Giving Away My Class Prototype Mini Album!

When I teach a class there is always a prototype of the class project - one without photos to show people the final project as they are making it. Tuesday I will be teaching at the Middleton Public Library - and once I am done I really do not need the prototype, as I already have my own album, complete with photos, and Snorkel chipboard outside and in.

Would you like a mini album that is all prepared for your summer photos? I know many of us have very busy lives and we feel like we can never keep up with our scrapping projects. This 6x6 album has 8 inside pages -each provide placement for one 4x6 photo or several smaller cropped photos. If you have more Snorkel paper you can always add in pages. I will be sure to let the winner know the color of the cardstock used so it can be matched.

All I ask you to do is help spread the news of this giveaway, as well as the bigger giveway at Cosmo Cricket Creations. Share in your comment below, a link for the blog or site, social network or MB on which you will be posting the news. The deadline is midnight July 15 - international friends welcome! Be sure to tell me who you are, with contact info (it's difficult to track down anonymous participants!) - if you have a blogger account and are logged in it automatically links me to you.

Here are the blog URLs to assist you in sharing the news.
http://colorfullycreating.blogspot.com
http://cosmocricketcreations.blogspot.com

Thanks and good luck! Be sure to get in on both RAK opportunities!

And remember to give thanks for the freedoms we so often take for granted this July 4th weekend. Happy Canda Day to our northern friends as well.

July 1 - Brrrrr!

Oh my - can't even tell it is July around here! Jackets, pants, and was tempted to wear closed toe shoes! I came home from work today, and promptly climbed into a sweatshirt and pants, socks and my warm slippers. Actually, I came home from the chiropractor. All this mad-night marathon scrapping has resulted in an aching body today. With my Snorkel mini album class coming up on Tuesday I knew it best to see Dr. T right away and nip it in the bud! The man is a true, gifted healer!

I do know it is July, however, not by the temps, but because I have been counting down days to the Cosmo Cricket Design Team application deadline. As I was scrapping earlier this evening, I told myself to stop making and start typing that email to Julie - or midnight will come and go and I will literally be running on empty! There is so much talent trying for this - all I can do is pray, God knows the desires of my heart, and His will be done!

Speaking of mini albums - in the past 24 hours I have put together two mini albums that have been floating around in my head for probably 18 months! Ya see, this is where the rush of a DT call gets things accomplished, and my sweet hubby has been handling meals the past couple of nights.

Some of you may recognize the album used above as Cosmo Cricket's blackboard Abby album. Besides being really cute, the reason I bought it is obvious. (LOL) I showed Abby the packaging and said, "Hey, this album has the same name as yours! What do you think, should I scrap about all the reasons we love you?" She replied in a mature six year old voice, "since it is MY album I want it to be about all the things I love...like horses, strawberries, and the number 5..." (don't ask about that last one - it was one of those explanations for which I just shrugged) (LOL) I thought, well okay, it's good to get her input and so be it. I even found a "lovesick" rub-on and chopped off the "ick" portion. (Perhaps it could be used on a page about Kyle's feelings towards girls right now.) ;-)


To obtain an extra "b" in the blackboard letters I simply utilized a "q" turned over. I used little rub-ons first, and then topped the letters with Diamond Glaze. The glossy, black letters just POP off the Chemistry paper collection. Another favorite product to use with bright colors on black backgrounds is black tulle. The phoof is nice, too.

Other News for July
I am thrilled to finally be able to spill that I was asked to be a guest creative member for ACOT's paper team this month. Not even sure if I can reveal the mfr. line I will be working with, so "mums" the word. My reveal comes up mid-month.

With these cool temperatures our family has decided to head to Little Amerika on Friday afternoon. The 80 degree forecast sounds perfect for a day at an amusement park. Looking forward to riding the Meteor. I was hoping Kyle would ask a friend to go along, so I can get out of the TiltAWhirl, but I think he likes hanging with his folks at this. Abby, on the other hand, was excited to ask someone. I hope by next summer we have a mini van with air - so each child can ask a friend along on such trips. Makes it easier on the parents. (LOL)

Don't forget to check out my Cosmo blog for all the new, and not so new, projects I have been pulling together these past several days. I will soon be announcing a giveaway to celebrate the blog being complete at last - stay tuned!

Wise Guy - Collaboration Album

Shameful. That is almost how I feel when I look at this album. Father's Day has come and gone and I have not yet given this album to my dad. My siblings helped with the contents - we reminisced on line about lines and phrases our father was famous for saying while we were growing up. It was a hoot to create, no pun intended!

