Five Generations

I completed the February Mood Board Challenge over at Jot Magazine.

Here's the Mood Board:

And here is my layout inspired by the mood board:

(That background paper is the pale pink from the mood board, I can't get the colors right on the computer apparently)

I was inspired by the pinks & greens, the flowers, and the quote. Not many people are blessed to have their great-great grandmother!

I've done a few 5 generation pages along the way since Heath was born & I won't stop! I'm so proud and happy to have a family with longevity. Right now my grandmother is in poor health, and we have some tough times ahead of us, but I'm going to enjoy the moments we have together while I can. This photo was taken at my great-grandmother's 90th birthday!

Here's a close up:

Thanks for looking! You can see products used on Instagram @scrappinhappy.

Moms are important! A simple & clean layout.

We have a very rainy & gross President's Day going on here today, so I am trying to make the most of it and work on some layouts and photo editing.

I completed a page for our Mothers today with my new Studio Calico kit. The page goes with the sketch crew crush over at Scrapbook Challenges where the challenge was to use a white background. It also goes with the February mood board over at Creating with Paper and More. The mood board inspiration I used from this board was the birds, love, hand lettering and flowers.

Here are some details:

Thanks for looking!

My scrapbooking story

A few days ago I received a message on my scrapbooking Instagram account requesting that I check DCWV's craft 60 project & share my story. I use DCWV products all the time, but hadn't heard of craft 60. I looked it up and I loved the sentiment. Check it out here.

So, I shared my experience about why I started and why I think memory keeping is so important. You can see it here! I thank the craft 60 project for this!

Reminiscing in old scrapbooks just reminded me how much I love them. I especially loved the scrapbook my mom made me for my college graduation. She did a double page spread for each year of my life. I bawled like a little baby when I opened it because I knew how much she had put into it. They're such sweet memories I will treasure forever.

So I encourage you to browse around the Craft 60 Project & get ideas. Do some crafting with your family & make memories.

Thanks for looking!

Real Talk: Thank God for memories

Do you ever get emotional while scrapbooking?

I do. It usually revolves around pictures of my sweet boys and realizing how much they've grown & aren't stopping!

Today it was for my grandmother. Times are hard for our family right now because her health is failing, and it's very sad.

But thank God for our good memories and documenting those memories. This is why I do what I do. We will always have something tangible to look back at and remember all the good times. I will have photos to back up the stories I tell my boys about things they never knew or don't remember.

I made this page today of the first time my grandmother met my new babe.

Details:

Scrapbooks don't have to be fancy. You don't have to decorate your pages. I make detailed scrapbook pages because it is my creative outlet & I enjoy it. But things like Project Life make "scrapbooking" so so so easy and available to everyone. Even just printing photos and putting them in album sleeves like people used to do so long ago! We should print our photos. Spend time as families looking at them and reliving our favorite times together. Teach our children about our history. Enjoy our memories!

Thanks for looking! Document your life!

Beachy Smiles - a sketch challenge

I am wrapping up last year's beach vacation in the scrapbook & found a great sketch to use for one of my photos over at Grand Diva's Scrappy Place. I also participated in the Scrappy Friend's Bonus Challenge by adding the "This or That" element from Rochelle Spears.

I used a "polaroid" frame & Pink Paislee Atlas paper. Cut some dies from my Cricut, of course.

Good Challenges - go play along!

Thanks for looking!

My little explorer ~ Jan Mood Board ~ Jot Mag

I used the January Mood board challenge at Jot Magazine for inspiration for this sweet layout of my dear little boy & husband walking on the beach. I just adore it! The mood was sandy browns and white with distressed turquoise - just my style.

I wanted to keep it simple to focus on the sweetness of the photo.

I just love these 7 gypsies nautical themed ephemera!

I used a rub-on from My Mind's eye & some metal embellishments from JoAnn's and All My Memories with a piece of nautical looking rope & it was done!

Thanks for looking!

Dig in - a mood board challenge!

I completed a beach layout for the January Mood Board Challenge over at Scrapbook Challenges!

I like the idea of using these colors which would traditional probably not be used in a beach layout. But I felt like they went well with the filter on my photos. I loved these pics of my boy playing with my dad, his Papa. He has the sweetest expression of pure joy on his face!

Gosh, Isn't vacation wonderful?! It's like non-stop playing for week when we're at the beach.

I used a couple Studio Calico kits to create most of this page, with a few other items from my craft room stash. You can check out most vendors tagged in the photo on my Instagram account.

Thanks for looking!

Freedom: A Memorial Day page

I started following a fun blog this week called Scrapbook Challenges, and I loved when they posted a great 1 photo sketch yesterday because I have a lot of 1 photo 12x12s waiting for sweet layouts in the recent beach photos I printed.

