It's been awhile

since I posted.  I was gone most of the last week in July to my brother's wedding in San Antonio.  My mom and I took the train from Okla. City to San Antonio.  It was a lot of fun and much less stressful than driving!  When I returned home I realized that I only had one week left before going back to school, and my classroom wasn't ready.  So this past week I spent most of my days at school.  However, this weekend, especially today, I'm staying home and scrapping while watching the Olympics.  Something you should know about me - I'm crazy about the Olympics.  I have been ever since I watched that Miracle moment happen in hockey when I was only about  7 or 8.  Anyway, I've spent most of the day glued to the TV, but I moved some of my scrap stuff into the living room since my family is at the lake again.  Here are the cards I made today.

I used an old Sketch-N-Scrap challenge to use groups of three as inspiration as well as a sketch I had saved on Pinterest.  I used three banners and three rhinestones.  The pattern paper was left over from a HOTP/Paper Wishes kit.  I used the Christmas Cheer cricut cartridge for the holly leaves.  The sentiment is a HOTP stamp.

My mom sells cards at her work, and she needed some sympathy cards.  For this card I used a card from my Pinterest board.  At first I was trying to find a pet in order to meet an old FCCB challenge, but I don't think an owl is actually a pet.  LOL  For the owl I used the Create a  Critter cartridge and more HOTP/Paper Wishes pattern paper.  The sentiment was stamped using a CTMH stamp set.

I used the same pattern paper and stamp set for this card.  I also used a sketch from Retro Sketches.  Even though I don't usually get a chance to make something for the challenges before the challenge is over, I still keep them so I have inspiration when I need it.  Hopefully I'll have even more to share tomorrow.

My weekly update

It's me again ready to show what I was able to accomplish this week.  I was hoping to post a little more often, but it seems like time just seems to slip away from me.  Anyway, here are the layouts and cards I finished this week.

For this card, I used an idea from Paper Wishes/HOTP.  The paper was some HOTP paper in my stash.  The image was sent to me from the company for being a VIP.  I colored it with copic markers and other markers.  After coloring it, I covered it with glitter adhesive paper.  The card is a step card from the company, and I used a stamp set for the sentiment.  For a final touch I added a twine bow to the top.

I've been making layouts using CTMH products for over 5 years now.  Once a month a group of us would get together and put together layouts.  I still have several of these layouts in a drawer, waiting for me to put pictures on them.  This is one of those layouts.  It is one of the oldest layouts in the drawer, and I think the paper is Dakota, but I'm not sure.  The pictures are of my ds showing his Hereford heifer for the first time back in the fall of 2010.

This is one very simple layout I did for this picture of a hawk in a tree in our front yard.  I used a sketch and paper from DCWV.

Here is another layout from my CTMH layout stash.  This one uses paper and embellishments from the Blossom paper pack.   The pictures are of my dd and all her entries in the county fair.

These are the same pictures of my ds showing his first Hereford heifer, but this time I used a 4H paper pack.  I also used stamps from CTMH and a sketch with cutting guide from there.

Another card using HOTP/Paper wishes products and idea.  This is an oval flip card.  I kept it simple, adding only some gold die cuts, gold sentiment stickers, and silver stickles.

That's all for this week, but I feel like I've accomplished a lot.  I'm all the way to Oct. 2010 in my pictures, so only a few more months left to reach my goal of finishing 2010 this summer.  I also finished a cozy mystery book that I've been reading for two summers, Spackled and Spooked, by Jenny Bentley. 

Latest projects

The last week of June I went on a trip with my son as a sponsor.  He is in an academic club called Beta, and he went to New Orleans with them to the National Convention.  Because he was the only boy and I am a teacher with the school, the Beta sponsor asked me to go too.  We had a lot of fun.  Neither of us had ever been to New Orleans before.  The club did great too.  They competed in several competitions and made it to the top 10 in three of them.  That's big time for our very small school.

Anyway, since I was gone for a full week, and it took me several days to catch up, I was happy that my dh and kids went to the lake this last weekend, and I stayed home and scrapped!  Not all of these projects were from this weekend, but most of them were.

