My Christmas Wish Came True

My one and only Christmas wish came true. I got a job! As many of you know, I've been unemployed nearly a year, so this was truly an amazing gift. I am beyond thrilled! I'm doing work I'm excited and passionate about, which makes it even more amazing. I'm still absorbing it all and I'm still a bit in shock actually. But I can't wait to get started.

I'm so ready to put 2011 behind me. It's been a difficult year worrying about money, worrying about my future, carrying a lot of humiliation and enduring a lot of rejection. I am so very thankful to my parents, my brother and my sister who kept me going, who reminded me I could do it, who edited countless cover letters, who provided comic relief, who listened to me cry and yell in frustration and anger, and so much more. I simply couldn't have done it without them.

There were also many friends, former colleagues and complete strangers that gave of their time, shared advice and provided counsel. I am in their debt.

I also want to be clear that it wasn't all doom and gloom. There were definitely wonderful times this year, like meeting Josh Ritter, being published for the first time, traveling to the North Shore, and seeing my brother and his family more than any other year in recent memory. Hey, that gives me an idea for a layout!

I learned a lot too and I'm sure as I have more time to reflect, I'll realize even more. I could write a novel on the dos and don'ts of navigating unemployment, but here are a few that came to mind.

I learned that tenacity and perseverance pays off.
I learned that so many people want to help, but don't always know how. I learned I needed to ask.
I learned that getting up everyday with a to do list in hand was essential.
I learned that listening to all the financial gurus about saving for a rainy day totally paid off.
I learned it was okay and good for my mental health to take time to have fun and treat myself every once in awhile to take out or a movie.
I learned that volunteering was critical for keeping perspective.
I learned there is so much more to what makes a person worthy and special than what they do for a living.

I feel like the world is full of opportunities again. I can start dreaming and planning and wishing again.  I'm already excited about a few things on the horizon. I'm also thinking about how I can pay forward all of the love and kindness I received. 2012 is going to be awesome.

Currently

loving this fun mail I received from my parents.

reading Crossed.

feeling relieved and happy.

working on making tags for my presents.

hoping the weather cooperates for holiday travel.

enjoying wrapping gifts and taking out all the decorations.

wishing I had more time to blog and create stuff....a.ka. December Daily.

thinking of new ideas for the blog in 2012.

making lots of lists.

expressing a lot of gratitude for my Christmas wish coming true.

celebrating one of two Christmases this weekend.

I first saw this currently type post on Tina Aszmus' blog. 

December Daily 5-11

I'm having a hard time keeping up with December Daily this year. Taking pictures has been a big fail this year too. But I'm still chugging along. Today, I have days 5-11 to share. You can see more of my December Daily here.

Day 5 | My Wish

For day 5, I wrote up my wish list for this Christmas. One of them has already come true! More on that tomorrow.

Day 6 | On This Day

For day 6, I decided to look back 10 years. I got out my journal from back then and wrote down a few notes of what was going on and made a copy of our family photo. Three of the kids weren't born yet, so it was really strange to look at that photo and not see them there! This was a fun thing to do. I'll have to remember it again next year.

Day 8 | The Best Day Of All

The journaling is on the right hand side, and since it was a bit more personal, I decided against posting it. But I enjoyed using a bunch of different letter stickers and two great Elle's Studio tags. The littlest ones are so small and adorable.

I'm still working on Days 7 and 9.

Day 10 | Top Ten Memories

For day 10, I thought it would be fun to write out the top 10 memories of 2011. Even though this was a difficult year, there was a lot of great stuff too. And I could have kept going past 10. It's good to take time to remember.

Day 11 

I realized I didn't put a title on this page. Oops. Today, I journaled a few sentences about seeing a good friend and her new baby girl. A good day.

So, there you go. I'm caught up. Sort of. It's not everything I want it to be, but I'm rolling with it. One family Christmas is coming up this weekend. I can't believe it's already here. Lots to do! Thanks so much for stopping by. Have a merry Monday!

