Scrappin' With Gamma

New Set of Wheels

2012-02-09T17:00:00.000-08:00

I did these pages last year for one of my workshops, then realized I never shared them on here. So, I am trying to make up for lost time and decided to share them with you now. The papers are from Close To My Heart's My Reflection's "Sofia" paper pack. The pictures are of my darling little granddaughter, Deborah and her Poppi (grandpa) We had just bought her her first tricycle and she so enjoyed riding down the driveway. I used Martha Stewart's Punch Around the Page punch for the border and I stamped the tricycle you see behind the title and enlarged it and printed it on transparency film.

Thanks for stopping by...

Until next time,

Happy Scrappin'

Hugs,

Leanne

Felicity

2012-02-08T06:00:00.000-08:00

When Felicity paper pack was first introduced as a National Scrapbooking Month Special for Close To My Heart, I knew right away, what pictures I wanted to scrapbook. These pictures were taken in May 1999, at my oldest son's graduation. I don't have very many pictures of my husband and myself together as a couple so its special to have these and be able to scrapbook them.

I used a combination of Prima flowers and handmade flowers to create my clusters with flourishes I cut with my Wishblade, along with buttons and waxy flax.

Thanks for stopping by,

Until next time...

Happy Scrappin'!!!

Hugs,

Leanne

Chuck E. Cheese Birthday

2012-02-07T06:00:00.000-08:00

Its been a busy month here in the Rubber Room and I have so much to share with you. As I have mentioned in previous posts, I've set up kind of a monthly schedule for myself on what to accomplish for that particular month.

So, for the month of January, I've selected birthdays to be my theme for the month. Although, I am very behind in filling up the album, I feel I have made great headway in getting more pages accomplished. Even though I've completed the same amount pages as I have in the past. But I believe by concentrating on a theme, I am completing pages, I would normally put off for another time.

Back in June 2007, we took, Deborah and Matthew to celebrate Matthew's 3rd and Deborah's 5th birthday to Chuck E. Cheese and we made it a family affair with the Jaden and Benny joining in on the celebration. And as usual, I am behind the camera snapping pictures galore. I just wanted to make sure I had enough pictures to chose from for their scrapbook pages.

As I have done before, I've keep the sketch the same for all the layouts. And again, I used one of Allison Davis' sketches from her blog, Sketch Support. With Deborah's layouts, I used DCVW's "Sweet" and "Nana's Kids" paper stack. I found a cut file on the web of Chuck E. Cheese and used it on the right side of the layout. I even went to Chuck E. Cheese in Bakersfield on New Year's Eve and purchased some tokens to use on the layout. And as usual, journaling isn't done yet. I've even asked my children to help with the journaling. LOL

Now, with Matthew's pages, I used CTMH's My Reflections, "Fanfare" paper pack. And the layout is the same as Deborah's, just different colors.

This was a bit more difficult scrapping the pictures of the twins. They were only 17 months old at the time. Jaden didn't care too much for the rides or the games, so Kevin ended up holding him most of the time. But one thing I have say about the twins...they sure enjoyed that pizza!! And drinking out of a different container other than their sippy cups was a big thrill for them.

Now, Benny, he was a different story. He enjoyed himself enormously. It was very difficult for this Gamma to keep up with him. With the twin's pages, I used DCWV's "Nana's Kids" paper stack. These paper stacks by DCWV can go a LONG way.

So, between trying to finish up layouts I was working on before the holidays, getting my layouts completed for my monthly workshop, I was able to squeeze in one more layout for the month.

This layout of Matthew eating cake for his second birthday will complete his 2nd year album. The picture just doesn't do the layout any justice at all. But the fun he had "wearing" his birthday cake was just choice. LOL This is the first time I used My Mind's Eye Designer Paper. It came in a big 180 sheets stack. It was within all my stash and thought that using these papers would really accent the birthday theme. There was no sketch to go by with this layout, but I tried to keep a "round" theme going throughout. The cupcakes, title, candles, stars and scalloped circle were all cut with my Wishblade.

I hope you enjoyed looking at my layouts. I'll be back to share some more in the next day or so. Thanks for stopping by...

Until next time...

Happy Scrappin'!!

Hugs,

Leanne

DinoMite

2012-02-04T09:57:00.000-08:00

A while back, I purchased some Autumn Leaves papers from my LSS. When I bought them, I thought these would make some great layouts of the twins. I didn't have any photos in mind at the time. So, when I got ready to use these papers, I went in search of the photos. Not only did a find some cute pictures of Benny and Jaden, but I also found some adorable pictures of Matthew as well. Then, I found the perfect sketch from Allison Davis' blog, Sketch Support.

So, these are Benny's pages. Primary reason I chose these photos was because of the shirt Benny was wearing.

Now these photos are of Jaden.

And these photos are of Matthew.

The age of the boys in all three of these layouts are about the same. So, as I mentioned before, the papers are Autumn Leaves, I cut the dinosaurs with my Wishblade, along with the title. I'm quite pleased how these turned out. But I didn't stop there...
I simply had to do the same sketch, but different papers for my Deborah. So, I knew I had some photos of her, just like the boys, and instead of using a big star like I did with the boys, I decided to use a big paper sun. So, I selected CTMH's Mayberry paper pack. I still have jounaling to do on her layout, but I wanted to share with you the layouts so far. I am really bad when it comes to journaling.

Thanks for stopping by and permitting me to share some of my layouts I've just completed.
Until next time...

Happy Scrappin'!!
Hugs,
Leanne

Sonoma Layout

2012-01-07T17:55:00.000-08:00

Hey there everyone!

Last time, I shared a layout I did of my mother. The time from was the early 1940s. I was so pleased how it turned out, that I wanted to do one of my father. So, with CTMH's Sonoma paper pack, I took a very frilly looking layout and gave it a masculine twist.

These pictures are of my father, Donald Klock Archer, in November of 1940. He is pictured with his brother, Fred and his step mother Anne. The family is out on the back porch of their home in Kirksville, MO. This house became known as the "Gangster House" by some of the locals. Simply because my dad and his family came from Chicago. But there was no truth to those rumors. My dad and his father built the house. I have lots of stories from my dad and how they moved rocks and dirt to set the foundation of the house.

I didn't have the flourish type paper with this paper pack like I did with the Roxie papers. So, I took one of Tim Holtz's templates, some ink and a few flourishes stamps and I made my own patterned paper. The clock behind the picture on the left, and the scalloped circle and the honeycombs I cut with my Wishblade. I also cut out a few of the gears you see on both sides of the layout. But I also cut some gears using Tim Holtz's Alterations' Gadget Gears, and Hardware Findings dies. I did a lot of distressing to give the page and even more vintage look.

I'm very please with how these pages came together and how they turned out. I decided to use the gears on this layout, not only to give it that masculine feel to the layout, but also as a tribute to his profession. My father graduated from Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) in 1944 as a Mechanical Engineer. I think its fitting the gears for mechanics.

I have more to share in the next few days.

Until then,

Happy Scrappin' and

Thank you so much for stopping by.

Hugs,

Leanne

Merry Christmas

2011-12-26T10:49:00.000-08:00

I love this time of year! With this season, so many of us gather as families and celebrate. So many of us are so blessed to have children and grandchildren, parents, and grandparents to celebrate with. I feel so blessed to have this season, to reflect on good fortunes and to thank the Lord for His guidance through so trouble times.

As 2011 ends, we welcome in a new year. It seems with each new year come resolutions. Some years, I've made lots or resolutions, and some years, I haven't. This year is no different. One of my many resolutions, is to not neglect my blog. There was a stretch of time, where I hadn't been creating. I felt like my mojo, picked up and moved on. Took some time, but the mojo returned and I am back again, creating lots of layouts. In the coming weeks, I'll share with you my creations.

In years past, with the coming of the new year, I use to set a number of layouts I wanted to complete within the year. It was always an outrageous number, and a goal I couldn't keep. I came pretty close but never made it. So this year, I thought I would set different new year goals. Instead of setting a number, I thought I would set up themes for each month and do layouts with that particular theme. For instance, January could be birthday theme layouts. I would love to do snow theme layouts, but those are few and far between here in the desert. February could be wedding layouts. December could be Christmas layouts, October could be Halloween. I am still in the planning stages, but this might work. And I am not under any kind of pressure. And if I only do 3 layouts, then I don't disappoint myself. No set number, just a set theme.

Thank you for following my blog and I wish you and yours, a very prosperous New Year.

Until next time,

Happy Scrappin'

Leanne

Raggedy Andy Boys

2011-06-29T18:06:00.000-07:00

Some time in the distant future, my grandsons will have nothing nice to say about me when they discover these pages in their 2nd year album. But how can you NOT take pictures and scrap them when they are so darn cute!

Let me tell you the story of how the clothes pins ended up in the boys hair and not on the clothes line. I had the clothes pins in a container sitting on the kitchen table. Benny found them and picked one up and put it in his hair. I imagine he thought these were barrettes and didn't know the only little girls wore barrettes in their hair. I thought it was sooooo cute, I had Ben go show his dad. Kevin thought it was funny and decided to put more into Ben's hair. Then I grabbed the camera. Once Ben, had a full head of clothes pins, Jaden decided he wanted a head full of clothes pins as well, so Jaden got a head full.

This is what I did to accomplish these pages. A few years ago, as a NSD special or perhaps it was Heart of Winter special, (it was one of them, I just can't remember which) Close To My Heart offered a year of scrapbooking. There was paper enough for 12 2 page layouts (2 pages for each month of the year) and also included were 2 sheets of My Stickease pertaining to that month. These photos were taken in February, so that would have made it Valentine's Day theme. The paper was somewhat of what you see here, except the blue (Indian Corn Blue) was a deep pink (Hollyhock). Now I could have lefted it but I felt there was too much pink for a little boy's page. So I used a combination of 3-4 stamp sets that had the spiral circle stamps in various sizes and I randomed stamped Indian Corn Blue ink onto ICB cardstock. Then I punched a strip of White Daisy cardstock with my Fiskars "Lace Apron" border punch, lined it along the bottom of the pages. I didn't want to put flowers on the page, at least not the feminine kind I like to use, so I punch out some circles to go with the circles I stamped for the background, ran it through either my crimper or my Cuddlebug folder "Swiss Dots." Then I stacked them with a pop dot inbetween and a button on top.
Now, the Raggedy Andy figures, are coloring book figures, I found online. My good good friend, Jennifer, (Hi Jenn!!!) colored them for me for the pages. Didn't she do a fantastic job? Click on the link above and see all the fantastic artwork Jenn does. She is just one talented lady!!!

Well, I am off onto another scrapbooking adventure. I hope you enjoyed my layouts as much as I enjoyed creating them. So, until next time...

Happy Scrappin'!!

Hugs,

Leanne

Mayberry Papers

2011-06-20T07:20:00.000-07:00

Good Morning Everyone!

Its kinda early this morning to be up and at 'em! But my dogs decided it was time for me to get and let them out. Nice alarm clocks aren't they? NOT!! I have a lot to do today, so I might as well get up and get started. Although I am not looking forward to doing laundry and scrubbing down bathrooms, I am excited to share with you this next layout.

This layout is of Deborah's 2nd Birthday Celebration. I used Close To My Heart's "Mayberry" kit and the left side of Allison Davis' 2 page sketch #9. The layout came together so easily. I also use Lyndsay Riches' digital scrapbooking add-ons. I changed the colors using my RGB codes in Photoshop Elements and then converted them to gsd files and cut them out with my cutter.

That completes all the 2nd year birthdays for the grandchildren. I still have quite a bit to do to complete their second year album, but I'll keep plugging away and get them completed when I can. I still have a few more layouts to share. I'll be back tomorrow to share another set of layouts with you. Meanwhile, the dust mop and cleanser are calling my name. I guess I best get busy.

Until next time,

Happy Scrappin'!!

Hugs,

Leanne

First Birthday

2011-06-19T08:37:00.000-07:00

Good Morning Everyone!

This morning I have three, yes, you read that right...3 layouts to share with you. They all came together pretty easily, once I had a concept in mind. I'll share more with each layout. I want to wish all the fathers out there, a very Happy Father's Day. I hope you enjoy your day.

Since I had already done a 1st birthday layout for Matthew's 1st birthday, I couldn't name this layout, first birthday. But I also wanted to scrap these pictures of Dave with Matthew. When this group of people get together, we usually end up passing the baby. But for some reason, Matthew preferred sitting with his Poppi to enjoy the festivities.

Once again, I used one of Allison Davis' sketch from Sketch Support. Its her two page sketch #2. It really is a simple layout...something I am not use to, but I sure can become accustom to simple! LOL I used papers from 4 different paper packs, some of which are pretty old, but came in handy for this layout. I used: Close To My Heart's "Pride, Route 66, Tinkerin' and Zippidee." Oh and that zig zag border along the bottom came from CTMH's Animal Cookies My Stickease. The sun and the bird and the trees are from a digital kit from JCarson Designs. She provided vector files which I converted to cut files and used them on my layout.

These next two layouts, I have been thinking and thinking of what I wanted to do with these pictures. How did I want to scrap them? I had saved the party hats from their first birthday and wanted to use them on the layout as well. I wasn't sure how, till I saw a layout on scrapbook.com. In the comment section, the scrapper said she CASED the layout from a layout she found in the July 08 issue of Creating Keepsakes. The layout was perfect for what I wanted to do with mine. So, I went in search of finding the July 08 issue of the magazine. Wouldn't you know it...I had just gone through all my past issues and got rid of them. So, I posted on the message board of ClubCK that I was looking for a past issue. Another reader came through and posted a link and I found the layout I was looking for. Guess who the original designer of that page? It you said, Allison Davis, you're correct. I should have known. Its funny how things have a way of coming around and back to you.

As you can see, I used the boys party hats. The papers are from Close To My Heart's "Animal Cookies." I also used some "Sunflower" Background and Texture paper (retired). The scalloped circles were cut with my Nestabilities die in Tulip cardstock. All the eboxy embellishments are from Creative Imaginations. The balloons and cake with the one candle are from The Paper Studio, La Petites. And the top of the hat embellishment is from Studio Calico Notions. Even though one of the pictures looks like it was taken at Christmas, our tree was still up at the time of their birthday. They were born a week into the new year and we've decided to keep our tree up till after their birthday. The party hats at the top of the layouts are from Suzy Zoo.

Now, all the grandkids "First Birthday"s are completed, that makes all their first year albums done. What a sense of accomplishment! But you know, when I get that need for a baby fix, I just may add another page or so to their album. LOL

I have one more birthday layout to share with you, which I'll do tomorrow. So stay tuned. Thanks for stopping by.

Until next time...

Happy Scrappin'

Hugs,

Leanne

Kern County Fair

2011-06-16T07:48:00.000-07:00

Good Morning everyone!

Its been a busy couple of days here in the Eisler household. The twins have been here since Thursday, and yesterday, our little Matthew turned 7 years old. Oh my, where has the time gone to?

I finished up a couple more layouts in the past few days, but wanted to share with you what I've completed before that. The layouts I am sharing today are of Deborah's first time visiting the Kern County Fair. She has so much fun that day. You can see through the pictures how apprehensive she was at first, but slowly found out how much fun going to fair really is.

Let me explain what I've done. I've taken two different sketches and combined them to make a two page layout. I don't remember where I got the left side sketch but the right side sketch came from Allison Davis' Sketch Support blog. The papers are from Close To My Heart's "Days To Cherish" special from a few years ago. I chose these papers because of the colors go so well with what Deborah is wearing and I love putting circle and stripes together. It makes it so much fun. But I think the Ferris wheel and carousel horse and carousel really make the layout. I found a couple of digital scrapbook kits which contained these items. I was able to change the colors to suit the colors of my papers. Then I converted them from a digital image to a cut file and cut then did a print and cut with my Wishblade.

I hope you have a terrific Thursday. Thanks for stopping by. I'll be back tomorrow with another layout I've completed.

Until next time...
Happy Scrappin'

Hugs,

Leanne

Snack Time with the Twins

2011-06-13T08:03:00.000-07:00

Good Monday Morning Everyone!

How was your weekend? Were you able to find some time to do some scrapping? I finished up the twin's final page of their first year album Friday night. It such a good feeling having a whole album completed. It feels even better now that all four grandkids albums are done. NOW...to move on to all of their second year albums. Its a slow process, but I'm getting there.

