Pagemaps and Little Beauty...

Paper:  Basic Grey Wisteria

Cardstock:  Smokey Plum

Stamps: Vintage Type and Bohemian Alpha

Ink: Amethyst and Gypsy

Other:  Recollections Butterfly and flowers, various adhesive gems, CTMH Bitty Sparkles colored with Copic Markers, Dollar Butterfly Punch from Michael's, Fiskars circle and border punch, EKSucces corner rounder, and Making Memories embroidery floss

This layout is pretty simple, but, it took FOREVER and clearly does not resemble the Page Maps sketch posted on their blog here.  This one was so frustrating because of the way I insisted on printing the pictures and by the time I decided it wouldn't work, I'd wasted to much time/supplies.  So, I powered through and a month later, this is what you get! ;O)

Pagemaps...My Everything

I was over at Pagemaps.com this week to check out Becky Fleck's latest sketches and was SUPER excited to see that she's started a challenge blog!!  As an engineer, I LOVE deadlines! ;O)  Her blog challenge this month just happens to be the sketch I'd been eyeing on her website, so, what more did I need to get motivated! ;O)  I always love all the layering Becky puts into her layouts.  I have trouble with that when I'm on my own.

I absolutely love this photo Dave took of himself with Owen.  They truly are my everything, I'm lucky to have such amazing guys in my life!

Paper:  Reminisce Unwritten and Boom-Di-Ada (retired)
Cardstock:  Colonial White and Craft
Stamps:  You and Me (May Scrapbook Kit from CTMH)
Ink:  Barn Red
Other:  EKSuccess border punches, Making Memories Embroidery Floss, Clear Buttons and Liquid Glass, Designer Calendar and Plantin Schoolbook Cricut Cartridges, Funky Ribbon by the yard from LSS, and Zig Pen

Basic Grey Maps...Stuffed With Love

This will be my last post for today...I am going to get back to work on my latest layout.  With just 5 hours and 39 minutes of daylight these days, I had to drop everything and jump on the opportunity to get pictures of these and figured I met as well post all of them while I was motivated!

I have been admiring the Basic Gray Maps on the Pagemaps website for quite a while and was excited to get to put one to use.  I'm so glad that I took so many pictures of Owen with different toys when he was small, it really makes you realize how much he's grown and how small he actually was at one time!!  He has always seemed so much older than he truly is, it's hard to remember him ever being a baby!

Paper: Twitterpated
Cardstock:  Crystal Blue, Cocoa, and Colonial White
Ink: Cocoa, Cranberry, and Tsukineko Memento Ink in Rich Cocoa
Stamps:  Field Trip Alpha, Soul Mates, Comments, and Beary Much
Other:  Martha Stewart Border/Corner Punch, Stickles, EKSuccess Corner Rounder, and Zig Pen

Card Maps...Whoo Loves You!

I have organized a scrapbook day at one of the local churches for later this month and have offered to cut the cost in half for the girls that make and donate at least 2 cards to the Operation Write Home efforts.  I've wanted to contribute to this amazing cause for some time and just haven't had the opportunity to take the time and do it. 

Anyway, time is flying and I figured I better get on it!  I happened to have this owl from the Greeting Farm already colored and decided to try one of Page Maps Card Maps for the first time.  I chose the sketch above from the March 2010 Card Maps.  I took the sketch pretty literally, but, that was just coincidence, I swear! ;O)

I'm surprised how nerve-wracking this was for me to do!  I want to make sure it's just right for our men and women overseas who have sacrificed so much!!  The least I can do is send them a decent looking card to write home with, right? ;O)

Paper:  Life Delights and Magic Moments

Cardstock: Blush, Hollyhock, Cocoa, and Colonial White

Ink:  Cocoa, Sweet Leaf, Olive, Blush, and Tsukineko Memento Rich Cocoa

Stamps:  Greeting Farm Forest Friends, Whoo Loves You (branch), Exclusive Set from the Twitterpated Kit (leaves), Friendship Alpha Small, and Hugs & Kisses

Other:  Hollyhock Brads, Copic Markers, EK Success Corner Rounder (scallops), and White Gelly Roll pen

July Pagemaps...Mischief Maker

I've had this layout done for ages, but, just don't love it.  I had hoped an epiphany would come over me and I'd think of something to add.  But, I've decided to just let it go!  I love the Pagemaps sketch (from July) I used and putting the layout together went really fast...it's just those dreaded embellishments that I can never pin down just right!

Paper: Twitterpated
Cardstock:  Cocoa, Outdoor Denim, and Colonial White
Ink: Cocoa and Outdoor Denim
Stamps:  Giggle Caps and Lowercase, Star Power, Code It, Childhood Boy, Girly Girl, Wedding, and Journaling Jots (most retired)
Other: EKSuccess Corner Rounder and Border Punch, JoAnn's Essentials Star Brads, Twill Ribbon, and Zig pen

Pagemaps...Just Plane Cute

Back to Pagemaps...their September sketches are just too cute!  I really just love Becky's style.  I guess I should break down and buy one of her books instead of just using all of her free ones that she shares so generously!

