Scraps of Steph

The Drought Has Lifted!

2009-08-30T05:04:00.000-07:00

At least for the moment! :-) Judy came over to provide moral support while I took about two hours on this page. The letters are a Quickutz die cut and the circles (aside from the largest one) are a Cuttlebug die. They both have been sitting in my house for a long time and wanted to be used. The paper is mostly Die Cuts With a View... I like their paper because it has a white core, and sands really nicely....

More Cards!

2009-03-03T18:08:00.000-08:00

....am having fun with this! :-)

Some Cards on a Sunday Evening...

2009-03-01T19:48:00.000-08:00

I cranked out a few cards and a layout today. Feels so good to be creating again. Am tossing up the idea of opening an Etsy store. Not sure. I think that I could potentially do a bit of a business with cards. The bad thing is that when the mojo goes... it goes!

..... all the cards I did today were made from scraps. The only piece of paper that hadn't already been cut into was the sheet of white mulberry paper. Crazy, eh? My stuff is so old, too, that I've no idea where I got it. So don't ask. *winks*

....am getting really comfy with my sewing machine with paper. There are some days when my machine wants to eat whatever I'm doing, but I had really good luck today.

Everything In Twos....

2009-02-14T16:00:00.000-08:00

....Aaron made a comment that I'm simplifying my pages these days. I suppose I am. Is funny that I like the IDEA of all the fun embellishments that are out there for scrapbooking. But the reality is that I like my photos to be the focus.

....I love that I have so much stuff. There is still so much I can do to feel like I'm creating without having to spend more money (let's face it... I have a small fortune in supplies!).

....I love that you can have photos printed however you like. The pictures for these pages were actually printed on one 4x6 sheet. I just cut them apart.

.....If you click on the photos, you can see them in a larger scale. Sorry Griffin's is a little blurry.

My Beautiful Baby Girl....

2009-02-13T21:17:00.000-08:00

...I've been scrapping out of order a lot lately. I just pick up photos that speak to me. There is no rhyme or reason.

.....Have been using the crap in my stash lately. I have so much collected over the years that I don't know where half of it came from. But I'm using it now. I do know, however, that the spray adhesive ROCKS for sticking down the mulberry paper.

....I love this pic of Erin. Notsomuch of me, but I do love it of her. The twins absolutely love it when we take pictures together.

I Updated It!

2009-02-07T16:59:00.000-08:00

....so thanks for the ideas on what to do to give this page a lil something.

....we're headed off tomorrow to visit my family. Not sure the exact plan of what we'll do yet, but I know for certain that I'll see my momma. She's been quite depressed about my Grandad's progress. And I can't say at all that I blame her. Who would have thought that after eight weeks of this crap that we'd still have him in the ICU?

.....and I better go, because I just heard Griffin (who is watching a movie with his siblings) "If you break that remote, you'll pay for it!" Ahhh... gotta love kids!

Finding my way out of the Fog...

2009-02-07T16:47:00.000-08:00

I really am a simple-type scrapbooker. My pages are very low-key.

But I'm trying really hard to get into the habit of scrapping with more regularity. I'm sitting on more pics than I know what to do with!

I nearly threw my sewing machine out the window in the efforts to get the bit of stitching on this page.

Tried something new, too, with this one, by using the scallop punch on the picture itself.

I also put sticky felt through the die cutting machine to make the letters. I love the look of felt!

Merry Christmas, Steph!

2008-12-08T06:46:00.000-08:00

....so we do a Homemade Christmas exchange each year. Third Annual. I made varying styles of the decoration you see here. The girls loved them. They're too kind. This one went to Stephenie. And I heard her hanging it last night, too. Basically, they're three 4"x6" canvases that I painted and embellished. They're strung together with organza ribbon. Each girl got one in colors that I felt represented her.

It's Been A While....

2008-12-07T14:52:00.000-08:00

...have totally felt lately like I've lost my crafting mojo. Doing Homemade Christmas with the girls has totally helped me feel creative again. These are onsies I've stamped for a baby shower for a girl who works for me. What's funny is that I don't even know her all that well. These are done with Stampin' Up!'s craft ink and stamps. Pigment ink is fairly permanent on fabric, so these little onesies make PERFECT baby gifts!

