Happy Boy

Yes, those of you who know me will know that I don't have any kids this small any more. This is a page I did of Alec from about 9 years ago. So I'm still trying to play catch up!! The simply scrapping kits make it sooooooooo easy to do quick pages.

Happy accident

This is a card I made while playing around with the new "Ribbon Originals" in the holiday mini catalog from Stampin Up. I love this stamp set and the Riding Hood Red. What was interesting was, I had originally stamped the words directly onto the Very Vanilla and messed it up so I stamped it with craft ink and embossed it on another scrap piece. I liked that better, but when I layered the ovals, I had to offset the large chocolate chip one a little (to hide my screw up) and lo and behold....I loved the effect it had.

The Amazing Katrina

These are just a few pages we did with our friend Katrina Franlin. She is so creative and an awesome person as well. She puts together a two-page layout once a month and we all go and do it together. It has been a great way to make sure we get at least that much done every month. I always try to put pictures on her pages as soon as I can. I never liked doing layouts first, and then finding pics to go on them, but she has made a believer out of me! The alligator skin paper was done by using Versa Mark and clear embossing powder. Cover the paper with Versa Mark and embossing powder, then make crooked lines through the powder with your bone folder. Heat the embossing powder and like magic.....alligator skin.

A Fun Summer Day

This is a page layout I did with one of Stampin' Up's Simply Scrappin' kits. They are so great for doing a quick layout especially if you are trying to get caught up. The kids had a great time getting muddy and swimming in the creek that day.

Zoo page

Sometimes it gets frustrating to me when I can't find the time to go to the craft room and stamp and scrap like I want to so I have been playing with digi-scrapping. There are tons of free stuff you can download on the internet. The kits are like our simply scrapping kits. The papers and embellishments coordinate together to make beautiful pages. I joined Scrapper's Guides so every month I get great tutorials, ideas, and a monthly kit for a small membership fee. These pages were done with this month's kit "Botanist" by Katie Perteit. I really like her stuff.



Of course, I would rather be in the craft room, listening to 80's hits and having fun with my girls, but when that's not possible, I go digital!

In Memory of Bud

I have always thought a completed scrapbook would be something to be proud of, but it never really hit home until now.

A few years ago, not long after I became a Stampin' Up demonstrator, I was given a unique opportunity. An elderly gentlemen who worked part time with me brought in an album from his Navy days. The pages were torn and falling out and he was constantly picking things up off the floor as he tried to tell stories of his days traveling the world while defending our freedoms. He bled Navy blue and he made sure everyone knew it. I asked him one day if I could borrow his album for a while so that I could preserve his momentos a little better for him. When I look at it now, I feel that I could have done so much better, but I didn't want to keep his treasures from him too long.

We had planned an all-night scrap one weekend, and I made him a scrapbook. I can't tell you the joy it gave me as he looked at every page with the excitement of a child at Christmas. It gives me even greater joy now. You see, Bud passed away in his home September 1st, 2008. His daughter called to thank me for doing his book. She said every time he was admitted to the hospital in his last days, he asked her to bring his book so that he could show it and tell his stories to anyone who would listen. He was a very special man and he will be missed dearly. Sail on, Dear Bud. Your greatest journey is in front of you.

Sometimes we touch peoples lives when we don't even realize it. What seemed so simple to me and not even my greatest work, meant the world to someone else. Never miss the opportunity to do the little things. Sometimes they bring the greatest joy.

If you would like to see the full scrapbook, you can view it in my Splitcoast Gallery at http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=14974 and http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=14975

American Legion

So, here is my first card post. My new mother-in-law has been put in charge of sending out cards for her husband's American Legion unit and this is what we came up with. The ribbon is one she picked up at a craft store but everything else is Stampin' Up. We used Always Artichoke for the card base and Whisper White, Real Red, and Brilliant Blue for the Layers. The stamped image from the set "Free and the Brave" is done with Always Artichoke craft ink and clear embossing powder. We printed the Legion information on our printer. She was thrilled with the results and so was her husband!

First time blogger

Hello all!!! I have decided to join the blogging crowd. Hopefully, I can keep up and post some things that will inspire you to catch the "Scrap Virus" as I have. As a Stampin' Up demonstrator, I have made some great friends and had some of the best times doing something that I have truly grown to love. If there is a cure for what I have, I don't want it!!! Just this weekend, we had an all day stamp at our craft room and WOW, what a turn-out we had!! My sister Tabitha and my friend Kristin even took it through the Holiday!! I'm so jealous!!!!!! Hopefully soon, we will have our home improvements under our belt and I can devote more of my time to creating interesting (if nothing else) layouts to post for you. They will be a mix of digital scrapbooking which I am slowly getting into, traditional scrapbooking, and hand-made cards. I hope you enjoy my posts and look forward to any comments!!