..::photo walk :: squeezing the most out of mother nature::..

We had a picnic.

Jack Frost painted our view.

We ran, jumped and climbed.

There was swinging and just plain silliness.

We got our feet muddy and gooey.

But this was my favorite.

My scrappy time has been limited this week, partly because the weather has been so glorious.  The weatherman is suggesting I may get some inside time...very soon. 

~ these boots were made for pear pickin' ~

On Friday my work friend and I did a little scrappin' after work in my conference room.  We have done this before, and I think we will do it again and again...it was fun!

I think my favorite parts are the washi tabs on the top right and bottom left.  I folded them under and made little tabs -- fun!

This layout is based on an Ashley Horton sketch (September Sketch It Out).  In addition to the Sketch It Out Challenge at Club CK, I also did this one for Erika's  Issue Challenge #4 :: use washi and the Weekly Challenge for Sept 23-29 :: use some type of sewing (did it) fabric (did it) or buttons, etc. (both of these are also @ Club CK).  Using washi is never very difficult for me, and neither is machine stitching (addicted to both) -- but I haven't used my machine on the last several layouts so it was a nice reminder!

Supplies are linked below and most of them are from the July Scrapbook Circle Kit :: Sunshine Day. This kit was packed with MME :: Nostalgia and I used most of it! This collection was perfect for these photos because it matches the vintage look of the photos (made to look vintage with an instagram filter).  I also used papers and alphas from Echo Park :: Note to Self collection -- I got this pack from a Love Joy Paper giveaway -- my happy mail for this week!

Here are a few more closeup details of this project:

For these washi tabs I actually used a longer piece of washi, extending what I was using on the page already and folded it into a tab and under the patterned paper. 

I wasn't going to journal since the title is almost a journal by itself, but at the last minute changed my mind.

I turned one of the My Mind's Eye journal cards on it's side and slid it under a photo.  It said, "One of a kind buttons", but I didn't want the "buttons" so I hid that part with another tag and a sticker (and yep, that's more washi instead of string in the tag)!

This was a fun one and I really liked the end product! TTFN!

..:: currently ::..

Currently I am...

hearing  my Soul Mate play guitar often, sometimes accompanied by our three year old daughter on her pink guitar. 

loving what I’m hearing. 

feeling overwhelmed at work, happy at home.  I feel like I am at a decision making point with my job.  I'm not sure what will be next for me, or when it will happen, but I know that I am longing for something different.

missing Mikaela

counting my blessings on a daily basis.  Today I am thankful for my mom, my daughters, and my One True Love.  I am lucky to have them in my life.

smelling fall; my favorite season, full of changing leaves, cozy sweaters and football games (and an abundance of orange).  B. and I have had several conversations about the pretty leaves. Sometimes I wish it could always be autumn, but then I remember spring.

enjoying having the windows open so we can feel and hear nature around us.

drinking coffee in the morning and wine in the evening.

cultivating creativity in myself and our daughter.

digging Bob Dylan’s newest record.

hoping to hear him live again soon.

preparing for 31 things in October.  I didn't take the original class, but now I've purchased it as a self-paced class from Big Picture Classes.  I hope to be able to make it happen for myself in October.  I'm thinking a minibook is in order.

obsessing over instagram

anticipating my birthday season

Ali Edwards invited her readers to join her today and publish a post about "right now".  Check out her post here.

~ hide and sneak ~

Yep, you read that correctly.  B. says, "Hide and Sneak".  She's cute like that.  She also confuses the game often. For example, she hides, but then when you say something like, "I wonder where B is hiding." she will say, "I'm here!" and jump out!  Then she tells you to hide (but tells you where to hide)!  After counting (sometimes correctly, sometimes not), she doesn't yell, "Ready or not, here I come", she says, "Here or not, here I come"!  So, we have a few things to work on.

In early May, only a week after Mikaela's funeral, it was beautiful outside and we were trying to find our new normal.  On that particular evening she was loving the hide and seek.  She was hiding behind the trees, and then telling us to hide behind the trees.  There was lots of running and screaming just because it was fun.  At one point she was hiding behind the tree and "shushing" those around.  I caught it with my iPhone.  It's not the best photograph, in that it's quite blurry.  But it's also the BEST photograph, and had to be documented.

