Beautiful Days

I couldn't stay in today it was just to pretty.  The sun was high in the sky with those beauitful whispy white clouds in the sky.  A perfectly beautiful day!

Day 6, We had to talk today about a happy and sad Christmas then separate it in a special way.

Day 7,  All about how much wrapping you have to do.  Not me, we have pre wrapped boxes for years so all you have to do is open the box, lift the lid and you are done.

Day 8,  Special pages with just photos of Christmas.  This is one of my most favorite pages.  I used a lot of photos from past Christmas's when we did a lot of baking for people. 

Simple enjoyment

Enjoying the bit of sunshine we are having today, it is so nice but cold.  I have been taking my afternoons and doing a little bit of shopping the last few days.  I think I am done except for a few more stocking stuffers!  I have to dare the mall......wish I could avoid it but I need to see if I can get a dvd I'm looking for.  I really don't want to order it online in less I need to.

Here are few more days to share of Journal Your Christmas album.  Hopefully it will give the family that can't be with us a little glimpse into our lives. 


Day 3, just a bit about why I don't make many Christmas cards like I use to and a recipe that is a favorite around the holidays.

 

 

Day 4, What is your thought on a perfect Christmas?

 

Day 5, Traditions and remembering fun things seem to go hand in hand this time of year.

 

Journaling Days

I am so enjoying the process of this album for my family.  It makes me so happy even if I am just a bit behind.  One of the things I LOVE about this class is once you pay for it, you can do it each year without any extra cost for the class.  I've already found a few things to use in my next year's album!  You can't beat a good sale on Christmas things, so much fun.   

My album is 6x6 with a few different sized pages thrown in.  Most are chipboard of different thicknesses from my stash or cereal boxes.  Everything is glued down in with either my Glue Glider Pro Perma Tac Adhesive, Glossy accents, Scotch Quick Dry Adhesive or Beacons 3 in 1 Advanced Craft Glue(which I LOVE! Just use in well ventilated area)

Cover,  The window pane is from a piece of chipboard from some punched out game pieces.

Day 1, This is actually a clear page so you can see Day 2 right behind it.  A very snowy day and a Robin outside my daughters bedroom window. 

Day 2,  All about the weather and on my tags I wrote about the 3 special gifts I got the first 3 days of December.  The photo in the bottom right is my neighbor's arborvitae, hope it straights out come spring.

Destressing

Well, I did signing up for the Soul Restoration course with Brave girls, even though the price tag was a bit high for me.  I felt drawn to the course, it was something I couldn't shake.  Three days after signing up the Brave girls did a special give away and I won!  I am pretty excited that God planned away for me to do this.  I know it is going to be something wonderful!

I also sold a few scrapbooking supplies to pay for the Journal Your Christmas with Shimelle.  It took me quite a few days to pull all my supplies together but pages are coming together even being a few days behind everyone else.  I am so enjoying it!  It is wonderful to just have the prompt in the back of your mind, then make a page.  Pictures or no pictures it isn't mattering much.  It is helping me to destress and that is a big thing for me around the holiday season.  I have just wanted this year to be different and so far it is just that.     

Just another day

Another month gone, I am just having a hard time believing it.  Usually by this time of the year I am ready for a new one, not this time.  The New Year is going to be a good one, I am sure however it will mark a time that I haven't been wanting to look at.  My son come next fall will be a Senior in High School so exactly when did that happen?  Sigh.......so this Christmas I am trying to slow way down and just be.  In an effort to focus on what is truly important about this holiday I am going join up with Shimelle for Journal your Christmas .  I think it will be a good thing even if I don't do everyday.  I already have ideas on how I want to put my own spin on it with remembering Christmas's past.  It all starts tomorrow!

Speaking of tomorrow!!  Do you know that not only is it December 1st BUT it is the start of the 12 Tags of Christmas with Tim Holtz!!  It was 4 years ago that I started learning what his stuff was all about and I am a better artisit because of it!  Thanks Tim!  You are incrediblly awesome!!!  For anyone that is wondering what is on my wish list, it doesn't have much on it these days but I would LOVE this Book.  It is a book full of techniques for stamping if you order it from his sight he will sign it and that rocks!