Creating Keepsakes recently had a call for collaborative albums - of course I submitted. If it doesn't get picked up by dad's birthday in September I will wrap it up. (Dad, if you're reading my blog - act surprised!)

Here is a glimpse of the inside. The papers used are Piggy Tales. The album itself is Magistical Memories "Tab It Up" album.


This page in particular cracked me up with the story behind it. AND, hey, patting myself on the back here - I free hand drew that ox face!! There is something to be said for watching the old pioneer days shows like Little House - one gets to see an ox now and then. (LOL)


The album has a few small photos of my father, but the last page finishes with a nice, and recent picture.


I have to share a close up of the Magistical Memories wise owl - I think he just turned out the coolest. I know this little album has been featured on Piggy Tales web site and was on the ScrapSisTV catwalk...but I know I never shared it on my personal blog. My siblings probably wonder whatever became of that e-conversation.

Well, now you know. I have been hording it in hopes of a pub, but I will release it from my custody soon. (LOL)

Summer Fruit

Do you have a favorite treat in the summer time? I especially love fresh fruit, namely, perfectly ripe strawberries. Anytime they go on sale in the off season I pick them up, so I especially love strawberry time, as in now.

Today's shared layout is clean and simple, and uses cardstock only. I simply picked up on the colors of strawberries themselves. Think of what you can do with cardstock to punch it up - literally. There are so many punches offered these days, they've become a staple in my "tool box" - especially border punches!

This morning Abby and I went to the local swim meet to watch some of her friends compete. It's a beautiful morning! It's not too hot yet, I need to get out and work in my flower beds. I have already worked on two layouts!

Later today we have an annual family get together on my husband's side. We have outdoor activities planned for evening - so rather hoping the rain holds off until quite late!

Enjoy your weekend!

Happy Friday and Happy News!

Do you like this layout? It was made with Cosmo Cricket Early Girl a few nights ago. My LSS just got in the Ready Set Chipboard for Early Girl...alas, now I am thinking I may need to edit and find a spot for the cute music note shapes. (LOL)

If you like Cosmo be sure to check out my newest blog here.

Happy news today - as if my e-mail from Creating Keepsakes wasn't exciting enough, a friend just pointed me to the BoBunny blog today. Check it out! (ok - I have to blurt out that I won the pet layout contest!!!) Woo hoo! I have no idea what I won - but I will love it!

Happy Friday for me, and I hope you are having a great one, too! I am missing my friends and former co-workers at the Scrapbook Superstore - if you stop by here please leave a comment and say "hi!" Love ya gals!

Made in Minutes!

Sometimes I wish we had 48 hours a day - I would love to spend 12 hrs. a day creating! I have had this layuot idea in my head since Scenic Route released the Grafton paper line - has it been a year? Or more?

I knew I wanted to use the Magistical Memories surfboard. I have had the photo and all the elements for a long time. Last night I finished a Cosmo Cricket layout at 11:30 pm. Instead of going to bed, I decided to take on the ACOT supply list challenge - which was to create a layout using NO cardstock, foam and epoxy embellishments (the latter of which are easy to make yourself using dimensional glaze).
It seemed for this layout the best treatment for the chipboard was to ink the edges only, leaving it primarily raw. Originally I thought I would cover it in patterned papers, but in this case, less is more. I inked the lightning bolt designs with teal and turquoise chalk inks. Using dimensional glaze on top, the colors blended nicely.



I used my craft knife to cut around designs in the patterned paper, and once done, this layout came together in a snap. Less than an hour - and for me, I call that "made in minutes!" Part of the ACOT challenge to use foam was challenging in that I had no scrappy supplies of a summer theme. I snagged a fish shape from Abby's craft stash and trimmed it down in size, so it was not overbearing. I inked the foam to change the color and match the layout tones...but if you have done this you already know the ink immediately comes off on your hands. My next solution was to paint over, and with ink still fresh it blended with the paint and I achieved a nice blended effect quite happily and unintentionally. (LOL)


If you would like to see a Cosmo Cricket layout, also created for a June ACOT challenge, you can check it out here. I also have happy news tonight - Creating Keepsakes requested a layout for the November issue - which will make two issues of Creating Keepsakes in a row!! I seriously figured, with Memory Makers no longer in print publication, that my pubs for printed media magazines would be far and few in between. I also received a contract in the mail today from Scrapbooking and Beyond - so far I am going to have a great fall in print - and it is very exciting!

