Personal Scrapbook Layouts

I hate to admit this, but most of the scrapbooking I've been doing these last few months has been strictly class related. I haven't been very good about making the time to tackle my own personal pages. In my own style. Without trying to make the LOs appeal to the students . Or worrying about budget concerns.

Well, a couple Saturdays ago I went to a 14-hour crop with some girlfriends (awesome, I know!) and gave myself a license to create in my very own personal way. And can I just tell you, I've been on a roll ever since. My creative juices are flowing and I've been so excited about scrapbooking again, that I've been working on pages ever since.

So, since I recently posted about my recent class layouts, and promised to share my personal ones as well, here they are. Remember, you can click on any of them to see them bigger.

 "Gotcha!"

Playing a nice game of tag on Easter Sunday

 "Home is where your ♥ is"

And Scott is without a doubt, my home!

 "Life is bliss"

Beautiful girls cooling off on a hot Summer day

"Live out loud" 

He's the next big stud in town

 

They are "My Heartbeat"

Trust me on this!

 "Play"

A nice day at the park

 "Soar"

My girl flying

 "Your Smile"

It literally melts my heart. Every. Single. Time.

  "Boys and their toys"

Being a boy is a dirty job

 "Yum!"

Yummy girl. Yummy cupcake. Enough said!

So there you have it! Aren't they fun? I'm really excited about this coming Saturday's 12-hour crop at Eclectica in honor of National Scrapbook Day. Hmm, I wonder if Hallmark has picked up on that little gem of a holiday yet. Anyway, If you haven't signed up yet, I think you may still have time. Personally, I'm hoping to be able to get a lot of layouts completed in the midst of all the talking, eating and shopping that we do. FUN!

From our backyard

I don't ever get tired of looking at our beautiful Irises.

Thank you Nana and Papa Bill, for gifting us these wonderful bulbs a few years ago! Year after year they make our backyard look so pretty and happy.

I Heart Faces "Smiles" Entry

Yeah, talk about stepping outside my comfort zone,... This week I decided, for the first time EVER, to submit a photo to the I Heart Faces Photography Blog Challenge. I've been a fan of their blog for some time, but never felt courageous enough to participate,... until now.

The challenge for this week is "Smile", and since that is exactly what this picture of my beautiful girl makes me do, I thought it would be the perfect candidate for the challenge.

Go to I Heart Faces  to check out all the other beautiful smiles.

In the mail today....

I got a nice little package. Remember this post? Well, it arrived today and no one was as excited as Isabella, who pretty much claimed everything as HERS! I had anticipated she would be the lucky owner of the little girl's apron, the fabric flower hair pins and maybe one of the journal/notebooks,... but she had other plans in mind.

And yes my dear friends, she is indeed wearing 

the apron and both hair pins. At once. 

Yeah,...pretty!

Luckily, I was able to convince her that there was no reason why we couldn't share the loot. Which was no easy task,... she's a tough negotiator, I tell ya!

That fabric banner is super cute. I love the patterns and the colors. It just screams SPRING! And the best thing is that I know exactly where it's going!  I love the dry erase Things To Do board. It goes right along with the my list making obsession. And don't even get me started on the little blue bird cage ~ adorable!

Everything is so pretty and colorful and I can't wait to find the perfect home for all of it. Thank you ladies at eighteen25 for the wonderful goodies!

Sorry for the poor photo quality. I think my little point and shoot is in its last days. 

Class Layouts Galore

I just realized I forgot to post pictures of the layouts from my last two classes.

Warning: the following photo-heavy post is ALL about scrapbook layouts.

Don't say I didn't warn you!

 April SNL Class Pages:

These are six out of the eight pages created in April's SNL class:

For this page they chose between the boy or girl LO:

Fast Formulas for Fabulous Pages:

These are the three layouts we created at last week's Fast Formulas for Fabulous Pages class. The concept of this class was to follow sketches and create fabulous pages that don't take forever. 

This was SUCH a fun class! 

We'll definitely be repeating this concept in the near future.

Still to come are photos of some of my personal scrapbook layouts created recently, including the ones from last Saturday's 14 Hour Crop. Stay tuned!

Isabella's New Friend

"I shall call him Squishy and he shall be mine, and he shall be my Squishy."

Coco Gagee's Visit

I cannot believe it's been an entire week since my last post. And I am so sorry about that, but to say things have been super busy around here is a huge understatement.

With having a big project due last Wednesday and teaching a super fun class on Thursday, I thought for sure the "busyness" and chaos was over. But then came Friday. And with it, Hector's arrival. And well, I went right back to being really busy. No rest for the weary, I tell ya!

Anyway, we had a fantastic visit. Although I spent all day Saturday at a 14 hour crop I had signed up for months ago, we still managed to get quite a bit of fun in ~ a zoo visit, church, his birthday celebration cookout, a movie (Kick-Ass, which is crude and violent, but different and seriously laugh out loud funny), eating in, eating out, you name it!

