I did some scrappin'! I know you are surprised... it's been a while. This is Elan and some of his many hats. He loves hats, helmets, hoods, and plays the part when he has one on! I captured a picture or two for every season from last year and it was so fun to compare how much he has grown.

Supplies: White and Kraft cardstock, Smash polka dot tape, Studio Calico cloud chip shapes and Mister Huey in white, AC Dear Lizzy paper garland, Fiskars punch, SEI letter stickers, Chipboard letters, and

October Afternoon stickers and letters.

I hope to scrap some more very soon! I have pictures printed and everything! It's just finding a couple hours to make something wonderful! Hope you find some time this weekend to create.

Enjoy, and GO CARDS! ;)

GROW

I haven't shared a layout in sooo long! I took these pictures of the kids while they played outside in the tree last August. When I saw the colorful tree paper from Little Yellow Bicycle in September, I knew exactly what I was going to do. Sadly, the paper and the photos sat on my desk until just yesterday.

I added some other papers, fringed the green to make it look like grass with my Martha Stewart scissors, and a Dear Lizzy glittered chipboard "grow." The little embellies next to the pictures are from Fancy Pants.

I always say how fast the kiddos are growing up. I want them to grow, but just a little s l o w e r. I miss the days where they just want to cuddle on a lap and read a book. Now, they play soccer together in the mud and have to strip down in the garage before even thinking of coming in the house. Anna reads to Elan and Mac is loosing all his teeth. Elan makes himself a snack without wanting any help and they all go on "path hiking" adventures together. I sit home and wait for someone that needs a hug or kiss... and I'm not ashamed to say that I bribe them with treats so they will sit and talk to me.

Grow on little buddies...

Oh Joy!

Like I promised... our Christmas card for 2011. I send out over a hundred cards every year- they can't ALL be handmade! So, I order some photo cards and the handmade ones get the same photo inserted.

I love the most recent comment from someone that received our card, "I love how you don't match your kids in holiday outfits and don't make them pose!" Not sure if I should be offended or not! :) I like to send out photos that express who my children are- not what they are pretending to be, with cheesy smiles and stiff poses, cringing at an outfit that I made them wear for 10 minutes and will never wear again! And actually, they do match! And this is who they are... darling, toothless, playful and full of Christmas JOY!

Always Up to Something...

Hi there! Hope you all had a great Saturday. It was a beautiful day and I have officially started my marathon training! I ran 10 miles yesterday morning with my running group, and I have to say... it was awesome. I was so dang proud of myself for running at a wicked pace and up lots of hills to boot! Took the kiddos for a full day at the pool and grilled out for dinner. Pretty much a perfect summer Saturday!

I wanted to share a cute layout of Elan I made last week. I took these pictures of him while we were on vacation and thought they showed his little personality so well... that face always looks like he's up to something!

I really just took the cute pictures and put them on the page. Not many embellies... I did use some chipboard and decorative tape, and yellow twine that I am in love with! Easy peasy... have a good Sunday!

Elan is 2 Wheelin'!

Last week, Elan learned to ride his bike without his training wheels. *Sigh* isn't he a little young for this? Why does he want to grow up so fast? This year, he will be riding a big boy bike in the 4th of July neighborhood parade, and it seems like last year I was pushing him in a stroller. Time just goes by so fast... 

He was so excited, and so proud of himself... he ran to me saying, "Mom! I'm never riding with training wheels again!" He picked it up easily and has been 2 wheelin' ever since.

A Favorite Photo

The challenge blog over at These Are a Few of My Favorite Things has requested the use of a favorite photo(s). I love this picture of Elan. It was taken on his fourth birthday in February and the eyeballs on the kid are just huge! I also loved that I captured the "4" fingers he was holding up and he's mouthing the word "four" in the background. I love pictures that you take and will never be able to recreate! This is a rather simple layout, but I really wanted the pictures to be the main focus. So, do you have a favorite photo that needs scrappin'? Join the fun if you do! ;)

JB- Sugar Plums!

Today, I am the Guest Designer over at Jingle Belles! I came across this inspiration board on the Paper Doll Romance blog and it was titled "Visions of Sugar Plums." I thought it would be a great prompt for a holiday card! It reminds me of the Nutcracker, and all that purple, glittery goodness reminds me of how sweet the holidays actually are!This is the card I came up with: I was inspired by the bottom right corner of the photo. I loved the garland and the ballet shoes, and how soft it all looked. So, I pulled out some sugar plum colors, coarse glitter, white ink and some scissors and went to town!

As I was crafting, 2 of my 3 shadows were close. So close, they wanted to make a skate card too. Ugh... I agreed and then they went to town with glitter, the Cuttlebug, ink and rhinestones. I love that they want to create, but they get everything out and make a huge mess. I still have coarse glitter on my desk... 3 days later!

Here is Anna's card. She is 6 and I believe she is adopting my "clean and simple" style. But the girl does love glitter, and more is, well, more! Her favorite tools- stamps and markers!

