Why I Save SOOOO Much Stuff --

So again I say, Boy layouts are much tougher than girl layouts - at least for me. I want to do fun without crossing the line to girly and now that he is "older" I don't want it too baby-ish either. This layout sorta evolved (you know how that is - no idea really but then it sorta morphs into something good).
I had NO plan for a pocket when I first started (I feel like every school layout has those - enough already) however, when I found this writing of his that coincided with the dates of the photos - I couldn't leave it out. We try to get them to write as often as possible. Mason is excellent at writing and as he gets older it only gets more descriptive. If you read this you see he is very matter of fact on this page about what had happened. Apparently I had been trying to drive home the point of "you are responsible for your own actions" and this is how it translated in his mind - misspelled words and all. I love how matter of fact (logical) he is!

I journaled above and below what he had written instead of where it is visible on the page. Some pages the journaling gets lost.

I still can get away with buttons (I think) so I added one here in the middle of the cardstock sticker for dimension/texture.

Here I used a brad again for texture - orange is NOT a girl color!

It sure is fun finding little treasures like this which is exactly why I save so much stuff - one day I think he will treasure it as much as I do - or at least his wife and children will for sure!

What are you up to today - would sure love to hear it! I am going to try to make a belated gift that will now most likely turn into an early Valentine's present. Decorate for Valentines and some other misc. stuff. Enjoy the new week.

Products: Brad/Buttons - Paper Studio

Paper - Basic Grey

Cardstock stickers/alpha - Echo Park

Winner!!!

Soooo, our winner of the Lisa Bearnson Scrapbook Kit and the Creating Keepsake magazine stash is Bridget!! Thank you Bridget for taking the time to comment and I know you will enjoy your goodies:) I will bring them to you tonight!

I hope to be back tomorrow with more inspiration and some Valentine's Decor.

More Inspiration

Sooo, apparently the best thing to get the juices flowing, is to just get going with it. I have been so hapy to be getting some pages done of my oldest guy. It is a joy looking back at these photos and seeing how he has grown. It hasn't all been a breeze but it is a joy.

These photos are of our 2009 trip to Serenbe. I like the "natural" look of the kraft paper and the wooden letters. Boy stuff really is tougher than girl pages.


Here is the cluster of clock/gears to symbolize time sorta "standing still" while we are at this lovely place and the wooden letters by K & Company.

These photos also reminded me of the time we had with Mason and his hair pulling. This is why his hair is so short in these photos. We tried everything to get him to stop! It seems as though it was primarily stress related and once he moved to the next grade - he was "fine" Amazing - he still pulls his eyebrows and front of his hair sometimes when he is concentrating or frustrated.

On to the little lady - we got a new camera a few weeks back and I am still "playing" with it but I found this little jewel that David had taken and just had to share - isn't she lovely!?!?

REMEMBER: I will pick a winner tomorrow morning for the giveaway listed below. Just leave a comment on that post to be entered. Have a great weekend - we are hoping this weather clears up for some family photos this afternoon!

Double Layout!!!

I am so excited to be back to scrapbooking my own children's photos! I didn't realize how far behind I was and now it is a real "mission" to get caught up. One "good" thing I am finding is that the pictures are less - not as many "firsts" as when they were itty bitties - so the process is a bit streamlined - mabybe???

This was of my birthday weekend and our "discovery" of Big Kahuna's. What fun we had (with many more days of this to follow)

I couldn't resist including this photo of my boys being silly - just makes me laugh!

I wanted some texture as I am NOT a fan of "white" space (I hear Lisa saying amen!) I used havey thread for buttons in a "sand" color just to give a bit of texture there. Just a few lines of it and I was satisfied. I struggled with these two pages for nearly a week. They are not perfect but they are done!

Another great shot of the three of them - despite the fact Braden might be on the verge of choking them both - they are having fun TOGETHER!

Hope you are inspired to get your pages "out of the computer" and onto the page!

The two wallpaper pages are American Crafts. The orange "center' page is My Minds Eye (So Sophie) and the journaling tag is Cosmo Cricut. Not entirely sure who to give credit to for the brads and baubles as I took them out of the package long ago and can't be certain - sorry:(

Giveaway Extended!!!