These layouts are 9"x9" format. I started off with something completed different and the feeling I normally get when I scrap just wasn't there. So, I put the layout aside and had a good think about why I didn't like this layout. When I did realize what I didn't like about it, I was able to come back and finish it up. Once again I turned to my friend Susan's blog for the sketch. Its sketch #41. I used Close To My Heart's "Sky" cardstock for my foundation. But wanted a bit more texture to the page. So I used my Quikutz handle and my Cuddlebug embossing folder. Here is tutorial on how Susan explain how to do it, click here. The pattern paper is from 3 bugs in a rug. The cookies are from a digital kit from Sprouting Seed Studio. I downloaded the kit and them made the cookies into cut files and use my cutter to cut them out. The clock face I found online as well and printed it out on transparency and the attached it to giant cookie and the single minute hand attached in the middle. My friend Jenn sent my those clock hands a while ago for a workshop I was doing, and this is just leftover. And the little "Yummy in my Tummy" embellishment down in the lower right of the layout is from Marcella which I picked up at Target a while ago. There was a dinosaur head there where the cookie is...I just replaced it.

So that finishes the twins first year album. YAY!!! As I said a few posts back, we are celebrating quite a few birthdays this month. So, I am working on trying to get past birthdays scrapped so I can move on to scrap more present day photos.

I hear the laundry calling my name and that dust on the floor won't go away unless I run my dust mop. So, I am off to complete my chores for the day and then I can do some scrapping this afternoon or evening.

Thanks for stopping by, stay tuned for another completed layout.
Happy Scrappin'!!

Hugs,
Leanne

Sweet Adorable Baby Girl

2011-06-10T07:44:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while, after scrapping so many pictures of trips, and school pics, that I need a "baby fix." This is the case when I did this layout of my daughter Kelli. I would prop her up against some pillows and grab the camera. This one in particular is my favorite.

The papers at the top of the layout, I've had since Close To My Heart first introduced their My Creation collection. It has since been renamed to My Reflection collections. I wanted though to dress the paper up a bit. So, I had some little Prima yellow flowers on top and a bead in the center. The rest of the papers are from My Little Yellow Bicycle's Baby Safari collection, along with all the stickers. I also used Martha Stewart's punch along the bottom of the yellow cardstock.

Through the years, Kelli has develop a frog fetish. She loves anything frogs. So when I found a small tiny little frog in the epoxy stickers, I simply had to add it the layout. Its small, I know, but I thought it would be fun to add a lil frog to her layout.

I also used CTMH's "Glitz Stardust." Which is a liquid glitter. Its hard to tell from the picture, but there is lots of sparkle to the layout. I did get a bit carried away when using the Glitz.

As I said in yesterday's post, I was hoping to get the layout completed for the last page of the twin's first year album, provided I didn't have too many interruptions. It wasn't so much the interruptions, it was the amount of time I spent on each of the layouts. I cut the title out for their layouts, and I just didn't like it, so I went back to find another font that would cut better and I could use for their title. So hopefully, I'll have those to share with you tomorrow.

Thanks for stopping by,

Until next time...

Happy Scrappin'!

Hugs,

Leanne

May Stack-a-holics Challenge

2011-06-09T08:20:00.000-07:00

Good Thursday Morning to you all!

We've made it through the night and this morning, logging on was hassle free! YAY!! So, what did I do while our DSL was down and the computer was turned off? Yes, you guess it! I worked on some layouts. I've been working on the final page for the twin's first year album. I hope to have that completed today, if I don't have too many interruptions.

Last month, Erin, over at Die Cuts With a View 's blog, posted the May Stack-a-holics Challenge. She posted this sketch, from Susan Stringfellow and using any of the DCWV Stacks, we were to create a layout.

Now, I have a few stacks and I pulled out my favorite stack of all and completed this layout. I don't normally do challenges. I'm either to engrossed into another project or I don't have enough time to complete the layout. (Remember...I am a slow slow scrapper!)

I used "Nana's Kids" Stack. And everything on this layout, came from my stash. Usually, I'll find I would need one maybe two little embellishments to finish off a layout, but not this time. Let me just tell you, some of these things have been in my stash since I started scrapbooking. I think the hardest thing of all in completing this layout was cutting out that little rocking horse with my cutter. It's only about 1"x1.5". It made for some very delicate construction. Luckily enough, I had my Xyron "Create-a-Sticker" 150 loaded and ready to be used.

The rules were to complete a layout using the above sketch. Then Erin would select the top ten layouts and then select a winner from those ten. I am happy to announce I made it to the top ten. Erin used random.org to select the winner. Although my name was not selected, I feel so privileged and honored to be part of the top ten. She hasn't announced the June challenge yet, and I am not sure I'll have the time to complete the challenge. But who knows...I may just cave in and give it a go.

So, check out Erin's blog. There is something really big going to be announced in the next day or so. I wonder what it is?

Until next time,

Happy Scrappin'!

Hugs,

Leanne

Eat Cake!

2011-06-08T15:23:00.000-07:00

Good Afternoon Everyone!
Normally, I like to post to my blog early in the morning...when my thoughts are clear and I know what I want to say. But since Verizon had a major equipment malfunction, we've been without our DSL for the past 19 hours, I was unable to get to blogger and post.

But now that Verizon has repaired its equipment, let hope there isn't any more outages. I was going crazy not being able to get onto the net to even check my mail. It was quite frustrating! But we're good to go!

I wanted to share with you a layout I did earlier this year. Its funny, I just shared a couple of days ago, the twins 2nd birthday layouts. And here I am today, sharing their father's 2nd birthday layout.

Back when Kevin was turning 2 years old, he was so in love with Winnie the Pooh. He would try to sing, Winnie the Pooh song but all he would sing would be "Winnie the Pooh, Winnie the Pooh, Winnie the Pooh!" It was so cute!! AND whenever he saw the Disney Castle and Tinkerbell with her wand...he'd come running, yelling, "Pooh, Pooh, Pooh!!!" And he would blop himself down in front of the television expecting to watch Winnie the Pooh.

This is a very simple layout, which is not what I normally do. But the papers, I think, take care of the "busy" feel to the layout. The "Eat Cake" paper came from Creative Imaginations. The larger matted bracket square is Sunflower and Goldrush from Close To My Heart. I made my own Glimmer Mist with Goldrush reinker and "Create-A-Shade" paint from CTMH and liquid hairspray. I selected this paper and colors because they matched so well with the Winnie the Pooh images I had in my stash. The border down at the bottom of the page, I used CTMH's Hydrangea (retired) cardstock and Martha Stewart's punch. The small bracket square in the lower right corner of the layout, I cut out with my cutter and I used Suzy Zoo stickers.

Let's hope that Verizon had permanently fixed their problem. With fingers crossed, and a big big wish, I hope to be back in the morning and post another layout I've completed lately.

So stay tuned...

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

Happy Scrappin'!

Hugs,

Leanne

Paris at Night

2011-06-07T07:26:00.000-07:00

Good Tuesday Morning to you all!

I know I haven't been posting like I should, but this week, I am going to try to catch up with all the layouts I have completed. The pictures on these layouts are from our Paris trip in '93. I am a little over halfway through with the Paris album.

You know once I find a sketch that I really really like, its like everything else just falls into place. The pictures, the sketch, the embellishments just seem to pop up out of nowhere and they say, "Use us!! We'll work for that layout!" If I force myself to use pictures I am unsure about, or even the sketch, the layout will show it. Its a feeling, I can't force. So, I just go with it and let that feeling guide me.

This is the case for these layouts. Once I found the sketch at my friend's Susan's blog, I just knew I wanted to scrap these pictures with this sketch and with this paper pack. The papers are Close To My Heart's "Wings" paper pack. Along with most of the flowers and pleated ribbon. I used Martha Stewart's "Punch Around The Page" punch for the border. I cut my title out with my cutter and made it "faux chipboard" I also sprayed it with some liquid glass and hair spray to give it a glossy finish to it. Then I finished out the title with some bling. I also added some "Say it with Crystals" flourishes to highlight all the shimmering lights of Paris.

Thanks for stopping by.

Until next time...

Happy Scrappin'!!

Hugs,

Leanne

Where's the light?

2011-06-06T09:05:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday Morning to you all!

Just when I thought I was just about all caught up on the layouts I had sitting in my "to do" file, I started a bunch more. But because I needed one thing or another, I've put them on the back burner till I can get the necessary supplies. I have though finished up or will finish up this week a few more layouts.

This month's workshop was last Tuesday over at the Pizza Factory. We worked with Close To My Heart's "Fanfare" Workshop on the Go kit. It was so good to spend the evening with friends and work on layouts together.

Since I had more pictures than what the instructional brochure called for, I chose to use a different sketch. The sketch I used is from Allison Davis' weekly sketches. I love the big cupcake on the left page and chose to do some hidden journaling. Its from My Scrap Chick weekly Freebie Friday website. The other embellishments I used are from Suzy Zoo, such as the balloons and the title and the little duckie at the right page. I also used my 2" scalloped circle punch from CTMH along with the buttons. The number 2 on the right page is also from CTMH but it has since been retired. The birthday boy little tag is from a digital scrapbook kit and I converted it to a cut file. The ribbons I used came from my stash.

Thanks for stopping by and permitting me to share my layouts with you. I still have lots more to share. So, stay tuned.

Until next time,
Happy Scrapping!!
Hugs,

Leanne

Bliss

2011-05-17T22:55:00.000-07:00

Update January 1, 2012
I noticed this in my blogger files, set as a "draft." I thought for sure I had posted this way back in May. This was the beginning of the hard times we spent this past year. I apologize for posting this sooner. I hope you enjoy reading this and enjoy my artwork I have attach to this post. Leanne

*****************************************************************
Greetings from the oh so messy Rubber Room!
How was your day on Saturday? Were you able to do any scrapping? I woke up Saturday morning all excited and rearing to go. I knew I had a lot planned for the day and I wanted to get to it. Not only was it National Scrapbook Day, but here in our small little town of California City, we celebrate each year, the desert tortoise. The day/weekend is full of family fun. We start of with a parade down our main boulevard with lots and lots of floats. This year, Deborah walked in the parade with her Brownie Girl Scouts. And the twin, Jaden and Benny, accompanied with their dad, Kevin, walked in the parade with their preschool. Unfortunately, Matty didn't get to walk in the parade, but he hung out on the curb with his dad and watch the parade.

They had a lot of fun walking in the parade. Meanwhile, back at the homestead, I was gearing up for some heavy duty scrapping time. My plan was to complete a two page layout, that I had started a few weeks previously. And to complete another two page layout, that I started before I started the other. Plans never go according to schedule. But, the good news is...I did complete one of my two page layouts and even added another page for this particular album. So without further ado...

These are the layouts I did for my monthly workshop. Unfortunately, they weren't completed at the time of the workshop, but I did manage to work on some of it at the workshop and finished the pages last weekend. I was going to use these papers with CTMH's "Silhouette" papers, and continue with my wedding pictures, but decided instead, I would start on my daughter Kelli's wedding album. The papers are from CTMH's "Bliss" paper pack in addition to CTMH's "Spring Iris" cardstock. Most of the flowers through the layout are handmade. The tiny button flowers are actual buttons from CTMH and I just set one of CTMH's "Sparkles" gem in the center.

So, now that I'd completed, two pages of her album, I thought I would do her introductory page to her album.

I love the picture of the hands, showing the wedding bands, and the flowers. It sets the "ambiance" of the album. Don't you think? I had a lot of fun with this page. Let me tell you what I did: The birdcage...I cut out 5 of them, using my Wishblade. It gives the cage more dimension than just a single cutout cage. The flowers and the lace...well, the lace was a stark white and it clashed with the other colors, so I combined Colonial re-inker, alcohol, and hairspray along with a tad bit of glitter, into a jar and then added my lace and shock. Then I laid the lace out to dry, moving them periodically so that the paint wouldn't pool in certain spots. When it was completely dry I was able to make the flowers and then attach them to the layout. The two blue paper flowers I sprayed with my homemade glimmer mist. Nothing like getting your hands dirty with a little bit of ink! I also want to mention about the flowers...if you look at the photos of Kelli, you'll see she has some tiny little flowers in her hair. I used those flowers as well on the layout. It was the color of the flowers to select a complimentary color to the neutral colors of patterned paper.

So, this is what I was able to accomplish for National Scrapbook Day 2011.

I noticed in my files some layouts I haven't shared yet. So, stay tuned, and in the next few days, I'll share with you more of the pages I've completed lately.

Thanks for stopping by.
Until next time,
Hugs,
Leanne

Giveaway Time

2011-05-15T09:58:00.000-07:00

Hi there!
I thought I would post this in case any of you are interested. Melissa at Creating from the Heart posted this giveaway on her blog this morning:

Melissa writes: "It's that time again! Time to give something away!! This time here's what's up for grabs!

A Martha Stewart All Around The Page punch!

And a $100 gift card...yes I said 100 hundred dollars...to Michael's Arts and Crafts!"

This is open to everyone. All you have to do is 1) leave a comment on Melissa's blog (click here) 2) leave a link on your blog to my giveaway and for an extra chance...become a friend(follower) of Melissa's blog.

This will stay open until May 30th, Memorial Day here in the States. After that, Melissa will randomly pick a winner and post it within a day or two.

So, check it out and Good Luck!

Hugs,

Leanne

Sorry for the Interruption

2011-05-14T06:49:00.000-07:00

Wouldn't you know it? No sooner than I try to post my layouts here and the fun the grandkids had last weekend, blogger goes on the "fritz"! I didn't do it! Seriously...there had to be some major upset in the Blogger corporate offices. I can only imagine, seeing all the techno geeks, scurrying around trying to figure out what happened and trying to fix it. Thanks goodness there were no telephones numbers posted anywhere. Remember those days..."If you need further assistance, call 1-800-XXX-XXXX." Ok, Ok...its too early in the AM to make the wheels start turning. I've only had one cup of caffeine. So, anyhow, if you weren't able to access my new post from Thursday, check it out below and if you like what you see, feel free to leave a comment.

Thanks for stopping by...
Let's talk soon.

Hugs,
Leanne

Bliss

2011-05-12T10:34:00.000-07:00

Greetings from the oh so messy Rubber Room!
How was your day on Saturday? Were you able to do any scrapping? I woke up Saturday morning all excited and rearing to go. I knew I had a lot planned for the day and I wanted to get to it. Not only was it National Scrapbook Day, but here in our small little town of California City, we celebrate each year, the desert tortoise. The day/weekend is full of family fun. We start of with a parade down our main boulevard with lots and lots of floats. This year, Deborah walked in the parade with her Brownie Girl Scouts. And the twin, Jaden and Benny, accompanied with their dad, Kevin, walked in the parade with their preschool. Unfortunately, Matty didn't get to walk in the parade, but he hung out on the curb with his dad and watch the parade.

So, now that I'd completed, two pages of her album, I thought I would do her introductory page to her album.

I love the picture of the hands, showing the wedding bands, and the flowers. It sets the "ambiance" of the album. Don't you think? I had a lot of fun with this page. Let me tell you what I did: The birdcage...I cut out 5 of them, using my Wishblade. It gives the cage more dimension than just a single cutout cage. The flowers and the lace...well, the lace was a stark white and it clashed with the other colors, so I combined Colonial re-inker, alcohol, and hairspray along with a tad bit of glitter, into a jar and then added my lace and shock. Then I laid the lace out to dry, moving them periodically so that the paint wouldn't pool in certain spots. When it was completely dry I was able to make the flowers and then attach them to the layout. The two blue paper flowers I sprayed with my homemade glimmer mist. Nothing like getting your hands dirty with a little bit of ink! I also want to mention about the flowers...if you look at the photos of Kelli, you'll see she has some tiny little flowers in her hair. I used those flowers as well on the layout. It was the color of the flowers to select a complimentary color to the neutral colors of patterned paper.

So, this is what I was able to accomplish for National Scrapbook Day 2011.

I noticed in my files some layouts I haven't shared yet. So, stay tuned, and in the next few days, I'll share with you more of the pages I've completed lately.

Thanks for stopping by.

Until next time,

Hugs,

Leanne

National Scrapbook Day

2011-05-07T08:39:00.000-07:00

Happy NSD to you all!
I hope you enjoy your day, just scrapping away! I, too, plan on spending my day scrapping. I'll be back in the next day or so to share with you what I've accomplished. I plan on finishing up a couple of layouts I've been working on. And perhaps move on to a couple of new pages.

So stay tuned.

Happy Scrapping everyone!

