A Very Special Process....Scrapbook Circle December Kit

This Scrapbook Circle kit is just gorgeous, first of all.  Check out THIS LINK for more images.

When I approached it, I wanted to do something a bit different this time around.  So I sat down, and thought about some of my favorite Christmas memories and WROTE about them!  That's right...I journaled BEFORE I started my pages.

It was a totally different process for me, but I just LOVE these pages!!!!  Since I typed it all up ahead of time, I decided to print out my journaling for each page.

I will be sharing my journaling and some stories and hopefully some prompts every Wednesday this month on The Scrapbook Circle blog, so please check it out every Wednesday (I will post a bit here, too!).

Happy Thanksgiving! More S.E.I...

This holiday is meant for reflecting on what we are thankful and grateful for...and that is exactly what I am doing today!  I hope you are doing the same and are enjoying time with family and friends!

These are my next few project for S.E.I!  I had asked my dad to send me some old photos he had, and these were two of the ones that he sent to me.  They are of just beautiful quality for the years that they were taken (1952, and 1953). 

This first was one of my grandma, whom I didn't really know because she passed when I was 3.  But I hear so many lovely stories from her from my dad that I feel like I know her!

More details HERE on the S.E.I. blog.

This next photos is really cool....it is of my dad's family when he was a little boy (he is in the back) during Thanksgiving Dinner!!! 

Again, more details on the S.E.I. blog!

Enjoy your happy happy day!!!!!!

My FIRST S.E.I. Project!

I am so very excited about my first S.E.I. project!  I am a bit, nervous, too, and this is my first manufacturer's DT, so I want to do them justice!!!

SO in the spirit of the week, I decided to make some name place setting for our table this Thanksgiving.  I used the warm and rich colors of the Moonrise collection.

I used some tags of various shapes and sizes and ran them through an embossing folder that has a "burlap" pattern. I inked the tags and tied some jute twine on the ends. I used a leaf punch to punch an orange, green, and brown leaf, which I folded a bit to make the leaves more 3-D. I took a small square of patterned paper, distressed the edges, and stitched a small border. I then cut my name with a die and glued them on!

I plan to hang each from a gourd or small pumpkin at each persons seat. I think I am going to do something with them after the day is over, too, but I'm not quite sure yet!"


I would love it if you stopped by the S.E.I. blog and left me some love!  :)  Have a wonderful week!

SIX layouts in this post!

I have been a scrappin' freak the past 6 days....probably more than I ever have done in a week!  I have been doing the Cocoa Daisy crop challenges, and have gotten a lot checked off my "To Do" list.  I took a break this week from design team stuff and did it for ME! 

So I am not going to go into a lot of detail about these layouts, so I guess I will just let them speak for themselves!  There is a bit more info about each in the Cocoa Daisy gallery...Thanks so much for looking, and if you have specific questions, please ask!   WHICH ONE IS YOUR FAV?

The 10 things that Charlotte says right now.  I created the text with a word cloud program like Wordle.

A HARD challenge, inspired by Kim Watson.

A photo I have been wanting to scrap for a long time!  The papers we will be using at my next LSS class.

Love how this came out!  Some frames from Maya Road and Tattered Angels and some mists and paint and punches!

This is my MOST favorite!!!  You had to use something from yoru kitchen on your page.  I used a FORK to paint!  I actually like the way it came out.  I was trying to mimic the spilled milk and the cheerios with the design....

Cute, nakey butt....enough said....

Fun Fun at Cocoa Daisy!

Cocoa Daisy is one of my favorite places to hang out.  They have the most inspiration design team!   There was an online crop that started this past Friday with all kinds of challenges and classes (which go til the 21st so you can still participate!).  So far I have done three of the challenges, PLUS the one hour layout challenge (which is C R A Z Y), so I thought I'd share!  The whole theme of the crop was "home" and every challenge has to do with a room in your house.

The first challenge was to use this photo for inspiration:

I picked up on the white frame on the wall, the patter of the wall paper, and the colors.
I used a lot of supplies for an old Cocoa Daisy kit.

Next up was "The Attic".  You had to use a piece of trim, some memorabilia, and handwriting.

I have been meaning to do this page forever.  You see, this little purple bow was in my daughter's hair the day after she was born.  The nurses had cleaned her up, swaddeled her up so tight, and put this bow in with a lttle dab of gel.  When the brought her to me like that, it was at that moment that I felt the connection....an image and feeling that will last forever.

So that bow is on this page, along with our bracelets from the hospital.

In the "Music Room" was a challenge where there were a selection of CD covers and we had to use one for inspiration.  So I choose this one by Nine Inch Nails (and one of my fav CD's, too!)

It reminded me of a mess and dirt, and I just had to use a photo of Charlotte all dirty.  She LOVES the dirt and sticks and rocks.....

