Again with the Challenges.

So most of my scrapping this month has been based on completing the LYM challenges.  It was a longer month than I had anticipated, and it feels great to finally be able to come up for air!

The Log Your Memory Forum and Gallery are closed at the moment, pending a server move, so I've linked these pages to other galleries where they are posted for credit purposes.  All materials used are listed and linked in the galleries. (Read: I'm still recovering from the last three weeks, and an up and back drive to Cheyenne, and don't have the energy to post individual links to each product...sorry!)

Week 10

Image is linked to Gotta Pixel gallery for credits

Week 11

Image is linked to DST gallery for credits

Again with the Catching-up!

Day three and still going strong.  Hurray for scheduled posts, right? Ok, so I did not really write this today...but if I posted all these posts and layouts on Monday it would be blog overload.  A little at a time is much easier to digest. (If only I could remember the same about Girl Scout cookies!)

I've used two of Connie Prince's new kits in the last little bit.  My Favorite Things, which is her offering for Grab-A-Byte at scrapbookbytes.com (and was also used in the Puppy Love layout for one of my DIDer lessons), and Main Street Magic.

Kit and Template: My Favorite Things by Connie Prince

I don't usually use much purple in my pages, but love the way this looks with the green.  And on the subject of my favorite things, I couldn't resist scrapping about my love of my kindle and all things book-ish again.  My Kindle had an unfortunate run-in with my elbow last weekend, and is now in Kindle heaven.  I am anxiously awaiting it's replacement in the form of a 3rd generation Kindle (with a new case, of course) which SHOULD arrive by Thursday if the tracking information is correct as of Monday afternoon.  And yes, I think I have learned my lesson, and the Kindle will stay in it's case so I can't smash the screen.  And it will stay on my nightstand, not underneath the comforter where it can't be seen. Yup, lessons learned.  (I did mention in a previous post that I am a learner, right?)

Kit: Main Street Magic by Connie Prince
Template: For the Love of Layers Vol 9 by Connie Prince

Oh, I have scrapped Maggie recently, I wasn't thinking of this layout when I wrote the end of yesterday's post.  While I don't have any Disney pictures, which is hinted at in the title of the kit, I loved the energy of the papers and colors, and thought they would be perfect for a birthday page.  I was actually the "excited" tag that brought the birthday idea to my mind, and I meant to journal about how excited Maggie was to have a skating party, even though she was not a proficient skater before the party.  By the end of the session though, she had figured it out and was skating very well. You can bet we'll be skating more often this year, especially now that she has her own skates (part of the party package).

I'll be back for one more post this week on Friday.

A Tale of a Tuesday

I've been dealing with a pain in my neck (literally) for the last few days, so will keep this post short, in the interest of my pain tolerance.  Not much new scrapping this weekend, once my neck really started acting up, but luckily I have a few things I put together last week that I can share.

To start with, Isabel's stores are on sale for the entire month of February!

She has a new release today, Project February.  Part of a yearlong project, these kits are perfect for P365/52 or everyday memory keeping.  I made this month's desktop calendar with the February kit.  (And only after saving it, realized it's the same picture I used for January.  Guess I need to take more pictures with both kids!)

All supplies from the Project February line by Crisdam Designs (Isabel Mendez)

Kit: Always by Crisdam Designs (Isabel Mendez)
Flowers: Crocheted Flowers by Crisdam Designs (Isabel Mendez)

Part of the Dollar Pixel sale today at GottaPixel, Isabel's Always kit and Crocheted flowers were a perfect combo to put a page together with wedding pictures of my parents and grandparents.

Connie Prince also has a new release collaboration today: Pocket Finds with Victoria Feemster.

Kit: Pocket Finds Collab by Connie Prince and Victoria Feemster

These colors are my favorites, and I'm hoping to have time to play with this kit again later this week, I have a few more ideas swimming in my head.

I also put together two layouts for challenges at Log Your Memory.

Everything except red alpha by Crisdam Designs (Isabel Mendez) (pieces from Project 2011, and Project January)
Red Alpha by Etc by Danyale (Burning Love)

 Week 4 had to do with a project, and while I have a lot of those laying around, I don't have many completed at this point. This idea popped in to my head, and I have used many of these excuses on many occasions, especially if there is no due date for a particular project.  What can I say...I am a procrastinator at heart!

Papers by Orchard & Broome, and Queen of Quirk
Elements by Geek Chic, Latz Designs, Crisdam Designs (Isabel Mendez) and Kitschy Digitals
Alpha by Etc by Danyale
Template by Trixie Scraps Designs

Week 5's page was to tell a fairy tale.  With my current struggle to prioritize, leave work at work, and leave a little time for play, I couldn't come up with a regular fairy tale, and just wasn't feeling a love story, so I turned my struggle into a fairy tale.  I am hoping the end is happily ever after, but I know it takes work, and I know I am on my way in the right direction!

