geared up to learn

This Bo Bunny Grease Monkey collection was positively made to go with these pictures of our Cub Scout Den visiting a local auto repair shop for a presentation about changing oil and basic car maintenance. I designed and cut the large gear using my Pazzles machine. For the "tire treads" on the background, I also used the pazzles to cut the design as a "stencil" from scrap cardstock. Then I applied ink with a piece of felt, dabbing through the stencil until the coverage was just right! It worked great!

Journaling:
What a fun & educational Cub Scout outing! The Den went to Elizabeth Auto Care. Dave showed you how they change the oil in a car, check the other fluids, and perform the emissions test. He explained how the oil is processed & recycled. They even gave you each a bucket of small goodies & gifts afterwords. How nice!

Here is a close up of the Maya Road gear-date-sheer. I applied some of the Bo Bunny rub-ons to the bottom layer, and a sticker to the wrench, to tie the embellishment into the rest of the page. I used the Making Memories tiny alpha stickers to add the year, and also changed out the center brad to one of the "screw top" brads". I love the effect!



Here is a closer look at the inked tire treads:



I created a 2-pager sketch with this page! You can check it out here, and enter a page in the Sketch Challenge for a chance to win a gift certificate to the store here!

complete comfort

The Webster's Pages - A Sweet Life collection had the perfect soft and sweet feel to it for this picture I caught of my little guy in his favorite position... sucking his thumb and playing with his ear. LOL! I played with a distressed photo edge in Photoshop, so carried that theme into the whole page by distressing the heck out of all the paper edges, by roughing them up and then adding lots of ink.

Journaling:
Right thumb in mouth, left hand on ear... in the car, watching TV, going to sleep at night... for you, this is it. Complete comfort.

You can find my sketch for this page in the Allyscraps Gallery.

some of the wild things at the zoo

I love the gorgeous colors in this Crate Paper Little Sprouts collection! It has such an earthy and natural feel, I thought it was perfect for another zoo page!

Journaling:
TOP ROW: Red Panda; Mexican Wolf; Large Flying Fox; Koala Bear; Random Bird.
BOTTOM ROW: Grizzly Bear; Markhor (goat-antelope); Water Monitor; Bald Eagle.
Columbus Zoo – April 18, 2009

This is also the page for my July 3rd Sketch Challenge at Allyscraps - check it out for a chance to win a $10 gift certificate to the store!

Columbus Zoo

This Doodlebug Zoofari was perfect for these pics from our trip to the Columbus Zoo in April!

Journaling:
We had a wonderful family weekend getaway in Ohio to celebrate our tenth wedding anniversary! We couldn’t miss the opportunity to check out the Columbus Zoo. We always love a zoo, and this one was very impressive! There was plenty of hands-on fun, including the pony rides and petting zoo. Hopefully we will make it back for another visit someday! April 19, 2009

bugs fear him

WOW, how perfect is the Bo Bunny U Bug Me line for these pictures of Ryan chasing fireflies!? I love the rich colors in these papers, and the fun patterns! The bug theme is so cute, but plenty of the patterns are neutral enough to work for lots of other topics, too!

I had several pictures that I wanted to use on this page, and didn't want to make them super tiny, so I did something I haven't done in a long time, and added the extra photos in a "flip-book" style hidden element. I really love how it turned out! See below for the inside of the flip book.

This page goes with the current sketch challenge at Allyscraps! Be sure to check it out for a chance at the drawing for a $10 gift certificate!

Journaling:
What better way to spend a beautiful summer evening than out in the backyard catching fireflies? Like a little scientist, you carefully capture and study them. They really have nothing to fear, because you are always very gentle. After your observation is complete, you set them free.

Here are the inside pages of the flip book:

the very best kind of summer fun

This fun, bright Fancy Pants Delight was perfect for these pics from a trip to a local amusement park with friends last year!

Journaling:
Kennywood is always fun, but sharing it with friends makes it the best kind of summer fun! What a great time we had there with Jacob and Kathy! 8-22-08

seeing beauty through the eyes of love

This page is for the Allyscraps Blog May Design Team reveal! Each DT member chose a challenge that one of the other DT'ers did for our crop on May 9. I used Dana's challenge, which was to choose 3 sources of inspiration and use them to create the layout. My three inspirations were:
1. The Scrap Within Reach “Cottage” line with it’s dandelion theme – perfect for these SWEET pictures of my little Tyler, who loves to bring me these pretty little “flowers” at every available opportunity!
2. Stitching: I don’t sew on my pages often enough! Every time I see it, like on this awesome page by Guest DT Jana, or this great page by forum member Tina, I think that I really should do it more often!
3. Die-cut “bracket” style paper: these shaped papers are so popular and I just love them! So I used my Pazzles and a print-and-cut technique to create my shaped journaling block in this fun style!