I started with a beige cardstock and then added some gesso in "globs" for some layers.  I inked with a little bit of straw ink, misted, painted a bit more, and then sanded.  I also added some twine that I had misted too.

There is a show on "Sprout" called "Dirt Girl" (it is kinda strange), but the concept is good.  Anyways, they always say It's a Dirt Girl World, so hence the title....

Lastly was the one hour challenge on Sunday.  These things stress me out SO bad!  We had to use 2 photo, 5 buttons, something recycled, a tag from something, and book or music paper. 

So I have this pile of "tidbits" on my desk, which are things that I have made that didn't make it onto a page yet.  The pile is getting bigger and bigger.  So I dumped it on my floor to see what I could use.

The orange circles thing was a mailer from Gymboree.  I filled the circles with patterned paper and journaled in them.  The tag is on the left and says "Seriously cute", and was from some clothes form Old Navy.  The dictionary paper is in a circle, behind the title, and at the top.  And of course my 5 buttons are on there, too!

Whoop-De-Do! Halupki!

My mother's side of the family is polish (and I'm blonde, which isn't a great combo!  :)  ).   Anyways, I grew up listening to polka's like Hupi Shupi (sp?) and eating pierogies and halupki.  My mom came to visist about a month ago, and I asked her to show me how to make them, since I never learned.  I have a lot of memories of going to visit my grandma and grandpa and the smell of cabbage simmering in their house.

This month at my LSS, I chose the AdornIt Caroloee's Creation lines to work with.  So I checked out their blog, and aren't they having a LO contest about a recipe????  So that is how this LO came to be! 

The swirls on the patterned paper reminded me of steam rising from the halupki when they come out of the oven.

Part of the challenge was to used striped ribbon, a monogram, and a stamped image.  I used some self adhesive ribbon from GCD studios and some baker's twine.  The monogram I printed from a font on my computer and then colored it in.

 For the stamped image, I used some American Crafts stamps from the Abode line.  I added a bit more detail to the oven with pen.

Finally, I used some AC thickers for my title and outlined them with a thin black pen.

I love doing layouts about my childhood memories, so I am glad I got to kill a lot of birds with this one.....that doesn't sound right....anyways, we will be making this page in my class on Nov. 28 at The Lonestar Scrapbook Company.

I am so lucky...(Scrapbook Circle)

I am so lucky to be on the Scrapbook Circle Design Team.  I absolutely just LOVE the kits every single month.  Here is the beautiful anf bountiful November kit:

So I started first with the Crate Paper School Spirit papers, whose colors are perfect for fall!  I arrange the photo on the "rays" page so that the center of the rays emulated from the center of my sweet little girl!

I cut out a frame, and rolled back the inside edges to expose the back side of the paper.

I cut some circles from another sheet of patterned paper to make the banner and the scalloped edge.  Stitching completes the ensemble.



The second page I did was using the gorgeous Catching Fall papers by Lily Bee.  I just love the patterns and the colors in these.  When I saw them, I thought "farmhouse" , and so that thought inspired me on this LO.

I used part of the packaging from the Jillibean Soup corrugated shapes for my title area.  I used a bunch of twine from my stash, and the dark brown burlap included with the kit.

Now these lovely little fringe flowers I learned from a tutorial HERE.  This wonderful woman has SOOO many fantastic flower tutorials...go check them out!

Next, I wanted to use some of the Bella Blvd. papers and make a more "fall" type of layout.  I stamped my background with some different stamps and some light colored inks and distressed the edges of my cardstock.  I fussy cut out all the little pieces from the papers.

For the scarecrow I used a popsicle stick (which I inked) behind him to stick him into the hay bale.  To make the hay bale, I glued a piece of burlap to a rectanlge shaped piece of chipboard, and then frayed another piece and took a whole bunch of the strands to make it look like hay!  I glued it all down with fabric glue.

Lastly, this is my favorite page, I think!  (Although I said that about each one above as I was making it.)

When I have been working with kits the past few months, I have been tending to use the papers all from one manufacturer on a page and not mixing it up as much, which I miss.  I mean, it is a lot easier to use everything from the same line because it coordinates, but I wanted to challenge myself to use a lot of the different lines together on a page and this is what I came up with!

 

My inspiration started with the Jillibean Soup "Nerd" journaling spot, and, well, I thought of my husband.  I had these photos of us from the Renaissance Fest a few weeks ago.  He hates when I try to take a photo of us while I am holding the camera, and he kept saying, OK, I'll smile, or I'm Ready, and I would go to click and he would purposfully look away.  Jerk.  I did get one good one in at the end.

Another fun fact about this layout.  I never used a paper trimmer or a ruler for anything on this page.  I cut all the strips by hand, and I know they are a little wonky, but that is the way I wanted it!

OK, so I have been SOOOO busy lately, as you can tell this week!!  I hope to work on a few things next week to post, but we'll see!