Vacancy at the "Seaside Villa"

Summer is not my favorite season.  The oppressive heat bothers me terribly, but if I could spend all my summer days by the breezy seashore, then I think I would change my mind.  So, I invite you to join me at my "Seaside Villa" - my July Counterfeit Kit.  Based on Citrus Twist's June kit entitled, "Summer Boardwalk", my kit will transport you to ocean breezes, warm sand beaches and refreshing waters with cool turquoise patterned papers, warm neutral cardstock and little treasures found in the sand like hexagon chipboard shapes and wood veneer seashells.  Come dig your toes in the sand with me as we take a look:

Yes, this is in my kids' sandbox and yes, I did get a little bit of sand in my Thickers, but I think it was well worth it!

Here on the "boardwalk" you can get a closer look at my collection.  I followed the selection of cardstock pretty closely, along with the addition of the text paper.  I just love the turquoise colors, so I included several different patterned papers in that hue.  On the far left are 2 different wood grains and the obligatory chevron (I do love them, it just seems that they are always in there!) and a chevron mask for the off-chance I can't find some of that zig zag pattern.  The only exact match I had was the Mini Market stickers in orange, so in they went along with a light turquoise set of Thickers.  Here are some close-ups of my embellies:

Some orange chevron (there it is again!) ribbon, My Mind's Eye brads, and a stamp set with similar images as the original kit.

I used my Cricut "George" cartridge to cut out those blurbs out of ledger paper.

The Pink Paislee chipboard hexagons from their Nantucket line are just as quaint as their namesake.  I wouldn't mind my Seaside Villa in that location!  And some wood veneer shapes from Close to My Heart are a perfect souvenir.

Just love that vintage slide from Jenni Bowlin Studios and that "vintage" woodgrain boat and frame came from a stash swap over at Lain Ehmann's Scrap Happy membership site.  I think it is from My Mind's Eye from several years ago, but I loved the woodgrain.  Just goes to show you that if you hold onto stuff long enough, it comes back into style!

So, are you convinced to spend a few days at the "Seaside Villa"?  I wouldn't wait too long to book your stay.  Before you know it, there will be a "NO" on the vacancy sign.  Grab your scissors and your sunscreen and join me for an enchanted retreat.

Let me show you quickly...

Hello there.  I had some time to play with my new toys today and managed to get 2 layouts completed.

Used my new chevron template on the top.  And I finally made that burlap banner I set out to do in the beginning of the month.

For this layout, I followed the paint challenge from Counterfeit Kit.  I just love the blue/brown combo. and the splattering of the chocolate milk.  It was fun to get all retro and use some of my new Jenni Bowlin goodies.

That's all for now.  Thanks for stopping by.

Scrapbook Expo 2012 - A Shopping Extravaganza!

The long awaited day had finally arrived.  Some women have a shoe fetish, but me?  Scrapbook supplies...paper and stickers and vintage goodies and buttons and ribbons and the list goes on and on.  All of this and much more could be found at the Scrapbook Expo in Somerset, NJ.  Sure, I've attended before, but back then I was just a scrapbook collector.  I'd buy all kinds of stuff that I would never use.  I'd think about using the stuff, but always had some excuse of why I couldn't.  Ever since I started Layout A Day scrapbook challenge and especially since February 2012, I've been documenting memories consistently - at least 90 pages alone since February!  In my opinion, a shopping spree was in order to replenish my stock (not that it is really lacking - he-he!)  Just like some girls can never have too many shoes,  well some girls can never have too many scrapbook supplies.  Here are some photos from the day:

While waiting in the ticket line, I ran into fellow ScrapHappy member and LOADster, Janet.  She has been super supportive with her heartfelt comments on my layouts.  I only know her through a mutual friend, but feel we have a special connection through our internet correspondence.  I love that we both are wearing our LOAD Past Perfect shirts!

Like a kid in a candy shop!

It's so much fun to see all the pieces of the October Afternoon lines in person!  One of my personal faves!

Mmmmmmm...Thickers!

Silly Glue Dots Man!

And then there was Jenni Bowlin Studios.  Be still my heart!

There were lots of scrapbook booths with lots of "stuff" and then there was the Jenni Bowlin booth.  Her displays were so inviting and charming.

And my brush with a scrappy celeb!  Jenni was as sweet as all of her products.

Finally, here's my Expo haul.  I really enjoyed the Jenni Bowlin booth since I've not seen a lot of her products in person.  It's hard to choose my favorite purchase of the day, but since I was asked on facebook, I would have to say the Jenni Bowlin vintage cardboard milk bottle caps and the Pink Paislee chipboard hexagons from their Nantucket line.  I'm a sucker for anything named Nantucket, but these little embellies in the ultra hip geometric shape are just fantastic.

Now it's time to start scrapping!

Finding a good balance

So glad to be back into my scrappy groove.  The kids and I spent the morning at the park, then stopped at the local produce stand and finally returned home for the afternoon for some inside time (aka scrapbooking!).  Our finished basement is set up as hobby central with a workroom, playroom and scraproom all right next to each other.  My son was busy creating his custom Lego Star Wars Clones (a new passion of his), my daughter worked on coloring a large cardboard house we have in our playroom and I was able to put together a layout from our trip to the produce stand.  I love having the capability of printing my pictures at home.  It enables me to follow any scrappy whim I may have.  Here's the fruit of my labor:

These photos were taken just an hour or 2 before and now here they are on a layout.  My photo printer has truly transformed my scrappy life.

