Write. Click. Scrapbook.

Then and Now

Ahhh! Hello summer!

With warmer weather upon us (it took its sweet little time getting here this year), we have gone back outside and back to exploring our familiar places. For me and my family, that mean spending some more time in Central Park. Over the last few years, we keep finding ourselves back in the same spot in the park, and doing the same activities over and over. The last time we went there, on Mother's Day, I packed up my camera, and then hesitated a bit. Am I going to take more pictures of Sam climbing on the rocks and digging in the dirt? The answer was, "Of course I will!"

As I snapped away, and then reviewed my photos I realized that there really were similar photos from across the years. And that by itself tells its own story:

Like any holiday, summer has its own rituals, routines, and special places where it is celebrated. The beauty of rituals is the way they are repeated over time, and spreading out photos that span some years, can tell a story. It can tell how people, places, and things have changed over time, or the ways that they remain the same.

Heres to returning to old summer places and creating new memories!

Happy Summer!

Happy 4th Birthday!

Hooray hooray hooray hooray hooray today is our birthday!

We love this time of year as we get to look back at the last 12 months and marvel at the changes, the fun, and the general awesomeness of our favorite site!! We hope that you have enjoyed the posts, the layouts, and the inspiration.

We are excited to get year five started! We are going to have a bit of a sentimental beginning with our 

This month we are looking back at year four. Each of our designers picked a layout or post that they loved from this past year and used it to inspire a new layout. Let's take a look.

 

Mother’s Day 2013 | Aliza Deutsch

12 x 12 | materials patterned paper (Basic Grey, My Mind’s Eye) + buttons (My Mind’s Eye, Fancy Pants) + paper clips (Fancy Pants) + thickers (American Crafts) + labels (Evalicious, Basic Grey) + stickers (My Mind’s Eye) + ink (Versamark) + fonts (Times New Roman)

A Note from Aliza
This layout was inspired by a recent Mother’s Day post by Marnie. She said that every Mother’s Day, she takes a picture with each of her children. I knew right away that I wanted to do that too, and I am madly in love with the results.

June Fun Fact
I just bought a necklace that I love, but it’s really big and bold. I am working up the nerve to wear it to work.

 

Date Night | Christine Newman

12 x 12 | materials cardstock (American Crafts) + patterned paper (American Crafts Amy Tangerine, Dear Lizzy, Studio Calico) + stamps (American Crafts) + ink (Memento) + pen (Sharpie) + punches (Fiskars, Marvy Uchida, McGill) + digital graphic (Ali Edwards) + digital die cutter (Silhouette America) + adhesives (Scotch, Glue Dots, Tombow) + stapler (Advantus) + font (Blackout)

A Note from Christine
This layout was inspired by a post by Katie Ehmann during her Patterned Paper Week in November 2012. I wanted to create a layout using just papers to celebrate... well, paper! :)

June Fun Fact
Todd and I always take Summer Solstice (6/20 or 6/21, depending on the year) off work. Our rationale is that Summer Solstice is the longest daylight of the year, and we don't want to spend it at work! We look forward to our annual tradition or spending Summer Solstice outside and together every year.

 

Hello New Love | Lisa Ottosson

8 x 12 | materials patterned paper (Creative Club) + stickers (My Little Shoebox, American Cafts

A Note from Lisa
Teka always inspires me with her projects. I chose this simple page because of the big journaling banner.
I wrote some lyrics on my banner and added my photo on top. I added a strip with low opacity in Picmonkey to the photo before printing it, so that I could easily add my letter stickers as a title.

 

Magic | Lisa Ottosson

8 x 12 | materials patterned paper (Jenni Bowlin) + embellishments (Crystal Wilkerson, Ali Edwards digital kit)

A Note from Lisa Ottosson
This layout is inspired by Deb Duty´s page called Happiness. Deb always makes such cool layers so I wanted to mimic that. I had the Jenni Bowlin patterned papers but felt like I wanted something more. So I began doodling and ended up making that magic paper. It was much fun and I know I will do that again!

 

Lucky Me | Diane Payne

12 x 12 | materials cardstock (American Crafts) + patterned paper (Studio Calico, Basic Grey, American Crafts, Kesi Art) + washi tape (Freckled Fawn) + flair (A Flair for Buttons) + ink (Faber-Castell) + pen (American Crafts)

A Note from Diane
As I re-read and looked at inspiring post after post from the last year, Amy Coose's layout with stitching around her photo caught my eye. I love how it framed and brought attention to her photo. It was exactly what I wanted to do to showcase the photos that captured my daughter's loving gifts to me this Mother's Day.

June Fun Fact
It may be summer and school is out but we will be busier than ever with select softball tournaments, speed camp, wrestling lessons, football practice, baby sitting and a trip overseas. It will be a full and busy month, but I love it and wouldn't want it any other way!

