Zombie Apocolypse - How We Take a Family Photo

Don't think I ever shared this layout on my blog (don't quite know how that happened) and I SO want to make sure it doesn't get left out because 1) it is made using Pretty Little Studio's Nature Walk Collection that I luuurrrrvvvveeee, and 2) because it has one of those extremely rare photos that includes ALL of our children - at the same time!

We tried to take a nice, normal photo like a nice, normal family.  We really did.  But did I choose any of the nice, normal pics to use for our family photo?  NO!  Instead, I chose the one where, right before I clicked my camera remote, I yelled out, "The zombies are coming!  Quick - what should we do?!"  And...this is what I got.  Yes, I am there doing my super stealthy ninja zombie move - it's apparently designed to kill zombies by making them laugh to death, or maybe that's laugh to a more complete state of undeath....whatever. But I love this pic, and I love our crazy family! *smile*

Want a few close-ups?  Here you go!

Happy Thursday, y'all!  The weekend is almost here!

NATURE WALK CARDS - PRETTY LITTLE STUDIO

Happy Thursday!  The weekend is almost here, and to get you ready for weekend crafting fun projects (not just projects, but crafting fun projects!), I have these three cute, fast, and easy 4x4 all-occasion note cards that just happen to be up on the PRETTY LITTLE STUDIO blog today as part of the OOTB challenge.  That's right - I said cute. fast. easy.  With that crafting trifecta, how can you resist?

 

You will have to check out the blog to see this week's inspiration; however, I can tell you it involved the cutest little squirrel ever, which is why these notecards have...you got it, a squirrel!  And, as you can see, Pretty Little Studio's NATURE WALK COLLECTION has just about any kind of squirrel image you could want, such as...

 

The squirrel die cut:

 

 

The squirrel photo frame:

 

And last, but definitely not least, the squirrel banner flag:

 

So, to recap - One crazy awesome collection from Pretty Little Studio.  Three cute, simple, and fast notecards.  The weekend is coming, the weekend is coming!  Need I say more?  I think not! *smile*

 

Go forth and create.  Peace out!

PRETTY LITTLE STUDIO LAYOUTS

As summer begins to transition into fall (at least for points due north of Houston), I am certainly enjoying creating layouts that evoke thoughts of cooler weather and memories of a summer that hasn't quite yet gone by.  What the heck am I talking about, you wonder? W-e-e-l-l-l, I'm not really sure myself, but it does sound kind of Martha Stewartish and fancy for the two layouts I have up for you to see today!  *smile*

First up is this layout, that I created for this week's SKETCH CHALLENGE at Pretty Little Studio.

The idea for this layout came when I stepped out from our wonderfully air-conditioned home into the crazy humidity that is our summer in Texas to take a picture (or five) of the Huntress.  The transition from nice and cold house to hotter-than-Hades and muggy outside created insta-fog on my lens.  I quickly took care of it but not before I took the first picture, which looked somewhat like a soft dreamy memory.  Since all the stores are stocking Halloween and even Christmas (yikes!) stuff, I thought I would create a layout centered around the idea that soon today will be a memory.  Cheesy?  A little.  Maybe.  But when I have such pretty papers to play with, like these from the PLS SAND CASTLE Collection, even cheesy looks good!

 

Did you know that if you play along with the sketch challenge and win, you get a credit to the Pretty Little Studio store?  It's a perfect way to try out a new product (and I guarantee you will love it!)

 

Next up is a layout I created for PRACTICAL SCRAPPERS yesterday as part of the On Trend Team.  We were making layouts with sunbursts, and this was my interpretation.

 

I L.O.V.E. (say the word "love" about 20 more times and that's how much I love it!) Pretty Little Studio's NATURE WALK Collection, especially this PAGE, called Pine Needles.

As you can see, I didn't have to do a lot with it, just cut it up and put it on a blue cardstock background, stitch a little, and then decorate it a little.  Easy peasy and the result is super cute, if I do say so myself.  And I do!

 

Whew!  Two projects revealed.  I am tired now!  And hungry.  So I will leave you to enjoy the rest of your day and wish you Happy Crafting!

 

Nature Walk Pocket Mini

 

I made this sweet little pocket mini album using my Silhouette Cameo and a Silhouette cutting file by Lori Whitlock found HERE.  My inspiration?  It was the PRETTY LITTLE STUDIO Nature Walk Collection.  This collection's mix of papers in my favorite patterns and some of the cutest die-cuts and journaling tags I have ever seen had me chomping at the bit to create something that would really showcase them.  And I think this mini fits that bill perfectly.  It's tiny but it makes a B-I-G statement!

See that sweet little "love" tag? It's part of a sheet of stickers that really got the creative part of my brain jump-started.  In my whole conversion of the walk-in closet into my personal scrappy mecca, I came across a box containing quite a few random extra photos I had saved that tied in perfectly with what I call the Nature Walk "word association" stickers.  With my Silhouette doing all the hard work in the actual making of the mini album, all that was left for me was to get out my scissors and glue and start playing! 

