Capitol Building

My dear friend, Abby, gifted me an envie full of Little Yellow Bicycle's Autumn Bliss collection and a few other goodies. Normally, I like to "save" my new stuff for that perfect layout. I don't want to waste it after all! But my friend April encouraged me to go for it, so here goes.

I used some more pics from D.C. (and believe me I haven't even made a dent in them! lol) and the latest Sketchy Thursday sketch..

And made this..

One of the more quick layouts I've done! I cut the half top-note and it's shadow on my Cricut using Sure Cuts A Lot. Added the border sticker, journaling strips and thickers title. Walla!

Thanks for lookin'

Bridal Shower & a RAK

I'm making up for lost time, aren't I? I have been on a scrapbooking roll this week. I hope the inspiration just keeps coming!

I have had these pictures on my desk for a while now, so I'm glad to have them done - and it was worth the wait. I love how it turned out.

Used my new DCWV Eco stack again. I cut the scallops with my cricut/sure cuts a lot. I just made several circles and welded them together. If you want them in a line, weld them to a long rectangle. If you want them in a circle, weld them to a circle ;)

I dusted off my eyelets to add a lime green accent and decided to pull it into the title too. I think it matches nicely and breaks out the blue.

I made the lollipop flower with some of the scraps to add balance to the larger circle.

I kept it simple for the second page, bringing in the scallops and adding a bit of journaling. Another lollipop flower in the center brings the pics together.

And a together shot :)

I am enjoying making these lollipop flowers! They are the perfect handmade embellishment and a way to use up scraps, too. Leave a comment on this post and I will choose a random winner next week for a set of 3 flowers (your choice of color scheme/theme!).

Hard Rock Cafe

I scrapbooked more of our D.C. trip last weekend! This double layout is about our anniversary dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe. I used papers from the DCWV Eco Stack (this is different from the Green Stack, but I can't find it anywhere on line! and that is all that pops up when I try to search for it.. weird). The first page of the layout uses this week's 52 Weeks 52 Sketches sketch.

I just love this sidewalk sign they had! I saved a few of the little toothpick flags they had stuck in my sandwich LOL and used them as embellishments.

When they heard we were celebrating our anniversary, they sat us in the "exclusive" window seat! It was so fun to people watch. We took a picture of each other by the window and when the waiter saw us he offered to take a picture of us together. I didn't think I'd end up using the individual shots on the layout, but when I saw them I thought it would be perfect for "he said, she said" journaling I've always wanted to do. So our favorite moments from our trip are journaled there. I really like how it turned out!

And how they look together...

Thanks for looking! :)

Album Cover

I finished the cover for my December Daily album! This is the background post on my album so far. I used a poinsettia fake flower from the Dollar Tree and took off 2 of the petals. Normally, I pop them off the stem because it won't lay flat in a regular album. But, this is my first mini so I can go all out 3D right? ;)

The center of the flower has gold glitter on the tips, which inspired me to freehand these glittered swirls in gold! I really like how that turned out.

Then, I justed added a strip of patterned paper and a chipboard title. I might add a little something along the bottom or above the title on the right side. But I haven't decided yet, any thoughts? ;)

Washington Zoo

Hi everyone! It feel so great to be scrapbooking again after a week "off". As I said in my last post, my husband and I went to Washington D.C. for our one year anniversary. Rarely do I scrap pictures of recent events (like last week!) but after these layouts, I'm going to try it do some more often. It's fun to do almost a whole page of journaling because it's fresh in my mind.

I used the Sketch over at Let's Scrap because I could use lots of our zoo pictures. I used the DCWV Animal Crackers stack and chipboard embellishments.

Here is the first page. I love the toucan in the corner; I may go back and add the date on the green space. With 5 photos on the page, I wanted that to be the focus so I didn't add too many extras. The "at the zoo" uses glittery chipboard, I love it!

For the second page, I flipped the sketch on it's side and instead a photo and title, I did a whole 8 1/2 x 11 page of journaling. I like how the 4 circle embellishments mirror the buttons on the previous page. The photo corners at the bottom are also glittery chipboard.

Thanks for looking!

Thank Heavens for Little Girls

Hi everyone! I am so sorry for the lack of posts. I am going through scrapbooking withdraw! Between report cards, parent teacher conferences, and going away for my anniversary (one year baby! lol) ~ there was no time.

Today was a nice day off in the middle of the weekend and I was able to sit down and work on a few projects! I did one single page and 2 double pages. The double pages still need journaling, which is too late to do great writing :)

But, the single page is for Sketchy Thursdays!

In real life, the lime green paint splatter on the purple background cardstock really pops. These are our 2 adorable nieces. I used lots of brads from my stash on this layout and like the results. The title treatment was done using my cricut/sure cuts a lot.

More updates coming, so check back :) Thanks in advance for any comments !

December Daily

Hello November. Time to start thinking about December :)

I've been following the awesome Ali Edwards' blog for over a year. I've "oohed" and "ahhed" her concept of December Daily and the albums she has created.

To quote Ali, "December Daily is an album project that documents the 25 days leading up to Christmas. Many people start their documentation earlier and many people go longer. I have found that 25 days is just right for me.

One of the keys to success in this project is getting an album structure set-up in advance of December so that during December you can enjoy the season & enjoy the process of documenting your days without having to be putting the entire thing together at the same time. It is not meant to be stressful. It is meant to be a way to creatively celebrate the season and document you special holiday memories in one album. "

You can see different takes on 2008 December Daily albums in Ali Edwards' Flickr gallery.

So why am I posting about this?

I've decided that it's time to step off the sidelines and play in the game! I'm going to create my first real mini album.

I'm in Ali's stage 1 of the process. Gathering materials. After much deliberation and consulting my scrappin-n-chattin' friends - I've decided to go WAY outside my box. I'm going to make a paper bag album.

I took 3 paper bags that measued 15" tall by 8" wide. I alternated which way they opened and laid them on top of each other. I had a friend sew down the middle and my hubby used his drill to make 5 holes through them.

Here is the bare cover.

Not including the covers, there are 10 8" x 7" pages. I have not decided on whether or not I will glue down the bag end flaps or use them as mini pages or hidden journaling.

The tops of the bags open up on the sides to insert more pages and memorabilia.

I'm so excited to have a base for my project! I love how it is a standard size, but I can make it 3D and chunky if I want to, with many interactive elements.

Now, the fun begins. Embellishing!

As promised, I've updated my Etsy store for the holiday season and will be featuring "December Daily Dollar Deals!"

Are you making an album this year too? I'm going to be making multiple sets of some of the things I'm cutting and featuring in my album - and offering them for $1 !

These are the letters I decided on for my album. 2 other fonts available in your choice of red, green, black or white. Check them out here.

Can you tell I am excited about this project? I would love to hear if you are doing something similar, please comment and leave a link so I can check it out. If there are any embellishments, die cuts, or custom made titles etc. that you would like made for your album - let me know, I love personalized orders!