Our Valentines 2011

Another layout to save some cute cards we got in the mail and really appreciated!  These are from my friend Jennifer and my cousin's family.

Products used:  Papers: SEI;  Letters: Making Memories (glitter);  Tools: Cricut Lyrical Letters cartridge

A Walk Along the Beach

Every March we go to Tahoe for a week to ski and visit the town.  This year Tobin came with us for the first time and my friends Ali and Terrence joined, too!

If Tobin's nose looks a little....red.....we had our first big booboo in Tahoe.  =(  It's all healed up now, though.

Products used:  Papers: Creative Memories (background), Imaginisce (trees), Scenic Route (green), Making Memories (bronze), SEI (thin striped strips);  Embellishments: Bella Blvd (clouds), My Mind's Eye (circle), Me & My Big Ideas (togetherness);  Letters: K&Company (beach), Creative Memories;  Sketch: Sketches for Scrapbooking Volume 8

Cousins

Do you remember my post on packing for a crop?  Well, here is what I did with that huge pile of supplies I compiled.  I ended up using pink as the background but pulled mostly purple into the supporting patterned papers.

My cousin Shannon and her daughter came to visit us last summer when Tobin was just a few weeks old.  It was great hanging out with her for the day and showing off the little guy.  =)

Products used: Papers:  Heidi Grace (paisley), Creative Imaginations (flowers), My Mind's Eye (large dots), SEI (stripes);  Embellishments: Making Memories (journaling blocks and "adorable"), Bella Blvd (family), Prima and K&Company (flowers);  Letters: American Crafts thickers;  Sketch: Sketches for Scrapbooking Volume 8

Nine Months

Tobin turns 9 months old!  Ok, so I'm a little behind as he is really 15 months now.  But I am doing my best.

Products used: Patterned paper: SEI (green), TPC studios (dots), Little Yellow Bicycle (stripes), My Mind's Eye (numbers); Stickers: Creative Imaginations; Letters: Around the Block, Creative Memories; Sketch: Sketches for Scrapbooking: One-page Sketches, Volume 1, Sketch Support Add-on


The camera accent on this layout was paper pieced based on the cute add on sketch Allison created over on Sketch Support.  To see other versions of the camera, please visit their blog!

Welcome Home

My friend and scrapbooking buddy, Jennifer, and her husband became first time home buyers earlier this year.  I had the pleasure of visiting their new place over the summer and it is wonderful!  So a big congratulations to them!

Products used:  Papers:  SEI (stripes), Bella Blvd (houses and clouds);  Letters: Creative Memories;  Tools: Cricut Create a Critter cartridge (house);   Sketch:  Pagemaps

Happy Wedding

A wedding card for a friend of my husband who had a wonderful Texan wedding earlier this year.  Complete with strawberry rhubarb pie and Blue Bell ice cream as their wedding "cake."  So fabulous!

Products used - Patterned paper: DCWV; Ribbons: Stampin' Up; Rub-on: Marcella K;Tools: Cuttlebug embossing folders


This card was designed using a sketch available at Sketch Support.  Please go visit their blog to see more projects made with the same sketch!

Packing for a Crop

I thought I would do an extra post today about how I pack for a crop.

I always want my layouts to focus on the photos, so that is where I begin. Sorting through the folder on my computer for an event, I get a feel for how many photos I want to include on the page, what sizes, vertical or horizontal, whether I need to expand to a 2 page layout. If I don't immediately have an idea for how to arrange the photos on a page, I go straight to my sketch stash and start digging for inspiration. I love sketches from Sketches for Scrapbooking and Pagemaps but I also save the sketches from my Scrapbooks Etc. magazines and I bookmark or print any other pages online that catch my attention.

Once I have the sketch (in this case, I selected a sketch from Sketches for Scrapbooking), then I match photos to the sketch and print them in the appropriate sizes. The sketches are flexible, though, so sometimes I add or take away photos or change the sizing.

Next, I start digging through my stash to find papers, then embellishments to match my photos (in color and theme). Since I won't be in my scrapbook space to grab things as I develop my layout, I try to think ahead and pack papers and embellishments that can take the layout in a few different directions.

