Dimensional Details - Week 8

This week the class focused on PAINT! I wasn't as intimidated by painting on my layout as I was a few weeks ago. I WENT FOR IT!

There is no pretty patterned paper in this layout at all. I used watered down blue and green acrylic with orange splatters for the background. It looks like a thrown together MESS but it took me DAYS to finish!

I'm not quite sure I like it, but it won layout of the week at Croppin' Paradise, so I must have done something right!

Dimensional Details - week 7

Week 7's assignment was sewing on a layout. My layout has holes punched along the edge with a sewing machine (no thread), a stitched photo corner, and sting tied through buttons:

I also spent a long time editing this photo to give it a more dramatic look. I like the way it came out!

Dimensional Details - week 6

This week at Dimensional Details we learned about titles... altering letters and mixing fonts. I used both of those techniques in my layout of the week:

It's not my best work, but I LOVE the photo of Chris. Tomorrow is a new week for Dimensional Details, AND the first week of a my new class "Get Great Photos With Any Camera." I'm so excited to learn how to use all those settings on my camera! YAHOO!

I'm following the directions that came with my Mother's Day flower bouquet. It says that today, I'm supposed to change the water and clip 1" off the bottom of the stems. Don't they look GREAT?!!

The Season Ends, and Dimensional Details week 5

Track season is over... Chris qualified for CIF Preliminaries as a Varsity runner this year! YAHOO for Chris! Runners are numbered with their regional ranking. There were two heats in the Varsity 800m, 15 boys in each heat. Chris was wearing #14. He tied his PR at 2:14, but that wasn't good enough to qualify for CIF Finals. He LOVES running the 800m and wants to do it again next year!

I'll finish off this post with a layout share. The photos are from last Fall (Cross Country Season):

Week 4: Dimensional Details

This week's project involves paint, ink, and sanding. I sanded the edges of my photo and painted on the background behind the photos to make them POP! TFL!!!

Week 3: Dimensional Details - April PTI Blog Hop

Welcome PTI Blog Hoppers! This month we were asked to use tissue. What a coincidence that we had a sewing project going on... We made the romper my daughter is wearing in the photo. I used left over fabric from the romper on this layout and added used the excess pattern tissue as flowers and part of the background.

I glued the pattern tissue to white cardstock using a glue stick. The tissue flowers was an idea I got from Split Coast Stampers. The flowers were blending into the background more than I wanted, so I added an outline on each layer.

Thanks for looking and Happy Hopping!

How to Make a Brad Bracelet

I was asked by some online friend for directions on how to make the brad bracelets that I posted back in February. They are light weight, comfortable to wear, pretty, and super easy to make.


Start with some chain... I got a card of this chain from Michael's. There was about 4' of chain; enough for 5-6 bracelets.


Cut a length of chain big enough for a bracelet (Mine are 13-15 links long) and use a couple of jump rings to add a clasp.


Gather two flower charms (use wire cutters to carefully snip off the loop and file it smooth), a couple of small brads, an three large decorative brads (only one pictured). I purchased a package of Basic Grey brads and it contained everything I needed. They have them in the CP store HERE. There are enough brads in one package to make 4 braceletes.

I found the flower charms on eBay by searching for "silver flower charms." There are lots of different styles to chose from.


Thread the small brads through the charms and through a bracelt loop.


The tines of the brads are soft and easy to work with. Use needle nose pliers to wrap the tine around the loop and tuck it under.



Now do the same with the big brads. The tines on the big brads are longer. Trim them shorter with wire cutters before wrapping them around the loop.


And that's it... so easy!

Week 2: Dimensional Details

Dimensional Details is the new class I'm taking at Big Picture Scrapbooking. My pages are mostly clean and flat. I thought it would be fun to learn a new style.

What happened to week 1, you ask? Well, week 1 just a review of distressing techniques that we incorporated into the homework for this week. The layout for this week had to included a paper pieced background, distressing, stenciling, all on Kraft cardstock. Here's my layout called: 3 Generation of Little Black Dress. I got the title from my mom. I just love this photo of the three of us.

Scrappy Weekend!

I scrapped some photos that have been in my todo pile for a while. For some reason my todo pile keeps getting bigger not smaller, hahaha... always, lots to do!

Here it is! A layout of my parents' 50th anniversary! I had so many photos to chose from, so many decisions... but I finally decided on some really nice ones of my parents and one of me and my brother.

Thanks for looking and I hope you are all having a great weekend!