I really really love this layout! Doesn't hurt that it was one of my fave photos from our trip.

Here's a close up:

I got the cute little bicycle paper at my favorite Scrapbook store in Pigeon Forge a while back. The rest was scrap/stash paper. I got the firework "buttons" and ribbon on clearance at Hobby Lobby and the rain dots in a value pack from JoAnns. The gold letters are from the HipKit club, a crate paper product. The label placards were a garage sale find! I hadn't done distressed papers for a bit, so I was in the mood today.

Thanks for looking!

Dreaming of a warmer day...

Today was a holiday for me from work. It was also in the teens outside. So, how better to spend the day than scrapbooking a beach vacation!?

You guys. I. CRANKED. THEM. OUT.

First I did a couple of traditional layouts. This is the "title" page, if you will, for the vacation portion of our family album. I took this shot with the panorama lens on my iPhone!

Ahhh, it just makes me want to go to the beach right now!

This is my favorite layout of the day & you can check out the supply vendors on my Instagram:

This is a close up of the cute little octopus that I cut with my cricut & a shot of one of the pics of my cutie:

I was so happy how many pocket pages/Project Life pages I got accomplished today. I love traditional layouts, but when you have tons of photos of a vacation, you sometimes need to just get many of them together in pocket pages for the sake of time and sanity. I kept them pretty simple, but they're cheery & bright, and I love them!

I hope you got some inspiration here. Know that all of this only took me about 3 hours or so.... Meaning, anyone with the will can scrapbook! You could use only pocket page cards and photos without any other embellishments, and accomplish a very beautiful scrapbook of memories for your family to enjoy forever.

Thanks for looking!!

Inspired by Challenges & OutKast!

Today I completed a layout for a couple of blog challenges that I follow.

I scrapped a few snowy photos & for some reason, the first title that came to me was from an old OutKast song! Haha!

I used the color challenge over at ScrapMuch? and the mood board challenge at Creating with Paper and More.

I used starry night navy (paper), gold (doilies), wooden sled wood grain (small letters) & slush (white glitter letters) as my colors. I picked up these great foil doilies on clearance at Michael's yesterday & love them! The mood board was snowy with a cute wood grain sign & snow flakes. I feel like the layout I created goes well with both challenges. Check them out and create your own!

Also, I'm supposed to be cleaning my office today in preparation to go back to work from maternity leave next week, but hey, i'm going to be losing nice scrapping time, so priorities..

Here's a close up of the silly title ...

ALRIGHT ALRIGHT ALRIGHT ALRIGHT!

Thanks for looking & hope you enjoyed! Check out the products used at my Instagram (link in photo to the left).

Hello 2016!

Today I made my first layout for our 2016 family album! Feeling pretty good because I'm never this on top of the year!

I got a new Instax Mini 90 camera (swoon) mostly for use in my planner, but couldn't resist scrapping my first two photos! They just worked for our first 2016 spread which is boys first year together as brothers.

I used my December Studio Calico kit & tried a little something new. I used the acrylic paint that came with the kit and I love the pop of color. I was also really surprised at how fast it dried.

Thanks for looking & you can check out sources on my Instagram @scrappinhappy!

Winter Wonderland

Well it has been a while since I was able to get into my craft room and really crank out some pages, and the reason is a new born babe. But he's pretty cute, so I'll let it slide.

I was able to get into the scrapbook mode today when I organized the new desk my hubby got me for Christmas and gawked at all the pretties I collected as gifts as well. I received some sweet kits and incorporated a few of the kit items on the page I made.

I scrapped this sweet picture of my boy in the backyard earlier this year when we got a bunch (for Tennessee) of snow.

I super love the Studio Calico gold and white letters in the December 2015 kit here & they went well with these fun gold letter from a Hip Kit Club kit I received as a gift.

I also am developing quite an obsession for washi tape & paired with glitter letters ... I DIE!

Check out my Instagram (link to the left) to see all the products used, and thanks for looking!

Hot Wheels solutions

Happy Christmas season!

Today I just need to do this quick post about a gift I crafted for my little guy. I bought a plastic storage container from the craft store that perfectly fits Hot Wheels cars. I used my Cricut to cut vinyl for a personalized touch:

I'm so happy how it turned out! He knows how to spell his name, so he will love having that personalization. And, I mean, come on, it rhymes. How cool is that? I was worried about the car and layering vinyl, but it was super simple. The vinyl was even easily repositionable if I needed to change placement.

I see more of these in my future for friends' birthday gifts...

Thanks for looking and have a happy holiday!

to infinity....

Ok ya'll... truth be told, I'm about Buzz Lightyeared out! I've been doing a lot of preparations for my soon-to-be 3 year old's Buzz party in about a week, and I'm about done.

