Just for a day...

Sometimes when I am scrapbooking older photos of the boys, I wish they could be that little again just for a day. I have so many wonderful memories of their sweet hugs, adorable smiles, chubby little feet... then I remember how many great memories we have had together during all the years they were growing up and I smile again.

Scrapbooking is such a fantastic hobby for me. I get to relive all the fun over and over...like this afternoon with the sprinkler in our Collierville, TN backyard. They lived under that sprinkler with those very cool sunglasses for most of the summer.


And then there is the day we got professional photos taken. Rian's mischievous grin reminds me what a ham for the camera he used to be...and Jordy was just smiling so he could get out of there faster. Funny personalities remembered in pictures...little snippets of time captured on film...so thankful for my pictures.

New projects to share!

Here are some new things I have been working on. I have so many crazy ideas that I hope to be posting a lot over the next few days and weeks so check back often. You can also subscribe to my blog and automatically get notified via email when I post a new layout or project -- just scroll down to where it says "Subscribe via email" and enter your email address.

This is a special journal project I have been working on. I just LOVE '7 Gypsies' paper.



Here is a fun layout I did about my hubby's Warrior Dash (a very crazy, muddy race in North GA). I love Little Yellow Bicycle's 'Generation X' line -- it fit perfectly with the manly theme and came with tons of great embellishments! Anyone who knows me knows I am all about the coordinating embellishments. I used the stickers, the transparent borders and frames, and rub-ons to make this layout extra cool.





Finally, here is a layout that I did with some paper that I could not pass up at Scrapbook Expo this year. I just loved the colors. It is Pink Paislee's '365 Degrees' line. I knew I wanted to use Kristin's name for the title but when I cut it out of the blue paper (using my Silhouette) it was a little light. So, I used my Versamark Pen to go around the edges of the letters, sprinkled on clear embossing powder, and used my heat gun to melt -- voila -- instant darker edge. Fun!

Roxanne's Photo Tray

Wow, did y'all think I disappeared? Basically I did...into the migraine world temporarily and it was not fun. But the migraines are gone and I am back to creating again! I met with one of my good friends, Roxanne, yesterday to scrap and she got a lot more done than me so I decided to post her creation instead of mine (which still is not done). Not to mention that her creation is super fabulous and so worthy of posting!! Check it out...



Rox completed this 7 Gypsies photo tray with awesome family pictures and the Bo Bunny Mamarazzi line. I just LOVE it -- of course she has one of those beautiful families that photographs great too -- look at those pictures! You did a great job on this Rox...you have inspired me to make a photo tray and go get some professional family pictures taken. You always cost me money.

Too cute for teenagers!

I had to buy it...look at those cute little sea creatures! However, I knew I was going to have to dig up some very old beach pictures because this paper is way too "cute" for pictures of my teenage boys on the beach. They would kill me! So, I looked back through old beach pictures and came up with Hilton Head 1998. This paper is Imaginese and oh so very adorable. I combined it with a piece of Bo Bunny aquamarine double dot cardstock and found a great way to put seven, count them 7, pictures on a single page layout. Very happy with the result, but the best part? Jordy saw the layout and did not fuss at me for using this cute paper.

A layout, a cute picture, and tacos

I got home from school orientation and decided I wanted to scrapbook for a little while before dinner. It was probably about 4:30. My oldest son decided he was already hungry but once he saw me entering my scrapbook room he realized my dinner schedule and his were not in sync. Being the sweet kid he is, and the hungry guy he stays, he proposed a solution. He suggested that if I give him money, he would go to the store, buy stuff to make tacos, AND come home and make them. SCORE! I could not say yes fast enough! He gets to eat sooner and I get to scrap longer! Win-win! So, as a result of this happy arrangement, I created this layout of my sweet niece, Taylor. Although she was 5 years old in this picture (adorable!), she is 15 now. Taylor is still beautiful and I love her dearly. I have three nieces and they are always my excuse for buying really cute, pink, girly scrapbook paper. 

 

My baby's growing up!

Every mom cringes when she sees THAT picture...the one that SHOWS her that her baby does not really LOOK like a baby anymore. This is that picture for me. Rian is my youngest, my baby. (I also saw "THE picture" of Jordy, my oldest, and I did not like it one bit). THIS is THAT picture for Rian. Ri grew 6 inches last summer...how is that possible?

I hate that my sweet boys are growing up so fast. HOWEVER, I have a very good friend (and you know who you are) who reminds me that my job is to raise your kids so that one day they become really amazing adults. So true...

Right now, this is a really amazing teenager...

Bo Bunny Block Party collection

Recent Bo Bunny Designs

Good morning! I wanted to post some recent designs that I did using Bo Bunny product. The first is probably one of my favorite pages ever. The colors in the Paradise collection are so pretty and it is a tropical beach line, so I used it for my Dad and Kathy's renewal of their wedding vows on the island of St. John. I love how the blues tie in with my Dad's shirt, the sky and the ocean in the background, and the oranges go beautifully with Kathy's flowers.

The next page is one I also love because of the focal picture. I love catching the kids on film when they do not know I am there. There is something so natural and thoughtful about shots like this. Especially when you can tie the picture to a neat story for your page later, like the conversation Rian had with Hannah...so cute. I used the Bo Bunny Mama-razzi line for this page (quite appropriate actually!)