Not Feeling My Mojo....

2008-09-14T18:24:00.000-07:00

.....I'm really feeling a crafting funk lately. I'm not feeling my mojo. What should a girl do when she totally lacks inspiration??

....I don't hate this page. But I'm not loving it....

He Likes It....

2008-09-14T11:19:00.001-07:00

....and that's all that matters. Not exactly happy with this, but it's beens sitting on my scrapdesk for about a month now, waiting to be finished. Wanted to do flames around the edges, but don't like the way they turned out. Collin, however, likes the page, and it's his album.... so that's what matters, right?

Creativity....

2008-08-09T17:26:00.000-07:00

....so the basic design is a scraplift. Am not feeling innovative lately. It was from last year's Hall Of Fame Creating Keepsakes issue. And I did my best to bastardize it.....

....I do so love this picture of Collin, though. His creative outlet is writing. It's his passion of the moment that doesn't revolve around his Game Boy.

Changing layouts....

2008-07-15T18:35:00.000-07:00

....so this layout needed something. Am certain that it needs more, but I added some ribbon stripes and called it good.

...I still sometimes feel as though all crafting mojo has gone out the window. *sigh*

Coming a Little Way....

2008-07-13T13:12:00.000-07:00

....still a work in progress.... any ideas?? would love to hear them!

Scrapper's Block....

2008-07-13T09:01:00.000-07:00

...don't know what to do about this page. I typically am the kind of person to poop something out quickly and not be happy or sad about it. But I tend to feel like I'm thinking things out way too much these days.

....anyway, feel free to give me some feedback on this one. The only thing glued down at this point is the striped paper and rick-rack. Well, the pictures are glued down to the white and the journaling's done, but that portion isn't glued down to the page....

*sigh* feel like my mojo is so out the window.....

Blog Candy....

2008-06-30T07:23:00.000-07:00

...courtesy of a newfound blogger buddy, who does wonderful pages. Go visit her and leave a comment.... you just might win some goodies!

father's day 2008

2008-06-29T11:53:00.000-07:00

...I'm not sure if anyone else goes through this. But as Collin grows, he lets me know that I'm imposing when I want to get pictures. So I don't photograph him as much.

...So this layout is from Father's Day. Collin hadn't intended to get wet, but he did!

...The base cardstock is Bazzill, the ribbon is Offray, and the paints are Memory Makers. I like those paints because they dry quicker than regular acrylics. The title letters were made with the Quickutz Studio alphabet, which I *heart*!

Cutie Pie....

2008-06-29T07:37:00.000-07:00

...so I came across some old pictures I'd ordered a long time ago, but had never done anything with. Erin is the little messy baby here.

...the tape is that fabric tape from Making Memories (Hot Spot from Archivers! Woot!), the buttons are from some embellishment packs I got from Wal-Mart (that I bought every color of, and which I've not seen since), and the letter stickers and cardstock are Leaving Prints (which closed its doors a few years back). Gotta love using up stash and mixing it with new stash.

Mother of 3

2008-06-28T04:24:00.001-07:00

This layout was with some pictures that were taken either by my mother-in-law or my sister-in-law while hanging out at the in-laws' house. Long gone are the days of nursing them for the entire weekend to build back up my milk supply after pumping all week. I'm still surprised at just how very little I remember from those days. Though I really shouldn't be!

Anyway, I have a huge button stash, and lots of letters and things. So I used a lot of them on this layout. I have never really done a collage of letters or numbers before, but I like how this turned out. Apparently, without even thinking about it, I've begun an album of my own. Which is OK by me!

2008-06-22T05:53:00.000-07:00

....so this is a tribute to my step-mom, who has been my stability as far as parents go. The "thanks" is one of Heidi Swapp's clear stamps, with white Brilliance ink. I also love the Souffle Jelly Roller white pen that I used to journal. The pattern paper is Leaving Prints, which is a blast from the past! The flowers are Heidi Swapp, and the center of the flower is a Scrapworks Alphadotz that I put Glossy Effects in. The buttons were in my stash.

