While I was cleaning out stuff in my scrap room and organzing little stacks of photos that were just piled about, I came across these photos from football.  And since I just went to our first football game of this season, thought I would put together a football layout. 

These boys go out and play every week, knowing they are going to more than likely get their butts kicked.  It's a small school, so not a lot of players to pick from--- and every week we go and and honestly wish we could fire their coach.  It's just a bad situation, no time spent on basics, like, oh say tackling!  But, we go and cheer for evey measly hard fought first down they get. 

And it really says something about the character of these boys (this boy in particular, not that I am a proud Nana or anything) to go out there week after week.  He wasn't going to play this year, but ended up doing it because of the rest of the guys.  I love this kid. 

I used papers from Authentique, gosh I cannot remember the name of the collection.  But I got them in a big pad at Hobby Lobby.  One of the few times I've bought paper in  pad.  I usually opt for single sheets, cuz typically I would only use some of the pad and would end up with lots that I never used.  But this pad I thought would be perfect for sports pages, the colors go with his school colors and have a nice bit of grunge to the edges and the quality is good too.  Nice heavyweight cardstock, double sided. 

I also used some of Tim Holtz's glassine paper, crinkled them up and stapled it on (using Tim's tiny attacher of course!).  Also grunged up the edges of the photos using Tim's craft scratcher. 

I stacked up some ticket stubs from a huge roll I got years ago from Walmart, cut some tickets like those printed in the corner out of another sheet (you get 4 of each design in the pad), and stuck in a file tab or two, all along one side of the photo on the lead page. 

Journaling is on the tag tucked behind the photos on the second page (and is about the boys playing even though they know they will probably lose the game and the heart that it takes to do this.).  Used a little bit of navy and white baker's twine on the tag, did a little pen work and added a couple of word stickers (old ones from 7 Gypsies).   Letters are from two different sets of Thickers. 

Summer has returned!  Even though it is hot and muggy--I'm kind of glad--was afraid we were headed straight into fall there for awhile! I had some photos I sneaked of Jacob, he still doesn't want his picture taken. I hope it's only because of his braces; those are due to come off very soon.

Anyway the photos are from last summer yet.  And the journaling is about how you can shut your eyes---but that doesn't mean Nana won't take the photo :)   He is such a good big brother, ready to rough-house, tickle and roll around on the floor with her.  She thinks he is the funniest thing ever and she just a-d-o-r-e-s him. 

I was still using papers from the Little Boy collection from Echo Park (see how many layouts I am getting out of this pack?!), with the addition of a couple of strips from Basic Grey's Life of the Party. 

Journaling cards are from Echo Park, a piece or two of layering papers cut from the backside of the Life of the Party papers, "so hot" sticker is from Lily Bee, and sticker flowers are old ones from Heidi Grace. 

Alphabet stickers are Thickers and the little red ones are from Cosmo Cricket. 

Cuteness is from the grandkids. 

Purging, donating, throwing out, cleaning out.  Yep, on another mission I am!  I've decided that things must be simplified here at the old homefront. 

Four boxes of books (cleaned off the bookshelves in the living room) going to Goodwill.  This will make the shelves easier and quicker to dust--that's right, that's what I am after--easier, quicker...  The corner in the dining room that had been occupied with a bunch of stamping and scrapping stuff went to a rummage sale, what was left went to Goodwill.  Next will be the pantry closet.  Not to purge so much as to clean it out to make room for stocking up.  Easier, quicker to grab something out of the pantry than to make another pitstop at the store...  easier, quicker equals time.  Time for me to scrap... or sleep, whatever.

Believe it or not what actually started the cleaning and purging was my going through all the layouts that had been samples.  Feels good to have completed layouts and more importantly, completed layouts that I really like again. 

Now you wanna talk o-l-d?  The first page of this layout was done several years ago for Stampington Inspirations magazine (um, yeah--I said y-e-a-r-s ago).

