Playing with Straws

I love party straws!  I like to put them in mason jars during all sorts of events.  They are festive and pretty.  Unfortunately, when you use them, the straws tend to get soggy.  Doesn't stop me from trying!

I used straws in a different way on a recent page.  I used Webster's Pages to create a fun and funky layout!

 

I went with this silly photo of my kids, nieces and nephews.  I decided to add seven pieces of straws for each person.  I used different patterns and colors to represent the differences between each of them. 

 

 

It gives the page some cool dimension and uniqueness!

 

 

Love Nathan and Ella in this shot!  Sums them up perfectly!  I sued Allison Kreft goodies on this page!

 

 

 

Altered Art: Personalized CD case

I made a sweet little project using the Limited Edition kit featuring Allison Kreft goodies!  It is on sale over at Webster's Pages.  The kit is just great...full of so much for such a great price.  I put mine to use on an altered project.

I turned a plastic CD cover into a case that holds many special goodies!  I used mine to hold a CD of photos.  I also included a gift card holder and some photos.  I attached a note to the photos using a journaling card from the kit. 

I made the Wood frames a centerpiece of the project, using two in different ways.  The paperclip and Perfect Accent are all in the kit! 

 

Isn't it pretty!  Perfect for pages or projects!

 

 

 

Scrapping Winter Photos

I am scrapping some winter photos, but I can't wait for it to be over!  I decided to make my winter photos happier by using soft, but vibrant colors and happy images.

Here is my most recent page using Allison Kreft's line, Hello World. 

 

This collection has some darling images.  It can be used for babies, but has so many other uses.  I jazzed up the wood veneer with the Love word and layering the hot air balloon over the top.  That is hand cut from a sheet of paper.  Then I just added smaller touches to balance out the large balloon element.

 

 

I love those foxes!  I built my title using the sticker sheet in the collection as well as hand cutting some letters.  I adore the colors in this line!  Happy...happy...happy!

 

Blog Hopping: WP Pot of Gold

Welcome to the Webster’s Pages ‘Pot of Gold’ Blog Hop! It’s St. Patrick’s Day so our Design Team got together and decided to have a little fun! If you arrived here from the talented Iris's blog, then you’re on the right track, if not, click here to head over to the beginning of the hop!

Everyone knows that on St. Patrick’s Day you’ve got to wear a little shamrock GREEN or you’re going to get pinched…SO, here are the RULES for this hop…every one of us should have added some green to our projects, BUT, no teals, aquas, yellows or any “almost green” shades count! If you catch someone in the hop without our true, St. Patrick’s Day green on, help catch those sneaky girls and give them a PINCH in the comments of their blog! {…and it just might be me, but I’m not telling! Hehe!}

…AND, guess what!!? There’s a hidden prize at the end of this hop! Find it and you can enter to WIN our pot of gold filled with an assortment of Webster’s Pages TREASURES!!

 

Here is my page!

 

 

I wanted to tell the story of my daughter and her wish for a high ponytail the night of the Father/Daughter dance.  I love to tell real-life, meaningful stories.  If I don't write the little details down, I might forget.  She loved this night so I want the memory to live on.

 

I used the Sprinkled with Love collection by Allison Kreft and Webster's Pages to make this page. I love this color scheme and all the goodies!  See the metal birds on a wire?  Super cute!  I also adore the wood veneer frames! 

 

Each design team member will be sharing a fantastic project using one of the new collections!  The eye candy alone is worth the blog hop! 

Here is the entire line up of the blog hop!  If you have been following the hop then the sweet and creative Jaz is next!  If you stumbled here first, start from the beginning so you don't miss a thing!

Webster’s Pages

Emma Trout

Larissa Albernaz

Candice Elliott

Jamie Harder

Erin Blegen

Emeline Seet

Kay Rogers

Iris Babao Uy

Stacey Michaud  that is me!

Nina Ostermann

Webster’s Pages

 

 Have fun...I am hoping you find the pot of gold!

 

 

 

 

It's About the Love

This past week was about the taking a break.  I came off a week of being sick and just needed time to chill.  That meant lots of cuddle time and laying around in bed.  Ella and I watched a lot of Chopped.  We also had a lot of snow days recently so life has been about hunkering down.