Hugs,
Leanne

Scrapbooking - The Next Generation

2011-04-02T20:04:00.000-07:00

Oh my, where has the time gone to? I know I haven't posted in a while, but I didn't realize how long a while its been. I got sick in February and it seems to take forever to recover. I guess that is what happens when you reach my age. Also, there are a lot of changes going on here on the homefront, that has me kinda spinning my wheels. I hate change...I try to roll with it, but that doesn't always work. Just know, that as things changes, I try to keep the positive aspect in the forefront and not dwell on the negative.

Anyhow, what I have to share today is something so precious to me. I started teaching my granddaughter Deborah to stamp when she was about 3 years old. She loved to stamped. But that is all she would do. Just stamp images (good and bad) on a blank piece of cardstock. But this past weekend, she came to spend the day with me and she asked if we could do a scrapbook page. So, I handed my how to book, "Reflections" and asked her to pick out a layout that she would like to do. I was going to have her do the whole layout by herself (with a little bit of guidance from her Gamma). So, she found the layout she wanted to do. I asked her what pictures she wanted to scrapbook. That was too broad a question for her. But she definitely wanted to an "All About Me" page. So, I asked her what age would she like to scrap, which she said, "Gamma, I think the age of 4 would be perfect."

This is when you're thankful you took the time to organize all those photos. I have all my photos broken down by year, then month, then activity. So, Deborah and I took some time going through each month looking at all the pictures and the fun things we did back then. I think she enjoyed this part the best. We laughed at all the antics she and her brother Matthew did during that time. The pictures brought back some happy memories for her. That my friends, is what scrapbooking is all about!!!

Once the pictures were selected, I gave her free reign to select any papers she wanted to work with. But before she started pulling paper packs out, I asked her, what colors should she be looking for. Deborah is one smart cookie, let me tell you. Her reply was, "Since my shirt is pink, I need to find some pink paper, and there is some brown on my shirt as well, so I'll need some brown paper too. Oh and Gamma, I love flowers so I need to look for some papers with flowers on it." So as Deborah started pulling paper packs from my stash, I set up my photo-editing program on the computer. I printed out some "rough" 3"x4" pictures so we could see exactly how the pictures would go with the papers.

Deborah pulled 6 paper packs and we went through each one and she decided if she liked it or not. It was all a process of elimination at this point. Till it came down to two paper packs, "More To Adore" and "Life's Delight". She selected "Life's Delight".

What a learning experience this was for Deborah! She learned how to coordinate colors, which is really easy when working with Close To My Heart products. She learned how to "dummy up" a page before attaching anything to the page. She learned how to read a ruler, and how to use a cutter and how to read the measurements on the cutter. She learned how to distress the edges of the cardstock with ink. She decided on the picture placement of all the photos.

It was a fun filled day for both of us. And I so look forward to doing some more scrapbooking with my new found partner, Deborah!!

Thanks for letting me share.

Until next time...

Happy Scrappin'!

Leanne

Final Page

2011-01-24T16:07:00.000-08:00

Yup, that's right! This is the final page for my grandson's first year album. Now, I'm not one who can scrap in order, but when I noticed I had but a couple more pages to finish off Matthew's first year album, I was ecstatic! All I could think about was completing those final pages. I shared with you last week the final two pager needed for his album. You can scroll down and see. And today, this is the final page. Now, I can move on and work on his second year album and probably more of the other albums as well. If you would like to see all of Matty's pages, click here.

I had so much fun working on this layout. If you're wondering about the title, "Emejota," there is a cute story behind it. Matthew's mother (Kelli) started calling him "MJ" (short for Matthew James), but after a while, Matthew (like most little kids) started to ignore his mother. Out of complete frustration, Kelli one day, blurted out "Emejota" and that got Matthew's attention real fast. For those of you aren't fluent in Spanish (like me, I had to ask why) Emejota are the initials for MJ. That nickname has lasted till recently, when Matthew started in school.

The papers I used came from a previous Close To My Heart's Heart of Winter special, "Days to Cherish". The CTMH colors are: Holiday Red, Heavenly Blue, Buttercup, and Sweet Leaf. The big Sweet Leaf B&T paper scalloped circle I cut out from a pattern from CTMH's "Emporium" workshop guide. I used quite of bit of chipboard on this layout except for the title. Using the font, Miami Nights", I cut out the title 5 times from cardstock and glued them together. It really gives the page more dimension. Its what I like to call "faux chipboard." The real chipboard pieces are from CTMH's Irresistibles™ Pizzazz Chipboard Die-Cuts. These die cuts are so cool!! They have a resist pattern that show through when color is applied. And the little guy on top of the red bracket rectangle is from La Petite, which I bought back in 2005 on clearance for $.94. Don't you just love finding bargains like that? I sure do. Too bad it takes me forever to use them. LOL

Well, I am off on another scrapbooking adventure. Stay tuned for my next set of layouts. I can't believe I have completed 14 pages so far this month and we still have 7 days left in the month. Looks like 2011 is off to a great start!! Thanks so much for stopping.

Until next time...

Hugs,

Leanne

Triple Take

2011-01-21T06:35:00.000-08:00

As I was looking through all three of my grandson's first year albums, I realized I had not done a "bath time" page. I have thought many times, of what I've wanted to do for their page, but never completed the page. So, the time had come, I am almost done with their first album and knew it was time to complete those pages. And once I made that conscious effort to complete the page, everything fell into place.

When my friend, Susan, posted a sketch on her blog, I knew I was on the right track. I had been collecting various components for these pages for quite some time. Funny, how I have planned these pages and almost forgot about them. The word paper came from a digital scrapbooking kit. The little ducks is one of my favorites and is a part of Suzy Zoo collection. The bubbles in the background are from Stickerpotamus and the other little embellishments are from Jolee's Boutique. I found them both here. This is the last of the "Dutch Blue" gingham paper I've had in my stash. The borders I punched out with Martha Stewart's "Punch Around The Page" punch. The yellow and blue cardstock is Close To My Heart's "Sunny Yellow" and "Dutch Blue". I cut 2 large "bubbles" out of vellum and used CTMH's "Sky" ink and sponged the edges. Its hard to tell from the photo. They look so much better in person.

These are pages for Benny's album.

The pages above are for Jaden's album.

Of course when I do the twin's pages, I always duplicate them. In my opinion, that's what you do with twins! LOL It just makes it easier. I am sure there will come a time when I will have to individualize their albums, but for now...I don't mind repeating myself. BUT, I loved how the pages turned out for the twins, that I thought I would do the same for Matthew's album as well.

Its is such a good feeling to know, that I am almost done with all the grandchildren's first year albums. Its a small step, but one to take notice. And at the rate I am going, I may have ALL their albums completed when they graduate from college! LOL So, I'll keep plugging along and doing what I can when I can.

So until next time, thank you so much for stopping by!

Happy Scrappin'!!

Hugs,

Leanne

New Year....New Goals

2011-01-14T10:18:00.000-08:00

Have you ever had one of those days/weeks where anything you had planned was put back on the back burner because other things took priority. That is how my week has gone. But the good news is...I'm somewhat free of having to set priorities and I get to spend some quality time here in the rubber room.

Since the first of the year, I have been concentrating on getting pages done for my grandsons, Matthew, Jaden and Benjamin. Their first year album is just about completed. I had to order some things for their pages, and as soon as those things arrive, I can get those pages completed. YAY!!! So meanwhile, I thought I would move along into their second year album. I have made a chart for myself to help me keep track of all the pages I've completed and to know what I need to work on to complete that album. Since I'm scrapping for 10 people and everything else, I need that kind of thing to keep my organized and to track my progress.

I felt like I had been neglecting Matthew's books, so I decided to do some pages for him. I also realized I didn't have any pictures of Matthew with his parents. So, these pictures were perfect for scrapping.

This is the first layout I've made using CTMH's new how-to book, "Magic". The papers I used came from CTMH's Heart of Winter "Days to Cherish" special.(retired) The word stickers came from my stash. The big half circle on the left page, is from MyLYB, "Safari Baby Boy". And the words on the pictures are rubons from my stash.

This next set of pictures are of Matthew. He loved this little microphone, that would play so loud, it could be heard anywhere in the house! LOL He still has that toy and still loves playing with it. But that thumb tastes so much better!

The bumblebee paper I used is from Bo Bunny. The sketch is another from CTMH's how to book, "Magic". I believe the other papers are from Bo Bunny, but I am not sure. They came from my stash without their tags on them. The large chiboard letters are from Making Memories, and I painted them with Making Memories scrapbooking paint. I made the bubble buttons from the patterned paper and glued them to painted chipboard. Then I attached CTMH's round "Window Charms" on top of the disc.

I should have started out this post with these layouts. I wanted to finish my Notre Dame layouts before I started on the boys' pages. So, I brought in the New Year finishing up these layouts.

The floral patterned paper is from K and Company, "Ancestry.com" line. The green polk dot patterned paper is from CTMH's "Perfect Day" paper pack. The brown patterned paper at the bottom portion of the layout is CTMH's retired "Fleurs de Jardine paper pack. And the pink is from CTMH's retired background and texture paper pack. The colors are Juniper, Baby Pink and Desert Sand. The scallop edge paper is a punch from Martha Stewart. The flowers are homemade and the flourishes I cut on my wishblade. This marks the half way point of my Paris album. I hope to get another layout done for the Paris album sometime this month.

So, I set my goal once again this year to complete 144 pages. I just fell short about 11 layouts to meet my goal of 144 last year. If I had an extra month in the year, I would have met my goal. LOL If only...LOL. That makes my goal for each month, 12 pages a month. With what I've shared above, I am half way in meeting my goal for the month. But as in past years, I start out strong, but dwindle down half way through. I'll have to think about how to keep the momentum going. I'd love to meet my goal this year and even surpass it. Wish me luck!!

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Until next time,

Happy Scrappin'

Hugs,

Leanne

Happy New Year!

2011-01-10T10:00:00.000-08:00

I can see that I am not very good at making New Year resolutions. LOL I had promised myself to post more regularly on my blog. And here it is...January 10, 2011and this is my first post for the new year. I can say I'll try to do better, but haven't I said that before? So, bear with me as I try to figure out a more logical way of posting.
It's not that I haven't been scrapping...I have! I think its when I am on a roll, I hate to interrupt that creativity. But when I have scrapper's block, I get busy looking for inspiration. Oh my, its a vicious cycle I put myself through. So, let me share with you the layouts I did last month.

These first set of layouts were for my workshop last month. We used CTMH's "Mistletoe" WOTG. Now, I like to put a twist of the layout, corp has chosen for us. These two pages, are my renderings.

When I photographed the layouts, as you can see, I switched the layouts. What is suppose to be on the left is on the right and visa versa. I used Martha Stewart's Around the Page punch and punched out the border. Then took the border stamp from the stamp set "B1357 All the Best" that came in the kit and stamped around the page, I really like how the stamp and punches goes so nicely together. I will probably use this again.

So now that I've completed one set of Christmas layouts, I felt the need to do some more. Can we see a patterned happening here? LOL You have to admit...I AM getting those pages scrapped. I also realized that I am almost done with Matthew's and the twin's first year album. Just a couple more layouts and all three of the books will be done. Yippee!! So here is a page for Matthew's first year album.

Some of the papers I used are retired, but I also used some scraps from the Mistletoe kit. It really was a simple layout to put together. I don't know why I waited to complete it as long as I did. But everything here I used from my stash. I am slowly dwindling down everything I have been hoarding. I still have a ways to go...but its getting there.

So, while I was in the Christmas spirit and it was the Season. I realized I had started a 2 page layout for Matthew last year. Somehow, my attention got turned away, but I had kept it close to work on at a later date. Well, that later date had arrived and I completed the layouts from last year's "Jingle" WOTG kit.

Now that I've completed pages for Deborah and Matthew, I turned my attention to the twins. I knew I had quite a few pages to finish for their first year album. So looking through the file of their first year...I found a few I knew I should scrap.

As many scrappers I know, they enjoy using Page Maps' sketches for doing their layouts. I too use Page Maps alot for inspiration. I found another blog that has given me quite a bit of inspiration. The blog is Sketch Savvy and the blogger is Susan Stringfellow. I have used quite a few of her sketches lately. Check out her blog and leave her a comment or two. I know she'd love to hear from you. Click here for the sketch I did above. I flipped the layout so I could use it on the left side. Then you can click here for the sketch of the layout below

These next pages I did for the twins. They were learning how to crawl, and they kept crawling and climbing all over each other. They were the most curious set of babies. And if one of them found something the other had to investigate it as well. Where one was...the other was right there with him. It was easy at that time to keep an eye on them.

The papers I used for these layouts are from DCWV "Linen" paper slab. The flowers I cut out on my Wishblade in addition to the little car in the lower left corner. The flowers I spritz them with homemade glimmer mist (create a shade paint, reinker, liquid hair spray) and scrunched them to give them some dimension on the page.

So this is what I had been up to the last month of the year. In addition to baking cookies, and cleaning and wrapping gifts..all the normal stuff that comes with the holiday season. As the song says, I am so glad Christmas comes but once a year!

I still have more to share, but for now, I have got to go get some housework done. You know, like dusting and vaccuuming and changing the linens on the beds, etc etc etc. The list goes on and on. But, good news...I don't have to cook tonight! DH is going to take me out to dinner!

So, until the next time. Thanks for stopping by. Leave me a comment or two and let me know what you think of all my pages. I would love to hear from you.

Happy Scrappin'

Lots of hugs,

Leanne

Getting into the Spirit

2010-12-13T23:07:00.000-08:00

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

2010-12-13T12:17:00.000-08:00

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

2010-11-03T15:42:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-25T14:01:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-31T06:30:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-30T06:30:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-29T08:11:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-28T07:29:00.000-07:00

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...

2010-08-27T06:34:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-26T06:19:00.000-07:00

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

Another First

2010-06-28T12:40:00.000-07:00

Birthday layout that is! LOL This time is of my second son, Kevin's, first birthday. These layouts are also going to be used for my monthly workshop. This month's workshop features, CTMH's Zippidee WOTG. Now I changed it up a bit just to give the layout a more festive feel and look to the pages.

I changed it by adding some black "Fancy Fuzz" to the bottom portion of the layouts. Then I punched out colored circles from coordinating cardstock and glued that to a clear button. Then I glued both to the Fancy Fuzz. Instead of using a Colonial White foundation, I wanted to use the polka dot patterned paper from CTMH's "Everlasting" paper pack, but I just had scraps and not enough to use on both layouts. So, I use the polka dot patterned paper from My Mind's Eye, designer's paper slab. My title came from ShariDesigns over at the Cutters Market. The balloon and little cake came from La Petites. I bought these little balloons when K-Mart did a clearance of all their crafts and scrapbooks items. I've been saving them for just this purpose.

That's it for today. I need to go finish getting ready for my workshop and then try to tidy up the house, even with two little four year olds under foot.

So, until next time (which I hope will be again some time this week)....

Happy Scrappin'

Leanne

A Month of Birthdays

2010-06-21T08:01:00.000-07:00

With the birth of our granddaughter, Deborah, eight years ago, June seems the beginning of a summer full of birthdays. We celebrate not only Deborah's birthday, but also DH's birthday the day before and Matthew's birthday 10 days later. We'll end the summer with Kelli's birthday and her husband, Mike's birthday in August. So, with all the birthday celebrations, I thought I would work on birthday layouts. Believe me, I have plenty to keep me busy for some time.

This first layout, is of my oldest son, Michael's first birthday back in November 1977. Oh the excitement in his eyes are just precious! The foundation page is from Creative Imaginations. I used stamps from CTMH and Technique Tuesday and stamped 1st, a cupcake and Happy Birthday into each of the circles of the foundation page. Then I cut and layered papers from My Little Yellow Bicycle "Baby Safari Boy" and CTMH B&T paper (retired). The balloons are from La Petite. (I've had these in my stash for a while, just waiting for me to start these birthday layouts) The bear holding the balloons is a digital image from PJG Scrapbook Heaven and the cupcake in the lower left corner of the layout was made using my Nestabilities cupcake die. Now, the die comes in one piece. So after cutting it with my Big Shot, I cut it apart and ran the top portion of the cupcake through my Cuttlebug, "Swiss Dots". The with my markers I added just a touch of color to each little dot, then I used some pop dots to give the page some dimension. And finally the title was done with my print and cut feature on my Wishblade.

This second layout is from my daughter, Kelli's 1st birthday in August 1984. For the foundation page, I used Amanda Blu and Co.'s Happy Birthday To You patterned paper. The patterned paper on the left is CTMH's Birthday Bash (retired) collection. The party hats and the cake and the saying "Happy 1st Birthday" are from Suzy Zoo birthday collection. I printed out the title "Special Girl" using my Wishblade and printing it out on a transparency.

