The ones that love us.

Product: Simple Stories: pattern papers and stickers, Bo Bunny & Crate Paper: alphas, Studio Calico: doily, American Crafts: "love"

This layout was created for Creative Scrapbooker and published in their Summer 2016 issue. I am so grateful that I was asked to contribute for this issue and even more grateful that they keep asking. The call for this page was "layout with movie quote". I used a quote from Harry Potter from Sirius Black that really resonated with me. This is the first photo, the first page that I created of my Dad since his passing. It was the first time I could even think about it. When I got my issue I just held the page open and cried. 

Creative Scrapbooker, formerly known as Canadian Scrapbooker but they now have print available in the USA... and that's freakin' awesome!

You can find my work on page 55, I got the whole page!!! 

You can also see 2 cards I designed on page 121.

Parenting is hard...

Product: Crate Paper

Being a parent is hard. Like really hard! I spend so much time worrying if I'm screwing up, screwing her up, screwing up the future. It gets a little  a lot exhausting. 

I feel some days like I am obsessing and that I sound like a broken record.

Remember your listening ears.

Choose kindness. 

Be the kind of friend you want your friends to be.

Be respectful.

I love you.

Put away your snobby face.

Don't act like a jerk. (I used that the other day when Anna was a total jerk, not my best parenting move but there was nothing else to describe her behavior)

Remember your listening ears.

Choose kindness.

Are your listening ears on?

Take a deep breath.

I love you.

Remember kindness.

And the list repeats itself over and over and over.

I try to remind myself that she's a great kit, she's amazing actually and that she is not perfect- nor would I ever want her to even think she is. I try to remind myself that the mere fact that I am even thinking about these kinds of things is proof enough that we're on the right path. 

Parenting is hard, I can only imagine how much harder it's going to get. I just want her to be happy, I want to be happy. Is it too  much to ask that raising a joyful,  kind, productive, compassionate member of society be a little bit easier? 

I didn't think so.....

What's the point of scrapbooking?

Product: papers, rosettes & flowers: Pebbles' Spring Fling, alphas: Bella Blvd, doily: Studio Calico, glassine bag: Creative Packaging

I was teaching a card class this past weekend and a lady I had not taught or met before asked me the following questions, one after the other, bang, bang, bang - "What is scrapbooking? Why do you do it? What's the point? What do you do with them?"

I just stared at her. What do you mean? Why wouldn't I scrapbook! It's my thing. The point? I actually felt a little stumped. 

I answered a generic answer- "For the purpose of memory keeping and as a creative outlet."  I then continued on with instructing my card class. 

However, I didn't just let it go. Why do I scrapbook? What am I going to do with them all? She obviously, unknowingly- hit a nerve. I felt like I needed to defend myself. My feelings were a little bizarre actually. 

I came home from that class and felt compelled to create, to scrapbook and to tell a few stories. I scrapbooked for 2 days straight, only stopping to eat. The whole time answering the burning question- "Why do I scrapbook?" 

Product: paper & stickers: Doodlebug Designs, cardstock: American Crafts

I scrapbook because it makes my happy. It lights me up and is there really any other reason that matters?

I scrapbook to preserve our memories, to  tell a story, to freeze moments in time. To jump back into the past and touch those memories. I scrapbook because beautiful pattern paper sends endorphins to my brain that make me giddy! If you don't love pattern paper then you won't understand but maybe your thing is new bake ware or paint or fabric. Everyone has a thing. I scrapbook because that happens to be my creative outlet, my space to express myself and recount a story.

As for the other question- "What am I going to do with them all?"

I honestly don't know. Will Anna want them all? I don't know.

What I do know is that I don't think about it much, it's not important. What is important is that for right now, in these moments- creating makes me happy, it brings me joy.  I do hope that as the years go by and aging takes over that we will have these pages, these albums full of memories, albums full of my touch and full of my words to go through. I can't see the future but I know that they will matter, all of it will matter and I will be so grateful that I have a love of memory keeping.

Layout Inspiration with My Mind's Eye

No new info here- I love My Mind's Eye and their paper collections. This line- On Trend 2 is Gorgeous! The gold foil has my heart and I could use it all day! 

 

These glass/mirror embellishments that I used on both layouts are dreamy.

Layouts: She Blooms

These two layouts were created using papers from Bella Blvd's Illustrated Faith She Blooms collection.

I love the black paired with the bold, bright colors. 