Sorry for no links in todays post, I'm trying to keep this as quick as I can while still giving credit where it's due!  Now I'm off to rest my head and gear up for another day in the classroom!

Coming up for Air

It's been a busy two weeks, but I think I am finally finding a rhythm of work and family and fun. At least, I hope I've found a rhythm!  I have a calendar planned out with responsibilities and daily activities planned out, including time for scrapping and perusing the galleries and forums.  Last night, my calendar included Craft Night at a friend's house.  Always a fun time, I was able to get a lot of my upcoming scrapping assignments completed, including some that were a little more overdue that I would have liked!  This morning, I was able to get up and post 4 new pages to my galleries.  That's a lot of scrapping.  (Not to mention the bits and pieces I've managed to get done over the last couple weeks.)

I have four pages that I made with goodies from My Life and Scrap, with a little bit of Danyale's gorgeous alphas thrown in too. :)

SAHM
Kit: A Day in My Life by Jen C Designs (at My Life and Scrap)

 This page has a coordinating left hand page also, but I have to wait to post it in my galleries because it's out for publication!  I'm very excited to see it "in print," even if I have to wait to post it around.  I really loved this challenge at Log Your Memory (week 3) and love the pages that were inspired by it.

Kit: Cold by Jen C Designs

 The blues in this kit just screamed skiing to me.  It has been a few years since we've been out, but the memories are great and we're hoping to hit the slopes again sometime soon!

Happy Boy:
Kit: Denim by ScrapElf
Alpha: Backyard Life by Etc by Danyale

 I love this photo.  John was so thrilled to bounce on the pile of rolled up blankets in the store, I think it's the only way we survived the last 20 minutes or so of that last Christmas shopping trip!  The picture isn't great, I only have my cell phone camera, and he wouldn't sit still long enough to get a crisp shot, but that's part of what makes it such an energetic photo, I think.

Kit: All I Want For Christmas by ScrapElf
Alpha: Backyard Life Alpha by Etc by Danyale

I haven't done much with my photos from this Christmas.  In fact, I think they were only taken off my camera's memory card about a week ago.  Long enough to decide that I needed at least ONE page this year, before next Christmas comes around!

And some older pages that have been sitting around here:

Kit: Chugging Along by Colie's Corner
Word Art: Chugging Along Word Art by Etc by Danyale and Colie's Corner

 Danyale had a new word art set out that coordinates with a release by Colie's Corner.  The train theme was perfect for using with this picture of John testing out his new ride-on train he got for Christmas.

And this is Danyale's newest solo release.  Loving the quilted alpha still!  This title is part of the word art set, and the hearts are all part of the alpha deco pack, but were so much fun to work with!  Making this page even made me kind of like this picture (which I have always disliked, even though my favorite pint-sized photographer snapped it)...I'm not sure which part makes me like it more, the pretties that I decorated the page with, or the Photoshop work that took away all the acne that had been on my forehead.  Turned it in to a half decent photo!

Kit, predecorated paper, and template: Sweetest Thing by Connie Prince

 I put this page together on the night my baby turned 1.  This is still my favorite infant photo of him, and one of the few I have of him actually sleeping those first few weeks.  The best part of this layout, is that it went together so fast.  The background is actually a pre-decorated page, and I piled a focal cluster from a template over the paper, clipped papers and elements into the template pieces and voila!  Super easy, super fast, and super cute!

Kit: Make a Wish by Isabel Mendez
Alpha (number 7): Time 4 Presents by Etc by Danyale (recolored)

This is the page I put together late on the night of my last blog post, but never got back to post!  It was another template page, so went together pretty quickly, all things considered.  I did recolor the 7 (it was originally a very Christmas-y green, but wanted the outlined number, and love the final look!

Here's to another week beginning, and hopefully a slightly more organized calendar, and more timely blog posts!

Gotta-Grab-It Madness

I love Gotta-Grab-It.  However, my bank and Paypal accounts do not always agree with that statement, so it's a good thing I can get a few of the packs for free through my CT positions. :)

From Danyale at Etc by Danyale, there are four fabulous alpha/word art sets.  I only played with one alpha, but I'm itching to get my hands on the second.

Priority

This page is also for the Week 2 Challenge at Log Your Memory.  It didn't take a whole lot of thought to come up with my word, because I am already having to do a whole lot of juggling to balance what I HAVE to do with what I WANT to do, and deciding what is really important.  Remembering that it's all about my own priorities makes me feel less guilty about the things I have to give up.

And I can't remember if I mentioned here before that I won a three month guest spot with Connie Prince during a New Year's Eve chat, but I also got to play with her GGI contribution, Time to Play.

Playmates

Isabel Mendez (Crisdam Designs) also has a great offering for the GGI sale this weekend:

I'll be playing with this one later today!  It's very fitting as today is John's first birthday.  I'm off to play with it, and will be back later with a new layout. :)