Happy Birthday Dude

Today is Lucas' 13th birthday. To celebrate, I thought I would share some old layouts. Ack! Memory Lane! I promised myself I wouldn't do this on Sundays anymore! Oh well...it's worth it.

Scrapbooking - Treasured Memories Design Team

These two layouts were completed at the same time as the one from my last post, but I forgot to take photos of them! I am so out of practice, it's not even funny!

Nadine - gods bless her - gave me a whole stack of papers from the cutest Simple Stories line! There are little houses, and plants, and vacuum cleaners, and washing machines! Wait, what?! Now, I am not the type to scrapbook my chore list (any more...I probably did so at one point in my career), but I am kind of enamored with plants and pie charts, and this line had more than its fair share of those!

In fact, two of my stamps from #100daysofstampcarving were inspired by this line!

The pattern paper you can see peeking out from behind the photo was made with one of my #100daysofstampcarving stamps.

I love pie charts!

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This was actually a really fun way to USE some of my hand carved stamps. When I started that project, I wasn't sure what I would do with the stamps when I was done, and didn't have a plan for designing them other than "what looks good today." But what looks good to me, works with my art as well. Handy!

All of the stamped leaves on this page are from stamps I created during my 100 Day project. Can't go wrong with leaves...

Photos were taken on Moving Day Part Two, and a week or so after moving day. First beers on our patio felt pretty good!

I may only scrapbook in fits and bursts, but it still feels good. I feel out of touch with things going on in the scrapbooking world (so out of touch), but it's still fun to play with paper and pretty things on this scale.

xo

Scrapbooking - Treasured Memories Design Team

Scrapbooking. This is a hobby that I really haven't been spending much time on lately. But every once and awhile Nadine gets me back into it with a Design Team package from TM!

Now, this one I wasn't too sure of when I first got it as the main image on the papers and stickers was of a mermaid. So my apologies friend, but I did not use the mermaid aspects of the kit.

I did, however, LOVE all the rich blue, turquoise, and gold and immediately thought of how vibrant they would look against some photos from my recent trip to Iceland.

And so I came up with this...

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I LOVE the look of chipboard or stickers (or anything) layered under vellum. I cannot throw my vellum scraps away because they always come in handy.

#100daysofstampcarving was happening while I built this layout, so I carved a stamp to match that sweet "fish scale" pattern and made my own golden fishscale patterned paper. You can see it tucked behind the cluster. The word "love" is also from my 100 Days project.

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When I'm struggling with a layout, I just grab a bunch of cute things and cluster them or layer them around the photo. You can also see in this photo that I sanded down the surface of the chipboard "fish scales" border so it wasn't so shiny and new looking.

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Reynisfjara was a highlight for me on our trip to Iceland in May. The Black Sand Beach is very popular with tourist and tour groups, but it is a dangerous and harsh environment. There is a huge warning sign on the path from the parking lot, alerting visitors to the "sneaker waves" and the potential to be swept out to sea if you get too close to the water. Our tour guide told us to stay as far away from the water as possible, and never turn your back on it. There was a huge windstorm in the area that day, and the resulting sandstorm made the sky so brown that you couldn't see far out to sea.

The "black sand" is actually black pebbles and stones for as far as the eye can see. The cliff that faces the water here is uniquely jagged, like it was carved by giant hands. Many birds nest in the cliff face, and it was mesmerizing to watch them swirl overhead, fighting the winds.

The noise and wind were an assault on the senses. My hair was full of sand, my glasses so gross, but I could have stayed much longer. Our world is beautiful and terrifying...and Iceland is the perfect place to see and discover those elements side by side.

Scrapbooked anything lately?

xo

Scrapbooking - Flashback

I recently received some paper for my Treasured Memories Design Team commitment. The title of the paper line from Echo Park is "Grandson", and all of the images and patterns are completely adorable! But I don't have a Grandson, and I was on a tight deadline with no easy current photo choices coming to mind.

Thank goodness I hold on to old shit.

I had also recently dismantled an old photo display with printed image from what I thought was only a couple of years ago. You know how time gets away from you?

Turns out this photo of Lucas drawing with sidewalk chalk outside my old house is almost 5 years old. He looks completely different, yet also exactly the same. Children blow my mind.

