I did it...

Another quick layout to share today. I made this layout for the About A Boy challenge blog's first challenge for May. It was to make a layout of  your boy being a typical boy. I used another old photo of Matthew and sketch #2  from Colorful Creations sketch a thon that is going on all this month. I was even able to use up some of my stash of MME Lime Twist that I am using for my slash your stash challenge over at My Scraps and More this month. It feels good to use up some older product, even if it is just one sheet of a 6x6 paper pad! I've still got lots of layouts planned for this collection - just how many will I actually get done before the end of the month...

Best Buddies

I don't know what is up with me lately, but all I seem to want to scrap is old photos of my kiddos. I think I am trying to hold on to them just a little longer because they are all grown up now. Abby will graduate from Missouri State University tomorrow night, Matthew is finishing up his freshman year of high school and preparing to get his driver's permit, and Shane will be headed to junior high in the fall. Yep, sometimes I long for those days when the most important thing to do was watch cartoons!

For this layout I used this week's sketch from Let's Get Sketchy. I really like this sketch and I am sure I will be using it again!

I also used Sketch N Scraps fourth birthday challenge. It was a tic tac toe challenge and you can read about it here. I chose to use the color yellow, two photos, and stars.

Thanks for stopping by!

Kits To Slash My Stash

Sketch N Scrap is turning one this month and they are celebrating with fun and prizes all month long. Their first challenge was to make your own scrapbook kit. I have also joined in My Scraps and More's  Slash Your Stash challenge this month and thought I might as well combine the two!

For May I have decided to use up the papers I have left from the Lime Twist collection from My Mind's Eye.

Since the "recipe" for the kit at Sketch N Scrap is to use 8 patterned papers, and I only had a few of the Lime Twist papers, I added in a few papers from some other My Mind's Eye collections. The recipe also called for  5 pieces of cardstock,  2 alphabets,  4-10 flowers - can be punched, handmade, store bought etc.,  2-3 sets of stickers (not letter),  Bling- pearls, rhinestones, stickles, glitter, sequins etc. ,  and 3 misc. embellies- i.e. doilies, journaling cards, chipboard, washi tape etc.

I also decided to make up a second kit using Echo Park's Note To Self collection. This is the collection that I had picked for April's Slash Your Stash challenge and I never got around to making anything with it. I haven't added in any flowers for this one, because I plan on making my own for this kit.

Now I have 2 scrapbook kits all made up and ready to go. I have been going through pictures and already have a few layouts in mind. It will be so great to use up some of my older product and to have a few new layouts to share!

Can I help?

 

One of my favorite communities on the net, Colorful Creations, is turning 3 this month and to celebrate they are having a sketch a thon for the entire month of May! That's right, a new sketch every single day - well except for the weekends - they are going to take those off so maybe we can catch up!

For this layout I used their first sketch and some of my favorite new papers from Simple Stories - Urban Traveler. I love that even though this is a travel themed collection I can still use it for every day layouts. I came across these photos of the boys while I was cleaning out my bedroom closet and I couldn't wait to get them scrapped! Matthew had just turned 4 and Shane had just turned 2. Matthew was putting together a Bob the Builder puzzle and Shane wanted to help so badly. He would hold on to each puzzle piece until Matthew needed it, then he would hand it over. I love that teamwork!

Tomorrow is National Scrapbooking Day and although I don't have any plans to do anything special, I do plan to scrap. Scott, Matthew, and (probably) Abby are all going to see Iron Man 3, so that leaves me and Shane to do as we please - which for me that means scrappin', and for Shane - he will either be watching his movies or playing his video game.

Just saying hello

This week's card challenge over at Scrappin' N Chattin' is to use at least 3 brads on your card. When I saw this sketch from Clean and Simple Stamping, I knew that it would be perfect for this challenge.

I used some papers from the My Mind's Eye - Miss Caroline Dilly Dally 6x6 paper pad, a doily from Martha Stewart, and the sentiment is from Hero Arts. Another quick and easy card, and I love the way it turned out! It will be finding it's way to someone special very soon!

 

I have a couple more ideas for cards using this sketch, so you may be seeing it again soon!

Mother's Day Card

For this week's card challenge over at Scrappin' N Chattin' we were to make a Mother's Day card. I had just received a package from my good friend Rhoda that had these pretty flowers in it and I was anxious to use them on something. So, when I saw this sketch from The Sampler Kit Club , I knew exactly what I was going to do.

