Heartbreaker

Oh. My. Yes, he is a heartbreaker. But more than a cutie pie, that's also the name of this great kit. It's releasing today at My Life and Scrap from Ohana Designs, and this page absolutly FLEW together. I love the colors (that teal-ly light blue is my favorite!) and I love all the sweet elements.

I am putting this post together before the kit is even in the store, so I can't link directly to it! But I love this kit, and love this boy. :)

Today begins our weekend of spotty internet (again) as we prepare to unload our household goods on Monday! I'm so excited to see the light at the end of this move!  Until next week...

Space Monsters and Our Children

Space Monsters Need Sleep Too
Kit: Space Monsters by Crisdam Designs
Text Paths 1 by Crisdam Designs (rounded rectangle and flower)
Font: Pea Bandit

I pulled an older photo to work with Space Monsters from Crisdam Designs. Going through my photos, this title popped into my head when I saw the photo, so knew this was the one. I used a black and white photo so as not to compete with the colors of the elements. I love all the star accents, and thought this little alien looked a little sleep deprived. :)

Also used in this layout are her Text Paths 1. I love being able to quickly add text in a shape other than a box and when I was using PSE6, that's just not an option...unless you have some ready made text paths! I even used one of her paths on the ring on the planet to curve my date.  Now that I've upgraded to CS5, I can do that without a premade path, but it was so easy to just use a part of the flower to get a similar curve.

Our Children...
Kit: Family Tree by Sweet Digi Scraps
Word Art: Family Tree Word Art by Sweet Digi Scraps/Designs by Danyale

This week I also put together this layout of the same picture I used on Friday. I think this is my new favorite picture right now.  

I'm all caught up on my CT requirements and am shifting gears (at least for the rest of this week) to Christmas thoughts, so probably won't be posting anything new later this week. Wouldn't want to spoil any gifts before the big day!  But I will be sure to create a post to come out on Christmas or soon after with the goodies I'm creating this week. :)

Quadruple Layouts...wait, there are five.

Moving has really gotten me behind schedule (and addled my brain, as evidenced by my counting skills in the title), both with household chores and CT requirements. I've been working to catch up this week so I can get everything finished before November rolls around and I start all over again. That being said, I had some fun working with kits from my October designers at MLAS -- Kate's Digital Designs and Miss Mis Designs.

All In A Days Work
Kit: The Do It All Mom by Miss Mis Designs
Alphas: The Do It All Mom Alpha 2 and The Do It All Mom Alpha 3 by Miss Mis Designs
Font: Pea C-Squared

I loved that the Do It All Mom kit from Miss Mis helped me put together a quick view of an average day around here. (We won't be seeing many of those in the next couple weeks...but a girl can dream, right?) I can also see myself using the bubbly alpha on a bath layout with some photos I have of John...now to find the time to pull them out!

Fall?
Kit: Autumn Air by Miss Mis Designs

And, since I feel like I've put together a lot of traditional fall layouts this year already, I decided to use a fall kit to put a spin on a fall layout. These pictures were taken when the calendar said it should have been fall. Someone should have told that to the weather!

Springtime Fun
Kit: That 70's Kit by Kate's Digital Designs
Font: Downcome

As much as I am loving the cooler weather, I am feeling a little nostalgic for the warm sunshine, and I found some old photos of Maggie playing in the sun (in front of our old/new house...we're moving back into a house we've already lived in, if I haven't mentioned that before).

The Numbers
Kit: The Blues by Kate's Digital Designs
Date Stamp: Date It by Kate's Digital Designs
Template: All Blocked Out Templates by Kate's Digital Designs
Fonts: Pea C-Squared and VT Portable Remington

I loved that Kate's templates and date stamps made putting together some quick layouts about our move easy (and quick).

Moving Day
Kit: The Blues by Kate's Digital Designs
Fonts: Lainie Day and Pea C-Squared

I also used the "Moving Day" layout in conjunction with the Mystery Lift challenge that I am hosting right now at MLAS. I really made it a challenge by using a photoless, journaling heavy layout as the inspiration. They are some of my favorite layouts right now. (Obviously, since three of these five layouts are "photoless" and have lots of journaling!)