....I really felt compelled to pay a tribute to her. I hadn't really jotted down those feelings before in something permanent.

I'm Back!

2008-06-21T17:28:00.001-07:00

...I know you'll find it shocking. We have internet at home again, and I've been on a scrapping streak since I didn't do the karate tournament.

....so I really do feel like I'm lacking serious crafting mojo. The first page is a stretch for me, and I feel like it's missing something, but don't know what. I've been using only from my stash lately, since I have so much stuff and haven't been using it lately. The paper is All My Memories (I'm pretty sure... it was a stack that I got half off two years ago from Hobby Lobby. Has a bunch of fun designs and I've still not tired of it.). The little brown/burgundy sticker is from Creative Cafe by Creative Imaginations. And the buttons are ones I had on hand.

.....This second page is an Ali Edwards knock off of this layout. I really love her style! She has an elegant style, and I really feel like I learn a lot by reading her articles in Creating Keepsakes and on her blog. She's one of those people that you just come to really like when you peek into her life every day on her blog.

Ali Edwards scraplift ......."grow, griffin, grow"

2006-05-06T19:40:00.000-07:00

this is a scraplift of an Ali Edwards that I saw on Two Peas. It's not scraplifted in its entirity, but the basic design is.

Journaling reads: It's amazing how far one month brought you, little man. After your initial scare, you didn't look back!

By this time, Amy was teaching us all sorts of things on how to take care of you. We took your temperature and changed your diaper. We also learned about your tube feeds.

Patterned paper: Leaving Prints and K&Co; rub-ons: Making Memories

This was a fairly simple layout to do!

One Month....

2006-05-04T19:17:00.000-07:00

...So Griffin's one month pictures don't look quite as scary as Erin's one month ones, but he's still bitty! i love the pic of him looking longingly at his pacifier.... mean mommy that i am.

... nuts & bolts: sailor white pen; black carstock from paper company (michael's brand), and sale ribbon from michael's. Simple page. My Creative Memories instructor would be so proud. hehe

me and dad

2006-05-02T19:55:00.000-07:00

i pretty much whipped this layout right out my ass.... and these, my friends, are the absolute scariest pictures of their entire NICU stay. i mean, an IV in the head? are they mad??

pattern paper: die cuts with a view; stamping ink: Palette and SU!; green cardstock: CTMH; white pen: sailor. das ist alles!

Chat With Me, Amy!

2006-04-30T12:35:00.000-07:00

...this was one of the layouts I did this weekend in which I didn't beg, borrow, and steal design elements. I wanted the layout to look as playful as what was going on in the pictures, which was the most difficult part of the layout.

...Journaling reads: Amy always tried to make taking care of you fun. this day, she sat you up in your isolette & moved your mouth like you were talking to her. I think we wore you out this day, but this is the type of thing that gave us some much-welcomed laughter. 19 Mar. '03

...Nuts and bolts: red cardstock: DieCuts with a View; pattern paper: Provocraft
s Slab IV; orange and green cardstock: Leaving Prints; purple cardstock: Bazzill; Sizzix Alphabet: Doodleblock; can't remember where the buttons came from.

Pages completed....

2006-04-29T18:32:00.000-07:00

....so I've done a few pages today. They're more NICU photos. And I do have to say that I'm very tired of doing these photos. I know that I shouldn't worry about it and that I should just skip to the next phase in the twins' lives. Not so easy to accomplish. *sigh* I really want these pages to be *finished*. So I can finally close up that awful chapter of their lives and move on to the next one. Does anyone else do this to themselves? Why I feel like I need to eat my peas before my pudding is beyond me.

....I have ordered and received pictures of their third birthday, their first board game, and the adoption of the guineas to scrapbook, and have still not let myself get involved in them. What a fucking saddo I am sometimes. I truly must be into self-torture....as if anyone who reads my daily blog doesn't already know that, right?

Nurse Amy...

2006-04-28T20:56:00.000-07:00

...are you getting tired of NICU layouts yet? I'm feeling the drain that these pictures can cause. Many people shudder and gasp when they see these pictures, and I can't say that I blame them. At the time, I thought they were looking so much better that they had to be the most beautiful children on the planet. And only now, three years and hundreds of tantrums later, can I say that these are some scary-ass pics.