 

I love how it turned out and I am so happy to have a card made with time to spare!

Happy Birthday - Clean and Simple!

This week's challenge for the 52 week card challenge over at Scrappin'-N-Chattin' was embossing. I am a little embarrassed to admit that I have had this argyle embossing folder for years and this is the first time I have used it. Thanks to Rhoda's embossing challenge it finally made it out of the package. I used this week's sketch from Clean and Simple Stamping (I love their sketches!) and the card came together really quickly. I used up some papers from the My Mind's Eye - The Sweetest Thing Tangerine 6x6 pad that I have been hoarding for some time now - it's just so hard to cut into that pretty paper -and a couple of wood pieces to finish it off.
Thanks to a great challenge and a fun sketch, I now have a pretty birthday card for my sister's birthday next week!

The Good ol' Days

Ah - these were the good ol' days! Me and my sisters all dressed up in our Easter best and ready for church. I love looking back at old photos of us girls. We didn't have a lot of money growing up and Mom made a lot of our clothes (she was quite the seamstress!) - and it's quite possible she made one or more of these dresses. But we never wanted for anything...things were so much simpler then! I love that each of us has our own little purse to go with our outfit - the perfect finishing touch to that Easter outfit!

What'cha doing, Dad?

Supplies used - Patterned Paper - Lily Bee Designs - green dot, Echo Park - blue, Cardstock - CTMH, Alpha stickers - red- October Afternoon, black - Doodlebug Design, Border punch - EK Success, sketch - My Scraps & More

Here's another layout using an older photo of Shane. I just love looking back and seeing those chubby little arms and that sweet little face peeking over the bar of the swing set. It's kind of hard to believe that my almost six foot tall  teenager was ever this little!

For this layout I used sketch #29 from the My Scraps & More birthday sketch-a-thon that they had going on last month. The challenge, along with the sketch, was to use a punch or punches on your layout. I used a circle punch to create the scallops on the page and my border punch for the zigzag piece along the top. I am also entering this in the Frosted Designs fabulous Friday challenge to use scallops on your page. Today is the last day to get it entered - nothing like waiting until the last minute!

Easter photos

I can't believe that this was the first year that we did not color eggs, but the last couple of years it was really only Abby doing it by herself, so I thought it was time to stop. Abby was disappointed, so who knows - we may color eggs next year. Even though we didn't color eggs, we did have some fun when it came to taking pictures - and Shane was actually in a picture taking mood, and that is rare!

 The last few holidays I have found some props for us to take our family photo with. We've worn Santa hats, shamrock glasses and green moustaches for St. Patty's day, and this past Christmas we had elf hats for the boys and reindeer antlers for the girls. Well, when I found these bunny masks I knew we had to wear them for Easter. Poor Shane's was so tight on his face, but he was a trooper and kept it on until we got the picture.

 Of course I have to get a good family photo of all of us together.

And then we decided to do our version of awkward family photos - starting with this one of the kids piled on top of each other. Yep - the youngest and biggest is holding all the weight, but he doesn't mind!

For this one we went tallest to smallest - peeking out from behind the person in front. I really didn't expect it to turn out so good, but I think it is my favorite of the group!

 The next two photos are of us trying to do an old time photo with no smiles. It was so  hard trying not to smile when all you wanted to do was laugh - but we got the look we wanted.

For these next 3 photos, we were trying to get it across to Shane that we wanted him to get on his hands and knees so we could make a pyramid. Scott down on his hands and knees to try and show him, but Shane thought he wanted to give him a horsey ride!

 Once again trying with all our might to get Shane in the right position.

 Okay - so he's not on his hands and knees, but it was close enough that Abby could climb on top and I got the picture.

 Abby and I just knew we could hold Matthew up while he was in a posed postion, but dang, he's gotten big! When did that happen?! Our first attempt ended up with us dropping him - yep dropping him on the floor.

 After that we decided he could just lay across our laps in his posed position. That worked much better.

After that we headed to Betty and Duane's for a wonderful meal with the family. It was pretty enough outside that the boys went out and played basketball for a while. I am so ready for warm, sunny days! On the way home we stopped at Dairy Queen and got some ice cream. Shane is not usually a big ice cream eater and it always has to be an ice cream cone. I even gave him a choice between french fries or and ice cream cone and he still picked an ice cream cone, so I knew he really wanted one. We got so tickled at him and his ice cream cone. He did enjoy it!

 

 I couldn't have asked for a better day with my family. It was the best!