I am a mother. I am a wife. I am a sister, a daughter, an aunt, a cousin.
I am a scrapbooker.
I have always been artistic, it just took me a while to find my outlet. I sew, needlepoint, and draw. I also enjoy cooking and baking. I have dabbled in scrapbooking since high school by adding memorabilia to my pictures, but something was still missing.
I found modern scrapbooking after our first daughter was born and I have not looked back. I really do hope that someday, my children look at my scrapbooks and really get who I am and how much I love them. Within the last few years, I've been introduced to mixed media and well, the world will never be the same.
My husband of 12 years and I have two sweet little girls, aged 9 and 3. They are funny, sassy, sometimes naughty, silly, gorgeous, loving, bright, often cheerful, diva-esque little princesses, and they are the lights of my life. I am lucky to be married to my best friend; I swear, I love him more every day. In real life, I am a portrait and wedding photographer, but my true loves are all at home. :)
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Monday, December 9, 2013

Baby in Fancy Pants

Have I ever mentioned that every time my husband hears me mention Fancy Pants he puts on his little girl voice and sings "Fancy Pants Unicorn, Fancy Pants Unicorn."  It was from some random cartoon we watched with the girls years ago, and it's stuck in his head.  Fancy Pants and Unicorns are forever linked in my head!

I've got another blast-from-the-past layout for you today.
This little cutie is now 10 years old, and about 4" shorter than moi. She's still that cute, though. ;)
I started with a sheet of kraft paper. I love the Fancy Pants Corrugated Paper, and decided to play with its texture a bit more by ripping it. LOVE! I have really been into layering lately, and used a few sheets from the Fancy Pants Collecting Moments 6x6 Paper Pad and the coordinating Brag Pad. I kept on with my ripping theme for one of the lower layer pieces. I liked how the color tied in with the ripped corrugated (see how I did that?) ;) All of the unripped paper edges were inked with a medium gray chalk pad.

(omg. Would you look at that baby face??)
I add some wood embellishments from Prima, Maya Road, Cosmo Cricket, and some teeny stars from my stash. I completed the layout with a gorgeous oval frame (Webster's Pages, something you might find in a Flamingo Scraps Combination or Embellishment Warehouse Box!) and some Thickers from my stash.
Thanks for looking, and I'll see you next time!

Sunday, December 1, 2013

Sketch 14 at Simple Sketches

I really love Melissa's sketches.  Visit Simple Sketches weekly to see each new one!
 
Here's my take on #14:
 
 
I think the best part of sketches is that everyone can interpret them in their own way!  Please head over to the Simple Sketches Blog to see all of Team B's versions!

Monday, November 25, 2013

Was That REALLY Thirteen Years Ago?

Today, I've got a layout to share with you.
I guess I was feeling a little nostalgiac. My husband and I celebrated our thirteenth wedding anniversary this past October, and it's really hard to believe that we've been married that long (especially since I'm still only 25!) When I received Pink Paislee's Secret Crush line in my Flamingo Scraps Warehouse Sale Combination Box, I thought that maybe...just maybe...I'd finally get some wedding photos scrapped. Ok, here's my secret confession--I am TERRIFIED of scrapping my wedding photos. I do have the negatives, but they are medium format and it's becoming difficult to find a lab who can scan and/or print from medium format negatives. *sigh* Anywho, I decided to take the plunge and and I have to say that I'm really quite happy with how it came out.
I started out by fussy cutting the heart banner from another sheet of the Love Notes paper. I used pop dots to fix it to the paper on top of where the banner originally appeared. Then, I started inking and layering the Paper Good, Photo Frames, and Photo Tabs from the Secret Crush collection. I also used a small strip of the Polka Dance paper.
I finished by adding some Star Dust Stickles to the banner, a few letters and a wee little phrase from my stash, flowers from Prima, and Trinket Pins from Maya Road (all of which might be found in your very own Warehouse Sale Box! They are available in paper, embellishments, or a combination and are chock full of amazing scrappy value!)
I wish all of my American friends a happy and safe Thanksgiving. Thank you for looking, and I'll see you next time! :)

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Simple Sketches #12 Reveal

I think my favorite part of being on a sketch team is seeing the many ways each sketch can be used.  I love reveals!
That being said, Sketch #12 is now live on the Simple Sketches blog, and here's my take on it:
I used a Crafter's Workshop 6x6 brick template with some modeling paste mixed with brown paint for my background.  There are some woven strips of pp behind the bricks, and I love how they peek out.  I pop-dotted the photos (regular adhesive wasn't going to work on top of that thick modeling paste!).  I added a few Heidi Swapp rub-ons and stickers (the words and hearts).  I needed a bit more color, so popped in a few strips of washi tape and painted my wooden title letters red.
Please share your take on Melissa's sketch, I would love to see what you've done with it.  Until next time!

