Go Jump In A Lake

This week is one-page week at Sketch Support. I like the challenge of turning a single page idea into a double page. Here is the sketch I started with.........

Here is the layout that I created! I stared by using the sketch as the center of my layout and then I just stretched it out over the two pages.

I added some stitching around the clusters of clouds (this was my BFF's idea).

I used buttons, brads and twine for some of my embellishments.

And mini alpha stickers for my journaling.

Thank for looking!

Fall Banner Sneak Peek

So I took the plunge and joined in on the Fall Banner Swap being held on the Two Scrapbook Friends forum! I missed out on the birthday one and was really disappointed when I saw what everyone created.

Here is my sneak peek........

I think we are all getting together on Wednesday night to do the swap. I will post the finished banner as soon as I have it together. I can't wait!

You Know You're Getting Old When.......

So a few years ago, after getting my eyes checked, I was told I needed glasses. No big deal, right? Lots of people wear glasses.

I didn't need them all the time. As it turned out, I barely ever wore them. I actually ended up losing them. I was sure that I had stuffed them into one of my many scrapbook bags. I searched and searched everywhere but never found them.

I purchased another pair to replace the lost ones. I wore these a little more than the first pair, but still not very much. I joked with my husband that when I wore them at the Ranger games it was like watching it in high definition.

Lately I had been noticing that my close-up vision was getting blurry and had my eyes tested again to find out that I needed reading glasses. I would wear them only for reading. Recently I found that I needed them to work on the computer and do paperwork too. Hmmmm! I purchased several pairs (I actually have 3 pairs but I couldn't locate the missing set for this photo).

A couple of weeks ago I dropped something behind my dresser and had to fish it out. You will never guess what I found.........the original pair of glasses that I lost years ago......the pair that started this whole collection of glasses I now have.

So, this is my collection of glasses (minus one pair that I have to locate) that I wear on a very regular basis. I find myself putting them on and taking them off, looking over top of them, and leaving them in every room in the house.

I never thought I would see the day that I would own so many pairs.....a sign of aging I guess. I refuse to resort to putting them on a chain around my neck......but I guess that may be in my future at some point.

My Scrapbook Journal

I love the sketch for add-on week at Sketch Support. The idea behind the add-on sketch is to make your own add-on (or embellishment) for a project or layout. As a scrapbooker, I loved the idea of a camera. I think this is something that I would use a lot.

Here is the sketch. If you visit the Sketch Support site, you can download your own copy for FREE!

Rather than creating a layout, I decided to make myself a scrapbook journal. Smash books are all the rage and I thought I could make my own.

I followed the sketch (with a few minor adjustments) and created the camera. I added some stitching (taught myself how to do a blanket stitch), and a button for fun.

I used a mixture of letters to embellish the front of my journal. I added some 'scrapbooking' items like ribbon and buttons to my letters to give it a 'scrapbooked' feel.

I used the Die-namics tab die to create 2 tabs to divide my journal into 2 sections.

One section is for stamps and the second one is for dies.

I really wanted to have a quick reference for my stamps and dies so that I could quickly see what I have without having to pull everything out.

I purchased the journal from Staples (I even went back and bought a few extras, just in case).

Back To School Online Crop

So I managed to get a little something done for the Two Scrapbook Friends online crop. Deanna challenged us to make something with an apple. Here is what I came up with.

I just couldn't resist stitching. I know that is a surprise to you :).

I have been busy organizing my stamps and I found this sentiment that hadn't even been dipped into ink yet.

You can visit the layout gallery and check out everyone's creations for all the challenges.

Today's Funnies!

Okay everyone, it is time for my quirky sense of humor.

Love this one........I consider myself to be the Watercooler!

I just love these iPhone ones. I think it is because it is so something I would do.

And this one is for my kids. They are still adjusting to the back to school schedule.

Hope you had a good laugh! I know I did.

A Special Gift

After an evening out with my hubby I came home to a wonderful surprise. On our kitchen table was a card and a case of beer for Monty........now I wasn't very excited about the beer, but I have to tell you that hubby was.

I opened the card, which immediately reminded me of our stay at the cottage this past summer.

Inside was this message.........

Graham is Matt's friend and he has come to the cottage with us 3 times now. He is a wonderful 15 year old that keeps us very entertained. Our trip would not be the same without him.

After reading the card, Matt told me that Graham had emailed me something. I checked my email and look what I found........a gift card for Amazon.com.

The gesture itself is very kind but there is more too it. When I was at the cottage I spent quite a bit of time reading. He obviously noticed that. I was reading actual books. Somehow he picked up on the fact that I have a Kindle (I didn't actually bring it to the cottage so I am unsure how he knew) and he bought me this gift card so I could buy some new books and download them onto my reader. When I called his house to thank him, I spoke to his dad. He said that this was all Grahams idea.

I have always known that I have 3 great teenage kids. It is so refreshing to know that they surround themselves with other awesome kids. I hope that Graham will continue to join us on our holiday every year. He to has given me many, many memories that I will cherish forever.

Treasured Memories

Fall is one of my favourite seasons and it is full of different photo opportunities. This week at Sketch Support they are featuring a 2-page sketch that is designed for 9 photos. I dug through my pictures and found some fall shots from 2006 that would be perfect.

Here is the sketch. If you visit the Sketch Support site you can download it for yourself.

Here is the layout I created!

My title is created using die-cuts from Imaginisce. I incorporated these corrugated hearts and embellished them with bakers twine, a button and a mini ticket from Maya Road.

I created a few clusters of related embellishments around the page. I used foam adhesive to give them some dimension.

I used some rub-ons from my stash to fill in the empty squares.

I used one of the embossed tags from We R Memory Keepers for my journaling spot.

• Cardstock - Bazzill
• Pattern Papers – We R Memory Keepers, Basic Grey
• Die-cut Embellishments - Imaginisce
• Corrugated Hearts - Jillibean
• Mini Tickets – Maya Road
• Bakers Twine - Jillibean
• Rub-ons – Pink Paislee, My Mind’s Eye, Me & My Big Ideas
• Date Stamp – Close to my Heart
• Ink - Ranger
• Brads – We R Memory Keepers
• Buttons – Basic Grey

Remembering.......

Today my heart is with all the mom's, dad's, brothers & sisters, children, friends and the heroes that responded to help. Although 10 years has passed I still remember how I felt as I was glued to my television, watching in disbelief.

Best Buddies

Here is the card sketch that the creative team at Sketch Support is working with this week. If you visit their website you can download a copy and play with it yourself.

I created a one-page layout instead of making a card.

The three photos through the center of the layout take the place of the three squares showing in the sketch.

I dug deep into my stash and found the perfect rub-on for my page. The colours worked perfectly!

I cut apart a cardstock frame and created the border along the bottom and then added brads.

I also tried out a new stamp set for my journaling. That was a bit time consuming but I do like the font.

Cardstock – Bazzill
Pattern Papers – MME Lost & Found 2; Bo Bunny Et Cetera
Rubons – Kaisercraft; MME
Brads – Misc.
Ink- Ranger Distress Ink – Vintage Photo, Memento
Border – MME Cardstock Frame
Stamp – My Favourite Things
Ticket – Tim Holtz
Pen – Ultra Fine Sharpie

Inspiration Pie Graph

This is for all my scrapbooking friends out there.......I am doing a little scrapbooking today and this is sort of how it is going.