Getting into the Spirit

I find I have the hardest time, when working on layouts, is selecting the best photos. I either don't have enough photos for the page or I have WAY too many and its all a process of elimination till I have the correct number of photos for the layout. That process can be quite time consuming. There have been numerous occasions where I just can't get through all the photos to even think of eliminating any of them. So, off to the back burner till I come back to it again.

This past week, its been an absolute delight having my daughter here creating with me. She worked on Christmas cards and I worked on various Christmas layouts. After all, tis the season!!

How many of you remember CTMH's Hollydays paper pack? Well, those papers were part of a workshop I conducted back in 2006. I was able to get Deborah's and Matthew's Christmas pages completed that year! (That doesn't happen very often!!) But I decided to do the twins Christmas pages with this paper pack as well. The first two pages were a breeze. Of course we have the visit with Santa (which they weren't too happy about). And their very first portrait sitting. Then it was selecting the photos for the next two pages that were the hardest. It was of course Baby's First Christmas and I had to select 6 photos of each twin out of 92 photos taken that day. But I did it! I took a deep breath and dove right in and didn't come away from the computer till all 12 photos were selected.

I am only showing one set of layouts, but there are two pages for each of the boys. This paper pack has been retired but its one of my favorite Christmas papers. These pages are not the standard 12"x12", I reduced the size to 9"x9" and use layouts from CTMH's how to book, "Cherish." Another consultant, way back then made cutting files for the ornaments, and I cut them on my Wishblade.

These next set of layouts are pages 3 and 4 of the twin's first year album. Remembering back to that Christmas 5 years ago...oh what fun we had. There is nothing like "Babies First Christmas!" They don't understand, but love the excitement. Oh how fast they learn though!

This first set is of Benny. Look at the excitement in Benny's eyes. The expression speaks volumes.

This next set of layouts are of Jaden's First Christmas. I could not get him to look up at the camera, for fear that everything would be gone! LOL He learned mighty fast how to rip off wrapping paper. But he wouldn't let go of the wrapping paper once the package was open. Too funny!

As for materials use here, all products are from CTMH (now retired) except for the ribbon which came from my stash. I believe I got that from JennD at www.just4funcrafts.com.

Well, I have a couple more layouts to share. I'll try to post again tomorrow. This has been one whacky week. Yesterday, I spent the day tidying up around the house and working on getting these pictures posted. Today, Kelli and I went down to the Base Exchange and then up to KMart to do some Christmas shopping. Then tonight was Deborah's Christmas program. Tomorrow, I have to head to the commissary and Thursday, Kelli and I plan on baking Christmas cookies all day. Christmas parties are Friday. Matthew's Christmas program in Thursday. And Matthew's class will be building gingerbread houses. Lets hope he gets more candies on his house than in his mouth!! Hope to get some good photos to scrap.

Oh yeah...on top of all of

that, Kelli and I will be making the teachers Christmas presents. So that needs to be done before Friday. I'll post a picture of what we do. I'm excited to get started on it!!

I'll see you tomorrow. Hope you have a great day.

Talk to you soon.

Lots of hugs and smiles,

Leanne

Busy, Busy, Busy

Oh my how time flies when you're in the midst of a family crisis. Now, that the crisis (the major portion) is somewhat behind us, I hope to be a bid more active with my blog. Please keep my family in your prayers as we make our way through this. I know with the Lord's help, He will guide us.


Even though I haven't been posting, I have been very very busy in the Rubber Room. This is the place I find solace. And of course, I have to keep my fingers moving. Since my posting (over a month ago) I have been working on layouts for my workshops and continuing to complete some layouts I've put on the back burner.

This first 2 page layout is another page for my Paris album. The pictures I scrapped are of the Champs Elysees, Arc de Triomphe, and Place de la Concorde. The papers are from CTMH's Felicity. The paper flowers are from my stash, and the bling on top of the flowers...I picked up at Michael's.

