Halloween...a One Year Old...a Zoo Trip...and PANCAKES!

Hey everybody out there in the blogosphere.  I have been a horrible, horrible, horrible blogger as of late.  I'm going to try very hard to get my proverbial crappola back together and blog my little heart out this week.

Just so you know what I've been up to:  work....work....work...and more work.  We're only in the second six weeks, but I'm having the kind of year where it feels like it should be May already!  But only five (?) more weeks til a much needed and MUCH anticipated Thanksgiving break!

Well next week is my third favorite holiday:  Halloween.  I have tons of pictures from the past couple of Halloweens to scrapbook, but have only done three.  That's right:  three.  I really need to get a move on, because I have no doubt I'll be adding to my collection when Elle Belle goes trick or treating on that fateful night!  Though, really, I shouldn't feel even slightly bad about that, because her mom hasn't even decided on her costume yet, so.....

Enough chit chat...I actually have the one and only Halloween layout I've done waiting to be shown to you all.  I used Echo Park's new Chillingsworth Manor collection here.  The only addition is some strips of washi tape.

Frighteningly Good Pancakes

In Fort Worth, at the city zoo, they host an event annually around this time called "Boo At the Zoo".  Since Ellie is the one and only child in our entire family, we tend to jump the gun on doing fun "kid" stuff.  So, my mom, my sister (Ellie's mom), Ellie, and I headed out to Boo last October.  We decided to make a day of it and nab some pancakes beforehand at a favorite Fort Worth landmark: Ol' South Pancake House. 

 

I don't own Photoshop or PS Elements or anything fancy.  I use a lot of Instagrammed photos, but these were just SOOC images that I edited a bit in, of all thing, Microsoft Word.  I brightened them up a bit to give them a more filtered look. 

 

Layer upon layer of Halloween yumminess!

 

The sticker behind the journaling card is actually from Basic Grey's Black Dress collection.

 

Supplies:  patterned paper, letter stickers, journaling card - Echo Park; stickers - Echo Park, Basic Grey; tapes - Bazzill, American Crafts, Love My Tapes; ink - Jenni Bowlin

 

Thanks so much for reading!!

Graphic45 2012 Design Team Audition

The following projects are what I consider to be some of my best work!

Thanks for looking!

Our Beach Adventures









I used a distressing tool to distress the edges of the papers.

Supplies: patterned paper - Graphic 45, Kesi Art, My Mind's Eye, American Krafts; stickers - Graphic 45, October Afternoon, Dear Lizzy for American Crafts; other - twine, fiber, kraft paper

All My Valentines



Supplies: patterned paper - Crate Paper, Lily Bee Designs; cardstock embellisments - Crate Paper; stickers - Crate Paper, Sticko, Lily Bee Designs, American Crafts, Pebbles; twine - My Mind's Eye; red lace flower - Prima


Wicked - London








Supplies: patterned paper - Graphic 45, Basic Grey; stickers - Basic Grey, American Crafts, October Afternoon; journaling card - Lily Bee Designs; brads - My Mind's Eye

First Fair








Supplies: patterned paper - Cosmo Cricket, American Crafts, My Mind's Eye; flags - October Afternoon; chipboard - Dear Lizzy for American Crafts, other - unknown; washi tape - Hambly; letter stickers - American Crafts; stickers - October Afternoon, My Mind's Eye; wood veneer letters - Studio Calico; other - tickets, thread, embroidery floss


Selections from My 2011 December Daily







Supplies: patterned paper - Cosmo Cricket; tabs - SEI, October Afternoon, Cosmo Cricket; doily flowers - Jenni Bowlin; stickers - October Afternoon, Cosmo Cricket, Echo Park




First Christmas Eve







Supplies: patterned paper - Graphic 45; stickers - Graphic 45, American Crafts; lace - Crate Paper; tin pin - October Afternoon

Sketch Adventure Saturday

Okay so I'm trying to branch out there in my blogdom. So, I present to you "SKETCH ADVENTURE SATURDAY"! If I'm stepping on any toes by using this name, please let me know because it's entirely unintentional.