This next set of layouts are of our granddaughter, Deborah's 3rd birthday. Kelli combined Matthew's and Deborah's birthday celebration at Pizza Factory. There really isn't much to this page, believe it or not. The patterned paper is from Creative Imaginations (I think). I loved all the swirls and vibrant colors, that I just couldn't cover or even cut this paper. I ran a strip of Magic Mesh and topped the mesh with some scalloped edge, across the upper half of the page. I cut the photos out as balloons and tied some thin ribbon to the bottom. I also added lots of little embellishments from Suzy Zoo and other goodies I had in my stash.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope to have some more to share in the next few days.

So, until next time...

Happy Scrappin'!!

Leanne

Cherries vs Strawberries

2010-06-15T00:25:00.000-07:00

Which do you prefer? Do you like your desserts with a cherry on top? Or does a strawberry parfait sound more appetizing? Do I have your mouth watering? I am so sorry about that..I am just trying to make a point.

When Close To My Heart introduce their new summer catalog last month, and I saw the new Cherry-O papers...the only thing I thought of was...why couldn't this be strawberries? Then I search a little further into the catalog and saw the new stamp set, "Fruitful Delight" on page 49. I was so excited about the fact that there is a strawberry stamp! So, hopefully within the next few weeks I'll be able to purchase that stamp set. I was given as a gift earlier in the year, a strawberry stamp set from Flourishes. Knowing I had this stamp set, I decided to use it instead of purchasing the one from CTMH. But the stamp set from CTMH would work marvelously here as I have done with the Flourishes stamp set. All I did was random stamp on a 12x12 Colonial White cardstock with chocolate ink and then using my CTMH markers and my white gel pen, colored in the strawberries, flowers and leaves. The colors I used were: Tulip, Sweet Leaf.

So, why did I opt to use strawberries instead of cherries? I guess the biggest thing is my love for strawberries and also the pictures I scrapped were of Deborah and she is wearing a "Strawberry Shortcake" shirt. See? There is a method to my madness! LOL AND of course you all know how I feel about empty spaces on a layout!! LOL

So, besides using the Cherry-O Workshop on the Go and changing it a bit. I basically followed the instructions. I did add some paper flowers and red brads and gingham ribbon to the mix. I also cut my title out on my Wishblade. I love the oversize photo of Deborah looking up from her paper. If you can't tell from the photos on the layout, she was busy sitting at the kitchen table stamping. Yes, I've started her early to become a stamper. Our next step is to start her scrapbooking.

Well, I need to scoot! My son is taking the children to the movies this evening to celebrate Matthew's 6th birthday. We're going to go see "Shrek." Fun Fun Fun!!!

I still have more to share, so hopefully tomorrow I'll post.

Until next time...

Happy Scrappin'!!

Leanne

Long Time

2010-06-14T12:00:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it...its been almost two months since I've posted anything here on my blog. I do so want to apologize for not posting sooner. Now, as I am about to share some of the artwork I've been working on the past couple of months, I ask myself, "What do I want to accomplish with my blog?" I don't do challenges, or sketches very often...I could sit and post and tell you about what kind of day I've had. But I am afraid of either boring you to death, or this blog would turn into a b*%^h-a-thon. So, until I can figure out what direction I want my blog to go, I will continue to just post my artwork and try to explain or give some guidance of how I did a particular layout.

So, let me tell what I've been up to the last couple of months. Our daughter Kelli and her family were living in an apartment out in Mojave. Its been decades, since DH and I lived in an apartment, but we remember oh so well, having to deal with other people and their lifestyles. Kelli has learned such a lesson, since leaving home 8 years ago. Well, she and the family had the opportunity to move into a house and they jumped at the chance. They knew this would be excellent for the children to have their own backyard to play in and put some "normalcy" to their lives. So, about the last week of April, we started packing up her apartment and started moving her belongings to the new house. Now, the house had been sitting empty for over 9 months. So, before things could be moved into the house, the house needed a good cleaning. Kelli and I spent close to 4 days scrubbing the house from top to bottom. Then her brother-in-law who owns a franchise of Stanley Steamer came out and cleaned all the carpets. Then we started moving things into the house. First we tackled the kitchen. To me that's the biggest chore in moving. Then the rest fell into place.

So, while we're busy trying to get Kelli settled into her new home, the twins came for a visit. We hadn't seen them in almost 4 weeks. So the plan was they were to stay for about a week, but turned out to be 3 weeks. I love having them come for a visit. They are due to return this week and will be here for about 10 days.

Meanwhile, I am searching for solace in this turmoil of my children's lives. Where do I find such comfort? Of course, back in my rubber room working on layouts. I am so surprised that I was even able to get the layouts done for my monthly workshop. But I have and then some. Now, granted, I have never been one to rush through a layout just to get it completed. But it seemed with all that was going on...its a miracle I could get even the first thing done. But I did and with the weather permitting...I was able to step outside with the sun shining and the wind NOT blowing and photograph my layouts. I will do my best to explain each of the layouts and what I did.

Veranda Layouts

These layouts were done for my monthly workshop in April. I took the Veranda "Workshop on the Go" and changed it a bit. Instead of plain cardstock background, I substituted patterned paper for the background. I also pulled out of my stash, some large silk flowers and used them on each page. I cut on my Wishblade a decorative mat to go around the journaling block, so that everything had the elegant feel to the page.

Miracle Kit Layouts

May was National Scrapbooking Month, and Close To My Heart, in celebration of NSD, offered this wonderful kit called "Miracle." I loved what the kit included and thought of these pictures immediately when I saw the paper packet. Now, the instructions said to use "Colonial White" cardstock as my foundation page. We all know how I feel about plain white background, so I chose to use "Hollyhock" patterned paper. It really made the pictures, papers and embellishments just pop. I added few more paper flowers and buttons to the layout besides the embellies that the instructions said to use.

I have a few more layouts to share, but for now, I need to run. Hopefully, later on this afternoon or perhaps tomorrow, I'll be able to get back on the computer and share with you some more.

Thanks for stopping by. Until next time...

Happy Scrappin'!!

Leanne

Organizational Blog Hop

2010-04-17T12:11:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

No matter where you have your scrapbooking space, part of organization is giving everything its own place and making sure it returns to its home once it has been used. Picture this...you are busy working on a layout, it's coming together perfectly and all you need is one final touch. That light bulb goes off and you rush to get that perfect finishing piece. Fifteen minutes later, you are still searching, not knowing where to look or where you put that perfect piece. That's where getting everything organized will help save you time.

So, welcome to our Organizational Blog Hop. A few friends and myself thought we would share with you our ways of organizing our various scrapbooking supplies. Click on the link above and come join us in the fun.

If you get lost along the way with our Organizational Blog Hop…or want to come back and see something again, here’s the complete list of the gals who are participating in our Organizational Blog Hop.

Photograph Storage - Leanne You are Here!

Embellishment Storage - Jo

Ribbon & Fiber Storage - Shellie

Stamp Storage - Wendy K.

Ink Pad Storage - Ramona

Pen & Pencil Storage - Jeanne M.

Sticker, Die Cuts and Rub-On Storage -Amanda

Tools Storage and Paper Storage - Mary

Organizing your photographs

I am here today, to help you organize your photos. It's only been recently, the digital camera has become so popular. So what about all the photos you have that were taken with a Kodak "Brownie"? (remember that camera?) or with a 35mm camera? That is what I am here to talk about today.

Are your photographs all stored in one gigantic Rubbermaid container? Does it take forever to sift through them to find the perfect photo for that layout? Do you scrapbook in chronological order and find that you keep missing pictures? Does your assortment of pictures look like this:

Thanks to my good friend, Shellie, for sharing her stack of messy photos. She was smart enough to take before and after pictures. This is something I have yet to master! Maybe because I don't want to remember the way it was! As the Robinsons always say, "Keeping Moving Forward!" LOL

Here is how I've organized my photos: You may find a better way, or you may like what I've done, but want to tweak it a bit. By all means, find what works for you.

Step 1) Gather up all of your photos into one area. I used my dining room table for this task, but you can use whatever works for you. A banquet table, the picnic table, the kitchen counter, even the floor, provided you don't have furry roommates that enjoy running across your workarea, or lie down in the middle of all your photos and take a nap.

Since I have photos that date back as far as 1860, organizing them was a challenge in its own. So, I broke it up into 3 categories.
a.) 1860 -1900
b.) 1901 - 1950
c.) 1951 - 2000
From 2001 to the present, I have been using a digital camera and all my photos are stored on my external harddrive, with a cd copy as a back up and another one for save keeping. When working with digital images, make two copies of each disc, one to work with and another to store in a separate location. My cds are organized the same way as my photo boxes.

Step 2) I broke each group down to decades. Then I broke it down to years. After that I broke it down to events for each year. I used these tabbed index cards for each year.

I did that for all three groups. Then, I wrote down what each event was for that year. For instance, in 1993, I have pictures for Kelli's field trip to York, and Kevin's field trip to London, Michael's trip for some ROTC function. I also have pictures listed separately for their birthdays, and first day of school, etc. This can be a time consuming project but well worth it once complete. Click on the image to enlarge it, then right click it to save it.

Step 3) Then I purchased acid free storage boxes.

There are several on the market from inexpensive photo boxes to more sturdier plastic boxes. Michaels regularly has their photo boxes on sale for 40-50% off if you are looking for a bargain.

Step 4) Starting with the earliest pictures (for me it was 1860) and working my way up to the present, I started loading my boxes. Now, I might have lots of photos for one year but not so much the next. So, I just started filling the boxes, chronologically, till that box was full. Then I labeled it from the beginning year to the ending year for that box. Then I moved on to another box and did the same thing.Now, all my photos are organized and I know exactly where to find them. It makes it so much easier to scrapbook when I know where to find those photos. Once I finished filling up all the photo boxes, I store them on top on my computer desk in the Rubber Room for easy access.

Thanks for stopping by, now hop on over to Jo's blog and she'll tell about how she's organized her embellishments.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope this has been helpful...

Until next time,

Happy Sorting!

Leanne

Jumping for Joy

2010-03-18T10:59:00.000-07:00

Good Morning Everyone!

When I woke up this morning, I thought this was going to be a terrific Thursday! I was going to have a few hours to myself and try to get some more work done on a layout I have been designing. Much to my surprise though, when I stepped out of my bedroom door, that good mood I was in quickly vanished. Someone (or should I say something) decided to TP my home. Not on the outside mind you...but from the bathroom, down the hallway, into the living room. Yes, you guessed it. Our little Bella (he's not so little anymore) found a roll of toilet paper and played with it...probably for most of the night. Oh the joys of being a cat owner, who's cat has a paper fetish! It didn't take too long to clean up the mess this paper loving feline created, and my sour grapes mood soon vanished.

The layouts I am sharing today are for the twin's first year album. When Nova Davenport post

on her blog a layout she'd done using CTMH's Studio J of her baby in a Johnny Jump Up, that inspired me to scrap the pictures I had of the twins in their Johnny Jump Up. Thank you Nova for the inspiration. So, I searched through all my papers, trying to decide what and how to these layouts. I wanted to keep the green, blue and yellow color theme for their first year and then I remembered purchasing My Little Yellow Bicycle's Baby Safari paper pack. I knew this would be the perfect pattern paper to go with the Johnny Jump Up photos.I took a sketch from Becky Fleck's book, Page Maps, and converted picture size to fit a 9"x9" layout.Then I have to cut down the green froggie overlay to fit a 9"x9" page. I had so much fun with these layouts! And they went together so easily. I wish all my layouts were this easy.
Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy your Thursday!
Until the next time...
Happy Scrappin'!!!
Leanne

Sticker Girl

2010-03-17T12:36:00.000-07:00

Happy St. Patricks Day!

Not only is it St. Patty's Day, but its also Hump Day. And when I lived in up near Boston, there use to be a commercial for Prince Spaghetti and Wednesday was referred to as Prince Spaghetti Day. Perhaps that's why I have grown accustom to having Spaghetti on Wednesday. But not today!! Corned Beef and cabbage sounds so much more appealing. And tomorrow, Reuben Sandwiches for lunch. YUM!! I better quit...I'm making myself hungry! LOL

This layout I am sharing today not only does it have lots of green...but the color combination is one of my favorites. I love pinks and greens together. Its so bright and cheerful...makes me just love the fact that spring is right around the corner.

The patterned paper is from K and Company and the cardstock is from Close To My Heart. Colors used are Watermelon, Bubblegum,Hollyhock and Topiary. Once again, I was able to dig through my stash and find scrap pieces of B&T paper and use it with my Wishblade and cut out the butterflies. The title was cut out on my Wishblade and then I dry embossed it with my Fiskars "leaves" template. I also used my white gel pen to give the butterflies more dots on their wings. The paper flowers are from CTMH and Prima and most of the brads came from CTMH. The ribbon and buttons came from my stash as well. I have been seriously trying to use up as much of my stash as possible.

The pictures are of my granddaughter, Deborah. When little Matty was born, my brother Jeffrey and his wife, Nancy, sent Deborah some stickers. Well, what does a 2 year old do with stickers when Gamma's back is turn? I couldn't help but giggle a bit and grab the camera. At least she didn't stick them to the wall or doors! She thought she was beautiful and as you can see with the last picture on the right, she wanted a kiss for her efforts! LOL

Well, I hope you enjoy your St. Patrick's Day and don't drink too much green beer! LOL I was thinking of cooking up some Green Eggs and Ham for breakfast...but that just didn't sound appetizing! LOL I'll settle with my regular cereal and toast!

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

Happy Scrapping!!

Leanne

Baby Love

2010-03-14T09:10:00.000-07:00

Happy Sunday to you all!

Today we turned the clock ahead for Daylight Savings Time! How many of you remembered? I sure didn't. I am so glad that we turned the clocks on weekends!

The layouts I am sharing today are for Matthew's first year album and Deborah's third year album.

What a precious picture of big sister giving baby brother a kiss. Such a special moment!

As many of you know, I am trying very hard to use up all the papers I have been hoarding for so long. I had a couple of sheets left from one of CTMH's original My Creations kit. Do you recoginize the papers? But I didn't have enough to do a full 2 page layout, so I combined the MCK with CTMH Animal Crackers kit. The layout is "Monologue" sketch from CTMH's how to book, "Imagine." Although the little teddy bear, "Beary Much," on the layout has been retired, its still one of my favorites. The hearts are cut from my hearts sizzix die and then embossed with my Fiskars embossing plate. I designed and cut the title "Baby Love" with my Wishblade. The little round saying on the right side the second page is from "Animal Crackers" My Stickease and I used my nesties to cut the scallop mat behind both.

The twins just left. It so much fun having them here, but Gamma just not as young as she use to be. She is totally worn out! LOL Thanks for stopping by...stop in again.

Until next time...

Happy Scrappin'!!

Leanne

Deborah's First Haircut

2010-03-13T17:23:00.000-08:00

Hey there!

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend! The twins are still here. They will be going back to their mother sometime tomorrow. What fun to have little people here. They sure can either wear you out or keep you young!

I wanted to share this layout with you. Its was Deborah's first trip to the beauty salon to get her hair cut. She did so well that day. Unfortunately, some time later she thought she would try giving herself a haircut. I also scrapped that event and will share that layout with you. As you can see, she sure did a number on her hair in this second layout.

Getting back to the first layout, I bought this sheet of 12x12 paper because of the little slips of hair on the page along with the scissors and comb. I immediately thought of scrapping Deborah's first haircut.

The paper is from K and Company. I had a very difficult time trying to color coordinate with that pattern paper. I finally found that CTMH's Petal cardstock went really well, and I had a sheet of polka dot heavy pattern paper from a DCWV Nana's Kids slab. I also found that CTMH's Crystal Blue really gave a terrific contrast to the pattern paper and the Petal cardstock. Then to ground the whole thing, I chose Vineyard Berry cardstock and B&T paper. Then to really show how much Deborah's loves being a princess, I used "Say It With Crystals" flourish and intertwined it with the Crystal Blue flourish. The I dabbed a small little crystal in the center each scallop.

Its almost time for the boy's bath. Fun, Fun, Fun...for them but not their Gamma! LOL

So, until next time...thanks for stopping by!

Happy Scrappin'!!!

Leanne

As you can see she sure did a number on her hair.

All Dressed Up

2010-03-12T08:11:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone!