 

Birthday Wishes| Amy Coose

12 x 12 | materials cardstock (Bazzill) + patterned paper (Pebbles, Studio Calico, American Crafts) + chipboard (Studio Calico) + mist(Studio Calico, Heidi Swapp) + pen (American Crafts) + tags (Chic Tags)

A Note from Amy
As I went back through our amazing galleries from this past year, I was really inspired by Marnie's layoutfrom the Feeling Thankful gallery.

I loved the design of the layout and the sweet pictures of her kids with their grandparents, and I knew I had the perfect pictures of my baby boy with his grandmothers on his birthday, and I couldn't wait to get them scrapped.

June Fun Fact
June is a busy month for us. We have the last day of school, my birthday and my daughter's birthday the day after, and we also usually travel home to see my family. I wait all year for this month, because it's filled with so much fun.

 

love you | Katie Ehmann

12 x 12 | materials cardstock (American Crafts) + patterned paper (Studio Calico) + stickers (Sassafrass, Studio Calico) + wood veneer (Studio Calico) + washi tape (Freckled Fawn)

A Note from Katie
This layout was inspired by Valerie O’ Neall’s The Many Faces of Lucas layout in the Five is Fun gallery.

June Fun Fact
I don’t work during the summer and I can’t wait to spend all day lazing around the pool and scrapbooking at night!

 

Written in the Stars | Celeste Smith

12 x 12 | materials kits (Stencils no. 1 by Creashens at Pixels & Co., Stargazer by One Little Bird at The Lilypad, A Beautiful Mess Splatters by Just Jaimee at Pixels & Co., At the Thrift Shoppe by Jennifer Barrette at Sweet Shoppe Designs, Papery Stuffs by Dawn by Design at Pixels & Co.) + masks (Cut.It.Out Clipping Masks by Robyn Meierotto at Pixels & Co.) + stitching (In Stitches Neutral Basics by Robyn Meierotto at Pixels & Co., Sewing Kit 1 by Agnes Biro (retired)) + fonts (DBJ Celeste from Darcy Baldwin at Sweet Shoppe Designs)

A Note from Celeste
Amy Sorenson's recent Silhouette Week was super inspiring. While I can't really use my Silhouette to scrapbook digitally, I can still bring the look to my pages by using the .png files to clip papers to and shadow to get the same look.

June Fun Fact
I'm excited for school to end. Both boys will be going to sleepaway camp this year the same week. It's going to be fun for them, but I'm sure too quiet around here!

 

What’s in a Name? | Jennifer Larson

12 x 12 | materials cardstock (Bazzill) + patterned paper (Studio Calico, Lily Bee Designs) + stamp (Studio Calico) + ink (Stampin’ Up!, Jenni Bowlin) + wood veneer (Studio Calico) + punches (EK Success) + font (Times New Roman)

A Note from Jennifer Larson
I took inspiration from a post by Amy Coose back in February about using your stash, specifically stamps for a background. I took a Polaroid stamp I had and stamped a background of Polaroids to serve as a photo mat, filling in the centers with patterned paper. This was a quick but eye catching design!

June Fun Fact
I have a collection of Noah’s Ark pictures, figures, and cross-stitched samplers.

 

Lucky Number Forty I Christa Paustenbaugh

12 X 12 | materials patterned papers (Echo Park, Basic Grey, October Afternoon) + stickers (My Mind’s Eye, American Crafts, Jillibean Soup) + die cut (Evalicious for Cocoa Daisy, Chic Tags, Basic Grey) + rub on (Basic Grey) + brad (CosmoCricket) + ribbon (May Arts) + die cut machine (Silhouette SD) 

A Note from Christa
I took my inspiration this month from a Click post. I think it’s very important to take photos of ourselves as moms and not just let them sit on the memory card and/or computer, but also putting those on paper and scrapbooking them. I wanted to document my recent 40th birthday to embrace it!

June Fun Fact
This month marks our 1 year anniversary of living overseas in Japan. We have had lots of adventures so far and looking forward to many, many more in our short time here. This month we head off to explore Seoul, South Korea.

 

Mornings | Valerie O'Neall

12 x 12 | materials cardstock (American Crafts, Bazzill) + patterned paper (My Mind's Eye, Pink Paislee, Studio Calico, Crate Paper) + stickers (Sassafras, Studio Calico, October Afternoon, Jillibean Soup) + wood veneer (Studio Calico, Freckled Fawn) + printed shapes (American Crafts, Ormolu) + kraft tags (Maya Road) + flair (Ormolu) + enamel dots (My Mind's Eye) + alpha stamps (Hero Arts) + bow (Jenni Bowlin) + stamps (Studio Calico, Ormolu) + mug thicker (American Crafts) + buttons (Autumn Leaves) + ink (Memento) + pen (Copic)

A Note from Valerie
This layout was inspired by Diane Payne's embellishment week back in January (1.28.13-2.1.13). I couldn't pick just one type of embellishment, so I used almost all the embellishments mentioned throughout the week.

