Who's Who

This is one from a while back, but I just LOVE it! ALL of the cousins (well, except for one) are in the same place at the same time...and they are actually standing still for a photograph!!! Everyone was casually dressed for a crawfish boil, and the colorful mix of clothing makes for a fun and lively photo! The inspiration for my title came from the Magistical Memories chipboard owl. I had so much fun dressing him up in paper and paint, and even added a bow...which I guess makes it a "her". :) Now to figure out all the ages so that I can finish filling out the journaling card!

Love Ya Cuz!

"Colorful Friendships" is the theme for this week's Lifetime Moments feature article. The members of the design team celebrate friendship on their layouts, using a variety of colorful scrapbook products. My favorite project this week is a page titled "Love Ya Cuz!"























Bright pastel patterns populate the Basic Grey Urban Prairie collection, and my favorite paper in the entire pack combines every single one of the colors into a delightful, sampler-like design. It is equally amazing that almost all of these colors are found in my photo by way of the kids' clothing. These five are the youngest of the 14 kids on my side of the family, and not one of them are siblings! Everyone has a playmate...or two or three or more. It makes our week at the beach together all the more enjoyable. Photo taken June 2008.

There's No Crying in Scrapbooking!

Let these three truths be evident:

In scrapbooking like art, there are NO rules. There are NO mistakes. And there's NO crying in baseball..., er scrapbooking!

Of course things don’t always go as planned. The ink smears, the paper rips, or adhesive spills on an almost done project. Bummer! But, it doesn’t have to mean your work is ruined. Think creatively. Sometimes, those little mistakes turn out to be quite fortuitous. Make the best of them!

Here's an example. While there’s no expiration date on the packaging, rub-ons DO get old. How do I know? Heh-heh…I found out the hard way. Maybe it’s because I’ve had them for YEARS. Maybe it’s because my house had been without electricity and HOT for weeks at a time in 2005. Maybe it’s just the nature of the material. (Maybe they’ve been improved!) Anyway, some rub-ons deteriorate, and it’s not readily noticeable…until you try to use them.

I simply wanted to use an old KI tattoo letter to “dot the i” in the word “friends” on my layout titled First Friends. I rubbed and rubbed. Some of it stuck. The rest was like powder on the page. As I dusted the “crumbs” off, I noticed that a faint outline of the letter remained, and it looked COOL!

Hmmm…what if I took more of those rub-ons and rubbed them on all over the paper?! Oh yeah…that’s what I’ll do! And I did. The imperfect look of those old rub-on tattoos ended up working pretty well with the designs I had already doodled on the page! :)

No worries, no tears, as an "uh-oh" moment turned into an exclamation of "Oh, look!"

Yeah Me!

A couple of weeks ago I submitted a few pages to the Magistical Memories Design Team call. I am happy to say that they liked my entry enough to select me (and 26 other talented designers) for the next round. We will each receive an identical package of chipboard products with which to create. I love chipboard, so what could be a more perfect fit?! They have such an array of original chipboard designs. Painting, papering, inking, stamping, sanding...anything goes with this versatile product and I can't wait to play!

This was one of my entries. Distress EP, walnut ink, and semi-gloss varnish transformed these chipboard train shapes into a rusty-looking engine, car, and caboose. (Aren't the boys cute...and so tiny? Now they're taller than me!)

Fortunate for the Opportunity

This is a fortune I pulled from my cookie after a meal with friends at Panda King on Saturday. How perfect is the advice on this election day?!

"You can't make someone else's choices. You shouldn't let someone else make yours."

So, get out there and vote! We are fortunate indeed that we live in a country where we are free to do so.

Always Vote!

"Always vote for principle though you may vote alone, you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost." -John Quincy Adams

Spook House

Oooooo...the ghouls were peeking from the windows of our creepy haunted house. Made from black plastic sheeting, these are my favorite Halloween decorations. Next year we'll cut and hang additional faces from the dormer windows as well. AND I'll be sure to look for a pumpkin in advance. There were none to be found on October 31st! Ooops!