Challenge 6a - celebrate 2008 with the Hillary's

And ScRap SiStaZ Challenge 6a.

celebrate 2008 with the Hillary's:

Same layout, but with the journaling card removed that explains all the pictures:

Some observations about the process and the products used:

1. Photo collage made using Picasa. I think I'm starting to figure it out a little better, and I think it's funny how all of my kids birthdays aligned perfectly in the right column.
2. I finally used the CRICUT again!! Brown brackets and 2008 were made using the Cuttin' Up cartridge.
3. I had a bit of a Stickles incident. I'm not sure I know how to use it properly. But the incident did give the background paper a bit of sparkle, although that didn't show up in the photo.
4. The longest part of this process was picking which photos to use for each month. But once that was determined, the layout came together really quickly. Love that!

Challenge 6a Inspiration Layout:

Challenge 6b - Crazy Crew

It was nice to get back to the challenges today, now that my dad's and Kevin's albums are done (more on those later). It was even nicer to scrap with fellow Sista Traci! Who came over today to scrap with me while I worked on ScRap SiStaZ Challenge 6 .

SO MUCH FUN!

Crazy Crew:
Some observations about the process and the products used:

1. The patterned paper scraps are left over from an album I made for Jordyn when she started middle school.
2. The pictures were taken at an after Christmas Christmas party in January with Kevin's mom's side of the family, but the journaling has nothing to do with the "event" where the photos were taken, but about what was going on with our family at that moment. I'm so glad I'm no longer hung up on event-based scrapbooking. This is much more fun.
3. Ribbons are all from CTMH.
4. Cute scallop punch on the yellow paper was borrowed from Traci who had it in her stash when she came over. Thanks Trace!
   

Challenge 6b Inspiration Layout:

Challenge 4b - Baseball Boys

I completed the ScRap SiStaZ Challenge 4b layout on Monday when I had the day off for President's Day. What a great way to spend a day off!




Baseball Boys:

Some observations about the process and the products used:

1. This will go in Liam's birthday album (slowly but surely, I'll finish those albums!!)
2. This will represent his SIXTH birthday, not his 7th birthday. When I printed the journaling, I put that it was on his 7th birthday. I finished the page (completely) and re-read the journaling and realized that in 2007 he turned SIX not SEVEN. So, rather than tear the page apart and start over (hail, no!), I covered up "7th" with an orange paper strip on which I wrote "sixth". Nice.
3. The photos were taken outside of my parents house before Kev & the boys headed down to the game.
4. I used two photos across the bottom instead of three (making the layout work for me), and I liked the rick rack ON TOP of the photos, since you couldn't really revel in all of its rick-racky glory when I put it UNDER the photos.
5. This layout was VERY easy to put together (except it was a little time consuming typing the half circle journaling getting everything to line up just so...maybe there's an easier way to do it, but I haven't figured that out yet). And it turned out pretty well, imo, while using very few products:

• 3 colors of cardstock (1 12x12, 1 8.5x11, and a couple of orange scraps <<>
• 1 small piece of patterned paper
• stickers (baseballs & Tigers tickets)
• blue letter stickers
• "Baseball" vellum
• orange rick rack
• for the dots around the half circle I used my white gel pen and followed a template with lots of circles and cut out dots to guide me. I heart my white gel pen. Seriously heart.

And by the way, Kim, I use the clear ruler that you gave me on every single layout. Every.single.one. Thanks SO much. Again.

Go Get 'Em, TIGERS!
(Is it April 10th, yet?)

Challenge 5b - This Lady

After working for the last week and some change on albums for my dad for his birthday and Kev for Valentine's Day, I took a break (I have 3 pages left to complete in each of their 20-page books - not bad!), anyway, I took a break to participate in the ScRap SiStaZ Challenge 5b.

This Lady:

Some observations about the process and the products used:

1. Patterned paper is from DCWV Rockstar Stack, because my mom IS a Rockstar.
2. The photo in the circle is overexposed to begin with, and a photo of this photo makes it worse. It's better in person, slightly. But I wanted to include a cap & gown photo of my mom and this was the best there was.
3. Yes, I scanned and reprinted the original photos before using them on this layout.
4. I almost went completely postal during this process because I can NOT get my printer to print on SU! card stock. I tried for about an hour and was pretty close to chucking my printer over the edge of the deck to see if I could make it to the lake (Kev said no way). I finally printed on a piece of yellow paper...NOT card stock. What the h-e-doublehockeysticks is the problem?
5. My mom is simply amazing. Such a role model.

Peace.

brothers 4 ever, friends 4 life

Number 27 on my list of 25 Random Things about Me (yes, I know I can't count) was this:

"After my boys get into a particularly bad fight with one another, I make them hug, look into each other’s eyes, and say “Brothers Forever, Friends for Life.” I hope they always remember this and truly take it to heart."

I was surprised by the reaction that this little random thing generated. I guess the saying really resonates with other mothers. Especially mothers of sons.

About a year (and some change) ago, I made a scrapbook layout of this saying for each of my boys. The layouts are exactly the same except one has the journaling written to Liam and one has has the journaling written to Owen. (double click the layout to read the journaling)

Liam's:

Owen's:

Challenge 4a - My Everything

Done with ScRap SiStaZ Challenge 4a! And it's not even 11pm yet! Go Me!!


My Everything - Double:

My Everything - Left:

My Everything - Right:
Some observations about the process and the products used:

1. These are black and white photos, even though the picture of the layout turned out funky colored.
2. My sister's BFF Suzi took these photos of us when Jordyn was a newborn and then again of us when Jordyn was 3 1/2. She's awesome.
3. I scanned all of the photos and saved them to my computer before I scrapped them since they are professional proofs. First time I've ever done that before doing a layout.
4. Pink Bazzil Cardstock, Stampin' Up! (EK Success) Photo Corner punch (I'm loving punches right now), more Stampin' Up rub ons (directly onto each photo), and pink Fiber Accents.
5. I don't have a baby book done for any of my kids. But, I still want to scrap their baby pictures. What I'm realizing is that scrapping a story, or feelings, or memories about them as babies is just as important, if not more so, than scrapping their first hair cut. And even if I never scrap their first hair cut, that's OK, and it's not gonna stop me from scrapping all of this other fun stuff.
6. Now, this is what I call a Simple Scrapbook page.

Thanks again, Tina, for setting up this group and these challenges. Still totally loving my SiStaZ!

Scrapping with Mom

My boys love to scrapbook with me. Actually, they love to papercraft with me.



So, tonight, Liam was set upon making a pennant for the Super Bowl party tomorrow and the pennant had to have brown paper, dontchaknow?



So, I showed him my selection of browns, he agonized over the decision until he found the perfect shade (does that sound familiar to any of YOU?!?) and he went about creating the pennant.



He requested my white marker and made the pennant resemble a football.


I helped him take the pennant up a notch by adding ribbon and football brads to it (he gasped with delight when he saw those brads...again, sound like anyone you know?!?)


This is the finished product, now hanging in Kevin's closet (Liam wanted to surprise him with it.)