Pretty Trims

I was so happy when I found at Craft Warehouse that American Crafts now has additional colors of the dear Lizzy flower trims. It's just so pretty!


And only a teaser of this page. The photo I took of it was very blurry. So for now, this is all you see :)

The Great Paper Heist

I have a little trick I use occasionally when I scrap. It's one of my budget friendly tips. When I shop, I don't usually buy two of the same piece of paper. I do very few two page LOs, so I have a hard time buying two pieces of the same paper becuase I know I won't likely use it.

But when I like how both sides coordinate and I want to use the opposite side, I admit, I wish I had a second sheet. But do I really want to have a whole sheet just to cut off a strip?

Here's my solution....steal it! (now, I'm not recommending you commit a crime....keep reading).

I will often mat my photo on another paper (sometimes making it bigger than I would have) and then cut a piece of the base paper from the back. As you can see, I hesited a rectangle of paper leaving a hole. But who cares! It will be hidden when it's in the page protector!

The Grass is Always Greener

We have a very busy week this week. It's VBS at our church, so I've not had a lot of extra time to put into my blog. So this week, everything is very simple & quick.

I did this page a few weeks ago about the affection my kids have for parks. Any park. Really, if it has grass and a slide, they love it!

"The Grass is always greener @ the Park"

Basic Grey Kioshi, American crafts ribbon, Making Memories alphas, Martha Stewart punch, misc paper

Train Brain

I have a little boy who loves his trains. Last week, we had the chance to watch a few trains. We don't really see too many trains where we live because we are so remote. We have one-ish that comes through a day, but they are usually very short and we usually miss them. But we were able to watch two trains pass each other, and both engineers waved at this little boy.

He was so happy!

One of my favorite things to use on a layout is my kids art. He drew this picture in March. I used some Max & Whiskers paper from Basic Grey and made a layout about my "train brain" kiddo!

Thanks Everyone!

Alright - short and sweet today....here are the winners!!

Adele

Emerald Valkyrie

And no one chose the domain name I bought. BUT, there was one name mentioned that I really really like and if it were available, I would have bought. But, sadly, it's not :'(

But, I'm going to send a little something your way anyway....so Judy (posted at 11:29 7/25), please e-mail me your address and I'll send you a little prize. (please e-mail me by 7/28, because any longer and I'll forget :$)

And stay tuned....because August 8, my blog will be moving to www.paperandpicture.com

And, since that happens to be my birthday week, it will be a week long celebration!!!!

500th POST!!! (giveaway & announcement)

Congrats to myself! This is my 500th post! And THANK YOU to all my faithful followers and readers. Without you, I'm not sure I would have been motivated to go this far.

So to celebrate....I'm having a giveaway!

You have three chances to enter.

1) Leave a comment telling what you like best, the freebie cut files, sharing my LOs, my dorky stories, or tips & tutorials (this helps me know what to share more of).

2) Become a follower (please leave a 2nd comment saying so - if you already a follower - THANK YOU:), be sure to please leave me a second comment so you can get your second chance too!)

3) Post a link on your blog (or social networking site, or another MB if you don't have a blog) to my blog with the drawing. Leave a third comment saying so. (Yeah, I'm shameless trying to get more traffic on my blog...lol....)

Again - THANK YOU ALL for visiting me!!! I so appreciate all of you (and wish I could send a prize to you all, but my husband would be very very mad, so it's just one random winner...). I'll draw a winner on Monday morning!

But wait - I'm not done yet!!! I'm going to give you three more chances to enter (and a second prize up for grabs). After mulling it over for a LONG time, I want to buy a domain name to move my blog to. The name I want is unavailable, so I want your help choosing a name. I'd like short (this name was WAY too long - of which I didn't realize when I took it). Think newspaper headlines, two syllable words, two maybe three words. (I'm not planning to rename my blog, just need the domain name).

You can post three more comments with three ideas for three more chances. And IF I choose one, there will be a $25 MemoryWorks gift certificate for the lucky winner (and 15% discount if you want more than that)!! (please note, this is not a guaranteed prize - only if a domain name tickles my fancy and is available).

*Update* I did purchase a domain name a few minutes ago. It wasn't anything mentioned yet, BUT if anyone guesses what I bought - I'll still do the prize!

Princess

I have such a hard time using pastel colors. Maybe they're just not bold enough for my bright & fabulous personality (yeah right)...I really don't know why, I just don't like them.

I stretched myself to use this Basic Grey paper and make a page with it. I struggled with it for a while, and am still not 100% satisified, but it's done! And that's my rule. Done is better than perfect.

Christmas In July

Nothing like the summer hot to make me pine for Christmas. Have I ever mentioned I love fall? Because I do, just in case I've never said that.

It's All Girl

I've been wanting to do a page about Aly's hair. When she lets me brush it (we have battles about this all the time), she had the most beautiful locks. When she doesn't, she has this:

Supplies: Little Yellow Bicycle, Pink Paisley, Making Memories

This one I struggled with putting a title one. I left it off because the salmon colored strip sticker has words on it. And I did something I rarely do. I used my craft knife and did a fussy cut along the pattern in the paper.

Supplies: Creative Memories, KI Memories (and I can't remember what else).

Carnival

I had some pictures left from the Hallelujah Carnival last fall that I hadn't done anything with. I just wanted to whip out a simple page, and I think I did. I made my own thickers here with the cuttlebug, and then punched a circle half way on the mat paper and added a button for a final touch.

