Friday, July 29, 2011

Friday favorites...

*  air conditioning (seriously O.M.G.) 
*  the friends I've made through teaching -- you guys rock!
*  Simon Says Stamp (Hero Arts and Tim Holtz stuff at this online shop!) 
*  my morning coffee
*  lightening bugs! 


About blogging...

I started this blog it seems like ages ago.  At first it seemed like a chore.  I couldn't quite figure out what to talk about and how to say something worthwhile.  It felt like something I felt I should do, but didn't think anything was blog worthy.  At first I made lots of references to the store I taught at and classes and things going on there.  But I found that as I began to blog like I was just talking to a friend sittin' across from me at the kitchen table, it came easier and easier.  Suddenly the amount of daily hits I received went up.  Blogging was no longer a chore, but something I really liked to do.   

Blogging allows me to make a quick note on little everyday things (that I may be able to use for future journaling segments--- a true plus, plus, plus), it IS talkin' to friends, I can share pages and cards that I could never have presented as a class (due to cost per student constraints). 


So how come it took me so long to figure this out? Huh? 

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Quick post this morning.  And a fairly quick page too! 

I love the "oooooh" mouth my little Izzie makes.  Luckily the photographer caught it.  (Nana hasn't been able to catch this expression via the camera. Yet.  So thank you  ms. photographer lady!)  She makes this little mouth pucker so quickly and then just as quickly, it's gone.  But I love it---it reminds me of that face that Shirley Temple would make in those old movies when she would say "ooooooooh my gooodness"  Cracks me up everytime when Izzie dos it! 

I used papers and stickers from Basic Grey's Hello Luscious line...didn't even use a punch.  OK, I did stray a little from Basic Grey.  I used some of Cosmo's Tiny Type alpha's for the journaling....  I like that they work for titles, journaling or on greeting cards---gotta have multiple uses for things these days, huh?! 

Have a wonderful day all!

Thursday, July 21, 2011

So I actually started the overhaul on my scrap room about ooooooooh 6-7 months ago.  It'd be hard to tell from a photo, but I am making progress.  Every task seems creates its own mess, so any photo wouldn't show any real changes.  I've been sifting and sorting through papers, scraps, cards, pages, moved a few of my white crop-in-style cubes around, as well as the contents 

Now that I am nearing the finish, I am looking forward to doing some scrappy decorating in there.  I refuse to pull everything out to paint, so I am working with white walls.  But I already decided that was ok--going with a shabby chic white-washed look with gray and silver.   Last night I went to Michael's to pick up some white photo boxes to switch out with my current ones.  Next will be an attempt to move the desk areas--and that's probably one entire day's work.  Then I will be on the hunt for cheapo cut glass looking bowls, vases, candy dishes for containers for little things I want to leave out in clear view (so I actually USE them!.  Last  will be the closet (ugh--that's a mess in and of itself). 

I have to find someplace for the resulting load of papers, stamps and other assorted items I will no longer be using (can you say scrappers and stampers rummage sale---my driveway later in August or early September!?!?!) 

In the meantime, here's I layout I turned up.  Was thinking a lot about my wonderful grandson last night--who did get his temps yesterday and went out driving with his mom yesterday evening!  (She reminded me that he would also be able to go driving with a grandparent too---- ummm, yeah, probably not.)


But, oh, sweet boy, where have the years gone?

These papers are from Granola, one of my all-time favorite paper collections from Basic Grey.  I only added some pen work, buttons and floss,  little white Rain Dots at opposite corners and the "GQ" letters are older Heidi Swapp. .

Have a scraptastic day everyone!

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

The Jacob-man


still doesn't want his picture taken, although he couldn't get out of the lawn chair fast enough to avoid nana's camera (apparently he thinks closing his eyes is the next best solution!!!!!)

went yesterday to get new cleats for football (ya gotta be kidding---it only just recently became summer didn't it?) 

goes to get his temps today (he can't be that old already, cam he?) 

is a pretty darn handsome young man

love you, my Jacob-man!