TGIF!! I am so ready for the weekend! Not that I have anything planned...but DH will be home, house will be tidied up again, and I would love to spend the whole weekend in the rubber room. That won't happen exactly, but I hope to get some serious quality scrapping time in. I am working on a double page layout of the twins for their first year album.

But speaking of the twins, Jaden and Benny. They have come for a visit this weekend, so that time in the rubber room could be just wishful thinking. We'll just have to wait and see what the weekend brings. The layout I am sharing today is for the twins' second year album. They look so cute sitting in their Poppi's chair (that's what they call DH). They are all their way to church and waiting for their father. This is not a normal occurrence with a couple of two year olds, so I grabbed the camera. LOL

Papers are from CTMH's Animal Crackers, Me and My Big Ideas and Bo Bunny. I cut my title and arrow and subtitle box on my Wishblade. The buttons are from CTMH and the little bit of ribbon is from my stash.

Well, its time to fire up Roomba and get the little guy moving. I have my dust mop ready just in case. Cleaning supplies are out and its time to get started. I love a clean house, but hate cleaning! How many of you out there feel the same? Sooner I get started, the sooner I can get done.

Until next time,

Happy Scrappin'!!

Leanne

Bubbles

2010-03-08T09:14:00.000-08:00

Good Morning everyone!

The layout I want to share with you today is from the current CTMH's catalog. The paper pack is "Topstitch." I used the WOTG kit and made some minor changes. I reversed the chocolate B&T paper and used the Heavenly Blue side. Using an old retired wooden stamp of bubbles, I stamped the image on the strips of Heavenly Blue on both pages. I then cut out using my Wishblade the bubbles and then cut out the word "bubbles" and laid it on top of the cut-out bubbles. The border in Baby Pink is a Martha Stewart punch and the hearts were cut using my Sizzix Big Shot and chipboard. I embossed the word "bubbles" and each of the hearts using my Fiskars bubbles embossing plate and my Sizzix Big-Shot. much better in person.

I can't believe its Monday again! Where did the weekend go? Its seems the weekends are getting shorter and the weekdays just seem to drag on. Oh well, just 5 more days till Friday! I guess I'll head of back to the rubber room and finish up the layout I've been working on all weekend. I hope to get it done today. I'm itchin' to get started on a new layout.

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time....

Happy Scrappin'!!

Leanne

All American Kids

2010-03-07T08:54:00.000-08:00

Happy Sunday everyone!

I hope you're all enjoying your Sunday! Its kinda quiet at the moment here, but that will all change. Deborah and Matty will be later this afternoon, and when they arrive, Auggie (the dog) gets so excited. So its absolute bedlam at first but it'll settle down, then Bella (the PITA cat) will stir things up. Children and animals are so much fun!

Speaking of kids, I thought I would share with you today a layout I made for my three children. This is the first "professional" photograph of my daughter, Kelli. We were stationed in Iceland at the time. Yes, Kelli was born in the Naval Hospital in Keflavik, Iceland. Funny story about that...when Kelli turned 17 she went to apply for a driver's license and she had to take 2 forms of identification. Well, she took her birth certificates. Yes, that plural...you see, Kelli has 5 birth certificates. An Icelanic birth certificate, a translated into English from Icelanic certificate, an American certificate, a born abroad certificate and one more which I can't think of at the moment. When she stepped up to the counter and the lady there at DMV asked for her birth certificate, Kelli handed her all 5. LOL Talk about having a confused look on the lady's face! All worked out in the end. Kelli didn't have to do that...but that's our Kelli!

This picture was taken in 1983 and if Kelli doesn't look too happy, its because she was sucking on her pacifier one moment and then it was yank out the next. She wasn't too happy about that. She was only 9 weeks old. So not only was I having to deal with a newborn, but Kevin wasn't much older either. He was only 20 months old or so and to have him sit there for any length of time was a bit challenge. And poor Michael...he sat there frozen till he was told to breath.

Oh the memories! What fun to look back and reminisce. Now, I know I've shared this layout before. I originally did this one back in April of last year. Well I have completed 2 more to put into each one of the children's albums. I am just about caught up on my New Year's resolution. I have a few more incompleted projects. And I am using papers I have been hoarding for so long. That cropper hopper that I've been storing unfinished projects in emptying out pretty fast. Its a good feeling to have them done and into albums.

I hope you enjoy your Sunday and thanks for stopping by. Stay tuned, I still have more layouts to share.

Until later,

Happy Scrappin'!

Leanne

All About Matty!

2010-03-06T09:02:00.000-08:00

Happy Saturday everyone!

I love it when I spend a Friday cleaning my house, so I can spend the whole weekend here in my rubber room creating. My laundry is all caught up...my bathrooms are sparkling and the dust bunnies have been corralled to the trash bin! Only chore left for this weekend is to cook dinner for DH. Anyone seen the "take away" menus? LOL

This set of layouts are of my grandson, Matthew, when he was just a baby. Chalk some more layouts completed for his first year album!! Yay!! That album is just about complete! These papers are from CTMH and they too have since been retired. I originally did these layouts for another workshop back in 2007. The papers are Sweet Harmony and Cutie Pie. I used the stamp set Happy Easter and all those tiny little embellishments (the beads and sequins) that originally came in the My Accents, I've tried to use those up as well.

I cut the title out with my Wishblade then used some pop dots to give the layout some dimension. I also cut out blades of grass with my Wishblade, then stamped blades of grass on top of that. Thanks for stopping by and visiting with me as I walk down memory lane. Stay tuned as I share more of the layouts I've completed.

Until next time...

Happy Scrappin'!!

Inky Hugs,

Leanne

New Month...New Post

2010-03-03T13:29:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone!

I am sooooooooooooo sorry for not posting sooner. The month of February was an absolute disaster. I didn't want to post and whine of all the calamities going on in my life. I was afraid you might start throwing cheese at me. LOL Nothing like a little whine and cheese! LOL I really didn't want to tell you about how our backyard was broken into and the thiefs left the back gate open and my dogs got out. I didn't want to tell you how we lost one of our dogs, our 5 month old Charliey. I didn't want to tell you about how my washing machine broke and had to wait for a day off for DH to fix it. I didn't want to have to tell you about how, no sooner did DH fix my washing machine and the water heater sprung a leak and we had to replace that. I really don't think you want to hear about any of that!

So, instead, I'll tell you all about the layouts I've been working on. I REALLY don't want to overwhelm you and include all the layouts at once, so I am going to space it out for a few days till I can get all caught up with my layout share. One of my kids asked if I was running out of pictures to scrap. I thought that was hysterical...I will probably be scrapping probably well into the next decade. LOL

As I have mentioned in previous posts, I've been trying to complete some unfinished layouts. This first set of layouts are of the twins, Jaden and Benjamin. The first set I completed were for Benny's album and done for a workshop back in 2007. At that time, everything was fresh and current, even pictures of the twins. LOL This set is for Jaden's album. I used Rough and Tumble paper pack. It has since been retired, along witht the stamp sets, Little Boys, Flyin' High and Childhood Boy. You might have seen these layouts before. But when I have more than one person in a layout, I always make a duplicate layout. That's so I can put the same special moment in each album.

Looks like today is going to be a bright sunshiny day and the wind doesn't seem to be blowing too bad. Hopefully, I can get outside and photograph some of the layouts, I've completed and just haven't had the nice weather to get a good photograph. El Nino at its finest! Last time we went through El Nino, our backyard (which is mainly all sand) had all kinds of green plants growing everywhere. I took pictures of DH trying to mow the backyard somewhere. Maybe that should be my next set of layouts. Hmmmm....

Well, thanks for stopping by and stay tuned for my next set of layouts.

Until next time,

Happy Scrappin'!!

Leanne

Baby's First Food

2010-01-29T10:55:00.000-08:00

Good Morning everyone!

As promised yesterday, I am sharing the layouts that I have completed since the middle of the month. Here we are almost to the end of the month! How are your new year's resolutions coming along? Are you staying steadfast to your resolutions? Or have you swayed? One of my new year's resolutions was to complete those half finished projects. For one reason or another, I have put them aside and planned to come back to it later. Well, many months later (probably even years), "later" has arrived and I am getting them completed and sharing with all of you.

This layout I am sharing today, I started last year right about this same time. I am working on my grandchildren's albums. And I am not working in any particular order, so I have about 30 incomplete albums. Mind boggling isn't it? Well, I can't explain how my creative juices work...I just do whatever moves me.

So, last year, Close To My Heart had this special paper pack called "Key To My Heart." The papers were absolutely yummy. I loved the swirls and flourishes and I was so afraid of cutting into the paper, that I decided not to. LOL I used the whole sheet as my foundation sheet and backed it with a piece of cardstock to give it some stability. I took a sketch from Becky Fleck's blog. And I found my title on Bethany's blog. The baby food jars is from Masterpiece Studio. I thought it coordinated nicely with the other papers. I did a print and cut of the jars with my Wishblade, which gave me my journaling (something else I need to work more on this year and future layouts). The little journaling block on the right I embossed with white embossing powder. Then printed the little poem separately and attached it. The flourishes to the right of the layout I cut on my Wishblade as well as the spoon. Then I overlapped them as I glued them down. I popped the spoon up with some mounting foam.

Now, can you see with the layouts above how washed out the layouts look? These were taken inside under normal lighting. I wasn't too pleased so I retook the photos again, outside in my "backyard studio." Look at the difference.

Thanks for stopping by. I'm off to the laundry room, but I'll be back here to the rubber room and share the last two layouts I've done during our "rainy season" of the year! If you like what I've done, please tell me in the comment section. I love reading all the comments you all leave.

Until next time,

Happy Scrapping!

Leanne

Overall...

2010-01-28T13:15:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone!

I know its been a while since I've posted anything. Its not because I haven't have anything to share. Let's just say, Mother Nature isn't cooperating. I usually take pictures of my artwork outside in the backyard. Doing it this way and using natural sunlight you can really see how nicely all the colors coordinate together. So with it raining for 5 days straight, I couldn't go out into my "backyard studio." And with living in the desert, our backyard is nothing but sand. So you can only imagine how messy it would be if I stepped out there till it dried somewhat. We have still been getting on and off rain showers. This is the season... Come a few months from now, I'll be stating how hot and dry it is and wishing for rain. Oh what vicious cycle!

Well, yesterday was a good day, with the sun shining, I was able to get outside into the "backyard studio" and try to snap some photos of the layouts I've just completed. So without further ado...

This first set of layouts, I completed this month is for my monthly workshop. We used Close To My Heart's Workshop of the Go Kit, "Caboodle." This is what the layouts are suppose to look like:

Now, with my layouts, I did make some minor changes, but tried to keep basically the same. The pictures are of my twin grandsons, Jaden and Benny. The first set is of Jaden, age 14 months.

I did the same thing with this layout of Benny, except I flipped the papers over to the other side and I ran a stitch line around the outer part of the layout. Then I took my marker and connected the dots. I would have run a threaded stitch line with my machine, except the bobbin is messed up and I need to take my machine in for servicing.

On the brackets, I changed the color of them and I also used my Cuddlebug embossing folder "Swiss Dots" on it to give some more texture to the layout. Since I had already cut the piece of cardstock for my journaling, I printed my journaling out onto a transparency and laid it over the journaling block. I had adhered the transparency to the layout with regular adhesive but hid the edges underneath the pieces next to it to hide the adhesive.

I have a couple more layouts to share, so I'll try to post them later on today or first thing tomorrow.

Thanks for stopping by.

Until later....

Happy Scrapping!

Leanne

Apple of my Eye, Star in my Sky

2010-01-11T08:55:00.000-08:00

Good Morning everyone!

Sorry I didn't get back online yesterday to post the layouts I completed the day before. My day kinda ran away with me and somewhere along the way, I lost control. LOL I did get a lot accomplished, but not necessarily creatively. You know the usual...laundry, dusting, cleaning bathrooms, etc., etc., etc. And the bad thing about it...I didn't finish! So, today, I am going to finish up with what I didn't get done yesterday. Hopefully, I'll be able to find some time to get back into the rubber room and do something fun.

What is the first thing you look at when you first meet someone new? Do you look at their hand as you shake it? Do you look at what they are wearing? Do you "size" them up at that meeting? That's called first impressions, btw! :) Well, the first thing I look at when meeting someone, new or otherwise is their eyes. They (whoever "they" are) say, "The eyes are the windows to the soul." What do you see when you look into those eyes? Do you see trust? Or confusion? Or bewilderment? Or happiness? Or mischievousness? What color are those eyes? Are they brown, or blue, or green or hazel?

So what brought on this rambling about eyes? I don't remember what motivated me (probably an article I read in a magazine) but a few years ago, when my grandchildren were a bit younger, I took pictures of their eyes. I thought what a terrific layout this would be. It was a wonderful idea...if only I could get started on it. So there the pictures sat in a file on my computer. I would think about doing the layouts and then immediately move on to something else. Can anyone say "procrastination"? LOL Well, when it finally comes down to where I even dream about doing the layout...then its time to complete it. But not only do I have just one layout to do...but I have 4 layouts to do since I took pictures of all the grandchildren's eyes that day. It was so much fun putting these layout together. Its not hard to do 2, 3 or 4 once I got the first one done.

But what do you do when you want to do 4 identical layouts, but they have to be different. At least three of them have to be different. I love doing the same layout for the twins. That's the pleasure of having twins! Then I remember I have this paper I've used for so many different things, and have enough to complete all the layouts, making them different yet having lots of similarities. I pulled out CTMH's Cocoa Cafe paper pack and sure enough...I had plenty of paper (mostly large pieces of scraps) to do all the layouts.

So let me tell you what I did for these layouts. I found this file from Chris Durnan and I love that "Live, Love, Laugh" quote and I happen to love the font Chris used to create it. I cut it on my Wishblade using CTMH's Buttercup cardstock and Cocoa cardstock. On the twin's layout, I ran CTMH's Dutch Blue cardstock through my "Big Shot" with a screen mesh I picked up at Home Depot. The stamps I used were from CTMH's "Shining Star" stamp set. All the ribbon I used on the layouts were from my stash. And to top off the the layout, I used Prima Marketing's "Say it with Crystals" which really brings some "sparkle" to the layouts.

Thanks for letting me share with you my layouts and how I go from an idea to an obsession to a completed project. Now, onto another obsession. LOL The next couple of days, I am working a layout of my children. I completed the first layout last year but seeing that I have three children, and three separate albums for them, I am duplicating the layout for each of their albums.

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time....

Happy Scrapping!

Leanne

Studio J

2010-01-10T08:38:00.000-08:00

With all my talk about digital scrapbooking yesterday, I thought I should go ahead and talk about CTMH's Studio J.

Have you heard about Studio J yet? It is free online design software that allows you to create custom-printed two-page layouts you put in your albums. There is no software to purchase and install. You just need to simply log in to Studio J and start designing your layouts! You can create and immediately purchase your layouts, or you can save them for later completion and purchase. Oh my goodness, it is so much fun and so easy to use.

A sister consultant gave her top 10 reasons why everyone should try Studio J. I thought I would share them with you...
1. It doesn't cost anything so what do you have to lose?
2. It is extremely user-friendly. You don't need to be great with computers to figure it out.
Almost anything you can do on a classic scrapbook page you can do on Studio J ... edge distressing, layering objects, matting photos, adding ribbon and metal embellishments, etc.
3. There are things you can do in Studio J that you CAN'T do with your classic supplies.
4. You can re-size Stickease, change out the paper at the last minute, zoom in or out on a photo while you're working on the project, and change the color of embellishments to coordinate with your page.
5. Studio J is a great tool for planning pages even if you ultimately just decide to make a classic layout.
6. When you're done with a Studio J layout, you don't have a mess all over your scrapbook room.
7. You can scrapbook anywhere that you have Internet access ... restaurants, hotels, work, vacation, the in-laws house, even the pool.
8. When working with Studio J, you never find yourself just "one brad short" or "needing an extra letter-L Stickease". You've got as many embellishments and as many Stickease as you need!
9. Studio J is the only place you can see the new exclusive paper packs!
10. You can earn free shipping and free page protectors by grouping your layouts together and having them all printed at the same time.

When can you access Studio J? Studio J will go live in March, however, Consultants will have access earlier, so if you sign up to become a Consultant, you will get to play with it before it goes live!

I'll be back later today and share with you the layouts I completed yesterday. Not digital layouts, but the paper kind! :)
Thanks for stopping by. So until later today...
Be Safe and Happy Scrapping!

Leanne

Digital vs Paper

2010-01-09T08:39:00.000-08:00

Good Morning!

