting together these Halloween albums for the kids.  The problem with Jordyn and Liam's album will be finding the pictures of their younger years.  Bad Mommy.

LOAD1012 - Day 26 - Yoda

The prompt for Lain Ehmann's Layout a Day (LOAD1012 - S.H.O. Time) challenge for Day 26 was inspired by ghosts. Use a transparency or see-through elements. My journaling is written on transparency paper and my title letters are Ghost Alphas from Heidi Swapp. One of the ribbons in the buttons is see-through.

Journaling Reads:

A cute Yoda, you were. Great Halloween costume, it was. The force of cuteness is strong in you.

Some observations about the process and products:

1. I scraplifted a design from someone in LOAD.  Inspiration ABOUNDS in this group.
2. Background paper is actually more cream, and then I dragged....drug?....drugged? a brown ink pad across it to give it some more depth. 
3. Second Halloween page for Ashton's Halloween book. And, as of this very moment, Ashton's Halloween book is "caught up" !! That will change in less than a week. But, for now, I'm good. :)
4. I have oodles of Halloween themed papers, letters, stamps, and embellishments...and in the last two Halloween pages that I've done, I haven't used ONE of those Halloween themed products.  Hmmm.

LOAD1012 - Day 25 - Doggie

The prompt for Lain Ehmann's Layout a Day (LOAD1012 - S.H.O. Time) challenge for Day 25 was to create a pocket on your page. I did stick my little flag behind the Doggie title, but I wouldn't really call it a pocket. It's the first prompt during LOAD1012 that I haven't really followed.

Journaling Reads:

You were the cutest little doggie ever! You had a plastic pumpkin filled with organic suckers, and from time to time, you were double-fisted! Every time the doorbell rang, you squealed with delight. -Halloween 2011

 

Some observations about the process and products:

1. The background paper looks pink in this picture, but it's really more grey in real life.
2. I used the K&Company Smash label maker for the small parts of the title.  Well, the E no longer works on the label maker.  So, instead of it saying IN THE WINDOW, it says IN THF WINDOW.  Close enough, right?
3. Not a lick of patterned paper on this page, and that's OK.
4. DOGGIE stamped with an alpha stamp set from Stampin' Up! I need more BIG alpha stamps.  They're fun.
5. Just like each kid has a birthday album, I want each kid to have a Halloween album.  I actually bought the orange albums years ago.  And this is the first page that I've created to go in it.

LOAD1012 - Day 24 - Bloom and Grow Forever

The prompt for Lain Ehmann's Layout a Day (LOAD1012 - S.H.O. Time) challenge for Day 24 was "Where were you when...." All of the examples given were of major events: 9/11 or Y2K. But, I took a more personal spin. Where was I when my dad passed away. Not a FUN page, but a very raw and honest story. It's part of what makes me, me.

Journaling Reads:

It was January 17, 2011. Because it was Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, I had the day off work as a company holiday. I had thought about going to visit my parents that morning, but my dad had advanced to such a poor state in his brain cancer disease and him being under hospice care made it emotionally difficult for me to be there. I had visited Sunday evening for dinner, and I justified staying home on Monday because there was laundry to do and personal paperwork to catch up on. Plus, maybe I would go visit in the afternoon. And then, shortly after 12:00, the phone rang. It was my mom. She told me that the hospice nurse had just left and that she had said Dad probably only had two hours to two days left to live. Obviously, I needed to come over as soon as I could. I knew that once I got there, I wouldn’t be leaving until after he passed away, so I packed an overnight bag. I took one of the fastest showers of my life. I sent an email to work letting them know I’d be out of the office, but I didn’t know for how long. I sent the nanny home and loaded baby Ashton into the car. I began calling the kids’ schools to pick each of them up early. I had to go to three different schools to retrieve Jordyn, Liam, and Owen before I could begin the longest twenty-five minute drive from Oxford to Waterford. On my way, I called Kevin, who was three hours away in Indiana on a business trip. He told me he would meet me at my parents’ house by dinner time. I got to my parents’ house around 3:00 pm. My brother-in-law and I can’t even remember who else were standing outside in the front yard…in January…in Michigan. And I instantly knew that I was too late. I was too late to say one last goodbye. One last I love you. I jumped out of the car and told him to get the baby and I ran inside, straight to my dad’s bedside. And he was gone. All of the stress of the last 5 months, and the most intense past three hours, brought me to my knees. I had missed it by about fifteen minutes. Why wasn’t I there? The laundry could have waited. The paperwork would have still been there. But, the hours we had left with my dad were limited. I should have spent my day off with him. My mom, who rarely left my dad’s side during his illness, herself had missed his final breath. She had gone into the kitchen. She told me it was OK that I wasn’t there at the very end because I had been there so many other times, and my presence or absence was not a measure of my love for him. My sister was at his side when he passed away. As he took his final breaths, in the last few minutes of his life, she sang to him, as she often did, Come to Jesus.

