Love You

June 2007

Today would have been Dave's and my 19th wedding anniversary. I look back on wedding pictures and can't believe how young we were when we got married! But I wouldn't have had it any other way. We had fourteen beautiful years together, and I don't regret a single day with him. We were very happy together and so much in love. I hope when I see again in Heaven he will be proud of how the boys and I continued to live, laugh and love. We carry his love and legacy with us, even when we blended our family with Jim and his girls. He may not be here physically but he is always in our hearts.

This photo captures memories of a fun day! We were both in my brother's wedding and their photographer, who had also photographed our wedding, took this picture of the three of us.

Jess shared this photo with me after Dave passed away. I love our smiles, but Caleb, who was four months old, had no interest in looking at the camera - he was too busy watching all the dancing going on in the next room!

Scrapbooking Tip:

I wanted a layout to focus on just this picture, and I took the color from the bridesmaid dress as a starting point for my color palette. I had just gotten some patterned paper from The Stamps of Life and loved how it complemented the turquoise in the pictures. I took various sizes of circle punches and created a pile of circles. 

I then drew a heart on the page and starting pasting circles onto the page to fill in the shape. It took some trial and error to get the look I wanted, but I was very happy with the result.

What I probably would have done differently is ink the edges of the circles. I typically ink any paper I adhere to my layout, but I'll be honest, the pile of circles I needed for this layout was a little intimidating, and I didn't want to take the time. If I ever do this type of layout again, I'll definitely take the time.

Count Your Blessings Note Card

This was a simple fall/Thanksgiving card. I used pattern paper from The Stamps of Life along with their cranberry colored cardstock. To get the fun edge, I used edgelits dies. This card came together so quickly and I like its simplicity.

Check out The Stamps of Life Edgelits dies here: Sizzix Edgelits Brackets, Bevels & Lace

Leaves!

Nothing is better than jumping into a big pile of leaves! We were at Nana's & Papa's and we were headed home. As we were walking towards the van, Zach made a beeline for the leaves. Caleb was looking longingly at the pile and I knew that it was more important to capture the moment. When Caleb asked to go in the leaves, I plunked him down in the pile.

Being able to jump into a pile of leaves was something I took for granted until I had a child with a disability. Little everyday moments are not possible for Caleb unless someone makes it happen for him. I'm so glad I took the time to let the boys play rather than rush to the next thing on my to-do list.

Scrapbooking Tips:

I made this layout based on a sketch from Scrapbook Generation. I discovered Scrapbook Generation through Allison Davis. Allison was featured many times in Creating Keepsakes Magazine and I was always drawn to her bright, clean layouts. 

When I was at a Creating Keepsake Convention, I was sitting next to a woman who introduced me to Allison Davis' blog and the store Allison, her mother, sister and aunt ran - Scrapbook Generation. I found that I could purchase sketch books and read her blog full of scrapbooking inspiration! I have learned so much from following her on Pinterest, Facebook and her blogs.

One technique I learned from her was to decorate your journaling block like I did here. By adding a strip of paper and a button, my journaling block becomes a page embellishment!

All Time Favorite Fall Card!

I made this fall note card using paper scraps and the new leaf dies from The Stamps of Life. I had a left over gingham bow from one of my card kits and added it as a final touch. This was so simple and I love the bright, colorful fall wreath!

To purchase these amazing leaf dies, you can check them out here: Leaf Dies

Little Boys Love Tractors

The boys loved to sit on my parents riding lawn mower - even though it was perfectly still and made no noise. I loved the smiles and thought these photos deserved their own layout.

I had these beautiful sheets of pattern paper from SEI and used it as my background paper. In hindsight, I probably would have picked more youthful looking paper, but this was before I had really built up my "stash". 

Scrapbooking Tips:

I took my design inspiration from Becky Higgins. I really liked her clean look. She does not use many embellishments and I thought this paper was so busy it really didn't need much. I did use circle punches to add some circular elements to my pages - like I had seen on a Becky Higgins layout.

I even added the journaling in circle! Again, if I did this over, I would have hand wrote my journaling.

I like the look of photo corners, but sometimes adding them to every corner can make the photo seem "heavy". Here I added photo corners to the left side of the left photo and the right corners of the right photo. You still have some visual balance and it creates a photo group.

Pumpkin Carving 2009

Have I mentioned that I love the fall and all the activities it brings? Here is Pumpkin Carving 2009 where Logan and Zach were so little they had to be in high chairs! I had so much fun making this page. This layout is unusual because it is totally my design - I didn't scrap lift anything! I had a lot of photos I wanted to include so I trimmed the pictures and laid them out in a grid design. I had adorable pumpkin carving and jack o'lantern stickers from Jolee's Boutique that had been in my stash and I designed my layout around them. 