Here are two cards I made using a Bo Bunny Christmas line from last year (Tis the Season), and their recent, and very cute summer line called Sun Kissed.  For the summer "Thank you" card, I put the bike inside the card to give a fun surprise element -- so often you open a card and there is nothing fun to look at. If you look closely, the bike says 'good times'.  I made the christmas card into an invitation -- the cute Bo Bunny sticker says "Where's the Party". I added some Stardust pens and red gems to make the card shine -- can't do cute without a little sparkle!

Riding home from Charleston

Okay I just have to say that 5 hours in the car goes by very quickly when you have an internet gadget like the one my hubby got the other day. I have been riding along, between Charleston and Atlanta, passing the time very nicely on the computer. Thanks to my gadget-lovin' husband, I have been able to peruse all sorts of great scrapping sites and I have to show you a very fun post I found on Bazzill's website. Check this out for awe-inspiring creativity peeks this afternoon! Is that fun or what? It made me hungry just looking at it!

I brought my camera to Charleston. Yes, to get pictures of this fun city, but also to take pictures of scrapbook layouts that I have never uploaded to a gallery or my blog. Jack did question why a box of scrapbook layouts and albums were going on our getaway weekend, but I quickly mumbled something incoherent as I walked away to take our dogs out and he didn't ask again. A girl with a plan...but....we were running so late, and I had packed so fast, that I completely forgot to pack the camera's battery charger! So, no great pictures of Charleston and no new scrapbook pages uploaded to the blog until I get back home to a fully charged camera. I did get a couple pictures with my iPhone -- please comment here to help me decide what the title of this Charleston layout will be with JUST these two sad little pictures.

My family Disney Album

The Disney pages are from an 9x9 album I did when the boys were younger. I love it because I incorporated lots of stamps throughout the book.

Card Organizer

This is one of my favorite projects I've done this year. I used Bo Bunny's 9x9 binder and Basic Grey's Origins line to create a monthly organizer for storing my handmade cards. Each month has a pocket to hold the cards, and a reminder to list the birthdays of family and friends that are in that month. Since making this binder, I have made two more -- one using Bo Bunny's Petal Pushers line, and one with Sophie. They make great gifts!

Happy Birthday to my youngest!

I hate when you have a great day planned and the weather changes everything. We planned to take Rian to Stone Mountain for his birthday since we have never been there. I know, I know, lived in Georgia for 5 years and just getting around to doing all the "touristy" stuff...anyway, half way down 85 it starts to pour. Now, I'm a low maintenance girl. I'm not worried about my hair in the rain or my clothes getting wet -- after raising two boys I've decided a short hair cut, t-shirt, and jeans are my idea of couture...so rain, no big deal. Lightning, however, is another story. I do not do lightning. So after much conversation about indoor options, Rian decided Andretti's Racing and Games was the ticket. It turned out to be "expensive fun", which when you are a mom trying to make a birthday special is okay. When you are a scrapbooker trying to get good photos of said birthday, it was a bit of a challenge -- three teenagers, four if you count my husband, (who all look the same thanks to helmets) whizzing by in super-sized go-carts, around an indoor track that you are not allowed near. So here are a few of the pictures I did get -- Happy Birthday Rian! I'm glad you had a good time!

Back into the swing of things

Trying to get back into a normal routine after vacation is never easy. Laundry is getting done (slowly) and the refrigerator is filled to a capacity more acceptable to two teenage boys, so we're getting there.

Now I have lots and lots of scrap booking to catch up on so I can post new pages to this site! Look for new layouts coming on the slideshow in the next week or so -- as soon as I can get organized again!

Vacation

Have you ever felt like you needed a vacation from your vacation? My sister and I quickly learned that to four teenagers, vacation does not mean relax, kick your feet up, and enjoy some peace and quiet. No, to four teenagers, vacation means "what's the next thing we can do?", "where's the next place we can go?" and of course, "how soon until we eat again?"

In Florida the kids kept the adults busy with trips to paintball, water theme parks, shopping, canoeing, and movies. We also spent each day on the beach snorkeling, swimming, and competing to see who could find the best sea glass.

Back in Georgia, the mountains were also full of adventure -- we hiked over 400 steps to see the highest cascading waterfall east of the Mississippi, went whitewater rafting down the Ocoee River, and explored the rocky creek and water pools behind the cabin.




Finally, we rounded out the vacation with a trip to the Lake. Dad's house is always special to the grandkids. Between the pool, the lake, the golf course and movie theater they never got bored. Kim and I called it quits, however, and aside from one antique shopping trip, we did a whole lot of nothing -- perfect!

Happy Birthday Beeeee-Nana!

Here's a shout out to my sweet niece, Hannah...who we have all nicknamed Hannah Beeeeee-Nana! 13 today!
I love you sweet girl!!

Breast Cancer 3-Day Memories

As most of my followers know, I lost my mom to breast cancer when I was a teenager and last year I walked in the Breast Cancer 3-day in her memory. I did not scrap the pictures of this event until recently. I decided on a 6x6 Bo Bunny album and the Sophie collection. Here are some pictures of this very meaningful project: