Happy Fall *Thinking Through Design*

Fall...my favorite time of the year. I never tire of taking photos of the beauty it brings. It must be Mother Natures way of  making up for the dreary months to come. These are the photos from a stroll around my yard. 

What better way to accent nature photos than with burlap, a natural fiber. Burlap just happened to be our "thought" at Thinking Through Design this week. I actually purchased a yard of burlap a couple of weeks ago thinking it would make some cool flowers, so I was excited when I discovered that it was the focus of our assignment!

 

I used Simple Stories paper and stickers from my "Flavor of the Month" kit from The ScrapRoom, it was perfect for this layout.

  

I had to photograph this layout at night so please forgive the different colors. The little house and tree represent my house. We have a tree with a swing in our back yard :)

 

The border punch is Martha Stewart and the dot paper is Bo Bunny Double Dot. Love it!

 

Cut these out with the Sizzix and spritzed them with Smooch spray ink in two colors. Topped with a vintage button. I bought the bleached burlap because I wanted to be able to color it with other mediums.

 

Punched holes in the banner stickers, added Stickles, then threaded them and popped them with...say it with me "FOAM SQUARES"!  Sometimes I crack myself up :}}

 

Used a journaling stamp and it didn't quite cover so I stamped over it. I'm still trying to embrace the distressed look it created  :P

 

A closeup of the cute house. After reading through my post I've determined I shouldn't compose posts when it's late and I'm tired ;)

Well...everything was going well with my Dad until Wednesday. His Subclavian catheter isn't working properly and now he has to go back to surgery next Tuesday to have it replaced. Three surgeries in less than 4 weeks. Enough already! Calgon take me away...

The Hartford Indian Emerald Vanguard (the band) made a Division 1 rating at their competition on Wednesday, I've discovered it's really fun to watch all the bands perform and nerve racking watching my daughter weave in and out, spin and throw a big stick with a flag on it!

Matthew's football game didn't go quite as well but he did recover a fumble and broke up a 2 point conversion, I was at work but Mimi texted me to keep me updated.

Tomorrow is Homecoming and the kids are excited. Both will be in the parade. Matthew as a Prince candidate and Mimi in the band. Some of the other girls in the color guard begged me to chaperon so we could do the "Wobble" at the dance. They were quite impressed when I joined in as they danced in the band room after the performance. I convinced them that Matthew would have a heart attack if I showed up at the dance :}} Much less at the dance "Wobbling". In case you were wondering how I know how to "Wobble", a patients' family taught me during a particularly long induction. No, she wasn't in labor yet. We had a blast and they said "This white girl can dance!"

Have a great weekend!

Funny Face *The ScrapRoom*

Mimi loves to carve pumpkins! We go to the same farm every year to pick out the best pumpkins for our creations. Matthew (on the other hand) could care less. I bet you've noticed that I haven't been scrapping him much lately. He is being a stinker when it comes to photos :( All his photos look like mug shots!

Anyhoo...back to pumpkins. Mimi carefully plans her pumpkin faces and was in a particularly silly mood that day, as you can see by her face. This layout was created with part of my Flavor of the Month kit from The ScrapRoom. Bella Blvd has the cutest sheets of paper that can be fussy cut and made into embellishments! The clouds, pumpkin and flower are cut from such a sheet.

 

Cut the title with the Opposites Attract cartridge, layered and then used Distress Stickles. Love the non sparkly effect. Used the Bella Blvd. mini flags and Queen & Co. gems that came in the embellishment kit.

Pop on over to The ScrapRoom and check out their kits, Tammy has an amazing selection and you may even find some goodies you can't live without in The ScrapRoom store!

Falling For You and the ScrapRoom's September Sketch

This is my 2nd layout using The ScrapRoom's September Doubleshot Kit. Matthew made a new friend on our trip to Big Dan's for some apple picking last fall. The neighbor's dog thought he was the next best thing to a big bone or maybe something stinky to roll in :)

My friend and fellow ScrapRoom Design Team member Aphra Boyler created this sketch for the September sketch challenge on the ScrapRoom blog.