But one of things I wanted for the party is to have our family vacation album for Disneyworld complete. Ideally I would have the 2015 family album up to date to show heath's 3rd year of life, but alas, that's not a possibility, but completion of the Disney album is! So I had put off the Buzz page because I could not decide if I wanted to continue the red/yellow/black Mickey theme throughout the album. I decided on no, so I finally completed the Buzz layout & am very happy with it!

I used a free cut file I downloaded offline (I linked to this in an earlier post) for the star frame. I cut the rocket from some paper in my stash & used a hodge podge of sparkly glitter letters I have.

I super love the pocket page I did in this double page spread. There's a lot going on!

Oh! So long before the fuse tool that everyone is raving about was thought of, my dear husband (then boyfriend, long time ago ya'll) got me this fun little tool for wood burning and paper burning called a Hot Marks. Well, I attempted to use it as one uses the current trendy fuse, and was happy it worked pretty well! I made my first sequin filled pocket & it's so cute!

You can also see the little Buzz that I created on my Cricut. I got that file for Heath's party, and I'm about done making Buzzes! He has a lot of parts!!

Lastly, I'll leave a shot of the double page spread. Thanks for looking! See my Instagram (link to the left) for products brands used.

say cheers!

Trying to get the Disney vacation scrapbook from this summer nailed down in order to focus on family scrapbooking! I loved using this lovely sketch:

from My creative sketches.

My two favorite guys!

Check out some of the supply credit at my Instagram account (link on the left).

Thanks for looking!

You are my sunshine

busy Busy BUSY!

Fall is always a super busy time of year for us, and especially this year, as a new little one will be arriving in less than 4 weeks! (eek!)

Between planning a super cool Buzz Lightyear 3rd birthday party, minion costumes & putting finishing touches on my little Lachlan's nursery, my poor scrapbook has taken a back burner lately, but today I had a second wind & inspiration, so I whipped up a quick page inspired by a sketch at Sketch n Scrap blog.

Their October sketch was for 3 photos & just perfect for this page I had planned to do of my sweet Heath running through the sprinklers on a lazy summer afternoon this past summer.

Also, I mentioned on my Instagram last weekend (link to the left) that I super scored at a yard sale in our neighborhood and got tons of paper and embellishments for a tiny price, and this paper collection is from that score. I paired it with some embellishments and scrap paper from my old stash & this page came together super quickly! Always nice,especially since I'm feeling a little off track with how my scrapbook for the year is coming along... Will maternity leave help or hinder my progress!? We shall see!

Thanks for looking!

Trick or Treat: I"m here for your booty!

Hahaha! I just couldn't resist. My little guy was a pirate last Halloween & even though it doesn't show his sweet face, this is my favorite picture of him from Halloween night - checking out his pirate's booty.

It was a freezing cold Halloween night, and so many of the kids in the neighborhood did not go out, so the houses we visited were extra-generous! We pulled him in a wagon decorated like a pirate ship, braved the cold, & made some memories.

I LOVE the layout for this favorite photo.

I used some new paper I got on my last trip to my scrapbooking mecca, The Scrapbook Store and Clearance Center in Pigeon Forge. I used the color challenge prompts from Scrap Much?.

Here are a couple of detail shots:

I used my cricut to made the skull and crossbones cut out on the banner. Inked all papers & used some tiny brads to showcase the opposite side of the paper too pretty to hide!

I'm certain I've mentioned it before, but Miss Kate's Cuttables Website is amazeballs & offers a free cut every day. They're so cute! That's where this great Trick or Treat title came from.

Thanks for looking & HAPPY HALLOWEEN SEASON!

The best job...

I'm working my way through the year's family scrapbook - jumping around layouts, and I had the perfect photos to correspond with the October sketch challenge at Scrapbook Circle!

I documented my mother's day this year, which was #blessed by two babies!

I used Heidi Grace and Amy Tangerine for American Crafts supplies. I love using the girly pink papers and accessories, since I don't get much opportunity for those with a husband, a boy, and another boy on the way!

Check out details on my Instagram, link to the left.

Thanks for looking!

Celebrate the little things...

Trying to get back into some monthly challenges & regular scrapbooking layouts now that I've completed a few big projects lately!

I did this sweet layout of my big boy to document the first night he slept in his Big Boy Bed! He was so excited & has done really great.

I used the lovely sketch over at My Creative Sketches.

I think it is important to document these little moments - this is really a milestone for a toddler to move into a regular bed! A milestone & a necessity for safety since he was catapulting himself out of his crib at this point (I blame myself and the gymnastic classes I take him to!).

You can check out what supplies I used in my tagged photo on Instagram - scrappinhappy - link to the left.

Thanks for looking!