If I could change anything, I would hand write the journaling. Since Dave died, whenever I find a scrap of paper with his handwriting I save it. I now write out my journaling, even though I don't like my handwriting. 

Scrapbooking Tips:

Don't be afraid to cut through your photos! I laid out my photos in a way where the overlapped both pages. I make sure that I don't have any faces where I need to cut my photos. I adhered them down on one piece of cardstock and then carefully lined up the page on my paper trimmer and cut through the pictures. I carefully adhered the loose half of the photos on the other page, making sure to line them up. When the pages go in page protectors, the photos can be seamless.

I LOVED these stickers! They were absolutely perfect for this layout. I like the brand Jolee's Boutique even though they can be pricey. I wait until they go on sale at Hobby Lobby then get the stickers I've been eyeing.

Fun Fall Cards

This was a fun card to make. I used supplies from The Stamps of Life including the stamps, pattern papers and dies. This is a fun flip-it card designed by Stephanie Barnard. Watch what happens when you open it up . . . 

. . . there's more room to decorate! The right flap also folds open giving you lots of room to write a note!

Pumpkin Carving

Pumpkin carving has got to be one of my favorite fall activities! Before the boys started school we made this an annual event with their cousins, Logan and Chase . . . and we have the pictures to prove it.

Here is Pumpkin Carving 2010. We were at Nana and Papa's house so grandkids were allowed on the table - LOL. It was nice because my mom took pictures so I actually got to be in the photos this year. I wanted to include many pictures because the boys were too cute and having so much fun. 

Scrapbooking Tip:

I used a sketch from Scrapbook Generation to create these pages and they suggested using scraps of paper to create a border. I loved the look so much I used the same technique again on another layout of the boys! I didn't really change anything but the color scheme. I even kept the photo sizes the same, and the title and journaling are in the same place. 

This design is a great way to use up all those scraps in your paper stash! 

Since creating these layouts, I'm no longer intimidated by using the same inspiration for various pages in my scrapbooks. Most times I'll change up the embellishments, reverse the photo orientation, or keep it pretty much identical. If I scraplift myself and keep it similar I'll just try not to put both layouts in the same album.

Why reinvent the wheel when you have a look you like?

To check out Scrapbook Generation's multiple sketch books - my go to place for inspiration - visit their online store here: Scrapbook Generation

It's October . . . Breast Cancer Awareness Month

I love October - it's my favorite month of the year! I love the fall and changing leaves. But October is also known for Breast Cancer Awareness. 

The Stamps of Life supported breast cancer research a couple years ago when they released the stamp set and coordinating dies called ribbon4cure. I bought it to support them but did not use it until recently. While I've had loved ones that have battled cancer, I've never known anyone who has battled breast cancer until now. One of Caleb's previous teachers was recently diagnosed. Caleb and I put together a chemo care package and I made this card. The inside reads, "Fight like a Girl! We're praying for you." 

You can check out this awesome stamp set here: ribbon4cure

Caleb & Zachary

My Favorite Boys in 2009

I take so many photos of each event that there is no way that I can fit them on an entire layout, or even two or three layouts! Especially when the pictures are fall or autumn themed! I had two, in my opinion, adorable pictures of the boys I wanted to highlight. So I enlarged them to 5x7's and gave them their own layout.

Although I made this layout a couple years ago and my style has definitely evolved over the years, there are some aspects of the page I really like:

• I gave my favorite photos prominent positions on the page. To give the two page spread balance I raised the placement of Caleb’s photo while lowering the placement of Zach.
• I stretched the main brown background piece across both pages to give them continuity. The colored bordered strips I staggered and overlapped to add visual interest.
• I attached photo corners to opposite corners of the photos, again to add balance.
• I placed the picture of Caleb on the left because he was looking to the right. And I placed Zach's picture on the right because he was looking to the left. Where you're photo subject is looking will actually draw your eyes to that area, and in this case it is the two smaller photos in the center of the page. If I had reversed the photo placement it would draw your eyes off the edge of the layout.

My favorite element of this page is the paper flowers I "doctored". The cream colored flowers looked a little too stark against the darker backdrop. So I took a small clear acrylic stamp and stamped in the center of the flower!  I think adding the brown ink to flowers gave the embellishments an aged / antique look that fit the page's color scheme. It helped “tone down” the flowers. I hesitate to use flowers on pages having to do with boys. Sometimes they just look girly, but the brown centers helped "man up" the paper blossoms. What supplies do you have that you can "doctor"?

Happy Scrapping!