Scrap when I get there.

The time is almost here. I am not looking forward to it. I have two altered projects to finish, then in has to happen. I have to pack all my scrappy stuff away.

22 days til me and CJ board that plane for our new home. Another journey. I can't wait to get there, and get settled. Find a new home for all my supplies. I hope I can find a place with natural light. I get to go shopping for a new desk.

Until then, my stuff must get packed. Right now it is just sittung there staring at me. I hate that it is not getting used. I just have no creative juice left in me. So I will just continue to snap pictures, and scrap when I get there.

Challenges Challenges Challenges

I don't know about you, but I am always up for a good challenge. Well, over at Have Your Way With Paper, there is one heck of a challenge going on. Sharon, a member of the DT, has created a challenge unlike any other I have seen. The Hide and Seek Challenge. She has hidden the various challenges with in the forums, and our job is to find the challenge and complete it according to the rules of that particular challenge.

As of right now there are 15, maybe 14, challenges posted. I have found all but number 14. I have completed 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 15. I think some of my best work has come from these challenges.

I like when I am given a starting point to create a LO. For example: Use 4 flowers and 6 buttons on a LO. With this starting point I can take this LO in any direction I want to. I pull from the items or elements that I have to use, and go from there.

Here are two LO's that I completed tonight.

"Scrapbook Nazi"

Ok, so a few months ago, my husband and I decided that we wanted to move back to Washington. He is from there, and I spent almost 10 years there. We both really miss it, and consider it home. So we discussed everything and have decided to make the change on the First of the year. That date is approaching very quickly.



I am excited and saddened at the same time. I miss my friends in Washington. I will be leaving a piece of my heart here in Arkansas. My sister, Kelly. She is my best friend and scrapping buddy. I have introduced her to some of my favorite scrappy places and hope that we can continue our hobby together, even though we will be 2200 miles apart. I LOVE THE INTERNET.



She has a affectionately nick named me the "Scrapbook Nazi," as I won't let her do a layout without putting my 2 cents in. I'm gonna miss that. I know that she can produce some amazing stuff. Maybe I do over shadow her. It's time for to be on her own and see what she can do! My guess is that she'll be published before me.



Of course I can't just leave without having some control over her layouts. So I have come up with a gift thanks to one of my fellow board members at Babycenter.com . I can't reveal it right now in case she peeks in here! But it will be posted soon!



Me and my sis........

November 19 Sketch

Have Fun!

Good to go Back

I like to think that I am up to date on my albums. A have a few strays here and there that I still need to do, but for the most part I am just waiting to take more pictures. So what do I do in the mean time? I go back in time. I find photos that were not scrapped for one reason or another. The emotions that go through me as I look at them, bring me back to the day the photo was taken.

I had a challenge at Have Your Way With Paper that I had to have 2 paragraphs of journaling. The journaling was to be about the dreams that I have for a loved one. So I started digging through some of the pictures I had from when CJ was first born. I found one that was taken in the hospital, and everything about those days just came rushing back. I love looking at old photos. They put me right back in the moment.

November 14 Sketch

For your scrapping enjoyment!

What's in a Title?

For me the main purpose of a title is to set the mood of a layout. A title can be anything from a child's name to a song title to a quote. Finding that perfect title is always a quest for me. I am always on the lookout. I always have my scrapbooks at the top of my mind. So when I come across something, I immediately write it down.

There are some great websites out there to find titles. Two Peas in a Bucket, Scrapbook.com, and many others. But don't limit yourself to something that others have used a million times. Sometimes a layout just screams for something original. A play on words. The lyrics to that perfect song. That quote that just sent chills just racing through you.

This happened to me today as I was reading about the Sexiest Man Alive on People.com. I was reading about past winners and came across a quote from Johnny Depp. "Suddenly you meet your reason to live." I just got chills again as I write this. There is so much to be said in those few words. I just had to use it. So I came home, and started the hunt for the photos to go with the title. I found them.

Here is what I came up with!

Altered Photos

So many of us have one of those photo editing programs. But the only use they see is to fix that dreaded red eye, crop, or resize. Many people don't see the potential that these programs have to bring a different look to our pages.

Even the most simple programs have the ability to play with color. Make your pics stand out by changing them to Black and White, or even Sepia. Some programs can even add textures such as embossing. You can highlight certain areas of your photos, by just keeping one element in color. Such as brilliant blue eyes. The red Santa hats in a Christmas picture. The possibilities are endless.

In the layout below, I took a color photo and changed it to black and white. Then, I added a special effect called "sketch." This created a pencil like drawing of my image. The effect makes the part of the pic I wanted to focus on the highlight of this photo. His glasses.

Take the time and try some different techniques on your photos. I think you will like the results.

Nothing Negative about Negative Space

Negative space scares the crud out of many scrappers. I used to fear negative space as well. It can be so hard NOT to fill all the area on that large 12x12 space. The goal is to make something that is pleasing to the eye with out it looking crowded or not finished.