Dad Tribute 2 - Basic Grey Periphery

As a parent I have noted how much more my husband will stop the chores he may have had on his mind to do, to play with the kids. They laugh, wrestle, and the kids climb on top of their father. Dad's are great for spontaneous fun.

Jesse is particularly good at being a dad, he has a great nurturing personality. I wanted this layout to document many of the fatherly tributes and qualities he has. I dug into my stash to find Basic Grey Periphery as the perfect compliment of papers to go with a photo of my family hiking a trail at Festge Park. The design is based loosely on a sketch at Create My Keepsake.

I have noticed that the clusters I love in digital scrapping are carrying over into my traditional layouts. It's fun to play and layer, and see what can be tucked in here and coerced into position there...I am not sure how I ever scrapped without 3D foam adhesive squares - I use them all the time now for multi-levels of layers.



The Magistical Memories Potty People guy shape is a perfect accent piece as you can see. Really, they are great with any guy layout - and you can get a package of both girl and guy shapes in various sizes. I especially love the smallest ones for use on greeting cards to that special friend.

I ordered these great new journaling cards (Jenni Bowlin? packaging is unmarked) from ACOT - they allow so much room for journaling - and I especially like that for those times when I have a lot to "say"!


I ended up making a Father's Day card that utilized the same photo. On the inside it reads: "Thanks Dad, for keeping us on the straight and narrow path!"
Products used are an older line of MME Kaleidescope papers.


Do you have an activity that you remember doing with your dad? Or perhaps you have developed some characteristics in which people, or even yourself, can see your father in you. I know I have many qualities that come from my father, and that is subject for another layout. Don't let those "dad memories" slip by - be sure to create layouts about the dads in your life, as well as the kids and pets.

For those of you who subscribe to this blog, I want to give a heads up that the URL may be changing. When I created this blog the original names I had in mind were taken, so I came up with something in needed moment, but I wish it were shorter and easier to remember. With that in mind, I am going to play around and see if I can come up with something similar, shorter, and available.

I am also working on setting up another blog - a gallery, if you will, dedicated to my projects created with Cosmo Cricket. I have been wanting to do this for some time. I actually want to create 3 new blogs total, dedicated to my three top manufacturers - my "dream team" list. "Cosmo Cricket Creations" is still in the works. I finished a new collage style banner this evening - let me know what you think! I still have links, etc. to add to the side bar, and then I will get rolling on loading my Cosmo creations.

Honoring a Special Dad (MME Penny Lane)

It's Monday and yesterday we honored the fathers in our lives. It's becoming tradition for my husband to receive a layout about him on occassions such as Valentine's Day, birthday, and of course... Father's Day. Afterall, it's the gift that keeps on giving...memories year after year, preserved for future generations.

The Faithbooking Challenge at A Cherry On Top this month centered around HONOR. Scripture from Phillipians, teaching us how to live an honorable life, was an easy choice to use in this layout, as it is a biblical lesson Jesse repeats to the kids often.

I pulled out old WR Memory Keepers chipboard alpha - with the stripes and paisley. I sanded and painted 2 coats of red over - not enough to totally mask the underlying designs, but it gives the letters a mottled effect and nice texture, especially with a little ink rubbed on top.

I just love the texture in these particular MME papers. They lend themselves so well to distressing. I find using my craft knife blade along the raw edge quickly softens the paper and allows it to be easily torn, rolled and crimped.

I have noted that in my laziness to trim off thread ends when I sew on layouts, that I have actually embraced the look of dangling threads. I think they add interest. I remember the days when I trimmed so carefully, but with less creative time, clean precision is NOT a priority. (LOL)

I created another layout and a few Father's Day cards as well, and will show you the other Dad layout shortly. I am just glad to have found creative time - I was going through withdrawal! On Friday evening I decided to get out the RoundUp and spray as many weeds as I could, rather than sweat and pull them on Saturday. This gave me the excuse to stay indoors to wash clothes and create - because the weed killer had to do its work. Kyle and Jesse went to a Civil Way reenactment in Sauk, and Abby had a birthday party in the afternoon - so I had two hours of interupted creative time!

