You are...

I figured since my little guy is about to be a 1st grader, it's high time to get his Kindergarten page scrapped.  Where has my year gone?  I'm scrapping more than ever, but still nowhere close to being caught up.  I used to be a chronological scrapper, but I grew frustrated with that and now just scrap whatever moves me but putting them in albums chronologically.  I am still doing weekly challenges for Scrapbook Steals, and after doing a series of 52 sketches, we are starting off this week with a new group.  This is the 1st sketch of the Topaz group,with each gemstone group consisting of 10 sketches.  I can't wait for Wednesdays, now my favorite day of the week, because I get to see the latest sketch and start thinking about what I'll do.  This week was a quick one, and I  knocked this one out in an hour.  Thanks for looking! 

Pre-School

This is my 52nd layout based on the Scrapbook Steals mid-week mojo sketch.  I stumbled across SS when they were on the 6th sketch, and I'm proud to say that I've faithfully created a layout each and every week since that time, even going back to catch up on 1-5 in later weeks.  I have been incredibly inspired and have learned so much.  I look forward to all of the feedback the Scrapbook Steals girls give and I've learned to break out of my comfort zone.  My old layouts all kinda looked the same, with little variation from "my style".  I had never scrapped off of a sketch before, thinking that I would be better off "doing my own thing".  Now I sometimes have a hard time creating without a sketch.  I've learned to adapt them to fit my photos, changing things as I go to make it my own.  Before Scrapbook Steals, I tried to spend a few hours of crafty time each month, but only when I had a big block of free time.  Now I've learned to work as I have time, even if that means I only have 10 minutes to move things around or make a quick adjustment.  If I get frustrated, I just wait and come back to it later when I've had more inspiration.  And I'm so excited to show off my work to people who truly appreciate this hobby.  It's definitely a labor of love, but I think it's all worth it!  The memories that I've captured are priceless and I love looking back thru my pages with my kids!



Go fish

I was in a scrappy mood, so I headed to my quiet space and decided to have a go at Bo Bunny's layout challenge sketch.  Here is the sketch I was inspired by:

Of course, their sketch looked way more feminine than any of my pictures did, so had to put a "boyish" twist on it and make it my own.  I combined pieces from three collections: Grease Monkey, Roughin' It, and Sun Kissed.  I must say that I'm pleased with how it turned out and I'm glad to be getting caught up with some older pictures.  This picture is over 2 years old already!

Crafty Enablers Challenge

A group of scrappy friends recently started a blog.   We regularly chat and share scrappiness as part of a facebook group, but the Crafty Enablers blog was recently born.  It was suggested that we try to do monthly challenges amongst those in our group.  I'm always up for a challenge, and sharing with these girls is always so much fun!  This month, Chloe challenged us to complete a layout using NO patterned paper.  I typically include several patterned papers on my layouts, so this was a big task for me.  I was afraid the layout would be boring and plain, but I set out to try some misting, some stitching, and some die-cutting on my Cricut.  I really had no plan in mind when I started, but knew that I wanted to use this darling photo of my little guy.  I used my Sew Easy to make a border and then spent the next 2.5 hours stitching.  I just about scrapped this plan halfway thru as my body was aching and as I ran out of floss, but I was a trooper and battled thru, using a slightly different color of floss to finish things off.  I masked and I misted and I cut and I inked.  The end result is really a bit too busy for my liking.  I'm not sure all of the elements really go together as they should, and I'm always skeptical about using flowers or bling on my boy layouts, but I put far too many hours into this layout and it's just going to have to do.  I can't wait to see what my scrappy sisters create for this one and I'm already looking forward to another challenge! 

Tree of Life

I created this layout based on another great 2 page sketch from Scrapbook Steals.  I love working with "nature" themed products, so I busted into my stash and found papers from three of my favorite "outdoorsy" lines.  I used pieces from Roughin' It by Bo Bunny, Happy Camper from Imaginisce, and Campfire by October Afternoon.  I also used my Cricut to cut leaves using Echo Park's Dots and Stripes collection.   I love the "rugged" feel of this layout but struggled with adding "cutesy" embellishments.   I like the finished product and am pleased to say that I'm now halfway thru my Disney album.  Everytime I scrap another Disney layout, it takes me right back to our wonderful vacation and I feel like I'm there again.

I'm in the GOLD club!

I've been participating in weekly challenges at Scrapbook Steals for the past several weeks (okay, for 50 weeks) and I'm proud to say that I have completed each sketch on time every week since week 6.  That takes some really scrappy dedication, considering I've managed to complete my layouts and post them on time even while working full time, going on vacations, etc.  It really keeps me motivated!  And I'm getting more caught up on my layouts, although I am no longer a chronological scrapper, so I still have a lot of old stuff to work on.  Scrapbook Steals is offering a wonderful prize pack to anyone who completed this group of 10 layouts.  Here are my layouts 41-50:

#41- All Star Movies

#42 Disney Vacation

#43 Home

#44  Disney in bloom

#45 Genuine Boy

#46 Surrey Bike

#47 Believe in Magic

#48 Epcot

#49 Xtreme fun!

#50 Scrappy Camper

Weekly Challenge #50!

I found a few pieces of the Happy Camper line at a local scrapbook store and thought they would be perfect to use for the Mid-Week Mojo sketch at Scrapbook Steals.  And since Imaginisce is sponsoring the big giveaway, it was the perfect chance to show off their amazing product.  I just hope this line appears on Scrapbook Steals someday, because I definitely need more!!!

We camped over the 4th of July weekend and had a great campsite near the playground.  This means that the boys were able to go play without me tagging along and I had a little time to actually relax.  But of course, I'm not very content to sit and do nothing, so I packed up some scrappy gear and worked on a few scrapbook pages.  It was the first time I've ever scrapped outdoors, and it took some adjusting to go back to working out of a bag instead of all spread out in my scrappy room, but I made it work! Thanks for looking!