Braces: Before & After LO

After two years and eight months (but who's counting?), our younger daughter finally got her braces off!  Here is the layout that I made to celebrate.

This layout shows how you can pair Picture My Life cards (pocket scrapbooking) with traditional scrapbooking.  In this case, I used the Swan Lake Workshop Your Way collection.  The photo mat with the gold diamonds and the Picture Perfect card are both from the gold watercolor PML set.  You can actually add watercolor or ink over these and the gold (or clear in the clear set) will resist the color.

To make the "gorgeous" sentiment stand out, I traced the CTMH/Cricut Flower Market cut with my gold marker.  Other embellishments include the gorgeous gold foil tape and gold sequins.

Can you tell what stamp set I used to random stamp the background of the White Daisy piece and the pennants on the right page?

It's the November stamp of the month, New Year's Cheer! It's only available for one more day, so get yours today.

Snow Day = Studio J

We are "socked in" again with a beautiful wintry wonderland!  

Yes, I will be scrapping these photos- and whatever else we take today- in Studio J this evening!

Here is one of the layouts that I made during last week's snow days.  After Christmas, we hiked to the top of Blood Mountain with Logan's brother and our dear friends, the Maggios.  (Our girls have been besties since 2nd grade!)  We hiked over 8 miles that day!

This Studio J layout uses the Victory collection, one that I hadn't used before.  We were certainly feeling victorious that day.  I love that I was able to order three copies of this one layout!

Let me know if you need help getting started in Studio J!  Don't forget about the awesome Album Allure special this month.  The clock is ticking!

H2H Challenges: Guilty Pleasures

Oh come on, admit it!  We all have them!  This week's Heart 2 Heart Challenge is guilty pleasures.  I decided to use my In the Pink My Crush journal to document mine.

I created a simple list of my favorite guilty pleasures.  I just wrote them directly into this page of the journal with a pen.  I did add a title with the new CTMH/Cricut Artfully Sent alphabet.  I embellished my page with pieces of the In the Pink Assortment and sticky tabs plus Lagoon hearts washi tape and silver shimmer trim that I colored pink with a Shin Han Touch Twin Tender Pink marker.  I also used a few leftover scraps cut from Sorbet card stock with CTMH/Cricut Artbooking cartridge.

Be sure to check out the H2H DT's guilty pleasures.  We hope that you'll share yours with us too this month!

First Day of School Layout

We have been in school for four weeks now and are all looking forward to the long weekend!  (It's going to be a busy one, starting with tonight's first high school football game.  Both girls are in marching band, and Hubby & I are chaperoning the trip tonight.)

Not long after our first day of school, I carved out a little time to create this layout using the new Chalk It Up paper pack and Assortment.  Those puffy stickers are a hoot, and certainly take me back to MY middle school days!  The School Years stamp set was the perfect compliment to the layout.  That pretty lagoon stripe is actually our new Lagoon heart washi tape.

Here is our older daughter, a junior.  I cut CTMH/Cricut Artiste speech bubbles for the girls' current signatures.  Our "baby" is an 8th grader this year, and I am starting my 21st year teaching.  (I am not sure how that happened!)

This layout is a sketch of my own design.  It just seemed to fit the photos.  Thanks for letting my show off my precious girls and for sharing in our back to school first day ritual!

I am linking this layout up to the Color My Heart Color Dare #108: Flaxen, Lagoon, and Sorbet

and the Fantabulous Cricut Back to School challenge.

Have a great long weekend!

The iPhone Photography Project

Last month I entered the 21st century and the smartphone world with my first iPhone (a pink 5c).  I am thankful to have a 16-year-old with a iPhone 4 to help me!  When Big Picture Classes announced their iPhone Photography Project 2, I decided to jump on the bandwagon.  You will probably get to see some of my work over the next month here.