A Is For Awesome

I'm getting this in just under the wire. When I saw this week's sketch on the Sketchy Thursdays blog, I knew right away that I wanted to blog about my day out with my niece. I started it last week and then life took over. I just finished it up tonight.

I liked all the places for photos and the large space for journaling. Worked perfectly to tell this story. I'm still really enjoying the Amy Tangerine collection and Elle's Studio tags. The rest is from various My Mind's Eye collections. Sorry for the dark photos! Winter and shorter days have arrived and are here to stay.

My plan is to share the next few pages of my December Daily on Friday. I hope you stop back.

Ten on Tuesday

1| I've had this photo on my mind ever since I saw the Dear Photograph site. The idea is to take a picture from the past in the present. It's not technically perfect, but I love it all the same. It's me on my bike holding my most favorite stuffed animal. My Mom and Grandma performed a lot of surgeries on that bear.

2| Thanksgiving flew by. We played a lot of 500 and Uno. The kids stayed in their jammies. My youngest niece "sold" us a lot of Pretty Ponies. We enjoyed amazing food. I made a brussels sprouts and bacon side dish. I think I'm on my own liking the brussels sprouts. Oh well. We celebrated my Dad's birthday. In addition to an apple cake, pumpkin pie, and brownies, my Mom made a chocolate birthday cake. We were not lacking for something sweet. Unfortunately, after we all went to our respective homes, we all got sick, except for my two nieces. Thankfully, it was short and sweet.

3| I finished The Hunger Games. Now, I'm reading Birthmarked. Another young adult series portraying a bleak future. We need books with some hope in it. Jeepers.

4| On Sunday night, I roasted some brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and chickpeas. I opened a beer and watched Family Stone. I love Sundays.

5| We got our first snow of December. Unfortunately, I had to drive in it. Not a fan. I prefer to admire it from inside a cozy blanket.

6| This weekend, I'm hauling out the holiday decorations. I love decorating this time of year. All the twinkle lights equals awesome.

7| I'm loving these twine letters that Tina made. I'm definitely adding them to my "try it" list.

8| I have completely fallen off the exercise bandwagon. I'm not sure what happened. I just stopped. I do walk to an internship, so I get my body moving a couple of times a week. Winter is always really difficult for me to stay moving. It's so easy to hibernate until Spring. Any advice to keep it interesting?

9| I'm working on December Daily this month, but I have quite a few other ideas brewing too. I've been thinking about how to include more pages about my parents, siblings and siblings-in-law. I decided to send them a set of questions on their birthday each year and then do a page with their answers. I think this will be a really neat series of pages. I have two sets of answers waiting for me. Now, I just need to find the time!

10| I have a big week ahead. If you could send good thoughts and prayers my way, I would so appreciate it. Thank you!

December Daily 1-4

Wow. I didn't mean to disappear for so long. The job hunt has heated up and while I'm so thankful for these opportunities, it's also a lot of hard work and very time consuming. Something had to give and that's usually the good ol' blog. But today I'm back with the first few days of my December Daily.

This is my fourth year making a December Daily. This has become a really enjoyable tradition for me every year. I enjoy the process and having an album documenting all the goodness of the season. You can read more about this project on Ali Edwards' blog. 

ALBUM BASE 
This year, I decided to make the same size album as last year. (You can find posts from last year's book here.) It's a little larger than 4x6. The front and back cover are cardboard. The inside pages are cut to 4x6 and I bind it all with two binder clips. This size book is really easy to make, which was a really important factor for me. I cut enough pages, so I could document one day using a two page layout.

Ali encourages people to get the base of the album all finished before the month arrives, so you're more likely to finish the project during this busy time. For me, I prefer to have the pages cut, but I don't add any embellishments until I'm ready to scrap that day. I've found that if the pages have too much already on them, it alters how I tell the story. So, I make it work for me and make the pages as I go.

ALBUM COVER

As I said, the cover is just some cardboard. I covered it with a bunch of different washi tapes. Then I added the tag, twine, and a few stickers. I'm loving the tape.

OPENING PAGE

For the opening page, I wrote my Christmas manifesto. I got this idea from Shimelle Laine. 

