starting to get the hang of things

I may be starting to get the hang of this full time thing. I think that I may have found a balance. Thankfully, I am starting to feel less overwhelmed at work & things are really starting to gel. Yep, things are still crazy but at least I am starting to get used to the madness! LOL For awhile there, I was so exhausted when I got home I couldn't even think about scrapbooking but lately I have had a little creative energy at the end of my day. I used We R Memory Keepers Retro Glam for this LO. (One of my Ross bargains) I added some gems to give it a little sparkle. These are some of my favorite Disney detail photos.

The title shows up so much better in this shot. It kinda disappears in the photo of the entire LO. I added faux stitching to the word Details to mimic the "Happiness Is" strip.

Wanted to include a pic from Sophia's art show. She drew this pastel on the sidewalk. It turned out wonderfully!

Here's what I have to deal with! Sophia refused to have her picture taken & this is what I got from the boy! He's still super cute though.

Have a great weekend!

Feels like Fall

The weather has been crazy lately. It has felt more like winter or fall. I have been bundled in fleece & our heater has had a little workout. Feeling inspired by the shift in weather I decided to pull out some fall pics from the pumpkin patch. I used Basic Grey Ambrosia for the patterned paper and the chipboard & Bazzil for the grey cardstock. Here's a close up of one of the pumpkins (Making Memories), I added a little ribbon to echo a vine.

I felt that the bottom corner needed a little more so I added this swirl. I love playing around with different looks. I am not a terribly organized or structured scrapper. I will try just about anything! I used to fear that all of my LOs looked the same. Then I figured that I am comfortable with my style and I gave up the idea that every LO had to be completely different. After all, all of my LOs have one thing in common....me.

Sometimes it's easy for me to get caught up in all of the other stuff that goes along with this hobby (way of life), the desire to be published, design teams, cool new product, the message boards. Every once in a while I need to remind myself that I am doing this for me & my family and if we like it....that's what matters most. Nope, I may never be published but my kids will always love looking through my books & that's what matters!

Have a great week!

Creative morning

So, the other day I stopped by Tuesday Morning because I hadn't been there in a while. 32$'s later I was smiling ear to ear with a brand new bag of scrapbook goodies! I scored big time! I picked up several items from Making Memories and Anna Griffin. What's fun about TM is not only do you get great deals...you also find fun items that you never knew you wanted. Case in point: I picked up some great self adhesive vinyl & some awesome clear specialty patterned paper. I can't wait to try a project with my new goodies! This morning I opened the Anna Griffin kit and created this LO of my mom & her BFF of over 30 years. Anna Griffin is not usually my style but it worked well with this pic & I figured for the right price I could try something new! I also felt inspired after flipping through the latest tips & tricks from CK. I also broke out the paint to add a little extra to the cb frame.

I have had these pics of the kids for almost a year. I used stars from a star toss that I was in, the pp is from Chatterbox (yep, that old!) & Autumn leaves.

Have a great week!

Two days in a row!

I am having so much fun with my paper pads! This one is from We R Memory Keepers. I added a few extra things but 90% of what is on this page is from the pad, even the chipboard letters! Gotta love that! I love Disneyland during the holidays & it is especially beautiful in New Orleans Square. I love the masks & the amazing garlands & wreaths. I think that I will def. borrow some of these ideas next year. Especially if we are in our new place.
I feel a little out of it this year because I didn't do anything special on NSD. I missed the sales, the fun on the MBs and I didn't have a special crop to attend. I will hopefully make up for it this month...gotta get back on track!
Have a great day!
Update: I realized that I spelled Square wrong after I saw it on my computer screen...oops! I changed the LO but I don't think that I am going to retake the pic. Well, at least it is now correct in my album!

Happy Birthday Mom

My mom's birthday is tomorrow & I wanted to share the card that I made for her. I used paper from a Me& my Big Idea paper pad that I picked up at Ross for 7.99. I love the paper & it is perfect for making birthday cards. I also scored one that has primary colors that will be perfect for cards for younger kids. I really do have a weakness for paper stacks. I love having the die cuts, paper, chipboard & letter stickers all coordinated for my ease. Now that I am not spending as much time in my scrapbook space I have really embraced the convenience of a paper pad. I am also won over by the good deals. I am a sucker for a good deal! I also want to add that the silver stars are from a star toss swap that I participated in. I love the way they add a little shine to the card. Hope that everyone had a lovely Mother's day!
Have a great week!

Let's talk about me!

So often, I just focus on the kids. As I was going through my rather large stack of Disney photos, I discovered that I was in 2 of them. One of me with the whole group and this one, me alone, in front of the castle that my mom took. When I think of Disneyland I always get a warm feeling in my heart. It really is my happy place. When I can't sleep at night, I will mentally "walk" through the park. I listen to one of my 8 park soundtrack cds when I feel like going back. There's just something about hearing Walt's opening speech that puts a smile on my face. I wanted to create a LO that partly conveyed how I feel. The bright cheery colors reflect my attitude when I am there. My worst day at Disneyland is better that any day anywhere else! I even feel close to God when I am there, when I see the creativity and brilliance that inspired Walt to create, I know that God was behind it! I still have to add journaling but rather than having it on the actual Lo I Have attached an envelope to the back were I will enclose the journaling. Not everyone needs to know the depth of my Disney obsession! LOL.
For supplies I used We R Memory Keepers paper pad: "Tiffany's", I also added some gems for sparkle but they don't really come through in this pic. Although the LO went together rather smoothly, I actually started it last week but finished it yesterday. I have found that I have to scrap little by little. I fear that I am going through a little bit of a creative drought. I know that I will be back in full force soon enough but it's still frustrating!

a little me time

Well, my "me" time has become few and far between but I was able to eek out a few extra moments to create a LO. It felt good to create again.

Supplies: cs: Recollections;pp: Me & My Big Ideas; border stickers: Recollections.

I love this paper because the bright colors & whimsical drawings remind me of It's A Small World. I cut the bird out of the added paper & added the googly eye to give it a fun touch.

Have a happy Easter all!