Simple Scrapper Blog Hop - April 2013

Welcome to the April 2013 Simple Scrapper Blog Hop!!!  I wanted to share the layouts I created using this month's templates and story starters.  I went digital this month with both layouts using the awesome digital templates that come with the premium membership.

1.  Our New Home {a digital scrapbook layout}.  This layout is inspired by one of this month's gorgeous sketches/ templates.

Supplies:  Simple Scrapper Premium Membership Letter #3 Template, Crate Paper Neighborhood, Dani Mogstad Boy Crazy Alpha, NRJ Paint Splatters.

2.  Just Like Sisters {a digital scrapbook layout}.  This layout is inspired by a Story Starter from one of this month's story starters.  I also based the layout using a Simple Scrapper template from September 2012.

Supplies: Inspired by Simple Scrapper Premium Membership Story Starters, Template (Simple Scrapper Premium Membership); Patterned Paper and Embellishments (Echo Part - Everyday Eclectic). 

Be sure to visit the other Design Team members to see what amazing layouts they have created this month! 

Simple Scrapper (Jennifer Wilson)

Jeryn Carlisi

Lisa Corbin-Polak

Ronnie Crowley

Holly Humbert

Margrethe Aas Johnsen

Amy Kingsford

Aimee Maddern

Jean Manis

Van Nguyen  THIS IS ME!!

Melissa Priest  HOP HERE NEXT!!

Celeste Smith

Sara Case Strickland
 
Giveaway! Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter a giveaway for a one-year premium membership at Simple Scrapper. There are three ways to enter and three winners will be selected. To be eligible, you must enter by 11:59pm CDT on Friday, April 5.

And if you missed, I am giving away a FREE XYRON CREATOPIA on THIS POST here!


a Rafflecopter giveaway
 

As always, thanks for stopping by!!

NOTE:  The Premium Membership at Simple Scrapper provides skills and shortcuts to help you simplify and find more meaning in your memory keeping. Each month members receive a new collection of sketch templates and Story Starters, story-focused prompts for pages and projects.

{More} Catching Up - Digital Projects for Jessica Spraue

I just wanted to share some layouts I recently made for JessicaSprague.com.  They highlight some fabulous digital products from Echo Park, Pink Paislee, Carina Gardner and Lori Whitlock.

1.  Paradise Cove at Disney California Adventure.  Before Justin left on deployment, we had a family weekend at Disneyland and it was AWESOME watching how excited Charlotte was.  Here is a layout I made from some photos at Paradise Cove.

Digital Supplies:  Echo Park (Everyday Eclectic); Spendid Fiins (@ the office supplies 1, Evidence-polaroid frames, lights, camera, action! -vintage set).  Sketch by Jennifer McDermott for Scrapbooksteals.com (Mid Week Mojo - Pearl 4).

2.  Flying like an Airplane.  Charlotte and I met up with some friends at the Speckles Park in Coronado a few weeks ago and I snapped these adorable photos of her on the swing "flying like an airplane."  

Digital Supplies:  Pink Paislee (Shabby Sugarland); Splendid Fiins (Lights Camera Action - Vintage Set, Wishy Washy - At the Office, Baker's Twine Photo Megapack, @ the Office - Supplies 1).

3.  Our Daughter.  This was a new type of page for me, attempting to extract a photo from it's background.   The background text says "A daughter is the happy memories of the past, the joyful moments of the present, and the hope and promise of the future."  

Digital Supplies:  Pink Paislee (Shabby Sugarland Collection).

4.  You Can Reach for the Stars.  I bought this t-shirt for Charlotte and she couldn't stop giggling every time I read what it said.  The journaling is just a short letter to Charlotte from me.

5.  Sweet Berry Farm.  This is a fall themed layout using products from Lori Whitlock.  I can't believe that it's already September and that fall is already here!  Pumpkins and falling leaves are definitely already on my mind!

Supplies:  Lori Whitlock (Autumn Afternoon, Patriotic Picnic Elements); Design by Dani (Boy Crazy Complete Kit); Sketch by Katrina Hunt for ScrapbookSteals.com.

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Take Twelve Project - June 12

I really love looking through all of my Take Twelve layouts to see how much our lives have changed over the past few months.  I know that once 2012 comes to an end, our family will truly cherish these memories.

This June 12 marks the our first month back in San Diego after a wonderful "sabbatical" in Newport, Rhode Island.  Although Justin is gone on training (and eventually deployment immediately afterwards), having family and familiar surroundings around us has made the transition as smooth as it could possibly be.  

This layout reflects the new daily routine with just me and Charlotte.  None of it is particularly exciting but I think it's important to document our everyday moments - making the lunches, eating breakfast, going to work, playing after school, and the bedtime routine.  While I know that my past few blog posts have been reflective and often sad in their tone, I wanted to focus on celebrating the new chapter in our life with bright and fun colors.  The digital papers from Echo Park Sweet Day were perfect for this!