I am loving having a good camera with me at all times. (Yes, I took a selfie when I got my new phone!)  I can't wait to share some of what I learn.  (Be sure to check out all of the BPC offerings, and if you decide to join, use my code 730328C8.  Thanks!  Here are a few of my favorite phone pictures:

a baby starfish on Amelia Island

My hometown square Tuesday evening

The last blossom on my lily

I am even on Instagram, but I have a lot to learn there too!

If you have any tips, I'd love to hear them. (Thank you, Joy, for the Siri help!)

The Last Day of School

Today is our last day of school, and I cannot believe how fast this year has flown by!  I know that time seems to speed up as we age, but it still doesn't seem possible that it is time for this year to end.  It's been such a great year that I I am working on a Studio J layout to commemorate it.  Here are a few fun pictures from the year:

the first day of school

 book character day

Champs graduation

the best 5th grade class ever (with my awesome Scottish student teacher too)

field day

 yesterday's water slide reward

We got our state test scores Tuesday, and my kids ROCKED!  Twenty of them exceeded in every single subject, four exceeded in a few but not all, and only one passed without exceeding.  I am so proud of them!  Four students actually earned a perfect scores on at least one subject's test; two of the four earned two perfect scores!  Can you tell it's been a great year?

I wish my students a great summer.  I hope that I have left a mark on their hearts like they've left on mine!  I expect them to keep in touch!

Back To School Layout Share

Everyone in the USA is probably back to school now.  It's amazing to think that we've already got four weeks under our belts here!  I finally have my photos of my Back to School 2013 layout ready to share.  Since the photos are hard to see, I included a photo of my girls and me.

To create my layout, I ended up choosing the Chantilly paper pack since the colors matched the photos so well.  This layout is from the new Make It From Your Heart, Vol. 2 how-to sketch guide.  Of course I had to use my new School Years stamp set!  The layout also wouldn't be complete without a little help from my Cricut and the CTMH Artiste cartridge. 

Each of us girls signed our name and pertinent stats for this year on a Cricut rolodex journaling card with Cotton Candy, Twilight, and Pear markers.

The new Aqua Dots adhesive gems and Lagoon washi tape look great to accent this layout. 

I hope everyone has a great school year, no matter where you are at this stage of your life!  Learn something new each and every day!

Cutie Patootie Layout Share

The "cutie patootie" in this layout is now 11 years old and did NOT want me to share! Obviously I couldn't resist though. ;)  For whatever reason, these pictures didn't get scrapbooked when she was younger, but they were tucked into a page protector in her album where they should go.  The (retired) Topstitch level 1 kit was perfect to preserve these photos and some memories associated with them.  (You can still find Topstitch in Studio J if you'd like to scrapbook with these beautiful papers too.)

I did use my photo editting program to blur out her cute little hiney in these pictures of the layout to post online.

The large strip on the left will actually go in the album behind the layout (with the tab at the top as a nudge to pull out). I recorded my thoughts on patting hineys, a tradition/habit that I got from my mom. I'm really glad that I was able to go even deeper than the actual photos on this layout. I encourage you to try that sometime!

Hope you have a great Monday and a great start to your week!

CTMH Stamp of the Month Blog Hop: You Are... (April 2012

No foolin', it's time for the April edition of the Close To My Heart Stamp of the Month blog hop! April's stamp of the month, You Are..., is a great set to celebrate your loved ones and what they mean to you! (If you've started hopping already, you should have arrived here from the talented Wendy Coffman's blog. You'll head to Wanda Riley's blog next by just clicking on her name.)

Both of my projects celebrate a very special someone, my husband! (They use the Cruisin' paper pack with the April stamp of the month.) I am honoring my husband because he surprised me with a dinner party on Thursday for my 40th birthday! I made this card to tell him how much he means to me and how much I appreciate what he did!

Next up is a layout (from Magic, which is going quickly and won't be available any more!) to show how much we appreciate him. Yes, I snapped pictures of him mopping our kitchen! We joke that I think it's one of the sexiest things he could do. ;) LOL

What do you think of the splash of Cranberry? It is a subtle yet bright accent in the Cruisin' paper pack, and I love how it makes AMAZING pop.