Monday, July 18, 2011

Back to what most folks want to see... a page layout!  I struggled a bit with this layout of grandbaby girl.  First, her strawberry birthmark which puffed way up in her first few months, shows on one of these shots.  (The birthmark has shrunk and is now fairly flat--exactly what the doctor said it would do.)  But we usually managed to NOT have it show in her photos.  Then I thought... it's what it is, a part of her, so I went ahead and included it.


Then there was the one photo that she looks a little crazy, cross-eyed...  but it was still kind of cute.

And last, I was trying to use the backside of one of the papers, which was a white and lavender polka dotted print.  The layout looked good--till I placed the pictures on it.  Then--not so much--couldn't put my finger on it.  I often combine prints, sometimes many prints.  But, it just wasn't---right.  So for several days it sat on my desk.  Then I finally folded it up together and put it aside to do something else.  When I unfolded it, one of the polka dot papers was not  polka dot side up...  and it was better!  So I took them out! 

The papers are from Lily Bee, used their little banner stickers and a few of the word stickers and added some ribbon (I think they were from an old Making Memories ribbon pack), cut up two different sheets of Bazzill die cut cardstock for the big white scalloped edges and the teeny green scalloped edges, punched a couple of bitty brown flowers and scalloped circles to place a sticker or two on and added a small crocheted flower.  The alphas are also from Lily Bee.  The size is perfect for those longer titles.  Love them!

Have a scrap-happy Monday all!

Saturday, July 16, 2011

How about a little more Prima pretties? 

They have so much going on this season, so I thought I would just scarf up a couple of pictures of the pretty flowers.  There is w-a-y too much for me to post it here. 

Go to my sidebar and click on the Prima blog to catch some absolutely gorgeous-o pages and peeks of some pretty new papers, flowers and more. 

As you can see I am enamored of the feathered flowers.  Gotta get some of those! 

Later--am off to de-dog hair the premises (again) and then I hope to escape to my little studio for a bit! 
OK, anyone that knows me, knows I  am a Basic Grey girl!  And here we go.  There is a seasonal holiday line; Nordic Holiday.  (I know these are tiny little snippets, so do go to Basic Grey's website to see them up close.)  
Isn't it funny?  These papers do have a knit turtleneck, fuzzy sweater kind of feel to them! 

And then there is Picadilly.  This is kind of where the releases go a little different -- there is not a fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving-y kind of line and they have already released Oxford (which is school-themed, duh)
This one seems to me to be a good general purpose type of line.  I know I will be able to use these papers for a lot of different types of photos; garden, cooking-related--kids--home--heirloom photos).  It just feels like an odd time of year for this release--but hey I'm always good with Basic Grey! 

And then there is Little Black Dress, which is not just a black and white line---but black and white and taupe (I love the taupe in there). 
Great for vintage photos, wedding photos, christenings, formal protraits, graduations, prom... 

And last is Indie Bloom, a very bright spot!  Fun patterns, bright clear colors--I think teens especially will like a lot of these papers.  I'll look forward to using them during our long, dull gray winter! 

So that's it for this morning. 

Make sure you check out Kelly Goree's blog for some stunning pages samples with the new lines and the Basic Grey website (click on products, then on the individual line, and then see close ups of the paper by clicking on it and a page sample using the paper---pretty cool!) 

And now I am headed over the the Basic Grey website to check out the pages samples and feed those creative juices! 

Friday, July 15, 2011

Continuing with my own personal favorites from this season's CHA sneak peeks is Vintage Vogue from Pink Paislee.  This just looks like so much fun to play with.  I can see all kinds of possibilities for this one. 



It will be great for cards and I can use it for both boy and girly pages AND for some heritage photos too!  How cool is that?  (pretty darn cool, I think!) 

More to come...

Thursday, July 14, 2011

One of my favorite companies lately is Glitz Design.  What I really like about their collections is the soft vintage feel they manage to keep while still having lots of rich color! 

Vintage Blue is gorgeous.  It is on my must-have-it list!     



yum, yum, yum.  I especially love the blue roses.  Definately ordering a bunch of these papers! 

They just do a wonderful job of presenting vintage with an updated twist! 

