a couple paper layouts

For some reason, I had a hankering to create on a white background. This one was totally inspired by product -- much of which I wouldn't have chosen myself, but since it came in a Studio Calico Kit, I let it inspire me. The banner is trendy, but fun. I love this photo. :)

Everything is from Studio Calico kits. This layout was fun to put together because I was able to remember happy times from planting flowers with my mom and Grandma. It serves as a reminder to myself to make this tradition a happy one for my children so they will look forward to planting flowers together for years to come.

BTW, isn't that white flower paper on the right just dandy? It reminds me of eyelet lace from when I was a little girl.

a facelift.

Tonight this neglected space of mine was given a facelift. It was time to make it a bit more reflective of me. Perhaps then I'll use it more? We'll see. I wouldn't hold your breath.

a scrappin' fool!

I just completed this layout -- it's my 38th of the month! Woo-wee! (Of course, 24 of them were title & section pages for my LOM. Still . . . that's 14 layouts!) I don't think I've ever scrapped this much in such a short amount of time before!

I love how some layouts evolve over the course of several days and some come together in a snap. This is one took several days . . . and not because I was trying to tell a more complete story, but because the design was giving me fits!

mom's musings.

I created this section in my LOM album, All About Us. The layouts in this section are ones that

include a reflection or realization about life or that are based on a quote. Since I love quotes, I find that sometimes that is all I use on a layout. I was having trouble determining where to put these two "kinds" of layouts and thus developed the Mom's Musings section.

Little did I know that it would become a favorite section of mine, but it has. I feel that it'll help tell a more complete story of our little bubble of the world and the way I'm influenced by the little everyday happenings.

Below are three of the pages you would find in this section. The first two are examples of reflections about living . . .

And here's one based on a quote. (BTW, I made this in response to a Kelli Crowe challenge during the BPS class Have More Fun.)

LOM Structure

I've been considering title & section pages for my Library of Memories for some time now. There have been two hang ups for me:

1. Using photos on these structure pages because of the way the page will become dated almost instantly & my plan is for it to be a title/section page over the course of time. (Now I'm sure I'll get bored with them & someday update 'em . . . but overall, I wanted them to have a classic-timeless appeal. I also know that almost everyone uses photos on these pages & they are quite happy with it . . . so maybe I should just get over it. Still . . . )


2. The color scheme. I love (and I mean lovelovelove) the WeRMemory Keeper albums; however, I wish there were more colors -- namely a grey and an off-white (to go with the cinnamon and red). So I bought all cinnamon for my LOM + a red one for the recent layouts. Still toying with the idea of adding a kiwi + buttercup to have four colors . . . but I'm not sure.

So, yesterday was the day I decided to get the structure pages complete. I worked all day & enlisted the help of two young girls with the set up of "temporary pages" and making a list of the pages I need to complete. Here's what we created:

Title Pages

Section Pages (This one falls under the All About Us album)


All of the title pages are the cream background; all of the section pages are the red background. Still considering ways to "jazz 'em up." :)

I made 24 pages yesterday -- woo-hoo!

least common layout

My People I Love & Places binders could be "beefed up" a bit. So for my LOM class, the assignment was to create a layout from one of the "least common" layouts I have in my collection. So here's to good friends!

connections.

Feels good to make stuff again. Glad to complete an assignment for LOM. :) We were to use photos that spanned time & make a connection . . . I even included a 1980 shot of my dh!

The journaling will be put on library cards & tucked in the pocket. It reads:

In October of 2006, I presented A. & S. with A.'s favorite childhood book of all time: The Digging'est Dog. I jotted a little love note inside the front cover and we cracked it open.

It became an instant favorite. We took it with us when we went on trips, and reached for it when there was time for "only one book." As A. read it to S. one while Mamaw rocked the little guy, it seemd the book had come full circle. She once read it until the book was worn to her son, who was now reading it to his son.

Soon S. was able to "read" it himself. He often snuggled beside Sascha, and read the story to her. Reading books to Sascha in the morning before breakfast became a bit of a routine in the summer months. At first Sascha would move to a new spot, but he would follow and follow and follow. She eventually gave up, realizing it was easier just to "listen" to the story than to have a toddler follow her around the house.

Then the girls came home. Reading is a staple in our house every evening and they quickly adapted to the new routine. Early on (perhaps even the first night), A. introduced them to his favorite book. It continued to be a nightly request for months.

Some of those first few bedtimes were a little tough. A. found himself reading The Digging'est Dog in the bedtime bedroom of each of his daughters. The sound of his voice while snuggling in his strong arms, with the words of a favorite story wrapping around them always soothed them.

The Digging'est Dog has earned a special place in the hearts of our next generation. Simple things like a favorite book seem so trivial. What started as a little gift to bring back memories from a childhood turned into something powerful. A book that was a daddy's favorite, used to comfort and delight his children, read over and over and over throughout the years will be a stronghold in their hearts long after the words are forgotten and they've stopped curling up in his strong arms. It will be these simple memories that will remind them of his constant love.

LOM Class

Taking the Library of Memories class from BPS and enjoying it. Since I poured over the book this summer, I mostly have the system set up & am enjoying picking up ways to fine tune it. It's a good thing since March yielded ZERO pages, mainly because we've been sick and remodeling and sick again. Oh well, back in the saddle, as they say.

two more!

I lovelovelove this Jessica Sprague class. I've now completed the bonus assignment for lesson one, as well as lesson two. With each new thing I learn, I think, This is sooo worth it! Why didn't I do this a long time ago? So far these are all knock offs from Jessica's original designs. I can hardly wait to try my hand at my own creations! I think I'm ready now.

All supplies from the course materials.

i'm goin' digi!

So I finally decided to take the plunge and sign up for Jessica Sprague's Up & Running with Photoshop class. After completing the first lesson, it is SO worth it! I can't believe all that I've learned already. Yipee!

I can't wait to begin making my own designs from scratch. This is completely a Sprague knock off. However, the point of it wasn't to be creative, but to simply learn the basic steps. IMO, this was quite successful. So glad. So excited. So much fun learning a new (totally cool) way to tell stories.

All products from the class materials