Visit the ScrapRoom Blog to see more takes on Aphra's sketch.

Loving those Jillibean alphas. Outlined them with Sharpie to help them stand out. The "you" stickers are the new "Do It Yourself" Thickers with a layer of yellow Doodlebug glitter.

Foam squares are my friend :)

More layered diecuts, so versatile!

I have to confess...this layout was a comedy of errors :P  First I fingerprinted it and had to hide the marks with distress ink. I mean, a little distressing goes well with a fall theme...right!? Then I dropped a chalk ink pad right on the bottom and it bounced! I hate those ink pads that don't stay adhered to their base! Grrr. So out came the chevron and yellow cardstock strips to hide the damage. Moral to the story, cover your layout when working with ink and wash your hands frequently or embrace your mistakes :)

Thankful for You & The ScrapRoom September Reveal!

There are 2 great lines in this month's Doubleshot Kit, Jillibean Soup's Country Pumpkin Chowder and We R Memory Keepers' Hall Pass. Country Pumpkin Chowder was perfect for these photos of my daughter a couple of "Falls" ago and to express how thankful I am for all the blessings God has given me...especially her!

 Aren't these scalloped circles cute! You can do so much with diecuts, add some foam, ink the edges, and layer. I'm sure there is more that escapes me right now.

These little orange alphas are included in the kit, they are a great size for journaling or creating a long title.

Count your blessings everyday.  My new mantra :)

A little brad pizazz.

More layouts with the ScrapRoom's September Doubleshot Kit coming all this week :)

Beautiful Dream

You know how you see a photo for the first time and you just fall in love with it, this was one of those for me. The sky is so blue (not even Photoshopped), her face so dreamy and the pumpkin a rich burnt orange color, the whole scene is so ethereal. Tried a little color blocking and created a faux envelope. Here are the results...very linear, even for me :)

Cardstock: Bazzill; patterned paper: Little Yellow Bicycle, My Little Shoebox, Sassafrass; stickers: K & Co., Little Yellow Bicycle; diecuts: Little Yellow bicycle,Stampin' Up, Tim Holtz; brads: K & Co., Making Memories, eyelets: Making Memories; punch: E K Success; circle cutter: Coluzzle, Provo Craft; ribbon: ink: Colorbox; American Craft; pen: Sakura; adhesive: 3L, Tombow; misc: twine.

My best friend of 28 years and I "did" lunch and caught up on kids, jobs and family matters :) Then this afternoon Matthew begged to go to the antique mall. Since I enjoy a good stroll around the mall myself, off we went! He came home with the Eagles album "Hotel California" and I nabbed an awesome Victorian flower frog. Perfect for displaying cards and such. It cracks me up that he loves the music that I grew up with and acts like it is all new for me. Here is a sample of our conversation..."Mom, do you know who sings this song?", "Yes" I reply. He turns and looks at me incredulously, "Really?" and " Yes really" is my answer :)

Happy surprise this afternoon, my layout "If I Could Turn Back Time" was highlighted on the Club Creating Keepsakes Blog along with several other very lovely cards and layouts. Pop on over and check out our creations!

Beauty...

I love everything about Fall except that it precedes Winter! There is so much beauty to be found. Pumpkins, changing colors, crisp air, warm days and cool nights, Halloween, and I could go on & on :) This layout  highlights my daughter but is really about God's creations and how beautiful they are. I found this sketch on the Scrapbook News and Review site and didn't finish it in time to submit it. The sketch is by Emma Straface.

I'm in love with this My Minds Eye collection, Stella Rose. Such beautiful, saturated colors. Aqua is one of my favorite colors right now. The flowers are punched, sanded, then layered with the crocheted flowers and a brad. Misted the doily to tone down the white.

Cardstock: Bazzill, Bo Bunny; patterned paper: My Minds Eye; chipboard letters: Basic Grey; crocheted flowers: Prima; punches: E K Success, Martha Stewart; brads: Making memories, Paper Studio; pearls: Kaiser Kraft; die cutting machine: Cricut, Provo Craft ( Home Accent, Storybook cartridges); circle cutter: Coluzzle, Provo Craft; spray ink: Tattered Angels; pen: Sakura; adhesive: 3l, Therm O Web, Tombow; doily: Wilton.