June Fun Fact
I actually enjoy repainting rooms in our home. Now the ceilings? not so much (and thanks to roof leaks, I've had to repaint almost every ceiling in our house).

 

Click Click Click | Francine Clouden

12 x 12 | materials stamps (KesiArt, Studio Calico, craft supply) + spray ink (Studio Calico, Tattered Angels, KesiArt) + printables (write.click,scrapbook)

A Note from Francine
I love pretty much everything that Valerie does, and I especially loved her layout from the Conversations gallery in February. It got me excited about inking and stamping! I also used the free printables designed by Marnie for the Favourite Photos theme last December. They went perfectly with this month's theme AND my layout.

June Fun Fact
Without my notebooks, lists, post-it notes and wall planner I wouldn't remember a thing!

 

Smitten | Marnie Flores

12 x 12 | materials papers (Crystal Wilkerson, Echo Park) + fonts (Doodle Basic, Lavanderia)

A Note from Marnie
Celeste is my hero. She is one of the most consistent scrapbookers alive. As I hunted through her year 4 layouts, I found this one with its place for flair and tiny patterns. I love how quickly it all came together. Maybe I should just copy all of Celeste's layouts!!!

June Fun Fact
We just got a puppy!!!!!!

 

Miss Sandy | Marnie Flores

12 x 12 | materials papers (Crystal Wilkerson) + fonts (Bebas, Century Gothic)

A Note from Marnie
I'm a big sucker for Francine's layouts. This one with it's grid was too perfect to pass up. I loved the two fonts on the edge, but couldn't get mine to work. But I wish I could have.

June Fun Fact
We finished school in May this year, so June is all about the fun fun fun!

 

True Love | Marnie Flores

12 x 12 | materials papers (Crystal Wilkerson) + fonts (Bondoluo, Century Gothic)

A Note from Marnie
Christine is so incredibly talented. When I saw her layout in our November gallery, I was taken in by the mixing of patterns and how cool it looked with the patterns and colors.

June Fun Fact
Did I mention we got a puppy? We love her. Her name is Chartreuse Rosabelle Starlight. But we just call her Charlie!

 

It's a terrific gallery, no? If you would like to see the gallery as a whole, you may do so here. And there you will find all the journaling, too!

For a little bit of birthday fun, a few of us put together some journaling, photography, and scrapbooking tips. If you would like to start with Aliza, she will get you headed to the next place. And if you get lost, here is the list:

Aliza Deutsch
Amy Sorensen
Amy Coose
Christa Paustenbaugh
Christine Newman
Diane Payne
Jenny Larson
Katie Ehmann
Lisa Ottosson 
Marnie Flores 
Valerie O'Neall

Thank you for joining us for our birthday! Have some cake for us and raise your glass to another year of scrapbooking together!

We love you, dear readers! We love you!! Happy birthday us!

Sunday Photo + Words

In Review

With just one week left this month, it is that time again. That time where we take one last look at the gallery before we celebrate a new one. Shall we begin?

 

This month we celebrated all things daily. Routines. Repeat adventures. The tedious. The average. The little things that fill our days and our lives. To make our lookback more educational, we have included a tip that you can use to help you better understand what makes a great page. We hope you enjoy the last look.

Hope you enjoyed our gallery walk! Until next month...

Click.

One of the wonderful things about the dynamic world of social media, is that every day I see pictures posted from all over the world. With a quick finger swipe, and a tap, tap, tap, I can see gardens and trees... oceans and rocks... you name it. I love these snapshots of natural beauty, but since I live in the city, these photos can cause a little pang of sadness; my access to green and open spaces is somewhat limited, and sometimes that gets me down.  

However, I find that when I look at this concrete jungle through the camera lens, I discover beauty all around me. 

No matter where you live, there will probably be times when the scenery you see everyday will feel a little ordinary, but perhaps with a little change in perspective, and a camera in your hands, you can discover something new. And that is something that we scrapbookers are good at; finding beauty and meaning in our everyday mundane surroundings. (Why, we're so good at it, we even devoted this months gallery to everydaily.)

Lines and Shapes

When I walk around different parts of New York City with a camera, I suddenly notice all the beautiful lines and shapes created by the pavement, brick, benches, bridges, and buildings. 

In this photo of a park bench, I loved the way the slightly weathered, rectangular  wooden slats looked against the grey, concrete ground. There are even some shapes created by the lines and cracks on the concrete.

Here's another park bench, with the ground below (and some feet), and in this one I managed to capture rectangles, circles, and hexagons, oh my!

Pointing the camera a little higher up from the ground,  I discovered this little scene, with wonderful vertical,  horizontal, and diagonal lines. This shot toook a few tries to get it the way I wanted, and I cropped part of the photo to keep it to the most straightforward geometric shapes.