I adhered these stickers that extend down from the mini to a sheet of my patterned paper and cut them out.  And since I did NOT have enough forethought to sew the tag onto my mini before I assembled the pocket, I simply sewed across the top of the sticker and glued it to my album page.  It looks like it is sewn to the page, and that is all that matters!

What does the number 10 stand for, you ask?  That is the number our his, mine, ours family has expanded to (not counting the newest generation that has come along).  Luckily, all but two of our birdies have feathered their own little nests and  are self-sufficient - except occasionally when they hear something is being cooked on the grill or in the oven...

 

Here is the tag that features our crazy family of 10:

 

 

But I'm jumping ahead...

 

I love this picture of Hunter from last year's vacation, and I love it even more against a simple white background with my PLS bunting flags accenting the page.  And, yep, there's another word sticker - sewn to the picture and then stapled for good measure! 

 

The journaling tags in the Nature Walk Collection fit perfectly in the pockets of my mini.  Because I was feeling extra creative, I decided to try my hand at making a few journaling tags and embellishing the pre-made ones, too.

 

And, whoo says the back of the tag can't be cute? LOL - see what I did there? Who-whoo.  Yes, I crack myself up.

 

 

My Pretty Little Studio papers cut so well in my Cameo. And, look, there are some more word tags - and the sweetest little deer diecut ever! 

 

 

And speaking of die cuts, I had to find some excuse to use this one on a page...

 

How does a rabbit fit in with football?  Well, ummm, see....when you play football, you have to run incredibly fast with the ball to score a touchdown.  Annnndddd - wait for it - rabbits also run fast.  There you have it - a connection that's as obvious as the nose on your face. Duh!

 

And now that I have cleared the rabbit/football connection up for you, I am out of here for the day!  If you want to see my mini featured at its "official" home - please check out the PRETTY LITTLE STUDIO BLOG!  And leave a comment letting me know what you think.  I would love to hear from you!

 

Until next time, happy scrapping!!!

Journal Updates with Pretty Little Studio

I am slowly but surely continuing on with my everyday journal - not everyday as in I add something to it every day.  But everyday as in I am using my Instagram and cell phone pictures (that I might not otherwise use for a layout) and including more in-depth journaling.  This smaller format is PERFECT for me.  It allows me to keep the time for each page at roughly thirty minutes (although that does lengthen whenever I decide to add cute little inserts that I can't seem to resist). 

 

Today, I am up at PRETTY LITTLE STUDIO showcasing several of my recent pages (yes, I am still a few months behind but I am getting there). 

 

Pretty Little Studio products are absolutely perfectamundo for my little hybrid wants-to-be-a-project-life-but-not-ready-for-that-commitment-yet journal.  Why?  Because PLS has tons (and I do mean lots and lots and lots) of die cards, journaling tags, tabs, word bubbles, banner flags - all things perfect for a little journal like mine.  Want to see?

 

The tags and die cuts from the NATURE WALK COLLECTION were perfect for this page about Little Lula who loves to tell me stories - all kinds of stories!  And her little face is so-o-o-o-o-o expressive that I love to photograph her whenever she is telling me a story.  Right now, Goldilocks and The 3 Little Pigs are two of her favorites.

 

 

Of course, I couldn't resist making a little pocket insert with these adorable Nature Walk die cuts and journaling tags!  How cute is that little bear???  And with two pockets, I have more than enough room to journal all I want.

 

 

 

And, Pretty Little Studio papers and products are also perfect for pages about bigger kids.  Like, much bigger kids.  Like, kids that are so big you might otherwise mistake them for adults.  Like...me.

Like...this page...where I am finally revealing one of my secret morning rituals to the world.  Nope, it's not about an expensive Parisian face cream that costs $250 per ounce.  It's much geekier and much more juvenile than that...

 

 

Notice the little decorative strips of paper at the bottom of this page?  If you guessed those are scraps that I absolutely could not throw away because I KNEW they would be perfect for some unknown project in the future, you would be 100% correct.  But they are perfect for this page so I am feeling completely justified about my scrap paper hording storage habits.

 

And finally, this last page - which is really just a page in progress...

 

 

If I didn't know better, I would swear the powers-that-be at Pretty Little Studio snuck into my Mama's house and found a birthday card from my childhood squirreled away in my old bedroom.  But, uh, I don't know who put the 45 numbers on the card.  Certainly not me....I can't possibly be that old yet.  Seriously.  Honest.

 

And that's it for me today.  Do you do Project Life or any hybrid form like this?  If so, what do you do to keep up and not fall behind?  I would love to hear your tips and ideas!