Here is Elan's card. He is 4. Anna was a bit perturbed that he kind of "copied" off of her card, but actually, he copied my card. How about those orange socks? He's quite the stamper! His favorite tools- the Cuttlebug and Glue Dots.I hope you will join the Jingle Belles blog this week and make a Sugar Plum card! With all this purplicious inspiration, I don't see how you could pass up the challenge! ;)

Can't wait to see all the creations!

Mini Album

Hello friends. I hope you are staying dry, 'cause in these parts, it's awfully wet. The rain can stop now. I'm serious. It's Derby week and the weather really needs to make a full 360 degree turn before Thursday. Louisville is depressing right now... So, to lift some creative spirits, I'm going to share this mini album I made for Elan during my scrappin' trip with the girls. Each of my kiddos now have their own little album of favorites and they love them!

Here is the cover and order of pages:

"The End"These mini albums are very easy to create. I use 4x6 chipboard postcards and cover them with crumpled tissue paper. I simply attach the tissue with a glue stick and then take Glossy Accents glue to smooth around the edges to prevent the paper from pulling up. Punch two holes, add your binder rings, ribbon, photos and embellishments a ta'da! A mini album is born.

Go Away, Rain!

Enough with the rain already! Good grief... we have had epic rainfall and we are expecting buckets more between tonight and tomorrow. The depression almost settled in when I remembered I had this precious layout to share of Elan. I made it on my girls scrappin' trip:

A close up of the cute "puffy" by KI Memories and the beads I used to mimic raindrops.
Sorry for my blog absence... I hosted my first Easter and I was preparing food and cleaning house all last week. I took some fun photos that I hope to upload today and share a little later. Until then, enjoy this little cutie in all his rain gear glory!

Using Your Scraps!

Do you have scraps? I have scraps, yes I do, I have scraps, how 'bout you? Okay, that was really cheesy, but it just flew out of my mouth like a peppy cheerleader. But seriously, do you save your scraps? If so, do you use them? I save 'em and I use them- a lot. I even have drawers that the scraps are in and organized by color. For example... If you make a layout like this: ...you are only using less than half of a 12x12 sheet of paper. Sometimes, I save to use on a layout for a different kid (heaven forbid that the same paper be on 2 different layouts in the same book!). When I don't want to do a layout, I make a card! This card, I used the orange polka dot paper and added some matching stripes to coordinate at the top. I had a bit of the stripes left, so I used it to make another card: The pleated paper is another scrap that my friend, Elizabeth had in her trash. This type of trash digging would be called "Ragpickin'" in my family. Waste not, want not, Mom always said! The flower is from a swap that Elizabeth had also discarded- well I sure am glad I saved it, because it looks pretty cute on this card! So, there you have it... a layout, and two cards made mostly of scraps and unwanted leftovers that I fostered into cuteness. Hope you find some use of your scraps and make them feel wanted and loved... that hideous paper is just begging for a makeover!

Happiness is...

...being married to a wonderful man that loves you for who you are and adores everything you do. Today marks the day that I have been married for 9 years. Happy Anniversary, darling. ;) This is the card I made for him: Next up, my Jingle Belles card for the week! This week, we needed to follow a recipe: white, a present, a bow or knot, and traditional Christmas colors. Here is my card: I know, there isn't a present. I forgot to add that. Pink isn't a traditional Christmas color? It is in my house- pink is a traditional color for every holiday. I added some white crochet lace trim and there is a bow tied around the jeweled branches. Some recipes aren't meant to be followed exactly how there are written. :) I thought I better share a layout today or you guys might think I'm a big tease. So, here's a simple one that I cranked out lickety split! It's not too hard to make a layout when you have adorable pictures to work with! This is Elan on his fourth birthday, this past February 2. Stay tuned... much more to share! I finally got all my projects and layouts photographed and uploaded today. Yay!

Being Awesome

Hello, friends in blogland. Thought I would share this layout I did a while back... I submitted it to a couple design teams and a couple scrap calls and unfortunately, it didn't get picked up or given the "wow" I was hoping for! I think it's pretty great: Nothing really that spectacular, but I thought the spray ink and glittered buttons were a good effort of making mock fireworks! Sometimes, you have to be your own biggest fan... I am so okay with that! Here's a close up of the fireworks: I think I love my scrapbookk layouts because of the photos, not so much the design. Of course, I love the patterned papers and embellishments, but the pictures really tell the story and bring back the memories- that's what's important. Don't you think? And for all of you out there that haven't gotten that super cute card picked up in a call or had that totally awesome layout printed in a magazine or made the design team you wished to get picked for... Don't Give Up! You ROCK! That's right, you are creative and spirited and you enjoy the craft just because. And when you do get picked... Woo-hoo! But until then, I'll be an abnoxious cheerleader for you and me both! And while we are on the subject of being awesome... check me and my sister-in-law, Lara out: The Papa John's 10 Miler was this past Saturday. We did great, never gave up, ran those hills while cussing and belting out some Cake and Michael Jackson tunes. We ran our 10 minute miles and had a ball doing it. At this moment, it's not so fun going up and down steps since my thighs hurt so bad, but hey, what an accomplishment! I feel like a superhero! Until next time, you go, girl! Get out there and be your own biggest fan... we are awesome!