I think the first step in creating a negative space layout is to focus on one subject. You need to "ground" that subject/photo so it does not appear to be floating, but it is an intended design tool. I think to do this you need to "anchor" your design to a side or the top/bottom of your page. Some people are very good at placing the subject in the middle of the layout. I have yet to achieve this. So I stay near the sides or the top/bottom of my layout. Of course this all just preference.

In the sketch and layout below, I have achieved a pleasing negative space layout by anchoring my subject to the bottom of the page, and allowing the top to remain free. This brings the focus directly to my subject and the feeling I am trying to express.

Please feel free to try this sketch or make your own layout using negative space. I think you will like the results.

Fall Fun!

It is now Fall. Halloween has come and gone, but the layouts have just started. This is my favorite time of year to scrap. The holidays are quickly approaching, and with that comes many photo opportunities. Take the time to take pictures that you and your families will cherish for years to come.

Perfect Pumpkin: A warm Fall day, ideal for picking that perfect pumpkin. CJ found his, and gave me some great shots to scrap. The title is fun, and made 3 dimensional by using pop dots. Pumpkins on the right are hand cut. Some Magic Mesh and some fibers complete the layout.


Itsy Bitsy Spider & Friends: Halloween. A great time for dress up and a great time for pics. This layout was inspired by a sketch from Shanna (Scrappy Sketches & Ideas) The spider is hand cut and embellished with glitter glue and a silver pen.

11/04/07 Sketch ~ Fun with your circle punch

Have fun with your circle punches!

Friday Night Crop

Friday: Finally attended a CROP!!! It seems like forever since going to my last one. Ok, so it's only been about 6 months, but that is FOREVER!! So I packed all my gear and off I went. Of course I had my scrapping partner in crime with me, my sister.

So when we finally arrive (it's an hour from home) we lug all our things inside. And then start looking around the store. Wow, I miss the big city with REAL scrapbooking stores. Then after we have ogled everything we sit down. This time I was smart, and put together two page kits at home so I would not get stuck, as I usually do. We talked with the ladies who were there, and just in general had a great time.

I managed to get two pages done, one with the kit I brought and one with new supplies I found at the store. So here they are, I love coming home feeling like I accomplished something!

{pout}

That face. I love that face. My little boy has mastered the pout. God help me as he gets older. I can't resist it. And I was finally able to catch it on film.

We went to the pool on this particular day, and well it was time to go. He was getting the chills. But as soon as we pulled him out and wrapped his towel around him, the pouty face appeared. He wanted to play in the water some more. Instead my wonderful husband pulled out the camera and snapped this AWESOME photo.

I altered the pic, so that it was B&W, and then color selected his face and the flowers. It just brings out his perfect baby blues.

big kid swing

I took my little boy out for a walk today. And we ended up at the playground. I of course had my camera with me and without thinking I just started snapping away. We played and laughed and had an all around good time.

When I got home and uploaded my pictures to the computer, it hit me. Like a ton of bricks. My little baby is no longer a baby. He is growing up. And way to fast I might add. It was the swings. He loves to swing. But these are the big kid swings. He's not ready for those yet. But, as I look over my snapshots I realize that he will be ready before I am. So I printed these pics right then, because I really needed to get this memory on paper.

Samantha Rose

She's Here!!!



On Tuesday, my new niece, Samantha Rose, entered the world. I am so excited to have this new addition to our family. She looks just like her older sister. She is so tiny, I am almost scared to hold her, for fear I may break her. I know I won't though. She is already the apple of her father's eye, and will have him wrapped around her little finger in no time.



With all this talk about babies, I eagerly await my next bundle. Trying to concieve is tough. I just hope it does not take as long as it did last time. We tries for 2 years to get our little boy. I am hoping that we can give him a little brother or sister here in the near future.



I created this sketch for a challenge over at Have Your Way With Paper:

Family History Changes Yet Again

Life goes on. With the birth of every baby, life continues. Today my sister and her husband will be welcoming into the world a brand new little girl. Samantha Rose will be making her entrance any moment via C-section as I type this. I wish I could be at the hospital to experience this with them.

The family dynamic changes from three to four. One child to two. As any mother wonders, "how can I love the second as much as the first?, I thought my heart was full with one." Ah, but the heart makes room. The love for a child in endless and overflowing.

I can't wait to capture this moment on paper!

scrapnkitty scraps......but why?

I was tired of looking at other people's photo albums and always asking the questions, "who's that?", "where was this picture taken?", "why did you take that picture?"

I wanted my albums to tell a story. I wanted the questions to be avoided. I wanted future generations to know me and my family and what we meant to each other. So when I got married, I had hundreds of pictures. Sure, I could have just threw them in an album and set it aside to later be asked the famous questions. But I chose to do something entirely different. I chose to scrapbook the events. This way I could creatively tell the story behind the pictures. What I was feeling.

I started scrapping almost five years ago. I look back at my work every now and then, and see that while my pages may lack design, they do indeed tell the story. Today, as I scrap, I have others who are like me to turn to for inspiration. Scrapping is a creative outlet for me, and I love every second of it!