“And with your final heartbeat
Kiss the world goodbye
Then go in peace,
and laugh on glory’s side
...and Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus and live!”

These beautiful flowers were on my dad’s bedside table. My mom had been growing them for the last couple of months, and they bloomed for the first time. I imagined my dad’s spirit inhabiting these blooms as I recalled how he used to sing Edelweiss to us as a lullaby when we were little. Bloom and Grow.

Bloom and Grow Forever

Some observations about the process and products:

1. Stampin' Up papers, some punched shapes, some twine, and a little bling. Done.
2. The journaling took me the longest to do.  Everything else came together pretty quickly.
3. My music of choice, of course, was Alan Jackson's Precious Memories.  Love those hymns.
4. Enough sad pages about my dad.  My next page about my dad will be happy and upbeat.
5. I want to meet the Long Island Medium so she can channel my dad.  I want her to tell me that my dad knows about all of these scrapbook pages that I'm making and he's thankful that I'm honoring him this way.  I want her to tell me that his soul is still here with me.  Well, that part, I already know.

LOAD1012 - Day 23 - Golf Lessons

The prompt for Lain Ehmann's Layout a Day (LOAD1012 - S.H.O. Time) challenge for Day 23 was to use an old product and/or to use a non-standard shape on your page. I was able to accomplish half of this challenge. At the top of my page there is a wavy border of chipboard that I covered in small polka dot paper. You guys, I have chipboard coming OUT.MY.EARS. And I NEVER use it. But, today, I did!

Journaling Reads:

Where: Mulberry Hills, Oxford, Michigan

What: After receiving your birthday golf clubs, we enrolled you in some golf lessons. You're more of a solitary soul, so we think this might be the sport for you. You're having fun so far!

When: July 23, 2012  

Some observations about the process and products:

1. All of the papers were from the same Stampin' Up! paper pack. I LOVE SU! papers. These papers are double sided, so whenever I have double sided papers I cut out a section of the paper underneath a big element. So, before I adhered the orange paper, I cut out a big section of the green paper. On the back side of the green paper was the small polka dot paper that I used to cover the chipboard. And before I adhered the photo collage, I cut out a section of the orange paper. And on the back side of the orange paper was the paper that mats my journaling card. Voila. 4 PPs out of only two pieces of paper. :) And BONUS, they all coordinate.
2. I love how the green polka dot paper reminds me of golf balls.
3. See, another rear view shot.
4. I just love it when you flub the very last word of your hand written journaling.  Maybe I should invest in some white out.  But, I guess that would only work if the journaling spot was on white paper. Not. Gonna. Worry. Bout. It.
5. Journaling tag is from the Project Life Clementine kit.
6. I like how the chipboard border reminds me of a hilly stretch of golf course.
7. I watched episodes of Modern Family and New Normal on Hulu Plus while scrapping this page.

LOAD1012 - Day 22 - Commitment

The prompt for Lain Ehmann's Layout a Day (LOAD1012 - S.H.O. Time) challenge for Day 22 was to use a picture of someone from the rear view. I take rear view shots quite a bit, actually, so this one was a matter of picking WHICH rear view shot I wanted to use.

