Challenge 14

Here's the sketch for this week. I am a fan of two-page layouts and this one is really great! So obviously, both sides of the sketch employ balance with the embellishment appearing on both sides and there isn't an overwhelming journaling component. If you don't have a large photo, feel free to stack two together to create that general measurement. See if you can break out your sewing machine for this one too! Get scrapping and don't forget to post your LO.

Vanessa

Challenge 13 (Get Wet)

This is what I did with my round layout sketch. I opted to mount mine on a sheet of black cardstock just for ease of keeping it upright in the sleeve. I love how this ended up. I really want to see what you guys are doing with your sketches. Please post links here in the comments section to your photo hosting site. C'mon and share!

Filberg Park

How could I resist this gorgeous afternoon sunlight!?!?! These are just a few of the nearly 80 photos I got yesterday afternoon. Get a load of my HANDSOME model! Way to go Noah...

The best day

I have had the BEST day. My pal, Sallie called me this morning as I was getting kids ready for school to see if I felt like hangin' out. I was just doing a few simple errands so I thought that having a companion would make it WAY more fun and boy, was I right. We went to the Scrap store (retail therapy is always a good time) and I got the neatest supplies. I can't wait to get scrapping. We also went to The Grotto for the yummiest panini sandwiches. I have horrible breath now from those red onions and roasted garlic in mine! We chatted and enjoyed stories of how we met our husbands. It was a great girl-day. Definitely eased the sadness of my other pal, Shannon leaving town. I plan to get some pages posted today so I can be ready for Friday's challenge. I love being on top of things, don't you?!

It seems so quiet!

Well, all my houseguests left this morning and I spent the remainder of the day removing all the handprints, boogers and spaghetti sauce deposited on my walls and floors by all the kids who ran amok for the last two weeks. As much as I am enjoying the peace and quiet (and the scent of bleach), I am missing my best friend very much. She is such an important person in my life and the last two weeks have been filled with memories and laughter. Such that all the poop stains in the world couldn't outweigh the value of time spent together. I am very happy that she is willing to embark on wild road trips with all her kids so that we can visit.

I've been scrapbooking like crazy and have about 20 pages to post on 2Peas. I'll put up a link here so you can see for yourself. Hard to believe that there were up to 10 kids staying in my little 3 bedroom 1/2 duplex over Spring Break and somehow I still managed to get caught up on some more scrapping! Not too shabby!

Challenge 13 (Round Layout)

Here's something new. I've seen these layouts for a while now and have been curious to see how they turn out. The challenge this week is to use the sketch above and play around with this alternative to the usual. Of course, above all else, the main priority is to have fun and just get some scrapping done!

V

Challenge 11 (This or That) Done!

Here's my page for the 'this or that' challenge. I lucked out this month having my best pal here with her camera to capture many moments...all of which seem to be of me wearing my green rain jacket! I love getting caught up!!!

V

Challenge 10 (Hornby Island)

I am so amazed that I have been able to make this much progress today. You'd never know that there are 10 kids and 3 adults staying here right now! Thank God for Day Camp! Here's the 10th Challenge.

Challenge 9 (More)

Here's a very overdue page about my lovely husband and a little mushy journaling to meet the requirements for this week's challenge. I love how this kind of journaling turned out. It was a bit more work, but the end result was totally worth it! Let's see yours???

Vanessa

Birthday Eve!

Yay! It's birthday eve!! I have watched almost five episodes of either CSI, CSI New York or CSI Miami. I have been sitting on the couch with a drink in one of my new birthday Tupperware wine glasses and am quietly knitting my sweater. I made a few little mistakes so out of frustration, I pulled the works apart and am starting over. Not to fear, I only had about 4 inches of ribbing done, so it wasn't such a shocking thing to pull it all apart. I get the morning to myself (a lovely reprieve from the 10 kids currently staying at my place) and all I plan to do is scrap, scrap, scrap. We'll see how much I actually get done. My top priority is the challenges I'm behind on from here and from my photography challenges too. Lofty goals, I know but a girl can dream!

It's almost bedtime so my next post will be from me in my 30's!!!

Two days till my birthday!

Last night, myself and five other birthday girls celebrated our birthdays with our best girlfriends at a local restaurant. We pretty much took over the place. It was pretty hard to miss us with our massive quantity of green helium balloons tied to the chairs and sixteen celebrants! It was a really fun night.

I don't expect that I will manage much in the way of scrap-related productivity, although I will make a whole-hearted attempt! I have so much catching up to do! I have been forgoing scrapping for more social activities. I am experiencing a little withdrawal, so I think a little therapeutic scrapping is in order. I know I'm falling a little behind in my posting of finished pages, so I'll just keep plugging away at getting caught up. Later today or tomorrow, I'll try and post some birthday photos too!

Happy Sunday!
V

Challenge 12 (Three days till my Birthday!)