This next set of layouts was for my November workshop. Its the Hooligan's WOTG kit. The papers and title just matched the twins costumes. I liked the sketch so much, I used Making Memories Halloween tablet and scrapped Deborah's and Matthew's Halloween pics from the same year (2008).

Now, the page on the left, I made identical for each of the boys, but individualized the right page for each of them.

This is the left side of the layout.

This is Jaden's page (the right side).

This is Benny's page (the right side).

Now, I CASED the instructions from the Hooligan's WOTG kit and changed out the papers for Deborah's and Matthew's pages.

Matthew's pages:

It is such a good feeling to have all four of the children's Halloween pages done for at least one year. I am slowly but surely getting caught up on their albums. Now, if I could make time stand still, so I could get completely caught up. But what fun is that? This way, it keeps me very very busy and out of trouble.

I have a lot more to share, so stay tuned. I'll be back and share more of the pages I have completed.

Until next time.....

Thanks for visiting with me, here in my rubber room.

Happy Scrapping!!!

Lots of hugs and smiles,

Leanne

Apple Picking and more

Hi there!

Once again it seems like life gets in the way of my blogging and scrapbooking. I've been trying to get my Paris album completed, but every time I plan on spending some time here in the Rubber Room, something or someone decides differently. So, here I am with a few minutes before I head off to the kitchen and start on dinner, I thought I would share with you the pages I completed for last month's workshop. We worked with CTMH's Olivia WOTG kit and this is what I came up with. A great big thank you goes out to Karen Pedersen for showing me what the layout would look like if I turned the sketch 90 degrees. Now, Karen's layout is a very masculine looking layout and its absolutely gorgeous. I chose to use CTMH's Tulip cardstock for my foundation page and cut some apples out using my Wishblade.

These pictures are of my granddaughter, Deborah, and her very first field trip. This was when she was in Kindergarten, and all the classes went up to Tehachapi to pick apples.

As I said before, I've been busy working on my Paris album and I have a few pages here to share with you. I've been trying to go chronologically except for the last two pages I shared but they were done for my September workshop. Where I left off before (way back in August) I had just shared with you part of our visit to Versailles. This next layout is the inside of the palace. As I toured the palace, I was in total awe of the spectacular rooms.

There's a funny story about this next page. Its not so much about the purse but how I had acquired the purse, which I journal about it on an index card and placed it behind the picture. It read:

"As we were ending our tour of Versailles, we met back up at the bus. Dave and I were a bit early and noticed all the men carrying lots of various purses. We knew right off, these men were "street" vendors, and this is how they made their living. I had mentioned I would like to have taken a closer look at the purses, but was a hesitant. Our tour guide mentioned he bought a purse for his wife here the last trip he had made to Paris.
Now I didn’t want to spend a whole lot of money. But our guide gave a me a rough idea on how much I could get a purse for. I thought I would take my own challenge and see if I could get it even cheaper than our tour guide. Now, I am not a wiz at math and doing conversions in my head is something I have never been able to do very well. So, before I left the bus to haggle with these guys, I knew I need about 155 francs, which is about L20 sterling or about $33 USD. So, I turned to Dave and asked him to give me only 135 francs and that was all I was going to take with me. I left my bag, husband, identification, etc. on the bus and went to meet my new purchase, hopefully.
As I was searching for the bag I wanted, all the vendors swarmed at me like bees to honey. I found the bag I like and began to haggle with the guy. He told me at first 175 francs. I said, no no...too much. I knew it was close to the end of the day, and the last thing these guys wanted to do was to take home the least amount of purses necessary. Once he gave me his price, and I turned it down...he tried again and came down 10 more francs. I said, no no...too much, and turned to walk away. He then said, "You tell me!" I turned to him and said, "All I have left from today is 135 francs." He frowned and baucked about not enough. So, I turned to leave and he said, "Ok, 135 francs." I gave him the money and he gave me my purse.
So, here I am writing and telling you about my adventure in purchasing this purse. I didn’t think it would last a month...but 17 years later, I still have the purse and its still in great shape."