DAY 1 | A New Do

DAY 2 | A Day to Celebrate

DAY 3 | First Snow

DAY 4 | Crafty 

SUPPLIES
I'm using the Season's Greetings collection from Echo Park as the base pages for the book. I'm also using Elle's Studio Vintage Mix and Match Numbers for each day. I'm keeping simple. Just adding a title, a few tags, buttons, and stickers, etc. I'm most interested in the photos and the journaling.

Thanks so much for stopping by! If you're making a December Daily, I hope it's going well. To everyone: I hope you have a wonderful time celebrating this magical time of year.

Thankful

This past weekend, I made a page for one of the Two Peas Online Crop challenges. The challenge was to make a page highlighting the smaller things you're thankful for. I love making pages like this. I enjoy taking the time to think about the everyday things that make my life great. They are also always fun to look back on years later.

My list
//blog hopping
//cozy scarves
//pizza
//books and magazines
//hot shower
//pumpkin pie
//fun snail mail
//hot green tea
//taking walks
//brussels sprouts
//unexpected hugs

When I made the list, I just started jotting stuff down. I didn't think about it long or edit what came to mind. I knew I wanted 12 items, because that would work the best for my design, but I thought of a couple more things after the 12. For me, that's totally ok. I'll add them to the page the next time.

I highly recommend thinking about the smaller things you are grateful for. For us scrappers, you can totally make a scrap page. But for you non-crafters out there, you can also just jot them down in a notebook. Or you can just share them with your family members. The act of acknowledging them is powerful. It will adjust your attitude, your perspective, in a very cool way.

I used primarily Amy Tangerine's collection from American Crafts, with a little bit of Hambly and Lily Bee. I lifted the mixing of the Thickers in the title from this page by Garden Girl Jill Sprott. I love how that turned out.

The challenges are open for a week, until Sunday the 27th. And there are prizes! So, if you're looking for some prompts, you should totally check it out.  I couldn't find one place where all the challenges were listed, but you can find them all here. You'll just need to scroll through the page.

I hope everyone has a fabulous Thanksgiving. I so appreciate you stopping by. See you next week!

Ten on Tuesday

1| D and I had a fun day hanging out together. We hit the bowling alley. Jamming to the music, while knocking down the pins. We enjoyed lunch and conversation at Punch pizza. Then we went to Barnes and Noble and picked up a new 39 Clues book. She recently went through a period where she called me the paparazzi, but she was all for picture taking this time and even took a few herself. Thanks, D! There were several moments during the day that I was so grateful to be where I was. Enjoying my awesome niece's company. I treasure days like this.

2| I'm a little behind the curve. I just saw a preview for the newest Mission Impossible movie out this December. I'm trying to contain my excitement! I love these movies. It's definitely on the must do list this holiday season. That's typical, right? A little Tom Cruise, car chases, intrigue, are the perfect ingredients for making the holiday cheery and bright.

3| I just finished On the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, by Jamie Ford. I loved this book. An inspiring read, involving young love, war, and family loyalty and honor. I rushed through it because I needed to know how it was going to end.

4| Next up, #2 in the Hunger Games series. I don't plan to get a lot of sleep tonight.

5| With the package of holiday tags from Elle's Studio arriving yesterday and this inspiring post of December Daily ideas, by Ali Edwards, I'm all set to get started on my album. Probably will have to wait until after Thanksgiving though. Cutting it close this year!

6| We had our first snowfall of the season. Just a few inches. Thankfully, we'll be back in the 50s by the end of the week and it will be long gone. I accept snow in December and January and even February. But not November. And definitely not March.

7| I'm getting together with two lovely friends this evening. I'm looking forward to sipping on a glass of Pinot, while catching up on what's been happening with them. I might consume a cheese plate too. These outings are too few and far between.

8| I struggle sometimes to stay positive during this time of unemployment. There are definitely good days. But to be rejected over and over is incredibly difficult. It takes an emotional toll. My singular prayer. My one wish to Santa. To find a job where I can do meaningful work.

