Just Be Yourself

Isn't part of the fun of having children, that you can identify yourself in their features and actions!? I love seeing my little mini-me strike a pose, whether she looks like me ( right hand picture) or Ray (squinty eye on the left side). However she looks, she's a doll in my opinion!

Creative Catch Up

First I started with my colors, Rainier helped me pick these patterns after watching the latest episode of Glitter Girl's Adventures. I started following her example but somehow my first patterned strip ended up on its side and collected everything on top of itself!

Adding in these Heidi Swapp journaling cards and some banner pieces  and I thought I was done. When I showed my honey the end result he suggested I use different photos, and I love how these three 4x4 shots of the girls riding together in a shopping cart for the first time goes better with the Oh Happy Day title I found in my cut-ups bin.

 Later in the day I decided pie was needed...

And finally these four cards developed from the scraps on my desk. I was playing some serious catch-up with my creativity being at a low after a week of summer fun with my family. My mom came over and helped me Saturday night and most of the day Sunday, though, so of course she needed a card. I saw Jen Gallagher tie a ribbon around her frame, had to try that. I took some process photos of the Home/Comfort card for DieCutCrazy, and then painted one of my last wood veneer pieces from a four pack I bought at Michaels last week by K&Company.. The card with the scalloped banner was from a mini gelato tutorial I posted on Instagram

 

  Whew! I feel on top of my craft space now!

Mixing Patterned Papers

As much as I rely upon and enjoy following sketches, it is more that I use them as a guide to my creative process, rather than a strict, set way of having to make something. Glitter Girl's rescue lesson this week was all about how to mix patterned papers. I love her examples; I always feel I can confidently accomplish what she's challenging the viewer to make and share.

My two year old and I watched last weeks episode while waiting for baby sister to take her nap. As soon as her head hit the crib sheet we ran to the craft room. Using her prompts to select patterns that coordinated was a lot of fun, and got me to use this scalloped edged 12x12." I was also able to use a sheet of snow covered evergreens, which you can almost see on the right hand side. I couldn't really tell there was snow after layering on my photos and mat. There is some yellow with white clouds print from Bella Blvd, and the heart stickers are by Creative Memories.

  My picture orientation and journaling aren't in the same place as Glitter Girl's sample pattern suggests, but you know I had to make it mine ... I was also trying so hard to make it mine that I turned it to Mama Bossy Pants and turned our fun into tears! Oh boy. After a snack and a new resolve to not take over, Rainie and I finished up this page and called up her East Coast grandparents to share.

Tuesdays have become a day of the week we really look forward to because that's when we see all our storytime friends at the Key Center library. Plus, with all the reading we do, its a day I look forward to because it means a new set of children's reading materials. You know how they love  to read the same thing over and over again :-)

Speaking of trying over and over again, check out my next post for my second interpretation of this patterned paper page challenge. 

 

Hangin' With the Hombres at the Lakebay Marina Resort

My neighbors waving from the boathouse.



Motorcyclists from the Hombres, cleaning up the dishes.

Tonight I had the pleasure of meeting not just the manliest dishwashers ever, but also the super friendly owner of the recently refurbished Lake bay Marina Resort!

Owner Mark Scott took ownership of the dilapidated Marina last October, and has worked steadily improving the facility and grounds ever since. Anyone familiar with it's site has noticed a huge difference- shrubbery cleared, boards on the dock replaced, and a functioning kitchen are all great reasons to visit, either by boat or by foot.

Fuel, including clear gas with Soltron, and environmentally friendly alternative, can be purchased at the dock. Inside, yummies such as the hot fish and chips my neighbors were enjoying and cold beverages can be purchased for low prices. Paintings by renown local artist Tweed Meyer were available for purchase as well. I love this scene she painted which hangs on the outside of the boathouse.

You can bring your family, including the dog, and stay the whole weekend, exploring the surrounding areas by water. Either bring your boat and moor it for $1/foot, or bring your camping gear and stay on the shore for just $22/night. Kayaks and Stand Up Paddle Boards, or SUPBs as I was informed they are called :-), can be rented for $14/hour.

Last night we shared the company of many locals, visitors grabbing a bite after a day of boating, and as I mentioned before, the motorcycle group, the Hombres, who also happen to be sober riders. Their bikes and leather gear beckoned from across the shore, where they were all set up with tents and tables along the beach. The resort boasts raised campfire pits, and since the burn ban was lifted earlier this week, all the fires were blazing! I'll bet there was a lot of story swappin' going on over there!

What goes better with sitting around the campfire sharing stories than some live music! Every Saturday inside the boathouse local musicians keep the crown bobbin and in our case, dancing. Music starts around 6pm and ends around 8 or so, depending on how much rockin' and rollin' is going on.

Mark sat down with me and shared how overwhelmed he's been- by the support of the community especially. People have been downright ecstatic over the changes, and despite some of the challenges he's run into along the way in trying to fix things up, its all worth it to "breathe the life back into this place," as he so eloquently put it.

This statement really rang true for me; often times I drive the girls past the marina on our way in and out of town... last summer while driving by with my dad Ed, he commented that he used to camp out there amongst the tangle of overgrown bushes and tumbledown buildings. Hmmm, I thought, rustic! But when I showed him the difference driving by this year he was blown away, commenting that it was almost like going back in time to 1972 when he first camped along this shore.