I am sharing a new page that uses Sprinkled with Love by Allison Kreft for Webster's Pages.  I love this line and it is perfect for Valentine's Day.

 

Woodgrain, sequins, Love, chevron...yummy!  These are my two babies.  I love them so much even though they make me nuts.  Those smiles mean the world!

 

 

I wanted the Love words to stand out and bubble over with happiness.  I added some new sequins to give them sparkle.

 

I also cut a new straw and used it to divide my two photos.  It really adds this cool dimension.

 

Hope you have a great Valentine's Day!

 

 

 

Blog Hopping: It's Christmas

Welcome to the Webster's Pages Christmas blog hop!  We are celebrating Christmas today!  The DT girls are sending cards to each other!  You should have come from the beautiful Jaz's blog! I have a card to send to my fellow teammate, Larissa.  She is super talented and always a source of inspiration!

Here is a card for Larissa!

 

I used the Its Christmas collection from Allison Kreft to make this card!  It was build using a small file folder.  I added some embellishments including the chipboard buttons. 

 

The card has a cool feature!  The file folder opens once the paper clip is removed.

 

Inside, there is a special message and maybe even a gift card!

Happy holidays Larissa!

In the spirit of Christmas, we have some gifts of our own to give away!  You can win a Webster's pages Christmas Prize Pack just by leaving a comment on any or all of the posts in the hop!  Winners will be chosen randomly and will be announced on Friday, November 22nd! 

Head over to Larissa's blog to see what card she is sharing today!

Happy hopping!

Monday's Musings: He is a Veteran

My dad.  He is a veteran.  He served his country with dignity and pride during the Vietnam War.  For years, he participated in military clubs to bring awareness about Vietnam.  I remembered going to all those Veteran's Day parades because he was marching.

 

He is an artist at heart.  You have never seen a snowman sculpture until you saw his.  He has made several pieces out of welded materials.  It is a part of him he didn't pursue fully, probably because he was being a dad to four girls.

 

He is now a Papi.  He loves to recognize his former life through our kids.  I know he relives our childhood every time he is around his grandkids.

 

This is the perfect example.  He has an antique Schwinn bicycle that is in beautiful condition.  He wheeled it out one day this past summer and wanted to take each kid for a ride on the middle bar or the back basket. 

 

Being a helicopter mom, I wasn't sure.  There weren't helmets.  My kids hadn't done that before.  But he insisted and reminded me that I was alive and well even after all our childhood adventures.

 

I allowed it.  It was awesome to see my kids giggling and loving the ride.  He told me that Ella laughed just the way that I did thirty plus years ago when he brought me for my first ride.  It brought him right back.

 

Watching him beam with pride, it took me right back too.

This is his everyday life.  My war hero.  The man who sacrificed so much for his country.  He did that so he could ride on this Schwinn and make his grandkids feel the wind on their faces.  True, simple freedom.

Thursday Trending: Filling in the Sides



I sometimes feel like pages begin to look the same. For me, a top strip and white space are a must.  But I wonder if it gets old.  Lately, I am trying to fill in the rest of the space differently.  Maybe that will shake up the usual design.

 

Case in point, this page.  I went with the top strip and the slightly off-center photo placement.  Then I decided to tie the side into the design.

 

I used the same hexagon pattern along the left hand side and the top.  I also layered in several patterns in small doses along the side of the photo!  I really love pattern and colors.  It is easy to mix when you are dealing with a 12X12 page. 

I incorporated another trend I love on this page, the sunburst.  Yummy!  I purposefully placed it so the rays seem to come from Nathan.  I used last winter's releases from Alison Kreft to make this page.  Gosh, I love her stuff!

Another detail shot, using arrows and more hexagons.  Maybe I really like shapes too.

I think I will try more stuff along the sides!  They deserve some attention too!

School Rules



School is back and I am feeling it!  I really love my caseload this year and am feeling focused and enthusiastic.  But, I am tired!  The adjustment in the daily routine is tough.  Fall sports and afterschool activities are in full swing.  I took this whole week off from scrapbooking as I had zero energy.   It will balance itself out, soon.

 

In the meantime, I am sharing a mini album that I made using the new Recorded collection by Allison Kreft for Webster's Pages.  I think this is an all time favorite collection for me...in the top five for sure.  I used the journaling cards as the pages.