For those of you who might be wondering, I added the text to my photo directly in Photoshop Elements. Then I ordered a 4x4 print from London Drugs same as always. The photo is actually a screen grab from my Instagram page. Oh man it took me a LONG TIME to scroll through 4.5 years of photos to find this one. But it was the best long time ever. So many good times.

xo

MORE Disney World Scrapbooking

"Funny" story about this photo! The professional took 3 photos of us in front of the castle: a close up, this one with Tinkerbell added, and a third one where some JERK WHO HATES HAPPINESS photobombed our nice family picture with his fucking dumbass face and hands or whatever. And he was so close in I couldn't even have cropped him out. So by "funny" I mean Stupid Jerk. But this one has a cute Tinkerbell at the top sprinkling her pixie dust magic, so I can't be all mad!

We didn't get a lot of photos taken in the park by the professionals, but the ones we did turned out really nice and were a great addition to our memories. I definitely recommend getting the photo package, even at Disney World where it seems like an exorbitant price when you are planning your trip, but is actually quite reasonable when you get home from your trip and realize that the few photos that you now have to buy individually pretty much add up to how much you would have spent on the package to get unlimited photos. So there. That's my Disney Tip. Get the damn photo package.

xo

Disney World Scrapbooking

I am finally working on the photos from our Disney World trip that we took in the summer of 2015. Lucas turned 10, there were thunderstorms everyday, and Harry Potter World at Universal Studios is my JAM!

I have decided to do a combination of scrapbooking layouts and photos, where the majority of the album will be photos only. But I also want to tell some of the better stories, and add journaling to some of the photos, so I still have to work out a good way to incorporate that.

These are some layouts I completed for the album over the weekend at a very fun and productive Project Life Crop at Treasured Memories.

Loving the bright colours...reminds me that spring is around the corner!

xo

Treasured Memories Design Team - March Scrapbooking

When I was checking my tags and my titles for this post, I noticed that I haven't posted a scrapbooking layout since NOVEMBER! Which means I haven't created a layout since November. Wow!

I remember a time when I couldn't go more than a day without scrapbooking. Funny how things change, but also not funny or surprising at all. I am still figuring out my relationship with this hobby, and I think this unsettled state of affairs is just my reality now.

In the meantime, here are some layouts!

I won't be cutting these down to 6x12 to fit into my album because planning that required more brain cells than I had available.

Both are to fulfill my duties as a Treasured Memories Design Team Member, a job I love mercilessly. Thank you Nadine for giving me such thebomb.com paper lines. I am saving the pineapples for something super special.

xo

Christmas Scrapbooking

The Story behind the photos...

I booked some time with my new friend Jamie to have some FALL photos taken on Thanksgiving weekend. We woke up the Sunday morning to snow and wind and an early winter. Jamie & I chatted and decided to postpone the photos until the next day, hoping that the sun would come out, and the wind would go away. So right on schedule, at almost the exact hour we would have been getting the pictures done, the sun came out, there was blue sky, and it turned out to be a beautiful Sunday.

Balls.

But we had already rescheduled, so we made our way to Minchau Park the next day, in the cold (damn cold!) and the snow. And you know what? I LOVE these snowy photos! I think this will become a new winter tradition for us.

Also, these are our first photos as a new "family" of three. Squeeee!!!

And for those of you who might like to know...
The majority of the paper and embellishments are from Simple Stories.
Gold letters are Heidi Swapp
Ribbon & sequins are randoms from my stash

xo

p.s. Thank you Nadine for pushing me out of my comfort zone with these Christmas-themed papers. I kind of love them (don't get too excited or anything!)

Christmas Scrapbooking

Working in scrapbooking-retail means Christmas products start showing up in August. We always feel a little sorry-embarrassed when well meaning shoppers ask us where our new Christmas product is in December. It's gone lady...we sold out in September!

But seriously, This also means, that I get to scrapbook last year's Christmas photos in August thanks to my Design Team role. Which can be a challenge for this scrapbooker!

This is the latest. Not sure how I am going to fit it in my 8x8 December Daily album...

The black letters are really OLD Making Memories rub-ons. This was a supply that us gals HOARDED, and couldn't get enough of. And they still work perfectly. Making Memories had their shit together, that's for sure.

