Saturday, December 31, 2011

Two Christmases...

This is my daughter's second Christmas--such a difference from last year--and I wanted to share a new layout celebrating this.


When I was looking at this pic, I thought "Wow, she has really grown since last year," which prompted me to post a layout from last Christmas.


Love those little cheeks!  Last year she wasn't too interested in opening presents; she could walk, but crawled mostly; she was so smiley for the camera....where has this little baby gone?  Now she talks up a storm; runs fast; can open presents like a pro; and can drive her new princess quad all by herself.  Time sure flies.....

Happy New Year!  Hope everyone is looking forward to great things in 2012--I know I am!

Michelle

Friday, December 30, 2011

Sketchabilities #62....

This is my final project as a Design Team member for Sketchabilities as I have come to the end of my second term. It has been with great delight that I have been able to contribute to the scrappy world by inspiring others with Karan's sketches.  

So, here it it, Sketch #62: 


And my take:



Gingerbread houses!  This is the fourth year we have done this and the first year that Maleia was able to participate with us (yes, I have my own gingerbread house).  Last year we had a TERRIBLE time getting our houses to stay together, so I was super excited to find "pre-built" houses and they worked great (and I got them for only 5 dollars instead of 10). 

It was a lot of fun to watch Hayden decorate his because he took it so seriously and put in a lot of effort.  I, on the other hand, went kind of basic before handing it over to Leia, who suprised me by not eating all of the candy and frosting--only some!

Happy Scrapping!
Michelle

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Holiday Cheer.....

I am loving, that even though Christmas has come and gone, I am still in the holiday spirit when it comes to scrapping my pics.  Last year, for some unknown reason, I went all bah-hum-bug when the holidays were over and packed up all of my Christmas scraps and put them away....Not this year though, I am still going strong. 

Here are two layouts I would like to share:


Handed my camera over to my husband Bodie to take a pic of Leia and I, and he actually got my entire head instead of cutting it off!  Way to go babe!  The colors I used in this layout are so cheery--gotta love the red polka dot ribbon!!



Love this pic even with the sun glare in the left corner!  We have so much fun going to get our tree.  My husband and I go Griswold style and sing Christmas carols very LOUDLY on the way there and back, much to our son's embarassment!  LOL. I also really like how my husband refuses to give up the tough guy look when I take pics :-).

Happy Scrapping!!
Michelle


Saturday, December 24, 2011

I {heart} Scrapping Christmas....

Back with more Christmas scrappiness......




Scrapping Christmas is by far, my favorite memories to scrap if you haven't been able to tell!  LOL!  Am so excited everytime I look at my growing pile of Christmas layouts :-).  In fact, I am dying to start a new one, but being the good girl that I am, I always make sure my other "stuff" is done before I sit down to work on something.  So after getting out from in front of the computer, I have one more load of laundry to fold and two pies to get out of the oven AND then I am free to scrap (as long as my children allow me)!

Hope everyone is as excited about Christmas as we are at my house!

Michelle




Friday, December 23, 2011

More Christmas.....

These next two layouts I want to share, I just L-O-V-E!  The combo of the pictures, the colors, the glitter....they all just make me happy!

First up is Celebrate...



I must note that this layout was inspired by one of Megan Klauer's creations--a scrappy blogger that I admire and might possible blog stalk :-).

And here is Memories...


These two layouts represent all my reasons for scrapping---the moments captured in pictures; the beautiful, vibrant papers; the sparkle and embellies; and the feeling of happiness that seeps out of me into my layouts.  I love this hobby and am so very thankful for it.

Happy Holidays!
Michelle

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Sketch Challenge.....

I did this next layout for the December Sketch with a Twist Challenge over at the Burlap and Buttercups blog.  Along with with the sketch, you had to use Sparkle.


For the sparkle I used my new favorite sparkly alphas from American Crafts as well as added some sparkle via red Stickles to the little red flower in the right hand corner--all products found in the December kit and add-on from B&B.