I also love my smiley subject matter, she most definitely blooms.

Layout Inspiration: Over sized photos

Product: pattern paper, vellum, chipboard, tag, heart sequins: Crate Paper, "beautiful": Heidi Swapp, gold washi: unknown

Over sized photos = Awesome! This is an 8x12, printed at Costco for $2.50! These photos make a statement on a layout and while you can be limited in what else you can put on your page they draw your eye in and create a focus point for adding your bits & bobs. 

This is Anna's Kindergarten photo and it makes my heart melt every time I look at it. I know that she will go through the awkward phase in school photos- it's inevitable. She will certainly not want me to blow that awkward photo up- that is also inevitable but how great would it be to have an album full of school photos / layouts for the next 12 years! I'll tell you.... it would be so great!

Winter Layout Inspiration

I have a large love affair with all things Simple Stories and this winter line was perfect for our New Years sledding photos. All product is from Simple Stories' Snow Patrol collection.

Love & Paper Inspiration

All product is Crate Paper's Hello, Love collection

The Magic of Friendships: layout inspiration

Both pages were created using product from the Treasured Memories' January month kit.

Creating

I created this layout using the January month kit- Time to Shine for Treasured Memories. 

(Echo Park pattern papers) 

I made this cute little mini and it's take home kits for Treasured Memories. I didn't run it as a class which means kits are available to purchase now. Kits come complete with all the product, photos and instructions. 

More details can be found here.

 

Oh What Fun

product: pattern paper, stickers & washi tape: Kaiser Craft's Holly Jolly, cardstock: Bazzill, pearls unknown

Happy Anniversary Canadian Scrapbooker!

Canadian Scrapbooker celebrated their 10th anniversary and I was fortunate enough to be a part of this issue!

 I am so thankful to the ladies over there for publishing my work. 

Congratulations ladies on 10 years of hard work and print!

Sunshine Friends

Product: papers and doily: Kaiser Craft's A Touch of Gold, gold foam words: American Crafts, clips: Freckled Fawn

Layout Love

Every Tuesday I hope to share layout(s) with you in this space. It gives me a goal and then encourages me to get into all my product and create. I scrapbook because I love capturing moments and freezing them for another time. I love pattern paper, color & photos and turning them into something beautiful. My hope is that you discover some inspiration here and get your own creative hands busy.

product: Crate Paper

product: My Mind's Eye

For the Love of Scrapbooking

product: paper, stickers, chipboard: Crate, alphas, American Crafts

product: paper, stickers, chipboard, chipboard alphas: Crate, alphas, American Crafts

Scrapbooking & Loving It

We had family photos taken this year- instead of balancing my camera on a stand, on a stool and then propped up with a book (tell me you know what I'm talking about) -and I am so happy that we did. The pictures are amazing, the fall colours are beautiful and best of all there was no stress & I didn't have to boss anyone around. I got a few sneaks from Candace and sent them to the printer right away. I needed to see them in print and I needed to scrapbook them. When I was looking through my paper I knew that these papers from We R Memory Keepers were going to be perfect. The colors, the foliage, the pops of gold foil -love it!

product: paper & diecuts: We R Memory Keepers, foam words: American Crafts, & vellum: Webster's Pages

product: paper & diecuts: We R Memory Keepers, chipboard: American Crafts

Halloween Scrapbooking

I can not say no to Halloween product, it might actually border on obsession. Treasured Memories received this product and I was quick to grab some for myself. I have had these pictures from the Disneyland Halloween party for almost a year and I was excited to finally work with them. 

pattern paper & stickers: Carta Bella Trick or Treat, alphas: American Crafts, geo clip: Freckled Fawn

pattern paper, die cuts, flare: My Mind's Eye, alphas: American Crafts

Scrapbooked School Inspiration

As I watch my Instagram feed I am inspired by all the back to school photos, all the cute ideas that other moms are sharing and all the school product that we have at Treasured Memories, especially the Teacher's Pet collection. I dug out some pictures from Anna's first days of Play School and from her Play School graduation (I can't handle how cute those photos are) and created these two layouts. I then used the leftovers to make a couple cute cards.

Happy weekends friends. xo

Layout Love Tuesday

Product: all product is from various companies that I put together for the May month kit for Treasured Memories. Check out the kit- The Sweet Life. 

Tip: for this layout I created the arrows using left over letter stickers. For the 'v' portion I cut apart an X and then used a lower case L  for the body.