9| I'm loving this home decor idea. I have a budding collection of Bell jars that this would work perfectly with.

10| I'm pretty much over the moon excited for the Thanksgiving holiday. I'm excited to be all cozied up under the same roof with my family. It's the best. I'll post tomorrow, but then I'll be off enjoying the rest of the week.

Sisters Rule

Each month Sketchy Thursdays has a challenge to choose a Guest Designer. The December spot is up for grabs, so I thought I would put my hat in the ring. The challenge is to use the sketch and create a page that reflects gratitude or thankfulness. 

I decided to make a page about how awesome sisters are. I don't think I've ever made a page about this, so it's about dang time. My sister is hugely important to me. I am a better person because of her. She has been an amazing source of support through what has been a difficult year. Well, all of my life actually. She is someone I am very thankful for everyday. I also love watching my nieces' relationship grow and get stronger. I'm so glad they have each other. I hope they remain close all of their lives. It's a great gift having a sister to share life with. 

I used a bunch of October Afternoon Sidewalk goodies on this page. I'm loving the Little Flyers and Flower Sack. I also can't seem to make a page without misting lately. Love the pop of color that it adds. 

I hope everyone has a great weekend! I'm going to try and find time to participate in the Two Peas Online Crop. They always have fun chats, challenges and prizes. Since snow is in the forecast, it might be a perfect weekend to stay in and get crafty. Thanks for stopping by! 

The Best PJs Of All

Today, I'm sharing my take on this week's Sketchy Thursdays sketch. I keep saying it, but it's true. I'm loving these sketches! 

Here's the sketch:

A couple of close-ups. 

I stayed fairly close to the original sketch, but I chose to use only two photos instead of four. I've had these photos in my pile for awhile now, and this sketch inspired me to finally scrap them. What I liked about this sketch was the layering of the paper along the side. I kept that and liked it so much that I also repeated it below the photos too. 

The page is about my Mom making pajamas for her grandkids for Christmas. She's been doing this since 2007. I think it's the coolest thing ever and the kids agree! These are wonderful gifts they will treasure forever. These pajamas are made with so much love. You can't help but sleep well wearing them. 

Looking at these pictures, I'm starting to get excited for Christmas. All the special time with family. All the delicious food. All the fun games played. All the wonderful memories shared. I can't wait. I admit though, it's still too early for Christmas music. At least for me. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Ten on Tuesday

1| My family and I had a fun time at the History Center. They have a 1968 exhibit on display now. It's full of old typewriters (love!), a voting booth with the hand crank, beanbags galore, old TVs that sit on the floor (imagine!), princess phones and a restored Huey helicopter. The span of the rotors was amazing. When I was taking this picture, I said do something silly. My oldest niece was not going to play along. It's almost harder to get a good picture of her now that she's older, than it was when she was a toddler running around.

2| I've been eating way too much chocolate lately. Since my niece is allergic to peanuts, I so kindly took her Halloween candy. (Don't worry, her parents get her peanut free candy to enjoy). I've been devouring every piece since. I'd like to think I'll be sensible during the holidays, but let's be serious, I'll move from Butterfingers to pumpkin pie to candy cane cookies. Oh, so tasty.

3| I love this adorable little book that Amy Tan created for Hambly. Adding it to the project list.

4| I read the first book in the Hunger Games series. I stayed up until the wee hours to finish it. It's highly disturbing. But I couldn't put it down. I can't wait to read the next one. I worry about what this says about me. Have others read it?

5| I finished the place cards for Thanksgiving. A lot of Mr. Huey was used. I'll be sharing soon!

6| I won one of Elle's Studio sketch contests and they graciously gave me a $5 gift certificate. I ordered some of their holiday tags for my December Daily and am waiting patiently for their arrival.

7| I haven't been sleeping well lately. My stress in my waking life is hindering my sleep life. I often will get up and watch TV. PBS cooking shows eventually lull me back to sleep.

8| I am thoroughly enjoying Parenthood again this season. It's such a sweet show. I cry pretty much every episode, but it's definitely a good cry. Maybe this will balance out my enjoying the Hunger Games.

