the Little Scrapper

It's been a long time ...

2011-12-11T09:38:00.002-03:30

It's been a long time since I last posted. Where does time go?
I have been busy making Christmas Cards and gift tags.
I think I've tired of card making however and am itching to get back to my true love - Scrapbooking.
Hopefully in the coming days I'll have pics of some new layouts to post.
Hope you are all well and looking forward to the holidays.

Vintage

2011-10-16T12:14:00.004-02:30

Been trying my hand at vintage lately. I've been trying to prepare for an upcoming Fair and wanted to have something that would appeal to all ages. Let me know what you think!

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-10-12T13:58:00.004-02:30

In case you don't already know, I will now admit, I am terrible with technology. Hence the messy looking Blog. A friend of mine commented to me once that it must just be killing me that I can't better organize pics, etc. on here - and she was right! I am super organized and a neat freak and believe me if I could do something about it I would. I need a crash course on how to use Blogger to it's full potential - any takers!

My poor husband had to go away for work over the Thanksgiving holiday - there was a lot of storm damage due to Tropical Storm Ophelia. So that meant I had a whole long weekend to myself to go crafting. Christmas is coming so I got busy with Christmas Cards. Hope you like them!

Summer - what summer!

2011-08-19T09:41:00.002-02:30

So the weather in Newfoundland has pretty much sucked this Summer. June was not so affectionately called Junuary and August as Fogust.

But the terrible weather has meant I've been keeping busy scrapbooking and card making.

Got my largest order for cards to date a couple weeks ago - 100 christmas cards. Three of my own designs. So excited.

I also won an online challenge in July - can't wait to receive my prize.

Today is the first day of 17 straight days off work and .... drumroll ... the weather is awesome!

So life is good. Will post pictures soon! Hope you're all having a great Summer and Happy Scrapping!

Retirement

2011-06-27T23:27:00.002-02:30

Retirement .... that's what we're all working towards - right!? Well I used to be, then one day I realized the closer I got to retirement the older I was getting ... and I don't want that to happen!

A special uncle is retiring this week after many years of working with the Provincial Government, Dept. of Natural Resources (formerly, forestry & wildlife) and he loves the out-of-doors so I think the card I made for him is fitting. Hopefully he will like it.

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-17T19:14:00.003-02:30

I'm trying to get my card making in sync with the holidays .... usually after the holiday I'm in the mood for making cards of that theme. Here are a few cards I made over the past few days for Father's Day. I especially like the ones that are meant to look like dad's shirts. Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there, especially my own, and happy scrapping!

Wedding Invitations

2011-06-05T19:59:00.008-02:30

I've been very busy lately, doing a lot of scrapbooking, card making and even made 50 wedding invitations. I've also decided to start up a group on Facebook - Kim's Kreations - as a way to sell my cards. Check me out if you're on Facebook.

Other cards I've been working on are for baby showers, ordination and graduation. Here are some samples - let me know what you think and happy scrapping!

National Scrapbooking Day

2011-05-07T19:04:00.004-02:30

Unfortunately I didn't do as much scrapbooking today as I would have liked. As per usual I got caught up in house work most of the day.

I did manage to finish a layout I started last weekend. I was inspired by the wedding of Prince William and Catherine (Kate) Middleton (April 29, 2011).

The background which was done with black and white one inch paper strips woven together was my jumping off point ... it was inspired by the floor of Westminster Abbey.

I'm reasonably happy with the end result. I hope you all had a happy National Scrapbooking Day. And to all you moms out there - have a Happy Mother's Day tomorrow (May 8, 2011).

Inspired by the Promise of Spring

2011-03-30T18:26:00.003-02:30

Despite the fact that I had a snow day on Friday, March 25th, I was thinking of spring. And in spring the flowers start to bloom and that's a much nicer thought than snow storms isn't it! Made several of each of these cards, my take on creations by other scrappers. I especially like the lilac!