Journaling Reads:

Liam, you never complain about going to football practice, even though starting on 7/23, a full month before games begin, you practice five days a week for three hours each day!! Even during a mega heat wave, you look forward to going to practice. All of that practice and dedication has prepared you for days like today….the highlight of each week…game day!Football has taught you commitment, team work, and responsibility. It has taught you to appreciate hard work and to enjoy the benefits when it pays off. You understand that it takes everyone on the team to do their absolute best in order to bring home a victory. And that’s what you do each game, you give 100%.

Quote in the bottom right reads: Individual commitment to a group effort – that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.  ~ VINCE LOMBARDI ~

Some observations about the process and products:

1. I accidentally printed this picture in B&W, and almost used the B&W pic on the page.  But, the color picture had such a different feeling.  So, I knew I had to use it.
2. I need to add the location to this page.  When Liam and I were looking at it, I wasn't really sure.  I had to look at the date of the photo and compare it to the football schedule to be sure.  It was at Lake Orion High School.
3. I printed the journaling and quote on patterned paper.  I first printed it on a white piece of paper, then I taped my patterned paper over the white piece of paper and sent it through the printer again.  I had to doctor some smudges on the Vince Lombardi quote because I didn't have another piece of that same paper to print it over.  Oh, well.  It gives the layout a messy locker room feel, right? 
4. I LOVE my date stamp from the K&Company Smash line.  Love it.
5. I don't love this title treatment, but I'll live with it. 

LOAD1012 - Day 21 - OJW Golf Outing

The prompt for Lain Ehmann's Layout a Day (LOAD1012 - S.H.O. Time) challenge for  Day 21 was to scrap about an impossible mission. I wouldn't classify the planning of this golf outing as IMPOSSIBLE, but it IS a big undertaking.

Journaling Reads:

It took a committee of six people, meeting every other week for about 3 ½ months to pull of this year’s OJW Golf Outing at Oxford Hills. This was my second year leading the committee and we exceeded our fundraising efforts, yet again. We raised about $12,000 for the Oxford Junior Wildcats Football and Cheer program. Not only is this our biggest fundraiser of the year, it’s the most fun golf outing, ever. From the Hotties with the Shotties to the Beer Studs to the great mix of people we have golfing, it’s always a good time. I spend so much time organizing the event, that once the shotgun start begins, I relax and enjoy!
1. Me & Michelle with our Jell-o Shots.
2. Me with a sponsor sign that my mom bought. Grandma Bonnie loves her Hillary “Cats”.
3. A cooler full of Jello-Shot Goodness.
4. Time for another team Jell-o Shot.
5. Kevin and me.
6. Tim, the golf pro at Oxford Hills, and I wore matching outfits.
7. We might not have been the winning team, but we were the best looking and had the most fun! Ha! (l to r – Kriss Curtis, Kevin Hillary, Heather Hillary, Michelle Raisch

Some observations about the process and products:

1. Photo Heavy
2. Journaling Heavy
3. This is just a heavy page.  But, it's a captured memory, right?  Even if the blue title font doesn't exactly match the blue ribbon which doesn't exactly match my turquoise outfit which doesn't exactly match my big brad. 
4. Speaking of big brads (wow, this is starting to sound X-rated), the big brads were a late addition.  I added them to liven the page up a bit.  Feeble attempt.
5. Another late add was the tab in the top left that says Oxford Hills. Didn't that addition just blow your mind?  I know. Mine, too.
6. So, I created the pages for Days 20 - 24 on 10/24.  I fell off the wagon a bit, but I hopped back on by creating FIVE pages in one day.  Get some!

LOAD1012 - Day 20 - My Funny Valentine

The prompt for Lain Ehmann's Layout a Day (LOAD1012 - S.H.O. Time) challenge for Day 20 was to use Washi tape in an unusual way. I'm not sure that I used the washi unusually, but, ALL of the strips in this layout are made out of washi. What's funny is that the day before this prompt came out I had bought a roll of washi tapes (4 patterns) from the Martha Stewart craft line. Psychic?!?