Glitter Girl challenged us over at 2 Peas to create clustered embellishments, so I tried that.  Erika at Club CK challenged us to use numbers on a layout, so I tried that! Scrapbook Circle's Challenge is to use speech bubbles, so I did that!  AND, if that wasn't enough, Paper Issues is Fall'n for flair (and I never need a challenge to use flair), so I did that!  Whew!

embellishment cluster

numbers

speech bubbles

more speech bubbles

Have you ever had a layout that you like the parts better than the whole?  This one is like that for me!  And, you guessed it, much like the last layout, it's the title (blah) and journal spot (not even close to being straight) that I'm not happy about.  Also the colors in the photo below are off -- the colors are really orange, blue and white (inspired by a coffee mug that I purchased a Target)!  The closeup photos are closer to the right colors.  :-)

I like the paint spots (really gesso spots), the misting, the colors and the washi (especially the washi over the speech bubbles).  This patterned paper was actually pretty light, and I made it blue by misting quite a bit.  Also the orange behind the photo was white.  I tried to ombre it with mist (apparently "ombre" is now a verb).  Sorta worked, but I had to use a lot, and it was difficult to find any adhesive that wanted to stick (even after letting it dry for over 24 hours)!  I used mostly the Scrapbook Circle September kit :: Talk of the Town, but everything is linked below except the hello stamp, found at Target, and the striped washi, which is recollections.  

On Thursday expect another post.  My first "currently" post (challenge by the great Ali Edwards).

Happy Fall!

~ b's new boots ~

B's new boots (full name is blurred)

This one came together so quickly (and I never get to say that)!  As soon as I saw these photos that my One True Love took with his phone on B's birthday, I knew they would make it to a page!  I didn't want it to be about the birthday -- this is all about the boots (but I did stick a '"no. 3" in there, all sneaky-like -- I also hid the journaling in the striped bag behind the photo)!

Last year my daughter went to a daycare that is really close to our house.  This year she goes to a daycare that is really close to work.  On Fridays at work we can leave about an hour earlier than the rest of the week, which is AWESOME!  Last year I used to come home and work on processing photos or scrapbooking for an hour or so, and then go pick up B.  This, because of the daycare change, that's really not realistic.  Soooo....a work friend and I decided that we would take advantage of our Fridays and bring some things to work and have our own little mini-crop!  This past Friday was the first of these days and that is why I got this one done so quickly.

A while back I started a notebook to help me with the memory keeping process. The whole idea of it was to write down the stories that I wanted to tell.  Often times I put the date of the photos, a description and then the text that I think I will use.  It's evolved into a place to practice a technique (here I was practicing doodling), get a sketch idea down (I ended up using this one, but flipped it because my arrow stamp went the other way), practice my journaling, and I also document all the supplies that I use so it's easier to blog.  

Even though it came together much more quickly than usual, it was not without it's problems/mistakes.  When I used the mask a second time, I was left with a giant blob of mist at the top (hate that) and I felt like you could really see the line where I extended the masking.  But I went with it (after I pouted a bit).  This is a good thing for me.  It think that sharing my disappointment on instagram helped!  In the end, I added a bit more to the giant blob and just decided to roll with it.

One of my favorite parts of this layout is the flower on the journal spot above.  I used an exactoknife and cut the bottom part so that I could put the flower over the photo.  Love that!

I added a few items, but most of the supplies came from the August Scrapbook Circle Kit :: True Stories. Among the added items is this lovely flair button from aflairforbuttons. All items are linked below.

I searched high and low for some alphas, including JoAnns, Michaels, and our LSS.  Boo!  I couldn't find a thing I liked (however Michael's was having a 50% off sale that was a surprise to me; a lovely, lovely surprise.  There were purchases, just not alphas for this.).  So, I actually used my cricut (I've been so addicted to thickers that I haven't used it in a while), cut out the letters, added a bit of 3D tape and called 'er done!  The letters standing out like this...well, it just makes me happy (I also did the same with the arrow)!

This is one of those layouts that I love -- it was fast, the ideas came to me easily, not too many mess ups that I couldn't live with, and I like the final product.  My Soul Mate saw it as I finished and he also gave his nod of approval.  Bonus!

~ spontaneous sprinkler & {super} hero fun ~

This idea has been brewing for a while and I finally had a chance to work on it over the long Labor Day weekend and finished it last week. In fact, this is the first thing that I've done since school started!

I think that I may have seen a sketch quite similar to page one, but I'm not certain where I saw it or who created it! I have a feeling that it could be an Ashley Horton sketch, but I couldn't find it anywhere, so if you are reading this Ashley, maybe you could confirm or deny?  :-) Either way, I took the idea of the first page, and then expanded it into the second page with patterned papers instead of photographs. I think if I were doing it over again, I might spread the photographs onto both pages with some patterned papers between, but maybe not. I am happy with the final product, although I did make some mistakes, as usual. My goal of this post is to show you the new stuff that I tried, and show how I fixed the boo boos. Often times I visit blogs and it seems like it's all so easy for everyone else! I appreciate it when I get to read that others just have to go with it sometimes, too!