Both of my projects use the cool new Durables square studs. They are self adhesive, so they are an easy, masculine addition to any project.

Thanks for visiting my blog. Be sure to talk to your consultant about getting your very own April stamp of the month for $17.95 (or $5 with a $50 minimum purchase). Don't have a consultant yet? Then I hope you'll consider me! Now hop on over to Wanda's blog to see her cool creation!

Our Furbabies {Studio J Layout Share}

Here are some of our pictures of our sweet furbabies from last year, scrapbooked the Studio J way! I promise that they do more than sleep, but that's about all the photos I took of them last year.

Yes, they sprawl all over our furniture. They're our babies, after all. We get on the furniture too. LOL

Scrapbook the "little" things in your life, because they are often actually the BIG ones. What pets do you have, if any?

Our Technology {Studio J Layout Share}

It took some time to gather all the pictures, but I really wanted to create a layout about the technology that we use in our daily lives. You may think that's a crazy subject, but how many of you remember your first cell phone? Was it in a bag that there was no way you could lug around? Or what about that cordless phone? Nobody makes phones that big anymore! I imagine that we will look back one day and laugh over the gadgets we love right now. (I probably should have added the microwave, dishwasher, etc., but I didn't think about them at the time.)

My two favorite photos are of my nephew on the iPad (I think he can operate it better than me!) and of my older daughter on the couch. What a teenager!

What modern technology would you hate to live without?

Union County Courthouse (Layout Share)

We celebrated my Mom's birthday in style yesterday!!! {More on that later!}

Now, onto my post:

Here's another Studio J layout that was in the works for a while and that I finally finished. These photos of our "old" county courthouse span several years- and angles.

A feature of Studio J that I love is that it makes gift-giving so easy! I am able to order multiple copies of a layout, OR copy the layout, personalize it, and order individualized copies. I ordered one of these for myself and one for my parents' scrapbook. (Last year I started the tradition of giving them finished layouts for Christmas. They don't necessarily need more "stuff," and this way we can all enjoy our family's photos and memories.)
Merry birthday and happy Christmas, Mom!

{Layout 2011 #90-91}

Remember...

to fall back an hour tonight! Just a little public service message from yours truly...

image source: Pinterest

Scrap Our Stash Challenge Blog

You've probably already heard me mention how much I enjoy the Scrap Our Stash Challenge Blog, because they literally encourage you to use up whatever you've got with some fun challenges each month. This month's challenge is to use a quote on your project.

I was super thrilled when I was invited to join the Design Team! You can see my October challenge project over there today, but be sure to visit often to see all the great projects. You can email your project or project link (details at SOS) and your work will be featured too. Won't you join us?

Today, Little Bit and I are headed to our local Sorghum Festival parade. If you live in the South, then you probably already know what sorghum is, but for the rest of you, sorghum is a cane similar to sugar, and it is used to make syrup (which I do NOT like) that many sop up with a biscuit. The Sorghum Festival is going on this weekend and next if you'd like to join us (but the parade is only for today)! Many of my students (past and present) and friends will be in the parade, so we'll enjoy some hometown goodness on this beautiful fall day.

Photography Share

For your weekend reading pleasure, here's an interesting article about The Rule of Thirds.

Also, Snapfish is offering one-cent prints (up to 500) until 9/10 using the code PENNY094U.

Open House TODAY!

This evening, I'm hosting an Open House/Idea Book Unveiling! See the sidebar for complete details, and contact me ASAP if you need directions. It is going to be fun!

For those who can't attend, you might be interested in my list of Idea Book highlights at the top of the page. Just click to read about my faves and some wonderful improvements CTMH has made.

Finally, since you're reading this online you obviously have a vested interest in computers or some type of techie device. You might like to read my review of Carbonite, an online back up service, HERE, at my friend Mary's "Are You on the Fence?" blog.

Have a fabulous Friday, y'all!