Really happy with how everything turned out, especially the picture of Maleia--I thought it was so pretty with her standing against the beautiful green Christmas trees. 

Michelle

Saturday, December 17, 2011

'Tis the Season.....

Finally I can post a Christmas layout!  Here it is:



This is my hubby putting up our Christmas lights!  I don't know about you, but seeing the lights go up really means it's Christmas time to me. I {heart} this guy so much for braving the chilly cold to put them up!!

Hope everyone is having a great season, I know we are.  We just decorated our tree yesterday--finally!  We get a live tree and I am super paranoid about having a tree up too long and it drying out, so we usually wait until about the two-week mark before Christmas to get it.  Well it is oh, so lovely after decorating it with the kiddos and I can not wait to share the lovely pics!

Am off now to try a new recipe for Smores Pancakes (any excuse to make desert for breakfast is great) with my son then a day full of wrapping, scrapping, and laundry! LOL! 

Merry Christmas!
Michelle

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Sketchabilities #61....

Sketch #61 has to be my FAVORITE from Karan at Sketchabilities.  Here it is:


And here is my go at it:


I am so happy that I took these pictures with Maleia inside a photobooth.  It was so much fun :-). I have no idea why I haven't done this before!  Now if only I could get the whole family inside one.... 

Anyways, when I was thinking about this sketch these pics came to mind and I ended up having a blast making a superfun and colorful layout--my favorite kind! 

Happy scrapping!
Michelle

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Holiday Cards....


Good morning!  Here with a super quick Sunday post!  Wanted to share two super, simple holiday cards.  First up is a card I did for the first December challenge over at Burlap and Buttercups.  The challenge was to use non-traditional colors for a holiday card along with one of the given techniques.  I used the color combo of brown, yellow, and light blue---colors all found in their November kit--along with using a border punch as my "technique."



Up second is a card I did using Crate's Peppermint collection--love the addition of pink to the color pallette!  Once again I used "Joy" as my  holiday sentiment because, well, I am not at all original when it comes to cards!  LOL.

 

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!
Michelle

Wednesday, December 07, 2011

More Bubbles Please......

Maleia LOVES bubbles and not just during bathtime!  Lately, if I am standing at the sink and the basin is full of soapy, bubbly water I will hear "more bubbles" and there she is standing with her hand out waiting for a donation of bubbles :). 

Since I can't handle a camera and do dishes at the same time, I focused this next layout on bathtime:

 

For this layout I had recently been inspired by an inspirational piece on the Basic Grey blog which featured lots of overlapping circles flowing across the page.  I knew I wanted to do a layout with something similar and thought it would really work good with a "bubble page."  I had also really wanted to use these papers from October Afternoon which had not been working with any recent pics...with that in mind I snapped some shots of Maleia in the bathtub--a virtual blank space thanks to a porcelain white tub!

Thanks for letting me share!
Michelle

Monday, December 05, 2011

Fall Photos...

Last fall was the first time I ever did an "official" fall photo shoot with my children.  This year, after completing my layout featuring this year's photos, I though it would be fun to compare the two shoots here on my blog.  So here is last year's:


And here is this year's:


I think it is so crazy to see how much they have grown, especially Maleia!  I also had a much harder time getting pics this time--Hayden was a piece of cake; Maleia not so much :-).  Last year she couldn't walk yet;  this year, she runs and has a mind of her own!  LOL! 

Well thanks for letting me share!
Michelle

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Sketchabilities #60...

Here it is, Sketch #60:



And here is what I came up with:


I had so much fun working with this sketch (I think I ALWAYS have fun)!  What I really, really liked about it were the flowers floating off the pages--I know, such a minor detail, but it gave me the idea to add more floating flowers--or in my case, hearts. I love how a sketch can send you off in so many places...