I love my birthday. Anybody who knows me is painfully aware of this fact. This year I am turning 30 and up until the last few weeks, I have been very much at peace with the idea...that is, until the majority of my friends began offering their condolences for my misfortune of leaving my 20's for what sounds like a very ominous age. I suspect it is all just a bunch of unnecessary hoopla and that I will smoothly transition from "young adult" to full-fledged "grown-up".

I have spent the last few days partaking in all sorts of activities to commence birthday week, which is a concept that was introduced to my life by my dear friend, Karen. So far, I've had 2 lunches out, went book shopping, Macro lens shopping and tonight, I'm celebrating a birthday dinner with five other birthday-girls!

So, in my festive mood, I am going to give you a challenge that is all about fun and celebration. Our sketch is above and I want you to either dig out photos of a great celebration, or throw a party in the next little while 'just because' and be sure to have as much fun as humanly possible...and take photos, of course!!

Here's to birthdays!!!

Just another Saturday

Today was one of those average, run-of-the-mill Saturdays...you know, the kind where you think about the chores you *should* be doing, stay in your jammies WAY too late in the day and eat every meal at non-traditional times. I love days like this. It reminds me to live in each moment like it really matters. Watching TV programs with the kids (who knew Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were entertaining enough to actually watch the full length feature film!) and leisurely folding laundry have been key parts of what has ended up as a very relaxing day. Oh, I better not forget all that amazing knitting I got done too! I have to say, knitting is such great therapy. It makes me relax...sometimes to the point of drowsiness, which is perfect for those nights when I get home from teaching and I'm too wound up to just go right to bed.

I have got myself all set for the marathon scrap-session that awaits me later in the week. I'm looking forward to seeing how much progress we really make with 8 children in the house.

I'm taking a photography class tomorrow with my pal, Karen McKinnon from McKinnon Photography with a small group of amateur photographers like myself. I think it will be very inspiring. Hopefully, it will assist my archiving of details from the Hornby Island trip that Shannon and I are taking all those kids on.

I think that the upcoming two weeks will be busy, inspiring, productive and most importantly, FUN!!!
I'll let you know...

Challenge 11 (This or That)

Hello once again. I am thrilled to announce that my PC is back from the dead and thru the fine handiwork of SuperBruce, I'm able to upload my pages and the challenge for this week. I'll be working on updating all the photos I've missed over the weekend, just to keep things current.

The challenge for this week is to think about those multiple choice email forwards we've all seen and take the questions that illustrate part of you. Feel free to make up your own questions. The above sketch should help you figure out your design plan.

Here are a few prompts for your journaling journey...
1) diamonds or pearls?
2) *insert local restaurant name here* or McDonalds
3) chocolate or vanilla
4) coffee or tea
5) early bird or night owl
6) board games or video games
7) road trip or air travel
8) snow bunny or water baby
9) bath or shower
10) hugs or kisses


I will be working my butt off for the next few days getting caught up with posting as well as planning ahead for a marathon-scrap with my pal, Shannon (she's a road tripper rather than an air traveler...six kids are easier to keep track of when securely belted into the 'bus' and not so much so if on the loose in an airport) so I'll try my best to keep up to date with all that going on. I look forward to seeing your version of this LO.

Happy Scrappin'
V

Photo Friday

I just can't tell you how much I love my camera. I only bought it a few months ago but each and every time I use it, I come to love it more and more. I barely understand the mechanics of it as a tool, but the photos that I seem able to achieve just with the magic that it possesses is enough for me to do way more scrapping than usual. Last week, I found an interesting online google group designed for hobby photographers like myself. Part of their group's purpose is to provide weekly photo challenges (and we all know how much I love a good challenge!). So, these challenges are totally different every week and some topics are definitely easier than others. This week's challenge is "ALONE". I went out shooting today to see what I could see in my viewfinder, but my batteries died while I was at the Spit in Comox. It was great fun though, lying on my belly in the wet sand trying to capture a lone seagull floating on the waves, while keeping Hornby & Denman Islands in the distance. It was a wonderfully foggy day...perfect for a dark & broody theme like "ALONE". I have started a scrapbook just for my photo-challenges. I'll start posting them when my computer returns from the PCMedic. (Be sure to hug Dr.Bruce for me, Sal)
I want to see your pages from our challenges, so get them posted to a photo hosting site like 2Peas or photobucket. I want to give you some great positive feedback and I know the others who view this site will do the same! C'mon guys, we all like a little praise, right??? I know you are visiting, but I don't know what you think. Don't forget to post and also, be sure to sign up for emailed updates!
Hope your weekend was great!

Challenge 10

I know you haven't seen my 9th challenge posted yet, but my poor computer is still very sick. I'm still working on my husband's computer, which has been a bit of a learning curve! I do, however have a page challenge for today though. The above sketch is for this week and I think that we should just keep it to the sketch. I am not going to be overly ambitious and add on techniques so this sketch will be the whole she-bang for this week.

I promise, as soon as my computer comes home from the computer hospital, I'll upload the images from my #9 and #10 challenge.

Have a fantastic Friday