Pointing the camera higher still, I captured this row of old buildings, and I fell in love with all these windows, and the diagonal lines of the fire escapes.

Contrast

 Even among all the grit and grime, there are little bits and bursts of natural life that peek though. It's fun to find those little bits of nature, and photograph them while still capturing the less than stellar background view.

So, whether you are a country mouse or a city mouse, the next time you are feeling like you've seen everything there is to see around you, grab your camera, and take a look around your world. What shapes can you find? What lines do you see? Can you find contrasts between young and old, beauty and grime, old and new?

Happy Clicking!

What I've learned from my Mother

Welcome back to our Mother's Day Celebrations and Preparations! I am here to tackle the topic, "What I've Learned from my Mother." Sounds like a simple enough task, but I sit here wondering, "Hmm, where to begin? It's hard to know where to start, because, well, human babies learn about the world right from day one, through all the interactions and experiences with their environment and those around them. So we have learned from our mothers (and fathers, but we'll talk more about that in June) in countless different ways. And, as a mother, there is so much we want to teach our children before they move off on their own. How, oh how, to capture it all?

 

Tell A Story

Somtimes it's hard to wear your heart on your sleeve, or on your scrapbook page, but by simply capturing a story, you are saying, "This made an impact on me." And, a story about a person can capture their personality much more easily than putting all your thoughts and feelings into words. Here's a specific story about my mom; she recently fell and hurt her shoulder, and in her own retelling of the events of that day, her unflappable positive attitude came through. And that is just one of the reasons, my sister gave my mother the name, "Miss Mary Sunshine."

I feel quite lucky to have been surrounded by that positive energy and outlook throughout my life.

What about you? What story can you tell about your mother that refelcts who she is?

 

Describe a Memory

Is there a food, ritual, or object that always makes you think about your mother or grandmother? Take a picture of the item, and simply describe the memory it evokes. I am always reminded of my grandmother when I make Charoseth for Passover. Here, it's not about capturing a grand, life lesson, but rather a small moment, where all I learned was how to peel apples and chop some walnuts. 

 

Looking Forward

Lisa and Amy both scrapped about what they have or hope to have taught their own children. 

Amy said that Mother's Day always makes her stop and think about how she's doing as a mom, and this was what she thought about. I suggest you read it closely. There are life lessons for all of us in there, and it's kind of a tear jerker. (Her daughter is off to college soon!)

 

Lisa, cleverly, asked her daughter to write down a few things that she learned from her. Her answer says, "to be nice to others, craft, take photos."

 

When Lisa mentioned that she asked her daughter this question, I shuddered to think what my sons would answer if I posed the same question to them. I knew they would use it as an opportunity to mock me. But growing up with Miss Mary Sunshine, I guess I have learned not to take things too seriously, and to enjoy  a good laugh. So, when my son answered, "I learned that Totty is the better parent," I scrapped it anyway. One of the things I enjoy most about motherhood, is being surrounded by people who make me laugh. Even if it is at my expense. 

Mother's Day Gift Idea: a Card

For today' gift idea, we are kickin' it old school, with a simple Mother's Day Card:

Thanks for joining me today! I hope you have found some inspiration here this week to document the mothers in your life, and, perhaps, to reflect on your own role as a mother. I think I have found enough inspiration this week to keep me going until next Mother's Day!

Welcome, May!

Hello May! We are so happy to welcome a new month and a new gallery! This month we look forward to our final month of weekly blogging. We were be learning from Francine, Amy, Christine, as well as have help from our team preparing for Father's Day. We can't wait!

A new month brings a new gallery.

May is the month we celebrate the Everyday. Those things that make up our every day lives. The little things that might get lost in our scrapbooks and our memories. Our schedules, our routine. Project Life is a wonderful way to capture the details of our lives. And our scrapbooks are a great place to record some of the details as well. Our team has put together some amazing layouts. We just know you are going to be inspired to create some just like them!

As a reminder, if you would like to see the layouts a bit bigger and with the journaling listed, please hop on over to the gallery album.

Without further ado, may we present... Everydaily III!

The Family that Types Together | Aliza Deutsch

12 x 12 | materials cardstock (American Crafts) + patterned paper (Jenni Bowlin, Pebbles, Elle’s Studio, Simple Stories, Cocoa Daisy, Webster’s Pages) + buttons (Fancy Pants) + thickers (American Crafts) + labels (Chic Tags) + stickers (My Mind’s Eye, Glitz Designs, Simple Stories) + fonts (Linenstroke)

A Note from Aliza
This layout lists a couple of random reflections about technology and our everyday lives.

May Fun Fact
I am currently obsessed with finding inexpensive rock climbing shoes.