I'm pretty well stuck in the rut with the striped paper. The good thing is that I've scrapped them out of order, so they will not appear so closely in the album.... Die Cuts With A View Retro Block paper, plain ol' brown cardstock, MM "angel" rubon, and My yucky handwriting! ;)

Safe, for a Child, is his Father's hand, holding him tight...

2006-04-27T11:56:00.000-07:00

So this layout is totally scraplifted (aside from the papers used) from a Donna Downey layout in the May/June issue of Simple Scrapbooks. The papers are from Top=Line Creations (aside from the cream and kraft cardstocks), and the eyelets are Making Memories. This was such a fun and rather easy layout to do! Thanks, Donna!

Lost & Found

2006-04-25T18:57:00.000-07:00

This is the first page where I poured my complete heart out about the twins' early birth. The poem is one which goes around in the Preemie Parenting community, and I believe only a mother could really comprehend what it means. Even my husband looked at me and said "I don't get it." He's a preemie father, but I believe that only a mother could fully understand the grief and guilt associated with delivering a baby so early. Anywho, without further ado....

the tag on the inside of the envelope (made so quickly with the templates I bought on my Archiver's excursion) reads:
A basket of flowers is in the place of a baby, and a fake smile is plastered on my face. The paragraph on this page is totally representative of having a baby so very premature. There will always be the guilty feeling that I somehow failed you both by not being able to carry you to term. The "what-ifs" are too much to bear. My heart was so guarded as I left the hospital--my mind tricked into thinking that this wasn't that bad and that you were going to be fine. The NICU taught me that there are no guarantees of anything in this life and that we have been so incredibly blessed to be able to bring you home. I hope that your terrifying entrance into this world is the hardest thing for you in life and that the rest is smooth sailing. I love you both so very much! Love, Mom 4-15-06

OK, nuts and bolts. Patterned Paper: Die Cuts With a View; Cardstock: Leaving Prints and the kind you get in bulk at Michael's (haha); Envelope template: Westrim Crafts

2006-04-12T11:00:00.000-07:00

finished....looks a little better....

full of joy....

2006-04-12T10:35:00.000-07:00

.... my version of the sketch i posted yesterday.... cardstock is DCWV, EK success daisy punch, Sizzix flower diecuts, MM snaps, brads, and "full of joy" rub-on...OH, and Leaving Prints gingham paper and solid cardstock used for journaling....

...now that you know all that...what can i do to make it appear "finished"?

....Things to Come....

2006-04-11T09:17:00.000-07:00

.... THIS. I have three pictures just waiting for it..... Hopefully I can do this while the others nap..... *cross fingers*

The Weekend's Work.....

2006-04-09T19:59:00.000-07:00

these are identical layouts, save the pictures, since different people were holding the respective kids. the silver charm on the bottom right says "faith" and the inside journaling reads: "My dear Erin and Griffin, your Great-Grandma Rayls and Grandpa Rayls are some of the most faithful people I have ever met. When you were born so very early and so very sick, they got on the phone and told everyone they knew to pray for your both. They have worked so hard to pass their faith on to their family. They have been so happy and proud of the progress that you both have made in your development. The three hour drive makes it very difficult for them to see you as much as they would like. When you were in the hospital, they didn't get to see you very often. This was the only visit that Great-Grandma was able to make the time you were in the hospital. She was so very happy to see you. A funny thing that happened when she was there was when she went to try and calm another baby down, as they were crying so hard. She seemed very miffed and confused when I told her that people weren't allowed to touch other babies. It was a rule, even if it was hard to explain to her!"

This layout was centered around the stolen pacifier picture and the sticker that reads "Sibling Rivalry". It's very much out of my comfort zone to work with these colors! And it's very limiting to me to start with a sticker and pictures and build a layout around it! The only way I was able to do it was because I have so much freaking stash. Otherwise, it would have been much more difficult. I tried to do a trick I learned in CK, which was to take paper and make "rick-rack" out of it with deco-scissors. It's not perfect, by any means, but it sort of looks like rick-rack! Journaling reads: "When Erin hit four pounds, she joined you into an open-air crib. The rule was 4lbs. and the ability to hold a normal temperature. We'd told them from the start that we wanted to co-bed you guys, so they put you both in a big crib. Erin loved being by you, and would snuggle right up to you. You acted like you didn't want to be bothered! Perhaps that is why you would steal her pacifier!"

last page!

