How about Something Old and Blue?

It's been a few days since my last entry. I have been scrapping like a crazy person (nothing unusual here), but I can't show any of it yet. So meanwhile, how about something old from my stash? My stash is very deep, but most of them have not been photographed. This layout was done two years ago when I was on maternity leave. GOOD times... the leave part, not the maternity part, lol...

Aubree and Michelle are doing a summer challenge, 100 layouts between Memorial and Labor day. NO WAY I am going to do 100 layouts in three months. Even when I was on maternity leave, the most I did was 25 layouts in a month! But I'm going to join them and participate nevertheless. Stash must be reduced! I have a couple of fun things planned for us, but they don't know what they are yet!!

Weekend Productive

Memorial Day Weekend is now behind me. I scrapped furiously this weekend and felt that I had accomplished much. Then I look at the projects I can upload to share, well, there aren't a lot! That's not necessarily a bad thing. They say when it comes to blogging, consistency and regular updates are important.

So Steve and Anna are having a baby, I tasked myself to make a baby card for them for work. I have already made over five baby cards, but I must say how much I love making cards. I continue to shed my self-imposed neurotic "only scraps on cards" mentality, results are much more pleasing to my own self... However, I do wonder what I'm going to do with all these bulky cards. The stash for the United Way auctions continue to grow.

So I settled on this one for Steve and Anna, I don't know, it looks good enough for submission, lol...

Finally, I participated in the Memorial Day Challenge at Scrapbook Obsessions. This is a scraplift of a layout by Davinie Fiero, more than less :) I thought it would be a quick and easy layout since I didn't have to come up with the idea myself, but the hand-stitching takes forever, but it looks pretty good. Another layout done, and stash reduced, what more can I ask for eh?

Color Combos Galore Layouts

Two combos at once!

In Color Combo 122, I used a Technique Tuesday scallop chipboard frame. I now have pretty much all the TT chipboard frames. They are fantastic! I really am not a flowers and ribbons type of gal, but I buy, collect, hoard them nevertheless. Once in a while, I remember to use them, that's always good... And I must mention that I got the green/blue 7Gypsies paper from Aubree!





Ah, the wild combo layout of 123! This is a crazy funky crazy layout as far as I am concerned. It just felt crazy to me when I was making it. The colors are so bold and outrageous. I was feeling intrepid piling on whatever I had on hand. I was going to title the layout "Puffy" till I saw the chipboard word "Swell" in my stash. The owl was a new acquisition the day I made this layout, it was just demanding to be used. I rationalized: "One could say that she cried so much that her eyes were so puffy that they rivaled the owl's." Whatever! then the green circles. I added them simply because I was so sick and tired of having it on my table, for over a year now. I don't exactly like to put things back ... I painted it and added it and one more thing off my table! What a relief!


I hope you are enjoying your holiday weekend!

Pink Paislee Me, How Captivating!

This month at Scrapbook Obsessions, we have the pleasure of using Pink Paislee's Captivating line. Here are three layouts that I've done using this kit.

So I love the looking of hand-stitching. I wish it doesn't take so long, but I do love the look in the end. I need to record how Mad Hatter told First Born "Nice hat" when they met in another layout :) I got more photos :)

I was delighted to put some of the bare chipboard pieces from Pink Paislee to use for this layout. The chipboards are from an older PP collection from Fall 2008. I like it, so I hoard it, but I am learning, slowly but surely to use things I love on my layouts. lol.

Yes, they can come home again, but if they are out of college when they come home, they'll need to pay rent :)

Time After Time...