Digital Supplies:  Echo Park (Sweet Day Digital Paper and Elements); Splendid Fiins (Office Supplies); Carina Gardner (Photo Masks); Creativity by Crystal (Funky Stitching and Scallop Borders).

If you're participating in the Take 12 Challenge this month, make sure to upload your layout to your blog or any photo-sharing service (including the 2012 Take Twelve Flickr group), then link it up to the Ella Publishing blog by midnight EST Monday, June 18.  You could win a spot in Nic Howard's new workshop, Dimensional Details: the Expanded Version from our friends at Big Picture Classes, valued at $79!! 

 As always, thanks for stopping by!

Getting By

It has been over two weeks since Justin has left.  My nephew graduated from middle school.  I baked 150 cupcakes for his party.

 

Last week I started a new job the same day Charlotte started a new school.  Unopened mail started to pile up on my desk.  I fall asleep in Charlotte's bed every night.  I wake up at random hours of the night to craft.  I'm tired.  But I'm busy.  And busy helps me to get through the day.

My friend, Laura, (who is an amazing military mom/ wife with a husband on deployment and pregnant with her third) sent me a link this amazing article the other day.  It's written by a military dad about the families and loved ones that are left behind during deployment.  It hits the nail on the head on so many things - the loneliness, the worry, the stress, the pressure...

I was sitting in Starbucks with Charlotte this weekend and started crying.  Charlotte and I were sharing a pretzel and she set a piece aside on her napkin.  "This is for Daddy," she declared.  Every time we sit down to eat, she always saves a piece of something for Daddy.

These past few weeks have been filled with lots of reflection - about our family, our future, our relationship.  None of it is necessarily bad or regretful.  I'm just slowly coming to terms with our reality of being a military family.  Justin has been in the military for years - 15 years now.  So that isn't anything new for us.  It's Charlotte that makes it so hard.  She's a strong little person though.  I could learn a lot from her.  And together, we'll get through this.

1.  Our Hero {a digital scrapbook layout}.  I borrowed the journaling for this layout from a recent post about my military child.  I used some new patriotic inspired papers and bingo cards from Jenni Bowlin Studio available over at JessicaSprague.com.

Digital Supplies:  Jenni Bowlin Studios (Trendy Collection, Patriotic Bingo Cards); Design by Dani (Boy Crazy).

2.  Where is my Daddy {a lift-the-flap book/ card}.  Since Justin left, Charlotte insists that we read Daddy and Me by Karen Katz every night.  It's a lift-the-flap book about a father and daughter building a doghouse together.  "Charlotte's screwdriver," she states while pointing to the pink screwdriver.  "Daddy and Charlotte make it," she declares while pointing to the little doghouse. Inspired by this sweet book, I decided to make a little life the flap book/ card for Justin's father's day card.

I didn't include photos of each page, but it reads something like this...

Where is daddy's car?  In the garage.

Where are daddy's tools?

 

In the toolbox.

Where is Daddy?  Daddy, where are you? 

Daddy is on the ship to keep Charlotte and Mommy safe.

But remember, even when Daddy is gone for a long time, where is Daddy always?

 

 

In Charlotte's BIG pink heart!

 

Supplies:  Echo Park Digital Products (Family Man); Xyron 1.5" Sticker Maker, Xyron Mega Runner; Xyron 2.5" Sticker Maker; Kraft Cardstock (Recollections).  

If you want more Father's Day craft ideas, make sure to check out the Xyron Design Team Facebook Album.  And for those who have been following me and the Ella Publishing Team on our Take 12 Challenge, I hope that you have your cameras ready.  It's June 12th!!!!

As always, thanks so much for stopping by (and listening...)

Marconi Beach and Hiking in the Great Outdoors {digital scrapbook layouts}

Since all of my crafting supplies are packed up, I have been relaying on digital products from JessicaSprague.com to satiate my scrapbooking appetite.  Since I am so new to purely digital scrapbooking, I recently completed this AWESOME class by Jessica Sprague: "Up and Running with Photoshop: Beginning Digital Scrapbooking."

The class is the perfect beginner's primer on how to use Photoshop to create amazing scrapbook pages (just like the real paper ones I love so much without the mess to clean up afterwards).  The class is self-paced so you can take it when your schedules allows for it.  It also comes with some great free digital kits and templates to use over and over again.  If anything, it provides you with a toolbox of skills to fully master and manipulate Photoshop to retell the stories and memories you want to cherish for years to come.


