From the Archives II....

~Chi Town Throw Down~

I'll be posting a few more Layouts from awhile back that never made it onto the blog since I am off to Dallas for work this week!

I love this layout because the patterned paper was so much fun; I love this layout even more because it has TWELVE pictures on it, 7 of which are 4x6! The waterfall "mini album" really allowed me to pack some great, albeit embarrassing, photos on this layout from a fun night out in Chicago. The waterfall "mini album" was great for not only getting a lot of photos on this page, but doubled as a useful way to include, yet hide, some of the more "ridiculous" photos from this night! 

One of my favorites...

~WANTED~

This layout of my niece, Dara, right after she was born is probably one of my favorite layouts that I have ever done! She just looks so happy to be here!!!

5910 Madrone Dr.

~Where Childhood Memories Were Made~

The "Notes" banner is a pull out journaling card that reads, "We moved to 5910 Madrone Drive in 1989 where we lived until my mom and step-dad sold the house to realize their dream of owning a ranch in Colorado. Many, many, many childhood memories and friendships were made on Madrone Drive and looking back on those memories brings mostly joy and happiness. A lot happened in that home from 1989 until 2004 when my sisters and I all moved out to stay behind in California. Sometimes I still like to drive by our old house and I'm hopeful that the family living there is making their own lasting memories!"

Also, I love this paper line, Everyday Eclectic," by Echo Park!

From the Archives...

~The Bean~

A layout from my trip to Chicago with Nikki when Tracy first moved from Chico to Chicago. I had SO MANY cool pictures of The Bean that I wanted to use so I created flaps under a lot of photos to get them all on the pages. I also really love this patterned paper!

An Oldie but a Goodie...

~Baby Love~

So, we are on vacation in COSTA RICA!!! You should be jealous. No really, you should be. Not to worry...I'm reaching into the archives for some LOs that never graced the blog to keep you all engaged while I am sipping tropical drinks on a beach in Costa Rica!

I did a TERRIBLE job of photographing these way back whenever, but you get the idea. I love this sweet layout of Dara when she was a baby! She turned 3 years old in August and I cannot believe that she was ever this small!

This is why I scrapbook...

~Childhood Moments~

Ever so often my mother gets a wild hair up her ass and starts sorting through BOXES AND BOXES of photos from this or that period in her life and once or twice a year a box or big manilla envelope arrives on my front porch chalk full of old photographs of her and my dad (now divorced), my sisters and I from years ago or old school art projects that she kept and now is passing back to me. I always laugh as I sort through these moments in time, tossing out photos I'll never do anything with of people I never knew or that have a large fingerprint in the frame. But sometimes I run across a gem like this from my childhood; no date or location written anywhere on the photograph, no other photographs to accompany it. However, these random photos hold a moment in time of happiness and it inspires me to get it into a scrapbook for posterity's sake! Someday I hope that I can give my nieces or step children a well documented album from their lives that they will cherish forever, but I have to admit, getting to document glimpses of my own childhood is fun too!

Pulling out the Scraps

~Happy Together~

I have TONS of the Basic Grey solid scraps laying around that I apparently refuse to part with so I am always excited when I go looking through my scraps and find Basic Grey solids that work for my layouts! Love these pictures of Anson and I at a Holiday Party in 2010 in San Francisco, just a few months after getting together!

I want to sleep this much...

~Silly Snoozer~

I quickie LO I threw together using an Instagram photo of Nikki and some pet papers from the WeR pet line, Friends Furever.

These little dogs just spend their days napping, eating and running around the back yard!

If life could only be so carefree and easy...!

New Scrapbook Toys!!!

~Unconditional Love~

I just recently purchased the Silhouette Cameo and OhMyGawd do I love this tool!!!! Here is my first project using my new Cameo. I used a normal font on my computer to create the "LOVE" for my title.

The Cameo will cut out ANY font on your computer, that you down load or otherwise own! It is so cool. It does a ton of things, but I am still figuring everything out!

This layout was inspired by the Sunday Sketch on the Studio Calico Blog. LOVE these sketches for quick LOs that come together and get the creative juices flowing!

See, I scrapbook the kids too...not JUST the dogs!

~Learning to Ride~

I am IN LOVE with this layout. You know when you put together a layout, step back, look it over and think to yourself, "I really outdid myself this time!"

This layout was TOTALLY one of those moments. It just all came together thanks in part to the Studio Calico Summer of '69 kit! Really pleased with this one, AND it's not even of my dogs!