I am being quite prolific recently, thanks to doing the challenges over at the Nook with Pearl. I am diligently doing all the challenges that are of interest to me. "Stash reduction," what beautiful words in my lexicon...
I entered this layout below into the "Use the same photo more than once on a layout" challenge, and I was an hour late unfortunately, so it did not count. I did not intend for those little photos to span out and look like a Christmas tree, but it kinda does... I still absolutely like this layout though. The idea of using these lyrics is not new, in fact I have a layout using these lyrics for First Born, so it's only fair that Second Child gets her shot in glory and fame, lol...
I also want to add that I received two amazing emails from Scrapbook Trends today requesting two projects from me. My first reaction is obviously utter elation "NO WAY, they like me!" My second reaction is always "Why didn't they want my other projects?" Then not too long afterwards, I wonder, "Will it ever happen again?" Yeah, I am just not one to REALLY ENJOY the moment, am I? time after time...

I Love Using Packaging

One of the nicest thing about buying patterned paper in a pack is that it comes with a "cover sheet." This weekend, MIL said that she was getting short on baby boy cards, that put me to work immediately using the Crate Paper sprout line! I am not about to dig into the actual stash to make cards yet, but the cover sheet practically made the cards themselves without me having to do much else.


Seriously, can you tell which part of the sheet I used on this card? How cute and much more importantly, how EASY is this?!
The cards below look like I've slaved over them cutting the strips of rectangles and lining them up. Time it took to pick out cardstock for the card: 3 minutes; time it took to cut the paper, 1 minute; time it took to do the rubon or add the sticker: 30 seconds; results: FABULOUS!! I did mess up the stamping of "rock-a-bye" hence I had to add a little extra to cover up the mistake!

And oh, here are cards made out of the leftover of the "cover sheet." I am so green!!! Nothing went to waste on that fabulous coversheet!

Now I can't wait to use the next cover sheet, though I tell myself not get too clever or creative, the objective here is truly, simple and quick!

GCD Studios Blog Sketch Challenge Winner

That would be me, yes, thank you very much! LOL!!! Wow, this is exciting, I am grinning ear to ear!! It was totally worth staying up till 11pm getting this done and rushing at 7am getting the photo taken and sent in!! What's even better is that I broke into the Chic Bebe line by GCD Studios. Unused no more, wow, that feels GREAT!!!! I also finally tore into the package of Lil Davis chipboard letters you see here on this layout. They are so so so great and it's hard to use products I love. Did I just say that? What is wrong with that sentence? Anyway, I'm too excited so I'm "rambling." Off to claim my prize, later!!

Marks Paper Company - Sew Simple

A while ago, I was fortunate enough to be Marks Paper Company's guest designer of the month. Here are a couple of the projects I did for them (I have more, but I'll save them for yet another day).

I also did a stitching tutorial that you can see here on the Marks Paper Company blog right now. What's so exciting is that Stacy turned my little tutorial into a "Sew Simple" blog challenge!!! Using 75% of Marks Paper Company's products, create stitching on a scrapbook page, altered item, home decor item, mini album, you name it, and enter your work before May 29, and you could win the brand new "English Garden" collection!!! I think I'm going to attempt the challenge, this new collection has my name, I NEED it!!! Can it BE prettier? O M G ! ! !

May Projects for Graphic 45

The Graphic 45 DTs were asked to create layouts using the same 3 papers from the Fashionista collection. And it is a LOT of fun to see what everyone did with the same 3 papers. Check it out here.

My interpretation is a little bit on the experimental side for me. Mind you, I did this layout in a hotel in Philadelphia while watching American Idol! So I had to be a little minimalistic, since I didn't have my stash with me.


Here are a couple of cards for Graphic 45 this month. I just thought the travel line work well for "moving" cards :) I hope they will sell at the United Way auction this year :)

Mother's Day Weekend

Well, this past week, I received my brand new Purple Cows trimmers, check them out!!!

The features are endless with these two trimmers and the complete set of blades, I have just begun to play with the various edges these babies cut!! I have already put the "postage" blade to good use in a Graphic 45 layout which will be on the Scrapbook.com's blog. And speaking of that, the blades are on sale this week, and a steal at $19.99, regularly priced at $60.00!!! Fly over there and get yourself a glorious set!