Hopefully, myself and the rest of the Sketchabilities design team have inspired you to give this sketch a go!  And please, post your creation and your lo may be featured on the blog!

Happy Scrapping!
Michelle

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Full of Joy....

I did this lo soon after I recieved the November kit from Burlap and Buttercups, but held onto it until the sketch challenge was posted on their blog.  Here it is:



This was such a fun lo to do!  Everything came together so easily thanks to both the sketch and the kit!  I also did something new (for me) with thread by bunching it up and layering it underneath the brads--am really liking it--it's fun and sort of messy looking! 

Off to play a game of Monopoly with Hayden!

Michelle

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Scraplift Challenge.....


For their second November challenge, Burlap and Buttercups issued a scraplift challenge which I totally jumped at!  I have loved this layout by Anna Sigga.  I love it's simplicity and its white space.  So here is my take on it.


I have recently become obsessed with white doilies so this lo was just perfect!  As a side note, I cut a journaling card down to size for the title which is very obvious in the picture, but in real life it is hardly noticable :-).  TFL!

Michelle



Thursday, November 17, 2011

Fall Fun.....

I recently subscribed to the Burlap and Buttercups monthly kit club and I am loving it!  This next lo is one I did for their first November Challenge--Use stickers on a lo.  Well I used two :-).  Here it is:


I have had the idea of doing a lo with chevrons ever since I saw I tutorial by Marcy Penner, so this is my first go at them.  They turned out okay--not as neat as I would have liked them, but they look like chevrons, so it was a success.  LOL. 

These pics were super fun to take--it was a combined effort between my son and I.  And I will admit, I dressed my daughter in yellow to match the papers in the beautiful kit.  Is it bad when you start buying and dressing your children in clothes to match a particular line of paper???  I hope not :-).  

Michelle 

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Sketchabilities #59.....

We are halfway through the month and that means a new reveal at Sketchabilities!  Here is sketch number #59:



And here is my take:


I was actually super excited to see what the rest of the design team came up with and I was NOT dissapointed.  There is something so fun about lots of small pics :-).  Getting lots of pics on one page can be a bit of a challenge, but Karan's sketch made it super easy!

So please stop by and see what the rest of the team did here.  Make sure and upload your take on it with Mr. Linky and you could be one of the next featured designers!

Have a great day!

Michelle

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Trick or Treat.....

This is a page I made based off of a sketch from Kelly Purkey's new Sketchpad class.  I was super inspired by the sketches and this is what I came up with:




I really loved the circle element in the lo and I tried to include more circles throughout it to tie it all together.  I added the buttons and orange bling at the last minute--I had been looking at it for awhile and both my son and I decided it needed "more," so that is when I decided to add them and I think it works.  I was also BOLD and stitched a zig zag onto the photo--yes, I am living on the edge these days!  LOL.

Well, hope everyone is having a great day, I know I am.  Just sat down to eat a bowl or two of homemade chicken noodle soup and am enjoying it :-).

Michelle 





Friday, November 04, 2011

All Dressed Up.....

Ah, Halloween finally came and now it's time to scrap the pics!  My first lo features my family which consists of the villian from Scream, a lovely lady bug, and a San Diego Charger fan!  (I know I am missing, but I had a hard enough time getting pics of this impatient threesome!)



Hope everyone has a happy weekend!
Michelle

Wednesday, November 02, 2011

Crate Paper Farmhouse......

I have been so good these past several months when it comes to buying scrapbook goodies--I have really been being honest with myself and only getting what I will use.  Usually I would see a new line and have to have everything.  This meant that my stash was borderline out of control-LOL. 

When I took these next photos I knew I wanted to use Crate Paper's Farmhouse collection--so I carefully went through the line and bought just what I thought I would use.  AND after having done two layouts I am down to scraps which is GREAT!  I have conquered these papers and can move on :-).  (My husband is seriously grateful for these turn of events--he was quite taken away with how much I had been getting---not upset, but not quite understanding why I had to have so much!) 