This first layout used all CTMH products - stamps, ink, paper, and embellishments.  The paper is from Surf's Up which was from several catalogs ago. 

Here are my sweet kids in their school pictures from 2010.  You will see these pictures again for their individual scrapbooks, but this one is for my scrapbook.  I used a kit from Paper Wishes but had to modify it a little for these particular pictures.

All three of these cards were made using embossing folders and ideas from Paper Wishes (or HOTP).  Except for vellum on the first card and the black velvet paper on the third card, I used scraps and stash.

Here are the kiddos' class pictures again for their individual scrapbooks.  My ds's page contains CTMH Scholastic papers and embellishments.  I also used Thickers for the "4th Grade" title.  My dd's page was made using papers and embellishments from a very old kit, and now I can't remember which one. 

Here's another layout using a very old kit that I know longer remember the name!  The paper, die cuts, letters, and embellishments were all included in the kit.

Another old kit.  This kit was a layout kit that I had already put together and just needed to add the pictures.

And finally two thank you cards.  These were also made using embossing folders and ideas from HOTP/Paper Wishes.  The top one I used scrap paper and ribbon along with their red firework paper and dazzle stickers.  The bottom one I did something new for me.  I used Inka Gold to color the butterflies.  The Inka Gold and the purple circle paper were purchased from Paper Wishes too.

Sorry for such a long post.  Hopefully I can get some more projects finished this week.

July 2010 layouts

For the most part I scrap chronologically.  I might skip around in a given year, but I'm too OCD to not have some kind of system.  Every summer I try to finish whatever year it is that I've been scrapping.  This year it's 2010, and I have finished scrapping my pictures from July 2010 this week!!!!  Here are the layouts with a brief description of each.

 When I first starting scrapbooking I participating in a lot of swaps.  I still have a big drawer full of swap stuff!  The title and page corners are from one of those swaps.  It was a MME element swap and the colors went perfectly for this picture of my dd.  I used a sketch that I found on Pinterest and added some MME paper (which I used to collect!).

The pictures for this layout are of my dh and ds with his first show heifer.  Living in rural Oklahoma 4-H and FFA are big organizations.  In fact, when these pictures were taken my dh was the Ag teacher at school.  These organizations promote a lot of great skills, including showing animals.  My ds had shown pigs for a few years, but this was his first heifer.  She was such a sweetie too.  Anyway, I used a page kit from Paper Wishes.  In that kit I used paper, Dazzle stickers, templates for the leaves, the leaf ribbon, wooden heart buttons which I covered in gold leafing, and ribbon.  The only thing I added from my stash were the letters for the title.

This last layout was an easy one from a Scrapbook Generations kit. Most of the pictures are of my ds in a pie eating contest on the 4th of July.

CTMH Avonlea card

I also made two cards using scraps from my CTMH Avonlea paper pack and inspiration from Pinterest.  I used CTMH ink juniper and chocolate and burlap.

More layouts using Embellish It kits

I've been in the scrap room today.  Both of my children are at 4H camp until tomorrow morning, so I decided to spend the day scrapping and reading.  I'm trying to get through a biography of Alexander Hamilton that is over 800 pages.  It the book that inspire Lin-Manuel Maranda to write the new musical Hamilton that my kids and I are obsessed with at the moment.  Anyway, here are the layouts I did today.

More NYC layouts

I've been working really hard on my 2008 NYC pictures.  I finished two more layouts using those pictures and April 2016 Embellish It kit.

The top layout features pictures taken on the subway.  The bottom layout's pictures were taken while we were on the Staten Island Ferry, and as we walked up Wall Street.

More NYC layouts using Embellish It kits

I finish two more layouts using some kits.  Both of the layouts feature pictures from Central Park and used the kits from January 2016.  A funny story about our trip to Central Park.  The girls and I had totally romanticized Central Park in the winter.  We had seen all these movies with Central Park covered in beautiful white snow and ice crystals.  Instead it was muddy and gray, and we were a little disappointed.  Also, we only walked on the west side and spent just a small amount of time.  Since then I've covered the southern half of Central Park in two different season - late spring and fall.  Now I love it.