Have a great week! I'll most likely be scrapping during nap times, since that is about the only form of entertainment I have left around here.  Not a whole lot to distract me.  At least until we finish this move!

Jumpstarting my creativity

After almost a week of only being able to lurk on my favorite forums and galleries, I am finally back to where I can focus on creating. The movers have left, the house is empty, and I have lots of time on my hands. In the last two days, I have finished 4 full layouts and 2 board book pages. During the time the movers were here, it was too crazy during the day to even think about pulling the computer out and if I had, I would have been bound to the area it was placed.  I wouldn't want someone to accidentally pack it if I walked away to take care of the baby. (This very thing happened to me with a text book the last time we moved...long story short, I had to order a second copy of a textbook with no value to me outside that one course.)  And by the time they left in the evenings I was too exhausted to think straight, let alone play around in Photoshop. Tonight, I'm going to share two of the layouts I have made this week, one older and one new. Then I'll come back later this weekend and share the rest!

Kit: All About Me by Crisdam Designs
Template: Scraplift with a Twist Oct 2010 by Crisdam Designs
Fonts: VT Portable Remington and Pea C-Squared (two of my favorites/most used)

This first page is one I made much earlier in the week but forgot to post here due to all the activity going on in the house. This is my current favorite picture of me, snapped by Maggie while we were at CFD this summer. I'll have to teach her some composition pointers, as my head was slightly cut off, but it really only presented a problem when I wanted to feather the blending and NOT cut off my face.

Kit, Alpha, and Word Art: Sibling Love by Sweet Digi Scraps (each sold separately)
Inspired by the 10/22 Speed Scrap at Gotta Pixel

Each Friday night, there is a Speed Scrap hosted at Gotta Pixel. This is a fun SS because it doesn't have the pressure of a traditional speed scrap. We get so chatty in the chat room (go figure) that most people don't try to scrap during the hour that the chat happens. Instead, the host gives until noon (Eastern) on Saturday to finish and post layouts. The beauty of this is that I get an hour of uninterrupted computer/social time while the kids are still awake AND I get to scrapbook later in the evening! Best of both worlds! This is the layout I created with this week's instructions. Liz of Sweet Digi Scraps is also in the spotlight this week at Gotta Pixel, which means her whole store is 30% off...AND there are several RAK giveaways going on in the forum, and at DST and DSA...AND she has provided the daily download at GP this week. Seven days of downloads which result in a FREE mini-kit.

Ok, I guess I should quit stalling and get some rest. Fingers are crossed for good weather this weekend so I can take the kids to a pumpkin patch/corn maze and get some good Fall pictures!

Gearing up for Halloween

The kids are getting excited for Halloween around here.  Maggie and her friend have been discussing decorations at length. They decorate the neighbor's front lawn over the course of last weekend. Now Maggie is nagging me about decorating our own front lawn (and ignoring the fact that movers will be here this week to pack up everything we own). But one thing I will indulge her with, is a new Halloween candy bucket. I let her pick out the papers and embellishments that went into the design and then whipped up this little prop for her. I did have to weed out some extra embellishments she wanted (it would have looked like a product preview if I had let her have her way).

After printing (2 pages, as the bucket's circumference was larger than one page), I just trimmed the two pages up, glued them together, and popped them inside the bucket. I happened to have found a clear bucket at my local craft store, which means I can easily redesign this to house a Christmas gift in a few months, or to match Maggie's room and use for storage.

Kit: Spooktacular by Sweet Digi Scraps
Word Art: Spooky Word Art by Sweet Digi Scraps/Designs by Danyale
Journaling reads: Captain Maggie Sparrow plundered the neighborhood for candy on All Hallow's Eve 2006. Her legend will forever haunt the block. But don't worry about that hook she's brandishing here. It's the peg let you have to look out for.

While I was in a Halloween mood, I also put together this page, with a picture that was a few years old. I loved the word art, and thought I'd bring this memory out of hiding.  I do still need to remember who put the whiskers on her face though...she was not wearing those when we left our house headed for the neighbor's house that served as a base for trick-or-treating.

On the moving front, we just received word that we can schedule our move in (back to a house we own, but were renting out) anytime after the 26th! So things are moving faster than we anticipated...but we are so looking forward to getting settled in. I may not be around much this week, between supervising the packing and chasing after the baby, it's going to be a full week! Thanks for stopping by!