Book of Me - C & D

Here are my two February pages, C & D, only a little bit late. I kept telling myself to get going on it, but then the laptop smoked. While we were waiting for Dell to send our replacement laptop, Chris was using the desktop. The new laptop is here now and it's a Dell Studio (top of the line). Our other laptop was a Latitude. The Studio is really nice, and the screen is bigger too!

It feels good to be caught up. Here are my new pages... C and D!

Cheryl
When I was in elementary school the girl named Cheryl had the longest hair. I wanted my name to be Cheryl so I could have long hair too (I was sporting a pixie cut). That's where Cheryl got her name. Cheryl is 20yrs now; a wonderful young woman with a beautiful smile that can light up a whole room (or a soccer field). She's friendly, well liked, has a great way with kids, and has a plan for her life (which doesn't include boys yet). I for one, absolutely adore the person that she is.
Chris
How about that! Both my kids’ names start with “C”. That was totally unplanned. Jim picked the name Christopher (meaning Christ like). Chris is a good all-around person. He's affectionate, sensitive, and loyal. Favorite past times include: chatting online with his manga friends, designing siggies, and racing. What I love best about him is his focus and a single-minded determination when it comes to getting things done. Right now that only applies to things he wants to do, but I know it will turn into a well-rounded life skill. I love him now and the man he is becoming.

Drawing
I almost got good at it at one point. But that was BK (Before Kids).
Drive-ins
I remember movies at the Highway 39 Drive-in. Dad would drive us in the station wagon with Randy and me camped out in the back with lots of blankets. We'd hook the speaker up to the driver side window and watch. At intermission, we might walk to the concession stand in the middle of the lot for popcorn. Some time later, Randy and I would fall asleep and not wake up until we were home.
Ducks
Along with the drive-in, another of my fond childhood memories is feeding the ducks at Knott’s Berry Farm. At Knott’s, where there is now a parking lot, was Jungle Island surrounded by a lake. Next to the lake, stood a merry-go-round. It was the best merry-go-round in the world! It didn’t have just horses, but all kinds of animals! I loved the lion! We used go often in the evenings to feed the ducks, ride the merry-go-round, and throw a coin in the wishing well.

PTI February Blog Hop

Welcome! It's that time of month for the PTI Blog Hop! This month we were asked to lift a card/layout from on of the PTI designers. It was a hard choice but I decided on lifting the talented, Heather Nicols. I found this great layout on her blog. Instead of using pieced paper, I used a stripped paper from Scenic Route. It made this layout super easy!

Some Soccer and Some Scrapping

First, a Quake report... Cheryl's little girls are playing in the State Cup. After the last weekend of games, they've advanced to the round of 32. They played yesterday and won 4-1! This morning, they played the sweet-16 and WON AGAIN 3-0! These girls seem unstoppable! Until this afternoon where they lost in the quarter finals, 1-2. I asked Cheryl if the girls were disappointed and she said they were for about 10 minutes, then they got in line to do the bungee jumping... loss and tournament forgotten, LOL!

Look I scrapped again! I've wanted to do something with these photos for a while. He was less than thrilled of course, but a mom's gotta do what a mom's gotta do, hehehe...

Online Crop Layouts

I was scrapping a lot the past couple of weeks. So much so that it's too much for one post... Today I'd like to share the layouts I made (tomorrow I'll subject you to the cards) LOL!

Album FINISHED!!!

Here is my scrappy share for the weekend. I finally finished Cheryl's Europe album!

Cheryl went to Europe in Spring 2007, so I finished in less than 3 years, lol! Yeah, that's a long time...

If you want to see all 30 pages, go here:

http://www.scraproomblueprints.com/gallery_mine.php?me=europe

and thanks for looking!

Book of Me - A & B

I DID IT! I officially started my "Book of Me." I'm going to use the letters of the alphabet as prompts to journal about me for an entire year. By then you'll be really tired of hearing about me, lol! I decided to do this as digital pages and print the whole thing out as a 5x7 Shutterfly book when I'm done.

Here are my first two pages... A and B!

Anxious, Things that make me
Driving. It's not so much that I don't like to drive, it's that I don't like to try and be somewhere on time. I always add half an hour and still there is a fear that I'll get lost or that I'll hit traffic. I don’t like to be late. I try working backward. Okay, I need to be there at 9am. That means I should arrive at 8:45 to leave time for parking. That means I need to leave the house by 8am-- no, play it safe, there could be a lot of traffic say 7:30. That means I need to get up at 6:45; that gives me 45 minutes to get ready. I'll immediately repeat the whole internal dialogue-calculations, see if I come up with the same time estimates. I'll do this at least a couple more times before I leave, one of the times being at night when I set my alarm clock and check at least twice that it's set to AM instead of PM. Thank goodness for Garmin. Garmin and its annoying female voice make me less worried I’ll get lost.
Flying. Again like driving but with even more variables. Being at the airport two hours early, airport traffic, long term parking, van ride, locating the right terminal, ticketing, baggage check, security, and finding the gate!