The next layout took a little longer to complete as I didn't have a whole block of time like today.  I am learning to make better use of little chunks of time to "play".  These photos are what inspired my idea for the Farmer's Market kit in the first place.  My husband and daughter enjoy gardening and planting, so this is their special project.  Me?  I'm not as fond of digging in the dirt.  I'm more of a paper and scissors girl!

Not sure how much time I'll have in the next couple of days to scrap.  But that's ok as I am heading to the Scrapbook Expo in Somerset, NJ!  About an hour from my home and pretty close to my in-laws, I'm going to drop the kids off with them and then shop 'til I drop!  I've attended in the past, but more as a supply collector vs. a supply USER!  It is such a good feeling to create and document so many memories.  I'll be sure to take many pictures and share some of my finds at Expo.

The Farmer's Market and all its glory

I've been able to carve out some time to create some layouts...which always makes me happy.  I have to realize that while it is summer and the kids are home, it may take me several days to complete one.  That is fine as long as I get my scrappy time.

The first one uses my Counterfeit Kit Challenge (CKC) "Farmer's Market" kit and the Whimsical Musings challenge to scrap all things girlie.  That was an easy one with a super spunky girl like mine.

The next layout also uses my kit and the sketch inspiration over at CKC.  This two page spread allowed me to include many of the pictures from my daughter's preschool graduation.  I don't usually gravitate toward the   2 pagers, but there's definitely a place for them.  

After using a score pal at my local scrapbook store and enjoying the results, I decided having one might not be such a bad idea.  The blue medallion (which reminds me of a blue ribbon at a farmer's fair) was so much simpler to make with the precision creases of a scoring tool.   And the addition of the burlap heart is a simple, but favorite detail on this one.

Thanks for stopping by today during your busy summer schedule.  Hope you make some time to scrap!

Summer...the time for making memories.

Well, I put my kit together just before the kids finished school and then it just sat there :(  A trip to visit friends, time at the pool, planting, and the list goes on and on kept me from playing with my paper and glue.  I am realizing that summer is a great time for making memories, but it is more difficult to get to my scrappy place when the weather is warm and the kids are home.  I forced myself to put something together late last night using my Farmer's Market kit to "get back on the horse" so to speak.  I have to admit that my motivation wasn't there, but by using my kit and this recent adorable picture of my daughter from our trip to Philadelphia, putting a layout together wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.  Like anything else, once you get out of your groove, it's hard to get back in it.

(Title courtesy of my sister's facebook comment on this picture!)

We're going to head over to our local farmer's market to see what's fresh right now.  Hopefully that will provide some inspiration to get some more use out of my kit.  

Counterfeit Kit Challenge - June Kit Reveal

After a busy and successful Layout A Day month long challenge (31+ layouts completed), plus all the happenings over at CKC, I needed a short hiatus from my crafty world to get a few things in order on the home front.  For those of you who have been looking for me, I'm back and ready to share my June Counterfeit Kit.  This month is a little bit different than the last 3 I've participated in in that we aren't counterfeiting a particular kit, but creating our own.  Shimelle Laine, one of my faves in the scrappy world, put together a Youtube video for National Scrapbook Day explaining the theory behind putting together kits, which I found quite helpful.  Understanding a little bit about what types of papers will work well together will also help when I'm making purchasing decisions.  And after all this LOADing and counterfeiting, I may just need to make a few purchases!

Inspired by the beginning of summer and the passion my daughter has for planting and gardening, I "sowed" my June kit entitled,

Farmer's Market

The general guidelines (although we all seem to sneak a few things in here and there!)  were as follows:

• 10 sheets patterned paper - I have a few more, but some of my sheets are only 1/2 sheets.
• 8 sheets cardstock - only about 6.
• 2 alphabet sets - I included Mini Market Stickers, Yellow chipboard, and some red corrugated small letters.
• 2 stamp sets - I just added a few stamps...cloud, tickets, Sweet & Sassy, a flower design and a bird.
• 4 journaling spots - I have 2 definite journaling blocks and other assorted Oct. Afternoon labels,  some Sprouts by Jillibean Soup and some cut apart cards by Cosmo Cricket.
• 3 types of "choose your own" style embellishments (flowers, border strips, ribbon, anything you like)  Maybe we shouldn't count here (hehe!)  Border  strips, bottle caps, kraft tags, gingham ribbon, twill tape, mini clothes pins, brads.
• 1 roll washi tape - Couldn't decide which one - so I included both!
• 1 "old" embellishment -  The plastic mesh was something I won in a Stampin' Up gift basket many years ago.  Thought it would give the feel of chicken wire.
• 1 messy item (paint, embossing, mists, etc) - The one and only Mr. Huey I own.  Heirloom Blue.
• 1 other item of your choice - I included 3 rolls of burlap - natural, red and brown.  I'm hoping to use it in a variety of ways, but definitely want to make a banner with it.

Come on over to the Farmer's Market and see what's fresh today! (aka take a closer look at my kit)

 Patterned papers and cardstock...fresh for the picking!

Sun-ripened embellishments...nature's goodness :)

U-pick clothes pins, washi tape and brads.

A ribbon winning kit ready to be harvested into delicious layouts!

Thanks for stopping by the Farmer's Market!  Be sure to check back often to see what's ripe for the picking!