Now, being that Christmas is just over the horizon, I have started thinking about this year's December Daily. Every year in November I tell myself that I'm not going to do one, and every November 30 I give in and am scrambling to pull something together! Last year's will be the first I have ever completed...once I print these last two photos!! HA!

So with that BOOMING success in my life, why not just give in to the inevitable and start planning now?!

xo

Challenge Accepted!

I got to go on a scrapbooking date with my Tribe on Friday night! Usually I just sit with my computer and a stack of photos to write on. But tonight Karen and Candace were in the mood for a challenge, so I got to play along! AND I got to liberate some supplies from the girls! HA!

The Challenge: Use 6 frames on a layout...

I should probably add a date or something, but otherwise, I am pretty impressed with myself! All of these supplies were either ones from a TM DT kit I had with me that night, or ones I had "liberated" from Karen & Candace. 

Thanks gals! This was fun!

xo

Camping + Scrapbooking

SCRAPBOOK LAYOUT DUMP!!

I think I was due for one right?

These are all layouts I completed for the Treasured Memories Design Team. Main papers and embellishments are all Carta Bella.

Some fun insider notes about these layouts, and how I reconcile being on a Design Team with how I actually prefer to document my memories coming right up!

Also, please ignore my head shadow in these photos.I'm a goof and didn't notice...

First up, my gorgeous sister and her adorable boys. FAVOURITE PEOPLE ALERT!

I keep meaning to use my stamps more, so I pulled out my arrows (arrows are easy). Not totally impressed with the end product on this layout, but it will do! Lucas & I played SO MANY GAMES OF GUESS WHO on our recent camping trip. That is definitely a memory that needed to be documented. Love the little Instax camera sticker that came with this line!

I pulled out my super OLD Making Memories foam stamps, and boy am I ever glad I saved these! Forgot how much I love a big stamped title.

I was channeling my inner Candace/Lisa from 2007-2008 for this next layout. BIG Photo and a fun cluster of stuff at the top. This photo is just...

And last but not least, this is what all of the above layouts will end up looking like once I get them back from TM. My 2016 photo album is a 6x12, which is actually super convenient for me when I have to do some scrapbooking for the store! I do a 12x12 page - which is the most popular layout size, and therefore the best ones for display - and design the layout with my end goal in mind. So if you look really hard you can see the 6x12 layouts in my 12x12s.

This Carta Bella line was really fun to play with! Thanks Nadine!

I guess I could have split this up into a couple of posts, but whatevs! Enjoy friends! Would love to read what you think in the comments!

May Long Camping - Our Wet Adventure Scrapbooked

Lucas was very apprehensive about tenting with Mom. Y'know, cause of sleeping on the ground and stuff. But he was a total trooper. He did at one point tell us that this was the WORST camping trip ever...but his smiles and giggles told another story. I wanted my layouts to reflect this riotously unsuccessful yet awesome camping trip with my Dude.

I made the following photos collages using the wrong combination of photos. Mixed metaphors? I dunno. Whatever. I'm sure you can figure it out...

I love rummaging through my supplies these days, because everything is kind of just randomly sorted. That is to say, not sorted at all. So every page is a true mishmash of stuff I have been collecting over the years. Stuff that I love and has survived many purges, and new stuff that I haven't tired of just yet. And that's the way I like it.

I think Nadine questioned my sanity a little when I bought this pineapple paper. But it matches the tablecloth I bought (not on purpose...geeze people), so who's laughing now?!

I bought two rolls of that neon green mesh at a Scrapfest 100 years ago, and it's still one of my favourite things to add to a page. See, random is my friend.

Now, you might be asking yourself, "why the 6x12 layouts recently, Lis?" and I'll tell you. Hell, I'm going to tell you if you were asking or not, so just simmer down now. I bought on Kijiji a 4x6 photo album binder a few winters ago, thinking it would be perfect for something. Turns out it's going to be perfect for my 2016 memories album. I will be printing photos and randomly inserting some scrapbooked pages as I go. Told ya random works for me!

And yes, I still haven't finished my 2015 album, but shut your pie hole. I'm getting there...False starts still count.

xo