Now, that it is Monday, I look at the weeds and have to say I expected more...according to the commercial - 5 minutes! Oh well, my dad is happy with the results he gets from RoundUp, so I have to assume that sooner or later, those weeds are going to die. Since many were attacking my good plants - I sure hope so! I am typically an anti-chemical kind of gal, but the situation was getting hopeless now that I am working full time.

Join me again for a layout that uses awesome paper from my stash...do you ever wonder what in the world you were saving such beautiful product for? Those were my thoughts this weekend. See you soon!

Cosmo Cricket Mini Album Class - FREE!

I am not sure how many openings are left, but last night I realized that my mini album class at the Middleton Public Library is only weeks away - I have LOTS of prep work to do!! We are gearing up for 20 class participants, which translates into 20 kits that I need to put together! That, and I am doing a guest design team spot next month - so I guess I have to get busy with my creative projects! If you live in the Middleton, Wisconsin area - you may want to see if there are any openings if you are interested. The class is being held Tuesday, July 7, at 6:30 p.m.

The 6x6 album, called "Summer Fun", is perfect for a variety of 4x6 photos to document your summer activities. It features the bright colors of Cosmo Cricket's Snorkel line. Because we have only one hour for the class, my goal is to have everyone create their covers. I will have everything pre-cut and packaged for the inside pages, which could easily be finished at home after class.

What I really hope to convey in my class is the fun of playing with chipboard. The Seahorse shape by Magsitical Memories is covered with several paints and sparkle. It, and many other fun shapes by Magistical Memories, such as the Starfish, Octopus, and Fish are great for summer pages and projects. In fact, right now there is a 25% sale happening at MM - visit today to get a deal on fun summer shapes!

We are going to be painting and having some fun in my class, so don't "dress to the nines"!

I woke up this morning with a nice surprise message in my inbox. My recent BoBunny layout is featured in the ACOT designer picks! Check out this article for great, scrappin', eye candy. It really surprised me, perhaps because I am the one who knows the mistakes made in that layout.(LOL)

See those CUTE fishies? Great chipboard shapes by Magistical Memories covered with paper from the Love Shack line. Well, that top fish was not in my original design plan...but I tried stamping on the photo with Staz-on ink, you see. And, well, it smeared. :-( Now, it shouldn't have - I know people do it. I suspect, however, that one has to have a bit more patience to allow it to dry. I stamped a swirl, bleeding it off into the background paper. It would have, could have looked cool. But I kept on creating instead of walking away from the project. OOPS! When I am in the creative mood, or have creative time - maybe that's a better phrase these days - I just like to keep on scrapping!

Hope today's journey is a good one. Remember to pray for our country and everyone who have experienced job loss and are in transition. This hit a couple of my family members these past few weeks. I hope they can find jobs soon - like so many others. Remember to F.R.O.G.!

Dream Street Heartsong - Perfect for Teacher Cards

Inspired by this.

In April we visited a greenhouse on campus that had an exotic butterfly exhibit. I took my new Nikon, and I gave Kyle my "old" Olympus. Good thing...I was still learning my new camera and didn't get that many great photos, but Kyle took the photo above! Pretty good for an 11 yr old, don't ya think?

The photo reminded me of a quote I used on a teacher's card a few years ago, "Encourage a child in all they do, and give them wings to fly!" I framed a 5x7 print of the above photo for Kyle's teacher, and had him sign the photo mat. I wanted to make a butterfly-themed card, and it just so happens that I had a new, never used Quickutz double butterfly die. Last night Abby and I were churning the butterflies out of the Cuttlebug (to use QK dies, use the C plate on the bottom instead of a B plate). Punching out all the holes in the black cardstock took a bit of effort, as quite a few required extra help from a craft knife. I then found putting the black outline on the orange base shape was an adhesive challenge. After doing it once, I decided the easiest thing to do would be to cover the orange shape with mod podge, and position the black on top. Because I used sparkle mod podge, it did not matter if my adhesive showed through to the top. In fact, I decided to put a 2nd coat on most of the butterflies so that the entire embellishment sparkles.

Dream Street's Heartsong happened to be sitting on my craft table (I have had this for a while, but never put it away - yikes!). The line, I realized, is perfect for the sentiment on the card, not to mention perfect colors.

In this post I would like to show you three different cards using the same idea, paper line, and embellishment. Seriously, if you are hand-making an embellishment and all the supplies are out, you may as well make a number of them. I ended up with 5 butterflies total, and have some other projects in mind. I printed the same sentiment out 3 times on cardstock from a photo mat pack, and I was set to create!



