Stretch Your Sketches No. 4

Today a quick post to show you a page I created for the Stretch Your Sketches challenge over on the Ella Publishing blog. I am addicted to sketches lately, so am loving the consistency of this challenge.

I stayed fairly close to the sketch, but used all the same size photos. I've wanted to scrap about "pancaking" for a long time, so I'm so glad to finally have it done. I enjoyed using a bunch of tags as part of the title. I picked these tags up the last time I was at Office Max. Who knew you could find scrapbook supplies there?!

JOURNALING| The kids love to pancake Stephan, since Megan was little. Essentially it means pouncing on him, pancaking him to the ground. Fun for the kids...not sure if it is for Stephan.

Ten on Tuesday will return next week. 

Things I'd Like To Tell My 18 Year Old Self

//Be brave. Take risks. You will regret it if you don't.

//He is not The One. You will feel like he is, but he's not.

//You don't need to figure everything out now. Relax.

//Keep going to school. Those extra degrees will come in handy.

//Do more for you. Do what you want. Be a bit selfish.

//Take more pictures.

//Stop eating like crap. Your body will thank you.

//People will disappoint you. Let it go and move on.

//You will disappoint you. It's ok. Don't be so hard on yourself.

//Keep writing. It will keep you sane.

//Mom is right. Taking a shower makes everything better.

//Everyone has a story, including you. Take the time to listen and don't be afraid to share of yourself.

//Good things will result from being kind.

//You are right. Family is everything.

See more of my lists here. 

Wordless Wednesday|Happy Spring

Ten on Tuesday

1| A stack of newly printed photos makes me happy.

2| My go to snack as of late has been Wasa crispbread, peanut butter, and either blueberries or banana on top. Yum.

3| Attending my niece's orchestra concert and discussing the pieces afterwards makes me happy.

4| Dancing with the Stars winner: This is tough, but I think Kirstie Alley.

5| Punch pizza, one of their salads and a glass of Pinot makes me happy.

6| I'm bummed that the last two weekend mornings have been too rainy for walking to the farmer's market. This weekend, I hope.

7| Taking an early evening walk in between down pours makes me happy.

8| I haven't felt too crafty lately. I know the spark will return, but I dislike these slumps.

9| Reading on a rainy Saturday afternoon and falling asleep among the sentences makes me happy.

10| We've had a lot of unstable weather the last few days. Tornadoes touched down in the Minneapolis area and left behind a lot of destruction. Two people lost their lives. The death toll and destruction in Missouri is heart wrenching. I struggle with the randomness of it all. I texted a donation to the Red Cross. So simple. I hope it makes a difference. My thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected, especially those who lost loved ones.

Currently

eating pasta, chickpeas, feta and cherry tomatoes.

drinking a big glass of ice water.

wearing a gray t-shirt, jeans and red ballet flats. 

reading Jennifer Egan. 

excited about going on a spring road trip. 

working on my monthly recap pages.

feeling unsure. 

happy the weather has been so nice.

hoping to hear some good news this week. 

Brag Book

For my sister-in-laws birthday, I made her a brag book. A book full of photos of her family. A book she can throw in her purse and take out at her leisure. A book she can take with her on her business trips. A book she can look at with her husband and kids and reminisce together.

I had a great time making this album. I love making gifts like this. I used a Kolo album and primarily 7-Gypsies product. I love their collage papers and tags. Oh, the tags! I'm a sucker for tags. I also used a bit of twine and decorative tape.

Ten on Tuesday

1| I watched three movies lately. First, The A-Team=two thumbs up. Hilarious action film. Second, Rear Window=one thumb up. Entertaining idea, but slow moving. Third, How Do You Know=two thumbs down. Painfully slow. Awful dialogue.

2| Dancing with the Stars: Bye-bye Ralph.

3| I'm crossing off a part of my 33 list. I'm planning a day trip to a city in MN that I haven't been to before. Excited to get away if only for a day and explore a new place. I better get moving on my list too. A lot of fun to be had before I turn 34.

4| I'm very happy with my pedicure. Pretty red toes. I love this Mother's Day tradition.

5| I'm undertaking a huge scanning project. I've started to scan all pre-digital photos starting with photos before I was born. I wish places like ScanDigital were more affordable because that would be so much easier! But really looking forward to getting it done.

6| I won a challenge each from Two Peas and Studio Calico as part of their National Scrapbook Day festivities. Super excited to get scrappy goodness delivered to my door. Thanks so much to them and their sponsors!

7| The Good Wife season finale is tonight. I'm getting a bit tired of the storyline, but we'll see how it ends.

8| I'm missing having meals surrounded by my family.

9| I'm enjoying reading these interviews: Women Living Their Dream Jobs.

10| Also really enjoying Ali Edwards' Project Life. Very impressed and inspired with all the cool stuff she captures every week. Photos, ephemera, bits of life, words. Really awesome.

Stretch Your Sketches No. 3

Today I'm sharing my take on sketch No. 3 for the Stretch Your Sketches challenge on the Ella Publishing blog.

My page is exactly like the sketch, except I used four square blocks of patterned paper instead of photos on the right hand side. I used primarily product from the Walk in the Park collection from Echo Park. This is such a fun, colorful collection. Perfect for documenting the relationship between my two nieces, who are cousins.

My whole family spent the last two weekends together and it was so neat to watch their relationship grow and strengthen. My youngest niece, A, thinks D hung the moon. She wanted to be where D was, doing what D was doing. D loved every minute too. Very cute and fun to watch.

5 Simple Pleasures

This past weekend was National Scrapbook Day and Two Peas in a Bucket and Studio Calico hosted a bunch of fun blog hops, chats, challenges and projects on their sites. Thankfully, they are both keeping the challenges open all week. I wouldn't have been able to participate otherwise.

Two Peas has a Q&A challenge and Studio Calico has a painting challenge, so I combined the two into one layout. I also based it on a sketch by Emily Pitts, a Studio Calico design team member. The Q&A portion are my 5 simple pleasures. The painting portion I used an empty toilet paper roll and the end of an eraser to make the shapes with paint.

click photo to enlarge

JOURNALING| 
//Sharing a meal with my whole family.
//A stack of new magazines from my Mom.
//A cup of tea and a bit of chocolate.
//A hot bath full of bubbles.
//My niece taking my hand in hers.

What are some of your simple pleasures?

What I've Been Up To

I didn't mean to be away for so long, but I've been having a wonderful time. My family has been together for the last two weekends celebrating two First Communions, Mother's Day and two birthdays. Jam packed to be sure! There's nothing better than the entire family sleeping under one roof. Eating meals together, giving goodnight hugs, playing games, spending time outside, watching relationships grow and strengthen. It's awesome.

Now, it's back to reality. Back to the routine. I can't believe it's already May. It completely snuck up on me. I'm organizing my to do lists. I need to plan some get togethers and work on a few projects. I'm very excited that spring has arrived. I'm loving the sun and warmth together. It's sparking new energy.

Welcome May. Let's go.