What kind of scrapper are you? Do you enjoy the feel of the paper and cutting that paper and gluing it down and creating something from just an idea? Or do you love to sit at your computer and move things around and create a layout from the items in your files that are in your computer? I love both worlds! But I am a creature of habit and I started out paper crafting but that doesn't mean I will turn my back on the digital aspect of scrapbooking. What do I do with the layouts I complete them? Yes, I take a digital photograph of that layout so I can share with you. I even have digital albums set up in Picasa. I like the idea that if I need one more thing for layout, I can check my digital scrapbooking files and perhaps find that one thing to add. So, I guess I could be called a "hybrid" scrapper! LOL

Well the other day, I was thinking about creating a card from the digital papers I have stored on my computer. Now, I don't have a whole lot of digital files. But that is changing. I signed up for from Digital Scrapbook Experts "Collect-A-Kit" program. The Collect-A-Kit program sends you daily emails with quality digital scrapbooking item downloads. They send complete kits one piece at a time, with a new kit each month.

You would think with all the paper I have here in the rubber room, I would be able to find some paper to complete a card. I probably could, but I thought to myself, how hard would it be to try to print out some of the digital paper and create a card. So, I opened up my Wishblade program and inserted the paper and cut the pieces I needed. Then I used my cardstock and my Cuddlebug Dotted Swiss folder and my Nestabilities and this is the card I created.

Will I ever give up being a Close To My Heart consultant? Not a chance! I love this company and I love all the yummy and delicious papers they come up with all year long!

I don't see anything wrong from diverting from the norm and trying something new. I use Mojo Monday card sketch for this card. I also used little dew drops and the stamp set is from CTMH's Gracious Greetings stamp set. I used Martha Stewart's doily punch for the scallop edge on the bottom.

I guess, I will head of back to the rubber room. I am working on some layouts, and I hope to have them completed today. So, I can digitally photograph them and share with all of you.

Thanks for stopping by.

Until next time...

Happy Creating, (which ever you love to do paper or digital)

Leanne

Tickled Pink

2010-01-07T07:40:00.000-08:00

Good Morning!

As I mentioned yesterday, I've been spending alot of time here in the rubber room. I wanted to share with you the thank you cards I made this year to send out. I saw on someone's blog (please forgive me, I don't remember who's blog it was) and cute simple attractive card. She had done white on white, with a touch of color. It really was quite striking. So, I decided to fashion my thank you cards from that card. And I already had the ribbon out and the combo was perfect.

I absolutely love black and white and a splash of color.

Products I used to make this card:

White Daisy cardstock, Bubblegum cardstock, both from Close To My Heart. The stamp set is Gracious Greetings from CTMH. I heat embossed the the thank you with Versamark pad and White Embossing powder from CTMH. I used Martha's Stewart's "doily edge" punch for the scallop edge along with my Swiss dot Cuttlebug folder. The ribbon came from my stash, and I think I bought it at Walmart about 4-5 years ago. And the tiny little pearls came from CTMH's Connection Club.

I've started working on layouts again. I am in the process of doing a layout for each of the grandkids. I hope to get at least one completed so I can share. I'll keep you updated.

Thanks for stopping by.

Until next time,

Happy Card Making!

Leanne

You're A Hoot

2010-01-06T07:55:00.000-08:00

Good Morning!

Since bringing in the New Year, I have been spending a lot of time in the Rubber Room. With the holidays behind us, and the remodel complete, I seem to have time on my hands and the creative juices are flowing.

I brought in the New Year with hubby, and at the stroke of midnight and a peck of a kiss, I was back in the rubber room. I started making some cards for a swap I am in. And wouldn't you know it, the ribbon that gave me my inspiration ran out. I wasn't able to completely finish the cards, so I found some other ribbon that I love and continued on.

As I said before, the ribbon for both cards gave me the inspiration. And since I have such an owl fetish, I thought I would use this cutie on a card. The owl comes from CTMH's "You're A Hoot" stamp set. I used my Cuddlebug folders and my Fiskars embossing plates to emboss some of the cardstock to give the cards some dimension. On the top card, I paint the flourish (from Maya Road) with Making Memories acrylic paint. The flowers are prima flowers and a small dew drop is in the center of them. The colors are CTMH's Ponderosa Pine, Creme Brulee, Juniper and Cranberry.

Now the second card is basically the same. Colors I used here are from CTMH: White Daisy, Black and Bubblegum. I used white embossing powder for my little friend the owl. The flourish is from Prima Marketing, "Say It With Crystals." The flower is from Prima with a dew drop in the center. The little bling for the eyes in both the cards are from CTMH.

And the layout of the card is from CTMH's how to book "Wishes." Its the "Collage" card located on page 97.

I'd like to thank you for stopping by.

So until next time...

Happy Paper Crafting!

Leanne

Then and Now Album - Grannie's Special Moments

2010-01-05T11:47:00.000-08:00

Welcome back!

This is a little 4"x4" coaster album I made for my sister. She was so tickled to receive it. The day it arrived, she couldn't wait to phone me and to tell me it arrived. She had dinner plans that evening and she said she was taking her little album with her and she was going to show it off.

I used Life's Delight Level 2 paper pack from Close To My Heart along with some My Stickease as well. All the other embellishments, I had in my stash. I used my Wishblade to cut out the titles and flowers and other elements of the pages. Now, I wasn't sure how to make each paper different from the one before, so I turned to CTMH's how to book "Cherish" and used various sketches. I reduced each page 75% to achieve the proper dimensions for all the elements of each page.

I think the quote on the backside of the album explains it all. Don't you?

Thanks for stopping by.

Until next time...

Happy Creating!

Leanne

Project Update

2010-01-05T10:58:00.000-08:00

I wanted to share with you the projects I worked on over the holiday. I wanted to share them sooner, but since they were Christmas gifts, I didn't want to spoil the surprise. So, I decided to wait till after the holidays and share them. This first project is a photo cube, I made for my sister (Hi Jo!!) to give to her daughter-in-law. Jo said that when Marcie opened up the gift, she thought Marcie was going to cry. Doesn't that give you a warm fuzzy feeling when you've touched someone heart.

That's only one project I completed. I did another one and I'll be posting that tomorrow. Thanks for stopping by. Hope you'll join us again tomorrow to see what else had been brewing in the rubber room.

Till next time,
Happy Creating!

Leanne

Blog Hop

2010-01-01T09:41:00.000-08:00

As I was "blurfing" I came across several of my friends who belong to this Stamp of the Month Blog Hop. Thanks to Helen O. for helping with the images of the stamp set. Helen does some terrific tutorials on her blog. I hope you enjoy as much as I do...venturing to everyone's blog and see such wonderful creations. Check them out...

Helen Onulakhttp://www.hookedonstamping.com/

Jena DeVrieshttp://www.livelovelaughscrapbook.blogspot.com/

Jessica Boothhttp://jessicabooth.blogspot.com/

Carla Ironsidehttp://www.carlacreates.blogspot.com/

Lori Millerhttp://www.clearlyfromtheheart.blogspot.com/

Misty Jacksonhttp://www.misstscraps.blogspot.com/

Jen Patrickhttp://www.roxybonds-scrappin.blogspot.com/

Susan Brookshttp://www.stampingintheopen.blogspot.com/

Kathleen Androlewiczhttp://bowlofstamps.blogspot.com/

Dawn Rosshttp://www.iamahappystamper.blogspot.com/

Amy McVeyhttp://www.clearlystamping.blogspot.com/

Antoinette Herrinhttp://www.godblessyourart.blogspot.com/

Jill Lucashttp://scrapwench.blogspot.com/

Barbra Ottenhttp://barbraotten.blogspot.com/

Lori Brownhttp://www.savingmine.blogspot.com/

Brae Montgomeryhttp://thebrae-er.blogspot.com/

Wanda Rileyhttp://www.creatingwithwanda.blogspot.com/

Adeline E. Brillhttp://adeline-brill.blogspot.com/

Kami Welterhttp://www.scrappin4memories.blogspot.com/

Judy Burgerhttp://makingtimeformemories.blogspot.com/

Pamela O'Connorhttp://www.cherishyourmemories.blogspot.com/

Cindy Leekhttp://www.paperspadsandpictures.blogspot.com/

Mary Eisenhttp://www.mestamp2.blogspot.com/

Sylvia Jacquothttp://stampinsylvia.blogspot.com/

Laura Damehttp://www.thecroppersconnection.blogspot.com/

Melissa Lavertyhttp://www.fancymelissa.blogspot.com/

Haley Dyerhttp://www.inkyscrapper.blogspot.com/

Terrie Doddhttp://www.my-life-in-real-time.blogspot.com/

Katy Donaldsonhttp://www.scrappinkaty.blogspot.com/

Chris Shousehttp://www.houseostamps.wordpress.com/

Tammy Lea Pinchardhttp://mycreativeclubhouse.blogspot.com/

Krista Ritskeshttp://kristaritskes-simplycreating.blogspot.com/

Shannon Pelletierhttp://www.mycolorfulworldinvt.blogspot.com/

Deb Younghttp://www.scrapbookczar.blogspot.com/

Amy Edwardshttp://paisleysplayhouse.blogspot.com/

Sheila Bennetthttp://sheila-bennett.blogspot.com/

Kristie Herdenerhttp://www.goofyscrapper.blogspot.com/

Jen Rubiohttp://www.jenrubio.blogspot.com/

Jody Gustafsonhttp://www.cre8nmemories.blogspot.com/

Sarita Schraederhttp://www.blessedscrapper.blogspot.com/

Laurie Levnikhttp://www.creationsbylaurie.blogspot.com/

Debra Van Pattenhttp://memoriesoftheheartbydeb.blogspot.com/

Kimberly Smithhttp://verykimberry.blogspot.com/

Michelle Nisthttp://michellenist.blogspot.com/

Karen Normanhttp://www.gettinscrappywithit.blogspot.com/

Traci Godbeehttp://createwithtraci.blogspot.com/

Nancy Brownhttp://www.creativelyartsygallery.blogspot.com/

Maricar Harrishttp://www.maricarharris.blogspot.com/

Nona Davenporthttp://www.nonapearl.blogspot.com/

Laurie Newtonhttp://scrapsfromthebeach.blogspot.com/

Dawn Heufthttp://www.stamptildawn.blogspot.com/

Melissa Burchhttp://melissaburch.blogspot.com/

Kim O'Rearhttp://kimorear.blogspot.com/

Michelle Bourlethttp://michellescreativeconnections.blogspot.com/

Angela Tuttonhttp://www.tuttonstreasures.blogspot.com/

Jenifer Bennerhttp://www.jensmessystudio.com/

Shirley Rosshttp://www.momnmescrap.blogspot.com/

Latisha Haaghttp://domestichomefrontcoordinator.blogspot.com/

So enjoy hopping from blog to blog!

Till next time.

Happy Blurfing!

Leanne

Its been a while...

2009-12-22T09:15:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone!
Its been a while since I posted last. I haven't forgotten about all of you. Between Christmas preparations and working on things that are suppose to remain a secret, I thought it best to give up big update at once.

I can't share with much of the artwork I've done because they are Christmas gifts for my family, and since they frequent my blog a lot, I thought it would be best to wait till after the holidays to post and share with you they things I have done. Besides the gifts, all the preparations for Christmas seem to be moving along quite smoothly. Last week I spent a good portion of it baking everyone's favorite cookies. I made "Walnut Cresents", "Chocolate Chip Cookies", "Oatmeal Raisin", "Peanut Blossoms", "Peanut Blossoms with Reese Peanut Butter Cups", "Haystacks", and "Peanut Haystacks." Yum Yum...

I even was able to get the layouts complete for my next workshop. We're using CTMH's Jingle "Workshop on the Go" kit. I did make some minor adjustments to the layout. I'll explain a bit later on.

The weather has been quite nasty. Its been raining and the wind just seems to be blowing awfully hard. Its a perfect time to just stay indoors and snuggle up with someone to stay warm. With the weather as bad as it is outside, I had to photograph my layouts inside. I don't always get good crisp photos of my layouts when I do try indoors, but I wanted to get these posted.

Now I followed all the instructions, but made some minor changes. I used "Merry Pursuits" stamp set in place of the stamp set that came with the kit. I decided to take the title and continue with the scalloped theme and cut the circles and scallop circle with my Wishblade. The journaling block I used on my Wishblade as well and I just gave the who and when. These photos were taken last year of my grandchildren, Deborah and Matthew. I also cut out a little ornament on my Wishblade and placed it on the right page to tie in both the stamp set and the papers.

Now that Deborah's Christmas 2008 layouts are done...I'll need to get started and do Matthew's and then the twin's pages. A scrapbooker's work is never done! LOL

I am working on my list for my New Year's resolutions, one being trying post more here on my blog. Hopefully with the coming New Year, I'll won't fall short. Are you working on any resolutions? Post a comment and tell me what your resolutions will be for next year.
Thanks for stopping by. I wish for you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Until next time...

Happy Scrappin'!!
Leanne

Another Heritage Layout

2009-11-23T08:23:00.000-08:00

I seem to be on some sort of "heritage" kick at the moment. Now, I am not saying there is anything wrong with that...its just it seems like I go through phases where doing heritage pages is all I want to do.

Let me give you a bit a history behind these pictures. The picture on the left, is the only picture my mother had of herself as a baby. The woman sitting in the tree is my grandmother, Anna Stingel Watson. She is holding a baby in her arms, who is my mother, Hazel Margaret Watson Archer. Then a few years ago, my cousin, Mary Lou sent me another photo (bottom photo on the right), which is of my mother as a baby and my grandmother and my great grandmother, Mary Ellen Gilbert Watson Thomas. Then Mary Lou sent me some more photos, which are the upper two photos on the right. It was thrilling to be able to put all of these photos together and realize, that this family spent a day at a park and took pictures to commemorate the day. I believe my grandfather, Harrison Thomas Watson, took the majority of the pictures. Look how creative he is! To be able to look through the lens of a camera and snap something that will last a lifetime. Or many many lifetimes!

I did these layouts, using Close To My Heart's "Workshop on the Go" kit. I did change it some, but kept the basic design the same. All the materials are from CTMH, with the exception of using some of my flower punches, and my Nestabilities for the 3" scallop circle.

Thanks for stopping by. If you would like to be part of my monthly workshop, send an email to Kit20296@aol.com, and I send you the details.

Until next time,

Happy Thanksgiving!

Leanne

Ride

2009-11-08T13:36:00.000-08:00

What do you do with the scrapbooking and stamping magazines you purchase? Do you read them and then pitch them? Or do you save them? If you save them...do you save the whole magazine or tear the magazine apart and pull just what you want?

I use to save all the magazines. I had them all set up in order according to the month and year. Very rarely did I ever pull them out to read them or to get inspired. In the last few months, I've been doing some reorganization here in the rubber room. And I thought holding on to all these magazines was using up precious space. So, I started going through each one and pulling out things that interest me.

So now, all these pages I've pulled from the magazine, are all sitting in a pile on my table. I will now have to go through each one and determine which file to put it in. I started doing just that at the beginning of the week. Then I came across this layout, which reminded me of pictures I have, and a Jolees embellishment. So I took this torn out magazine page and "scraplifted" it.

This is what I did:

The magazine is Scrapbook, etc, October 2008. The layout is on page 102. The original artist did a 8.5"x11" layout, I convert mine to a 12"x12. Papers I used is some old retired Heavenly Blue B&T paper from CTMH and some Bamboo cardstock. The red scalloped cardstock I picked up at my LSS last February and the Polka Dot paper in the center is Jillibean Soup, Minestone, Chopped Tomatoes. I painted some chipboard letter with MM scrapbook paint. I also used Martha Stewart's Lace Doily punch on the Bamboo cardstock. I also punch out circles and glued them to the centers of the red scalloped cardstock. Then I glued some blue "Dew drops" to the center of each circle. I got the dew drops from my good friend Jenn from Just4funcrafts.

I have some other projects, I am hoping to complete this next week and I am also hoping to be finish with this house. DH and I FINALLY moved the wall unit from the wall and DH is now finishing up the painting as I type this. YAY!! So now, I can get everything put back into place. And have this place sparkling!! I'll try to get some pictures posted when all is complete.

So, until next time, thanks so much for letting me share. If you like what I've done, don't forget to leave me some lovin'.

Take care and happy scrappin'!!