The first card is simple in design - and once the butterfly is made, about as quick to make as can be. Fiskars border punches are my replacement to ribbon on cards. I love the designs, and paper is so much easier to adhere (not to mention less bulk if it is to be mailed). Apron Lace is used for these cards.



The second card steps up in size to a 5.5x5.5 square. I found some Bazzill card packs in my stash, and I could not resist an orange, square envelope. I used patterned paper throughout, and tore the edges around the quote for additional interest.



The third card really takes it up a notch - inspired by scraps remaining from the first two cards. This card fits in a standard #10 envelope. If your child writes their teacher a thank you letter, this size is perfect to fold up the letter and include it with the card. I punched the sentiment with a Fiskars circle squeeze punch, and matted it with orange cardstock - using my craft knife to distress the edges. I then cut about 3/8" off the bottom edge of the card front, and secured a border punch shape using BoBunny's dotted cardstock, which I especially love for this purpose. I went light on the adhesive, and doubly secured the border by sewing around the edges, taking in the border strip from underneath. A tip for finishing off your stitches - I started the outer border at the seam line of the two patterned papers on the bottom. Sewing all around, once I returned to my starting point, I pivoted the card front and zig zag stitched up the seam edge - eliminating any obvious back stitches.



This butterfly encompasses a bit involvement. I decided to use a Sakura black glaze pen on the Quickutz black outline shape. It took a bit of work, and certainly depleted the ink supply in the barrel - but it was worth it! I love the look! I finished it off by adding Prima flourishes (recently arrived from ACOT!), using a portion of the flourishes on the butterfly's body.

It's getting late. The teacher cards are set to go, with gift cards inside. I had to whip up a birthday card for a party Kyle is going to tomorrow evening, and I managed to write something in a few of the graduation cards I had made this past weekend. I also finished the cards for our own children, letting them know how proud we are of them. It's especially a major milestone for Kyle - hard to believe our not so little boy is going into middle school. He has become quite a wonderful young man. I held back the tears as I wrote him a message. There is so much I wanted to say, but space was limited. I assured him it was fodder for a new layout. (LOL)

I hope seeing the same product used to make a simple, moderate and more advanced card will inspire you to make multiples next time you have card making supplies out. It's a great way to get ahead in the card making process. Enjoy the journey, and the milestones in your lives.

Last Week of School - Summer and Calypso!

BoBunny's Calypso collection screams summer at me. I love the bright colors, and fun designs. I used Janelle Richmond's sketch at Magistical Memories to scrap some older photos, taken 5 years ago- Abby's first time setting toes into a body of water other than a pool or tub. She was not too sure about it, but at least she got her feet wet!

To create the title I used BoBunny chipboard letters - with imperfect strokes of blue paint added, leaving the edges brown to ensure the title pops off the page. If a layout title includes the word "wet", I cannot help myself but to use Diamond Glaze on top for a wet look, as seen here.


Sticker letters from Doodlebug and October Afternoon help to round out the title thought.

BoBunny acrylic swirls are PERFECT for any layout that features water. I used a mixture of Rangers "Stream" blue alcohol ink mixed with white Perfect Pearls powder to add a splattering of shimmering blue, although the photo does not show it off so well.


On Friday we released the Peeper frog that had resided with us through this past winter. Due to the cooler than norm temps his reintroduction into the wild was delayed.

He sure was happy to crawl into the crevice of a tree trunk, however!


And Kyle was happy to splash in the creek. He found little creatures of the insect? world under rocks - had no idea what they were, baby leeches? (ugggh - they just looked gross to me!) At any rate, I am glad I still have more "U Bug Me" papers left as he was happy to show me a number of creatures, and of course I took photos.


We had a busy weekend of graduation and birthday parties (Kyle's fifth grade graduation party was Thursday night - wow!), continued work on the bedroom makeover project, and new dishwasher installation. If you need one, I am HIGHLY recommending our new Kitchenaid model (KUDC03)- we can bareley hear the machine running and believe me, we have tested some pretty encrusted pans in there, which come out flawlessly clean! After 6 mo. without I am hoping this will now give me a little more scrapping time. It's the last week of school - hopefully more photo opps and I took off Thursday to help out with games on the last day. Hard to believe summer vacation starts on Friday - maybe because we are still wearing pants and jackets in June! (LOL)

Looky Here! Basic Grey Lime Rickey!

