Off You Go

This is the layout I did to meet challenge number 2 of the contest at Scrapbook Playground. Voting will last until 5 pm PST on Sunday. Thanks to any of my friends who visit and vote. This is the link.

http://www.scrapbookplayground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=16409

Scrapbook Playground Showdown

Well, I made just barely made it through to the second round of member voting in the layout contest at Scrapbook Playground. I only got 2 votes but it was enough this time. Here is the layout I posted. The challenge was to use a one word title, a quote, the color green and 7 buttons. This week's challenge is to use 2 pictures, red, white and blue, at least 5 stars, and visible journaling. I have some ideas but need to decide on pictures. Only 15 people will go through this time. If anyone would like to join the Scrapbook Playground, I have the link under places I visit. I think you will like the sight. They have a store and a design team plus an image gallery and a message board. If you register, you can vote in the showdown. (hint, hint)

Father's Day Photo Shoot

So here are some pictures of Curtis with his little girls. Doesn't he look proud?

I so love these people!

It was Father's Day. Both girls were home. We had a nice lunch. It was raining and yucky outside but after a while, the sun came out. I made my loved ones troop outside for a Father's Day photo shoot. They all roll their eyes and act like I am such a pain but they always cooperate nicely once we get out there. The girls had even worn their hair down because they have learned over the years that I prefer pictures with lovely hair. LOL I'll get these girls trained some day. These shots were taken because I told them to act like they love eachother! Fortunately, they do love eachother and they like to be silly. I'll post some pictures of them with their Daddy in the next page. It won't let me put any more on this post.

Not a Teenager anymore

Allison's birthday was back in April. I posted a picture of her with her cake back then but am just now scrapping it.

Did some stamping, some tearing, some craft knife cutting on this one. I also used my own handwriting. This page was created to enter a contest over at Scrapbook Playground called Showdown at the Playground. I am one of the top 25 finalists. Each week, they will issue a challenge and the finalists will create a page. A few people will get eliminated each round. The first 4 rounds are voted on by registered users and the last 4 rounds are judged by judges from the site. The first challenge was to create a page with a one word title, a quote, 7 buttons, and something green. Posted mine today. It is called "Smile." Let's see how far I can go. There is a link to my gallery at the top right of this page and a link to the site under places I visit.

One Little Word

The current word at onelittleword.blogspot.com is 'my."

Here is my take on "my." This lovely dandelion came from my yard. I just had to run in a get the camera before I pulled it up, LOL I got to play with adding text to a photo. One of these days, I'll get all of the elements to work together and maybe I'll do a whole digital page.

Woo Hoo! I got Page of the Day at CKMB!

I am totally pumped up now! I might have to scrap all weekend on my creative high.

http://www.creatingkeepsakes.com/hostess/

Two posts on the same day!

I have found another challenge site at http://unpubbed.blogspot.com/. This one is for unpublished artists only. Since I am definitely a member of that club, I am going to play along with this one. Here is my version of Colleen's page. This one came together very fast. I think I took longer to decide on the paper than it took to put the page together. I have had a very productive day today. I got two layouts done. Both of them were scraplifts, both were quick easy pages and both of them used paint. LOVE paint. If you want to see the other one, it is called "Friends" and I posted it on CK's gallery. The link to my gallery is to your right.

Happy Anniversary

Today would have been my parents' 49th wedding anniversary. What an awesome example of love they were to me. Even today, four years since my Dad went on to a life in heaven without pain, my Mom still glows when she talks about him.

Also, 15 years ago today, Curtis and I had our marriage blessed in the Catholic church so it is sort of my anniversary, too. We married on December 10, 1976. We were 18 years old, very much in love and in a big hurry to get married. Not sure why now that I look back but we could not be talked out of it. We got married in a small Baptist church by a preacher who said it only mattered to him that we were Christians. After several years, it began to matter to me that I had not married in my church so we went through marriage preparation just like any newly engaged couple and renewed our vows. We chose this date because it was my parents anniversary and because they were such a great example of a sacramental marriage. I cannot begin to tell you how much it meant to me that Curtis agreed to this for me. He is not Catholic but did this because he loved me and wanted me to be happy. I really love that guy.

Quote of the day

Look for the ridiculous in everything and you will find it.-- Jules Renard

I ran across this quote today while looking for quotes about mothers and daughters. I have saved tons of quotes over the years. How did that one get in there? I'm not sure. I like it, though. It speaks to me. Being the optimist I am, I can usually find a reason to smile in most situations. I will look for reasons to laugh, too.

Looking back over the years that I was raising teenage daughters, there are plenty of memories that I laugh at now but was not laughing at then. I should have laughed more. Battles about hair and clothes and make up are just silly if they are good people with loving hearts underneath those outward trappings. My girls turned out great despite any minor battles that we fought. Both of them are strong, independent women who laugh easily. In fact, I don't think there is ever an occasion that, when together, they don't giggle about something.

Maybe this is good advise for mothers of daughters, after all.

A Tribute to Shel Silverstein

I had this excerpt from "Where the Sidewalk Ends" taped on the wall above my scrapbook table. It just spoke to me when I saw it in a newspaper article several weeks ago so I tore it out, taped it up and looked at it several times before I found a use for it. I took this picture of Seth the other day after he got this haircut. Why is it that a simple haircut can make a little boy look like such a big boy in just a few minutes? I loved the picture. I loved the quote. I put them together.

listen to the mustn'ts, child.

listen to the don'ts.

listen to the shouldn'ts, the

impossibles, the won'ts.

listen to the never haves,

then listen close to me...

anything can happen, child.

anything can be.

I realized today that I have more pictures of Allison on my blog than I do of my equally beautiful daughter, Karen. Today I will rectify that. This layout is one I used in my HOF entry in the inventive technique category. The flourishes you see are not drawn or stamped. They were created using a supply that is not found in the scrapbooking aisle at the craft store. They are Plaid Glass Gallery leading lines. They are flexible and self adhesive. I had some at home that I bought to make Christmas ornaments a couple of years ago but they can also be used to decorate glass vases or mirrors or candle holders. ( I have lots of unfinished craft projects. LOL) You peel these lines off the page and stick them to your surface to form shapes. They also have flowers and leaves and circles you can buy. You fill in the shapes with the colored liquid that dries to look like stained glass. I simply used the lines to form my flourishes and then added some leaves and flowers. On a scrapbook page, you could fill the shapes with glitter or small beads, too.