Journalig Reads:

Jordyn, you wanted to spend Valentine’s Day with someone that you really love. So, you asked Alicia to go to dinner with you. You and Alicia have been the best of friends since you were four and she was three when we lived on the same street. And even though we moved a couple of miles away, you remained as close as sisters. So, you spent the evening together. You went to dinner at our local Mexican restaurant, Casa Real. A cute boy was at the restaurant with his family, and you girls thought it would be fun to send him dessert, fried ice cream, from a secret admirer. Alicia has such a playful and funny personality. She really brings out the silly in you. Immediately after you sent over the mystery dessert, you guys dashed from the restaurant in fits of laughter over the fear that you might be caught! After dinner, you went to see the movie, The Vow. Dinner and a movie, love and laughter, sounds like a perfect Valentine’s Date to me.

Some observations about the process and products:

1. I used Stickles on these hearts.  I haven't used Stickles in forever.  It's fun to use, but I wish it dried faster.
2. The hearts were from my pre-punched hearts drawer.  Love those punched shapes drawer!
3. I love the playfulness of the relationship between Jordyn and Alicia. 
4. I listened to Sutton Foster's CD, "Wish". My good friend knew Sutton as a teenager.  Which goes to show you that there really are six degrees of separation in this world.
5. I really need to increase my washi stash.  Washi is fun.

LOAD1012 - Day 19 - Copy Cat

The prompt for Lain Ehmann's Layout a Day (LOAD1012 - S.H.O. Time) challenge for Day 19 was to scraplift someone's page. I can't show you the original here, but I can tell you that the only thing I really lifted was the photo idea, but it was a lift nonetheless.

Journaling Reads:

Whether it's playing the Wii, or playing Legos, or eating a popsicle on the couch, or wrestling, or drinking from a regular cup, or playing tackle football, or even just brushing your teeth...at 2 1/2 Ashton, you love to imitate your older brothers. Liam and Owen enjoy having you as a little buddy. You kind of skipped the Barney-ish toddler phase and went straight to the Ninjago Big Boy phase. You are a lovable bundle of energy and joy.

Some observations about the process and products:

1. All papers and journaling spots came from the Project Life Clementine Kit.
2. Title letters are Heidi Swapp ghost alphas
3. I forgot to document on the page that when Ash wants to brush his teeth, he says "Bruh Tee".  And that means, Brush Teeth.  I'm pretty fluent in Ashish.  Maybe I'll go back and add that.  Maybe that should have been the title.
4. I listened to a This American Life podcast.  I love telling stories, and I love listening to stories. If you don't listen to the whole thing, that's OK, but I encourage you to listen to the Motherhood of the Travelling Pants.  Fun story!  Definitely something for this family to scrapbook about!

LOAD1012 - Day 18 - FORE!

The prompt for Lain Ehmann's Layout a Day (LOAD1012 - S.H.O. Time) challenge for Day 18 was to scrap about sports. Well, considering I've already done several sports layouts this LOAD alone, this wasn't hard for me to do. This one, is more about my son getting his first set of golf clubs for his 8th birthday. BONUS, one more birthday layout to go into his birthday album.  :)

Journaling Reads:

Owen , you were THRILLED to get a real set of golf clubs for your 8th birthday. Please remember that these are to be used with golf balls and not as a weapon against your brother's head. I see golf lessons in your future.

Some observations about the process and products:

1. I use Picasa for photo collages frequently, but it's not often that I use something other than white for the grid lines.  Because the pics were sepia toned, I didn't want white grid lines.  So, I turned them yellow.
2. I turned the pictures sepia toned because the pictures weren't fabulous, and were heavily shadowed.
3. Not a favorite page, but another layout for the ole birthday album. Whoop.
4. The felt flower was purchased recently at Meijer, but it wasn't a "scrap" product.  Which is fine with me. 

LOAD1012 - Day 17 - Hot Diggity Dog

The prompt for Lain Ehmann's Layout a Day (LOAD1012 - S.H.O. Time) challenge for Day 17 was all about the headline.  Playing up the title.  I think I accomplished that in this layout.