Leanne

Under Construction

2009-11-06T16:16:00.000-08:00

I am so trying to get back into the swing of scrappin' again. Its a long steady road, but I'm managing to move right along. This is another kit I pulled from my cropper hopper last week. My DH loves to put things together and he loves working with wood as well. He inherited a lauve (I know I spelled that wrong!!) from his father and he wanted a place to set it up and be able to work with it. So, he decided he wanted his own little workshop. So as he's measuring and cutting the wood and putting it all, I am behind the camera snapping pictures.
I used a combination of papers and embellishments. The layout comes from CTMH's How to book "Cherish, 'Visual Textures" sketch. Papers are Sticker Studio, K & Company and Close To My Heart. Embellishments are from Karen Foster, Little Extras, Stickopotamus, and Eyelet Outlet. Thanks for stopping by. Until next time. Happy Scrapping! Leanne

Then and Now

2009-11-05T10:22:00.000-08:00

Happy Thursday!

What a week this is turning out to be! Sometimes I feel its just a continuation from the previous week and there will be no end in sight. I guess this is what is called "Life!" LOL My son in law was finally able to find a job. We're so proud of him! Unfortunately, the job takes him away from his family. My daughter is feeling his absence as well as the children. So, to keep from feeling that anxiety of being separated, she and the children are finding lots a various things to do to occupy their time. I do my best to step in where I am needed. Sometimes, though, I do manage to drop the ball.

I started a few weeks ago with a bunch of gals from Spark People, an online crop. I was so deep into this remodel, that I couldn't think of doing any kind of crafting. We met last Friday, and I decided I wanted to scrapbook. I have so many unfinished layouts or layouts waiting to be done...that I just stuck my hand in my Cropper Hopper and pulled out a project. The papers and embellishments I pulled were for the pictures I took of when my DH bought his new truck.

I used CTMH's how to book, "Imagine, 'Grand Finale." Papers are from Sticker Studio. The other little embellishments I've had for a while and took them from my stash.

So, there is two more pages complete. I am now working on when DH built his workshop out in the backyard. I'll be posting that in the next few days.

Thanks for stopping by.

Until next time...

Happy Scrappin'!

Leanne

The Lakehouse in 1920

2009-10-24T13:59:00.000-07:00

It seems like I will never be done with this house. I do have to say though the house is looking better every day. The back part of the house, the bedrooms and bathrooms have been scoured from top to bottom. Walls were washed, carpeting shampooed, furniture oiled, windows washed, curtains cleaned. Its a great feeling to have this portion of the house completed. There is one remaining wall in the living room that has not been completed. Its the wall where the wall unit sits. Its big and bulky, and very heavy to move. I need to remove everything off of it to be able to move it. But to do that I need to clear some room on the tables that is holding other miscellaneous items that need to be put in their proper place or packed up and put in storage.

Meanwhile, while I am existing in this vast wasteland I call home; I still have to prepare for my workshop coming up this next Tuesday. I am featuring Close To My Heart's "Sweet Home Workshop on the Go" scrapbook kit. I basically liked the layout, but I found I needed to make some changes. I call that the "Leanne's Touch."

I used the Sweet Home Scrapbooking Kit, along with CTMH's Baroque Alphabet stamp set. I used Garnet ink along with Heavenly Blue and Blush markers on the title. I also used Garnet ink for the flourishes on each page. The stamp scallop edge was stamped in Cocoa and blue dew drops in the center of each stamped image came from my good friend, Jennifer.

The journaling is hidden behind the large picture on the right side. It says: "Paw Paw Lake
My grandmother’s parents owned a summer cottage up on Paw Paw Lake, Michigan. Every summer, they would go to the lake for the summer. The tradition continued after my grandparents got married. It was a family time. Not only my grandparents and great grandparents, but my grandmother’s brother, Roy and his wife Lillian would join in the family time.
Pictured in the photos:
On the left side layout is two photos. The first photo is of E.Bradford Mosher holding onto Bradford and Donald (my father)Archer. The photo was taken in 1920. The next photo is of Roy Mosher and Lillian Jennings. Don’t you just love the swimming costumes?
On the right side layout is another two photos. The top photo is the summer cottage. From the looks of it, quite a few people could stay there comfortably. The largest photo of all is of my grandparents, Wilken and Leona Archer. The photo was taken about 1920. "

I am really itchin' to get back into my rubber room and start doing more layouts. So, not more with this "Susy Homemaker" garbage. As Douglas MacArthur said, "I shall return!" I too will return with more layouts and more cards and anything else that will get the creative juices flowing.

So, until next time.

Happy Scrapping everyone!!

Inky Hugs,

Leanne

Twitterpated at 65

2009-10-07T15:15:00.000-07:00

Hey there Friends and Neighbors!

After a few complaints from my sister (Hi there Jo!!) and a good friend (who will remain nameless) about me not posting, I thought I would let you all know, everything here is a ok! DH and I have been so busy working and painting the front part of the house (which is almost complete)...there just hasn't been enough hours in the day to get everything done I want to do. My plate sure runneth over!

But I have also been working on the back part of the house as well. Yes, I know I said, DH and I have been painting the front part...but I had the chance (so I took it) to get an early start in my day, this past weekend. Usually I can't because DH works nights, and by the time he gets up and is out the door to work...its like 2:30pm. This past Saturday, he was up early and off onto his own little adventure, and I got started in the back bathroom and master bedroom. I usually do my spring cleaning in March...but didn't do it this year, till now. So scrubbing walls, and moving furniture is something I don't recommend for a weight loss regime...but it sure burns the calories!

But it also leaves time for little else! I sure wish I could afford for someone to come in and do this for me. But that's an easy cop out isn't it? Besides, no one cleans as well as you do. So, instead of adding to a list of complaints I already have...I do it myself and be happy with the results. Does that make sense?

In all this chaos, I was able to get the layouts completed for my workshop. We used CTMH's Twitterpated WOTG Kit, which comes with their own instructions. Now, I tweeked it a bit and made it my own.

I converted the black and white photos to sepia. The pictures are from the post war era, I'd say around 1947. There was no date attached to these photos, so I am guessing it was a Sunday afternoon, with everyone in their "Sunday" best. The layout on the left, is the group shot of the whole family. Starting from left to right are: My mother holding my sister Joella, my father behind her, Aunt Gladys holding my oldest brother Don, Uncle Otto behind her, and Aunt Ellen and her son, Bobby standing in front of her, Uncle Kenny who is behind Aunt Ellen and Grandma Thomas is on the far right.

Now over on the right layout, there is a big open space down at the bottom. I apologize for that, my printer ran out of ink before I could finish printing all the pictures. But this is the picture that will go right next to it. Its not in sepia yet...but this will give you an idea. Wasn't Donnie, Jo and Bobby the cutest set of kids?

So speaking of my brother, Don....I would like to take a moment and wish him a belated happy birthday. I did manage to get a card made for him. I even got it in the mail in plenty of time to get there on his birthday. Would you like to see the card I made him? OK, you've twisted my arm...here is it. Can you guess how old Don is? I'll give you three guesses! LOL This card was a lot of fun to make. The digital image came from Louby Lou. The B&T papers and cardstock are from CTMH's Emporium. I did a lot of paper piecing and used my mounting tape to give the card some dimension. I also used my circle and scalloped circle Nestabilities for the background and also Cuddlebug's Swiss Dots embossing folder. The bookplate at the bottom is from Sizzix. The happy birthday is from CTMH's Birthday Script stamp set. The "65" candles I cut on my Wishblade. I am unsure where I got that file, I've had it for quite a long time. I used Liquid Applique for the frosting and heat set it with my embossing gun. The brads and buttons and the ribbon, all came from my good friend, Jennifer over at Just4funcrafts.

So, Happy Birthday Don!! I'd tell ya not to spend all your social security all in one place, but with prices these days, you just may have to!!

Thanks everyone for stopping by. If you like what I've done, leave me some lovin'! I love to read all your comments.

Until next time,

Happy Scrappin'!

Inky Hugs,

Leanne

2009-09-14T16:04:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday everyone!

Hope your Monday is going along better than mine! LOL Our home has gone from bad to worse in just a matter of days. We're still in the painting stage. DH managed to take everything down off the walls and nothing has gone back up. Now granted, I am suppose to be cleaning everything before it goes up...but where do you start? Where do you work? We have decided not to put all that was up on the walls back up...so that means I have the grand pleasure of finding boxes and packing it all up. Sooner or later...we'll get our house back. Can you even imagine going through a major renovation? OMG!!! No way! Not even thinking of going there.

Well, I should try to get back to it. Oh, BTW, not only is the front part of the house a disaster area...but the rubber room is too. I can't even find any kind of solace anywhere except in the bathroom! Maybe that's why I've taken stock in Calgon!! LOL This room will be done alot faster, simply because my order from CTMH will be here Wednesday and I have GOT to get to work on this month's workshop. I'll give you a sneak peak of the pictures I am going to be using.

This picture is of my parents, my mom is on the far left and my dad behind her. She's holding my sister, Joella and the lady next to her is Aunt Gladys, holding my brother Don. The picture was taken about 1947/48.

I have more pictures to use on the layouts, so you'll have to wait till I get the layouts completed. It won't be long.

Wish me luck, I get something accomplished today, besides the 4 loads of laundry.

Until next time, thanks for stopping by...

Inky Hugs,

Leanne

Help me clear the clutter!

2009-09-07T10:05:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!
This past week, as we've been busy painting and reorganizing the livingroom and diningroom, I have also been back in the Rubber Room, trying to make some sense out of this disaster area. I am trying to clear the clutter and reorganize the room AGAIN! It always gets my creative juices going when I do something like this. So, in an effort to declutterize (is that such a word?) I am selling some of my stamp sets. Here is the list of stamps and if you look to your right there is a slideshow of all the stamp sets. More information is at the bottom of this post. Thanks for stopping by.

B1031 Sweet Dreams $8
B1033 Blossom Blocks $8
B1185 Bottle Caps $8
B1208 Birthday Script $8
B1211 Reminders $8
B1256 Alfredo $8
C1196 My Mom $10
C1226 Floral Charms $10
C1243 A Friend Is $10
C1252 Abundance Borders $10
D1087 Elegant Floral $14
D1038 Childhood Boy $14
D1140 Miracle $14
W326 Friendship Garden $14
D1339 Moment in Time $14
D1342 World’s Greatest Dad $14

I prefer paypal, but will also accept checks and money orders. Shipping is for actual weight of the package. Please include your zip code so I can give accurate shipping cost.
You can email me at Kit20296@aol.com.

Until next time...

Leanne

Momma Mia...what have I done?

2009-08-23T07:07:00.000-07:00

In my small little world, things have a designated place. I am sure its that way with most of you. But when it comes to decorating, in this household, there is no such thing as baby steps. Nope, not at all. Its all or nothing! LOL

What started out as a small purchase of a tapestry to hang on the window in our bedroom, turned out to be one major endeavor. We couldn't agree on just one tapestry. I liked one tapestry whereas, my DH liked another. So as in all good marriages, we compromised. We bought both. One to put on our bedroom window and the other to hang on the wall in the livingroom. I knew the tapestry wouldn't go with the color on the walls and we've been wanting to replace the livingroom furniture. So, we both started surfing the internet to find the furniture WE wanted. I wanted a small print or design, but he wanted oversize overstuff leather furniture. At this point, we were not the normal happy couple who knew after 29 years of marriage, that compromise is the best way to solve anything. But I gave in to his overstuffed, oversized leather furniture. Although I did have a few words to say about it. I explained that this home of ours was just too masculine, there was nothing feminine about it. Where he came back, jokingly saying..."This is a manly man's house!!" I was really waiting for him to start pounding his chest and start with the Tarzan scream. Instead, I just simply replied, that this house is so full of testosterone, that I am drowning here! He didn't have a quick comeback at that! I really shouldn't complain...we both want a change in our environment, afterall, when we painted the last time...we wanted a simple soft peach colored walls, but instead they turned out PINK!! OMG...they were so pink. And they have been this way for the past 8 years. No wonder the man wants a "man cave!!" LOL

So now that the furniture has been ordered and we're waiting for it to be delivered...we decided to paint over the pink walls. I thought a nice neutral color on the walls would be nice. You see it alot on home improvement shows on HGTV. DH thought the same, but we didn't go together to select the exact wall color we wanted. DH said he had errands to run and said he would be back. Never in my wildest imagination, did I think he would stop and pick up paint. But he did! This was all over the matter of days that we talk about wall color and him actually picking up the paint.

Now, paint has been bought, the furniture has been ordered, and tapestries have arrive. Meanwhile, we started a project a while ago in the kitchen. I thought we need to finish this project before starting another. BUT (as usual) DH had other things in mind. He said he wanted to get this one wall painted and the tapestry hung, before the new furniture arrived. So, we moved the old furniture out and off he goes and started painting the one wall. Now the wall color looks almost yellow in the picture you see here. But its not, its very close to CTMH's Brown Bag color, but lighter. Its a little darker than what I was imagining, but it gives the room a warm feel to it. OK, OK...I like it! He made a good choice without me! LOL

In our adventures of redecorating and painting our home, we have the wonderful issue of the CAT! Now, Bella loves to be in the middle of whatever is going on. So as DH is rolling paint on the wall, Bella is chasing the roller. He's manage to catch it a couple of times and then goes running off with paint on his feet, leaving little paw prints in his wake. He thinks this is a game just for him! LOL So, as DH is painting the walls and fighting with the cat for the roller, I am down on the ground with my scrub rag and vinegar water cleaning up little paw prints.

Of course, Auggie (the dog) has to be in the middle of things as well. Luckily for us, she hasn't learned to climb the ladder. But she is still where she isn't suppose to be. (Under foot!!) Isn't life grand when you have pets? I'll leave you to ponder that question on your own. I think you all know my answer!

So, my nice orderly world, where everything belongs in its place, is turned upside down. And with my house in such disarray, how can I possibly go back to the rubber room and concentrate on doing any kind of artwork. I know I have a few cards to make. But to get my creative juices flowing again, I am in dire need of a massive "Calgon" moment. AND getting everything put in its proper place.

I hope you all enjoy your Sunday and what is left of the weekend. Today is DH and mine 29th wedding anniversary. We plan on going out to dinner to Outback. I hope it doesn't blow my diet to much out of whack.

Yes, on top of all the disarray of my household, I have started a diet. Its more like a lifestyle change than a diet, but I am tired of carrying around this excess baggage. I signed up with Sparkpeople, to help track my calories and all that good stuff that comes when dieting. And I've started another blog to journal about my progress. I'm not sure if I will post daily or weekly yet. I'm just beginning, so I won't post a link till it get it completely up to where I want it.

Thanks for stopping by and listening (or should I say reading) to me ramble. This too will pass, and then my world will be totally wonderful and back to normal.

Until next time,

Lots of *Wet Paint* Hugs,

Leanne

who is smiling because things can only get better from here!

Giving Credit

2009-08-17T08:55:00.000-07:00

When I posted the other day, my photo cube, I did not give credit where credit is due. A sister consultant, Rose-Marie Huneault came up with the layouts for each side of the cube for a workshop she conducted. She did such a wonderful job and it was my mistake not giving her proper credit.

I also want to give credit to my good friend, Jenn from www.just4funcrafts.com for supplying my workshop with the pink brads and opaque gel pen. The use of the gel pen is what really gives the embellishments the "wowie" factor for this project.

This was totally unintentional to forgot these two. I truly appreciate all the help that other consultants are so willing to give to each other. That is one of the things that makes Close To My Heart so special to me.

Thank you everyone, who read and comment here on my blog. I truly appreciate you all too.
So, until next time.

Lots of special hugs,
Leanne

Blog Candy

2009-08-16T11:07:00.000-07:00

Check this out! Bev is celebrating, and giving away some awesome products. Here's the link to her blog. http://bevscrafts.blogspot.com/2009/08/thank-you-collab-blog-candy.html She's a dynamite artist and I wish her luck in her future endeavors.

Well, I'm off to remove kitchen cabinet doors so I can sand them and then get them painted.

Till next time, thanks for stopping by.