Playing Catch-up

2011-02-28T16:28:00.003-03:30

As I may have mentioned before I've been making a lot of cards since November. I was starting to think I might never get back to my favourite pass-time of scrapbooking. So the past two or three weeks I've been trying to fill in some of the gaps in my own scrapbook. Yesterday I finished a really girly layout - Kristie's Graduation. Really pleased with how it turned out. I used half of a die cut from Deja Views, paper from Creative Memories and lots of bling from Dollarama. Now I need a black and white pic of her in her prom dress to complete it.

Back in the Zone

2011-02-23T22:57:00.002-03:30

For months all I've done is make cards ... and to think I didn't really enjoy it! Lately I've felt that I needed to catch up and do some layouts in my "Book of Me". We've been having weekly scrapbooking club get togethers and so I've gotten back to where I started - good old 2-page layouts. Love it! Here are a few new layouts I've done.

Oh the Snow ...

2011-02-15T18:43:00.005-03:30

We sure have received a lot of snow in the last 24 hrs. Snow storm + Snow day. Apparently there's another system in store for us later this evening - one with lots of wind which will likely mean another snow day tomorrow. I won't say no to that. I've taken advantage of my day home to re-organize / re-arrange / clean my scrapbooking room. I've also done a bit of finishing up work on some cards I've made over the past few weeks. I usually make a bunch of cards but stamp or print sentiments inside sometime later. This is the least enjoyable part of card making for me so .... yes, I procrastinate a little. Here are a few pics of what I've accomplished today.

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-13T16:49:00.008-03:30

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day and so you'd think I would be making Valentines ....... nope. I have made a few cards in recent days - mosting birthday, sympathy and baby. Probably because I have a few friends with birthdays coming up, there have been several deaths in our area recently and I'm going to be a grandmother again in a few months.
Here are a few of the cards I have been inspired to make, including one for my Valentine ... hope you like them ... and have a Happy Valentine's Day!!

Finally got a Snow Day!

2011-01-26T20:46:00.003-03:30

On Monday I finally got my snow day I'd been wishing for. I took advantage of the day out of the office to do a few things around the house ... but also squeezed in a few moments of creative time. I did manage to make two special order cards. It's the first time I've used cupcakes - which seem to be so popular these days. I'm pleased with how they turned out.

Happy New Year

2010-12-31T11:33:00.002-03:30

It's during the Christmas Season that I'm in the mood to do Christmas Scrapbooking or card making. So I guess I'll get a jump on cards for Christmas 2011!! These were made with old cards, remnants of gift wrap and bags - I think they turned out pretty nicely!

Happy New Year and Happy Scrapping in 2011

Merry Christmas

2010-12-21T22:28:00.002-03:30

Well Christmas is almost here & I'm just really getting "into" making cards. In my days off during the holidays I'll probably be found spending free moments making more cards - there's always next year. I've watched my favourite movie "A Christmas Story" five times so far this season, the gifts are all wrapped and I've attended three Christmas parties - you'd think I'd be well and truly in the mood for Christmas. But alas, we have no snow. Maybe Santa will bring some. In any case I hope he brings me new scrapbooking supplies and toys. Thanx to you if you check out my blog - I hope you have the merriest of Christmases. Here are a few more of my Christmas cards ... these made with special people in mind.

Christmas Cards

2010-11-27T11:12:00.005-03:30

About 2 weeks ago I put the push on to make some Christmas Cards. Some are my own totally original ideas, some are inspired by what some of you do and post on-line. All in all I'm pleased with the cards I've done this year - hope those on the receiving end enjoy them and know they were made with love!

Card Making

2010-11-15T22:45:00.005-03:30

I've gone nuts these past few days making cards.

Nuts I say ... NUTS!

No really I have ... here a few samples.

Planning for Christmas

2010-11-10T20:10:00.013-03:30

So Hallowe'en is done & it's time to prepare for Christmas. The past several years I've made cards for all those on my Christmas Card List - and that's no short list let me tell you! This year I'm not sure I'll be able to do it - I have scrapper's block again.

Last weekend I made a few tags and wrapped the gifts I've already purchased in hopes it would help get me in the mood. So far I have zero cards made. I really need to get my "Christmas On"

Here are pics of some of my tags & gifts.

Tis the Season ... to be spooky !

