Magazine Inspiration

I got the Feb/Mar 2008 Scrapbooks ETC today from Hobby Lobby. It was really a good issue and I still haven't really looked at all of the magazine. I got too inspired. I saw a layout that had this funky scalloped edge on one side of the page and I totally had to try that. I mean I love the round layouts and I love scallops so why not combine the two!!! It is a 12x12 inch layout, the orange part is 10x10 and the scallops stick off about 2 inches.


Altogether I am pretty happy with how it turned out, I tried to also do this for a new challenge blog that I found that I really like called Random Chaos. Their first challenge was to use 6 different manufacturers on one page. I used Fancy Pants, October Afternoon, Queen and Co, Making Memories, Bazzill, and American Crafts. Another plus is that I used up more of that pile of fall colored papers!! But I am running low on fall colored cardstock. :(

Some not so great layouts....

These aren't that great so I am not going to spend the time scanning them. They are done and they are going in the books but they are nothing to go wild and crazy over.

I think it is the papers, I don't know but they are kind of distressed and old looking. They are from 3 different ScrapAddict's kits that were partially used. I think I had pretty much used up the stuff that I really liked and was left with these. So I ended up taking out a bunch of fall pictures and mixing the 3 kits together on my desk and picking and choosing from the pile to create these.

I like this one but the metal ribbon tag and the black sugar coated brads were a wrong choice I think.


I used my Heidi Swapp polka dot mask on this one, I wanted to try it. Then I drew some doodles around the polka dots. It is cute but I was at a loss for what to title it.


And this one should have been a 2 pager ('nough said)....

San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo

Since Ian had the day off from school we decided to check out the Rodeo. It was huge reminded me of the Iowa State Fair (only with maybe more cowboys here).

This is my attempt at an artsy photo of the windmill at the main gate.


The boys had a blast seeing the animals and other BIG things there. Including getting to climb on a huge tractor.


Ian's favorite part of seeing the chicks in the kids zone and also watching the cows getting washed. He also really liked getting to go on a pony ride (Evan was way too tired so he watched with mommy).




They saw the world's tallest living horse named Thor, Ian got a little anatomy lesson and they sat together nicely on a fake horse for a picture.



Some other random pictures. Like the boys eating the world's largest carnival cheeseburger!!




And the day ended in lots of hugs, both for the boys and my friend's girls too.

Caught up on my cards.

Until the new challenge is posted tomorrow!!

Card 1

Card 5

Card 8

And this goes to show that I am completely obsessed with using pop dots!!


Again no new sheets of paper were harmed in the making of these cards.

100th Day of School

Today was Ian's 100th Day of School and the kindergarteners celebrated it up.

First they had to bring in 100 of something. Ian wanted to bring in 100 star wars guys but mommy is a stick in the mud fuddy duddy and said NO (you know it is funny because I didn't even have to think about it). So plan b was 100 star stickers. Well you know me and I couldn't just send him in with stickers on the sheet so we made a paper hat using some of the packaging from my latest box of scrapbooking goodies and stuck 100 glitter stars on it.

And you know if one has a hat then both need a hat. I didn't count how many Evan put on his though.

They had a parade at school in the kindergarten hallway showing off their 100 things to each other.



Check out all the kindergarteners!!!

Some cards

My friend Rosalie is the guest designer at ScrapAddict.com this month and she is hostessing a card challenge. Now you know cards are not my strong suit but they are a great way for me to use up some scraps so I am throwing my hat into the ring and playing along.

Here is what I have so far!!! The rules are simple for the challenge, you can't cut into any new papers and you have to use the sketches that she provides each day.


Day 2


Day 3


Day 4


Day 6


Yes I know I missed Day 1 and Day 3, they are still in process and Day 7 wasn't up yet last night when I started working on these but I will try to get caught up tonight after the monkeys go to bed.

And no new sheets of paper were harmed in the making of these cards. Even the cardstock is scrap!!!

I have a ton of fall pictures to scrap.

And I got a bunch of them printed out this morning and started. Here is layout number 2 from Schweizer's Orchard.

And while I love sequins, I hate adhering them to a layout. This was way too many to use glue dots (as I still haven't gotten any) so I tried my Zig glue pen and when I picked the layout up they kept popping off so just imagine what this layout would look like in 10 years (or 10 days) so I actually stitched them all on.

I hate it when...

I am working on a layout and it is turning out well but then I get to the end and I have title and journaling problems. Sometimes when I picture it in my head it is perfect but then when I try to get it to work on paper it just all gets discombobulated or something.

Take for example this layout that I have been working on all weekend.


I had it in my head that the title would be over the picture and there would be some sort of journaling block to the right of the picture and the scroll in the green near the bottom of the photo.

But nothing that I tried looked right.

And believe me I tried a lot of different things. Different colors and fonts for the title, chipboard, stickers, rub-ons, paper. Stamps for the journaling block, strips of paper, cream, white, graph paper. Nothing looked right.

So I put that little arrow sticker on the photo, put a line of journaling on a scrap of paper below the photo and I am giving up and putting it away. Scrapbooking isn't paying me enough to fuss with it for days on end. Not when I keep taking more pictures and getting farther behind.

So sometimes you just have to say, it's not perfect but it is done and move on to the next picture.

PS> I didn't put a date on it because I don't know where to put it and it is going into the book chronologically with about 4 other layouts from the same excursion to the orchard so I will guess on the date.

PPS> OK I couldn't do it, I ended up writing the date on the back of the layout!!!

Goat's eyes.

Last weekend we were at the place where we store our boat washing the truck cause they have a big truck wash place there too and right next to the lot they have a bunch of goats and I always take the boys to look at the goats and feed them and stuff. Now you have to realize even though I am from Iowa I am a city girl. To me farm life was going to the county fair every year and being dragged through the 4H tent by my mom before I could play games and go on rides. I have never really taken any time to look closely at goats or for that matter THEIR EYES!!

Check out these pupils!!!! And this one's eyes are SO blue!!




And this is what goats really think of camera's by the way!!!

He kept trying to lick or sniff my lens!!

I don't know why but it makes me happy...

... to have a basket full of ribbon just sitting on my shelf.

I have been reorganizing my room and I took all the ribbon out of the jars which were on this rickety shelf that every time someone would open or shut the door to the garage I would have to push them all back on the shelf. Now it is all in one big basket and I find that I am actually going to that basket and pulling out little bits of it to use, which as Martha would say is a good thing!!!

February 1st

I can't believe it is already February!! Seemed like it was just 2007 and now we are one full month into 2008.

Well since it is February I wanted to show off all my layouts I have been holding onto but not able to share from the ScrapShanty for February's sponsor Scenic Route. They gave us all some of the lovely Loveland paper and embellishments to play with and I have to say I did have lots of fun with this paper!!!




I added a lot of my own stamps, cardstock and other little embellishments on these and it felt really good to let loose and use up some supplies!!