This layout actually came together pretty fast, for me, at least.  I'm still working on Month 10 and wanted to stick with the Twitterpated paper, but, am totally losing steam there...it's just so tough to work with for baby boy pictures!  I still have 4 or 5 layouts to do for this particular month...I may be getting very creative very soon!!!

Anyway, for this one, I incorporated paper from Let's Get Together to bring in some red and yellow.  I still have a small strip of Twitterpated in there...so, technically, I'm not breaking my rules...yet anyway!  I had so much fun with this one and used up some of my embellishments that have been sitting around here FOREVER!

Forgive the Stickles, I got a little carried away.  I was going for a starry sky look, but, I'm not sure I love them.  Not a lot I can do about it now though without redoing the whole layout...so, for sake of my sanity, I'm learning to love them! ;O)

Paper:  Let's Get Together and Twitterpated
Cardstock: Crystal Blue, Garden Green, and Colonial White
Ink: Cranberry, Honey, Garden Green, and Crystal Blue
Stamps:  Field Trip Alpha, Rustic Alpha, Flyin' High, Little Boys, and Journaling Jots
Other: Stickles, American Traditional Designs Airplane Tag, JoAnne Essentials Star Brads, Cardboard Stickers from Michaels (probably not acid free..just thought of that, oops!), Creative Memories Embroidery Floss, and Copic Multi Liner in Olive

Page Maps Double...State Fair 2007

One last layout from Pagemaps July sketches for Month 10 of Owen's baby book.  I just had so much fun with Becky Fleck's sketches!  I always think about buying her book, but, she makes it too convenient to just get the sketches off her website!!  I am loving this Twitterpated paper more and more, but, trying to make peace with the fact that it's officially gone.

I absolutely love the cardboard buttons that compliment the paper.  I don't normally use a whole lot of buttons, but, these were so much fun and so easy to include!!  I had that little hedgehog colored already and couldn't resist sticking him in the layout as well.  How cute is he!!  I can't get enough of him and his other hedgehog friends...I like to think of them as porcupines though...it's more Alaskan that way! ;O)

Finally, the two pages together...  Hope you are all having a great week.  Owen's school is taking the week off, so I'm "forced" to stay home all but one day this week with him.  I'm really looking forward to some extra time with him!!  I think he's just as burnt out as I am!

Paper: Twitterpated

Cardstock:  Crystal Blue, Desert Sand, and Colonial White (stamped images)

Ink:  Crystal Blue, Sweet Leaf, Olive, Dutch Blue, and Cocoa

Stamps:  Happy Forever, Whoo Loves You, Exclusive Stamp Set from Twitterpated Kit, and Typewriter Keys

Other: Stickles, CTMH Organic Dimensional Elements (buttons),  Dimensional Ribbon Accents (long since retired), Pewter Photo Hangers with Colonial White and Pewter brads, ribbon by the yard from LSS, Making Memories Embroidery Floss, Recollections adhesive pearls from Michaels, EKSuccess corner rounder, and Zig pen

One More Pagemaps Sketch....Fun in the Sun

We've had a very busy couple of weeks between work and fun.  We made it to the air show last weekend...actually, over 200,000 people made it to the air show last weekend.  That's almost HALF the entire population of ALASKA!!!  It was a good show, but, WAY too crowded!!!  Owen loved every minute of it though and was very thrilled to get to tour the military aircraft.  He's already talking about going again....I'm not sure I can say the same! ;O)

I have managed to do a little scrapbooking in the meantime though.  I'm still working on Owen's first year.  Month 10 uses Twitterpated paper which is officially all sold out...I'm a little upset about that!  Although, I'm not a huge fan of sorbet, it's hard to blend that color with my photos, but, I think in this case, it worked out o.k..  

Paper: Twitterpated
Cardstock: Crystal Blue and Sweet Leaf
Ink: Crystal Blue, Sweet Leaf, and Cocoa
Stamps: Cobblestone Alpha and Small Chocolate Alpha
Other:  Colonial White Edge Anchors with Chocolate brads, Twitterpated Cardboard Buttons, Stickles, Making Memories Embroidery Floss, Fiskars and Marvy Circle Punches, EKSucces Corner Rounder, Martha Stewart Boarder Punch, Ribbon from LSS, and Zig pen

Page Maps....Relax

I'm three months shy of having Owen's "Baby Book" done...well, the third scrapbook for his first year!!!  Can you tell he's an only child!  Anyway, I'm hoping to get it all wrapped-up so I can feel like I've finally accomplished something!  I decided when I first started that I'd do each month with the same paper pack and just make it work.  So, far, I think it's worked out...you've got to love how versatile CTMH paper packs are.  This is the last page I had left to do for "Month 8" with Perfect Day.  Don't you just love those little feet...I have such a weird fascination with those little chubby toes! ;O)  Owen's crossed his feet like that since he was teeny tiny, people always ask me why I pose him like that...how in the world do they think I get him to sit still like that intentionally!  