2010-10-13T21:47:00.006-02:30

Decided to make a few Halloween Cards ... do people really send Halloween Cards?

These were made with scraps of card stock and dollarstore ribbons and flocked adhesive borders.

Have a Spooktacular Halloween!

Home Grown

2010-10-09T16:14:00.004-02:30

Fall and Spring are the times of the year that I actually enjoy cleaning the house. Right now I'm taking a break and thought I share my latest layout which was inspired by the Frugal Scrapbooker article in the Fall edition of Canadian Scrapbooker Magazine. Our Province recently got hit by Hurricane Igor. Where we live we weren't too badly affected but a bunch of apples did blow off our single apple tree. I cut an apple in two and sprayed it with glimmer mists (forest green & red velvet) to make my own stamp for the apple border. I really like the way it turned out. All the paper used is by Bazzill Basics. Now back to the cleaning :( Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Cat Tales

2010-09-27T20:23:00.004-02:30

I've been taking a little rest from scrapbooking lately in hopes that my tennis elbow will improve. What I have been doing is photographing some of my scrapbook layouts and cateloging the complete list of materials used in each - oh what fun! Seriously it hasn't been too bad - I've enjoyed seeing some of my previous work - some not too bad :P

These pics are from my cat scrapbook - Cat Tales - which also includes stories I've written about my cats.

Wedding Scrapbook

2010-09-19T15:45:00.035-02:30

A Wedding Scrapbook for my Step-Daughter and her husband is complete. Here are a few pics of some of the pages from the album. Above are the front & back pages. I love using bling!

I kept with the turquoise and yellow - the colours she used in her wedding. Hopefully I do the photos and special day justice!

Most of the products used in the album are from Stampin' Up, DCWV, Creative Memories and the Dollarama brand "Crafts" (they have great bling don't they?).

Best Wishes to Courtney & Matthew and may you have a long and happy life together. Hopefully they will enjoy looking into their scrapbook for years to come.

My First Scrapbooking Project

2010-09-19T12:10:00.022-02:30

Yesterday I had a surprise visit from my cousin's daughter, Leanne Kimberley. She's visiting from Fort McMurray, Alberta where she works in the oil industry. She's a little girl driving a great big truck!

Being that she was named after me I wanted to do something special for her when she graduated from high school in 2006. That's when I took up scrapbooking ... When she visited yesterday she said "you used to have everything spread out on the dining room table (and we had to eat in the living room) ... but now you got a whole room full of stuff!" To that I responded "Leanne you created a monster!"

She brought by her scrapbook for me to photograph and I did a little repair work on it as well. She didn't want anything changed - she loves it exactly as it is. I must say it wasn't as bad as I thought it might be ... here are a few pics of some of the layouts from her book.

The Other Side of the Scrap Room

2010-09-12T16:15:00.003-02:30

It should be noted that we do not have a spare bedroom at our house. I guess I could have a spare room in case someone wants to stay with us - but if no one ever did then that room would never be used. My way this room of our house gets plenty of use, LOL.

The Scrap Room does have another side - a less used side, sadly ...

My Scrap Room

2010-09-12T16:02:00.011-02:30

So I've painted my scrap room and my mismatched furniture - now all black - to give it a more uniform look. I'm pleased with how it all turned out - found a place for everthing - its all nicely organized!

Now to mess it up!

Scrapbooking Injury, LOL

2010-08-26T18:03:00.012-02:30

So back in May I awoke to discover I had a swollen thumb and aching right arm .... a few days later I had to visit my doctor who diagnosed tennis elbow. A friend joked that it was "a scrapbooking injury". Turns out it is! I've noticed that at times when I use my paper trimmer and punches a lot the situation flares up again ... not sure if anyone else out there in "scrapbooking world" has suffered from a similar ailment & has advice for me ... but I'd certainly welcome it. I don't wanna have to quit scrapping, LOL ... So now I'm on vacation and you'd think I'd be resting it, but "NO" ... today I went kayaking ... and now I fear I'm in big trouble. Hadn't paddled in 2 years and fear I'm going to have to pay for this!