Well, the Colour or is it Color class is in it's final days.  I have so enjoyed it, every minute.  The last couple of weeks for me were difficult to do while being surrounded by sorting all my paper but they are finally done.  At least my small layouts anyway with the 12x12's coming later on.

Green, a restful and calm color.  Knew there was a reason why it is one of my favorite colors.  I LOVE this little frog!

Blue, light and friendly.  Again another favorite.  My beauties, in homemade Easter dresses.

Purple, a mixture of hot red and cool blue.  This color is at least in my top five.  My beautiful Clematis that was transplanted this summer.  It makes me so happy.

Cold but joyful

This morning it was 10* when we got up and our high isn't suppose to be very much from where we are right now.  We are suppose to get into the negative temperatures for the next few days......I LOVE winter but not when it is this cold.  It took me an hour yesterday to shovel the driveway and sidewalk.  We made a trip to the store last night for a few things and my face got so cold!  Can we say wind blown and chapped?  It is better this morning but there is no way I'm going out to shovel this morning.  If we all do it as a family it takes less time so we will do that.  I will however have to venture out and at least start my car.

The holidays around here are looking to be pretty quiet.  I think it is needed for our family right now.  From marching band, sickness and some church things, that have not all been good, it is time to rest.  I want things to be different this year.  I don't want to get caught up in the 'got to have' something under the tree.  I want gifts to mean something when they are given, not just more stuff.  I want people to realize that it isn't about how much money is being spent on a gift but the attitude of the heart it comes from.  For me it has never been about money ever.  I am one that is happy with family close, cooking meals together, hanging out laughing until our sides hurt.......that is what it is about, always.

I have been following a beautiful lady on a journey that has led to some seriously beautiful things, Melody Ross.  She and her sister stepped out into a dream of wanting to see women rise up and be brave.  You can read their story here, it is pretty awesome.  The online class Soul Restoration, they will be offering in January is at the top of my youngest daughter and I's wish list this year.  We try each year  to do something together that brings us closer and I really believe this online class will do just that.  My dream is to take her to a Brave girls Mother/Daughter camp before she graduates high school.  The camps sell out a year in advance so for now this class will have to do.  Go visit the Brave girls sight, it might just change your life.  I KNOW it has changed mine!! 

Once again

If you are interested in special give aways you might want to go here and take a look at these way CUTE camera straps!!  Such beautiful homemade goodness!

I am LOVING the color class and have even begun to sort my cardstock into color order.  I have always sorted it by season but I am ready to do what makes sense for my creativity.

This week had been all about Orange and Yellow, making fun homemade ruffles and just building elements to create a wide border.  The butterfly is one that I stamped onto watercolor paper, sponged with color and then sprayed with a mist of white perfect pearls.  You can't tell from here but it is pretty sparkly. 

I took the left over pieces from the above layout to make this one.  

Orange and Yellow

These two colors are beautiful however I will have to say that bright Yellow has to be my least favorite color.  I enjoy the softer, milder Yellows ones with a little more golden color to them.  Orange, well orange I am just not sure of.  I have never been one to wear it or really have much of it in my house.  It shows up around fall time for me in my fall decor, leaves, flowers, pumpkins but again not to much of the bright shade.  I love the shades of orange that  have more red and brownish tones in them. 

Orange:  Something that stands out, adds excitement and wants to get noticed.  I guess God wanted me to notice Him this week.  Ten minutes before this picture was taken the sky was pink.  I love God's handy work.

Yellow:  Brightest of the true colors, vibrant, used to attract attention, indicates frienship, hope and helps you step forward.  This little girl of mine has always been a bright spot. 

Red

I am so enjoying the Colour, or is it Color class over at BPC.  The class is now closed but if it is ever offered again, take it!  It is so worth it.