Using the tricks and skills I learned from this class along with some amazing templates and digital products from the Queen of Quirk, here are two of my first digital layouts highlighting a recent trip we took to Cape Cod.  


1.  Marconi Beach {a digital scrapbook layout}.  We took a brief stop by Marconi Beach for Charlotte to build some sand castles.  I swear, that girl could sit on the beach for HOURS just playing in the sand.

Digital Supplies by Queen of Quirk:   (a) Scrap Canvas - Ducks in a Row; (b) Right Round Accent Pack; (c) Right Round Paper Pack; (d) Bare Branches Accent Pack


Digital Supplies by Splendid Fiins:  Sew Crafty - messy stitches vol 1

2.  Hiking in the Great Outdoors {a digital scrapbooking layout}.  I love being outdoors and walking in the woods.  Watching Justin point out the different animals and plants especially warms my heart.  She is 100% a daddy's girl.

Digital Supplies by Queen of Quirk:   (a) Scrap Canvas- Stacked; (b) Country Mouse / City Mouse Collection; (c) Father Time Paper Pack

Digital Supplies by Splendid Fiins:  @ the office supplies 1

Digital Supplies by Echo Park:  Note To Self Element Pack #2

I'm so excited to see how much I can grow as a digital and hybrid scrapper during my term as a JessicaSprague.com Creative Team member!  As always, thanks so much for stopping by!

Gifting Scrapbook Pages

As you know, I love to scrapbook.  With each page I make, it's another memory for our family's album.  It's an intensely personal and intimate exercise to choose the title, journal the memories, and select the perfect photos. So when I decided to make a framed scrapbook page for a friend, it definitely felt outside of my comfort zone. However, with some of Scrapbook Steals fantastic Mid Week Mojo sketches as my guide, I was able to put something together that I'm really proud of.  

1.  Lilly Reese {a scrapbook layout}.

The starting point for this layout was a Mid Week Mojo (Amethyst 5) by Kristy Lee.  

And here are some closeups of the little details.  I personally love the look of some twine wrapped around the photo mat.

I made these 3D flower embellishments using my Silhouette Cameo, some American Crafts brads and Stickles by Ranger.

To finish off the page, I stamped some little hearts along the side and covered them in Stickles.  Lilly is definitely a girl that appreciates some bling.  :)

Supplies:  Echo Park (Patterned Paper, Stickers); American Crafts (Letter Stickers, Brads); Twine by Twinery; Stamps by Paper Smooches; Stickles by Ranger; Silhouette Cameo.

2.  John Joseph {a scrapbook layout}.

For this layout, I started with a Mid Week Mojo Sketch (Amethyst 7) by the talented Kyla Norris.

I placed some train stickers on dimensional stickers along the bottom with stars coming out like steam.  

To incorporate some more fun colors and patterns, I incorporated some paper banner strips behind the title block.  

Supplies:  Echo Park (Patterned Paper, Stickers, Letter Stickers).

And here are both layouts all warm and cozy in their shadow box frames ready to wrap and gift.

As always, thanks so much for stopping by!

Take Twelve Project - February 12

I love how the Take 12 Project falls on a different day of the week each month.  This month, the 12th fell on a Sunday while my college roommate and best friend, Melissa, was in town.  It amazes me that even after all these years, we are still such amazingly close friends.  And talk about dedication, this girl has visited me in every city I have ever moved to (including Melbourne, Australia after college).  Love you, Mel.  And if good friends don't help you find balance in your life, I'm not sure what does.

The idea behind this layout was to create a map of the places we visited in Newport, Rhode Island that day.  My inspiration for this layout were the amazing illustrations Oliver Jeffers made for United Airlines.  Using my Silhouette Cameo and Silhouette Studio Software, I created this large diecut of the Newport coastline.  I then tracked the different places we visited with some handstitching and October Afternoon Mini Market stickers.  I also made sure to include a time stamp for each of the little photos.

Supplies:  Patterned Paper (Echo Park - For the Record); Stickers and Embellishments (Echo Park - For the Record, Sassafras, American Crafts); Letter Stickers (American Crafts, October Afternoon, Cosmo Cricket); Other (Martha Stewart Border Punch; We R Memory Keepers Floss).


You can find my January Take 12 layout here.  And don't forget to check out all the other members of the Take 12 Team at Ella Publishing to see their fabulous takes on the challenge. 

Aliza Deutsch
Angela Gutshall
Jennie McGarvey
Lisa Ottosson
Stephanie Medley-Rath
Margie Scarpignato
Monica Bradford
Lisa Day
Janette Kincaid

Remember, you have until midnight EST Saturday, February 18 to upload your project here to win the awesome prize given away at Ella Publishing worth $79.99!!  Hope you get to play along!!


Project 100 Update:  48 down, 52 to go.  


As always, thanks for looking!