I'm On a Hybrid Roll

No, I did not get a new car. But I have been working with my digital supplies and my printer more in the last couple weeks than I have ever had the guts to do.  I've made the couple of cards I've posted here, and in the last week I've finished two hybrid projects that involved more than just printing out a digital design.  The first was made as a gift.

I saw Laurie at Jessica Sprague create these organizers for her son, and I had grand plans to make a set of my own for my son as well.  Now that he is 9 months old, and most of the clothes we were gifted are outgrown, I have little need for a set of my own. Since I had the chipboard pieces, and some good friends with a new baby girl, I decided to rethink my "boy" theme and create some for a girl.

They were very simple to make, once I got the chipboard scanned and turned into a template.  Laurie goes in to detail about how she did this, so I won't repeat, but it really was simple.  Once the template was made, it was just a matter of popping papers and elements into the designs, printing, and cutting.

The hard part for me was finding a brown paint to go over the edges, since I didn't want the chipboard showing through (and since I can't cut a round line to save my life...I needed to hide some less than perfect paper edges).

Once they were finished, I had to make a cute bag to match...and pulled out my neglected stamps for the bag.  Welcome to the world, Gracie! We can't wait to meet you.  (Oh, and Gracie should have already received these, so it's safe to post about them.)

The kit for the closet organizer is "Spoonful" by Litabells Designs. Stamps on gift bag are from Stampin' Up.

My second project is ALMOST finished, but not quite.  Check back later this weekend for a cute Halloween treat bucket!

In the Hood!!!

The minute I saw this kit, I knew I wanted to work with it. :)  I think I may have moving on the brain!  I've redone my blog header and background (though there is still some tweaking to do there), made a layout, and a postcard.  I really am going to send the postcard to family, since some of them didn't find out we moved LAST October until our baby was born in January.  Ooops!  (I reworked it after I printed this version to include our actual address, but didn't feel I needed to publish that on four different Internet galleries and here on my blog. Call me crazy. Or paranoid. Whatever. Anyway, without further ado, here's what I did with Crisdam Designs' "In the Hood":

I can't wait to send these cards out! The best part is, I only have to cut cardstock for the back (each 8.5x11 piece will make 4 cards), pop the printed card onto the stock, and put them in an envelope!  If I wanted I could even probably turn them into a real card, using the printed portion as the inside, tape them closed and address the outside of the card.  Come to think of it, that might even be easier than using an envelope!!  Thanks for letting me brainstorm with you!

I'll be back later this week with more layouts, and I have another hybrid project I've been working on (and finally finished) and an announcement.  The two are *kind of* related, but I didn't know it before I started the project. :)  Hmmm...wonder what they are???

Logging 12-12-12

I try to keep up on the challenges at Log Your Memory because they serve as great inspiration for layouts that I otherwise wouldn't think to create. For example, last week's challenge involved today's auspicious date (hence the post date and time of this entry).  I took the 10-10-10 idea and projected a couple years out. On 12-12-12, my baby will be celebrating a birthday.  I can't believe how quickly time is progressing, and thinking about her age two years from now is even scarier.  I don't know where the time has gone, but know that the next two years will pass equally as fast.

Your Golden Day
Kit: Apple of My Eye by Mye De Leon
(I won this kit...thanks, Mye!!!)
Fonts: Love Ya Like a Sister and Georgia
Journaling reads: 12-12-12 will be a special day in our house.  You informed me of this earlier this week. In 2012, you will turn 11. We are now approaching your ninth birthday. I can’t believe it has come this quickly. In my head, this should be your “golden” birthday, rather than the year your birth date and age match. Today, you are energetic, humorous, curious, imaginative, precocious. You are a voracious reader, a creative writer, and a fantastic big sister. I know you will continue to be all these things in the coming years. What I don’t know is what new characteristics you will exhibit. The new interests that will absorb your attention. The new friends that will find their way in to your life. On 12-12-12, I know you will find yourself surrounded by people who love you. I can only hope that as you approach your teenage years, that you find yourself with little adversity and like the person you find yourself becoming. I know I look forward to watching you find yourself, whoever you decide to be.