So here is the first lo:



I used the 10/27 sketch from Sketchy Thursdays for this one.  I ended up making it a three photo lo which meant moving everything to the side to accomodate.  I had recently been seeing lo's where scrappers were layering their banners, so I tried it out.  And I added lots of twine because that is my thing :-). 

And here is the second lo:



I had lots of fun layering paper for this one!  I really thought that the papers went really well with the pic.  I just love fall flowers.....

Well thanks for looking!  Have a great rest of the week!

Michelle

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Sketchabilities #58....

Time for another reveal from Sketchabilities!  Here is Sketch #58:



And here is my take:



This was a really a great sketch, there is just something I love about circles.  I also really like how when you use a sketch you can choose to interpret it your own way.  For my lo, I chose to to keep the circles, but add in a rectangular picture instead of cropping pictures into circles.  I did this because I am a big chicken when it comes to cutting my pictures with something other than my paper trimmer :-).  I also did not use as many paper strips behind the circles.  I had fully intended to, but as I was placing them I got to a point where I thought, "That is just right." 

I used oodles of Bella Blvd and Jillibean--they really hit it off with their fall lines! 

Would also like to note--because it is quietly driving me nuts--that my title is slightly off kilter!  LOL.  I thought it was straight when I was glueing it down :-).

Anyways, please link your take on Sketch #58 using Mr. Linky--we would love to take a look!

Happy Scrapping!
Michelle

Friday, October 28, 2011

The Weird Sisters.....

I finished reading this a few weeks ago:



This book was recommended to me by my mother who was given the task of reading it for her book club (I am totally jealous that she is in a book club and I am not).  AND I thoroughly enjoyed it!  In fact, I almost went to the shed and dug out my Shakespeare anthologies :-).  Shakespeare???  Well, the three main characters are named after his characters and of course, their personalities are closely entwined with their namesakes. 

Not a fan of Shakespeare, don't worry--I got wrapped up in the three lives of the very different and difficult sisters.  When the book opens the characters are at low points--almost rock bottom for two of them--and it was great to see them grow and become better people. Not to mention I think the author did a really great job of exploring the relationships among siblings.

Recommend this!

Happy Friday!

Michelle

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

So Cute It's Scary.....

I found this at Old Navy and knew it was going to be Leia's Halloween 2011 shirt.  And here is the lo it inspired:


I also have to mentions her jeans--which you cannot really see--because I absolutely LOVE them!  They are grey, bootcut style jeans with embroidered flowers and butterflies and they are so awesome!  I just love it when I find that perfect something :-).  Again, from Old Navy, and I tried to order a second pair online but they were out.  Grey is just such a great color. Sort of wish they had them in my size.  LOL.   Anyways....back to the lo!

I used the October Add-0n kit from Paper Posies (you can see it here) along with a few things from my stash--transparent, white doilies from Maya Road, twine from the Twinery, and some extra alphas (orange ones) from Bella Blvd.

I will be honest, when I first saw the lavender cardstock I wasn't really quite sure about it because it's not a totally traditonal Halloween color, BUT it really works!!  I really think it might be my new favorite cardstock color!  There is just something about it when paired with the orange and the green--to me it is just perfect!!

Have a great day!
Michelle


Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Picking Fall......

In Tehachapi, fall means apples.  And for me, that means lots of photo ops!  So here is the first of several apple/fallish layouts:




I love these two kiddos SO MUCH, even though they give me great difficulty in picture taking. LOL.  Hayden gives me the "I'm too cool to have pictures taken" look and well, Leia just won't look at me!  But oh well, I still get some good pics despite them.

I made this lo with the October kit from Paper Posies which features oodles of Jillibean Soup and Bella Blvd.  I had been anticipating the arrival of this kit since the reveal went up last month!  Had pictures just waiting for it! 

I also have to say, that it is just so refreshing to scrap autumn--don't get me wrong, I love summer, but I was ready for a change!