New to me:  I used DIYthickers for the first time! I'll admit that I have been a bit intimidated by them in the past. I don't really know why, but I think it's because I hate to "waste" things and I'm afraid I will mess them up! Not only did I use them, I tried a new-to-me technique!  Glitter Girl challenged us all at  2 Peas to get our ombre on.  So I did (of course I missed the actual challenge because I couldn't get it finished in time, but oh well)! Here is what I did...

I started by dipping the bottom of a letter in some spray mist that I had sprayed onto a plate. I was hoping that it would soak in some color and wick up, becoming lighter as it goes.  Nope. Take two.  I sprayed the ink directly onto the letter, covering the top with a piece of scraps. Next, I took a wet paintbrush, starting at the bottom I brushed up to pull some of the color up.  It sorta worked.  I wasn't really thinking when I started and I took the first two letters off the backing (so the sticky was a problem), plus they got too wet, so I had to toss those (into my daughters pile of stuff that she will later glue onto something).  When I kept the letters on the backing, it worked a little bit better.  I would suggest having a paper towel handy for several reasons, but mainly because it comes in handy if you get too much color, or it goes up to high (I did both of these things, of course)!  The paper towel just soaks up all that extra, right quick like! I think I will get better at this when I try it again next time, but it was fun and it's not horrible, so I went with it! To connect the two pages I also ombre-d (it's a word, really) the "love this memory" (stamp by AE) after I stamped it!

Also to connect the two pages I tried to stick to circles as much as possible.  I did this in several ways.  First and foremost, many of the patterned papers that I chose had circles in them (the September Scrapbook Circle kit that I used for most of my supplies was full of circles).  But I also added several other things like:  I stitched concentric circles on page one around and through the title.  I punched circles out of the yellow patterned paper and put them in the center of other circles.  I carried the circles out of the center and overlapped them onto the photos and patterned paper.  I used brads and flair as embellishments.  I also used a circle mask and added yellow circles to two of the papers that didn't have circles on them! I did a lot of stuff on this one!  It's even heavy.

See that second page?  The photo was supposed to be where it says "Even superheroes need a rest", with the journaling to the left (where the photo is now) but I messed up!  There are several layers of gesso under there (part of why it is so heavy I bet)!  I just kept trying and trying, but no worky, so I stuck the photo over it!!!  The thing that was holding me up was the journaling!  It seems that often it's the journaling that gets in the way of me completing layouts!  I'm committed to getting the story down, it's must of the reason that I scrap to be honest -- document, document, document -- so I'd be disappointed if I didn't journal.  And I'm never at a loss for words (I know that's difficult to believe).  The hold up is the how.  Do I put it on strips? Do I hide the journaling? Do I using a journaling card? (etc.) As you can see, I ended up journaling on strips and sticking them up in the corner. One all else fails, that's usually my default.  It's easy and if you mess up, it's easy for the do-overs!  This is one of those layouts that I am just glad I finished.  It's OK, not my favorite -- but it's done.

What holds you up from finishing a layout?

..::non-manifesto progress::.. 

stamped on washi :: zig zag stitch in the middle of straight stitch :: circle stitch :: paint on a layout :: spray mist :: masking :: stretch a sketch :: grommets :: altering a sticker :: using a bag :: b&w photo :: DIYthickers :: got my ombre on ::

~ she's three ~

We had a rock and roll birthday party yesterday.  Today she is officially three.

Yep, that's a real guitar (and yep, I said three, not thirteen)

B's amp on the left, daddy's on the right

I made a cake to match

A good day was had by all.

I bought balloons for the kids to take home at the end of the party.  The purple one, for Mikaela is still in our house.  She was missed.  When we only needed three chairs at the kid table, she was missed.  We miss her so.

~ quick update ~

Just a quick post to show that I am still around!

Last year I tried my first 365 project over on flickr.  If you aren't sure what that is, it is exactly what it sounds like -- 365 days of photos.  One year taking at least a photo a day and posting it to flickr for the group and anyone else to see.  It was right about this time of year last year that I FAILED.    But it wasn't a total fail.  I didn't finish the 365, so in that sense, I failed.  However, I grew as a photographer (eww, I hesitate to call myself a "photographer", it sounds so accomplished or something.  Mostly, I'm a mom who takes photographs). My goals for the 365 was to get better at taking photos (check), take more and better photos to scrapbook (check) and document our lives (check), so in that sense, I didn't fail.