Computer Woes

My pretty pink (13-month old) Dell Inspiron laptop has been acting pretty persnickety lately, and yesterday it finally decided to quit on me. I guess I have been working it too hard and it needs a bit of summer vacation too. It would put in the token effort of turning on, but it wouldn't actually do anything productive, like open programs!

I was on the phone with Dell tech support for over two hours last night, and we weren't even able to restore the factory settings. I have to give a big shout out to my DH who helped me, especially with unscrewing the back cover and taking out the memory chips. He was very kind and patient, as was my new Indian friend whose name I can't entirely pronounce.

I am praying that the Carbonite backup will be there and restore all my precious photos from this year once the laptop is fixed! (If it doesn't, you will hear the crying!) Also, naturally, the machine is no longer under warranty. (Did I know this? Did they bother to contact me and ask if I'd like to renew it before it expires?!? Great service- not!)

So, this means the photos I've taken of the four recent layouts I've made are "temporarily unavailable." I am not sure if I am going to try to retake them or just wait and see how long it will take the laptop to get fixed. Fortunately, I have my good ole' MacBook from work that I am able to use right now (but it's not hooked up to my home printer, I don't know how to put my photos on it, etc.) Oops, sorry about that little whine. This is, indeed, a learning opportunity.

I know in the scheme of things this is not the end of the world- my family is healthy, our house is neater than it's been in ages, and I have a few short weeks left of summer break! I will get back to my Pollyanna self, but you may not see me here very much. I just wanted to let you know why. I will be around to visit you and your blogs, etc., in the meanwhile, and now that DD's bed is moved into her new room (and they have to work on the old room), I plan to spend a little time in my craft room- after I spend a little time in my classroom getting it ready for school!

Thanks for reading my ramblings! See you again one day soon!

International Women's Day

Not only is today, March 8, International Women's Day, but it is also the centenary celebration! (Am I the only woman who is just learning about this?)

The United Nations General Assembly celebrates IWD "to recognize that peace and social progress require the active participation and equality of women, and to acknowledge the contribution of women to international peace and security."

For the women of the world, the Day is an occasion to review how far they have come in their struggle for equality, peace and development.

So, Women of the World, celebrate yourselves!

(To learn more, click HERE.)

Happy National Craft Month!

March is National Craft Month! Celebrate by getting a little crafty! Obviously I'm a paper crafter, and I'd love to know what craft(s) you love to do. Leave me a comment, and feel free to leave a link to your crafty blog if you have one.

(Scroll down for more of my own crafty posts this month.)

Cross Country 2010 Layouts

The girls absolutely loved running cross country this fall. (Ansley wanted to try it because her friends were doing it, Macey ended up tagging along, and they both loved it.)

These layouts showcase just a few of their photos from the season. Because of their purple and white outfits, I started with White Daisy cardstock and Gypsy cardstock and B&T paper.

With Ansley's layout, she and I chose to accent with Topiary. She wrote her own journaling. Can you see my "banner" journaling strips? I just made a swallowtail cut at one end to make them look a bit more festive. A few Sparkles added some bling to finish it off.

For Macey's layout, we went with the bold combo of Gypsy and Holiday Red. She almost always wore her Stephanie Grace Dance Center t-shirt with her jersey!

Macey also wrote most of her own journaling. The far right top photo will actually be a photo flap with a picture and my journaling underneath.

I have to extend a big thanks to Coach Lisa for her great coaching and to her husband for all the pictures. I ended up just scrapping the ones that he gave us. (I have tons more that I took, but they will stay on our family archive photo CD. You don't have to scrapbook every single photo you take!)

Both layouts are my own simple design. The photos really helped me build the blocks.

All supplies from Close To My Heart: Be Yourself and Playful Caps (retired) stamp sets; White Daisy and Gypsy cardstock; Hooligans paper pack (Gypsy B&T); Splendor paper pack (Topiary B&T); Gypsy and Holiday Red ink; Gypsy, Holiday Red, and Topiary markers; Purple & Green Sparkles; Red Sparkles; Holiday Red brads

{Layouts 2011 #3 & 4}