Layouts this week

I've spent the last couple of days cleaning, organizing, and rearranging my scrapbook room. However, I was able to complete a couple of pages too.  The first one uses more portrait pictures of my kiddos.  I used CTMH products and a layout I found on Pinterest for inspiration.

I used CTMH Avonlea papers, silver sequins, and little bitty sparkles for this page.

For this second page, I dug deep into my stash using some paper and embellishments from way back to my very first days of scrapping.  Everything came from a company called Leaving Prints which isn't in business anymore.  The pictures were taken when we spent a day on the lake back in 2010.

I used a layout guide from a CTMH idea book too.

NYC layouts

In December 2008 I told my niece and four of her friends to NYC for her senior trip.  It was the first time for this group of small town girls in the Big Apple!  In fact, I loved it so much that I've been back three more times since then, and I'm planning another trip there Spring 2017.  The only downside of the trip is that I took over 900 pictures because I wanted to document EVERY single thing we did!  It has taken me 8 years to scrap these pictures, but I am getting closer.  Here are two layouts I did this last week using another older Embellish It kit.  I think it was from April 2014, but I can't remember for sure.

I've been scrapping

but I keep forgetting to post my pictures!  I've made some cards and some layouts from kits in my stash.

These two cards were made from leftovers of my Paper Wishes Personal Shopper kits.  I've been getting these kits for several years now.

This layout is also a Paper Wishes Personal Shopper kit.  The pictures are studio portraits of my kiddos from 2010.  They were so cute and little! 

My weekend

I had such a wonderful weekend.  On Sunday, my mom, grandma, brother-in-law, and sister-in-law went to Bullets Over Broadway on tour.  It was outrageously funny, and the talent amazed me as usual.  Before we see the show each time, we enjoy a wonderful brunch.  We like to try new, local places each time.  Oklahoma City has really developed some amazing restaurants over the last 10 years.  This time we tried an amazing "old school" restaurant called Cheevers.  I order the brunch punch, that changes everyday, and the cowgirl benedict.  Instead of the usual Canadian Bacon on an English muffin with the traditional hollandaise, this had skillet potatoes on bottom, chicken fried steak and a spicy hollandaise.  It was soooo amazing, and the brunch punch was a little tart which I love.  Now I'm home, trying to find a routine for my summer break so I can get everything accomplished that I want to do while still running my children in every direction. 

Let's Get Sketchy LO

Although I don't usually do single page layouts, especially ones with just one picture, I really liked the Let's Get Sketchy sketch for the week.  Once I found this picture of my dd at an art camp, I knew I had to use the sketch.  To finish it, I used scraps from my Embellish It kit that I just finished.

Another Embellish It Kit Finished!

One more kit down.  About 50 left (LOL).  OK.  Maybe not 50, but there are still several.  These two layouts were the April 2014 kits (only two years behind...YIKES!) and feature pictures from 2010 (only 6 years behind...DOUBLE YIKES)!

Christmas card

I made this Christmas card for two challenges.  I really try to use my stash up in the summer.

Weekly Christmas Card Challenge #25 was a photo challenge

Mojo Monday 449 was a sketch challenge

The materials I used:

Paper - DCWV Christmas paper pack for the pattern paper and the glitter paper.  The Kraft paper was in my scrap stash.

Ribbon - from  my stash

Embellishments - the "Merry Christmas" and the candy canes were from HOTP

Embellish It Kits

One of my goals for the summer is to complete some of the MANY kits I have in my stash.  I used to subscribe to so many kits but found I never made them.  Here are the two layouts I made using the Embellish It kits from March 2014!

The pictures are from 2010.  The top layout includes pictures from our school's Spirit Week and the kit used MME paper and embellishments.  The bottom layout has pictures of my kids and other family at a wedding back in 2010 and also uses paper and embellishments from MME.

Summber Break!

Has officially started.  It's been a long time since I've blog or entered challenges or read a book.  My summer goal for myself is to become more involved in the things I love!  Here's to a little free time and fun this summer!