Happy Tuesday.

Michelle

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Sketchabilities #57.....


Sorry I am super late posting this.....had to leave at 6:30 a.m. to take kiddo to an out of town football game and did not leave time enough in the morning to post.  My apologies. 

So here it is, Sketchabilities Sketch #57:









I just absolutely loved how this page turned out!  The sketch made it such a breeze to put it together, leaving me oodles of creative time to play with papers and embellies instead of agonizing over the placement of everything!  I was super pleased with the sewing I did on the paper filters I used.  I thought it was gonna be somewhat tricky because the filters are so thin and my sewing needle is so big, but they didn't rip!  Am also quite in love with the Nightfall line from American Crafts--love the addition of blue to the color palatte! 

Well hope you all head on over to Sketchabilities and check out what the rest of the design team did!  I am sure their work will inspire you to give this sketch a go--and PLEASE make sure and link yours up because we LOVE to see what you all do!  Happy Saturday!!

Michelle

Sunday, October 09, 2011

Butterflies.....

Happy Sunday!  Hope everyone has been having a great day--I certainly am!  I slept until 8:40 this morning!!  Woo hoo!!  That has not happened in forever and I am feeling great--it's amazing how nine hours of sleep will make you feel :-).  (I usually average about six or seven if I am lucky enough to not wake up with wicked  heartburn or have to visit the ladies room in the middle of the night.)

Well I have a lo to share; one that I did with an add-on kit from Studio Calico's last kit:



Had super fun with this lo--used one of my favorite techniques where I piece papers together all at a wonky slant and then stitch them together.  Also got to use the super cute butterflies from Pebbles.  My only regret is that AFTER glueing all of the Maya Road chipboard buttons down, I decided I would have liked to have laced them with the blue ribbon.  I did not have enough buttons to spare, so I left them alone--maybe next time :-). 

I really like this pic of Maleia--her blond hair looks so golden and so NOT like my husband and I's hair.  We both have dark hair.  So where in the world??? 

Michelle

Thursday, October 06, 2011

I Heart U......

Finally it's fall......at least for now!  In my neck of the woods the weather changes quickly and sometimes radically.  I was running the air conditioning in my car and fans at night a few days ago AND TODAY we have SNOW in the mountains!  So, lets say I am really enjoying the cool weather while we have it because it is supposed to get warm again :-). 

Anyways......a lo I finished about a month ago but haven't shared yet:


I used a mix Amy Tangerine and Garden Cafe, both from American Crafts, for this lo.  The black and white chevron stripe fabric paper is probably my fave piece from the Amy Tan line.  What is really great about it is that it punches well.  I have tried punching fabric paper before with little success, so I was super excited when it worked!   TFL!

Michelle

Friday, September 30, 2011

Sketchabilities #56.......

Wow.  It is the end of September and it is fall.  AND it is time for the final reveal for the current design team at Sketchabilities.  Here's the awsome sketch from Karan:



And here is what I did with it:



I really enjoyed working with this sketch--I just loved the grid design and had fun deciding what to do with my pictureless boxes.  I used Echo Park's Country Drive and found they really complemented the colors in my photos--seriously, the striped pattern matches my daughter's dress pretty closely!  I made my own flowers for the lo and am really happy with how they turned out--they took time though (Why is it that the simple things always tend to take more time??).  I did move my journaling to another spot because my title was sort of gigantic :-). 

So please, if you haven't already been there, head back to Sketchabilities to see what the rest of the design team wit AND please share your take on the sketch with us, we'd love to see it!

Happy Friday!
Michelle 



Thursday, September 22, 2011

Paper Posies.....