9| We're in the middle of November and still no snow here yet. Last year, we had 8 inches already. So, so thankful that it hasn't made an appearance yet. I'm hoping that it holds off until after Thanksgiving, so my family can travel safely.

10| "Let your faith be bigger than your fear." I'm holding onto this a lot lately. (I found this on Pinterest, but couldn't find an original source.)

SMASHing It Up

Today, I thought it would be fun to share what I've done in my SMASH book so far. For those that aren't familiar with these books, you can learn more here, including a very fun video.

WHY DO I SMASH?
When I first got it, I wasn't too sure how I wanted to use it. I was paralyzed with indecision for awhile and then just decided to go with it. I wasn't going to place any rules on myself or follow a theme. After I got over my indecision, it was really fun to have a place where I could do whatever struck my fancy. Often, on my scrapbook pages, I strive for perfection and graphically pleasing pages, but I don't worry about that in the SMASH book.  I don't worry if it's chronological or not. I don't worry about spelling or grammar. It's very freeing. This has also turned out to be a fun place for stories to be told that I wouldn't normally tell on a scrap page.

WHAT DO I SMASH?
I've used it just as a journal. I've stuck in movie tickets or entrance pins from a museum. I've stuck in Instax and Photobooth photos. I've painted. I've stuck in packages from teas I enjoy drinking. I've stuck in pages from a magazine, where I've seen an outfit I like, or a piece of furniture I wish I had. I've stuck in fun snail mail I've received and receipts from a night out. There are endless possibilities.

WHAT SUPPLIES DO I USE?

There are tons of neat product that go along with this book, but I'm ok with the few that I have; the date stamp, the washi tape and a few of the envelopes. I didn't want to add more and more to my stash. I enjoy using up supplies that have gone neglected. I never throw anything away, so it's been a great way to use up those scraps of paper. 

I hope you've enjoyed seeing a bit into my SMASH process. If you've been SMASHing, leave me a link in the comments. I'd love to see!

Thanks for stopping by today. I appreciate it!

Glimpse

On the grocery list|Chickpeas. 
On the TV|Flashpoint. Can't get enough. 
On the radio| Florence and the Machine.On the nightstand| The Good Thief, by Hannah Tinti. My brother sent me this book in the mail! I love fun mail. 
On the scrap table| Too many projects. Smash book is one of them. I'll be sharing my progress tomorrow. 
On the movie list| Surprisingly, nothing. I'd like to see Crazy, Stupid, Love again, now that it's out on video. Still haven't found a new place to get videos though, now that Blockbuster went under.  
On the dinner plate| Whole wheat pasta with brussels sprouts, grape tomatoes, chickpeas and Feta. 

Ten on Tuesday

1| The colors are still so vibrant and beautiful. Unfortunately, slushy snow is on the way. Big ugh. Hopefully, it's one of those times the forecasters get it wrong.

2| This weekend was super fun. Celebrating my sister's birthday. Lots of silliness and laughter. A fancy-schmancy dinner. Delicious pumpkin ice cream for dessert. A concert at the Minnesota Orchestra. My niece and I giving extra applause to the violas. A good day.

3| I have a couple of crafty projects on my to-do list this weekend. Thanksgiving place cards and the foundation of my December Daily. The ideas are brewing...

4| I enjoyed reading this post about gratitude on Superhero Journal's blog. I love her birthday ritual. I want to check out the book she recommends. I love the idea of putting gratitude into practice.

5| I've really been enjoying pears lately. A great snack. But I'm also mourning the loss of blueberry season. They are ridiculously expensive now. Will miss sprinkling them on my waffles.

6| I have a big stack of books to read, but none of them are inspiring me. Has anyone read anything good lately?

7| I have Two Peas and Elle's Studio gift certificates burning a hole in my pocket. I'm waiting for the Amy Tangerine washi tapes to come in at Two Peas and the new Elle's Studio project kit reveal next week.

8| I'm a late night snacker. I know doctors say you shouldn't eat anything past 7 p.m. or some such nonsense, but I can't sleep until I've had my bowl of cereal. At least it's Kashi, so that's somewhat healthy, right?