The journaling reads, "Connor got a bike from Santa for Christmas 2011 and he had a really hard time working through his frustrations to learn to ride until he realized he wouldn't get to ride bikes with us during our summer camping trip! He learned w/in the week! Now we can't keep him off!"

Nothing like threatening your child into learning to ride a bike with the fear of being abandoned at camp in the middle of the woods!!! Ahhh parenthood, how fun are you??

Hawaiian Vacation 2010, Part V

~Canal Tubing~

One of my favorite parts of our vacation to Kauai was tubing down the old sugar cane farm canals. You wear headlamps because you go through dark caves, which is totally cool. This was an awesome excursion!

I love doing layouts where my photos are highlighted in the middle as a collage.

12 photos on this baby!

It's a Ruff Life...

~Happy Days~

My dogs might possibly be the most spoiled dogs on the planet! I mean, as I type this they are both lying on the couch with me covered in multiple blankies...They certainly have a good life!

Because I work from home I get to observe a lot of behavior that my dogs engage in that the average pet owner probably doesn't. However, I don't think the average pet owner is missing much since I typically observe a lot of upside down naps and loud snoring! 

Hawaiian Vacation 2010, Part III

~Waimea Day Trip~

We took a trip to Waimea Canyons and stopped at the Waimea brewery one day while in Kauai. We were lucky enough to arrive at the canyon to see a gorgeous and brilliantly bright rainbow stretched over the canyon. I have never seen more beautiful rainbows than I did while in Kauai!

 11 photos on this bad boy - got to love that 3"x4" size!!!

Hawaiian Vacation 2010, Part II

~Poipu, Kauai~

Another page of our trip to Kauai in 2010. These are photos around the hotel and on the beach where we stayed. I LOVE sunsets in Hawaii, that has to be one of my favorite things about the Islands! This Graphic 45 Tropic Paradise line was PERFECT for this trip!!

10 pictures on this page - that's some serious scrapbooking!!!

Hawaiian Vacation 2010

~Luau Time~

Plugging along in the layout lineup, I'm actually less than 2 years behind now!! Wooooo hoooo!! Anson is more excited about this than I am because this is the last of my "life events" that excluded him. Therefore, he has now passed the two-year statute of limitations and will be included in my scrapbooks going forward. Major relationship milestone!!! Hahahaha... 

BUT FIRST...my last vacation as a single girl...Kauai 2010 with Jon and Renee!

Welcome Back, Fall

~Thankful~

 

I love to scrapbook fall layouts! I think fall papers and collections are my favorite. From Halloween to Thanksgiving to generic fall prints, the vibrant colors and red/orange/brown hues are so pretty!

Luckly I am catching up on my 2010 layouts for fall at the perfect time! It's unusual that I actually scrap seasons and events during the coinciding time of year.

A two page layout for you this time :)

I love these American Crafts felt embellishments!!!

Push me Auntie Becky!

I love when Dara comes to visit me; she's so much fun! I just love my nieces. Dara LOVES to swing on the jungle gym when she comes to visit; and she absolutely loves Lily & Connor. She is growig up so quickly, it' insane.

Apparently I got caught up in the moment of hand stitching and all the butterflies ( my favorite) buecause I totally forgot to add a title to my page! Whoopsie! Although, I am not convinved that I will be rememdying this error, as the page is pretty balanced as is!

Some more product from Studio Calico's Summer of '69 kit!

Bloom & Grow

Last spring was the first time I have done any gardening since moving out of my parent's house and it was actually fun! Fun until Olivia and Nikki decided that flowers were delicious and started pulling all of my pansies and petunias out of the planters and eating them! TWITS!!

Inspired by a Studio Calico Sunday Sketch and the Summer of '69 monthly kit.

In Celebration of the NLCS...

Cannot wait to see our Giant's beat the Cardinals and make it to the World Series!!!

Anson and I at a Giant's game sporting our favorite colors!

~Happily Ever After~

The last layout from my friend Shelly's Wedding - THE PARTY!! Shelly's reception was so much fun! We ate (and I have to admit, the Indian food was YUMMY), we danced, we drank! Shelly looked gorgeous, yet again, in her traditional Indian wedding attire. Indian weddings are SO COLORFUL. It puts the tradition black and white American wedding to shame!

Obsessed with my dogs much?

~Rough & Tumble~

Watching Olivia and Nikki become fast friends was so much fun. They love each other and they will wrestle and play for hours. Sleep for w bit. Then get right back to it!

These pictures are totally blurry, but two doxies don't stay still for long!