Yes, it has been a while since I have shared on my blog. My apologies! I have been pretty diligent in focusing on uploading photos for development. I realize that our hard drive could, and probably will, crash anytime now. I DO NOT have time to back everything up on CDs - it would take a large spool and then some! Instead, I am going back through the 2008 photos and uploading those with the greatest meaning and those begging to be scrapped, to www.scrapbookpictures.com

I love Scrapbook Pictures for their excellent quality, customer service that surpasses all I have encountered, AND for the fact that they offer metallic as well as matte print finshes. I am having some floral, fauna and landscape pictures printed for framing - and the macro shots are magnificent with a metallic photo paper. Plus, through end of the month they are having a volume discount sale. It looks like I will be having about 300-400 photos printed - so my percentage off should be pretty decent!



For the creative visitors I want to share the layout I decided to enter in ACOT's May recipe contest. When I first spotted Lime Rickey by Basic Grey, I knew it would be perfect for so many things - whether it was scrapping our pet parrots, or our passion for birdwatching. When I spotted the Magistical Memories chipboard border in my stash - I thought of binoculars! To bring the idea about I painted the chipboard 2 colors, and punched circles from Lime Rickey for the accent circles. I also used my Fiskars squeeze punch to punch out the same blue bird image from the patterned paper to place in the "lens" of the chip binocs. The third circle in the border highlights a not so large image of an indigo bunting on a distant tree. It was the best I could get for a photograph with my camera at the time - the chipboard framing really helps it stand out. The border turned out to be a fun element for this layout!



Two ingredients in the recipe were to include stitching and at least 3 hearts. I accomplished that by covering a Magistical Memories bird shape with Patterned Paper, and used my folk heart punch to layer the shapes and create a wing on the bird. Orange cardstock from Basic Grey's old Gypsy collection helps to set the bird off the page. I stitched around the circle and used a micro tip scissors to cut into the seam, to create fringe for dimension.



When we go birding as a family we all pretty much have our own binoculars. When someone spots a bird we describe the tree or area it is in, and use the clock as a part of our dialogue to help direct the others to the spot. We were at the lookout point at Festge Park when Jesse spotted this seldom seen bird, and helped the rest of us find it with, "bunting at 2:00". I found clock stamps by Sandylion at Michaels a few weeks ago - I snatched them up, with my coupon of course, knowing that there have been so many times I had wanted a clock embellishment on my layouts. This stamp set will be well used, I am certain.

It's been a huge week on the prayer front. So many friends seriously ill, having major surgeries, tragedies it seems, everywhere. This evening I met with four wonderful lady friends for bible study at Crossroads Coffeehouse. Mary, the owner, is so gracious. She locked the door at 8 and assured us we could continue our conversation as they would be working a while yet. Well, two of us had yet to share! We didn't end up leaving until 45 min. past closing! Oh my...we will have to figure out how everyone can have equal share time and be considerate of the workers. Five women can seriously talk forever, if allowed. (LOL) This evening provides such clear evidence of why we need community with fellow believers. We give encouragement, draw strength from one another, and lift each other up - it is just an amazing gift God gives us.

This weekend Kyle heads off to bible camp. It's going to be a growing experience - he is not real keen on this night away. My goal is to have a room makeover awaiting him upon his arrival home. I don't know how it is going to go - the wallpaper border is off, but there is plenty of adhesive residue to scrub off. I was hoping to start painting Friday night, and instead I will be wall washing. Oh well!! It won't be a surprise as I had hoped because we had to start the prep work this week.

Well, off to continue cropping and selecting photo sizes at scrapbookpictures.com!! I just wanted to pop in before everyone wonders what happened to me! Tomorrow is Friday - enjoy the weekend! Thanks for stopping by.

Turtle Love for BoBunny "U Bug Me"

Warning: AI spoiler at bottom if you are reading this and have not seen your finale recording!
Years ago when we raised exotic parrots we learned how difficult it was to find a good veternarian - one who knew more than cats and dogs. Kyle's going into 6th grade, and is holding fast to his desire to become an animal veternarian. However, I suspect there are plenty. I suggested he either specialize in exotics, whether it be avian (that would be birds), or herpetology (study of reptiles) - or even large animals - such as COWS. I hear so many students want to take care of Fluffy and Spot that there is a shortage of farm vets. This layout is dedicated to our son's future - his potential vocation.

I created the journaling block on my own in a program similar to Word - using a few circle borders/frames that rather mimic the BoBunny paper design. I added dashed rules, and admit - I love teacher sites that offer free coloring book pages - which is how I found the turtle clip art. I colored it in with pencils - a nice, little finishing touch, don't you think?