You can find the Lakebay Marina Resort on facebook, sign up for their email list and be in the know about upcoming events and ongoing improvements. The marina is closed Monday and Tuesdays, and Fridays they are open from around 4-8, Saturdays from about noon to 8, depending on the crowd.

On the Up & Up

Wow, it seems like as soon as I noticed I was using the same pattern over and over again, I stumble across another inspiring design by my favorite artiste, Shimelle!

 

 I remember how much fun Rainie and I had this afternoon last year when we took the car to Les Shwaub (sp?). A task that really doesn't warrent the fondness I now have for these memories!

 I think part of the reason it was well remembered is that these photos are some of the first Instagram shots I took and I was playing with the filters with glee. The smile on her face was still somewhat rare at the time as she was only just beginning to learn "the pose."

This little metal clock finally found a home.


Then I used some FancyPants letter stickers, paper by WeRMemoryKeepers, and Authentique stickers on top of some brown and white grid paper tape.

Four Generations of Fun Guys

I'm so happy to have grabbed this photo out of a text my dad Ed sent me earlier this year- it is such a rare occasion to have my two brothers, Ed, and his dad all together in the same place at one time. It may have been that I was missing being there so much that inspired me to create this page filled with sentiment and phrase stickers!


You see, while I'm fortunate that my younger brother Jeremy lives relatively nearby, my older brother Eddy and his family live in HONG KONG! Yes, that is a ways away from the Evergreen state hehee. So is New Jersey, where my dad and PopPop live just blocks from each other.
Earlier this year my brothers both traveled to NJ with their wives and my nephew Dylan and someone there was thoughtful enough to snap this amazing photo of the four generations gathered together. I'm not sure how many takes it took to get this shot, but I smile every time I see it- they all look so happy and have big smiles on, my favorite kind of pose! Plus I think it's great that it was taken in my PopPop's wood paneled living room- that wood paneling brings back a lot of memories from visits I've taken over there to visit.
I couldn't help but think that my Nana, who passed early last year, would have been overjoyed to see these guys all together- but I just know she was there silently offering up YooHoos for everyone :-)

Hope you enjoyed this video!

If it ain't broke...



I love these Shimelle inspired challenges;

 she recently asked her site readers to look for pages to scraplift -from themselves!

In the last couple weeks I had an opportunity to review the last three years or so of scrapbook pages I've created and I noticed that in the last year I must have used this same pattern at least five times subconsciously. Each page is so different, and yet the band of patterned paper with photo seems to be a really effortless design for me. I know that each of these examples were really easy to create, so like they say, if it ain't broke, why fix it!

Even this page (above) that I made during the class I taught last Saturday follows this same idea of a band of information in the top middle of my page. I love the way it turned out,  I'll just have to be sure any future, similarly styled pages don't end up right next to each other :-)

 

Here are some of the similar pages I found in my albums:Easter 2012Easter 2012

 

June 2013 

June 2012
 

January 2013

In the last couple weeks I had an opportunity to review the last three years or so of scrapbook pages I've created and I noticed that in the last year I must have used this same pattern at least five times subconsciously. Each page is so different, and yet the band of patterned paper with photo seems to be a really effortless design for me. I know that each of these examples were really easy to create, so like they say, if it ain't broke, why fix it!

Even this page that I made at the class I taught last Saturday follows this same idea of a band of information in the top middle of my page. I love the way it turned out,  I'll just have to be sure any future, similarly styled pages don't end up right next to each other :-)

July 2013

 

 

A Dream Fulfilled!

Last Saturday I had the resource room of the Key Center library booked for a Beginners Scrap booking class from 2:30-5:00. I was so nervous but I had a "script" reminding me of the five simple steps I had come up with to build a page, so that gave me something to hold onto at first and also kept me on track during my presentations.
 Five people came to class, and only two of them were family, Haha. It was a free class and I supplied everything but the photos, which I advertised should be brought by participants.
First we talked about the reasons that we don't get to scrapbook or what holds us back. Some of the comments were about not having enough time, space, or energy to commit towards this activity, while other comments were more in the, "I have no idea how to do it" category :-) The way I desingned the steps encouraged creativity and adaptability within an easy to follow structure. Everyone in the class was able to complete a one page 12x12" layout to take home -even me! (See bottom left in the photo) AND we were all cleaned up by five o'clock so the timing was perfect too.
One of the best highlights of the class was watching my mom help my grandma build her first page. She scrap booked a photo of our North Catalonia home and journaled about her hopes of coming to see us there. I know that I will always cherish this page amongst those in my many albums, as well as the memory of how my very thoughtful mother provided the photo and coached Grandma  into confidently building her layout.
Teaching this class, and having it go successfully (the participants said they enjoyed it) was the fulfillment of a dream I did not imagine having a year ago... which just goes to show, anything is possible in this amazing gift that is our life!
 My weekend ended with another Awesome treat; I received email from Die Cut Crazy, a digital magazine for apple IPad and IPhone users, letting me know that the August edition is available and features me in their Blogger Spotlight! Wow, what a craft high I'm riding! So of course I channeled that energy into making another movie and also another page. They'll both be up in the next few days, so stop back by!
Here below are some candid shots of my class and their finished pages, I'm just as proud of them all as if I had made them myself. Thanks for reading along today!
-Anna