 

Love To Run | Christine Newman

12 x 12 | materials cardstock (American Crafts, Wausau, Bazzill) + patterned paper (American Crafts) + mask, mist (Studio Calico) + die cuts (American Crafts) + stickers (American Crafts) + paper clip (Freckled Fawn) + stamp (American Crafts) + wood veneers (Studio Calico, Freckled Fawn) + ink (Prima, Palette) + pen (Sharpie, Sakura) + twine (The Twinery) + digital cutter (Silhouette America)

A Note from Christine
When it comes to everyday type of photos, it doesn't get more everyday than this. I exercise almost daily and feel weird if I don't run or workout for a couple of days. I love to eat so working out is a necessity. It also helps me feel less stressed and sleep better.

May Fun Fact
When I was little, I collected scratch-n-sniff stickers. I think I still have some old ones in a box somewhere. I want them to bring those back!

 

Everyday | Celeste Smith

12 x 12 | materials kits (Life's a Ride by Valorie Wibbens, Dayplanner by One Little Bird at The Lilypad) + washi tape (Tape It! by Pink Reptile Designs at The Lilypad) + journaling cards (Happy Note Cards by Gina Miller at the Lilypad) + word art (Life 365 by Karla Dudley at Pixels & Co.) + template(Simple Scrapper Premium Membership)+ font (Underwood Champion)

A Note from Celeste
When I thought about everyday this year, I just couldn't get past the fact that our daily life includes music. My son, Adam, plays the saxophone almost every day either practicing, attending rehearsals or performing. I added the clock stamp and washi to symbolize the time he spends. The musical staff is just clip art that I clipped some digital paper to.

May Fun Fact
My niece is a Bat Mitzvah this month. I'm looking forward to the family gathering together and hearing her give her Torah portion. It is sure to be a special day.

 

Every Day | Valerie O'Neall

12 x 12 | materials patterned paper (Crate Paper) + tags (Elle's Studio and American Crafts/Dear Lizzy) + stickers (Crate Paper) + alpha stamps (Studio Calico/Hero Arts) + other stamps (Ormolu) + enamel dots (My Mind's Eye) + wood veneer (Studio Calico) + fabric brad (American Crafts) + ink (Memento) + other (Silhouette SD & date stamp) + font (Rockwell)

A Note from Valerie
This layout came together really fast for me this month. I love using my Silhouette for title work (font is Rockwell). These photos are from 2011, but can you believe two years later, this train set is still what my son plays with everyday (best. gift. ever.)!?

May Fun Fact
I was completely anti-texting and anti-smartphone for such a long time. I've only had a plan with texting for two years now, which is so unusual for someone of my generation, but I am now the proud owner of an iPhone.

The Reader | Katie Ehmann

12 x 12 | materials cardstock (American Crafts) + patterned paper (Kesi’art) + brads (Crate Paper) + thickers (Amy Tamgerine) + tag (Dear Lizzy) + stickers (Amy Tangerine, Dear Lizzy) + die cut (Silhouette Cameo, Studio Calico + stamp (Amy Tangerine) + ink (Versafine)

A Note from Katie
This layout perfectly captures the everyday of my oldest daughter, who is in Kindergarten and is learning to read! I sewed some leftover letters in a random pattern to mirror the letters on the background paper.

May Fun Fact
Every time I play the lotto (which isn’t very often) I seriously think I am going to win, and am crushed with disappointment when I don’t. Some may think that I’m foolish, but I just think I’m an optimist!

 

The 4 O'Clock Stare Down | Diane Payne

12 x 12 |materials patterned paper (Studio Calico, Echo Park, Basic Grey, Simple Stories) + buttons (A Flair for Buttons) + thickers (Ameican Crafts) + labels (My Mind's Eye, Twine & Ink) + stickers (American Crafts, Pebbles, Basic Grey) + pen (American Crafts)

A Note from Diane
At first I was unsure what to document as a daily activity. When the dogs were anxiously waiting to be fed one evening it dawned on me that I should record their daily ritual.

May Fun Fact
In just a few short weeks school will be out. I'm looking forward to a little less structure and sleeping in on the weekends.

 

InstaLife | Lisa Ottosson

8.5 x 12 | materials patterned paper (Backside of Cocoa Daisy March Kit Ad card, Jenni Bowlin) + brad (Dear Lizzy) + flower (homemade) + stickers (Scrapworks, American Crafts)

A Note from Lisa
When I prepared for this month´s theme I was a bit puzzled about what I would do. As I am doing Project Life every week I record our everyday lives in there. Then it hit me! What is the one thing that I use to catch photos of our everyday? Instagram. Right now we Instagram the heck out of our lives. In my journaling I talk about how we say to each other several times a day: That is going straight up on Instagram!

March Fun Fact
I have to remind myself to use my DSLR these days! I am so happy with my iPhone camera!