Want to get more scrapping done? Pull out a multitude of photos that go with one line you may have purchased. When I bought Bo Bunny's U BUG ME I had both the toad and turtle photos in mind. The mess from my toad layout was still quite prevalent on my table, so I figured I may as well scrap the turtle photos as well.

This time I followed a recipe for the May ACOT contest - in this layout the color black is used, there are three hearts (note the one roughly cut from cardboard scraps), stitching (albeit my sewing machine broke and there are only a few real stitches), stitched holes with no thread, and plenty of faux stitched circles; mixed alpha letters, and of course the animal is the turtle.



When it's late at night I sometimes get a little punchy while scrapping. I had the orange paint out for the chipboard, and more than once I find myself using my leftover paint to just splat some here and there with a "dry" brush. Hopefully you don't think I went overboard - I was just going for a grungy, boy look.

More detail close-ups - card board scraps begged to be used and give rugged dimension to this layout.

See the rub-ons used on the copper large brads? Those would be from BoBunny's Grease Monkey line - I love it when mfr. collections overlap colors!

Is this layout contest worthy? I am not sure - the basic design seems rather plain - a vertical strip of patterned paper and another cut in an arc to create a "turtle path". I made certain that this project also works for the "cluster challenge" - I have two more animal themed layouts in my head, so we shall see what else I accomplish before the end of the month.

Tonight marks the end of a long journey for a couple of Idol contestants. WARNING: If you have not seen the finale - click off this blog!


I love an upset. I love humble winners. I love Kris Allen! He truly expected Adam Lambert to be in his shoes - he had no words. Just thought it was crazy that after 100 million votes - he was named the new American Idol. I love singing - American Idol is the ONLY prime time show that I spend time watching, although early in the season I am often doing something creative while sitting in front of the television. I took some photos last week of the top three on television. They're not that great - I was watching the results show on the older television in the basement - and a flourescent ceiling light puts a rectangular mask on the photos. But I plan to scrap them - AI is definitely a part of American Culture. It demands my Tuesday nights, and record only as a last resort. Another season has come and gone. The journey is really only beginning for Kris - God has some big plans for him I am sure!

Seeing Simon's rather stone face -afterall, his boy Adam - talented but so overly touted by the judges - did not make it. Adam will be successful for sure, I just think AI wanted him on their label. Back to my point - seeing that Simon really seemed to share no joy in Kris' victory, the news that Simon is moving on is probably a pretty good idea. I admit, I often agreed with Simon's critque, although it can be delivered with a less crushing spirit. It will be interesting to see who the judges are for next year.

I can't wait to hear what Kris puts out on his record. And I am sure Adam's record will be out first, as seems typical for the AI runner up. Congrats to both Kris and Adam. AND btw, I cannot wait to get my hands on Danny Gokey's record - his voice is unique - and he remains the personal favorite in our household from the top three. GO Gokey - cut a record after God's own heart!

BoBunny's U Bug Me is Toad-ally Cool

I finally got out my BoBunny "U Bug Me" papers that I've had for a while. I bought them just for the pics of our son with creepy crawly things - not so much the insects, although there are plenty of those photos as well, but for the reptilian types that BoBunny included in this line. BoB issued a May challenge to use the word "may" in a layout - easy enough assignment - I worked it into my journaling.

For this layout I had awesome toad pictures, but they did nothing for me simply cropped, so I had to cut them out. One just happened to be the right size to "tuck in the pocket" of the journaling card.





I love to use jute and other natural fibers on outdoor theme layouts. On this one I decided to use a hole punch to put little holes in around my circle before weaving the jute in and out and having two ends meet to tie a bow. I used some leftover pieces and threaded the buttons, and used floss for the remaining buttons. By using all those buttons I managed to work this layout into the May element challenge at ACOT.



As I contemplated where to place my title I realized this layout needed something more. There are always plenty of cardboard boxes on hand, so I decided to pull a flap off of one and utilize it on the layout. Cardboard, with exposed corrugating, is another element I love to use on outdoor boy layouts. Now, if you are a purist and concerned about acid-free only, don't use cardboard. I do believe there is a manufacturer creating corrugated patterned papers that is acid free - don't quote me, but I am fairly certain it is The Paper Co. as I have used it in the past.