My kids adore their Uncle Howie, who thanks to Sam is now also known as Coco Gagee. They think he's the biggest ROCK STAR. And I love that.

In other news, I've been a scrapping maniac lately. Not only for my layout classes and store displays, but also for our own family scrapbooks, which I haven't done in SO long. And 14 hours of nothing but creating and talking and eating was just what the doctor ordered. I'll be sharing my pages with you soon!

Until next time!

If I had a million dollars...

Don't you just love that song? It is one of my all time favorites from the Barenaked Ladies. Scott and I had a chance to go see them quite a few years ago in St. Louis. It was definitely one of the funnest concerts we have ever been to. They are hilarious performers. But I digress...

The purpose of this post is not to talk about the Barenaked Ladies, but to express what I would do today, like right this moment, if I had a million dollars.

And it all started with an e-mail I received from The Orpheum today telling me about it's coming attractions as well as the line-up for their Broadway Series 2010-2011. And all I can say is OMG!

Check it out:

Chicago in June 2010

The Color Purple in August 2010

9 to 5 ~ the Musical in November 2010

Dreamgirls in December 2010

And Isabella would FREAK OUT if we went to these two:

Shrek the Musical in January 2011

 Beauty and the Beast June 2011

What an amazing line-up. Seriously!

Yes, I know the season tickets are not a million dollars, but still,.... I better get busy teaching LOTS of scrapbooking classes so I can buy me some tickets!

Fast Formulas for Fabulous Pages Class

1. Have you ever sat down in front of brand new beautiful paper, only to have everyday "life" get in your way of creating?

2. Have you ever felt like there just isn't enough time to be creative with your scrapbook pages?

3. Have you ever actually made the time to scrapbook, only to sit down and realize there is not an ounce of creativity in you?

Well if you're like me, and answered YES to any (or all) of the questions above, then please join me on Thursday night for the new Fast Formulas for Fabulous Pages class.

We will be working with Formulas (sketches), and I'll show you how to get more out of every single scrapbooking minute you have.


You will leave class with three (3) photo-ready layouts, instructions and nine (9) formulas to help you create fast and fabulous pages at home. And although these pages may not take a lot of time to create, they're definitely not short on creativity.

So join me:

Fast Formulas for Fabulous Pages
Thursday, April 15
6:30 PM
$15.00

Don't delay!
Call Eclectica at (901) 377-0730 and reserve your spot today!

Hope to see you there!

How cool is this?

So check this out, one of the crafty blogs that I follow, eighteen25, recently had a giveaway. This is what was included in their package:

Which in their words, includes the following:
* a little girls apron.
* the cutest little owl journal... wait till you see the inside.
* sunny yellow salad tongs.
* bath + body works orange sapphire lotion and shower gel.
* a fabric banner in bright, fun colors.
* a cute little bird cage in our favorite color, robins egg blue.
* 2 fun fabric flowers. they have a pin and a hair clip on the back.
* a box of liberty of london notecards.
* a newborn tie onesie.
* a cute notebook to jot down all the fun projects you want to do.
* AND a surprise! one of our future projects.... soon to be shared.

So after a date with the hubby tonight, dinner and a movie, I came home, logged on and saw that they had a new blog post.

Imagine my shock when I saw that they had picked a winner and it is:

Yeah, baby!
Liz Butler from Memphis, TN won their first ever giveaway!
Woo Hoo!!! Out of 484 entries, they picked ME!
I can't even tell you how excited I am.
I even had Scott come to my computer to check it out.

I'll make sure to share some pictures of the goodies as soon as I get them.

This one's a keeper

It's no secret I love taking pictures. LOVE IT! But I'm by no means a skilled photographer. I'm just a mom who is crazy about her family, loves taking pictures and has a passion for scrapbooking. And in my book, you'll be hard-pressed to find a more perfect combination than that.

I have taken thousands of pictures with all 6 cameras I have owned since the day Isabella was born. Trust me, I am not exaggerating here. During their adorable lives so far, I have officially burnt out both of my kids to the point of whining, running away and hiding from me when they see me coming with a camera. I have done pretty much everything from sweet talking to bribing to begging to (ahem!) threatening,... all for the sake of a few shots.

I take LOTS of pictures, mostly because it takes LOTS of pictures for me to get a few really good ones. Remember my earlier disclaimer: I'm no skilled photographer! I have taken some really pretty pictures, but I have plenty of out of focus pictures and blurry pictures and pictures that are too dark. Yep, I've got 'em all!

So I can't tell you how excited I get when I upload my pictures on the computer only to find a picture that takes my breath away. Even if it's just one.

One that speaks volumes about the true personality of my child/spouse/ friend/pet.

Or one that makes me stop in my tracks and think about that specific person/event/moment.

Or one that instantly brings a smile to my face because it makes me so happy.