Anyways in keeping with summer ... here are some pics of our day of kayaking and a summer layout from my neices scrapbook which is one of my own favourites.

Anything Goes

2010-08-15T10:46:00.008-02:30

Currently I am working on a Wedding Scrapbook for my Step-Daughter and her new husband. They got married on the beach the day after my birthday (July 31). The weather eventually cleared & it couldn't have been a more beautiful afternoon to be on the shore. For the entire album I intend to stick with their wedding colours (turquoise & yellow) & throw is as many flowers & as much bling as I can get away with ... oh & a smattering of beach themed embellishments of course.

Just Scraps Challenge # 16

2010-08-08T18:07:00.000-02:30

I'm not quite sure that my effort actually coincides with what Jean layed out for Challenge # 16 on Just Scraps. I do however think my little card is quite cute. I found it challenging to build a house with colors and patterns not normally associated with homes ... maybe that's why I think it's so cute! The lawn needs to be mowed and that kinda reminds me of our place, lol. I used the Distressed Stripes and Herringbone embossing folders with my Cuttlebug to get the two different textures. The grass is courtesy of my Sizzix Sizzlit Decorative Strip simply called "Grass".

Love is in the Air

2010-07-16T17:07:00.003-02:30

Love is definitely in the air. In just 2 weeks my step-daughter is getting married and in August we have 2 sets of friends getting married. So taking part in the Just Scraps - Challenge # 15 is very timely. My entry is a very simple card. The stripe paper is a very nice quality double-side paper purchased at the dollar store (I love it when I happen upon a good bargin). The Bride and Groom are a sticker, the heart is cut from the Cricut Home Decor cartridge and then the inset is done in a scrap of complimentary print paper. But I like it! Sometimes simple is Best!

Graduation

2010-07-04T16:06:00.009-02:30

It's that time of year - the end of another school year. And my lovely neice, Kristie, has graduated from High School. That meant it was time to part with the 3 Volume Scrapbook I'd been working on for the past 4 years. We had a little family barbeque/grad party a couple days ago and presented her with her gift. I'm pretty sure she loved it - even got a few tears. Planning on creating a page to attach to this blog (when I have time) that will showcase some of my favourite layouts (hopefully hers too) from the scrapbook. Stay tuned.

Scrapbook Classes

2010-06-21T14:30:00.003-02:30

From April to June I organized 12 classes to provide some ladies who were interested in scrapbooking an opportunity to learn a few of the basics at very little cost. A few experienced scrapbookers came along for the ride and we ended up having 12 enjoyable evenings of scrapping and sharing. I also just took part in a scrapbooking weekend (Friday evening & Saturday) and so this past week was "chocked" full of scrapping for me! I usually don't do too much scrapping during the Summer months but when Fall comes I'm hoping to organize some evenings - perhaps once per month - where some of our new scrapbookers, and some of our original group, can get together to share our ideas and love of the craft. Unfortunately I didn't take as many pictures as I should have but there were some great layouts created let me tell you! There were also some great prizes and surprizes, and there was even a poem written (but that's another story for another time). Here are a few examples of some of the great work that was completed during our classes.

Just Scraps Challenge # 9

2010-05-30T19:08:00.002-02:30

I planned on making some Father's Day Cards ... but as usual I don't seem to be able to get in the mood for the holiday at hand, oh well. So it's an Easter Card - using Chocolate Chip & a splash of color.

Making Cards (eventually I'll get the hang of it)

2010-05-28T15:34:00.018-02:30

Making cards doesn't seem to be my thing! I so wish it was ... but nope, it don't come easy. A couple weeks ago a friend asked me if I'd be willing to put together an assortment of cards to give away as a prize at a conference she's helping to organize. She stressed that it might be a way of promoting myself and maybe get some orders. Not sure if that'll happen but I did see it as a possible way of kick starting myself into card making mode. I agreed ... accepted the challenge ... then procrastinated ... but "ta da" they're done, and they're not too bad if I do say so myself. I did an assortment of 12 greeting cards, all of them are 5" x 7", decorated the insides and envelopes a little too. I even tried packaging them nicely and did a little business card. Hope the winner likes them!