The Purple Cows blog will be revealing its new DT members one at a time, even I will be surprised to see my own mug on there :)

Also in the mail was a book I've waited for from Memory Makers Magazine by Angelia Wigginton, Playing with Paper.

I get it as a part of the prize of being Memory Makers Runner Up 2009. I receive a copy of each of their publications this year. Since I love patterned paper, naturally I want to see more ideas that focus on patterned papers. As a long time admirer of Ms. Wigginton's work, I am so happy to say that this book totally delivers! I can't wait to scraplift some of the wonderful layouts in the book. Now all I need is some time...

Lastly, I'm still going crazy doing the challenges at the Nook, what is wrong with me?! LOL... I must say that I'm not fond of layouts that is "all about me." Believe me, on this day of all days, I'm fully aware how I am not one of those sacrificial mothers who put their children above herself (like my mother), so life is still "all about me..." so to scrap a page all about me is simply too self-indulgent if you ask me. See, how many times did the word "me" appear in this paragraph? If that's not an indication of self-absorption... but I did do a layout, and it is about me, while not necessarily all...

I said this on the Graphic 45 Ning site and I'll say it here again, given the pictures were taken in the Forbidden City in Beijing, my conclusion is that apparently the Ancient Imperial Chinese and Western Vintage go together seamlessly well.

Wow It Feels Good to Use Stash

So I gave into peer pressure when Pearl blogged about the Scrap Off at the Scrapbook Nook. She said the magic words: use up some stash with these challenges... So I caved... It's actually quite a bit of fun having someone cheering me on and checking on my scrapping progress for non-assignments.

So I dug in last night, stayed up until 11 and finished this layout! I even journaled in Chinese!! Of course, I made several mistakes! I have to have the Chinese dictionary at hand if I write Chinese, otherwise, 5-10% of the characters I write are WRONG. It is a little bit like misspelling, only much more shameful and uncouth. LOL!!! I bet y'all can't tell and please Pearl don't look too closely!

Lastly, LOVE THIS LAYOUT! No wonder I've hoarded these paper for so long, they are SO GORGEOUS, and so are my kids!! lol!

Oh wait, last lastly, finally dug into my stash of Sassafras stamps, how delicious is that little fawn? Can you believe I've won that little gal for over 9 months and used it for the first time last night? Now I can't wait to use it again! :)

Laugh and I Will Take Your Pictures

Color Combos Galore #121 is up!! Yippee!!! Here is my take on the combo. My most favorite parts of the layout are the Hambly animal rubons!! I got them in every color that was sold on the Hambly's website. You probably don't see a lot Hambly in my layouts etc, but I secretly hoard them! I have quite a stash! If I showed you my stash, you won't even be able to see through it, that's how thick it is, lol...

Prism Papers Guest Blog Designer!

Cardstock me wildly excited for having just landed a spot as a guest DT member for Prism Papers! I am grinning ear to ear! Oh my goodness, I am imagining the possibilities... creating with nothing but cardstocks for a change, what would that be like?? My brain is currently in overdrive... ideas upon ideas... I gotta write them down!!

Here are the layouts I submitted to this guest DT call. This one I actually stayed up really late to complete the day before her birthday. Frankly, I couldn't commit onto paper all that I felt and still am feeling about her turning two...


This was two summers ago, where did my baby go? This focal photo is probably one of my top 3 favorite photos of her.


I can't wait to do more cardstock focused layouts, I am really really excited!!! Thank you Prism Papers for this wonderful opportunity!

National Scrapbooking Day Fun

Every day is National Scrapbooking Day!

Well, I hope everyone is having a fun-filled and/or productive day. I thought I would post this little clear album I did in honor of NSD.

A couple of months ago, I was able to get the Fancy Pants Clear Album kit at 75% off! Though I find clear/acrylic albums intimidating, it was too good of a deal to pass up. So I used a lot of Cosmo Cricket Girl Friday and Sassafras paper. I always like how my minis turn out, probably because I like my subjects :)