2006-04-05T06:58:00.000-07:00

this is the last page in the book! it was really fun to make, and the encouragement i got from Kari about my scrapbooking has been wonderful! :)

now i'm off to put extender posts in the book so that i can mail it to her soon! ;) yay!

The Rest, Except for the Final page of Olivia's Album

2006-04-04T18:11:00.000-07:00

Again, this one's got a laundry list of ingredients so long that you'll just have to ask if you are curious about something here! lol
Thanks for looking, you guys, and any constructive criticism (espeically by Kari!) is appreciated!

Olivia' Album....the first five pages....

2006-03-27T06:33:00.000-08:00

Watch This Space....

2006-03-25T21:44:00.000-08:00

....for future developments.....

.....yes, it's for the sister-in-law again....

....yes, my plan now is to finish kari's album for Olivia.... hehe

My Paper Stash....

2006-03-18T13:06:00.000-08:00

....after having so many problems uploading this ****** picture....here it is....it's terrible.

Erin and her Daddy....

2006-03-11T20:43:00.000-08:00

daisy paper from Provocraft's Slab (insert whatever insane number they're on now...6 is it?), cardstock from Leaving Prints...voila! lol

Hmmm...a step up, but still plain??

2006-03-11T20:38:00.000-08:00

white fiber to the rescue....to hold the "angelic" word washer from Making Memories.... but it's still too plain for my tastes.... oh, well... i just have to blame it on the fact that i didn't turn these pics to black and white.....who puts that red with that teal, anyway???

Need Some Inspriation.....

2006-03-11T20:09:00.000-08:00

Another (semi)Identical layout....

2006-03-11T19:08:00.000-08:00

unfortunately, i didn't have the same pretty moss colored, reed textured paper, or any of the same cardstock as the one that went in Erin's book, but i think that it turned out ok, nonetheless..... the original one is somewhere in my archives, if you want to compare... lol

the cardstocks are all Bazzill (sooo digging textured cardstock!), the charms are either westrim or darice, and the studs are from none other than beadazzler! ;)

Proud Daddy

2006-03-11T18:58:00.000-08:00

so, who can spot the differences??

green cardstock is Leaving Prints, black is Hobby Lobby's own textured cardstock, both alphabet sets were from Leaving Prints and done up with watercolor pencils, Father definition sticker is from Making Memories. Voila!

Andrea's Wedding/Civil Ceremony Album...

2006-03-08T13:59:00.000-08:00

...Civil Ceremony because they're going to have the big wedding hoopla next year. But, they're legally married. Does this mean they get to celebrate their anniversary TWICE?? (Why didn't I think of that one before???)

Cover
"Today I will Marry my Best Friend"
Standing in Front of the Judge
Vows
Rings
Kiss
"now and forever"
Makin' it legal
Families

Inviations and Thank You's for Andrea's Shower

2006-03-07T07:09:00.000-08:00

the invitations are fairly simple. i used premade cards and trimmed a space out for a pocket. we used Leaving Prints baby blocks for the squares on front, offray ribbon on the top, and voila! shower invitation!

For the thank you note, I used chalk to color the background, then used Stampin' Up! stamps and regular ol' black ink to do the rest. I finished 32 in about three hours. that was a lot of coloring! LOL

A Commissioned Baby Album....

2006-02-04T15:02:00.000-08:00

Feeds and Snuggles

2006-01-14T12:28:00.000-08:00

This is a simple page, but the crazy colors of the boppy kind of warranted a simplistic backdrop. The cardstocks are the Hobby Lobby special, the stamps are CTMH, Atomic Caps and Lower, the ink was Stampin' UP! Bliss Blue. The Blue ink is a Marvy Uchida Pigmented artist pen in Sapphire and the white is a Galxy Writer in White.

