Color Me Happy

Locker love

Remember when you got your first locker in school? I do! I even remember sitting in class learning how to open the lock. I thought I was so grown up, ha ha! My daughter had the same excitement I did. It was certainly a big event getting the things she needed to organize her locker and make it her own.

 

I used the  Basic Grey "Hopscotch" line. I thought it fit the school/teen girl theme perfectly.

I want to remind you that today is the last day to get your submissions in for the Scrapbook Circle design team call. If you like creating with kits, I encourage you to apply. The kits are fun and inspiring, and Lisa, the owner, is fabulous too!

I've finished up my design team assignments using Scrapbook Circle's October kit, Fresh Picked. This is my last kit as a design team member at Scrapbook Circle. I will miss being a part of this fabulous kit club and design team but decided it would be best to focus on my family, the upcoming holidays, and some new scrappy goals over the next few months. Oh yeah, and my 43 Things list. I have about 25 days to kick it into high gear and cross off a few more things from that list.

I hope you have a fabulous weekend and I'll be back next week to share some projects using the new "Fresh Picked" kit.

You Take the Prize...and a winner!

I really enjoyed reading all the favorite fall activities in the comments for my Scrapbook Circle, "The Good Life" kit giveaway post. It is apparent there are a lot of fall fans, like me. Playing in the leaves was a childhood favorite for me, and now I enjoy watching my kids play in the leaves, although I still like to join in the fun.

I ran across  a photo of my daughter from about 11 years ago playing in the leaves with my Dad. Not only is this photo a favorite, but that afternoon in Illinois with my family is one of my fondest fall memories.

Instead of recording the memories of the day, I decided to write about my daughters zeal for life. She loves to have fun, be silly and laugh. She is a carefree...a free spirit. I think this photo captures that in her perfectly.

Thank you to everyone that entered my "The Good Life" giveaway. The winner is Diane who said:

"This kit looks amazing. Thanks for the chance to win! My favorite fall activity is enjoying the fall leaves and drinking apple cider."

Congratulations, Diane! I'll be in contact with you shortly for your info so we can get the kit out to you.

Have a great Monday, everyone!

Decorate Life

Kids certainly do make life more colorful, don't they?

That is exactly what came to mind when I ran across the top photo in this layout. We had just finished decorating Easter eggs and they were having fun and loving on each other. Definitely worth documenting.

I made the banner by using some Pebbles flags, I just removed the toothpick, then I added punched doily pieces to the top of the banner to dress it up.

I also wanted to remind you that today is the last day to enter the giveaway for "The Good Life" kit from Scrapbook Circle! To enter the giveaway, leave a comment on this post. I'll be drawing a winner tonight at 8 pm, Central time. Check back here Monday morning to see if you were a winner.

The Good Life...one last layout!

I was hoarding saving the Crate Paper, Victorian sheet of patterned paper that is included in The Good Life kit for the perfect photo. I thought one of my son and his date before they headed out for dinner and the Homecoming dance was a great fit for the look I wanted.

Everything you see on this layout is included in the kit except for the vellum and rub-on butterfly,the brad, in the flower center, and the washi tape.

I have a couple reminders before I sign off...

1. Don't forget to enter for your chance to win this kit from Scrapbook Circle, if you haven't already. All you have to do is a leave a comment on this post.
2. The deadline to submit for the Scrapbook Circle design team call is fast approaching. I have loved being on the team and encourage you to apply if design team work interests you. You can find the details here.

One last thing before I go, for the record, no they did not head out on that motorcycle for their Homecoming date, they were chauffeured by yours truly and I loved every minute of it!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Scrapbook Circle Giveaway

Hi everyone! I'm so glad that you stopped by today. Why, you ask? Well, because I'm giving away my favorite Scrapbook Circle kit, "The Good Life". You've listened to me go on and on about how much I love this kit all month and now you have the opportunity to win one, courtesy of Scrapbook Circle!

It is full of new goodies from American Crafts, Maya Road, Fancy Pants, Crate Paper and Authentique, to name a few. You can see a complete list of contents on the Scrapbook Circle website.

"The Good Life" kit is so fun and versatile. One of my favorite layouts I made with it is this fall page that I posted here on my blog earlier in the month. So...in anticipation of the arrival of fall, my favorite season, leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite fall activity to be entered to win this fabulous kit! I'll draw a winner on Sunday, September 26th at 8 PM (central time), and announce the winner on Monday. Please make sure you leave your contact info (your e-mail address would be great) so you can be notified if you win.

Good Luck!

Stepping out of the box

I wasn't ready to put away Scrapbook Circle's September kit, "The Good Life" so I decided to whip up a couple cards with some of my scraps.

The little mini bag included in the kit turned out to be the perfect size to hold a gift card, and the typewriter image on the Amy Tangerine, The Good Life paper has just enough room for adding a short sentiment. Love those typewriters!

This card uses pieces from the Amy Tangerine Bits (which includes the ever so popular "Potty People") and the Remarks Sticker Book. It was quick and easy and now i already have my Anniversary card made for next year.

