Best Friends Layout

I have been blessed with a long time best friend.  Lori & I met in 4th grade when she moved to my school.  We became fast friends.  It's amazing as we are both turning 50 this year that we are still best friends.  It's wonderful to have someone in my life that I can totally be myself with & never fear judgement... she just "gets me".  We talk often on the phone that the physical miles vanish & it's like we're in one of our kitchens just catching up & chatting the hours away.

We moved to Georgia in 1979 when I was 16.  It was so hard for me to have left Lori behind.  At that time the cost of a long distance call was $ 0.25 a minute!  My dad wasn't happy with the phone bill each month.  When we lived in same town we would immediately get on the phone after being together all day at school and talk for hours on the kitchen phone with the 25 foot long cord.  We'd both stretch the cords down the basement steps with the door closed for privacy - those coiled cords would be all wonky from being overstretched & drove our moms crazy.  Our phone was that 70's yellow.

I love Teresa Collins products!  They are so well designed & the style is timeless.  When I see pages in my album that I made years ago they don't feel "dated" because it's too trendy & detracts from the photos/story.

I'm such a blue jeans gal - easy breezy for me.  I LOVE navy blue & yellow in this line and several pages have text.  It just feels fresh & has such clean lines.

My parents let me go back to Baltimore for Easter because I was so depressed after moving the summer before.  I missed Lori & my grandparents who lived in Pittsburgh PA.  They would come to see us all the time growing up since it was only a 4-1/2 hour drive.  Now the only time we would see them is when they flew down a couple times a year (thanks to the fact that they were able to fly free since their son worked for United Airlines & a perk was to fly stand by anywhere in USA for my grandparents)

I love stitching on paper.  It just adds that little "something something".

I'm all about the noteworthy style with file folders, tabs, & tags.  I used one of my favorite Unity Stamp Company Stamps on kraft paper with navy blue ink to balance the page. I can always count on Unity to bring style & a bit of funky to my projects.

That bottom "remember this" was cut from this piece of paper.

just quickly cut with scissors a border from a damask paper.  

LOVE that light blue 

I used one of Teresa's Vintage Finds 1 stamps to give the Prima clock face a place to sit.  The milky yellow brad from Now & Then line is perfectly at home.  I love how her lines can mix and match

There are always interesting elements to cut out on her papers.  I layered the globe & vintage stamp to subtly give a travel feel to the page.  More machine sewing on the layered borders that I punched.

InLinkz.com

Other Supplies:  Discontinued Martha Stewart Tiny Floral Border Punch, American Crafts cardstock letter stickers, Glue Dots, Pop Dots, American Crafts Pigment Ink Denim, The Paper Company kraft paper, Scotch ATG adhesive, Singer sewing machine
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Hope you have a fantastic day & remember to do something creative.....

Could it be a Layout on My Blog....

I bet you are thinking you're on the wrong blog.... it's been so long since I posted a layout.  I've been doing so many mini books for sale & kits and for my own photos.  I love doing minis... something about the feel of them & all the textures.  Plus I can get a lot of photos done at one time.  I've been so neglecting doing layouts.  In the past I would even duplicate the stories to some extent that I told in a mini album for the "official" 12x12 scrapbook.  I forgot how much I love the process of creating a page.

I started these several months ago at a crop.  I don't stress out about finishing things at crops because the way I create makes it totally impossible unless I pack up my entire room.  I'm one of those people who drags out a multitude of stuff to audition them and see how they will look.  While I'm creating I will think of some item that I didn't bring that would be "perfect" and just the thought of it will stop the creative process dead in it's tracks.  I've learned to just move on to another page/project or I will sit there and get frustrated.  To top it off I'm a slow scrapper.  I really enjoy EVERYTHING about the creative process, from the most mundane intricate fussy cutting to journaling the story, so trying to be what I'm not takes the pleasure out of scrapbooking.  Realizing this about myself has allowed me to really like cropping & not worry about packing for them.  I enjoy the inspiration & catching up with my friends.... just relaxing & enjoying their company.

Here's a page about my son younger Brandon.  He's such an inspiration to me & constantly reminds me to not worry about what others think and  to "go for it Mom".  He really beats to his own drum, goes after life, is easy going & can talk to anyone... that "boy" has never met a stranger.  He slays me how girls will walk by & do a 180 coming back to chat... he usually gets a phone number with no effort lol.