The plaid paper is from Making Memories, but everything else is stamped and heat embossed in white.  Title, stars, everything was embossed and cut out to add to the page(s), even the edges of the red cardstock were heat embossed in white. 

And as old as the layout is--I still really like it. 

The 4th of July parade here in town is usually spectacular.  Jacob loved it then and now I can't wait till the grandbabies are old enough to love it too!   

P.S.  I took pictures of the boxes of books---there may be a layout there--about how cleaning out and purging can acutally happen BECAUSE of scrapping.  It's a sick, twisted world, isn't it? 

Wow, two posts in one day... Guess I am not done rambling on about summer days!  Or scrapping out of chronological order! 

The main photo in the layout was originally on a sample page----that I never really liked.  It suited the purpose of a sample page, but it did not speak to me.  This was one of those pages that I took apart and tossed the papers from, LOL!  Went back and found the other two photos and then went to work. 

I had bits and pieces of the Marjolaine collection from Basic Grey, but not a lot of anything.  The colors were good though, so I cut what I had into 2 x 7 and 2 x 5 strips and then pieced them back together, centering them across the two pages.  Inked the outside edges, drew in "stitches," added a washi tape border for my main photo to sit on, and arranged a cluster of embellishments on the lower left edge. 

How little my Jacob-man looks against the expanse of green grass in my yard.  Once again, not scrapping chronologically cuz the grass sure didn't look like that in the drought of this summer (but that could be another topic for a different layout)!!!   Jacob is 16 now--this page did sit on display for a l-o-n-g time, but still.  I really love going back and scrapping old photos, it just brings so many warm and fuzzy memories and isn't that what this hobby is all about? 

Washi tape is from Bella Blvd., the alphas are from Urban Prairie (Basic Grey), Cosmo Cricket, and Thickers.  The embellishments are little bits and pieces; Prima and Webster's Pages journaling spots,  a chipboard sticker and papers fussy cut from Echo Park's This and That collection and stamped words (Hero Arts). 

Go back and look through old photos from summers past to rejuvinze that easy, sunny summer feeling.  I wanted to be reminded of  the cool, sun-dappled shade from my big old tree and how the grass must have tickled those little legs.   There is nothing wrong with reworking a page or a layout that doesn't make you feel anything.  I know I am happier with this!    

Here we are in the last days of summer.  There is a certain feel to the air, the coolness in the early mornings, leaves that are falling (extremely early here), and a different sort of light even in the brightness of the sun.  It makes me a little melancholy.  Summer is so short.  Now I am not a sun worshiper (those days have long since been gone), not a hiker or a biker, and I do love sweaters and warm, snuggly socks--so what's the problem? 

There's just something about being able to go outside and sit for awhile with no thought to donning a jacket, listen to the rustle of the leaves when a light breeze catches them, watch the fireflies in the evening when I take the dogs out.  And I know this is all coming to a dead stop in just a few short weeks.  Ah, seasons change.  There is something to be said for the crispness of a bright fall day and the crunch of the leaves underfoot, or the way the trees sparkle after a good snow, but there is nothing that can compare to the warmth and glow of summer days (and nights). 

This is our little Izzie (not this summer, but last--I don't scrap chronologically); nothing says summer like the good old red, white and blue--in this case red, white, black and blue as she had had an altercation with a dog and received this horrific looking bruise and bite.  She is indeed "sweet trouble."  Love this little girl. 

I posted this today since I was thinking about summer vanishing before my very eyes and because I was on a roll  using lots of Echo Park boy papers.  I had originally purchased the Little Boy collection because of the red, white and blue papers in it specifically for this little girl-4th of July layout! I tend to look at papers with my eye on color rather than theme and I have to say I've really gotten a lot of mileage out of this set and I have lots left yet!

I also used some buttons from Petaloo and the red twill pleated ribbon border is from Pink Paisley (wish they still did these, loved them). 