The Good Life is definitely one of my favorite Scrapbook Circle kits and is still available along with the Amy Tangerine Bits which are the perfect add-on. I'm surprised they aren't sold out, get them while you can!

That is all I have for today everyone. Thank you so much for stopping by!

Bella Blvd Guest Designer

A few weeks ago I sent in my submissions for the Bella Blvd Design Team call. Although I did not make the team, I was asked to be an ongoing Guest Designer. I think they are a great fit for my style and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with them over the next year.

Look at this amazing team that they put together!

I can hardly believe that I am a part of it! 

This is my favorite layout that I sent in for the call. It is playful, whimsical, colorful and has a banner. Everything I love in a layout! I used the Christmas Wishes line, which is so versatile and can be used for so much more than Christmas. Thank you to Stephanie and Laura for having me as a Guest Designer, I'm looking forward to getting started!

Everything is bigger in Texas...

...at least that's how the saying goes, and in the case of Texas homecoming mums, it’s true.

Over the last few years I've listened to stories from friends as they planned, prepared and customized a mum for their son's girlfriend, spending upwards of $75 or more (for each one) in the process. I was floored and a little intrigued too. This year I got to experience it first hand and opted to make my own, I am a crafter, after all!

Each mum is done up in their school's colors and additional items are added that represent activities the recipient is involved with in or out of school.The major craft stores have one or two aisles dedicated to everything you need to make a mum. There is also a store in our area that sells the supplies or you can pick everything out and they'll make it for you. A whole store, crazy huh?!

So, a week ago I made a trip to the mum store and then spent 3 evenings, along with the help of my daughter, working on one for my son's girlfriend and one for her.

This one is for my daughter. She is a freshman so she has one mum (upper class men have more). The ribbon is approximately 3 feet long. Chains, charms and trinkets are added in with the ribbons and mum.

The more noise they make the better. Cow bells and whistles are a necessity.

  Teddy bears or the school mascot are often added to the mum. I've also seen pictures of the homecoming couple in the center of the mum. Really, anything goes. 

And...it isn't just for girls. The guys wear a mum attached to a garter on their arm. Their ribbons are usually 12-18 inches long and they have charms, trinkets, bell and whistles too!

These are very different than the mums I had growing up in Illinois. We had a small corsage with a couple mums and a little greenery. I think I got ripped off. Honey, if you're reading this, next year I would like a mum to wear to the homecoming football game, ok?! Pretty please!

Before you head off, go watch this fun little video I found taken of a Michael's employee talking about the Texas homecoming mum tradition.

Have a fabulous weekend, and GO EAGLES!

Incorporating memorabilia into your layouts

There was recently a challenge on the Studio Calico blog to use something on a layout that you normally wouldn't. I have a Ziploc bag in my scrapbook room where I collect little bits and pieces of everyday life but I usually forget to include them on my layouts. So, when I saw the challenge I knew I had to play along.

I used products from the Amy Tangerine line, Basic Grey, and the Lawn Fawn polaroid stamp. The memorabilia I incorporated into they layout was Coach tissue paper, an airline ticket stub, a Studio Calico kit packing card, and sewing pins. I loved doing this and challenged myself to include as many pieces of memorabilia that I could find that fit the theme of my layout.

What about you? Do you collect memorabilia? Do you actually use it on your layouts? I would love to see how you incorporate bit and pieces of your everyday life into your layouts and albums.

Scrapbook Circle Design Team Call

Happy Tuesday everyone. I just wanted to do a quick post to let you know that Scrapbook Circle is having a design team call! I have loved being a part of the team at Scrapbook Circle over the last few months, and I have no doubt that you would too. Lisa is fabulous to work with and puts together great kits, month after month. In fact, some of my favorite layouts over the past few months were made for Scrapbook Circle design team assignments.

Here are the details...

Who are we looking for?
* People who love working with monthly scrapbook kits
* People who are good communicators and emailers
* People who maintain an active blog
* People who enjoy sharing ideas in the scrapbook community
* People who able to meet deadlines

How do you apply?
Email the following to lisa@scrapbookcircle.com.

* 5 images of your favorite layouts (keep images below 600kb)
* Links to your blog and online galleries/communities where you actively participate
* Short bio including why you would be a good fit on our design team
* List of other current design teams you participate on (if any)

All submissions are due by Friday, September 30.

The design team term will be from November 2011 – April 2012.

International submissions are welcome.

Since I can't do a post without a visual here is a layout I made a couple months ago that I haven't shared yet.

That's me with my Dad. He's showing me the ropes before we head out for the actual fishing expedition! Some of my fondest memories growing up are fishing with my Dad and the American Crafts Campy Trails line was perfect for documenting the memory. 

My journaling was typed on one of the Just Write cards and I taped it to the back of the layout along the top with washi tape so it could be flipped over to the front and read without actually removing it from the layout.

Have a great day and thanks for swinging by!