'friend'

2006-01-13T11:59:00.000-08:00

this page was such a pain in my butt to do, simply because the right things didn't come as easily as i thought they would have....perhaps because i was hopped up on rum punch at the time. thanks judy.

so the pattern paper and purple plain paper are from ProvoCraft's Slab VI. the green cardstock is from leaving prints. the stamps are from carolee's creation and close to my heart. and the pink twill tape is out of the michael's bargain bin. ;)

proud mom

2006-01-08T17:28:00.000-08:00

Argyle pattern paper by Leaving Prints, cardstock by Hobby Lobby, ribbon by Offray, chunky white letters by Leaving Prints

Journaling: This was the first time I held you & Griffin at the same time. This was also one of the first times I sat in awe, taking in the fact that I had two babies! You'd both come so far by this time, and i was so proud of my little fighters! 5 Apr. '03

Finished!

2006-01-08T12:35:00.000-08:00

Thanks, Katie! :)

Something's Missing.....

2006-01-08T11:56:00.000-08:00

....Help? ;)

cardstocks are Bazzill (pinky-oranges) and DCWV (yellowy-orange), pattern paper from the DCWV retro stack, rub-ons by Scrapworks. What can I add to this to kick it up a notch??

Journaling(due to my wobbly arms!): Though they'd been to see you quite a few days before now, today was the first time Grandma & Grandpa Byers got to hold you. Looking back, I'm sure that the stuffy nurse taking care of you this day was in a terrible tizzy, because this was the same day you met Collin. Daddy & I felt like we owned the place by this point, though, and were adament about having our wishes carried out! Grandma held Griffin and Grandpa held you, both wearing the putrid yellow smocks that everyone had to wear to protect you from their germs.

Valentine's Day Card/Mini Album....

2006-01-07T20:01:00.000-08:00

...go here to see it. Buy it if you like it! ;)

New Toys!!!

2006-01-07T14:09:00.000-08:00

...I mean, TOOLS!! :)

Today I was able to go to the Scrapbook Corner store to spend some holiday money/gift cards. Woot! :)

So, to brag about what I got.....

Baby Boy and Baby Girl Fastenater Staple Bars
Antique Brass Alpha Slides by Karen Foster
Color Rubz Florals in tangerine by Scrapworks
Paper Clips die by Sizzix
Ting A Ling Accents "geometric dots" stamps by Carolees Creations
Family Ties Stamps by Art Parts
a white gel pen
and Silver Metalgrams by American Crafts

All that for $62...some stuff was on sale, so I think I did pretty well! :D

Off to use my stash! :)

Scraplift from Ali Edwards

2006-01-06T20:19:00.000-08:00

The above is a total scraplift from Ali Edwards' blog. She is a scrapbooking icon, and never fails to inspire me. The paper is plain white sheet of textured cardstock that I got from a pack at Hobby Lobby. I inked the edges with a stipple brush loaded with green Ink It Up! dye-based ink. The rub-ons were by Makin Memories. Voila! A wonderful idea to save the cards that you get without needing to rent a storage unit! ;)

HOPE

2006-01-03T10:04:00.000-08:00

...this is a page that I did while I was away on the weekend convention in September. It's definitely not a better page of mine, but sometimes I like to throw in a simple one here and there where the meaning of the page is most important... all cardstock is Bazzill, the coinholder slides I got from Keller Creations , inks by Stampin' Up! as well as chalks.

Meeting Collin....

2006-01-02T06:51:00.000-08:00

...first LO of the new year! Only 199 more to go for goal! tee hee

not sure where the turquoise cardstock came from, but it's cheapie stuff...the white cardstock is from Diecuts With a View, as is the patterned paper. The ribbon is from the Michael's dollar bin (gotta love that stuff!), stamps are Atomic by Close to My Heart. There you have it. It was a fairly simpe layout, taking less than an hour, probably closer to 1/2 an hour.

I'm going to do.....

2006-01-01T08:10:00.000-08:00

......this with my Christmas cards this year. Ali Edwards is such an inspiration to the scrapbooking world!