In setting up my Paris album, I planned on 2 pages for each "attraction" we saw/visited. But with all there was to see and take pictures of, I ended up with 4 pages for Versailles. So, in keeping with my goal of 2 pages, I used the True Fit Folio folders and made all those pages in bit more interactive.

I have a couple more pages to share, but they need to be photographed. With this record breaking temps here, I'll be able to get outside and photograph the next two pages I have completed.

So stay tuned....
Until later,
Happy Scrapping!!!


Leanne

Magnifique

Greetings from the Rubber Room!

I can't believe its been almost another month has passed and I haven't posted any artwork. The artwork I am sharing today is for my September workshop. We are working with CTMH's WOTG Magnifique paper pack. I tried to stay within the instructions, but I always have such a hard time...so as usual I manage to put the "Leanne's" two cents to it and made it my own. Yes, there is a lot of brads and a lot of flowers. I cut a lot of the flowers out of Chocolate and Colonial White cardstock on my Wishblade and I have a few flower punches I used as well.

These pages are of our boat ride, the Bateaux Mouches, up and down the Seine River in Paris. So, there are two more pages done for my Paris album.

Thanks for stopping by.

Until next time,

Happy Scrappin'!

Leanne

I had to interrupt my Paris scrapbooking to prepare for this month’s workshop. We are using Close To My Heart’s MRK "Splendor." I wasn’t sure what pictures I wanted to use, since I was till in the "Paris" frame of mind. But after discussing with my daughter, Kelli, how the papers look and what her impression was, I chose to do another 2 page layout for Deborah’s 4th year album.

I created this two page layout, using CTMH’s "Workshop on the Go" kit and "Cherish’s Asymmetric" layouts. I cut my title out of Topiary cardstock and backed it with the Heavenly Blue B&T paper. I used "Cherished Flourishes" stamp set and randomed stamp on around the title. I also used "Summer Wishes" (included exclusively in the WOTG Splendor kit) and stamped on the Heavenly Blue B&T paper. Then made some glimmer mist with Autumn Terracotta reinker and Create-A-Shade paint and some hairspray and sprayed the little flower. Then I attached them to the layout using Moonstruck brads, I had in my stash.
In coloring the chipboard flower, I used my sponge dauber and reinker and applied to the flower. Doing this technique, really gives some true terrific color instead of using a sponge to apply the color. I applied some glitter glue to the flower’s petals and on the Moonstruck center piece. The leaves behind the flower was from Scrap-Savvy’s Freebie Friday. How fortunate I feel to receive this file just as I was working on this layout.
I typed out the journaling and printed it on transparency film. I then trim it and ran it through my Xyron adhesive and then attached it to the page.

Well, its time for me to head to the rubber room and try to get some mojo going. Perhaps a bit of "Tidy Time" might help the juices start flowing.
Until next time, thanks for stopping by!
Happy Scrappin’
Leanne

Château de Versaillles

As I mentioned yesterday, we spent a few hours in the Montmartre part of Paris. Then the group met back up at the bus and we headed south to Versailles. I have a need to clarify...I am doing these pages and journaling to you from what I remember. The photos I had taken helps a lot because they are date stamped. Unfortunately, they are not time stamped though. That would make my job a whole lot easier, wouldn’t it? There are certain events that trigger a memory or so. I remember hubby needing to eat. He was a borderline diabetic at that time and tracking eating times were a bit more difficult than normal. Anyhow, we were in the town of Versailles, looking for a place to grab a sandwich. There was a little sidewalk café who was still open, but were going to be closing shortly. Most of the café’ close up around 1pm. Luckily for us, this one was still serving. Everything was written in French, and we had no idea what was what! LOL So the lady behind the counter pointed to the top item, "Gammon" and started making a pig sound. Turns out, she was trying to tell us that was a ham sandwich. We all laughed and said "Oui, Oui!" So we took our "sandwich au jambon et de la bière" (sandwich and beer) outside to a little table and enjoyed!
Bon Appetit!