I loved this Simple Stories line with motorcycles, guitars, & lots of stars.  His online nickname for the longest time growing up was "allstar" the stars made it even more perfect.  I mixed in some paper from Authentique - it was a vintage school line but I love the grey & yellow colors.  The weight of paper heavier & just called to be distressed & grunged up

Brandon went to the motorcycle races with his friend James.  

I love this photo in black and white it only made it better.  

It "quiets down" the distraction from the colors and just lets the focus be on the guys.

The top left corner of page.

The banners on the die cut sheet played up the race track theme from the photo.

I distressed the edges of all the layers to add texture.  In my mind that makes it more masculine.

The "You're Amazing" embellishment is semi transparent piece from Basic Grey.

I love how Simple Stories lines come with several pieces of paper with borders, 3x5 journaling spots, & lots of different things to use as the title of the page.  Their products make great mini books too.

 

I loved these metal embellishments that I found in my friend Susan's vintage stash - she found a huge lot of old jewelry at a flea market.  I was in heaven just sifting thru the goodies.

The piece on top of the thermometer die cut is so hammered and mashed like it was run over a dozen times with a tank.  That hair comb with the chevron striping of the teeth seemed current on trend & had an masculine industrial feel.

I really like how they look on the page layered with all the other paper elements.  A trick I use all the time in the mini book kits I make is to adhere paper to a piece of blank chipboard.  It adds dimension & makes the layers pop.

 

Couldn't resist a bit of washi tape to anchor the photo 

 Now looking at the photos I feel like it needs some paint splatter..... well it's not in the album yet lol

Family Sunday

Andrew & I took Mom's gift over to her.

Simple kraft wrapping paper, twine & a heart doily from the Dollar Tree and a stamped To/From tag using Teresa Collins Christmas Cottage Stamp Set. (there is one currently on ebay here)

Even though we have seen each other in the past weeks it's been at the hospital or nursing home rehab visiting Auntie so she gave me a beautiful birthday box filled with goodies......

I have put the finishing touches on some layouts that I started a crop months ago.... am I the only one who starts projects & finishes later?  I will post some photos later this week the weather here is rainy and I have to be outside to take photos my light isn't the best in the house...

Hope you have a fabulous day & remember to do something creative.

Tell Your Story Mini Album Kit

I LOVE creating mini albums with Teresa Collins products. She so thoughtfully designs the lines that the books come together quickly. Gone are my days of making each page chipboard I love the feel and look of chipboard covers with many double sided heavy patterned paper pages.

That's exactly what I did for this mini album kit titled "Tell Your Story" using the product line of the same name.

They are for sale for $24 at EMI Scrapbooking in Cumming GA and for additional shipping mailed worldwide by contacting Susan at emiscrapbooking@aol.com

Annual "GIRL" for Mom

Tomorrow is my Mom's birthday. Last year I made her a "girl" and she loved it so I thought I would do another for one of her gifts this year too.

Her hearts desire is to live on the Florida Gulf Coast so the message of this "girl" will remind her of that big dream and to do what it takes to get there. She's a strong lady with loads of gumption if anyone can she can.

This "compass" was made with a piece of anaglypta textured paintable wall paper. I bought a huge roll at Lowes for less than $20.  Its also great for texture in any mixed media or art journal project in a big piece.  

 I just cut the medallion out and layered on the paints

My parents wedding day 1962

when she was little girl with her mom and cousin.  She's on the left.

The recent photos are when she took me to Destin last year for 2 weeks. That's her happy place.

Mom & Dad at AJ's in Destin on the docks

Her yellow shoes make her happy....

Happy Birthday Mom hope this is the best year ever!

Welcome Auntie

Things have been hectic with family lately..... My aunt moved in with us at the end of July.  She's had some health problems the past couple years.

To brighten up her room & make her feel welcome I made this banner for her.

 Made mostly with Crate Paper's Paper Heart collection.  It was 2012 "valentine theme" line but I found it so versatile and used it for so many projects.... mixed media canvases, art journals, mini albums, lots of layouts, and some of the prettiest cards ever.  I just love the colors and lots of smaller prints/patterns. 

The Jenni Bowlin Home bingo card was just the perfect addition.

I cut the tags and letters with my Cricut Expression.  