Our Little Princess

2005-12-31T08:38:00.000-08:00

The pack of paper from which the background was taken was a sale pack from Hobby Lobby....kind of their own spin on the S.E.I. papers. All of the mounted papers are also from this same pack. The vellum title is from Leaving Prints, which is mounted with Making Memories 1/16" eyelets from the Watercolor Brite line. The ribbons are Offray and Michael's dollar bin. ;)

First Time Holding Erin.....

2005-12-22T06:08:00.000-08:00

Pattern paper is Provocraft from the Slab IV, cardstocks are from Leaving Prints and Bazzill, Vellum Accents were colored with water color pencils and blended with the blender pen and attached with Making Memories bitty eyelets from the Watercolor Brite collection. Oh, and the rub-ons for the phrase "Mommy, hold me" were from Heidi Swapp. She has since posted directions on her website on how to use her rub-ons, but i'm still not impressed at all with them. Try her other products, because those rock, but leave the rub-ons where they are... LOL

Tiff's Mom's Brag Book....

2005-12-19T06:15:00.000-08:00

....here it is! I'm pretty excited with the way this turned out. I hope that she is, too. I made it pretty plain so that she and her mother could finish it out with words on their own. The pattern papers are Leaving Prints and Hot Off the Press, the cardstock Bazzill, the "tradition" sticker is Leaving Prints, the heart embellishments are Rebecca Sower's Fresh Cuts, brads are Making Memories.

And I just say......

2005-11-30T07:09:00.000-08:00

....I *heart* my Coluzzle Library Pocket template??? Soooo much easier than tracing and cutting. Eliminates much of the work in one fell swoop of the swivel knife.

Watch This Space For Future Development.....

2005-11-29T11:19:00.000-08:00

.....Tiffany was serious when she said she wanted me to make the calendars for her. I shall be making a ton of them! :D

a finished product....

2005-11-24T17:15:00.000-08:00

....so Katie's calendar has been completed. I need to go get some ribbon that would match and cover that splotch near the seam of the light blue and the dark blue.... *sobs* but nevertheless, aaron and i figured out how to bind the books! woot! :D

Innards of the Planner....

2005-11-21T10:34:00.000-08:00

my new planner.....

2005-11-21T10:27:00.000-08:00

Assembly Line Library Pocket Calendar....

2005-11-16T11:36:00.000-08:00

....so here is the library pocket calendar that I have done in an assembly line fashion. I'm still waiting on getting the crescent board cut in order to make covers for them. All pattern paper is Paperbilities (the cheapy stack that you can buy at wal-mart) on which i used Glossy Accents or Crystal Effects to raise certain parts of the paper. All the bigger letters were cut with my Coluzzle alphabet template. Let me know if you have any questions!

Dale's Paper Bag Album

2005-11-10T06:27:00.000-08:00

This is an album I made for my friend Dale for her birthday....which was two weeks ago. Dale and I have this special relationship, brought about by one of the scariest times in our lives. We "met" on the preemie mom forum when her girls were just four months old. She was debating on whether or not to go back to work at the time. Our lives are very similar and mostly it has to do with our kids. Her oldest daughter is just a few years older than Collin, and her twins are a few months younger than mine. Her twins were born at 32 weeks, and had some complications due to their prematurity. Thankfully, her girls, like Erin and Griffin, do not have huge long-lasting effects as a result of their prematurity. Dale and I have forged a friendship over our kids, and we share stories about everything....it's a wonderful friendship to have. I feel that each one of my friends holds a special place in my heart, and Dale is no exception.

Again, there are way too many different products to list them all, but if you have questions, please let me know, and I'll respond.

Grandpa's Library Pocket Calendar....

2005-11-08T06:33:00.000-08:00

Hopefully he'll like it. All but August's rub-ons (which are Heidi Swapp and which I really am going to throw away because i hate them so bad...) are Making Memories. All pattern paper and cardstock is Close To My Heart from their Graduation Collction.

I Nearly Forgot.....

2005-11-08T06:26:00.000-08:00

...here are the innards of the calendar pockets.... ;)

Library Pocket Calendar....

2005-11-07T11:36:00.000-08:00

As seen in the PineCone Press book that my friend Jan has.....I so want to become a member of Not Your Ordinary Book Club.....you can find the library pocket template that I used here....