Afterwards, we went back to the Château of Versailles. I was in utter amazement of the how spectacular this grounds and the palace was. Did you know that this was suppose to be a hunting lodge of the royal family? This excerpt was taken from Wikipedia, "Louis XIII's successor, Louis XIV, had a great interest in Versailles. He settled on the royal hunting lodge at Versailles and over the following decades had it expanded into one of the largest palaces in the world (Félibien, 1703; Marie, 1972; Verlet, 1985). Beginning in 1661, the architect Louis Le Vau, landscape architect André Le Nôtre, and painter-decorator Charles Le Brun began a detailed renovation and expansion of the château. This was done to fulfill Louis XIV's desire to establish a new centre for the royal court. The court was officially established there on 6 May 1682.
No wonder they had an uprising and revolution!

In 1993, we didn’t have digital cameras, but that didn’t stop me from snapping picture after picture after picture! I wanted to preserve this time and memories forever.
For these pages, I used CTMH’s MRK, "Passages." I used CTMH’s how to book, "Imagine" for the left page layout. The right page is from "Passages" WOTG kit’s right page. Of course like the intro page I shared a couple of days ago, I added a lot more embellishments to the page and changed it. On both pages, I distressed all the papers’s edges and used Fiskars’ and Martha Stewart’s border punches. All the florals are spiral flowers. Click here for a still picture tutorial or click here for a video tutorial on how to make your own spiral flowers. I thought I would try something different than what the tutorials said to do. Instead of using straight cutting scissors, I pulled out my decorative cutting scissors, dusted them off and used them. It really gives the flowers a more realistic look to them. On the right page, under the red roses, I made a flower using a flower loom. Most of the time, I would use thin width ribbon, or yarn or fibers, or waxy flax, but I tried using " ribbon this time. I sewed a button and a die cut flower to the center and then put the two spiral roses on either side, surrounding the bouquet with tiny Prima flowers with chocolate brads in the center.　
That’s not all to these pages. There is more than what meets the eye. In the lower left corner of the right page, I wanted to show what it was like walking through the gates and encountering this magnificent palace.

　
But wait there is STILL more!
I didn’t want to make that center picture of the palace any smaller but I also wanted to share more of the gardens and fountains of behind the palace. So, the picture and mat in the center of the right page is 5"x11". So, I doubled the height, scored it at the halfway mark and made a whole other layout in the inside.
　
　
I used the "Say It With Crystals" flourishes to give the effect of the water sprouting up from the statues in the fountains. As you can see most of the titles on all the pages are in French...I wanted to keep the ambiance of being in France with these pages. I see a lot of French influence in my every day life, which I think would go unnoticed if we didn’t go to Paris.
Well, Family and Friends, this is how I spent my month of July. Once I decided to use "Passages" for my monthly workshop for July, that imaginary "light bulb" went off! What better time than right NOW, to get started on scrapping all those pictures of our Paris trip. Now its only been 17 years since we were there. So, this is about all I have done for the Paris album. I still have all the papers, and embellishments and ribbon and everything else all out to be used for some more Paris layouts. So, I better go get busy and do some more pages, so I can share with all of you.
So, until next time....
　
Happy Scrappin’!!
Leanne

Sightseeing in Paris

That first day of our trip was spent mostly traveling from RAF Lakenheath to Paris. Once we arrived in Paris, that first day, we toured around the northern part of the city, not leaving the bus. We all checked in at our hotel, got a good nights’ sleep and started off early the next morning for a day full of sightseeing.

Our first stop was in the northern part of the city, called Montmartre. Montmartre is a hill which is 130 meters high, giving its name to the surrounding district, a part of the Right Bank. Montmartre got its name from the "Mount of the Martyrs’. It’s the highest point in Paris and is associated with many hopeful, budding artists. It is primarily known for the white-domed Basilica of the Sacré Cœur on its summit. Its white dome is a highly visible landmark in the city. Toward the lower end of the hill, you’d be able to see where the Moulin Rouge was located. Moulin Rouge is a cabaret built in 1889 by Joseph Oller, who also owned the Paris Olympia. It’s close to Montmartre in the Paris’ red-light district of Pigalle on Boulevard de Clichy. It is marked by the red windmill on its roof. The Moulin Rouge is best known as the spiritual birthplace of the modern form of the can-can dance. Today the Moulin Rouge is a tourist destination, offering musical dance entertainment for visitors from around the world. Much of the romance of turn-of-the-century France is still present in the club's decor.

