Christine's first layout

Well, now that the design team has been established, the ladies are flexing their creative muscles and this time it's Christine's turn. I don't have her blog address yet but when I do, I'll post it in the list with everyone else's. This is Christine's interpretation of week 23's two-page layout. She's starting an alphabet book for her little guy. Christine is also in Karen McKinnon's "Chicks Who Click" class so it will be fun to get to know her in that environment in addition to being a part of the design team. Good work guys...bring it on! Let's see some more.

Tania is so dang fast!!

Get this, she's even beat me with getting hers posted and mine has been done for ages, I just hadn't photographed it. Man, that's makin' me look bad! LOL
I have to say about this page though, that baby bums are probably on my list of top five cutest things, don't you think?

V

How cool is this??

I found this really neat website where you type in words and it makes these WACKY images with the words given. I love it...I killed a good hour or more playing with it. Go there and see for yourself TYPOGENERATOR .

Have a great Friday everyone!

Challenge 26

What a crazy week. We endured two field trips with school and lived through the last day of school too. Now, I just don't know WHAT to occupy my kids with for the next two and a half months! We're sleeping in a tent in the back yard for kicks...but it's a little hard to stick it out when it's pouring rain!!!Here's our sketch for this week. I think it's a pretty easy one to whip up...no custom printing involved and I'm sure most of you have a series of three images that work together that you can use for this page. I've got my page done, but I just need to interview Noah first for the journaling and then photograph it. I'll show you mine if you show me yours! LOL

V

Musical Interlude

I don't know about you, but sometimes I feel like the lyrics in this song say...This artist, Sarah Johns is a new country artist who seems to have a knack for saying just what we're thinking. Go to the link above ( be sure to scroll down until you see the "listen" feature) and have a laugh over her perspective on being burned by a former lover. I tell ya, country musicians seem to have a keen knack for telling it like it is.

Enjoy!

Hug Of Joy

Get a load of this amazing creation. This innovative baby carrier is designed by Joy Nolette, a friend of my best pal, Shannon. Joy sent me the info for this simple, yet very effective product and I just HAD to share it with everyone! FMI email hugofjoy@telus.net. Their website is under construction but hopefully it won't be long till we can all shop online for these great slings.

This is what Joy had to say...

"Hug Of Joy baby carriers are a pouch style baby carrier that are custom made to fit the wearer and that have nothing that needs to be adjusted or hooked up or tied. The advantages to having a pouch style carrier that is custom made versus an adjustable carrier is that because it is custom made it is extremely comfortable for the wearer and for baby and especially safe for
baby.
I've had a customer comment that they wore their 19lb baby for 11 hrs at an event while moving them to different positions without becoming tired or uncomfortable wearing their Hug Of Joy baby carrier. They're very sleek and compact because they are made of a lightweight, silky, stretchy material. The material is the only material certified by the Environmental Protection Agency. It is made of crab and shrimp shells which make it naturally antibacterial, odor resistant, non-toxic, extremely cool and breathable, and environmentally friendly.
Hug Of Joy baby carriers can be worn with baby from newborn to 30 lbs. The price of the carrier is $ 39.99.

Blast from the Past

Don't you love it when a long-lost friend from your past resurfaces? I had that happen last week. It was the coolest thing because my friend, Ryan has accomplished the very thing in his life that he set out to do a decade ago. You know what I love about seeing people from my past? I love the fact that it gives me a chance to account for how I've spent the time and let's face it, it's way more fulfilling to list off all the good stuff and the accomplishments (rather than the ugly negative stuff) which totally makes ya feel pretty good! It also makes you see how much of the good stuff there has actually been.

Ryan Lea is now an accomplished musician who writes deadly electronica and scores films, just like he said he would. It makes me proud to be his friend. Thanks for finding me, Ryan. It was great for my soul to conjure up all those old memories. XOXO

Have a super Monday, everyone!