Or one that swells my heart with an array of emotions, sometimes happy and sometimes sad.

And this photo of Isabella does just that:

When I look at this picture I can't believe how big my baby girl has gotten. So quickly.

I can't believe she will soon graduate from preschool and start Kindergarten.

I can't believe how unbelievably beautiful she is. Stunning, really. And smart. And funny. And loving. And caring.

I can't believe God entrusted me and gave me the amazing privilege of being her mama. And that sometimes scares me,... I mean, what if I mess something up?

I can't wait to see what kind of person she will turn out to be as she continues to grow. (Well, actually I'm lying. I can wait and would do pretty much anything to slow down time.)

So there you have it ~ just one look at this picture is enough for me to "talk" your ear off about all the emotions it brings to the surface. So in all honesty, as long as I keep getting jewels like this, I think I'll just keep on clickin'.

Sorry, kids!

PS Don't let the post title fool you,... I keep most of my pictures, good and bad!

Beautiful You!

I've been meaning to post this for some time now, but for whatever reason I keep forgetting. Anyway, this is my most recent layout created for display at Eclectica:

It's a really simple page, but it makes me happy!

The PP is from SEI's Jocelyn line and it is glittery and shimmery and oh so pretty. The cardstock is Bazzill Bling, one of my favorites. The title was made with Heidi Swapp's new QuickKutz alphabet. The beautiful model,... yeah, she's my own creation.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

April SNL Sneak Peek

April Showers bring May flowers and personally, I love April showers. Those rainy Spring Days are the perfect excuse to scrapbook! And speaking of scrapbooking, we've got April's SNL class coming up this Saturday and I am thrilled with what we'll be creating.

Remember, during SNL you will create eight (8) layouts that will be begging for your own personal photos as soon as you get home. Here's a peek of some of the fun layouts you'll leave class with:

Honor "Mom" just in time for Mother's Day.

Encourage someone to "Be Unique".
Celebrate friendship with this bright "Friends" LO.

Document rainy days, cute raincoats and galoshes
with this adorable "April Showers" LO.

In addition, we will create Travel and Family layouts which are as cute as they are versatile.

Join us:
Saturday, April 10th
4-8 PM
$29.00

Don't delay!
Call Eclectica at (901) 377-0730 and reserve your spot today!

Hope to see you there!

Gotcha!

Sitting back and watching them play is one of
my favorite things to do!

Easter Sunday
Memphis Botanic Gardens

I didn't want to interrupt their game to take pictures so I took them from a distance,
but you can click on the photos to see them somewhat bigger.

Our Blessed Easter Weekend

Caution: Photo-heavy post!

We had such a wonderful Easter weekend. Since our awesome church offers so many services to choose from, we decided to take advantage of this and attend one of the Saturday evening services. And I'm so glad we did!

Not only did we attend the amazing service at Hope, but my parents were able to join us, we were able to share a lovely dinner afterward, and we enjoyed a stress-free Easter morning with the kids. It was perfect!

My beautiful blessings!

My parents with the kids, after attending Hope's Easter service.

The family right before dinner at our house.My Sunflower Peeps Cake,... I told you I was going to make it

When we woke up Sunday morning, after sleeping in, we found that the Easter Bunny had stopped by our house and left us some goodies.
In addition to all the pretty candy-filled eggs, both kids had a basket filled with gifts and there were some goodies for Mommy & Daddy in the middle basket, which Isabella calls the "family basket", so that she can dig in if she finds something she likes.

The big hit this year was this:
Sam didn't pay his gifts much attention, being that there was candy EVERYWHERE! And this is what he looked like pretty much the entire morning:
Yeah, I'm thinking it might have something to do with the 10 pounds of chocolate he ate before breakfast.

So then it was time to go outside and find all the eggs the bunny left for us. That bunny sure was sneaky this year. The kids had a blast actually looking around the backyard for all the hidden eggs and made out like bandits.

We then got everything and everyone ready to head out to the Memphis Botanic Garden for a nice picnic lunch. I was overjoyed when we pulled into the entrance only to be greeted by this:

Be still my heart!

If you've followed this blog for some time, then you know that our family LOVES going to the Botanic Gardens. But you also know that I've missed the Spring flowers every single year. Well, this was the year when we timed our visit just right. And it was STUNNING! Everywhere you looked, it looked something like this:
There was color everywhere. And the colors were bold and bright and absolutely perfect. I'm thinking a blog post with just flower pictures may be in order. We'll see.

We found a picnic table in the shade and enjoyed some yummy lunch and a lot of fun conversation. Then Scott and I got to sit back and talk while the kids explored and ran and played. Such an awesome treat!

Our final stop was at My Big Backyard:

where Sam decided a jam session was in order,

while Isabella got caught up on some domestic duties.

On our way out, Isabella made a new friend,

and we posed for one last picture.
Nice, Sam!

I hope you had a very blessed Easter!