Good ol' copper staples help hold the title and cardboard together on this layout. Don't be afraid to use the negatives in your chipboard letters - they can really change up a title so it is not so predictable. I also used my trick of taking a brown marker around the outside edge of the chipboard letters to give them a nice, crisp edging.

I so clearly remember the day Kyle found this toad. Jesse was mowing the lawn and the big guy made a smart move. Kyle placed the toad on the deck and lay down to watch and stand guard until the mowing was done. The toad was then released into the garden where I love to have them go for lunch. Finding a toad or a frog - few things make Kyle more happy, other than perhaps his favorite flavor of the day at the local frozen custard hangout. Now I know what you're going to say about this layout...

"ewwwww!" But thanks for looking anyhow. Be sure to discover all the little things in your journey that God has created for your enjoyment. When you smile, He smiles!

BoBunny's Love Shack "Makes Me Smile"

Another layout from NSD weekend - based on an ACOT challenge with the theme "what makes you smile", and Fiskateer challenge to use the word "bee" in your title. Those two challenges coupled with the "Outside the Bubble" frame by Magistical Memories provided the mojo for this layout.

I knew I had to reach for Bo Bunny's Love Shack collection. Bright colors alone make me smile, and there was plenty of it in my favorite shades of pink, green and blue in this collection! I love the cardstock stickers as well, and have lots of fun layering them. Pop dots are a MUST have in any scrapbooker's stash - it seems I seldom create a layout without them. I am not simply referring to glue dots, but the 3D 2-sided foam adhesive that gives your product a boost by about an 1/8". Granted, I have yet to find a good "in the box" album that can hold more than 20 of my layouts, but I simply love dimension on my projects.

In the flower below I used a flower punch with Love Shack paper, and layered a cardstock sticker on top, topping that with a pearl.



In this next flower I started with a Heidi Swap white flower base (inking edges in green), topped with a large Love Shack sticker, topping that with a Prima and gem sticker. The foam adhesive placed underneath in several spots will help prevent your flower embellishment from compressing when it is placed in an album. Note the new flourish shape, which is one of the new releases from Magistical Memories!



The real challenge in this layout was creating a "bee". I did not simply want to spell out the word, but make it come to life. I used the Magistical Memories scallop oval plate, cut off one end, and covered it with yellow paper from Love Shack. I used craft wire to shape wings, wrapped with tulle and secured under the "abdomen", and added pearls and beads to short antennae (afterall, this is a bee, and not a butterfly). I don't believe I have created any winged insect other than a butterfly before, so this was a bit different for me. To create the stripes I simply used a black Sharpie. Pretty cool embellishment, don't ya think?


I love craft wire - if you don't have some on hand I strongly recommend it if you have any desire to make bugs. Having two children who adore bugs, it's a necessity in my stash. If you are curious about the finish on my frame, I started by painting a base of Gecko Green, coated with DecoArt Crackle Finish, and applied a top coat of black acrylic stroking in the opposite direction. A tip for those of you who desire more crackle than you sometimes achieve - simply take an exacto knife and slightly scratch your top coat, being careful not to scratch into the bottom color.


I finished the layout with my journaling using a Love Shack journaling card - the set has a number of gorgeous options! I added some Itty Bitty Primas and more pearls to add some dimension to the card.

I admit this layout itself makes me smile - I just love the bright colors, am crazy about circles, and it contains the faces I love. Other things making me smile this week is the fact that I have only TWO modules left, plus exams for each, in my new job training. The end is in sight, and that makes me smile, knowing I can turn my attention more to the marketing aspect of running the office. Another reason to smile is that today, for the first time, my entire family pitched in with helping me work in the flower beds for spring clean up. We pretty much finished every planting group in the front yard in 3 hours, and it would have taken me several days to accomplish it on my own. It's great that the kids are old enough to help now. Of course Abby is ever so helpful. She finds a pulled dandelion (which she loves), and takes its bent stem and "plants" it again in the lawn. I try explaining that that won't work -does she get it? I don't know, but it makes her happy. Kyle is doing a lot of the lifting I would have done in the past, so as of this moment my back is feeling pretty good. Despite the heavy winds the song birds were singing - we enjoyed orioles, bluebirds, grosbeaks, mourning doves, the wren (still have not seen his girlfriend, but surely she is here), thrush and something I could not make out on the edge of the woods. Family and song birds, passed exams, bright colors and circles...now that makes me smile as I continue along this wonderful journey - what a blessing it is!