Last but not least

Amazing as this may seem...there's one last page to post for this week. PHEW, it sure took some doing to get all caught up. This page turned out so well. I love pulling out old old OLD materials and using them up (especially when the materials are in such abundance that it could be used to wallpaper a gymnasium!) I also love it when I can consume a page or two outta the scrap bin, which if you are anything like me, gets full way faster than you could ever use it up.

Oh, also, if you are a library card user (seen in the upper right hand corner of the page) you can get this in acrylic stamp form from Close to my Heart. The set comes with a few titles that fit the library card and it also offers the card in two different sizes. I think it's a great journaling alternative to the standard lines option. I love stamps that facilitate hand journaling. I believe it to be an imperative part of adding some of YOU to your pages.

And then there's this one...(challenge 24)

I love this page. I also love any excuse to use purple!! This was such a rare moment. Seth seems to have endless energy and never manages to crash out. I seized the opportunity to take these cute photos! Check out the Daisy D's rub ons over the top left photo.

Finally ready to post...

Here I thought I was falling so very far behind and just now, I realized that I did this sketch twice! That is funny. So now I have this version (above) and this one (below) to illustrate my interpretation of the sketch. I knew I'd done a page with stars already...

Oh, and this second layout was made using the new CTMH "Majestic Blue" Level 2 paper pack. I thought it might be to "sailing" themed, but it is full of beautiful nautical themed paper that, as you can see, lends well to pretty much any water activity pages. I love it. Remember, any CTMH products can be ordered through me, all you have to do is email me with your order. US orders, however, I cannot process.

Ahh...Saturday

There is something extra special about a morning where you have to be NOWHERE and getting dressed is optional. A big mug of fresh hot coffee and a day full of nothing offers such promise. I think that perhaps there might even be a half of a chance that I get a little caught up on some scrapping. I finished two weeks' worth of layouts last night and plan to work on yesterdays sketch today. We'll see...

I'd like to know what you do with a decadent day when you have no commitments and no plans. Share your thoughts on the perfect do-nothing kind of day...

V

Holy COW! Challenge 25

The strangest thing has happened over the last two work weeks...I have been working on the same project every day and nothing else for me. The project is a custom album that I'm making for one of my clients as a gift for her In-law's. It illustrates their life together both as a couple and as individuals and it has managed to double in size from it's original concept. So, having said that, it serves as an explanation for my lack of blog entries and of scrapbooking for personal pleasure (as opposed to scrapping for business). I watch my pile of photographs grow and feel almost a sense of dread at the looming task of getting caught up. One of these days, I'm sure there's bound to be a bonus hour or two that arises, allowing me to get some of those photos scrapped! I look forward to the feeling of accomplishment as well as the magic that happens when I create pages.

Here's the sketch for this week. If you aren't totally swamped with end-of-the-school-year stuff (like everyone I know seems to be) take a minute and scrap this one. I love seeing what you guys do with these sketches. It inspires me to scrap for myself (and reminds me that I'm still a bit of a slacker with my own scrapbooking these days). But in all honesty, I get such a thrill from your guys' participation. Show me whatcha got!

On your mark...

Get set...

GO!

Challenge 24...

You know, there's nothing like a week that goes WAY too fast (inclusive of deadlines that come and go when you're not looking) to make you feel one of two ways. It can make you feel so very productive that time flies by or it can make you feel like the world's biggest slacker!! Somehow, I feel a little of both. But, for as much of a slacker as I feel, I know I did get tons done this week. I have worked solely on a custom heritage album for one of my clients and I'm on the last phase where I get to decorate the pages with pretty embellishments and heartfelt journaling, which I think is one of the best parts.

Now that the weekend is finally here, I can relax a little. I started teacher gifts last night, a project that I worked on with my pal Sallie and today I'll finish that up and maybe if time allows, I'll get to this week's sketch too! Such lofty goals...Ha ha ha

The above sketch is for this week. I love this sketch because it's quick and easy! Sallie emailed me a copy of her page from the past week. She did such a great job and I think it even got her out of her comfort zone a little too. I've posted it below for you to see. (Don't worry Sal, Graeme will never notice that he was the one who got chopped...twice!! )

Challenge 23

Well, here it is another Friday and I have another sketch for you guys to continue your creativity! I don't often post two page LO's but this was just too darned cute to pass up. Notice the vertical rows of stars that can easily be replaced with flowers, hearts, buttons...anything really. I think this sketch is fantastic and I can't wait to scrap it. I just picked up a photo order of 41 prints...I bet there's something I can use in that pile of photos. I'll show ya just as soon as it's ready.