Using Feathers - Pretty Little Studio

I will tell you a little secret - sometimes I am scared to try new things.  Even with scrapbooking.  Crazy, right?  Especially since I pride myself on trying out and staying on top of all the latest trends.  But the trend with feathers, even die cut feathers?  We-e-e-l-l-l...I wasn't too sure about that one.  Oh sure, I have seen some really cute things done with them but I have also seen some projects that I did not care for at all.  So, I wasn't entirely sure feathers were for me - even though I had not actually tried working with them yet.  (I can still hear my Grandmama at the dinner table asking me, "How do you know you don't like it if you haven't even tried it?") So...the point of this long intro is to say that I was a little anxious but mostly relieved to see this week's inspiration ad challenge at PRETTY LITTLE STUDIO that featured lots and lots of feathers.  It was time for me to pull out my feather die cuts from the brand spanking new NATURE WALK COLLECTION and put them to use on a layout! 

 

Wanna see a close-up of those feathers that I was so frightened to use?  Here they are:

 

 

So....yeah, they were absolutely perfect for this layout of my Kelly and his little girl Lula, and they look great!!!  They provided the accents I wanted around this photo without being too girly, although I am sure they would work just as well in a girl's layout.  Because they are diecuts, they lay perfectly flat and were easy-peasy to layer behind and against the fringed edge of my paper frame.  I left the ends of my thread from my sewn border long and uncut and tied it around the tops of my feathers.  (Note: the arrow that you see was a leftover scrap on my work table from American Crafts; but it coordinated so beautifully with the papers on my layout that I decided to sneak it in - shhhhh, don't tell anyone!)

 

Besides the feathers, this border is one of my favorite parts of this layout!

 

 

I did lots and lots of fussy cutting with my Pretty Little Studio Papers and tags, which is one of my favorite things to do!  First, I cut the triangles out of my paper and set them close together, but not flush with each other, to creat a mosaic look.  The bunting flags were created from a journaling calendar card and scraps left over from the fringed frame around my photo.  I simply used an existing flag from my PLS collection as a template to trace and cut out these. 

 

That's it for me today, but be sure to head over to the PRETTY LITTLE STUDIO BLOG to see this week's ad insipiration and, while you are there, check out all the lovely new 12x12 papers, journaling cards, and crazy cute die cuts (including fantastic die cut feathers)  that are in the STORE!

 

And if you want to see the Becky Fleck sketch that I used to create this layout, click HERE.

 

(Psssttt - how do you feel about feathers?  Is there a new trend that you have been afraid to try out?)

 

Nature Walk Blog Hop (Pretty Little Studio)!

Happy Monday and welcome to the Pretty Little Studio Nature Walk Blog Hop, where we are celebrating the reveal of a fabulous soon-to-be-released collection - Nature Walk - full of the cutest, vintage-inspired flora and fauna you could imagine!  If you thought the recently released Birthday Cake Collection was a huge hit, I am telling you the Nature Walk Collection is going to be a home run!!!

***IF YOU ARE HERE TO SEE WHAT I MADE WITH GOODIES FROM PAPER SECRETS, SCROLL DOWN TO THE NEXT POST.***

Now, you should have just arrived here from HEATHER'S BLOG.  

Head on over to the PRETTY LITTLE STUDIO BLOG if you are just joining in and want to hop all the way through.  Or, if you should have made a right turn in Albuquerque - for those of you who grew up on Bugs Bunny cartoons like I did - here is the complete list:

                 Aimee: http://aimeesarmoire.typepad.com/

                 Candice: http://truedivinehand.blogspot.com/

                 Christina: http://dontworry-bescrappy.blogspot.com/

                 Heather: http://craftyscrapbooker.blogspot.com

ME----->  Krissy: http://krissyclarkmckee.blogspot.com/

                 Lisa W: http://www.createfor7.blogspot.com/

                 Lisa S: http://lisaspiegel.typepad.com/my_weblog/

                 Mary Ann: http://www.maryannjenkins.com/

                 Penny: http://www.pennysmithdesigns.blogspot.com/

I have had so much fun playing with Pretty Little Studio's collections lately, which are FULL of unique ephemera and wonderfully coordinated papers that you just won't find anywhere else.  And even though Pretty Little Studio goodies are vintage inspired, they are extremely versatile and can be used for any style of scrapbooking and card making - such as this layout I recently created for a PLS sketch challenge using the Sandcastle Collection (one of my favorites):

Pretty, right?  Would you like a chance to win your own Pretty Little Studio  loot, I mean, products so you can make your own pretty little creations?  You would?  Well, you are in luck because we are having a giveaway!  That's right, one lucky person will win a $20 Gift Card to the Pretty Little Studio Shop!  The best part is, you don't have to kill the bad guys, or lift heavy weights, or run 10 kilometers.  In fact, you don't even have to leave your chair!  For a chance to win, all you have to do is: 

 

1.      Follow Pretty Little Studio’s BLOG;

2.      Like Pretty Little Studio on FACEBOOK;

3.      Leave a comment here letting me know what Pretty Little Studio item you like the most or would like the most if you had a $20 gift certificate burning a hole in your pocket!

 

That's it for me today.  Next up on the hop is my good friend, LISA W - I just know she is going to have some awesome inspiration for you!

Okay now, hop along now - get moving.  Don't need anyone getting any hare-brained ideas about hanging out around here all day...