I started another 365 this year, with some of the same lovely virtual friends that I met during my last attempt, and I even added a few more friends along the way.  I started the year off strong, but I haven't been doing so well lately! I'm still going.  I even made it through Mikaela's accident without missing a day.  My photos aren't always so great, and almost always playing catch up with posting them, but I'm still going.  I really want to do this - I want to finish something!

School has started, which means I'm back to work full time, for real, no exceptions, no flexibility, and lots to do. I'm glad for the structure of the day, it helps my mental state.  This is such a busy time!  B (who's 'getting bigger') will turn three on Monday!  I hope to talk about that more in my next post -- but the birthday party, at our house, is this weekend!  Exciting, and busy!

Here are a few photos that have made it into my 365 collection over the last few weeks:

~ summer ~

~ into the sun ~

~ it's a double ~

~ orchid buds ~

~ fun at the fair ~

~ daredevil ~

I've completed about three layouts or so since my last post!  Today I will share just one, but I hope to post the others soon.  This is a one pager -- something that I don't always do.  When I took this photo with my iPhone, I knew I had to use it for a layout because I am all about the story, and it has a story -- it is so B.

This is my daughter.  She has always been a bit of a daredevil, and one of her most favorite things to do is climb. In this particular photo, I'm pretty sure she is thinking all about the dismount.  The binkie, the look, the stance, it had to be documented.

I love the photo in B&W!  I have never scrapped a b&w photo (something new for me) and so I couldn't decide if I wanted to use papers with lots of color, or vary little color at all.  I chose the latter, with just a touch of pink (her favorite color).  I am happy with my choice, but I could see it going either way!  It was really strange for me to do a layout like this because I LOVE LOTS COLOR!

What was my favorite part?  Making the triangles!!!  For the triangles: I put washi tape on grey paper and cut out squares using a punch. Then, I simply cut the squares in half to make triangles.  After I laid it out, I decided I wanted a bit of pink in there, so I cut a couple triangles from pink paper.  But, the pick was too pink.  So, I put the washi over the pink, cut the squares, made them triangles, and I love them!

The three strips of paper are quotes of things that B. says when she is actually being dangerous -- but the bulk of the journaling is hidden in the bag (see below). The Issue Challenge #4 (July/Aug 2012) over at Club CK called for the use of a monogram, which I did.  Originally this was just white with the black text/border.  I altered the sticker by misting with pink, and then added a pearl mist over the top to give it a shimmer.  The black twine came from a RAK that I got from Ashley Horton (thank you)!

This pull out, hidden journaling, gave me some trouble!  I think I 'gessoed' it (I'm sure that's a word, right), misted it, wrote on it, etc. multiple times.  Finally I ended up writing on strips and calling it done!   The "favorite" stamp is from Elise Blaha Cripe.  It really says, "You are my favorite" but I only inked the word favorite!  :-)

Most of the items you see here came from the Scrapbook Circle Kit :: Sunshine Day (July).  All supplies are linked below.

What's new in this for me? Several items :  grommets, altering a sticker (I double misted the monogram), using a bag, and using a b&w photo

I hope to have several posts up this week.  Look for some subtle changes in the look of my blog as well (I hope). New teachers begin this week -- I am a mentor, so I am back completely, totally, full time, without flexibility.  I look forward to the structure, and I always love the beginning of the year, but I'm not certain I'm ready for the rat race that comes with it!

..::non-manifesto progress::..

stamped on washi :: zig zag stitch in the middle of straight stitch :: circle stitch :: paint on a layout :: spray mist :: masking :: stretch a sketch :: grommets :: altering a sticker :: using a bag :: b&w photo :: 

~ asparagus bruschetta ~

This is one of our favorite meals -- I just had to share it! It's one of my Soul Mate's specialties, but I have learned to help him with it (I can chop)! We make it on a regular basis in the summer, and this time I took a few iPhone photos...so here we go...

olives, tomatoes, cucumbers (and irish cheddar cheese)

fresh garlic and squeezed lime

oregano, thyme, basil, rosemary (all from our garden!)

asparagus, cooked

this time we added two peppers from our garden (we chopped them of course, this was just a photo op)

the final product (served on toasted, wheat french bread with pesto

Not pictured : olive oil!

YUM!