There And Back Again

On our travels east to the beach each summer, we inevitably hit gridlock, as traffic nears the tunnel in Mobile. Recently we found a little detour that takes us through the old tunnel and keeps us moving towards our destination. My journaling describes the excitement we feel on our way to the beach and contrasts it with our feelings one week later as we envy those traveling the opposite direction.

Here is my layout, created with one of Scraptastic Club's April kits, Eight Days A Week, main and add-on:

The cityscape is supposed to represent Mobile, but it also kinda reminds me of a sandcastle! After all, it is a page about our travels to and from the beach. One layer of fussy cut buildings popped up over the other creates a nice little niche for adding all those flags. 

I loved the silhouetted building so much that I created a card with a similar design, using a washi tape banner in place of the flags.

 

Before I go, I would like to share one more page, also created with Eight Days A Week. On this layout, the bright colors of the kit give life to a very old, underexposed, pre-digital age photo.

 

And have you noticed? This month at Scraptastic, we are culling many of our page titles from songs. It's sort of fun to go through the music of favorite artists, picking out titles that work. "There And Back Again" is a song by Daughtry. "Come Away To The Water" is by Maroon 5. Have you ever used a song title or song lyrics on a layout?

What If...

Two of my favorite scrapbook idea books were written by Creating Keepsakes Hall of Famer, Rebecca Sower. She had a way of capturing those everyday moments, and preserving them with her unique vintage style. I could pick up her books today and still be inspired. 

Her poignant journaling on a page about her son motivated me to create the layout I'm sharing today, a page created with Scraptastic Club's Eight Days A Week kit. I made good use of the die-cut sheet on this page, layering several of the journaling blocks behind the photo, placing my title on another, and creating a banner with all the little triangular flags.

I wrote the journaling for this page years ago, and just recently came across the photo of my son, dressed in surgical garb after a week of summer camp at a local hospital. Cardiologist was one of the professions he wanted to pursue over the years. Here is what I wrote to him, with credit given to Rebecca Sower for the fabulous conversational style of the exchange:

What if I become an engineer?

If you become an engineer, I'll pray that the rails are smooth and your trains are on schedule, and I'll miss you when you're on a journey far away. I'll tell everyone I know that my son is an engineer.

What if I become a construction worker?

If you become a construction worker, I'll pray that you're safe on the job and that the structures you build have the strength of your spirit. I'll tell everyone I know that my son is a construction worker.

What if I become a cardiologist?

If you become a cardiologist, I'll pray that your hands are instruments of God, and that your patients find good health as you heal their hearts and souls as well. I'll tell everyone I know that my son is a cardiologist.

I'm sure my son will treasure this page in the years to come, as he looks back and remembers all the different dreams he had for his future.

Messy or Clean?

A few days ago I asked the question in the Scraptastic Club forum...messy or clean? And several of the forum readers/Scraptastic Club members responded with peaks at their spaces...their REAL spaces, not the tidied up version. I really loved seeing everyone's everyday work areas, so as promised I shared mine, and decided to do so on my blog as well. Here it is, but be forewarned! This is my everyday. :)

Almost everything I use is right here...on my desk...within arms reach. But it sure can get a mess! Right now I'm in the middle of picking through my papers and scraps for two different projects. Here's a look at my organized chaos.




And here's a head-on view of my work area:




Stacking trays on the left hold some of my patterned papers, but that isn't the half of it. Having a deep space below my work surface really comes in handy for a paper addict like me. Larger collections and Scraptastic kits are kept in a milk crate underneath my desk, along with Iris boxes in themes such as Summer, Travel, School, Halloween, and Christmas. Stamping supplies reside down below as well.

Also on top of my desk are my letter stickers. Stickers from Basic Grey, Jillibean Soup and October Afternoon are kept upright alongside the paper trays. Here also reside my spray inks, most-used ink pads, and newest stamps from Scraptastic. 

The 3-drawer storage in the center holds lots and lots and lots of chipboard, as well as my lesser used tools and punches. My new washi tape holder (modeled after the one made by Susan Stringfellow and described here) will need to be moved so that I can access the drawers. It needs a permanent home.  

The revolving unit on top of the 3-drawer storage holds things that I reach for everyday: pens, pencils, exacto knife, rulers, my ATG, and more. Alongside it are favorite border punches and stick pins. Hanging up are my wood veneer.

Finally, the storage cube on the right holds so much miscellany that it is spilling out into other containers. Here is where I keep journaling spots, bingo cards, library cards, labels, tabs, and all manner of bits and pieces. A little container holds flowers. Another holds fabric tapes, and tags. Finally, there is one plastic shoebox in which I have tightly squeezed all of my Thickers. They are in serious need of a thinning out! On top of it all are my photos. 

While a dedicated scraproom is a dream, I have to say that this set-up works out well for me. I am in a corner of our family room, not too far from the kitchen, and in the midst of all our family's happenings. It's a good place to be. 

Haunted Gingerbread

Every once in a while I challenge myself to use more of my older supplies. With this page I'm reaching way back into the stash and using up some Halloween-themed papers from Fancy Pants, circa 2009. 

I love how the negative cut title looks over the blue background. The vellum ghosts? Eh. They aren't my favorite. I modeled them off a Making Memories foam stamp. They might have looked better if I had actually stamped them. Oh well. I was scared, and didn't want to mess up the layout. I'm chicken like that.

Anyway, I love this haunted variation on the Christmas gingerbread. We had a so much fun putting together (and eating) our spooky house! I hope we can find another kit like this next Halloween.

2 Of A Kind

Yes, we have another swimmer in the family. Kevin has taken after his big sister in pursuing this wonderful sport. With practice up to 2 hours a day, five to six days a week, swimming has become a big part of his life. Here they are together, my youngest and oldest, two of a kind.

It wasn't easy finding papers for these photos. I didn't know which way to go with it, so I began pulling out anything I could find in the colors of his towel, her shirt, their chairs, etc. Somehow I ended up with this mix of graph paper, houndstooth, and dots.

I'm pretty sure this chipboard is supposed to be protective goggles, as in a chemistry lab. Regardless, painted to match the page, it makes a nice stand-in for swim goggles.

I'm curious. What color palette would you have chosen for this page?

Make A Wish

I should do this more often. After completing a couple of pages with Scraptastic Club's Everything I Am kit, I had a few extra bits and pieces laying around. A doily here, a bit of die cut leaves there, banner bits, and scraps of paper. I put them all together, added a bit of stitching, and voila...a card!

Why am I so averse to making cards? I don't know!

Happiness In A Can

Coca-cola, potato chips, and over-priced burgers fueled our parade-watching along St. Charles Avenue on an overcast and chilly Mardi Gras Day 2013. Since soft drinks are not everyday at our house, Kevin really enjoyed being able to indulge! Gulping down all that sugar and carbonation was an integral part of his celebration.

 

Scraptastic's Everything I Am kit, one of their March selections, was used with the photo below. Although I rarely print other than full-color photos, this one required a radical adjustment. Kevin was decked out in purple, green and gold stripes, the Coke can was red, and a bright yellow jacket lay on back of the chair on which he was sitting. The sepia-tinted photo was a better choice, and compliments the background paper rather nicely.

The Heidi Swapp epoxy "happiness" sticker, from a previous Scraptastic kit, was a perfect start to my title, with navy alphas finishing it off. Additional supplies include: Lily Bee and Glitz patterned paper, Teresa Collins die cuts, Prima flowers, and a Scraptstic exclusive Ormolu flair.