More of my favorite picks later! 
I haven't posted any of my CHA sneak peeks---but let me begin by just saying, you absolutely MUST hop over to the Prima blog!  I am blown away by this season's collections of flowers, papers, buttons, laces and trims!  They are even debuting their own collection of scrappy (and cardmakers) tools! 



Click on the link that is listed under my sidebar for lots of awesome eye candy!  The pages are to die for, and don't forget to keep scrolling back for their previous peaks. 

Later! 

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

I've been out of commission with a nasty cold the past several days, but it is winding down now thank goodness.  I turned up this layout in my photos file that I put together when Basic Grey's Life of the party first came out this past winter. 


The colors were perfect for the pictures of my neices playing around with a go-cart out at my Dad's in California.  I'm so happy I held on to these photos until the right paper presented itself.  Like I've said before, I do not scrap chronologically.  I will put the photos together and hold them till I find the paper that seems to exude the feeling I am looking for.  And these papers were perfect---playful and bright, happy and carefree, just like we were feeling that afternoon! 


I also used a Basic Grey chipboard alpha set, but once again it is an older alpha set meant to coordinate with their (even older) Eskimo Kisses line.  Folks in my neck of the woods seem to have a dollar point at which they just won't budge when they are shopping and these alphas never went over really well.  I never understood this (in fact I think these shoppers were pretty foolish) because you got so many letters in the set and the best part is they always coordinated with many of the paper lines Basic Grey put out.  This alpha set went really well with Eskimo Kisses, Marjolaine, Oliver and Olivia, as well as Life of the Party.  Silly people! 


And this is how both pages play out together!  I used an edge distresser on the layering papers and just hand cut the border strips from one of the papers that had various printed strips on it.  The embellishments are Basic Grey too--loved the pinwheels! 

All for now!

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

While I was digging around and putting things away I came across these photos of Jacob.  I've had these clipped together for ages (he was FOUR and he's fifteen now!).  Never really found anything and they kept getting stuck back in the pile of photos, they'd reappear every so often and I would look again for papers to be just right.  This time  I thought I am just going to pick something and do it.... not waiting anymore for the papers to speak to me or be perfect.  Like the Nike slogan--just do it!


I wound up with these papers (that I aso loved--just never thought of them for use with these photos before) from Pink Paislee and I really thought I had purchased the accompanying pleated twill ribbons they had at that time.  But I guess not.  (Now just watch, those blasted ribbon things will show up next week... Murphy's Law, right?) 


A.n.y.w.a.y.  Sliced and diced the papers.  Added a couple of die cut flourishes (thank you Sizzix and Tim Holtz), the alphas are really old Colorbok and several Tiny Type alphas from Cosmo Cricket. a slice or two of ribbons (haven't a clue as to where I got them--just dug them out of my ribbon jar).  I traced a die cut paper on the navy print for that piece under the photo.  


ACK!  I need new camera batteries!  Sorry for the crooked pictures, my camera kept shutting itself off.  Gotta replace those batteries. 

Now on to the next little stack of photos!  Just do it!

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Happy after the 4th!  I hope everyone had a great holiday!  I did!  Spent  time with family, had a brat and some red ripe watermelon, and splashed with Izzie in her little pool!  What's a hot day without some water to splash in and a great Americana tankini!   Can't wait to scrap this. 

Love the red, white and blue tankini!  She rocks it!  She even rocks her first major owie--that was also her first trip to the emrgency room last week.  Hopefully she doesn't have too many of those. 

I even got to sneak off to my scrap room for a while and was just tidying up when I came across this school layout of grandson.  I have to clarify here and state right up front--I do not scrap chronologically--I scrap whatever trips my trigger at the moment and stack the layouts up in a big box.  When the box is getting full, I go through and sort pages into their respective albums---more on that in another post as it is a whole project all by itself!  So this is definately an older layout, and older papers. 


The papers and chipoard embellishments were from The Paper Co. and I used an 8x8 die cut paper for the scalloped edges, and a zig zag Sizzix die (both the positive and negative  pieces).  This is one of the few layouts I've done with a printed paper as the base.  I usually cut up all the printed papers and put them back together on a solid cardstock base, but this worked. 

Later!