Little Red Wagon #161

It is Tammy's turn to post the challenge at Little Red Wagon this week.  She wants us to create something with a tree on it. Even though she said it did not have to be a Christmas tree, I did use a Christmas image that I colored with my Copic Markers.

The image is from Teddy Bo and Co. and I just fell in love with it when I saw it!

The image is called "Gonna build me a tree" and I think it is truly delightful!

I used papers from Authentique's Peaceful line.  I love the subtle, monotone coloring of this line and I think it worked perfectly with this image :)

Why not join in the challenge this week?  Make up a tree-themed card and link it up at Little Red Wagon.  We would love to see what you create!

I Am Thankful

I had a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration with my family last week.  I was able to see my entire family between Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday and 'Leftovers and Laughter' on Friday!  We enjoyed too much turkey, too much pumpkin pie and too much laughter (is that even possible?)!

The dining room table was beautifully set and included gorgeous peach colored roses and a home-made cookie for each of us :)

My sister, Dianne, entertained us with her Julia Child imitation while she prepared the dinner and had us all in stitches!  Seriously - way too funny!!

When we weren't laughing at Dianne, we were all watching the football game. It was tense as the tied game went into overtime.

I just love my two sisters ♥  When I am not with them, I miss them more than I can say.

Little Nolan was having so much fun during the day that he wouldn't stop long enough for me to take his picture.  It wasn't until he was all bundled up to head home that I was finally able to get a photo of him.  Such a cutie!

It was a busy couple of days and it was wonderful to catch up with my family.  I am so grateful for the times when we can gather together and just enjoy each other's company.  As we drove back home at the end of the weekend, I realized how blessed I truly am.  When I stop to count all that I am thankful for, I realize that I can barely put into words all that I am grateful for.  My heart is full!

"It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to the Most High." Psalm 92:1

Little Red Wagon #160

Our challenge this week at Little Red Wagon was brought to us by Jan.  She wants us to make a masculine themed card.

I started with an awesome digi image from D'Arcy's Diaries - LOVE IT!  I couldn't wait to use my Copic markers to color him!

I paired the image with some scraps I had in my wagon, added a button and a bit of ribbon and did some machine stitching.

I kept the sentiment simple so I could use it for any occasion, although I think I will use it for our oldest son who has a birthday coming up in December.

Be sure to check out all the fabulous creations at Little Red Wagon and play along if you like.  We would love to see what you create :)

Love You Like A Sister

I created another layout using the Studio Calico Burst Template and I just love how it turned out!  The best part was that I was able to use PINK - which is not something that I get to do too often!  I scrapbooked a photo of my niece and her BFF that was taken at their Homecoming Dance this fall.  Aren't they just beautiful?

 I used papers from MME and I totally adore the yellow and pink combination!

Butterflies with a little bling seemed perfect with these pretty photos :)

I added some machine stitching and used some pink foam alphas that I had in my stash ♥

I also cut the number 16 from the pattern paper and put it at the top of the page (that is how old they both are) and I used some Lily Bee alphas to add their names, Emily and Megan. 

Simple, sweet, pretty!  Thanks for looking ~

Inspiration Elevator - November 2012

Welcome to our November Inspiration Elevator Challenge!  You may recall from our previous posts, that the purpose of this challenge group is to take our scrapbooking to the next level, to stretch our creative process and to grow as artists by embracing challenges that make us think, work and grow. You can view each of the challenges on my blog - they are posted on the 15th of the month.

This month we have a wonderful guest designer, Katherine Sutton.  She is very talented and we are excited to be working with her!  You can see more of her work on her blog, Fruits of my Scraps.

Our challenger for this month is the super talented Cathy Harper.  Here is her challenge:  

"I scrapbook for the joy of it, the creativity part of it, the love of paper part of it....I hardly ever bare any of my feelings in any of my work! I often tell my kids that they can make up there own stories to their pages...I am that terrible about journaling. I guess it is a bit superficial or a whole lot superficial.

So here is my challenge - I want you to create a page about REGRET.

“No regrets”…they say we should live our lives without regrets… if it were only that easy, right? Most of us hold onto 1 or 2 (or a mountain full) of things we feel regretful for in our lifetimes. A lost love, those words you WISH you had said, the weight you wish you had lost… you know them, right?

I encourage you to confront them… take those suckers on and scrap about them… or just one.

This can be something superficial to something serious and painful… it’s up to you how far you want to dig. I DO encourage you to use this as an opportunity to really stretch yourself. Journaling is very powerful and you might be surprised by how you feel afterward.