Birthday
I like my birthday. The actual date, November 25, falls right around Thanksgiving. Yes, I'm a turkey. I don't like a big fuss made about my birthday. We've been combining my birthday with Thanksgiving forever, and I like it that way. Typical birthday dinner: turkey and cake!

Busy...
How are you? busy. How's work? busy. How was your week? busy.

Blogging
Telling the story of my life! Staying connected with family and friends all over the country! I started blogging in 2007 to share ideas with other scrapbookers on the web. But there is more to my life than just scrapbooking. I find that I’m a creative person with something to say. Truthfully, I blog for me... because it keeps me connected to my life.

Scrappy Share!

Here it is! My first scrappy share of 2010! This is another page for my daughter's Europe album. Cheryl went to Europe in 2007, and I'm almost done with her album! Only two more pages to go! When I'm finished with the album, I'll post all the pages together... Cheryl and I are really pleased with how it came out... and I am really REALLY pleased that it's almost finished! LOL!

One Little Word

I started doing this a couple of years ago. I pick one word that embodies the changes I want for myself over the year. My past words were:

2008 : breathe
2009 : focus

I had a hard time picking my word for this year. A lot of people pick adjectives, but I wanted a verb... verbs work better for me. I wanted that verb to mean: "Enjoy Life to the fullest... be present in each moment." Well, the best word I could come up with is "PARTICIPATE." So, participate is my new word for 2010!

The new year is also the time for setting personal goals... Jim is going to work toward losing a few pounds by walking during his breaks and eating less at night. Cheryl is working toward a transfer to a 4-year college by bringing her GPA up. She's making good progress by finishing last semester with 3 A's and 2 B's. WAY TO GO, Cheryl! Chris is hoping to pass all his classes so he doesn't have to go to summer school. He's doing that by keeping his fingers crossed. {sigh} Yeah, that's my boy...

My goal this year is to finish a half-marathon in under 2 hours. I've been running at lunch with a couple of guys who are qualified for the Boston Marathon. They've been giving me pointers.

I also want to get our kitchen remodeled. It really is time... one of my top cabinets is propped up with a 2x4. I've also been threatening to do dishes in the bathroom because our kitchen has so little water pressure. I've put some kitchen idea books on hold at the library, so I'm storing up on ideas!

For my first time ever, I have a scrapbooking goal! I'm going to FINISH a digital book all about me! I'm going to use the alphabet as prompts and do one page every one or two weeks that way I'll be finished by the end of the year. My second scrappy goal is to start a digital book of family... starting with my dad's parents. I started a regular scrapbook about them, but decided to start over and do-it-digital so I can share it with the entire family.

If you're still with me, thanks for reading my long winded post! Good luck on your own 2010 goals!

It's Blog Hop Time!

Welcome to the Scrapbook Deals for You blog hop! The Summer challenge is to create a layout, card or project using a sketch. There are a lot of sketch sites out there.
I picked this sketch from Ali Edwards. I love her clean, simple style. I used one of the photos that I created during the Photoshop class and created this layout! I really like how it all came together!

To see the whole blog hop list, go to the SD4U MB.

PTI Blog Hop

This is my first blog hop for PTI. I've been hearing such wonderful things about their stamps, and now that I'm working, I finally ordered a set for myself.

The set I ordered is called Star Prints. I love using stars on layouts... maybe it's because I think my family are such super stars! LOL!

The challenge this month is to use yellow on a project. Here's my project. It's a layout of my son's cross country season... their school colors are black and gold.

Spring Scrapin-ings Blog Hop!

WELCOME!!!
I'm so excited about being a part of the first SD4U Blog Hop!

Here is my spring-time project... a cute little gift set.

Supplies:
Patterned paper from Basic Grey
Solid cardstock from Bazzill
Round stamps from Stampin' Up
Nugget stamps from Unity
Various punches from Stampin-up, EK success, and Fiskars.

Here are some close-ups:

Bag topper...

Peppermint Patty Box

Nugget Box

Post-it holder with paper clip

Hershey Bar

My favorite quote:
It's not about talent, it's about heart!

Congratulations!
You've reached the end of the blog hop!
Thanks for playing with us!

To be entered into the Blog Hop prize drawing, go HERE,