I'm not going to list the products that I used on this, due to time constraints....but if you want to know what something is, please let me know!

Pregnancy Journal for Andrea...

2005-10-03T07:41:00.000-07:00

pattern paper is k&co, solid is leaving prints, rub-ons by making memories, and ribbon by offray

Last Night's Project....

2005-10-01T06:29:00.000-07:00

yeah...I was up until 2... lol...i'll not bore you with all the details of what products they are...i do knwo that the big metal P on the front is american crafts and the stamp set that i used was Geometric Thoughts by CTMH.

Cover
Pages 1 and 2
Pages 3 and 4
Pages 5 and 6
Pages 7 and 8
Pages 9 and 10
Back Cover
Inner Tag 1
Inner Tags 2
Inner Tags 3

Congratulations to my friend Cristina, who has a baby boy! :)

not one of my better pages, but.....

2005-09-27T15:30:00.000-07:00

the stamps used are Close To My Heart...the ink is SU!...and the paper is just assorted cardstock that is plain and not worthy of description...that's about it! ;)

ETA: the red pattern paper that i insist on sanding all the time is a non-favorite print from Leaving Prints. fortunately, they stopped selling it...though i think that it's just dandy to sand up! ;)

NICU...

2005-09-27T13:05:00.000-07:00

...here's griffin's NICU page that's similar to the one that i did of erin (see my archives for sept 2005 on zookeeper77)

My Weekend Project....

2005-09-25T13:38:00.000-07:00

...the fabric's only three months old, but they're done now! :)

Look, Ma! No Vent!

2005-09-23T20:35:00.000-07:00

cardstock by Bazzill, patter paper by Stampin' Up!, rub-ons by Heidi Swapp (tho i do not under any cercumstances reccommend them...), ribbon by Offray

2005-09-23T15:53:00.000-07:00

pattern papers by provocraft and k&co, cardstock by Leaving Prints, rub-ons by Making Memories, flowers by Prima, ribbon by Leaving Prints

I love my Sizzix.....

2005-09-23T15:10:00.000-07:00

all cardstock by Bazzill, flowers and Doodleblock letter dies by Sizzix, studs by Bead-Dazzler... ;)

Daddy Reading at the NICU

2005-09-23T08:54:00.000-07:00

cardstock by Bazzill, handmade paper by someone that delivers to Leaving Prints, charms by Darice, and i'm not sure who did the slide frames, but i bought them from Leaving Prints, too.

My letter to Griffin....

2005-09-23T06:15:00.000-07:00

and by the way, forgive the dirty floor. i took these right beside the back door, not realizing just how freaky-dirty my carpet is. ewwww

pattern paper by Stampin' Up!, cardstocks by Leaving Prints and Bazzill, Doodleblock dies by Sizzix

Where There is Great Love, There Are Miracles.....

2005-09-22T20:32:00.000-07:00

pattern papers by K&Co, slide frame dies by Sizzix, rub-ons by Making Memories

this is very similar to this layout. And it's funny that it is my hand that is over Griffin's head, but it's Aaron's hand over Erin's little body. It does make for a nice effect, though.

Yes, I'm on a roll here, folks! I've done about a page a day this month. A little over, actually, if I've done over thirty! :)

Am also trying to tempt the fates that there is unlimited hosting space in the blogger world. ;)

I started Griff's Album....

2005-09-22T18:23:00.000-07:00

pattern paper by K&Co, cardstocks by Bazzill and Leaving Prints, word stamps by The Angel Company, slide mounts from Leaving Prints
....i'd been working on one kid at a time...it's been easier than I thought it would be to have three kids to scrap.... :)

Erin's First "Mommy" Bath

2005-09-22T11:11:00.000-07:00

not mag-worthy, but a very happy moment for me! :)

So, Welcome to my Second Blog!

2005-09-22T08:14:00.000-07:00

Here are some of my scrapbook pages, for all the needy visual people out there! ;)

this layout was inspired by the kids being on CPAP. i swear, they looked like they had a pair of tidy whiteys on their heads! LOL