Errands with Boys | Jennifer Larson

12 x 12 | materials cardstock (Bazzill) + patterned paper (Cosmo Cricket, Glitz, Basic Grey, Studio Calico) + buttons (Company Name) + thickers (American Crafts) + tape (Glitz) + enamel dots (My Mind’s Eye) + stickers (Basic Grey, Studio Calico, My Mind’s Eye) + ink (Jenni Bowlin) + chipboard (My Mind’s Eye) + photo frame (Basic Grey) + die cuts (Studio Calico) + twine (Martha Stewart) + fonts (Times New Roman)

A Note from Jennifer Larson
Since my husband travels periodically for work, I become a single parent at certain times of the year, shepherding my boys solo to their various activities. This month I examine those various activities and the fact that my schedule circulates are them. Though it’s a time crunch, I love the time in the car with my boys, particularly our conversations. To remember these errands and the accompanying stress and joy, I printed various photos I took of these errands with boys and put them together on one page.

May Fun Fact
Every Mother’s Day, we go out to eat Chinese food.

 

Everyday Moments|Amy Coose

12 x 12 | materials cardstock (Bazzill) + patterned paper (American Crafts, Pebbles, Basic Grey) + flair (Greatest View) + wood veneer (Freckled Fawn) + tags (Chic Tags) + enamel dots (My Mind's Eye) + mist (Heidi Swapp) + pen (American Crafts)

A Note from Amy
This layout really shows my everyday, and I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Journaling
No matter how hard it is having a baby again, there is nothing I'd rather be doing each day than this.

May Fun Fact
I love these pictures of me getting some good snuggle time. It makes me so happy that I had the chance to experience baby snuggles again. 

 

Rise and Shine | Celeste Smith

12 x 12 | materials kit (Rise & Shine by One Little Bird at the Lilypad) + template ( Plant Your Story: Journaled {volume two} by Sara Gleason at the Lilypad) + font (Century Gothic)

A Note from Celeste
My morning routine just wouldn't be the same without a cup of tea or coffee. Even though I get up in the dark, I make sure that I have an extra ten or fifteen minutes to sit and enjoy it. Notice the floral elements, as a mom to boys, I get my flower fix whenever I can!

 

Everyday | Jennie McGarvey

12 x 12 | materials patterned paper (Lily Bee Design, Studio Calico) + stickers (Studio Calico) + alphabet stickers (American Crafts) + labels, tags (Chic Tags) + pen (American Crafts) + fonts

A Note from Jennie
My layout has been a while in the making. My son has been wearing exclusively Angels (his favorite baseball team and baseball is his favorite sport) shirts for a while now (two years or so?) and I wanted to make sure I captured that before he moved onto something else or varied his wardrobe.

May Fun Fact
I rarely use the computer for journaling. I prefer to handwrite my journaling, but will occasionally use a typewriter if the project calls for it.

 

Have a Good Day | Deb Duty

12 x 12 | materials) patterned paper (Simple Stories, Teresa Collins, Cosmo Cricket, Fancy Pants, Webster's Pages, American Crafts) + flair (Hello Forever) + chipboard star (Pink Paislee) + alpha (Heidi Swapp, Little Yellow Bicycle, Glitz Design) + labels (Studio Calico) + ink (Hero Arts) + stickers (Studio Calico, Basic Grey) + stamps (Studio Calico) + sequins (Studio Calico) + resin stars (Freckled Fawn) + metal clip (Prima) + cork arrow (Studio Calico) + inventory tag (vintage) + pen (Micron)

A Note from Deb
I took this photo as my boys walked out the door for school while I held on to our dog so she couldn't escape just like I do every morning. I love capturing these simple moments that seem so ordinary at the time, but will one day be just a memory.

May Fun Fact
I generally don't like any scary or intense TV shows, but after my boys introduced me to The Walking Dead, it has become my new favorite. I still can't believe I actually enjoy a show about zombies, but it's just so good!

 

A-Okay | Kelly Jeppson

12 x 12 | materials patterned paper (Elle’s Studio) + paper elements (BasicGrey) + alpha stickers (Doodlebug Designs) + burlap + washi tape (7Gypsies) + big brad (Studio G)

A Note from Kelly
Life for a mom can be pretty mundane, but at the end of the day, I’m always happy to see the smiling faces of my three kids. It makes it all worth it!

Journaling
Today I might…make breakfast, pack lunches, find homework, socks, shoes, lost toys. Drive to school, to scouts, to soccer, to the store. Eat standing up. Do laundry. Check email. Vacuum. Answer phone calls. Bandage scrapes. Walk the dog. Clean up messes. Make dinner. Stay up late reading. But it’s all a-okay with me, because I get to be your mom.

May Fun Fact
Before we had children, I convinced my husband to get me a Mother’s Day gift because I would be the mother of his future children! Pretty smart, I must say.