Two for Tuesday!

Right on! I'm a crazy, craftin', cool mama! Okay, I'm not that cool, actually kinda nerdy- my kids will definitely say I'm not cool, but I used to be! I use to be awesome! Then, I had three little ones and my cool-o-meter dropped drastically. Enough of that! Look at this hilarious layout:

Elan gets some serious bed-head, but on this particular morning, pictures had to be taken! I have been wanting to scrap them for a while and apparently today was the day! A closer look and the wicked title: I used some Echo Park paper, KI Memories quick strips, and all the chipboard is Cosmo Cricket, from the Joy Ride collection. The sketch is brought to you by Sketchy Thursdays.

Have a great evening and try playing along over at Sketchy Thursdays!

My baby turns four

My, oh my how the time does fly. My baby is four today and it seems that yesterday he was turning two. We like to block out the first 18 months of his life because he was a terrible baby. He never slept and cried 18 hours of the day. He had colic, reflux, and just couldn't settle himself into our little family. So, today he is four. Stephen and I grew as a couple and I gained strength as a mom after Elan was born. I learned so much... God knew I needed him and he apparently needed me too. Elan is now so funny and confident. He loves life and people, and especially his mama.

The beginning was rough, but we bonded and became so close. We learned from each other. We needed each other.

Elan is one in a million. His dimples, his smile and his beautiful eyes tell so much of who he is. If you look close enough, you can get a glimpse of his soul through his eyes... they are a crisp green and look straight into his heart.

This is by far one of my favorite photos of Elan, and I just took it this past Sunday.

Some more of my favorite "Elan" photos...

This weekend when I asked Elan what he wanted for his birthday dinner, he replied, "Cake!" I said, well, if we have cake for dinner, what will we have for dessert? Without hesitation, he replied, "Brownies!" Well, duh. I am such an idiot.

The child is hilarious...

He came up from the basement this weekend and he was grabbing his arse... as he cried, he said, "Mom, I think I broke my collar bone."

All he wanted for his birthday was his own deer steak that he didn't have to share with anyone.

He sticks rocks in his nose, eats dirt, dog poop and mulch, he can negotiate himself into getting exactly what he wants. He has a smile that will make you melt and he is seldom clean. He is wild, and has the attention span of a gnat. He claims he is going to live with me forever.

I love him dearly.

Happy Birthday, sweet boy, I love you.

Poppy's Layout

My scrapbooking has suffered... I put it on the back burner during the holidays because I have so many other things and projects to do. I haven't made a layout in months! So, last night, I got out a couple pictures that I have been wanting to scrap for a long time and set out some new product and went to town!

These pictures are from 4th of July in 2009, and are of my dad and Elan. I love the ways a photo tells a thousand words... Elan has always loved Poppy and had an instant bond with him the day he was born. The journaling is on the pull-out tag that I added a rub-on to the outside of the pocket.

A close up of the banner...

To make this banner, I used the new triangle punch by Marvey and the circle emblem is from Martha Stewart. I have gotten really attached to certain punches and these are two of them. Lots of uses and possibilities!

And... I used Sketchy Thursdays sketch for the week to inspire me:

Enjoy, and I hope you find inspiration too!

Sketchy Thursdays GDT Challenge

Sketchy Thursdays is having their challenge for the next Guest Designer for August. I loved the sketch, and let's face it, I'd love to be a guest designer for them too! ;) So, I gave it a whirl...

The sketch:

The Catch... use YELLOW and a HANDMADE EMBELLIE! tweet!

This is my take on the sketch:

My bird and the little felt flower are handmade by me:I love these pictures I used. I almost threw them away because they are a bit dark, but Elan was having so much fun on the beach at dusk searching around and looking at washed up things. I captured a moment I didn't want to forget. So glad I scrapped them!

Super You!

I'm back... slowly but surely, I'm getting back to normal after a very fun, busy Derby week. Stephen and I were happy to see Derby come to an end... we must be getting old.

And for today, a super cute layout of my littlest super dude, Elan. These are pajamas! Mac would have loved them at this age, and he is still into superheros! These pictures were taken right out of the tub and with the jammies on for the first time. Elan said, "Mommy, do you want to take my picture?" Well, holy smokes, yes I do! The child never wants his picture taken! Then with cute pics in hand, a layout was born...

A closer view... see that felt star border? I found a 3 yard roll of it in the $1 bin at Michael's!

I'll be back tomorrow... got to get some work done before bed time, which is quickly approaching! :)