Well, I’ve finally found some time to scrap lately. I’ve actually gotten quite a bit done (yippee!!) While checking things off my list, I completed this for Becky Fleck’s PageMaps challenge. I love her challenges, and try to do as many as I can, but it’s been a while. I loved this sketch — and knew immediately what photo I wanted to use. This is one from a few years ago that I am putting in a scrapbook I am making about myself…it was Emily’s first trip to the ocean, and everything was just perfect — down to the awesome white dress I found at Gap Kids. When I saw the dress I began forming the photo op in my mind (pathetic, no?)

Thanks for stopping by:

PageMaps sketch challenge

Here’s a detail of the chipboard/Heidi Swapp ghost hearts and the bling. I used a Close to My Heart stamp set for the circles.

Welcome to my stop on this summer blog party. This is my first-ever blog hop and am super excited to see all the creativity on this journey. (If you’d like to join the hop from the beginning — start here!) For those of you who don’t know me (which I am sure is most!) I am the Art Director at Louisville Magazine during the day and an avid scrapper on the weekends. I’ve been married for just over 10 years and we have a fantastic, creative, joyful (and stubborn) 6 year-old daughter. She’s the focus of most of my scrapping. I want proof for when she’s 14 and yells “I hate you” and slams her bedroom door in my face that once upon a time we had lots of fun together. And who knows, maybe these little stories I tell will just keep the “I hate  yous” at bay… ;o)

This layout is actually for a scrapbook I am working on for myself, about me. This was one of those moments I don’t ever want to forget. I was watching her play in the sprinkler and she had asked me several times to play — and I kept saying “No — I don’t want to get wet.” But as I watched her and sat in wonder at her energy and enthusiasm and pure joy — I thought, “There is NO reason not to get wet — and it could be fun!” So — I ran out there and got soaked — shoes and all. Together we laughed and giggled and screamed as the cold water hit us. And, we had a ball.

After about 20 minutes she gave me a huge hug and said “You’re the best mommy ever.” — And you know what? In that moment I had to agree.

The papers are Adornit — I fussy cut out the flowers and added some jewels and/or stickles (LOVE THEM) and buttons. The large flower I popped up on a Piggy Tales spring — love these too. Thanks for stopping by.

The next stop is Sarah at http://papertree.blogspot.com/

Piggy Tales Spring under a fussy-cut flower

CTMH doodle alphabet stamps and Doodlebugs Thickers

So, I just ordered my prints to make the pages for the AdornIt blog hop. I am super excited! I am going to Amy’s crop tomorrow and will scrap away.  I’m also entering some layouts into the State Fair, and if I have time, I will work on those projects tomorrow, too.

If I’m smart: I’ll figure out a way to double-dip ;0). I may enter some pics of me and Emily playing in the sprinkler in the “family” category — pictures which I think are going to match some new AdornIt papers perfectly…hmmm…

Okay…Emily actually let me take her photo this morning before we left for Horse Riding Camp — she has been looking forward to this week for MONTHS. Had to share the photos because some of you still don’t have facebook! ;o) I am going to a friend’s crop this weekend, and you can bet these photos will be at the top of my stack to scrap. Check out her website here.

Once again, Beck Fleck (owner of my favorite sketch site pagemaps.com — see my favorite links) has challenged us with a sketch. I think I am getting in BARELY under the wire…but, here’s my take on her latest sketch challenge. You can’t see it in the photo really well — but I added liquid glass and glitter to the bottom halves of the chipboard letters SNOW — it looks cool, if not a little more subtle that I anticipated, in person. And, of course, the papers & photos look much brighter in real life, too. Thanks for checking it out!

Yes, that is your face buried in the pile of snow

I’ve spent some time looking at some of the other entries — it’s so fun to see how others interpret these sketches. Here are a few of the MANY I found inspiring:

http://www.scrapinstyletv.com/portfolio/view_layout.php?layout_id=150677&user_id=9361

http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/pg.asp?cmd=display&layout_id=1438674

http://emilyjones.typepad.com/controlledchaos/2009/01/basic-grey-yum.html

http://creativelymine.blogspot.com/2009/01/bittersweet.html

Awesome job, ladies!!!

Okay…so, I try. Really I do. I completed the last contest Becky Fleck posted. The winner would get to be published in an upcoming issue of the magazine…I went out an bought new paper. Did a really cute page converting her 8.5 X 11 sketch into a 12 X 12. I just loved it. Got it done early. Never got it posted. Ha! Bummer.

So, here she is, challenging us again (THANK YOU!) She rocks, by the way, so if you haven’t checked out her site and you’re a scrapper, you are missing out. Check her out HERE. This challenge is to scrap a single page of something we are thankful for. Lucky me, I had recently taken this picture of Emily. She was actually looking at the camera — and I (mostly) have her in frame and in focus LOL! So, it’s not that original…I am mostly thankful that she is in my life and that she is just who she is. I wouldn’t change a thing.

I altered the sketch a bit with a hidden journaling block. But, most everything else is dead on.

Here’s with the tag out:

Showing the journal block

And, finally — some of the details. I pierced little holes along the bottom of the scallop, added some rhinestones along the doodled border, distressed the edges of the cardstock (close to my heart) and glittered “lucky” in my title.

Thanks for checking it out!

While I primarily post scrap pages, lately I’ve been to wrapped up in the outside world to do much scrapping. I am anxiously awaiting the elections on Tuesday. I feel so emotionally connected to this outcome, I can’t stand it.

This year, regardless of what happens, history will be made. I will have my camera on hand at the polls to take pictures of the lines (I hope there are long, long, long lines!!!), the sineage on the street corners and maybe even the ballot itself. (I don’t know if there are rules against cameras in the polling locations…?)

I am also volunteering with Kids Vote, which encourages school-aged kids to cast a ballot for the presidential elections as well as the local ones. Hopefully, I can snag a few pictures of these kids, too.

Whatever your political stance — whichever candidate you support, go out and make your voice heard! Vote on Tuesday. Vote, vote, vote. And, if you’re like me, take your camera along so you can scrap this page of yourself doing what we are blessed to be able to do — vote. And share this bit of history with all your generations to come. They will know we were there on the day that history was made. How cool is that?

I am attending an all-weekend scrapbook retreat in November. I am so excited and mentally ready…but my scrap situation leaves much to be desired. A while back I started scrapping “out of order” and now I am left floundering…I don’t know where to begin collecting the items I want to take with me. Finish up some “old” albums? Begin a new one? I have been contemplating going back and starting an album about me and my life….there is so much to scrap, and all this pressure I put on myself to “get caught up” and to “finish”. Why do we do that to ourselves???

I think I just need to approach the weekend with a fun, relaxed frame of mind. Perhaps if I approach it with a “girls weekend away” with scrapping on the side, I can allow myself to just have FUN and not worry about how much I get done.

Having said that…I do like to go in organized. I need to come up with a system of organizing papers and pictures so I have everthing I think I’ll need to get my LOs done….hmmmm…..

It’s been a few months since I’ve had time to play. But I am back in the saddle and had to give this colorstory challenge a whirl. I loved the colors and loved the idea of “quilting” together a page…if only I knew how to sew. I have the machine…collecting dust in my guest bedroom…perhaps one of these days. It’s a bit hard to see, but I distressed the edges of everything–including the base cardstock. The effect in person is stunning…it actually looks like cotton material. Love it. Thanks, colorstory for the inspiration!

Wet and Wild

Click the image to see a larger view!