Scrapbooking Overload

2010-05-09T16:45:00.004-02:30

Though there is no evidence on my blog to substantiate it, I've been very busy scrapbooking over the past month or so. I ended up spending a fair chunk of my income tax return this year on scrapbooking supplies and toys to further my addiction. Additionally, our Recreation Director, Amanda, and I ordered quite a few supplies for a weekly Scrapbooking Class I am leading. I won't say teaching 'cause it is impossible to teach scrapbooking.
Last weekend I also took part in a weekend "Scrap Meet". I ended up having to bail out early as I developed a migraine. Unfortunately I wasn't able to finish the single layout I was working on ... but finally a day or so later it was completed. As you can see it was a "fiddly" one to put together - lots of little pieces to cut out to construct the beehive. I really like the way the two shades of yellow glitter card stock adds to the sugary/honey theme. The bees are from the Home Decor Cricut Cartridge. I cut them out in black, added bright yellow for the body and yellow vellum for the wings. "Fiddly" ... but so worth it! Hopefully Kristie will like this layout as it is part of the Scrapbook (now into Vol. 3) that I am doing as a graduation gift for her.

Just Scraps - Challenge # 6

2010-05-09T16:18:00.002-02:30

As it happens I've been using a lot of yellow lately. That means I had a lot of yellow scraps lying around. Here are two cards I made using yellow scraps and they are Mother's Day inspired. One is a Mother's Day Card, the other is for a new baby.

You've Been Tagged

2010-04-18T18:52:00.003-02:30

I've not done much scrapping lately - though I have ordered and received quite a few new toys to play with. New cartridges and folders for my Cricut and Cuttlebug, plus a whole lot of new paper and cardstock (and a few other things). Eventually I'll get back into the swing of things I'm sure. As a baby step to getting back on track I decided to take part in Jean's latest challenge @ Just Scraps. Never tried my hand at a fancy tag before, but what a great way of embellishing a gift bag or box ... I just may do more of these, lol.

New Beginnings in Pastels

2010-03-28T11:04:00.004-02:30

This is my entry for the Just Scraps - New Beginnings in Pastels Challenge. I was in a creative mood and wanted to use craft paper. Started out making flowers which always remind me of new beginnings (ie. the start of spring, or a bouquet given at a special time, or potted plant as a house warming gift). I also needed to do a cover page for one of my volumes of my "Book of Me". I don't use pastel colours very often but I like the contrast of the roughness of the craft paper, cardboard and black ink against the softness of the shades of peach.

The Pink Panther

2010-03-27T21:31:00.007-02:30

About a month or so ago I found out that the upcoming Ice Show of the Notre Dame Figure Skating Club was entitled "A Pink Panther Adventure" with my niece being The Pink Panther. As it happened I had a layout in her scrapbook entitled "Think Pink" which also featured the Pink Panther. What are the chances hey! Freaky! So today was the Ice Show (Kristie's Farewell Skate) and I hurried home to upload my pics to my computer, select one to use, and complete the layout. These are pics of the layout and the most beautiful Pink Panther ever. The layout is done using fold out pages, when you fold back the flaps you read "Think Pink". The patterns used in this layout are from Just Scraps!

Christmas Layout

2010-03-17T18:00:00.009-02:30

I've been trying to do a Christmas Layout for Kristie's Scrapbook for ages - but couldn't get it together. It was actually done once & then I "scrapped" it because I wasn't pleased. Then I got the idea to make what would resemble the boughs from a Christmas Tree and make my photos look like the ornaments. I wanted to use a couple of non-traditional Christmas colors because I had a ribbon I wanted to use. That didn't pan out either ......grrrr......
Then on Monday I received a package from an order placed online & it included some foil paper from American Crafts. It turned out that was what I needed to get my butt in gear!
Not sure where I got the striped background paper I used. I cut an entire 12 x 12 sheet of deep green card stock into very thin strips. A lot of glue (thank God for the Zig Pen) to attach them together in bundles and then onto the paper. I then embossed the foil papers with my newly purchased Cuttlebug using the D'vine Swirls Folder. Don't know where I got the little Christmas Bulb Die Cut Outs (I think they were part of an Ebay purchase). I used a small amount of Twinkles, by DecoArt(similar to Stickles)on some of the individual strips. The bling is Christmas Gem Florish by Oriental Trading Company, the word "Christmas", I think, was purchased at Dollarama or A Buck or Two.
Overall I'm pleased - it only took about 2 years to come together!