I used another great sketch from Pagemaps, I'm so glad I thought to check them out again!  I've had a lot of fun with their sketches lately and look forward to doing more.

I had just gotten two new punches on clearance from Michaels and was excited to put them to use.  The first is the Martha Stewart Scroll Lace punch and the other was EKSuccess notebook.  I was surprised that despite the fact that EKSuccess technically makes both punches, I really preferred the Martha Stewart version.  But, I did like that the EKSuccess punch locks...anyway, just surprised at the differences.

Paper:  Perfect Day
Cardstock:  Twighlight, Olive, and Colonial White
Ink:  Twighlight, Olive, Bamboo, and Cocoa
Stamps: Cobblestone Alpha
Other: Stickles, EKSuccess corner rounder and Notebook punch, Martha Stewart Scroll Lace Edge Punch

Pagemaps...Those Big Brown Eyes

O.k., my husband and I were debating if the way I photoshopped this photo of Owen is creepy or not.  But, I think I like it and if nothing else, it definitely makes the point that I wanted it to! ;O)  I used one of the PageMaps sketches posted this month.  I haven't used their sketches in a while and had forgotten how much fun they are!  I wish I had put the title a little bit lower, but, its too late...I tried to move it, but it tore the paper and I don't have another of the flourish rub-ons...so, I guess I like it where it's at! ;O)  For those that don't know already, Owen's initials are "O.W.L." and his nickname is "Hoot".  So, I like to try and include owls into his pages wherever possible.

Paper: Caprice

Cardstock: Colonial White

Ink: Cocoa and Creme Brulee

Stamps: Large Friendship Alpha, Small Chocolate Alpha, You're a Hoot, Comments, and Dream Wishes

Other: K&Company Rub-Ons and Zig Pen

Preemie Pages

I have a friend that lives in Nome who's second son was born premature and ended up having to stay in the NICU in Providence for a couple of months. To give back, she asks the Close To My Heart consultants to make 100 preemie pages with the word "miracle" in the title, both for Mother's Day and Christmas. This is my third round and it always amazes me that I am able to find new sketches to meet her criteria which includes photo mats for 2-4x6 photos, a journaling spot, and a title. It's so much trickier than it sounds!!

This layout is one of the Basic Grey Maps from Pagemaps by Becky Fleck. I can't figure out how to post the actual sketch, so you'll have to check out the website to see it.

I used White Daisy Cardstock for the base and paper from an old Christmas DCWV stack for both versions of the layout. For this page, I used Holiday Trinkets, Comments, Baby ("our little"), Sans Alpha, Playful Flourishes ("Love" on the small tag), Botanical Borders and the Works Alpha stamp sets. I also used Buttercup and Sweet Leaf cardstock, lots of silver and yellow Stickles, and various ribbon from JoAnn's. The tag was cut with my Cricut and the stickers on it are Jolee's Boutique. The small tag on the left is chipboard from one of CTMH's retired collections, although I believe there are some tags one one of the newer chipboard collections as well.

This version also uses Comments, Baby ("our little"), Sans Alpha, Playful Flourishes ("Love" on the tag), Botanical Borders and the Works Alpha stamp sets. The flowers and leaves are from Prima and the drops in the center are Robin's Nest Dew Drops. The cardstock is Tulip and Sweet Leaf and the ribbon is again various ribbons from JoAnn's as is the poinsettia sticker on the tag, although the leaves are from the Summer Posies paper flowers. I used tons of gold Stickles on this one and another chipboard tag.

Happy Day!

I used one of the March 2009 sketches from Page Maps to do this layout. It didn't turn out to be anything like I had intended/hoped, but I'm glad to be done. I thought this one would be a quick one to put together, but instead, I struggled with it for almost two weeks. Hard to believe since its so plain, but sadly, it's true!! ;o) I think that's why I've really enjoyed making cards so much lately. They take me hours to complete, but not weeks like my layouts often do!

The paper is from a retired pack called Building Blocks, along with Sunny Yellow and Cranberry cardstock and Sunny Yellow, Cranberry, Moonstruck and Sweet Leaf ink. I also used Cobblestone Alphabet, Journaling Jots, and Birthday Invitation (retired) stamp sets. The balloons I believe are from Jolee's By You, and I added some sparkle to the cake with Finishing Accents clear rhinestone stickers and red and yellow Stickles to the candles. The embroidery floss is Royal Blue from Making Memories.