The doilies came from the grocery store (I always have them on hand)

Adding layered flowers and a bit of twine in a loose bow

The tags are threaded and tied to inexpensive Ofray ribbon

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Auntie needs a bit of help now due to illnesses so we put in a stair lift which our cat PPK (Pom Pom Kitty named after his favorite toy lol that name is way to feminine for a boy kitty but he didn't like DJ which was his name when we adopted him.... he likes PPK) likes to ride up and down on too.  That's his Christmas antlers photo shoot... he's not too happy with me

He even has a YouTube video here.

She needs oxygen to breath... these are her tanks when we are on the go.  The small tanks went back since they didn't last long enough the big ones only last 1-1/2 hrs each.  She has a big plug in concentrator for use in the house.  It's a bit noisy but we're used to it.

Her dog Bella moved down at the end of May while Auntie was recovering in the hospital & nursing home

I couldn't resist a dress since she's a little dog I thought she would like it.... she tolerates it at best.  This a spaghetti strap "trashy rocker chic" number that Bret Michaels designs for Petsmart... Yes the "Every Rose Has it's Thorn" Bret Michaels from Poison.  Who would have thought.

 Koda happily claimed Bella's Martha Stewart Pets bed for "allowing" Bella to move in.  It was ok with Bell since she didn't like it anyway.... but don't tell Koda

Rosie is our wild woman who thinks she is the "hall monitor" (remember in school they thought they had all the power & it went to their heads... well that's Rosie for sure) making sure all the critters are not getting into trouble.  The problem with that is that SHE usually gets into trouble for getting involved.  

Then we have Poppy.... she is the most sensitive sweet dog ever.  Nothing makes her happier than watching something on TV with animals in it.  It doesn't matter if it's real life, movie where a zebra can talk, or even a cartoon... she is all in.  She thinks she's a little girl and loves to lay on the bed with her head on a pillow & will even slide between the covers to tuck herself in on a chilly night lol I'm not kidding.... if I didn't see it I would be shaking my head like I'm sure you are saying "yay right" but she really does it.

This is her pile of "babies" (no stuffing stuffed animals) that have to be brought up on the bed each night or she sits next to the bed crying and beating her wagging tail against the wall until they are all settled in for the night.  She's a good "mommy" to "skinny baby coon" the raccoon, "no butt baby coon" that Bella destroyed in 2.2 seconds so he literally lost the bottom half of him, "foxy baby", etc.  Yes all their names have "baby" in them.  The pile got even bigger after Christmas as their stockings had a couple more in them.

The critters are the best.  They always bring a smile.  

It feels like we are always going to the doctors for something between the two of us "sicky's..... I've learned to take each day as it comes. 

So this is life right now.........

Card for Mom

I made a card for my Mom for mother's day...  she really enjoys them much more than the store bought ones

This card is was made with scraps (My Mind's Eye, Fancy Pants, & Prima)

I stitched all the layers to a 4-1/2 x 6" piece of kraft paper.

I stockpile the tiny type letters they are perfect for cards that I don't necessarily have the right sentiment stamp for plus I LOVE the look especially with stitches at the bottom.

Layers of border punched strips along with a small piece of lace trim.  The addition of "ancient" K & Company flowers with buttons & a twine bow add lots of interest & texture.

Hope you had a great weekend & took some time to be creative...

Music... I'm a Jordis Fan

I've been a Jordis Unga fan since she was on CBS show Rockstar years ago.  I still have her version of "Man Who Sold the World" and "Heart Shaped Box" on my iphone & listen to it often.  The above song titles are linked to youtube video of the performance on that show.  I didn't want to embed it since I like to visit blogs at night in bed and music has a habit of waking the whole house if I forgot to turn off my speakers lol.

So when she turned up on this season of NBC's The Voice I was excited to see her trying to continue to live her musical dreams.  She has the bluesy style voice that I really like to listen to & puts a lot of heart & emotion into any song she performs.  Unfortunately Blake Shelton didn't keep her as long as fans like me would have liked but huge congrats to her fellow team member Jermaine Paul!  He sure can sing.

Anyway the reason I'm blogging about her on a "scrapbooking" paper crafts blog is because as a fan I'd like to see her succeed & give me more music to put on my iphone....  She is doing what a lot of other independent artists are doing and that is publishing their own albums for much less cost.



You can help her get to the magic number of $33,300 too by visiting this website.  Even just $1 will help her achieve that goal.  She has set up rewards for different levels of support.  Last I checked she was already 30% of the way there.