I Love This ...........Is it a Card or an Invitation ?!

2010-03-14T19:50:00.035-02:30

Thanx to Jean at www.justscraps.ca I ended up NOT doing the scrapbooking I planned on this weekend, but rather was inspired by a wedding card she "cased" and posted on her blog. So I checked out the blog referenced, www.stampndesign.blogspot.com (great stuff & ideas), downloaded the template (& a few others) did some tweeking and ta da - these are some of the cards, or perhaps they could be invitations, that I came up with.

By the way Kristie neither of these is for you, LOL!

About a Boy

2010-03-03T21:18:00.003-03:30

This is my entry for the Just Scraps "About a Boy" Challenge. Don't do many boy inspired cards or layouts so this really was a challenge! The background paper is Vroom, Vroom by Frances Meyer, other papers are Avocado by Riverside, Ivory by Wausau, Black by Paperbilities and unknown scraps of orange, silvery grey and vellum. The Ribbon and stickers are unknown. "B" is Blackboard Vintage Mix chipboard lettering by Cosmo Cricket. The embellishment is a Kaleidoslide Mini by Magic Scraps. I downloaded the cartoon image of the car from the internet and made my own paper piecing pattern - chalked the edges with Stampin' Up Chalk. Sewed the center line down the ribbon with plain old white thread. Printed "Boy & Benjamin" on the Avocado paper using good ole "Times New Roman" font. The medalion was cut using one of my templates from Creative Memories Cutting System.

Mojo Monday # 127 & The Play Date Cafe # 18 Challenges

2010-02-28T18:04:00.011-03:30

My entry for the Mojo Monday #127 & The Play Date Cafe #18 Challenges. Still having trouble with challenges & adhering to the parameters set down & I'll continue to try! By the way 2011 will be the year of the rabbit.

Book of Me

2010-02-20T21:24:00.002-03:30

Spent most of today working on a couple layouts in my "Book of Me". I don't scrap chronologically, but I do arrange them in my scrapbooks chronologically. Not sure if this is how most people scrap or not!? I have completed Volumes I & II and have a few layouts missing in Volumes III & IV - that's what I'm working on now. I've already got a few layouts done for Volume V ... & I haven't even lead a very interesting life, LOL!
Pictures of some of the layouts from my "Book of Me" coming soon ...
Happy Scrapping everyone!

My Favourite Pics

2010-02-14T10:44:00.009-03:30

Some time ago I decided to start an album for myself that would be all one page layouts featuring my favourite pictures. Normally I scrap pictures from a certain event/occasion yet many of my favourite pictures never get included. These are two pages from this album - both featuring my amazing niece, Kristie. If you continue to follow my blog you will hear more about how special she is to me.
The first one is a picture of her when she was very young (I'll estimate 3 yrs.). I particularly like the fact that the picture encouraged the use of texture. I used a piece of "blurlap" like fabric which I purchased at Dollarama. The zebra print paper is digital paper from a Scrapbook Answers CD (October 2006). The die cut, I think, is from My Minds Eye. Add some velvet textured flowers, some ribbon and snip the back of a little zebra button and tada!
The second page depicts pictures taken during one of Kristie's many figure skating competitions. The routine was "Memoirs of a Geisha" and is my favourite routine by her. One day when she was visiting we were going through some of the paper I had on hand. When she saw the pale green paper with the beautiful silver flower pattern she said it reminded her of the dress she wore in that figure skating routine ... I knew then I had to do a layout that featured that paper and that routine. The paper was purchased at Dollarama. I free hand cut out a "bonsai inspired" tree and added pink jewels to represent Cherry Blossoms. I loved the way it turned out.