I have belonged to Paper Posies' kit club for 16 months and I have LOVED every kit!  Seriously, I have!  This month's kit wasn't any different.  September features October Afternoon's Boarding Pass.  Absolutely love the paper and embellies--love it all!  I was however faced with a bit of a challenge--I did not have any "travel" pics.  I tend to scrap the moment (most of the time), so I was out of vacation pics :-(.  BUT it all worked out because of October Afternoon's awesomeness!  So here's the first of two layouts:


Really happy with the lo!  First, I CANNOT believe Hayden is already in the fifth grade--it seems just like yesterday that I walked this kiddo into his first day of kindergarten.  Second, this kid is tough to take pictures of!  He is just as bad as his sister!  LOL.  He's gives me only one or two shots and then he is off.  Makes me sad--he's too cool for mom......

Here's my second, more simple lo:



This lo sort of drove me nuts a bit--I kept feeling like it needed more--maybe some mist on the gold grid paper or a few more embellies.....But what drives me even more crazy is this awesome pic of my kiddos and since that is what ALL of my lo's are about, I left it alone. 

Well, off to watch the season premier of Law and Order: SVU!  Happy Thursday.

Michelle

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Eye Contact.....

I have a couple of lo's that I have just finished and I promise to share soon....But until then, please have a look at what I am dealing with.....


No matter what, she won't look at me whenever I have my camera out!  At only 1 1/2, she's already tired of the mamarazzi!  What am I to do??  LOL!  She's still cute though!

Michelle

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Sketchabilities #55.....

Today is reveal day over at Sketchabilities!!  Sketch #55 has to be my fave so far!  Check it out:



And here is my take:



What I really, really liked about this sketch was all the embellies lined up vertically on one side of the pics!  It was just so fun to mix and match from my stash.....I had grand intentions and was plannning on making homemade flowers, but I looked at my all my new "stuff" from American Crafts and knew the Delights and Flair were just what I wanted!  I added some Studio Calico hearts and some of my favorite buttons from Crate Paper and I loved the end result! 

Make sure and head on over to Sketchabilities to see what the rest of the design team came up with AND please link your lo up because we would love to see it! 

Happy Thursday!
Michelle

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Sketchabilities Design Team Reveal......

Again, I am super proud to announce that I have made the design team for Sketchabilities!! 


This term, Karan, was so honoured with the amount of talent that applied that she increased the team from 15 to 21!!  With lots of talent from around the world, the next three months are sure to be great!  Can't wait to see everyone's work!


Tuesday, September 06, 2011

She Makes Me Smile....

I am a big fan of Marcy Penner's work--her use of white space is just awesome, BUT a little intimidating!  I was browsing through her blog and thought: "Why not give it a try?!"   So here's my take and the funny thing is--I didn't have very much white space left!  LOL!  

 

This time instead of using mist, I tried out April Foster's confetti tutorial and it worked pretty good.  I had never used Modge Podge before so I was not sure how it would dry or how much to use so I went with a light touch and am pretty happy with how it looked.  (The second time I used this technique I used it on a piece of patterned paper and went even lighter with the application because I wasn't sure of how the color would turn and I ended up with very little discoloration).

On another note--can you tell I love American Crafts????   Seriously, you should see my stash!!

Happy Tuesday!

Michelle

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Sketchabilities.....

I am probably the one only one who will say this, but this last part of August has moved so slowly.  So it was quite a surprise today when I realized it was the 30th, which means time for a new sketch at Sketchabilities!!  Here's a look at Sketch #54:



And here is what I came up with:



I was really excited about this sketch when I saw it--circles are one of my favorite elements to work with!  I started out by misting my background, something I do almost everytime that I scrap now!  (I can't believe I used to be so afraid of the whole misting phenomenom.)  I layered circles using pretty papers from Simple Stories, added a kraft doily, threw on some tiny sculpted flowers, and mix and matched my alphas.  I finished it off with some stitching to mark the path of a butterfly. 

Make sure and head on over to Sketchabilities to see what the rest of the design team came up with and remember, if you link up your take on Sketch #54 you could be the next guest designer!  Can't wait to see your projects!!

Happy Tuesday!