I also used my EK dotted scallops border punch and some star sparklers from Mark Richards (I think--don't have the packaging for them anymore so...)  The title is made up of old Heidi Swapp chipboard alphas, black and white from two different sets of Thickers, and the blue letters are from an old Little Yellow Bicycle set (I did catch the slightly lowered letter B  and fixed it -- just wasn't going to re-photograph because of the darn thing!). 

Enjoy these last days of summer.  I want to hold on to them for as long as I can. 

So I've been trying to take photos of the grandbabies whenever I am out there; however, if this Nana is babysitting, this Nana kind of has her hands too full of two-year old and  7-month old to be able to wrangle a camera in there too!  But I manage to snap a few here and there!  Then I go home and take a nap. 

This boy is such the opposite personality of his big sister; where she is this little whirlwind of activity, he is laid back.  While she is having a hissy fit over something; he is studying her with a look of confusion, like--- "what in the world are you doing and why are you spending so much energy doing it?"  Cracks me up.  They both do. 

He is such a happy boy.   

I mostly used Echo Park's Little Boy line on this layout.  I think the beige-y tone-on-tone background paper is from Echo Park's A Boy's Life collection though.  And no those stars are not stickers.  They are from one of the papers.   And, yes I did cut all 27 of them out.  Count 'em, 27. 

The stickers are from Echo Park, even the alphabet stickers.  The large orange brads are from Bazzill; I've had them for years, glad I remembered and dug them out.  I stuck a little bit of aqua and white diagonal stripe washi tape (from Bella Blvd.) across the bottom and a tiny bit up in the corner. Put a couple of the stars on pop dots and drew on the stitching.  That's it! 

Where to begin.  It's been almost a year since I last posted anything here.  And I do feel bad about that.  I know when I look at blogs, I hate when there has been a long lapse.  But I just could not bring myself to post, to be artificially perky and happy, when I wasn't.  Nor did I want to be a Debby Downer and get on the blog and whine everyday.  Hate that.  Anyway, the story is---simply too many life changes in too short a period of time,  I sank lower and lower.  Went to my little part time job, cooked, did a little cleaning (very little), slept ( I slept alot),  and spent as much time as I could with the grandbabies.  I didn't even open the door to my scrap room for months. 

But one day just a few weeks ago, I did open that door.  And I've been scrappin' away ever since!  Don't know what changed, (kinda don't want to look that gift horse in the mouth).  But I do feel a change, the sadness does sometimes just come and kind of envelopes me, but it happens less often and lasts for less time.  And for this I am so grateful.   

The layout I am posting today may or may not have already been posted in some fashion here.  What I focused on when I started back to scrapping was finishing up pages that had been created for classes or samples.  Sometimes all I needed to do was add a title and create a secondary page for my customary two page layouts.  Some required a bit more attention to make me happy---some extra embellishment, an extra layer of paper or two, maybe swapping one element for another.  Some, to be truthful, I just was never really happy with and I took them apart to salvage what I could, tossed the rest. 

So, if this looks vaguely familiar, this one started out as a one-page make & take.  I added a few more layers of paper, stickers and embellishments and then made a second page, almost the same as the first, but added the title to this page and the banner stickers (which I outlined to go with the outlined layering papers). 

Printed papers are from Crate Paper, the Emma's Shoppe collection.  The ballet ticket and daddy's girl stickers are also from Crate.  The cream and aqua cardstocks--those are Bazzill, flowers are really old Sandylion, banner stickers are from Lily Bee, the chipboard in the title is from Cosmo Cricket, the letter stickers are from Websters Pages, and the bubble ribbon is from May Arts.   

Oh, almost forgot, the washi tape in the corners is from Bella Blvd.  I am loving this stuff--have to get some more of it.  It's a quick and easy add for a spot of color or to tie various colors in the layout together.  I also used a Martha Stewart butterfly punch and a couple of my favorite EK border punches, plus a little piece of yellow and white baker's twine.  So, quite the mix of manufacturers... 

If you have followed me before, thanks for checking back in on me and if you are new, welcome!