9| Kelly Purkey has a new class, Sketchpad. I love KPs classes. They're always full of fun and inspiration.

10| I'm off to vote. I'm so thankful to live in a country where I can vote without fear for my safety and free from restraint.

Let's Dance

Echo Park is having a contest where we need to create a project using its Dots and Stripes collection. This is one of my favorites of there's, so I was definitely in.

As I said in my post on Wednesday, I've been digging in my older photo files and scrapping stories that have been overlooked. This time, I decided to scrap about M&D's dance recital back in 2009. The bright colors and whimsical feel of the Dots and Stripes collection worked perfectly with the colors in their outfits. I look at this page and can't help but smile. It's so bright and happy. Feels good to get some of these other stories told too.

Just a quick post today. I appreciate you stopping by.

I hope you have a fabulous weekend!

Celebrate A Decade!

Today, I'm sharing a layout I created using a sketch from the Elle's Studio blog. The sketch actually came from Lilly Bee. Last week, these two companies teamed up for a week of inspiration and fun. I enjoy a good blog hop and this one didn't disappoint.

The sketch had six spots, that could be used for photos, paper, embellishments, journaling, etc. I chose to use six photos. I don't think I've ever used this many photos on a page before. Well, this many of a larger size anyway.

When I started scrapbooking, I went chronologically. But a couple of years ago, I started scrapping whatever story I felt like telling at that moment. What a huge relief that was. A lot of angst out the window. The downside has been many older stories aren't getting told, and that bugs me. I went roving in my iPhoto folders and came across my oldest niece's 10th birthday. She's almost 13 now. Eek. I decided these would be perfect for this sketch.

Even though I didn't have a lot of extra room, I was able to add three Elle's Studio tags, a few thin strips of patterned paper and washi tape, the title, a few word fetti, and buttons. Whew! Who knew there was that much space. I'm usually drawn to more white space, but I really love how this turned out. You definitely get a better sense of the day and all the fun we had seeing all the photos on one page. Will have to remember this moving forward.

SUPPLIES
ELLE'S STUDIO | Date and Place Strips, Everyday Tiny Tags, Handmade Layers Cutouts
OCTOBER AFTERNOON | Sidewalks paper and flower sack, Boardwalk ledger alpha stickers
AMERICAN CRAFTS | Amy Tangerine paper
AUTHENTIQUE | Diction
HAMBLY | Washi tape

Ten on Tuesday

1| The first day of November. Absolute craziness. We're down to what...8 weeks until Christmas. I'm not ready. I need an injection of holiday spirit, I guess.

2| I am happy though that my entire family is going to be together for both Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. I don't recall this ever happening since my siblings got married. Now, that's something to be thankful for. Makes me very, very happy.

3| This month we'll see 11.11.11. I'm a nerd and think it would be fun to commemorate it somehow. Maybe give out 11 compliments. Or send 11 letters. Other ideas?

4| I'm going to have to make some very tough decisions in the coming weeks. Being an adult is just really hard sometimes. If you're the praying kind, I'd certainly appreciate if you would send up a prayer or two for me. Many thanks.

5| I purchased Ali Edwards' latest self-paced class called Storyology. She shares the techniques and ideas she uses for getting more stories told. Her classes are very affordable and truly enjoyable to listen to.

6| I did a deep clean of my home on Sunday. I even dusted, which I never do. Feels good to start the week off fresh.

7| My brother and his family got me this awesome bag for my birthday. Great quality. Fun design. Perfect size. I love it. If you're looking for a nice bag for yourself or as a gift, I'd definitely check out 1154 Lill Studio. You can even design your own bag.

8| I'm obsessed with green tea these days. I'm drinking several cups a day. It's supposedly good for you though, right?

9| I turned my heat on for the first time this weekend. Ugh. I was trying to wait until November, but I was curled up in a comforter with several layers of clothing and shivering, and I thought this is ridiculous, so on it went.

10| I'm looking forward to this weekend. I'm going out on the town with my parents, my sister and my niece. We won't get too crazy, I promise. 