 

The Best Part | Sarah Pendergrast

12 x 12 | materials patterned paper (October Afternoon, Crate Paper, American Crafts) + epoxy dots (My Minds Eye) + stickers (American Crafts) + letter stickers (October Afternoon, Basic Grey, Heidi Swapp) + labels (Basic Grey) + washi (Freckled Fawn) + pen (American Crafts)

A Note from Sarah
I snapped this shot one day after school, when the two of them were particularly happy to see each other. This photo reminded me that that no matter how glad I am that they are in school during the day, the best part of my day is the after school pickup.

Journaling
No question, one of the best parts of my day is picking you guys up after school. It’s a huge perk of being a stay-at-home parent. I get to hear about recess, see test scores you’re proud of, and watch you hang out with your friends.

May Fun Fact
I’m super excited to start a new volunteer job this month as an urban nature monitor. I will get to count turtles, dragonflies, butterflies etc. that reside right in the middle of our city.

Little Moments | Francine Clouden

12 x 12 | materials patterned paper (Tim & Beck, American Crafts, Crate Paper, Studio Calico) + chipboard letter stickers (American Crafts) + candy buttons (Studio Calico, BasicGrey) + spray ink (Studio Calico) + clear stamps (Studio Calico, Hero Arts) + rub-ons (American Crafts) + baker's twine + stamping ink

A Note from Francine
Baking with Kieran has become an every day activity because he really loves to bake. We now bake his snacks together most weeks. 
A technique tip: that pink garland under the title was made using letter Vs from my sheet of chipboard letter stickers.

May Fun Fact
After six months in the new house I think it's time to reorganise my scrapbook room!

 

Almost Everyday | Paula Gilarde

12 x 12 | materials LayerWorks No. 175 (Studio DD) + Stay Here kit (Katie Pertiet) + I Heart Stories Wordart Brushes (Ali Edwards) + Wooden Stickers Alpha No 1 (Katie Pertiet) + Painted Text No. 1 (Katie Pertiet) + Instamatic Frames No 3 (Katie Pertiet)

A Note from Paula
Or at least everyday we can, we try to walk the 30 minutes to school. Molly loves it!

 

Everyday He: | Amy Sorensen

12 x 12 | materials patterned paper (My Mind's Eye) + alpha stickers (American Crafts, Jillibean Soup, Echo Park, Teresa Collins, Bella Blvd, My Mind's Eye) + die cuts (Silhouette) + circle punch + quilt star punch (Fiskars) + fonts (Satellite, The Only Exception)

A Note from Amy
The real story about this layout is something on the back. To get all of the daily details, I wrote a list of questions for my son Nathan, and asked him to answer them. When I found the paper (he left it under my keyboard and went to bed), I discovered that he'd written his answers AND a sweet note to me. The combination of his handwriting and his note was just so...NATHAN to me. I made a little pocket for the back and stuck the note in it with my response. I do a lot of hidden things on the backs of my layouts. Who knows if anyone will ever see them? But I like knowing they are there.
To make the little banners that back the words "goes" and "to," I punched with the quilt star punch, and then trimmed off the two vertical strips. Voila: instant banner!

May Fun Fact
My oldest kid is graduating from high school this month. HOW did I get to this phase of my life?!?!

 

Hanging Out | Marnie Flores

8.5 x 8.5 | materials patterned paper (Crystal Wilkerson) + fonts (AmerType, Mathlete, CK Jot)

A Note from Marnie
Santa brought a bar and a beam to my house this past December. The bar sits in our front room and welcomes everyone who visits. And my monkeys love it. (One of them averages 3 hours a day on her bar!) I can't even begin to explain how breathtaking it is to watch them do their tricks. They amaze me!!

May Fun Fact
My kids get out of school in May for the first time ever. I grew up going to school until the final Friday in June. (I like to joke that I went to school for an extra year: 1 month x 12 years...) I can't believe that in less than a month we will be on vay-cay-tion!!

 

That's it! We hope you enjoy the gallery! Please leave us word and tell us what caught your eye!

Mother's Day Celebrations

I remember loving Mother's Day as a little girl. I thought my mom walked on water and getting to spend time in class to make her things seemed like a dream come true. Arts and crafts? fantastic. For my favorite person on earth? magical.

This week we are going to help get ourselves ready for Mother's Day. I am excited for this so that I can be ready in time to ship what I make!

Each day this week, we will bring you ideas for layouts, and a gift idea for making your mothers feel special.

 

LAYOUT IDEA: ME & MOM

I have spoken often about our once a year family photo shoot that we do on Mother's Day each year. It is a time of year that I pass my camera to Richard and let him take pictures of me with the kids. Every year, I download the photos and then immediately despise them. My hair will be wrong. I will notice the weight gain, the grey, the wrinkles. All the things I ask you to not notice. (Irony noted). So I let them sit for a year and then look back. And like magic, I see things differently. Now, I see my kids looking littler and more vulnerable. I see our relationship captured. And I am incredibly grateful for the photos and for the showing restraint from pushing the delete button.