So, the idea here is to use the following sketch (my creation, but digitally drawn by my AMAZING girlfriend, Lisa Carroll!) as inspiration and design a layout, card, piece of wall art, or whatever! Send an attachment of your creation to me (my email addy is in the upper right hand corner by that silly little picture of me). I will then pick a handful of projects I think best used the sketch (though I know it's going to be hard, because they'll all be amazing) and post them the following Saturday on my blog (with the designers' blog links), along with a new sketch. So Saturdays will be Sketch Adventure Saturdays from here on out to the best of my ability! All layouts must be received by 11:59 PM (CST) Friday, February 24

And in celebration of this new announcement, I'm having a giveaway! Leave a comment by 11:59 (CST) NEXT Friday, February 24 to enter. I will pick a winner at random. I have some great kraft mini envelopes and letter stickers from Pebbles to give out:



And now for our first sketch!




And here's my take on this sketch:

Future Photographer



Supplies: patterned paper - October Afternoon, Pebbles, American Crafts, Crate Paper, My Mind's Eye; chipboard - Dear Lizzy for American Crafts; sequins - Pebbles; tab punch - Jenni Bowlin; ink - Ranger, Colorbox; pens - Zig, Uniball; stamps & spray ink - Studio Calico

And here's another layout using the sketch. This time a digital layout - again by the lovely Lisa Carroll. :)

Pretty in Pink



Digital Supplies: patterned paper and elements by Marisa Lerin; heart border by Lisa Carroll

Remember, all layouts and comments must be entered by 11:59 Central Time on Friday, February 24! Thanks so much for reading!

Thanksgiving and Things

Hey everyone! I feel like I'm in a rut. I am having some serious scrapper's block. I guess I'm fortunate, in a sense, because I was able to churn some stuff out, but you know that feeling of just not being happy or at all impressed with anything you've done? To top that off, I'm feeling so overwhelmed (and have that antsy excited feeling) with all these projects I want to either start or finish. I have tons of photos that need to be organized both hard copies and files on my computer. I am feeling really stuck and not sure where to go with finishing my December Daily - I've made me little notes for each day, just need to put them together with the photos and call it a day. I am also embarking on a BIG weight loss journey and want to create something that I can add to and build as it goes along, but have no idea where to start. I still have some pages from my first trip to Ireland that need to be finished up and tons of pictures from all the trips Lisa and I have taken together and visits we have made back and forth. I could go on and I do realize this is a pretty common scrappers dilemma, but it helps to clear my head a bit! I'm hoping the feeling will pass and I'll continue to create in the meantime.

I've actually had some time to do a little bit of scrapbooking this weekend - mostly tying up a few loose ends here and there. I'm still working on getting my December Daily finished as I mentioned and will post the remainder of that all together once it's completed. I've been playing a lot with the January Studio Calico kit and mixing it together with some of their past kits as well. I got a bunch of pictures from Thanksgiving and Christmas 2010 scrapped as well as a couple of pictures of my trip to London with Lisa last summer and other miscellany.



Here are a few of those completed pages:

Ellie & Unca









Supplies: patterned paper - American Crafts, Pebbles, Lily Bee Designs; stickers - October Afternoon, Pebbles, Crate Paper; brads - Crate Paper, Basic Grey, tissue border - Studio Calico

Thankful For Mommy








Supplies: patterned paper - October Afternoon, My Minds Eye, Pebbles, Crate Paper; button - October Afternoon; stickers - My Minds Eye, October Afternoon, Cosmo Cricket, Lily Bee Designs; border punch - docrafts XCut; fabric heart border - Amy Tangerine; brad - Crate Paper

Just Chillaxin

I had a really hard time with this one. I just couldn't decide how to fill up the space and even now I'm not sure if I entirely love how it turned out. Sure do love that cute baby in these pictures though! And my awesome Dad!








Supplies: patterned paper - Lily Bee Designs, October Afternoon; buttons & brads - Basic Grey, October Afternoon; tag - Amy Tangerine, stickers - October Afternoon, American Crafts, Crate Paper, Lily Bee Designs; tape - Hambly; twine - My Minds Eye; doily flower - Jenni Bowlin

That's it for me now. I'll be back later this week with some Christmas layouts I've finished.