So I am extended the giveaway as I might've caused a little confusion... you must comment on this post (not just like on Facebook) if you want to be entered. I am gonna extend the giveaway through Friday and I will pick a winner Saturday a.m. This is a really great giveaway if you are looking for an easy way to document an event, a life, or even maybe a baby boys first day/year. It is by the wonderful Lisa Bearnson and has all the elements you need (just add pics). It is titled "Definitions" and has step by step instructions on how to put the pages together.

Here are all the parts all wrapped up nicely - I never even opened them!

Also I have some scrappy inspiration for you - 8 creating Keepsakes magazines for you to enjoy while looking for your next great page or to help when you are "stuck" in your creative mindset.

Thanks for playing along and I hope to see MANY comments this week - Happy Monday:)

Framed Layout as Gift

So I said a while back I did a layout for a gift for someone for Christmas. My niece asked me to create a layout for her mother for Christmas of her first grandson Eli. This was so fun!

Here is the finished product:
This is almost exclusively GCD Studios from their line Funhouse. I threw in a few sentiments from October Afternoon, some alphas, and of course his name is THICKERS - American Crafts.

Want a hear a funny - Braden looks at it and his only comment was: That e is supposed to be capital! At least he's learning something while he's at school:) Enjoy your day.

Christmas Morning & a double giveaway!!!

Hello there! This is my 201st post! WOW!!!! So glad you have hung in and keep coming back. One of my goals this year is to grow my blog so THANK YOU for investing your time.

I promised Christmas Photos (I also promised a giveaway on post 200 so I'm one late there) So I will start with the first half of the day: our overhead lights were burnt out and my camera doesn't do well in dim light so this was the best I could get of the tree - not bad?
In our effort to keep the day about Jesus's birthday - we start the morning by reading the story of Jesus's birth. Mason's turn this year - he reads so well out loud - not every child enjoys that but he seems to.

We opened gifts and it was a wonderful time. We even got to go to church that morning since it fell on Sunday, such a sweet time it was.

Then, there was this "small" miracle... Family pictures! Weird thing was we all wore black, grey, and red. (The only ones missing were Bryan's clan and they were in a hurry to get home so they will be in tomorrow's photos)

The McGuire Gang:

Almost the entire family (this was where the miracle part came in:)

The Legg Gang: 5 smiles and all eyes looking at the camera!

The Mommy and Daddy (again) to be:

It was a sweet morning and a great day - the best one in a VERY long time! Again, miracles do still happen:)

Here is the giveaway #1:

We cannot all keep everything and I have been purging the kids stuff and figured it was my turn as well. I collected a "few" of my scrapbook magazines for you to use for your inspiration. Some of us really do prefer the feel of the paper and turning the page.

Giveaway #2: This is a mini-kit themed around various definitions: celebrate, priceless, time, etc. I never even opened the packaging.

See how deep the box is? Lot of goodies. And a step by step guide to building the book using the pieces included.

If you are interested, please leave a comment and I will draw a name next Sunday afternoon! Please tell your friends and the more comments the better (at least it makes it fair-er)

Have a great week and I will be back soon with a layout or two - I ordered a ton of pics right after Christmas and they arrived a few days ago - nothing better to get your "mojo" back than a fresh batch of photos!

Outside the Box ~

So it is the New Year and we all have goals. Some call them resolutions - I prefer to just use this time to reaffirm and reorganize my priorities. It's a fresh start for all of us if we allow it to be. In some ways it's a continuation of yesterday and in other ways - a clean slate. I choose to use both approaches.

So I have decided to tackle some things I have put off for a while. Life will get busy again so I must take advantage while I can - maybe that will become habit - taking advantage of the time I have been given and not wasting it.

On to the project:
I have wanted lanterns on my back porch for some time. The idea comes from Pottery Barn but I am not keen on the Pottery Barn price list. So it has sat on the back shelf for a WHILE. Recently (and by that I mean within 2-3 months) David and I were at Pier One and found lanterns. Exactly like I wanted - except they were the wrong color. UGH! So what's a girl to do - think outside the box - and get some spraypaint!

Here is the final project hanging this morning:

Here were the originals, a bit too chinese for my taste (unless we're talking food and then I'm in!)

It wasn't too difficult I just had to make myself finish a project. The most tedious part was removing the glass (and then replacing it when finished)

One good thing is the little ones always are in when it comes to paint:

Now I have four lovely lanterns that match my patio furniture and hopefully will enhance the mood when we have family/friends to enjoy the evening outside with.

What project do you need to think outside the box with? I'd love to see your results!