In this example, I used the blue paisley pattern as my main coordination point, but I selected both pink and purple supporting patterns to bring with me. I will most likely choose only one of those colors to play a major role in the layout as I don't want it to get too complicated. When selecting patterns, I keep in mind that I will need both small patterns and large patterns for balance as well as monochromatic and more colorful patterns.

After patterns, I pack solids sheets. I have a bin of scrap paper that I also bring with me (this is helpful for cutting out letters and embellishments) but I pack 12x12 sheets incase I don't have the right color scraps.

For embellishments, I just start looking through everything I have trying to find matching colors and themes. I love using journaling blocks so I try to pack some of those with every layout. Here, I grabbed a favorite set by Little Yellow Bicycle. I use my Cricut for the majority of my titles, but I also like to switch it up a little with chipboard, canvas, fabric, and other letter stickers. Here, I grabbed a new set of Thickers in grey with a stitch details. Because I'm planning to use pink or purple heavily in this layout, I wanted the grey to keep the layout from becoming a rainbow. Once I chose the grey letters, I also selected some grey button shaped rubons to continue the use of that supporting color. I have a huge stash (did I mention my husband has banned me from buying more?) of paper flowers and buttons. They take up too much room to bring with me, so I selected just some of each that match a few different colors in my layout to pack.

Finally, I throw all of these scrapbooking goodies into a 12x12 inch clear folder (they have them at Michael's) to bring to the crop!

An Accomplishment!

I was so excited to hear that my Treasured Visits layout won the June monthly kit challenge at my local scrapbook store, Our Paper Place!  I got a $20 gift card for some fun new products and I'll be attending a crop there soon.

Summer Adventuring in Europe

As you may have noticed, I didn't post for over 2 months. Well, I was off traveling through Europe with my one year old son and my mother. We started in Cambridge, England then traveled by train Paris, France and Karlsruhe, Germany.

Here are just a few quick pictures from our trip. Many more to come through layouts. =)

The Cam River in Cambridge, England:

Posing in front of the punting boats:
At the botanical gardens:
Tobin's new kicks:

Just taking a break on our walk around Cambridge. Tobin was snuggling with Grandma and playing with her hair:
Practicing walking:

With the grandparents:
My close friend Ali, also happened to be in Paris at the same time we were. Here we are riding on the top story of a tour bus about to drive around Arc de Triomphe:

The Grandmothers:


Notre Dame. We were staying with a relative very close to here.
On the bus tour with Grandma:


Tobin being tickled by a tree:
Gardens of Luxemburg:
On this pedestrian bridge in Paris, there is a relatively new tradition to bring your lover to the bridge and leave a padlock with your names on it. And you throw the keys into the river.
Exhausted after a long day visiting Pere Lachaise.
Yummy Parisian breakfast!
Tobin playing with Tante Rita, my husband's great aunt.
My mom lighting a candle in Notre Dame:
At the Karsruhe Zoo with mom and Aunt Alex.
Bubbles with Grandpa and Uncle Keith:
Playing on the steps in Speier, Germany:
Enjoying a bird's eye view over Karlsuhe, Germany:

Love, Adore, Cherish

I made this card for our friends who were married last month. And what a beautiful, heartfelt wedding is was. Congratulations Katie and Bert!

Products used - Patterned paper: Paper Reflections (vines), Creative Imaginations, Chatterbox (brown); Stickers: Stampin' Up; Brads: American Crafts; Tools: Cricut Walk in my Garden cartridge (bread tags); Sketch: Sketch Support

This card was designed from a wonderful sketch created by Allison Davis. To see her sketches and more projects designed from them, you should stop on by Sketch Support!

First Dip in the Pool

The goal this summer was to get Tobin used to the pool. Here he is on his first adventure. He's got a jingle ball cat toy in one hand for comfort and he's holding on to me for dear life with the other.

Products used - Patterned paper: Bella Blvd (purple), My Mind's Eye (clouds), Making Memories (stripes); Stickers: Marcella K (first swim), K&Company (fish), Making Memories (glitter letters); Tools: Sewing machine, Cricut Gypsy Font cartridge (title); Sketch: Sketch Support

To see more fabulous projects created from the same sketch, please visit Sketch Support!