This is going to be super tough for me (I may already regret it, lol )...as I am one who lives with a mountain of regrets and know in my head that I should move on, let it go. I am hoping this challenge will help me actually "let go" of some of these things. Maybe by putting in down in 12x12 form, creating it, seeing it and feeling it, that I can put some of it to rest! It's worth a shot! Pictures, no pictures...that is all up to you!"

Wow! Another awesome challenge that really made me dig deep!  First, I had to think about regrets.  I realized that I am not one who likes to live with regret.  I usually confront my regrets, deal with them and move on.  I feel that regrets are part of life and help us to grow as individuals, so I don't hang on to them.  

When I thought about this though, there is one thing that I wish were different in my life.  I wish I didn't live so far away from my family.  So I did a page on family - my family with my Mom and Dad, 2 sisters and 3 brothers.

I began with a photo that was taken about 4 years ago, just a couple of months before my Dad passed away.  This picture is very special to me as we were all together as a family, celebrating my Dad's 80th birthday.

I wanted the page to be cheery and fun, so I used papers and chipboard from the Fancy Pants line, The Good Life.

I also used some puffy stickers from Heidi Swapp (love them!)

My journaling is tucked behind my photo and it reads: 

Family is the single most important thing to me. Twenty eight years ago, when I married and moved away from the only home I knew, I didn’t realize how much I would miss my dear family; Mom, Dad, 2 sisters, 3 brothers, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins. All the people who meant so much to me were now 200 miles and another country away. I regret that I could not have married the love of my life and stayed close to my family at the same time. But it was not meant to be. 28 years later, I am still in love with my wonderful husband and would not have changed anything about the life we have made together – except that I wish I was just minutes, instead of hours, away from the ones I love.  

Thank you Cathy for an amazing challenge!   

I hope you will stop by and see what the designers on this adventure have created:

Cathy Harper

Sue Sykes

Lisa Spiegel

Joanne Burton

Christa Uttley

Laura Whitaker

Audrey Yeager

Lisa Moen

Laurel Seabrook

Ann Jobes

Katherine Sutton, Guest Designer

We would love to see what you are inspired to create.   Add a comment below and we will be sure to drop by and say hello!

Little Red Wagon #159

Happy Wednesday! It is my turn to post the challenge at Little Red Wagon this week and I decided it would be fun to work with embossing folders!

I made up my first Christmas card of the season using a Sizzix embossing folder and an ornament cut from my Silhouette.

I love the look of the embossed background and the gold is so pretty!

Do try to join us this week at Little Red Wagon!  I would love to see what you create :)

Happiness Is...

... a clean house, organized cupboards and yummy Banana Bread fresh out of the oven!

I love my days off  ♥

The Good Life

I wanted to share a fun layout that I created using a fabulous burst template from Studio Calico, Mister Huey's Mists and papers from The Good Life collection from Fancy Pants.

I started by creating my background on solid white cardstock.  I simply placed the template in place and then sprayed my Mister Huey's section by section.  I let it dry and then I layered it with yellow cardstock and pattern paper.

I used one of my favorite photos of my niece, Sarah, and I cut the title using my Silhouette (♥♥♥)!

I stitched through my title and added a fun button from Studio Calico. 

I had so much fun creating this layout!  If you haven't tried the burst stencil yet - you really need to pick one up. There are so many different ways that you can use them!

Thanks for looking ~

Little Red Wagon #158

Happy Wednesday!  Deanna has challenged us to colour an image for our Little Red Wagon project this week.  It was perfect timing for her challenge as I had just picked up this adorable digi image from Whimsie Doodles.

This sweet little guy was fun to colour and I paired him with some fabulous papers from the My Little Yellow Bicycle - Acorn Hollow line.

I also added some leaves that I cut from my Silhouette and added some twine and a button.

Be sure to check out all the great projects that the other Girlfriends designed for this week's challenge! And do play along!

Great Weekend!

I had the wonderful opportunity of a weekend away with my BFF where we did nothing but scrapbook the entire time!

Our time away was at the Elmhurst Inn and Spa and it was truly a delightful time. The historic feel of the buildings and grounds create a lovely and relaxing environment and we enjoyed the company of the other scrapbookers we were with. 

 

I had so much fun being creative without the responsibility of actually running the weekend!  I got 3 singles, 1 double and 2 cards completed.  I know that doesn't sound like a lot, but for me that is really good!  I like to take my time and enjoy the process of creating, rather than just rushing through my pages to get them done.

Here is the first single page that I want to share with you.  I worked with pictures of my niece, Sarah, and my all-time favorite paper line from Fancy Pants, Life Is Good.  I love everything about this line - the colors, the embellies, the patterns!

 
I kept it fairly simple with some ink splatters on the background...

a banner with some stitching...

a title I cut with my Silhouette Cameo...

and some yummy washi tape!!

I will be posting more in the next few days.  Thanks for looking :)