 

 

I held the book together with the buttons and twine!

 

 

Each pages features journaling about our school morning routine.  I used the paperclips and overlaps throughout. 

 

 

I used an overlay on the last pages...these polaroid frames are great!  I adhered mine with the button and twine!

Minis are fun...I like to keep mine simple and clean!  Recording everyday routines in a mini album is a fun way to document our family history!

and our family history certainly involves school.

Monday's Musings: The Characters We Are

Each person in my house has a different personality.  We all serve different roles and contribute in a unique way. 

Steve is responsible and funny.  He is highly organized, but sometimes rigid.  He is the one who pursues a simple, happy life.  I am type A, a bit moody.  I am highly reflective so life is about how I can always enhance or treasure my relationships.  Ella is vivacious, energetic and outgoing.  She is highly helpful and sometimes fresh.  She is the one who is way too savvy for her young age, yet she gets things on a high level.  Nathan is loving and considerate, a bit too routined.  He worries a lot.  He is highly sensitive, which makes him always look out for others.  He is the one who teaches us about unconditional love and impeccable manners.

We all are different characters.  What I really care about is our core character.  We are models for each other every day.  I see Ella being helpful so it teaches me that virtue.  And so on and so forth. 

 

 

A fitting page as Nathan is dressed as one of his favorite characters, Harry Potter.  My children love to read, which makes us happy.

I used the Composition and Color plus some Sweetness, both by Allison Kreft, to make this layout.

 

What radiates from each of us is special.  It is to be fostered and shaped so we remain strong characters who possess even stronger character.

 

 

Tuesday Tip: Keep it Simple

I think life should be more simple.  Less stress, more relaxation.  Less drama, more girl time.  Less yelling, more hugs.

Simple works.  It has worked for Steve for a long time as he strives to keep life simple and calm.  I am trying to move there.  It is not in my personality.

It is in my scrappy style, though.  For a recent layout, I kept the design and embellishments simple and focused.  I worked with several common and repetitive elements that had some boldness.

Not to mention, I had the amazing Allison Kreft Recorded collection to work with.  Love this girl's designs...

Here is my page!

I love this picture of Ella and me.  We are pure joy for each other here.  And that is not always the case.  This photo was a selfie and was totally spontaneous.  I wanted it to shine.  I decided to use the overlays to create a bit of a grid.  There is a whole sheet of these babies...awesome!

I put patterned paper underneath and added some simple embellishments to the overlays.

Love the sticker sheet that comes with this collection!  Gray letters in a great font!

I added some simple touches like the cassette charm and the hemp twine.   

Sometimes life calls for simple!

Friday Favorites: Sunbursts

Give me a sunburst and I will use it!  Allison Kreft seems to like to incorporate sunbursts into her collections.  Suits me just fine since I have a bit of an obsession. 

I think it is the diagonal movement or the freedom it evokes.  I like how it draws the eye to the photo and then leads it to other elements.

Sunbursts on a Christmas layout?  Why not?  It represents Christmas magic.

 

The It's Christmas line has so many fun elements.  I cut out the sunburst and used only a portion.  I also cut out the Merry from a journaling card to use at my title.

 

A design favorite...the sunburst!

Maybe I Should Change the Title?

We started teaching Nathan how to ride his bike early this summer.  He quickly got the balance part...the hard part.  But he.would.not.pedal.  Steve tried the belt tied to the back trick and ran alongside him.  We went down a slightly sloped road.  He.would.not.pedal.

Nathan is reserved, cautious.  A bit anxious.  He was convinced he would fall if he pedaled.  We tried several times, but he wasn't ready.  I made this page a week and a half ago.  I decided to name it Real Life Ride and document the reluctance.

 

We went on vacation and he showed his braver side.  He went on water slides and amusement park rides.  There was a shift.  When we tried the bike again on Monday, he finally pedaled.  And got it.  He has now biked at least four times each day...can't get enough.

 

I used Allison Kreft's collections for this...mostly Composition & Color with some Sweet Notes.  I fell in love with these papers again!  Huge Allison Kreft fan!

 

That smile.  I am so proud of him.  It is weird to see your child riding a bike...it is a rite of passage.  I love this braver side and can't wait to see more of it!

Maybe I need to change the title?  or at least add in a few more sentences of journaling!