Lots of Inky Hugs,
Leanne

Sisterly Love

2009-08-14T18:42:00.000-07:00

Hi all!!
I sure hope this works! I haven't had much time to spend in the Rubber Room lately. We are in the midst of remodeling the front portion of the house. I don't know what I was thinking 19 years ago, when I painted my livingroom and diningroom in a color that we thought was going to be a light peach color. It turned out to be more pink than peach. So, for the past 10 years I have lived with a pink livingroom and diningroom. Now, we've decided to paint the walls a cross between Bamboo and Brown Bag. Its the prettiest tan. I bought a tapestry to hang on the wall behind the couch which reminds me so much of our garden when we lived in England. I'll be sure to share with all of you once the projects get completed. I really don't want to do a before picture because I hate showing my life being so upheavel. We all go through it, I can accept that, I just don't want pictures of it! LOL

Anyhow, this slide show I am sharing today is what we will be doing at my next monthly workshop. I used CTMH's Mt Reflections Bella papers and the embellishments I made myself with the help of my Sizzix Big Shot and dies and my QuiKut dies. I even took my Hollyhock reinker and dyed the satin flowers. I believe I got the flowers from Debbie at http://www.reasonableribbon.com/. (Hi Debbie ) I made this photo cube for my sister. She knows something is up but she doesn't know what. But she frequents my blog, pretty soon, it won't be a surprise. So, SURPRISE Jo!!! I'll be getting this in the mail to you after the first of the month. Love ya Sis!!

Thanks for stopping by. If you like what you've just seen, leave me some lovin'! Hope you all have a terrific weekend!!

Inky Hugs,
Leanne

Circle of Friends

2009-08-02T09:48:00.000-07:00

What a nice surprise this morning! My CTMH sister, Haley (http://www.inkyscrapper.blogspot.com/) nominated me for "The Circle of Friends" Award! Thank you, Haley!!!

Here are the rules: Nominate 5 other bloggers you feel have become part of your circle of friends. Link to your nominees within your blog post. Include these instructions on how to pick up the award in your blog post. Link back to the person who gave you the award in your blog post, to show your appreciation. Comment on their blogs to let them know they've received the award.

How fun is this? I have been so blessed to "meet" so many people online!

The ones I've chosen are people I have alot of admiration for. It I could bottle half their creativity...(you fill in the blank). I just love you guys!! Here we go, in no particular order:

Jenn - http://just4funcrafts.blogspot.com/

Kathi - http://kathiscreativecorner.blogspot.com/

Kathy - http://katsscrapping.blogspot.com/

Rachele - http://theinkboutique.blogspot.com/

Teresa - http://fabulouslyartsy.blogspot.com/

Random Stamp Memo Board

2009-07-23T11:29:00.000-07:00

Here we are again...beginning of a new post. LOL A while back I shared with you a sheet of White Daisy cardstock that I randomed stamp using some pastel colors. In my precious posts, you can see some of the artwork, using this randomed stamp cardstock. Well, I did stop with just one. I pulled out my "Friendship Blessings" stamp set and did the same thing. It was right around the same time, that Jeanette Lynton, http://www.jeanettelynton.com/ posted a color challenge. So, I took the colors Jeanette posted, and the stamp set and made my own patterned paper. It seemed like it took me forever to finish it, but eventually I did. And just in time for a good friend's birthday. So, this is what I did with it.

Instead of drilling holes in the top and running a ribbon through it, I took a notebook clip and some E6000 (industrial stength craft adhesive) and attached it to the top. I made three little flowers with B&T paper or cardstock, magnets and my sizzix dies. The colors within Jeanette's challenge was Hollyhock, Blush, Creme Brulee, and Juniper.

I gave my friend her gift yesterday at lunch and she was jst trilled. She said the colors were perfect.

Well ladies, that's about all I have to share at the moment. But I am still in the rubber room and thinking of all the things I would like to do and create. So, if you like what you've seen, don't forget to leave me some lovin'!

Until next time.

Happy Stamping!

Inky Hugs,

Leanne

Cards, Cards, Cards Continue...

2009-07-23T10:29:00.000-07:00

So, now I'm into this card making phase. I needed a break from scrapbooking, but still had that need to create. Just about the same time, I made this decision, a friend of mine came to me and asked me if you would be interested in making cards for her. Isn't it alway the way, that when one door closes (not quite closed, but left open ajar) another one opens. I told her I would be happy to teach her how, but she said, she didn't really have the time or the inclination. She would much more prefer to pay someone to make them. So, I said OK! These are the cards I've made for her so far.

Then my twin cousin was having a birthday, so I needed to get a card sent off to her. Since making that quilt card with the pastel colors, I thought I would try making the same card, but using Life's Delight papers. This is my twin cousin's card...
And this is the card I thought I would try using Life's Delight paper pack.

So, this is what has been keeping me busy. I am one more thing to finish up and post. I'll do that later on this afternoon. But now, the laundry is screaming at me, so I need to go change out the loads.

Thanks for stopping by. If you like what you've seen here today, please leave me some lovin'.

Until the next time...

Happy Stamping!

Leanne

Cards Cards, Cards....

2009-07-23T09:37:00.000-07:00

You know, I have just the hardest time, starting off my blog. You wouldn't know it, if you spoke to me over the telephone or in person. The Lord gave me the gift of gab, but it sure doesn't show it here on my blog or for my scrapbook pages either. Funny thing too is...I love to write. But its the initial beginnings of journaling, or blogging or even letter writing that I have such a difficult time with. Do any of you have the same problem as I do? Please tell me I am not alone in this! LOL

OK...now my initial introduction to my blog is out of the way, LOL, I can share what I've been up to the last couple of weeks. My brother just celebrated his 50th birthday. As like the good sister I am, I love to pour salt in the wound. LOL My sister and I were going to send him a dozen long stem black roses, but no one around knew how to that. So then we thought we would send a dozen black balloons, but that would have brought back some bad memories for when he turned 40. So, my sister found this site... http://www.cookiesbydesign.com/ and we sent him this...

He got a big old chuckle out of it. I believe my sister had it sent to his job site. But I'm not positive on that fact. But this is the card I sent him.

He got the biggest chuckle out of it!

So to tell you a little bit about the card. I took one of Mojo Monday's card sketches and used that as a template. I also used my Nestabilities for the oval, oval frame and scalloped edge. The stamped image is from the retired set "Raccoons and Friends." I still really like that stamp set. And the papers are from the Silhouette paper pack and the Silhouette Basic Creations pack.

I still have some more cards to share...but chores are calling my name.

Talk to you soon.

Happy Stampin'!

Leanne

Wild and Crazy Life

2009-07-22T08:32:00.000-07:00

What a time its been since my last posting. I can't believe its been over 2 weeks since I posted anything. My deepest apologies to al of you. I do have alot to share today, so lets get to it shall we?

My monthly workshop is next Tuesday. We are doing CTMH's Workshop on the Go, but with a few minor changes. We're using "Animal Cookies" along with the Creative Basic Paper pack.

The original instructions calls for a plain white background. Well, we all know how I feel about plain white backgrounds, so I used one of the sheets from the Creative Basics pack and used that as a background. I think the two go very well together.

Kelli went on the field trip with Deborah and took all the pictures. She did a fantastic job! Which made my job a little bit more difficult when it came to the journaling. So the best solution I came up with was for Kelli to do the journaling. I love it when we all work together on a layout. It doesn't happen very often, but when it does, I get all warm and fuzzy inside. LOL

The journaling (not pictured here) is done on a big 6"x8" tag and will slip in behind the picture on the left side of the page.

I have more to share, but right now, I need to run. I'll get back a bit later and share some more.

Thanks for stopping by. If you like what you see, leave me some lovin' and let me know.

Until later...

Happy Scrappin'!!!

Leanne

Blog Award

2009-07-06T06:56:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to receive a blog award! This is my first blog award ever! Thank you Mary (http://mbryt1.blogspot.com/) for chosing me!

I would love to pass along this award to the following talented bloggers:

Jenn - http://just4funcrafts.blogspot.com/
Helen - http://www.hookedonstamping.com/
Kathi - http://kathiscreativecorner.blogspot.com/
Krista - http://kristaritskes-simplycreating.blogspot.com/
Elaine - http://timescapturedbyelaine.blogspot.com/
Kathy - http://katsscrapping.blogspot.com/
Haley - http://inkyscrapper.blogspot.com/

Thanks again.

Hopefully, later today I'll some artwork to post.

Thanks for stopping by.

Leanne

Topsy Twirlie Delight

2009-06-29T11:13:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share the layouts I completed for this month's workshop. The workshop is tomorrow and I am the sure the girls are all excited to complete these two pages. I have alot of fun putting these two pages together. These pages are not my norm, but I'd rather have the pictures to all the talking. The pictures are of my grandson Matthew. He's about 9 months old and very unsure of this toy that goes round and round when he grabbed it.

I used CTMH's workshop on the go guide and made a few changes. I used Clover Meadow cardstock as my base. The I trimmed the striped B&T paper and used the reverse side which was done in Sunflower. I stamped the ring of dots from Gear Up stamp set in Twilight. Then with Clover Meadow ink, I stamped another smaller double ring of dotts from Dream Wishes stamp set inside the Twilight color stamp images. The row of buttons were made from my extended cuts die and my Big Shot. I cut a few from some chipboard to give some dimension to the layout.

Thanks for stopping by! Until next time...

Inky Hugs,

Leanne

Just Wanna Stamp!

2009-06-17T10:56:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wanted to just pull out your stamps...doesn't matter which one...just a stamp set and just stamp and stamp and stamp? Not thinking about what you're gonna do with it once you're through stamping?

There are so many challenges, and sketches, and artwork out there, that I couldn't decide what to do. All I wanted to do was stamp and stamp and then stamp some more! So last evening, I sat at my worktable, with Bella in the middle of it and Auggie right behind me, and that is all I did.

I went to my boxes of stamps, closed my eyes and pulled out a stamp set. What I pulled out was Cottage Floral. I was just so pleased with myself that I picked this one. I had seen on the corp BB a card done by Krista Ritskes (kristaritskes-simplycreating.blogspot.co m) using this stamp set. But, I didn't want to use the same colors as Krista did, nor did I want to copy from the Boom Di Ada paper pack. I was in a more mellow mood, so I pulled out some pastel colors. (Lilac Mist, Blush, Buttercup, Baby Pink, Amethyst, and Sweet Leaf) And I stamped and stamped and stamped. OK, a better word to use is I random stamped on a full sheet of White Daisy Cardstock. But I felt that with flowers you need stems right? So, I pulled the stem stamp out of the Tickle Pink promo stamp set and used that as well. We just can't have those leaves just hanging out there now can we?

So, after I was done stamping all over the sheet of cardstock. Remember...I have a thing about white spaces! I really thought it needed something else. So I glance back at Krista's card and I saw she used "Spot On Backgrounds" stamp set and stamped over everything. So I thought....what color do I want to with this polka dot stamp on this sheet of cardstock. First I thought of Bamboo, but that would have been too dark. Then I thought of a color I hadn't used from the Spring color line. But then I had so many colors going on now...so that thought was vetoed. So, I went to back to the Neutral inks and gave the color Parchment a try. OOOoooo eeeee! That did it! Made my night!! Using this parchment ink was very forgiving. Now I don't know about you...but I have dickens of a time trying to line up this stamp when I am working on a large area. Even if it is acrylic! So that's the case here, but you can hardly tell. And.....using this ink and stamping it with the polka dots...really toned down all the colors.

I am so pleased how it turned out, that I may never cut into it!

Wanna see? Ok...here it is!

Now, I am not sure what to do with it...but I am sure I'll think of something. Meanwhile, it'll sit on my work table till I think of something.

Thanks for stopping by.....till next time...

Happy Stamping!

Leanne

Enjoy Your Journey

2009-06-16T12:27:00.000-07:00

I think that is about the only current thing I have on this card. Everything else are made from the scraps I had in my stash. Its my grandson's 5th birthday, and as much as he enjoys trains, I made him this card. I also thought I would do the Mojo Monday's challenge for the week. The papers are from CTMH's Blue Confetti B&T paper, CTMH's Pride and from DCWV's Nana's Kids striped paper. The stamp image is D1293 Enjoy Your Journey. I used CTMH Summer markers to color in the engine. The tag at the bottom of the card was cut and embossed with my Nestabilities oval die. The font is 2Peas Mister Giggles. The ribbon I think I bought at Michaels many many moons ago, and the brads are from http://www.just4funcrafts.com/. The size of the card is 5"x7. But perhaps an 8"x3.5" card might be more appropriate. I'll try to do another this evening and post tomorrow.

So what's happening in your neck of the woods? I hope you all have a Terrific Tuesday! Thanks for letting me share with all of you. If you like what I've done...don't forget to leave me some lovin'!!

Until next time....

Inky Hugs,

Leanne

Kitty Update

2009-06-15T09:28:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday Morning to you all!

Its been a while since I've updated you on our new littlest addition here in our household. Well, to start off with, since my granddaughter Deborah wanted to name the cat, Isabella (from the movie, Twilight) Elizabeth (her middle name) I thought the name Izzy Lizzy would be cute, but then Deborah tells me, they Isabella (from the movie) "Bella" so we started calling the cat, Bella. All this time we were thinking the cat was a girl cat, but because the cat was so young, we really couldn't tell. TILL NOW!! LOL Turns out our little baby kitten, is not a she but a he cat. So, we thought and we thought, what do we name HIM now? We didn't, we decided to stick with Bella. If Bella LaGosse (I hope I spelled that right) can use the name, so can we. So, the cat's name is now, Bella Linguine.

So the first few weeks, of having Bella with us, I was so afraid of Auggie (the dog) getting really to rough with this poor baby kitten, so I kept him confine to the kitchen and in his carrier (an extra large one) in the beginning. But as most cats do, Bella learned to climb over the cardboard gate I had put across the opening into the kitchen. He wanted to be where the action was. He wanted to come and play with the rest of us.

And so our fun time as a whole family begins. The cat has turned out to be a holy terror. Jumping out from under the furniture attacking your feet. Climbing on the back of your recliner and playing with your hair. He tried to eat my pendant that is around my neck on chain. He gets under the covers at night and if you happen to move, he is attacking your feet, legs, etc. But the real fun is when both Auggie and Bella decide to rough house in the middle of my bed in the middle of the night. Now this isn't a constant occurrence every night, its sporatic.

Just this minute, as I am typing this, Bella was chasing a fly through the house and ended up here in the rubber room in the front window. He jumped and climbed up my curtains (lace ones at that) till the fly got away and curtains came tumbling down. I guess perhaps, Bella is telling me my curtains need a good washing. LOL Just something else to add to my to do list.

We'll find Bella in the most strangest places. We once found him lying in the middle of the bathtub. No water of course, but he was just lounging there like there was water. Another time, he dragged all the trash (luckily I had just emptied it, so there was only a few pieces of trash and the bag) from the trash bin and decided to sleep in there. When I saw him in there, I thought to myself, "Who threw the cat away?" LOL I got a picture of that!

So, there you have it, Life with Bella!! It seems though since Bella arrived on the scene, Auggie has calmed down a bit. Just a bit, but I'll take any little bit I can get!

Thanks for letting me share the antics of Bella and Auggie. Life is so exciting around here these days. Its hard to keep up.

So until next time,

Leanne

Wednesday's "W"

2009-06-10T10:09:00.000-07:00

From the title, I bet you're say..."What is she talking about?" Well, last week we were asked when did you start stamping? This week's question of the week is, "Where do you find inspiraton for your creations?" That is a hard question to answer. Since I started stamping, way back during the dinosaur age, I have found inspiration almost everywhere. I remember doing a card once with the wall paper my parents had in their kitchen when I was growing up. But nowadays, I find inspiration everywhere. I love looking at other individual's creations. I'll see something I like and I'll make a mental note, then on another, I'll see something else. I do this till I think my head is going to burst, and then I get creative.

But where do I go to find this inspiration? I have so many different avenues to explore, that is hard to pinpoint just one or two. As you can see over on the left, the column of blogs I visit, well that's one source of inspiration. I also visit Close To My Heart's corporate message board for artwork. We sure do have a great group of talents ladies! Another source I have, when I have lots of different things I want to try but no foundation, I'll check out Becky's page maps. (www.pagemaps.com). Not only does she have sketches for layouts but also for cards. In the beginning, I started out purchasing magazines to find inspiration. I'd even purchase a subscription or two. But it seems in the magazines are turning to the internet and blogging. Then there is always other message boards on the web, to bring some inspiration. I love this craft, because so many want to share. And then, last but by no means, least the books I love the most. They are from Close To My Heart and its Jeanette's "how to" books. There is 5 of them now, and the best source of inspiration. The 5 books include, Cherish, Imagine, Reflections, Originals, and Wishes.

As I explained yesterday, unfortunately, I don't have any artwork to share today. I am up to my neck in laundry. I've didn't finish it last week, so this week, I have almost twice as much. This is one chore I could really do without. But, we can't go around in dirty underwear now can we?

So, until the next time.....
Happy Stamping!

Leanne