I started to learn about color when I was taking an Interior Design class in high school, oh my it was like doors were opened inside my head.  There were so many things I finally understood.  Over the years I have been able to build on what I started to learn and I can say successfully weaved color into my everyday.  With some thinking I could probably even figure out the different colors for different times in my life.  HHhhhmmm, might just have to do that sometime.

In our first week of class we talked about the color Red.  I'm not a fan of bright red but I do like a red with a bit of brown in it.  Red reminds me of my oldest daughters with their red hair and fiery tempers, roses, tomatoes which I still have to eat finely chopped up in things, ladybugs, my two youngest children's marching band uniforms(which have red in them), the fireplace that my handsome husband filled with red led lights so I would always feel comfy and firetrucks, not sure why I that one but I do love them. 

So here is to the color red, the memories you gave me this past week.  The smaller pages will be going into a small book of color.  I am thinking though that I may just have to do a small book for each of my children.   

One of my sweet red heads, only 10 days old.

My son one day when his sisters went back to school.  He was feeling so sad that his sisters were gone and he didn't have anyone to play with.  So we stopped by the firehouse, they showed us around and he got to sit up inside the firetruck.  The stop was two fold really, with him missing his sisters and his baby sister on the way we knew it wasn't going to be long before the focus wasn't always on him.  We wanted him to feel special and that he did.  He had something to talk about when his sisters got home and the fact that they were jealous was just an added thing.  I remember one of the fireman that showed us around, he told us we were doing a good thing making him feel special on that day.  Keep doing it he said.  I would like to think we did.      

Materials:  White Texture Bazzil Cardstock, CTMH Indian Corn Blue Cardstock, patterned papers from CTMH and GCD studios, stamps: Western Flourishes, Firetruck and Fireman(retired), letters from Making Memories, ribbon and other accessories from my stash  

Really?

I can't seem to grasp that the year is almost over.  Seriously.......does time really have to go this fast?  My first day of November was a really weird day.  It was raining heavily and cold, unlike today which is cool but with sunshine.  I have been so exhausted and I am doing everything I can to not let this cold take control of me.  My children decided to share with me.   

LOAD is over.....final count, 31 layouts and 107 photos used this month.  I spent part of yesterday sorting through the layouts I have done this year because I haven't put them into their albums yet.  So that is on it's way to being done.  I don't scrapbook in order so it feels weird to put them into albums when I know there are gaps.  I know that is the safest place for them so in they will go.  I have recently decided to not have a family scrapbook of my children because I have albums for each of them.  So my favorite photos of an event, or of them will be put into themed mini albums.  I am hoping that one day when we are gone from this world that they will divide the mini's up into groups of 4 and then maybe on a yearly basis pass their boxes around to each other.  I will be on the look out for those special boxes that would last a lifetime.  Who knows maybe this would become a tradition and it would be passed onto the Grandbabies.

Whole lot of stuff

This month I knew was going to be a hard one, just didn't know how hard.  I managed quite well for LOAD and decided to help me continue to be creative for me, I would take a couple of classes.  I am taking another Shimelle class this one is on journaling telling your True Stories.  I am looking forward to getting a little more help in this area for my scrapbooking.  I am also taking Nic Howard's class at Big Picture Classes called Colour! Or is it Color?  I am enjoying it and had a great time making my preclass tags.  If you are looking for class to take do check out BPC.  Registration for the Color class is open until Nov. 3 and it isn't to late to join us.  You can also head over to Two Peas In a Bucket and take a look at Jennifer McQuire's free Holiday class that matches her Thinking Inking class she did.  You can beat it because you can download the information and do it when you want to plus her class is free! 

Day 28, A seemed like yesterday layout with some journaling

Day 29, A Today layout, same young lady but we are both so different now

                                 

Day 30, The day you were born layout for my youngest

Day 31, The day you were born for one of my older girls.

Preclass Tags for Color class, we were given techniques to use with each of these tags.  I have to say this is the most fun I have had stamping in a long time.  Looking forward to sharing more with you soon.  