Journaling Reads:

Oh, Owen! This is the face, these are the antics, those are the eyes that make the rest of us smile, and giggle, and sigh as we say: Oh, Owen!!

Some observations about the process and products:

1. Orange letters are Heidi Swapp ghost alphas that I got at a Michigan Mega Meet YEARS ago.  I'm digging them.
2. This kid cracks me up.
3. Journaling card is from Becky Higgins' Project Life, Clementine Core kit, I believe.
4. K&Company Smash washi tape.
5. Stampin' Up patterned papers.  Again, except for the 12x12 sheet, everything came either from the scrap drawer or from one of my pre-punched shapes drawers (circle, scallop circle, word window, modern label ... all Stampin' Up stamps, too)

LOAD1012 - Day 16 - This is what ELEVEN looks like

The prompt for Lain Ehmann's Layout a Day (LOAD1012 - S.H.O. Time) challenge for Day 16 was about layering. In addition to layering elements, they suggested peeling back the layers of your life and exposing something that might not be visible on the surface. However, I didn't go that deep. In an attempt to get Liam's birthday album "caught up", I stuck to the simple side of things. However, I found that layering was almost as challenging for me as the clustering prompt! I started by layering yellow strips of paper. On top of that, I put the title letters, some brackets and a star cut out. I also layered patterned papers around the photos and on top of the papers I layered some paper punch out buttons.

 

 

Journaling Reads:

I dropped you off at football camp on your 11th birthday. I filled your bunk with balloons. Your favorite part about camp wasn't swimming or movie night, it was football practice, of all things. Of course it was.

 

Some observations about the process and products:

1. ALL of the papers on this layout, except for the Kraft cardstock, are from my scrap drawer. Let me tell you, ladies, ORGANIZE that scrap drawer (I organized mine by color) and then USE it!!
2. K&Company Smash journaling tag. I don't think I've ever handwritten this much journaling in my life!
3. Criss Cross ribbony thing at the bottom is actually covering up some hand drawn stitch marks that I made that I didn't like.
4. "Buttons" were pre-punched from scrap paper years ago. They've been patiently waiting in my Punched Paper Buttons drawer until now.
5. The patterned paper beneath the photo of the boys lists everyone's name. This was a late addition to the page.
6. Another late addition to the page was the yellow arrow pointing out which player Liam is. Easy for us to tell now, but will it be easy to tell which one he is 55 years from now?

LOAD1012 - Day 15 - game ball

The prompt for Lain Ehmann's Layout a Day (LOAD1012 - S.H.O. Time) challenge for Day 15 was about framing. So, I chose to do a different type of frame around my son's photo using buttons.

Journaling Reads:

I'm pretty sure you got today's game ball as much for your big smile as for your pitching (you didn't allow any runs) and your hitting (a game-changing triple). You've got a big baseball heart.

Some observations about the process and products:

1. Background patterned paper is from Stampin' Up.  I heart Stampin' Up papers, I tell ya.
2. I went through an entire package...an ENTIRE PACKAGE! of buttons.  I mean, come on, you can't just frame the photo with buttons, you've gotta scatter them around the page, too.  Duh.
3. Journaling card is from, yep yep yep, K&Company Smash.
4. Yes, the ribbon under the title is a little wonky.  And yes, the "g" in the title is a tad askew.  But, guess what?  I'm over it.  Hi, my name is Heather and I'm a recovering perfectionist. 

LOAD1012 - Day 14 - HERO

The prompt for Lain Ehmann's Layout a Day (LOAD1012 - S.H.O. Time) challenge for Day 14 was based on the era of silent films.  So, I stuck with a black and white theme in this layout of my dad.  If your Aunt Flo is visiting right now, grab a tissue.