Supplies: Basic Grey, misc paper, button, DIY Thickers

Too Much Fun

When we went to Great Wolf Lodge, Cody loved squirting from the jet skis. He thought that was grand. His up to no good smirk inspired me to do a page.

One of my favorite things to do (that I don't do that often) is to accordion fold some strips of paper, then stitch them to keep it secure. I love the look it creates.

Supplies: We R Memory Keepers

A Serving of Silly

Still not sure about this page. I was trying really hard to use some October Afternoon product. I seem to collect it but not use it :~. Gotta figure that one out....

So You

I had this picture of my daughter trying hard to not scowl at me. She didn't want me to take her picture, but oh well. I decided to do something different with it. I printed it in black and white and went with a monochromatic page of sorts. Well, with a splash of bright pink.


For the flourish, I used some beaded trim I picked up in the fabric section of Walmart. I stitched a long stitch on it, gathered it and applied it to a square of paper. I covered the square in adhesive, then started in the middle and wound the gathered ribbon around in a circle. It created a very funky flower.

Supplies: My Minds Eye, American Crafts, Fancy Pants, Glitz

From Scratch

I know pride is a bad thing, but a little is okay right? For me, I take pride in that I cook for my family from scratch. I try to use healthy ingredients and make it taste yummy! (I love it when my nephews ate my whole wheat chocolate chip cookies and didn't even blink.....or when I give the kids at church whole wheat and honey banana muffins and they ask for more!)

I decided it was time to finally do a page about my passion for cooking from scratch!

(I really mean I make nearly everything from scratch. Chicken stock, spaghetti sauce, soup, cakes, rolls, pizza crust, even chocolate syrup).

Lots of October Afternoon goodness in this page.

The Unchosen Ones

I decided to go out on a limb and submit some pages for publication in a scrapbook magazine. The call I responded to was for 15 minute pages. Now that's right up my alley. Simple. Fast. Me.

My pages weren't selected, but it was a good experience.

Journaling: Few things make me happier as a mom than for you to ask for carrots & apples for snack.

The Peek!! The Peek!! Simple Stories ele.ment.ary

Wanna see the new Simple Stories kit???

I have to admit, I wasn't sure I was going to like this one from the preview last week. But I think my mind has officially been changed. I LOVE the addition of argyle to it! (Yup, I'm a total nerd).

No firm dates yet, but it will ship in August. I'll let you know as soon as I know!!! And it will be available for purchase here.

Simple Stories Life Documented

Simple Stories Life Documented

Just getting ready for the reveal of the new Simple Stories kit. Here's a few more things I did with Life Documented.

I used the flourish pattern on the paper and added my own strip of bling (not a strip, I placed each one individually).

The other thing I did in the album (because I didn't use it as a monthly thing perse), I covered the months on the 4x6 month cards. It allowed me to add embellishments and take the monthly theme off all in one!

Simple Stories Life Documented

I loved using these divided page protectors from We R Memory Keepers. They are the 9-square divided. Love them! Again, use of the Simple Stories Life Documented kit.

Simple Stories Life Documented

I used my Simple Stories Life Documented kit as a year in review for our family. It was a mix of event photos and photos that I just loved for artistic and personality reasons.

I will admit it was a little bit of a struggle for me to do the journaling. Because it was more general and nothing factual to journal, I had to be a little more emotional. Not something I do well (unless I'm mad according to my husband :( ).

Simple Stories Life Documented

I've had so much fun working with the Simple Stories Life Documented Kit. I finally made myself use it. Although, I still know why I was hoarding it, it was great to use it too. But I am buying a second one to hoard ....lol....

To add a little pizzazz to the page, I used the download punch shapes (free download with purchase of kit) to make some lollipop flowers.

The best part, they also coordinate with the new Fancy Pants Road Show papers.

Here's a video of how I made the flowers.

And lastly, since I said previously, my goal in finally using this kit was to have it used before the new addition came out in August.....here's a sneak peek to to the sneak peek.......

Simple Stories Life Documented Sneak...

Again, crazy internet here! I'm still slow..so you only get another sneak peak today. But really, I have a pile, and I mean a PILE of stuff to post. Just wish I could....lol....



Come back tomorrow to hopefully see some goodness!!

Photography Tricks

I love photography. While I'm not a professional, I think I am fairly talented photographer. Lots and LOTS of practice and constant research has brought me to this place. I've always been told I have a good eye for candid photos, but I've been really stretching myself for posed shots lately.


I wanted to take a couple minutes to share a few important tricks I've learned. It will also show you how I think through a photo. Not that I'm an expert. I'm just a person who loves to capture life and moments in still fashion.

This is my sample photo. It's a friend of ours. It's always easier to photograph other kids because they are more willing. My kids? Nope, might as well plan for an "odd" shoot with "odd" results...lol...



When I started this picture, I was somewhat straight on, at his level. You can see on the left how that didn't work. Then I stood up and angled from the left a little more.

As you can see, that improved the shot dramatically. It made him look up at me, which was more flattering.

However, it still looked a little uncomfortable. The smile looked fake. I reached out and tried to tickle him a little. That made him giggle and relax and I was able to get a much better shot as you'll see next.

However, when you look at the photo on the left, while it's a great smile & composition, it's still dull. I did about two minutes of editing in Photoshop Elements and you can see the difference!

The basic editing I do is taught here by Noel Joy. I've learned my own twists and steps that I'll share after I do some tutorials, but Noel's done a fantastic start. Here is the link for how I brighten eyes.