A good day

Even if it is raining today, it is a good day.  Fall is in the air, my children left dressed up for school in their costumes that they put together themselves(LOVE no cost costumes!) and today I will be getting the house ready for the shampooing of the carpets.  We usually do this twice a year but we skipped right over it this spring so the carpets look terrible.

Finishing up LOAD is on my mind, it has been a rough month for me but I'm glad I have gotten more pages done for me children.  As always it brings me great joy now to look back on the lives of my children.  I remember when I first started scrapbooking how afraid I was of actually seeing them grow up before my eyes.  It probably had more to do with as I saw them getting older that meant I was to getting older, even if they make me feel so young.  I have made a choice to not finish some journaling spots right now.  I do fill them in I just have to look at the finished layout for a little while to be inspired.  That is how it works for me.

Day 23,  Made a companion layout to go with Day 22.  I think it is funny that in this series of photos of my children that I have not one of my son by himself.  What a busy almost 3 year old he was.

Day 24, My youngest daughter with her first piggy tales and this was also the first time she climbed up on the folding stool on her own.

Day 25, Someone is rolling over

Day 26, What a special day this was.  Our Grandpa, the kids Great Grandpa came to visit just to see the newest addition to the family.

 

Day 27, What you are doing to go with Day 25.

 

 Materials: Papers from Close to my Heart and Making Memories, Flowers from Prima, Tim Holtz's Tattered Florals Die cut(LOVE IT!), mini tag stamp(retired CTMH), Glossy accents on some butterflies and flowers. 

Getting stuff done

I am enjoying getting more pages done for my children scrapbooks.  Stories that I have been wanting to tell for a long time before I forget.  The one thing I hate though, is when I want to scrapbook something and I know I have the pictures printed.  I had quite a few prints made up before we moved to Spokane 2 years ago, some got filed in the correct places while others did not.  This will be my project this winter to really do a bit more organizing where that is concerned.

Day 18,  My youngest in her Big Girl Bed.  She was so tiny or so it seemed to me. 

Day 19,  My youngest first Christmas.

Day 20,  My son when he was learning to take clothes off.

Day 21,  I've always loved these photos of my youngest and finally found the right layout for them.  It was a lot of fun picking out buttons and brads. 

Day 22, My beautiful children the first Easter we had all 4. 

A bit of everything

Happy Birthday to this beautiful girl!!  You have brought so much into my life and I am so grateful to God for giving you to me.  Hope your day is all you want it to be!!(photo Homecoming 2010)

This year the above daughter decided she didn't want anything for her birthday because she has all she ever has wanted.  However the giver in me decided to make her one of these.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE how it turned out and decided to make 3 more for her girlfriends who have birthdays in the next few days.  The BEST thing.......I used quite a few flowers from my stash, 50 for each lei!  I did have to purchase some bigger ones, in large tins from prima but it is all good.  It is silly but it was actually quite mentally painful to use so many!  I have to laugh at myself and remember that they are only paper.  Grand total on flowers used 125 for each.

Day 13, I have loved these photos for years.  I couldn't bring myself to scrapbook just one!  Each one shows so much of her personality.  

Day 14, My oldest daughter when she was 7 with her first set of glasses.

Day 15,  Youngest daughter on her first trip to a local pumpkin patch.  Most of her first year album is pastel colors. 

Day 16,  Second page to go along with above.

Day 17,  One of my oldest daughter's.  She learned to walk for M&M's! 

Feeling Good

I am feeling good about the pages I am getting done this month.  They are making me so happy and I can feel myself getting lighter.  One more thing done, one more story told.  It is interesting how when I get one memory down on a scrapbook page that another one comes to mind.

Day 8, One page no photos.  I love how this page turned out!  A set of stickers I have had for a long time to go into my daughter's baby book.  All the things that were going in the year she was born.

Day 9, Put everything you have learned onto a page.  Simple story today.

Day 10, Bare bones layout-photos and journaling only.  I had to put some kind of embellishment, just couldn't leave it.

Day 11, Choose a story to tell then think about the elements for your page.  I love this memory.

Day 12, Choose product you love.  Happy photos with paper that I LOVE!  Little miss personality.