fond memories

Today I am sharing a layout I created based on a sketch from the My Scraps and More Sketches blog- sketch #28, as well as for the Color Me Scrappy design team call color palette.

 

It is so hard to believe that these photos were taken 11 years ago. How quickly time flies. The two sweet girls in the bottom photo have been in the Navy for 3 years now (Kara has been in over 3, and Meghan, in the red will have 3 years in July), and Emily in the top photo graduates high school in less than two weeks. This is what I love most about scrapping; these photos bring back so many memories and as the girls look through these pages later they will have their own recollections and fond memories of times gone by.

 

Take care!

fishy

I was never a fan of Navy blue until recently. Like the past few days recently. It started popping up everywhere and I tried hard to pass up several scrappy lines that contained this color and I am so happy that I did not pass these collections up. I have to say that I adore this layout- I originally had intended to use shades of pinks and greys and whites with a softer blue added in, but I really wasn't feeling it. I felt as if I needed something different to make these pictures pop, and when I started to dig through my paper piles I kept coming across navy blue, so I went with it and gathered up some different papers containing the color and I was really digging how they looked with the pink and really made these pics stand out. (gosh I wish they would always look as good on this blog as they do irl)

My layout was inspired by a challenge/inspiration piece on the ScrapStuffz blog.

supplies:

cs: Recollections

pp: MME- Kate & co. oxford lane, MME the sweetest thing, Echo Park Photo Freedom Vol. 1, American Crafts Dear Lizzy Lucky Charm

flowers" Crate Paper

fish sticker and alphas: Echo Park

twine

 

here is the inspiration piece:

 

I was originally inspired by the sunburst background and that was my starting point. It didn't even dawn on me until I was nearly done to add the fish by the title, so the fish was also an inspiration for my layout as well.

 

One more thing before I sign off- ScrapStuffz is looking for design team members- why not give it a try?

 

Take care!

 

 

jump

Hello! :) It feels so good to scrap fairly consistently again. I recently found a challenge site called The Memory Nest. I discovered this challenge blog/store just by clicking on and leaving a comment on a layout that was posted on the CMS blog. I did a little digging and discovered that there was a Summer DT call going on and decided to try my luck. This site features two challenges each month; one a sketch and one a color- both of which are my favorite challenges. If nothing else I have found another friendly source of inspiration.

This is the layout I created for the design team call:

supplies:

cs: Recollections

pp and stickers: Simple Stories Vintage Bliss (love this collection!)

and a doily (again- my last 4 layouts have featured them, time to mix it up a bit), some bling, ribbon and twine

chipboard letters: Making Memories

 

This was the sketch that we needed to use:

I tend to struggle with smaller photos, but I have been wanting to scrap these photos for awhile now and this sketch was perfect.

thanks for stopping by! I hope you have a beautiful day/evening! :)

Camera Shy- CMS challenge #38

Hello! :) Here is my layout for Color Me Scrappy challenge #38. This layout combines several of my favorite things: stitching, rolled flowers and a banner. So many of my layouts feature these, but I am addicted to them.

supplies:

pp: MME and Crate

stickers: Pink Paislee

 

here is the serene color pallet for this challenge:

 

and the twist was to use misting or paint.

 

If you haven't yet, go check out the challenge! I am always inspired by the pallets and enjoy the fun little twists that are added.

 

On a side note- I have been gushing about how well Ashlyn has been doing lately. Well, we hit a bump in the road today. Her blood counts are very low, not low enough to land her in the hospital, but low enough to be very concerned, especially as the labs were drawn prior to her infusion, and the Remicade will cause them to fall even more. Frustratingly enough her SED rate (inflammation level) continues to climb which could mean several things. She will get a recheck on her labs in two weeks and hopefully there will be some improvement. If not, we could have a game changer here. I am crushed, especially since it is so hard to hear "bad" news when for the first time in years everything was positive. I am just going to continue to keep moving forward and maintaining a positive outlook. I just pray that this is not the beginning of another set back, especially if it means we have to scope her again and possibly change the course of treatment (medication wise). Whatever the outcome, we WILL get past this. Ashlyn is a fighter.