Journaling Reads:

Dad, you came to see Liam play in his first tackle football game with the Oxford Junior Wildcats on August 22, 2010, just five days before you were hospitalized for and eventually diagnosed with brain cancer. You saw Liam play football again on October 10, 2010 and November 6, 2010, when his undefeated team won the league Super Bowl. Being at those games definitely put a smile on your face, something we didn’t see much of as the disease chipped away at your ability to show spontaneous emotion. And, even though we’re not sure how much of the experience you understood or remembered, we will never forget that you were there. I am forever grateful to Shawn for bringing you out to the games so that we could spend that time with you. You were a bit of a football HERO in your day at Royal Oak Kimball High School, and I know, with all of my heart, that your football soul watches over every game Liam plays. You would be so very proud of the solid player and good sport that he has become. He’s shaping up to be a fine young man, just like his Papa was.

Some observations about the process and products:

1. Ooh, la la, WASHI tape (black with white polka dots). 
2. The background paper was just a plain black piece of cardstock that I altered with a white ink pad.  I don't totally love the result.  It kind of turned out looking like cobwebs, but, it is what it is.
3. Guess what? The black and white scraps?  You guessed it.  All came from my scrap stash.
4. The grey border down the left is like fabric that I think I picked up one year at Michigan's Mega Meet.
5. I added the pic of Liam and my dad towards the end of the layout creation process, because it was looking a little blank on that side of the page.  I'm glad I added it.  Because this page is really about my dad watching Liam play football, and this was from one of the few games he was able to attend.

LOAD1012 - Day 13 - We Love Wine

The prompt for Lain Ehmann's Layout a Day (LOAD1012 - S.H.O. Time) challenge for Day 13 was to try clustering.  Now, let me tell you, there is a fabulous cluster-er who participates in LOAD, and she makes it look SO effortless!!! Check out Lisa's tutorial here.  For me, however, these clusters took a LOT of effort!

Journaling Reads:

We were enjoying a fabulous wine weekend in Traverse City with 16 other couples, when Kevin announced to our friends, out of the blue, that L. Mawby was the first winery he and I had ever visited together - 11 years ago on our one year anniversary. I was so touched that he remembered that and cared enough to point it out to everyone. He's not much of a romantic, but obviously he's sentimental about certain things. We love our wine, and we love each other.

Some observations about the process and products:

1. Background patterned paper is from Stampin' Up.
2. Lower left tag is an altered Converse tag that I wrapped ribbon around and stuck a little heart down inside.
3. Lower right cluster includes another altered tag from some clothing, I covered up the name of the clothing company with a piece of black ribbon, it didn't match exactly, but it matched enough, and then I used letter stickers on top of the tag to spell Love Wine for the title.  This also includes some ephemera from the wine tasting at L. Mawby, brads, buttons, flowers, the kitchen sink.
4. More of the same in the upper cluster.
5. Seriously out of my comfort zone.  At the end of the day, I spent way too much time hemming and hawing over these clusters.  I prefer pages with fewer embellies, less fuss, and with more focus on the story and pictures.  Not that clustering is wrong or bad, just not something I'm comfortable with.
6. At the end of the day, I think there's a little too much going on here for me.  But done is better than perfect.  And there it is.

LOAD1012 - Day 12 - Donuts

The prompt for Lain Ehmann's Layout a Day (LOAD1012 - S.H.O. Time) challenge for Day 12 was to use twine on the layout. I actually threw my twine in at the last minute. As I was working on the page, I kind of forgot what the prompt was....good thing I remembered, because the layout was really missing something without it.

Journaling Reads:

Mom - "Liam, what kind of birthday cake do you want this year?"
Liam - "Can I have glazed donuts?"
Mom - "You're the birthday boy. I'll go to Meijer and pick some up!"

Some observations about the process and products:

1. I'm pretty sure this is some Bazzil cardstock.  I just like to say Bazzil.
2. Journaling card is from K&Company's Smash line.  I am getting a LOT of mileage out of these!!
3. Patterned paper strip and patterned paper tab are both from my scrap bin.  I think I'm going to challenge myself to NOT cut any patterned paper for the rest of LOAD that doesn't come from my scrap bin.  Using up my scrap stash!
4. The 4 x6 photos I just printed on an 8 1/2 x 11 piece of photo paper, left them spaced as they were and trimmed around the border to have a consistent frame all the way around.
5. Flowers on a boy's page!?  You Betcha!!