In completing these pages, I wanted to give that "turn-of-the-century feel to the pages. I was also showcasing three different attractions, all on a two page spread. So, I decided to give these pages a feel of climbing, 'cause that is what we did that day. So I chose another sketch from Page Maps and gave the pages, the "Leanne touch" to make the pages my own.

The papers I used were from K and Company's "Life's Journey." I tore and distressed all the edges using CTMH's Desert Sand ink. I cut some green delicate flourishes for either side of the pages with my Wishblade. I used the same technique from Dawn McVey's blog to make her "puffy flowers". But before I layered the flowers together, I distressed the edges. Once I put the flowers together I spritz them with my homemade Glimmer Mist. I clustered all the flowers together on top of a couple of flourishes. Both titles Montmartre and Sacre Coeur were cut several times on my Wishblade and stacked to give the look of chipboard. I did the same thing with the birds surrounding the titles.

To make the Glimmer Mist, a sister consultant, Susan Burmood, shared how she was able to take some reinkers, water and CTMH's Create-A-Shade paint, combined them together in a spray bottle and spray as you would regular store bought glimmer mist. I changed it a bit, and used liquid hair spray instead of water. That will help keep your flowers for going flat. As you all know, and I use to say it at all my gatherings, "I am a lumpy bumpy kind of girl."

One last thing about the layouts, I wasn't sure how I was going to journal about all these attractions we saw. I wanted to share what each place was and a bit of history of them. So, I took CTMH's new flip flap, trimmed them down to fit my pictures and used the underneath part to do my journaling.

That first day in Paris, we started off so early. It was a good things since there was so much to see and do. Its been too long to remember (17 years) exactly how long we spent at Montmartre. But I do remember climbing aboard the bus, and headed to Versailles.

That my friends, is a whole another story and more to share. Tomorrow! Thanks for walking down Memory Lane with me and thank you for letting me share my pages. As I complete these pages of our trip to Paris, I am falling in love with Paris all over again.

Until tomorrow,

Happy Scrappin'

Leanne

Crossing the English Channel

As I promised yesterday, I want to continue sharing with you the pages I have completed for my Paris album. I spent most of the month in July working on the layouts of our visit to Paris.

Our first day of our Paris trip, was spent traveling. We left RAF Lakenheath early in the morning. The tour bus picked us up on base and it was a 2-3 hours bus ride to Dover where we took the ferry from Dover to Calais. The pictures were matted on Outdoor Denim cardstock and the journaling was printed on vellum.

The pages are pretty simple really. I used CTMH's Majestic Blue papers for the background. I used oct0812x12dblb sketch from Page Maps. The wheel and the anchor I made into a gsd file and cut them on my Wishblade. I layered over the top of the striped paper a strip of Magic Mesh. But I think what make these pages pop are the "Say It With Crystals" embellishments.

I hope all is well with you and yours. I'll be back tomorrow with another couple of layouts from our trip to Paris.

Until later, thanks for stopping by.

Happy Scrapping!

Leanne

I Love Paris...