Get scrappin'
V

Challenge 22 Ultimate POWER

So in most houses there's always somebody who is obsessed with control of the remote. In my house, it's neither me nor Ray...no it's the 8 year old pokemon obsessed remote snatcher! This kid clings to the remote for dear life, and has absolutely NO idea that he's even holding it. I swear it's like an appendage for him. Funny. I don't really care about the remote but as my journaling says, do what you want with it just don't do it in the middle of MY show! This was another fun photo I grabbed with the new macro lens. Man, that thing gets up close and personal!

V

First Monthly Kit

This is a very exciting time! I have just launched the new Monthly Lotus Paperie Page Kits! The image shown on the top right, above the subscription buttons, is the kit for July. Now, it's not a very big image so here it is again. If you click on it, you'll see it up close and personal! This kit of 18 papers and other goodies is only 19.99 !!! If you subscribe for the six months, you actually get one month's kit FREE!!! I gotta tell ya, I LOVE those journaling coasters. They are the cat's pajamas.

Better get em' while they're hot...there's limited quantities!

V

Design Team Announcement

Well, it's official. The design team has been created and the members are Danielle Hayward, Margaret Munday, Tania Lennox, Corrie Henning, Sallie Crawford and Christine Moore!
As soon as I have photos from each of these lucky ladies, I will post them for you so that you know who is creating the amazing works of art that will be posted here in September!

I can't wait for you to see the gorgeous pages that will be on display in the fall. You will see products from suppliers such as Daisy D's, My Mind's Eye (Kaleidoscope & Wild Asparagus), Dream Street and many, many more! Be sure to check out the NEW MONTHLY SUBSCRIPTION FEATURE on the right hand side of the page to get your own version of the kits used by our very own design team members. More info to come...

Congratulations Girls!
Welcome to the team!

photo friday

I discovered within the last few months that I have a very keen interest in photography. Last fall I participated in a workshop conducted by Karen McKinnon, where I was introduced to a few important technical details which have enabled me to take my camera off the "P for Perfect Picture" setting and get creative. Now, I should mention that before that workshop, I pretty much swiped my husband's old beat-up Sony Cybershot (was top of the line 9 years ago) and was trying my darndest to do some basic creative things and not having much success. So when I learned that I could purchase a second hand camera from my good pal, Karen, I jumped at the chance. Now, I still am learning but am proud to say that my camera is NEVER set to "P" and while some of my photos suck, many are super cool.

Having said all that, once I got my camera, I searched online for weekly photo assignments to keep me shooting, even when life got in the way of photographing my family. I found one that is emailed to me every friday and it is such a challenge. This photo is one that I took after I got my new macro lens. It is so very different than my other lens and I am still trying to figure out what to do with it and how to make it do its magic.

Also, I found through Ali Edwards' blog, this super fun weekly challenge site, One Little Word. I tried the transparency letter technique and it is SO COOL! Try it for yourself.

Challenge 22

I know I missed you all yesterday, but thankfully this is being posted in the AM, thereby hopefully allowing you the most weekend scrap time possible to get your own page created with using this sketch. I am looking forward to this sketch mostly because it's a great single photo layout. Now, I don't know if any of you have noticed the new link posted in my list of "web places" but it's called "One Little Word". This site is so much fun. It's another weekly challenge but far more open to interpretation. They post one word and then you get to scrap a page about that word. Last week was their very first challenge, it was "go". Funny enough, this weeks' word is "stop". I really want to get on the OLW bandwagon and scrap their fantastic words. Why don't you check them out by hitting the link above (mouse over One little Word) and it'll take you there. Go on, drag out your scrap stuff and get creative!!