 

God Bless!

Smile Big

Hi! Happy World IBD Day! Before I share my newest layout I want to share a photo of Ashlyn. I took this two weeks ago just because it was so nice to see her beautiful face without an ng tube. :) She has chubby steroid-induced cheeks with a nice pink color and a sparkle in her eye. Something that we all missed for so long. After seeing her for 14 months with a tube coming out of her nose and taped to her cheek I still cannot believe that it is gone! It has been out for 4 weeks now and I just pray that she continues to improve and we will not have to replace it. It will be nice for her to be a kid this summer.
Here is my brave, beautiful Crohn's fighter:

 

 

I was bored the other day and stumbled upon a brand new challenge site called ScrapStuffz "Inspired by". Currently there is a call for designers and as I am trying to get back into a scrappy groove I thought why not. I can commit to one layout a month, so I decided to toss my hat into the ring. It appears that there have only been a few applicants, so I encourage you to head on over to the site and check out the challenge so this site can get up and running (as well as enter a submission to be a part of a new challenge blog).

 

My layout was inspired by the dots/circles on the first square, the pink in the second, the stripes in the third square, and the pastel colors.

 

 

supplies:

pp- Simple Stories and MME (butterflies are Basic Grey and MME)

stickers: Simple Stories

doily

twine

dots: MME

flowers: Petaloo and Prima (not sure about the white enamel flowers)

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Simple Pleasures- CMS challenge #37

Hello! :) I got sidetracked again. lol
The past two months have brought numerous positive changes to us (finally!). Patience has paid off big time. Ashlyn has finally responded to the Remicade infusions (insert ecstatic happy dance here :)). Most people see/feel results after the 2nd and/or 3rd infusions; it took her 5 for us to notice anything positive. She goes in for #6 on Monday so I am expecting even more improvement in her energy/pain levels. We also changed her diet drastically within the week of her receiving infusion #5 (she is 100% gluten free, fructose free, dairy free in addition to nut free as she has both peanut and tree nut allergies, white bean-free and pea-free. This has by far been the single most difficult task I have undertaken- it is HARD and somewhat frustrating to feed this kid, but the struggles are well worth it.) so that could have also been a huge factor, but whatever it is, it is working and my sweet girl is the healthiest she has been in over 5 years! She has a lot more energy now. We don't have to put her in a cart when we go shopping, she doesn't have to take a nap after a simple task such as getting up to use the restroom or to eat. She can go downstairs to watch a movie or play the x Box- something she hasn't done in over 2 years. She still has a lot of recovery, but every day she seems to do something new and it is the very best feeling. It's honestly like having a 13 year-old toddler- that is how I can describe it to make it understandable. My heart is overflowing with happiness!

With her health improved, I was able to land a "real" job. I started to work for ProBuild almost 5 weeks ago- it's basically a lumber yard. Never in my life would I have pictured myself working in a lumber yard. lol And I don't have a desk job. I am not sure how to describe my role other than I do a little bit of everything that someone needs me to do, from paperwork and data entry to counting materials to scheduling deliveries even helping a customer load lumber into his truck. It is very physical and mentally challenging, but I love it! I make good money, have steady hours and learn so many new things each day. The opportunities are endless with this new job and I cannot recall a time that I have loved a job as much as I do this one.

Life is awesome!!!

So, I made some time to scrap. I am so bummed that I missed the deadline for the Color Me Scrappy challenge #37, but hopefully I will get the next one in on time. I don't know which I adored more- the color scheme or the adorable inspiration.

Here is my layout:

 

the challenge was to use this beautiful color palette:

                                       along with this sketch:

 

I am looking forward to creating with the next challenge!

 

Thanks for stopping by! God Bless!