Last night was Matthew's first time wrestling at 285lbs. He has lost almost 50 lbs since the start of wrestling season. He discovered the competition is much stiffer. He went from 2-0 to 2-2. I could see he was bummed and my heart hurt for him. It was easy to see the other wrestlers were much more experienced and older. He has a lot to learn and the willpower to do it!

Mimi's 1st basketball game was at the same time, unfortunately they were in different cities :( Daddy & Grandpa went to her game. I'll catch her 2nd game on Monday. Her knees are all floor burned, poor baby. Apparently her body can't keep up with her feet :) This is her 1st year playing basketball too. I just keep reminding them both that practice is the key.

The rest of my day will be spent with Grandpa Joe, first at the pacemaker clinic and then to his internist. The bonus is that I get to make a trip to Hobby Lobby and possibly a scrapbook store. Yea! The "Families" special edition from Cricut Magazine is out and there are 5 of my layouts in it :)) Check it out!

Autumn...a Little Yellow Bicycle Sketch Challenge

Phew! I think that was a record for me. Tonight I happened to be blog surfing and came across a sketch challenge on Little Yellow Bicycle's blog. Approximately 4 hours (one argument, dinner, and a broken vacuum cleaner) later, here is the layout:

I'm in love with these photos I took of Mimi at our local "Big Dan's" pumpkin patch. The light was amazing! You'll be seeing a lot of layouts featuring my sweet girl and those gorgeous green eyes.

Here is the sketch by Liz Qualman:

I didn't stray from the sketch much and the only product not from Little Yellow Bicycle is the cardstock. Cut the leaves with the "Graphically Speaking" Cricut cartridge. Instead of adhering the layers, I left them open on one end for dimension. Big scallop punch is Martha Stewart and the little scallop is EK Success.

Good thing you can't see me right now...all raggedy looking with chapped lips and a stuffy nose that makes me sound like Elmer Fudd with a cold. I haven't dressed, done my hair or put on makeup in 5 days. Have to go back to work tomorrow, they should feel special...they get to see the dolled up version!

We Love Pumpkins!

What's not to love about Fall (except that it precedes winter)? Crisp nights, football, leaf piles, beautiful saturated colors, juicy apples, Halloween, and of course...pumpkins! We love going our favorite local farmer "Big Dan's" and picking out fall produce. Not only does he have all the traditional goodies but he has apple cider and caramel apples too! YUM!

Pulled these photos from the archives (Rubbermaid boxes in my closet), whipped up these adorable pumpkins with the "Simply Charmed" cartridge and the banner with "Birthday Bash".

Inspired by another fabulous Sketch Support sketch!

 Used the "Base Camp" cartridge for the title and "Straight From the Nest" for the tree. I'm in love with the little crows :)

Foam dots, pearls and Stickles used to dress up the pumpkins.

Super busy week ahead. 2 volleyball games and a tournament on Saturday, football game on Thursday, Homecoming on Friday, on call Wednesday, and I'm sure I've forgotten something. Oh yeah, work!

Still nursing a sore throat, but life goes on... Busy today at work and will be again tomorrow! Off to get a good nights' sleep. Sweet dreams :)

How Can I Think About Fall???

Because the magazines are asking for layouts 6 months ahead of real life :}} The sketch for Creating Keepsakes this month was a tough one! It was a perfect opportunity to scrap all those photos I took last fall when I was experimenting with macro & blurring the background. LOVE the one the title is placed on!

Used the Cricut cartridge "Straight From The Nest" &  Bazzill swiss dot paper for the leaves. Popped them and stitched hand drawn doodles for the falling leaves effect.

Basic Grey pp, border sticker, & chipboard letters. Autumn Leaves acrylic stamp for the journaling spot.

Making Memories letter stickers.

If I could have a redo, I'd probably leave a skinny border around all the photos so they wouldn't blend in so much.

      Thanks for stopping!