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

My Littlest Love

I recently received part of a Hey Kid kre8v Kit by Pink Paislee. It is so much fun! There are so many cute pieces, and the patterns are so bright and trendy. It's perfect for my little girls!
I chose a photo of my littlest imp; it's one of my favorites because it just captured her 2-year-old self perfectly. She's sweet and sassy, and the mischevious little grin says it all. A complete list of supplies can be found at the end of the post.


I wanted a neutral base because the colors and patterns were so bright, but white, black, and kraft didn't seem right. I finally found this bluish-grey, and I think it's perfect. I fussy-cut along a line of circles in one of the sheets of patterned paper and layered cardstock stickers, another fussy-cut border, and some transparent arrow stickers over that. I didn't like the unrelieved grey, so I splattered a big of gesso on the left of the page. I love how gesso dries; it's solid white, like paint, but it maintains some dimension.
On the top left, I used more cardstock stickers, one of the cute chipboard pieces, and a cardstock speech bubble. I wanted a bit more dimension, so I added some stars and arrows from the Wood Charms by Cosmo Cricket and the Cork Shapes (Hearts & Stars, Arrows) by Fancy Pants.
Thanks for looking, and I can't wait to see you next time!

Products used:
Fancy Pants Cork Shapes, Hearts & Stars
Fancy Pants Cork Shapes, Arrows
Cosmo Cricket Wood Charms
Pink Paislee Hey Kid kre8v Kit
Basic Grey cardstock
ProArt Gesso
GlueDots
Tombo Mono Adhesive

Saturday, November 2, 2013

Simple Sketches #10 Reveal

Today's the day, it's time for the latest Simple Sketch!  You can find the sketch, and all of the other fabulous interpretations on the Simple Sketches blog!
Here's my take on it:
 
 
This was pretty simple; I just played with photo size and placement until it fit the photos that I wanted to use.  Even when a sketch shows specific photo sizes, and you don't have those sizes printed, all you need to do is improvise!  :)
Thanks for looking, and I'll see you next time!
 
 

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Crafting for Christmas!

Hey, Flock! Genie here, and I'm starting to think about making Christmas gifts for my friends and family. I probably should have started months ago, but I guess I'm just not that prepared. ;)
If I can bear to part with it, this mixed media wood block will go to one of my aunts. I come from a very crafty family, and we have quite a few talented sewists. This idea has been bouncing around in my skull for a while, and the lovely colors in the Webster's Pages Spring Garden collection that came in my Flamingo Scraps Combination Warehouse Box were just what I needed to bring it to life. A complete list of products used will follow.
I started with a 12x12 wood block and haphazardly placed a few pieces of an old pattern on it with Mod Podge (when I use a pattern up, or lose pieces, or whatever, they go into a drawer to be used in mixed media--I love the look!). I tore a few pieces of the Webster's Pages and added those right on top, working them into the patterns for a lovely blend.
I mixed some teal Color Shine mist with some of the Mustard to make a lovely green, which I splattered on the Maya Road chipboard pieces with a paintbrush and then spritzed lightly on the surface of the patterns and papers.
It took some work to get the gorgeousm amazing, lovely, fabulous...(Oh, how I love those Webster's Trims!!) on the page, but with time and a LOT of Mod Podge, they stuck. ;) I wrapped some twine around my chipboard spools, stuck those down, added my text, and a Webster's fabric flower, and I was done. I really love the simplicity and muted color palette of this one! Thanks for looking, and I'll see you soon. :)

Items used:
From the box, I used some lovely Webster's Pages papers, trims and twine, from the Spring Market collection.
From my stash: alphabets, wood block, pattern pieces, and art mediums.