   

On another note, this may the be first time I have scrapped a memory BEFORE it has happened. :)

Autumn's Medley

Somehow, I forgot to post about another fabulous kit I played with last week!  The funny thing is, I had the post started, and just forgot to publish it.  Distractible? Me? Never.

Anyway, Liz is in the spotlight this month at Gotta Pixel (which means everything in her store is 30% off!), and has a fabulous fall release with a very unique color palette.  The muted tones, and lack of orange and yellow, gives this kit a wonderful, homey feel without having an overpowering fall feeling.  And the little squirrel and wolf are extra cute...I had to use them!  I had so much fun with this kit, that I couldn't help but make two layouts with it before the kit was even released.
Here's the kit preview:

And here are the layouts I created with it and the coordinating alphas:

I recently printed up all the layouts I've created since June (except the ones that are stuck on my dead computer from July and August), and LOVED the way these two came out. Seeing the way that photo in the first layout pops in print is a feeling I look forward to every time I have a page printed out. As much as I love seeing my pages on the computer, holding them in my hands FAR surpasses that in excitement, and it is definitely easier to read the journaling on paper than on the screen!

Whispering Autumn

I am loving all the fall colors that abound right now. I am loving Isabel Mendez's designs. And I am definitely loving the combination of the two!  It's Gotta Grab It weekend at Gotta Pixel, which means all the GGI packs are just $1 until Tuesday!  (Clicking any of these images will bring you to Isabel's store.)

Here's a layout I made with Whispering Autumn.  This kit is so versatile (as there are also blues and greens included), and has matching worn papers and alphas available too. (Remember each pack is only a dollar this weekend!)

I've also been playing with some of her other kits, and will have a blog post later in the week with an older release of Isabel's.  I'm dreaming of Change of Address cards, and updating our "home" album, to give you a hint of the kit theme.

Also, look for more hybrid posts here, as I am trying my hand at more of this. Lot of "more to come" today, but I've got a lot on my to do list this week, including prepping our household goods for packing beginning in a little over a week!  We'll see if it all gets done!

A Post to Catch-Up...

It's been over a week since I last posted and in that time I've played catch-up with my CT responsibilities and my creativity.  Both seem to be well in working order now.  As this will be an image heavy post, I'll pretty much let the layouts speak for themselves.

From MLAS:

I Love You
Kit: Wishful Happiness by jusme digital
Fonts: karabinE. and Georgia
Journaling is about how quickly he has grown.

Fall Approaches
Papers, elements, and alpha: Indian Summer by Tempus Fugit
Torn Paper Pieces (masks) by Tempus Fugit

Believe in Yourself
Kit: Hope for Tomorrow by Jen C Designs (new at MLAS in October)

And my newest CT addition is Crisdam Designs (Isabel Mendez).  I am very excited to start working with her designs,  and this kit is no exception.  I was so excited, in fact, that I threw a card together after I finished making this page (that word art was just BEGGING to be put on a card front:

What A Pear
Kit: What a Pear by Crisdam Designs
Template: Scraplift with a Twist September 2010 by Isabel Mendez (Crisdam Designs)

Card made with What a Pear by Crisdam Designs
Punch: Stampin' Up

One note on the subject of hybrid -- I am on a bit of a hybrid kick.  Maybe it's because I put the printed nearby where I sit with the computer, or I'm just hitting some great hybrid inspiration (and happen to have the right supplies on hand, a HUGE key), but I have another project I've been working on just for fun.  It should be finished up in a day or so, and I'll post up some pics (after I send it to the person it's intended for...wouldn't want them to see it here first!!)

And here's one last layout just for fun, that I put together a couple weeks ago and never posted.  Here's a blast from the past picture of my siblings and I in our grandparent's backyard:

Halloween Memories
Layout inspired by 9/13 Speed Scrap at Gotta Pixel
Papers and Elements: Spooky Halloween by Lindsey Jane
Fonts: Downcome and VT Portable Remington

There will be lots of new stuff this month from Sweet Digi Scraps, as Liz is in the spotlight at GottaPixel for the month of October, AND I'm on her "Battle of the CT's" team, so will be participating in the challenges at digiscrapaddicts.com for that.  A lot coming up in October, both in the scrapbooking world and at home, with our impending move...  Looking forward to a busy, busy month!