I love Paris so much that I have dedicated a whole album for our trip to Paris back in 1993. As you know, I don't scrapbook in order. I just wasn't sure how I wanted to scrap our Paris trip, even though I knew I wanted to get these pictures out of the box and onto pages. Since I started scrapbooking 10+ years ago, I have been purchasing patterned paper just for the Paris trip. So, it wasn't for lack of supplies, it was that darn creative block. I just wasn't sure how I wanted to set up they album. My stack of Paris pictures measured almost 3 inches high. So I said to myself, (yes I talk to myself a lot) "Leanne, stop this procrastination and get these photos organize! Then you'll be able to figure out how to scrapbook them." So, I pulled them out and tried to remember ALL the events and the places of that special time in Paris. I even turned to hubby and asked him. So, we reminisced and walked down Memory Lane, remembering our trip to Paris. So, when Close To My Heart introduced their new MRK, "Passages," that ah-hah moment stuck me! I was going to begin scrapping the Paris trip using these papers. Now, the Workshop on the Go kit from CTMH is a fantastic deal, and the layouts for the papers are fine, but I am not a CASE (that's copy and share) person. I like to tweak the pages a bit and make them my own. I love to take the pages and tweak them and make them my own.

So, without further ado...let me share the beginning of our Paris album. So, for the next few days, I take you for a ride down my memory lane of our trip to Paris. I'll try to explain the thought process of how I developed the pages. And if possible I will try to tell you all the products I used for making these pages. Please remember that I have been collecting papers and I still continue to collect them for over 10 years. My stash is dwindling down, but its a slow process.

Introduction Page

This is the first page of the album. Now I used CTMH's WOTG layout, but changed it a bit. Now I prefer to use a patterned background instead of leaving it simple. So, I cut fleurs de lis on my Wishblade, large and small, and then stenciled the images onto my 12"x12" Barn Red cardstock. I used the colors Cocoa and Colonial White. I cut my title "Destination" on my Wishblade. I also cut "Paris" out several times and layered them on top of each other to give the impression of chipboard. I used my Fiskars border punch for the top and bottom of the striped paper towards the top of the page. The metal embellishments came from my stash. I believe they are from Making Memories. The center flower in the lower left corner of the page, I made using my Nestabilities' scalloped circle. I got the idea from Dawn McVey's blog. She has a step by step tutorial explaining how to make these puffy flowers. I also cut thin strips of Magic Mesh to use on the page instead of ribbon. The journaling piece I used is from CTMH's "Annotations" stamp set. I stamped it twice and cut the top piece around the design on one of them. I then layered it using a pop dot. Then I adhered a "Passage" clip (without the clip portion) to the center of the stamped image.

This is only the beginning of the Paris album. I will try to post day one tomorrow or perhaps later this afternoon.

Thanks for stopping by.

Until Later,

Leanne

Do you ever feel like there is just not enough hours in the day to get the things done you want to get done? Something ALWAYS get neglected, whether its housework, or crafting, or checking things out on facebook. There just isn't enough time in the day. Now, would I vote to add a few more hours to a day, heck no. I am just complaining because I am bad at time management.

So, how was your summer? Are your kids back to school yet? The children here went back to school on the 18th. The twins were enrolled at the Cerra Coso day care program. Its so similar to their preschool, that the twins call it going to school. Their first day was the 19th. After Kevin and I dropped the twins off, he says, "I don't want to leave...I want to stay!" Typical first time parent feelings. I was the same way when I sent my children off to school the first time. Then the Saturday after their first day, Jaden was telling Ben to hurry and finish his breakfast so they wouldn't be late for school. He was so disappointed he couldn't go to school on Saturday.

Now, Deborah and Matthew are in all day classes. Kelli is enjoying some much needed rest and relaxation. I am not sure though for how long...she's planning on doing some volunteer work in the children's classes. What a big difference I see in Matty's behavior this year, and for the good. The children love the idea of riding a bus to school. Only problem there is the bus driver won't let them sit together on the bus. She calls Matthew, "Mr Tornado!" LOL Matty is the kind of person that when he walks into a room, his presence is known! LOL

So, here I have more pictures to scrapbook! I have papers selected for these pictures. But what about the pictures I haven't scrapbook that were taken before? I figured I will get them done sooner or later or even much later! LOL

I don't want to make this post very long...I just wanted you all to know I've been thinking of you. I do have some artwork to share, so stay tuned.

Until next time...

Happy Scrapping!!

Inky Hugs,

Leanne