Fun Day {Echo Park: Splash}

Look familiar? It's very similar to yesterday's layout ;) I switched which daughter was the focus and I also used Echo Park's Splash instead of Fancy Pants. 

 I still added some stitching and used some black & white photos...

 as well as other fun details - like google eyes & a banner!

This one came together in record time because I had so many great pattern papers and embellishments to choose from - they happened to be just the right size!

Relax {Fancy Pants Design: Beach Babe}

This layout is a lift that I lifted from an email that I got this week from Archivers! I normally don't look since I can't afford to go shopping there...but I'll be looking from now on just for the layout ideas ;) Everything is the new Beach Babe line from Fancy Pants that I got a great discount on at my LSS since they are closing down.. 

Closeup of the banner:

 Closeup of the fish that I added google eyes to:

 No layout is complete without a little stitching ;)

I've linked this up to The Paper Variety for this week's challenge to create a summer theme project.

First Year Album

This project started nearly 6 years ago with me buying a baby book and matching 12x12 scrapbook during my pregnancy with my oldest. I also attended a Creative Memories party where I bought the calendar pages and decided that I wanted to use those to record milestones on one page, with the other page being a collage of pictures. I believe I completed one layout in a timely fashion and then the rest were completed over the last 3 years. Not my original plan, but hey, it's done! Yay!!!!!!!!

The front page:

 Each month has it's own double page layout but I included the tail end of December with January since she was born at the very end of December.

 I created a hidden pocket for her very first daycare artwork!

 Some pages have flip books included - this one has a few extra pictures under the picture of clothes.

 Each of the pictures on the right has pictures underneath...

 There are some naked bath pictures under the June title spot-

 The tag pulls out on this one.

 This one is full of extra pictures too :)

 Can you tell I was embellishing less trying to just hurry up and get done? lol

 I was running out of milestones and notes...I tried to be good and write them down back then but as I got into December, I didn't write much down. Possibly I was too busy with a baby, work and the holidays? ;)

 This is the last page and is based on a PageMaps sketch.

Thanks for stopping by and suffering through these itty bitty pictures full of itty bitty writing ;) I'm just so glad to have this album completed!

I *Heart* Her Eyes {Cosmo Cricket: Girl Friday}

I lifted this layout:

 From Maggie Holmes' layout:

 I made it for this month's "Use your stash challenge" at Birds of a Feather to use masks to create a patterned paper starting with white cardstock. I placed a few butterflies where I wanted them and misted over them, then after it was dry, removed the butterflies. I also misted a little bit of CS to be very saturated pink and then punched butterflies out of that. My daughter's eyes are almost the color of those tiny type stickers ;)

 I really like how Maggie Holmes used the different banner shapes and I've been wanting to stitch a banner for quite a while now - love this look!

The only thing I'm not happy about is that the trim that I wanted to use on the right side of the picture is not the paper I wanted. Apparently, I had two sheets of PP left out of my pack that I bought! I did end up with extras of two other sheets though...

Hours of Fun {American Crafts: Dear Lizzy}

This layout is for June's sketch challenge at Birds of a Feather:

I struggled with this sketch a bit...but was much happier once I added the banner in. (sorry this is so large...but you get the idea!)
  

I originally thought the title would be "lather, rinse, repeat" because the girls repeated the runs down the trailer ramp all afternoon long. (There is another set of photos under the flap) Instead, I used: (2 sisters) + (a trailer) + (one 4-wheeler) = Hours of Fun. Can you tell I'm a former Algebra teacher? lol 

Here are some closeups:

I hope you are staying out of this heat that we (almost) all seem to be having!

A Moment in Time {Studio Calico: Market Place}

This layout is another one that is not for a challenge! Can't believe I've done so many of these pages lately :) Ok, ok, I am linking this up for a challenge!! This week's challenge at The Paper Variety is to create a project about a special guy in your life. What a coincidence since I just posted this! And yes, I checked the rules, I can link up since it's just a few days prior to the challenge ;) I did use a PageMaps sketch for the layout. {The picture looks better in real life}

Suzanne helped me out again with the title "A Moment in Time" as I wanted to use the days of the week tab paper as inspiration. Not sure why I couldn't think of that on my own, lol... And I found a quote online instead of using any journaling. "A daughter may outgrow your lap, but she will never outgrow your heart - Author Unknown"

Did some more inking with black and stitching with white! This page feels different than any of my other pages, but I like it ;)

My *sweet* helper {Cosmo Cricket: Garden Variety}

This layout is for this week's challenge at The Paper Variety  to include a fruit on your paper project. I had this last set of photos from our strawberry picking back in April and had been waiting to lift a layout.

This is the layout I wanted to lift from Kayla...but I needed a tad bit more of the strawberry paper ;) I was lucky enough to find some last weekend on a shopping trip to Archivers!

Unfortunately, I didn't have the same chipboard piece as Kayla's...so I made do with what I had and love how it turned out! I only wish I hadn't added the red stickles :-\ to my ribbon. Anyway, you still have a couple of days left to add your fruit project over at The Paper Variety!

May Project 12 {Echo Park: Life is Good}

I can't tell you how excited I am to be able to be blogging today! Our computer died on Friday and we've already gotten it fixed :) It's amazing how different an empty computer is...I had to download Picasa again and  these layouts are the first pictures downloaded on to the computer! Luckily, I had been backing up all of my pictures so none of those are lost. I'm thinking I need to take a picture of our computer for my June layout ;)

Without the computer as a distraction, I completed 4 pages (and LOTS of chores) this weekend ;) The first 2 are for my May page:

 I couldn't pick just 5 pictures so I split one 4x6 into two smaller photos and then I added two small square photos under the flap on the far right.

 I'm so excited that I remembered to type text onto the pictures before I had them printed....I always like the look when I see it on other pages but never seem to remember to do it.

 I just love the right side of this page - with the houses, the clouds and the sun. My husband thought I made the houses myself and told me I had too much free time on my hands, lol. I DID however make those clouds and sun :)

Thanks for looking!

School Days {Cosmo Cricket: Girl Friday and UpCycle}

For the month of June, Kayla has challenged us over at scrapbook.com to use Cosmo Cricket products and create a layout with grids. I LOVE grids and already had a sketch in mind to use! Ready for "Grids Gone Wild!"? lol The frame paper is a grid, as well as the grid made out of the pink flower paper.

The sketch I've used is from Nuts About Sketches:


 I popped the title up, distressed and/or inked all of the edges and machine stitched a border. I cut a doilie in half to use in two places...

 And then cut a flower bling embellishment in half to use for each of the flower centers and hand stitched trails for the butterflies.

 I even got to use this felt "now and then" piece that has been in my stash for probably a couple of years!

 The only problem with this month's challenge is that mine can't count in the poll since last month's layout won! I'm super excited about winning for May - here is the winning layout :)

Thanks for stopping by & I hope to see you playing along this month with the CC challenge!