 

For today, let's make a layout that captures the relationship between you and your children. Either as a whole, or with each child invidually. On our mother's day shoot, I try to get a photo with each of my three kids, so they will have photos of the two of us to look back on. I used one such photo to create this layout.

Then this layout captures the differences in my relationships with my kids. If we all three piled on the couch, I would interact with each differently. I play with Nigel's hair; I rub Lavender's tummy; and I hold Poppy's hands or feet. And they all know each other's things. I love that.

 

Aliza made this layout documenting something her neice told her sister. 

Doesn't that melt your heart? It is also a good reminder that great layouts don't need a whole column of journaling to touch our hearts!

 

Have you a special relationship with one of your kids? Or are you the special child to your own mother? Have you documented that yet? Perhaps it is time!

 

MOTHER'S DAY GIFT IDEA: QUESTIONNAIRES

Last year, we made this for you for Father's Day. And I admittedly was a bit jealous and wanted one for me! So why not, I asked myself?

Here is a Mother's Day version. I am going to print it and give it to my sweet husband with a request that he sit and help the kids fill them out for me for Mother's Day. I have no shame. :)

This is also something that you could have kids fill out for their mothers if you are a church leader, or a school teacher, or a nanny!! You can download it here.

 

Thank you for stopping by today! We look forward to a whole week of celebrating mothers. Please know that we know that you don't need to be a mother to have a wonderful impact on the children in your lives. We hope that Mother's Day can be a celebration of womanhood, too!

In Review

This has been such a fun month. After mini month, it is always refreshing to be back to layouts and projects. And such amazing layouts we have had.

Kelly started us out with a burst of spring. Then Jenny helped us with our two page layouts, and Lisa sparked our imaginations for digging deeper into our project life albums. Then this week we got ready to say thank you to our teachers. 

 

With just 3 days until our new gallery, it is time to look back at our April gallery, Shapes.

This month's theme lends itself nicely to evaluating the layouts for design magnificence and skill. Let's go one by one and and pull out some design elements that work and which can help you create stronger layouts.

That's it! Please enjoy your weekend and your scrapbooking and we will see you Monday with a new theme week!

scrapbook!

Spring is here! It's official. It might feel more official if there wasn't a freeze and frost pending all weekend, but I am so happy that the grass is green and the trees in bloom that nothing could bring me down!!

 

I love scrapbooking. I just haven't said it lately, and wanted to. I was very touched by Lisa's week, and her thoughts on memory keeping. I feel energized and renewed in my commitment to make pretty pages! I hope that our three scrapbook! Saturday starters will help you want to make some, too!

 

THE SKETCH

This month, Diane created a sketch

based upon Lisa' happy layout, New Family in our April gallery, Shapes.

Want to see some awesome variations? I thought so...

 

Celeste added an extra matte below her photos, and deleted the row of vertical triangles on the right hand side. I love how the spritzing behind the photos and mattes softens the layout and draws your eye inward.

 

Lisa swapped triangles for a strip of washi and used one horizontal photo rather than two vertical, but otherwise stayed pretty true to her original. I love the bursts of yellow against the black and white. (I am having a bit of a love affair with that exact shade right now!!)

 

Aliza played this month, as well. She stayed very true to Diane's sketch, and it looks like it was the perfect starter. This layout has a sweet story... I encourage you to read it!

 

Our next variation comes from the sketchmaster herself, Diane. I love how she uses two sizes of triangles. And how she outlined a random assortment of the tiny ones. Clever. And it captures a great story of how our world is changing.

 

And here is mine. I added a couple of extras and moved the journaling to the side. I was impressed at how versatile this sketch felt.

Thank you, Diane, for the sketch this month! If you would like to download a layered template you may do so here! Please leave us a comment if you take a turn with the sketch so that we might see your good works!

 

ROYGBIV

This month the color palette

is based upon Deb's Shapes layout, Happy Dog.

It's got that lovely color of the year, emerald! I loved how the colors pop so well on the white!! (Though without the white it looks a little in your face, no?)

As I went to make my layout, I realized that I loved the little color sampler and I just went ahead and added it to my layout!

Do you think it looks okay?

 

TRENDING

This month there were several layouts with repeating layered shapes creating corner to corner movement. Katie, Jennie, and Lisa have the most obvious examples.

You can also see it the layouts from Erin, Aliza, Celeste, Valerie, Diane, Paula, and Lisa. Sometimes it is more subtle, or goes from top to bottom, rather than corner to corner, but the pattern is there!

 

Here is mine. I had fun making this one! I went with squares, a bit by accident, but am pretty happy with how it ended up!

I hope that you have had a fun Saturday! Thank you for stopping by! I hope to see your layouts when you are done!!