Crazy 4 Challenges - C4C24 & Just Scraps # 2

2010-02-14T10:27:00.004-03:30

Here's my entry for the Crazy 4 Challenges "Red" Challenge.
The paper and die cut are by Creative Memories.
I made the flowers using old book pages & red cellophane.
The bling is from Dollarama.

Crazy 4 Challenges - C4C24 - Close Ups

2010-02-14T10:09:00.006-03:30

Happy Valentines Day

2010-02-13T14:07:00.007-03:30

The Play Date Cafe Challenge inspired me to do some Valentine's scrapping. Here are some pics of some of the finished items.

The Play Date Cafe Challenge - PDCC16

2010-02-12T12:48:00.003-03:30

Having a snow day today so I decided to take part in the Play Date Cafe Challenge. I really liked the color combination and decided to make a Valentine Card. I love using random objects and materials in my scrapbooking and with this card I used paper doilies in red and silver. I like the way the doilies give the card an old romantic vibe.

Mojo Monday

2010-02-10T21:26:00.004-03:30

So a lot of my fellow scrapbookers are taking part in the weekly Mojo Monday Challenges. I've been feeling under the weather for the past week or two and had done absolutely no scrapbooking - so I thought I'd try my hand at this weeks challenge. For some reason I feel very restricted by sketches and kits. Eventhough choosing the paper you want to use can be frustrating for me it's a part of the creative process that I really enjoy. When I see examples of how coordinated papers, embellishments, etc. can be used I have trouble imagining them being used in any other way and then I don't feel like it's "ME". Likewise the sketches provided as part of the challenges seem to be confining for me, but after about 2 hrs. I did come up with one card which I wasn't ashamed of. HS did remark however that "it's not your best work" (look who's being a critic, LOL). So this was the best I could do and so I didn't bother entering it - but I will try again!! Perhaps overcoming the restrictive feeling is my challenge.

My Muse - Chrissy

2010-02-07T09:38:00.009-03:30

I've spent so much time lately photographing all my layouts that I've barely had time to scrap. If I didn't have to work for a living I'd have so much more time to be creative, LOL. I have brought my cat scrapbook "Cat Tales" up to date. No pics of that book done yet. Here's a photo of my most beautiful muse - Chrissy. I think she's been featured in three layouts but I've yet to write a story about her. She's 14 years old and has quite the quirky personality. Just this morning me and HS commented on how every time she uses the litter box she starts a very distinctive "meow". We figure it is the feline equivalent of when you're potty training a toddler and they yell out something like "mommy I pooped".

Catching Up

2010-01-18T20:38:00.005-03:30

So I've taken it into my head that I should photograph all my scrapbook layouts. This weekend I photographed all of the layouts contained in a three volume scrapbook I'm doing as a graduation gift for my niece. I've also gone through the tedious process of making notes on all the supplies used in each layout. This was such a huge undertaking - like I got nuttin' else to do!!
In the next days / weeks / months ... I will post some of these pics ... especially some of my favourites. As I went through this process however I remembered that feeling you get when you've done a layout that just feels right! It also conjured up some good memories of people, places and events - and so perhaps it was all worth it!!

In the beginning ...

2009-12-27T12:50:00.005-03:30

So ... I have no idea where to start & have to admit this feels quite foolish. That being said however, I don't mind sharing with you what I'm working on at the moment or any tips, etc. that I may have gathered through scrapbooking. Likewise I would love to receive feedback from anyone who cares to read my blog and/or view my pictures (once I get that far). I'd be especially interested in tips or advise you can give me as I feel I am still quite the novice scrapper. I learned what I needed to get started by surfing the net (isn't Google amazing?) during the Winter/Spring of 2006. Now I am addicted!
If you are new to scrapbooking I have my first tip (Tip # 1) Don't buy stickers! I had so many stickers that 3 years later I decided to put them all in a bag and give them to my nieces just to not have to look at them anymore. I hope Caroline & Abigail enjoy them!!
So ... this is my first post. Hopefully they'll improve as I get acclamated to this type of venue :) Happy Scrapping Everyone!!