Breathe | Sketchy Thursdays Challenge

I'm back to share a page I made using a sketch from the Sketchy Thursdays blog. I'm really loving that I found this blog. The first time I participated, I was chosen as one of the design team favorites. I was thrilled! Totally made my day. I've enjoyed getting to know the team through their layouts and blogs. Such a nice group of women. Onto the sketch....

When I saw all the white space, the banner and the twine, I knew I'd participate. They are all favorites of mine. I used the sketch to the tee, except that I added journaling along the outside. I do this often on my pages. It's a great way to add words without disrupting the design too much. I wanted the photo to shine.

I used a black and white photo for the first time. How is that? Will definitely be using them more. I love how it looks. I actually made this one a bit sepia too and softened the edges. All just in iPhoto.

I used the Victoria Gardens collection from Echo Park. These papers are so pretty. I made a base for the photo with a few scraps of paper and then made different sized banners to peek out from underneath. I inked the edges of the paper to give them a bit more definition. I wrapped a few lengths of twine around the photo and added a few drops of Mr. Huey and called it done.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Hello Monday

Here's hoping good news arrives today.

Happy Halloween! What is everyone up to? I'm going to my sister's to see my nieces all dressed up. Whatever you have planned, I hope it involves some sugary goodness.

I'll be back a bit later with another post! Making up for my absence last week.

10 Favorite Places

I made this page a couple of weeks ago, but just realized I haven't shared it here yet. This design is one I keep coming back to. It satisfies everything I like in a page; a sizable area for a title, pretty patterned paper and journaling. The best part: it's super simple to make. A couple of cuts, a few punches, inked edges and that's it.

This was a topic I've been wanting to scrap for awhile. I love looking back on pages like this. It's neat to see how the places change (some never leave the list) after I've been to and experienced new places.

I used the Memoir collection from Studio Calico and Amy Tangerine Thickers. The tags are from an office supply store.

The weather should be beautiful here this weekend. I hope to get out and enjoy it. I still need to buy a few pumpkins. I really need to get on that! I also have a few layouts on my mind. Maybe I'll crafty too. I hope you have a wonderful weekend. Thanks for stopping by.

Happy Fall

Lately, I've seen a lot of people participating in Sketchy Thursdays. I was intrigued, so I checked it out. It's a blog that shares a new sketch challenge each week. They have a design team that shows how many different ways you can interpret the sketch. That's why I love sketches so much. There's no right answer. Just a great starting off point. An inspiration piece. This week, I decided to play along for the first time.

Here is the sketch.

I loved all the possibilities for the journaling along the side, so I started with that. I used the Sentiments stamp set from Studio Calico and stamped all along the right hand side. I got ink on the pad and then stamped it several times on the cardstock before adding more ink. I think the technical term is "stamping off," but I'm no expert! I really love how it turned out though. Will definitely be trying this again.

Then I just layered some Studio Calico patterned paper behind my photo. I added the very cute leaves from Amy Tangerine's line, which worked perfectly for my fall themed page. And of course, a couple of Elle's Studio tags. To make the page seem more grounded, I added a few strips of patterned paper on the top and bottom. I added a few drops of mist, my journaling and called it done.

I had a lot of fun with this sketch challenge. I look forward to playing again.

Very Thankful

I'm posting twice in one day! Too much to share, which is always a good thing. I'm back to share a layout I created using a sketch on the Elle's Studio blog. The sketch is based off of a layout by Laura Kurz. I'm a huge fan of her work, so I definitely wanted to play along.

I substituted a photo and some layering of patterned paper for the journaling card that Laura used. But I kept the tag clusters in the same place. I have been wanting to try out more layering and I'm pleased with how it turned out. After using a lot of mist lately, this page looks really bare without any on it!

The page is about how thankful I am for my parents. I've been thinking about this page for awhile, so I'm so glad to finally have it scrapped.

Journaling reads//My parents are my sounding board, my biggest fans, my compass. Their love and support have saved me countless times. I thank God for them every.single.day.