Journaling:
“Here Mommy, I picked a flower for you!” I know that these bright little yellow “flowers” are really weeds, and Daddy would like nothing better than to rid our yard of them. Still, I’m kind of glad that there are always a few to be found. You gather them up as you walk from the bus up to the front door, and then gleefully hold them out for me with that sweet, loving smile. To you, they are a thing of beauty and a chance to give me a gift full of pure love. I love these sweet flowers, when they come from your heart.

making the grade

I love Scrap Within Reach's Elliot line! The alphabet soup pattern, with the numbers along the bottom, were perfect for this page. I also mixed in the notebook paper pattern from We R Memory Keepers Grandma's Kitchen collection, to fit the theme of the page, and used a journaling stamp to put the lines on some of the title letters to match the "lined paper" look. Check out the Allyscraps forum for the current scrappy challenge and a chance to win a $10 gift certificate!

Journaling:
At first I wasn’t really paying attention to what the boys were doing, until I happened to hear Ryan say “ok Tyler, here you go – take this math quiz I wrote for you.” After Tyler was finished, Ryan set about the task of grading it. First he located his “grading pen” – a green pen, just like the one that I use to grade my students’ work! I guess the apple doesn’t fall very far from the tree. He then carefully reviewed the problems, explaining the ones that were wrong and praising Tyler for the ones that were correct. You must have teaching in your blood, sweetheart. You are a natural!

friends & fun at the pumpkin patch

The rich colors of We R Memory Keepers Grandma's Kitchen were just perfect for these pictures from last fall of Tyler's class trip to the pumpkin patch! The sketch for this page is the current Sketch Challenge - check it out for a chance to win a $10 gift certificate at Allyscraps!

Journaling:
It’s a highlight of the fall – the school trip to the pumpkin patch at Kerber’s Dairy farm. The whole kindergarten and preschool class has a blast! First a tractor-driven hay ride winds through the farm and takes you out to the pumpkin field, where you get to pick a pumpkin. Then it’s back in the wagon to return to the dairy, where everyone enjoys an ice cream cone. Kerber’s has the very yummiest ice cream! I was not able to chaperone the trip this time, but Daddy was lucky enough to go along and enjoy the fun.

indisputable proof

I thought the fun, summery, water-themed patterns of Fancy Pants Summer Soiree were perfect for this picture of Ryan and I, just after getting drenched in a water ride last summer at a local amusement park! My sketch for this page can be found in the Allyscraps Gallery.

Journaling:
Kennywood – love it. Getting soaked right down to my socks and having to walk around the amusement park that way for the rest of the evening – not so crazy about it. But when you asked to ride the Pittsburg Plunge, I couldn’t say no. You never used to be so bold when it came to riding some of the bigger rides, but in the last couple of years you’ve become much more willing to try new adventures. So I wasn’t about to say no. You loved it, and it was worth having soggy hair and being sopping wet for the next couple of hours to see how thrilled you were by the ride, and how proud you were that you rode it.

your very own prehistoric park

This was my page for the Allyscraps April DT reveal, using the bonus 2-pager sketch! I used the Studio 8 Dinosaur Land line. I mixed & matched and painted some different raw chipboard alphas I had for the title work.


Journaling:
You are definitely two dinosaur-loving boys! Both of you were able to identify the various dinosaur species (and pronounce their names!) by around 4 years old. One day, after being secluded together in Ryan’s room for quite some time, you came to me with great excitement and said “Mom, come look what we did on the train table!!” You had carefully arranged various books as “partitions”, and created a prehistoric paradise for several of your dinosaurs – complete with a schematic drawing of what animals are located in each exhibit! I love seeing you engage in this kind of creative play – no electronics required!
June 30, 2008

I was the featured Bella Blvd. Guest Artista this week!

I was so honored to have been asked by Bella Blvd. to be a Guest Bella Artista! Their product lines are so bright and fun and I had a great time working with them! I was featured on their blog this past week. Here are the pages that I created with their goodies!

My Adorable Boy

I added the “Party Hearty” paper from Sweet Celebration – the perfect complement to Swing into Spring for these sweet pictures of my little guy! I hand-cut the folksy hearts, to match the ones on the paper, from the "Candy Buttons "paper. I varied the font color on certain words in the journaling to match the colors on the page.



Hunting Easter Eggs

My "Designer's Challenge" was to use small photos. I knew that I wanted to include several pictures from our Easter egg hunt last year on this page, so it was a perfect topic for this challenge and the Swing Into Spring product line. I used a variety of photo sizes, with the focal point photo a bit larger and the other pictures each 2.5” or 3” high. I really liked the color and the pretty pattern on “April Showers”, but since my page doesn’t have anything to do with rain, I turned the paper upside down (I think it sort of looks like balloons!). I also used a circle punch to punch circles from Candy Buttons for the scalloped border at the bottom.



Bright Lights in the Big City

My oldest son and I recently went with friends to see the musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in downtown Pittsburgh, and the colors in Pack Your Bags were perfect to go with the photos. Even the ticket stubs matched!

mommy I love you infinity

Tyler said this to me one day out of the blue... I immediately wrote it down and knew it would become a page! Loved the My Mind's Eye Bloom & Grow collection for my sweet guy. I cut the infinity symbol from scrap chipboard with my Pazzles, and painted it and the chipboard letters and word.

Journaling:
Tyler to mommy, straight from the heart. I love you infinity too, my baby. ♥ mommy
2-27-09

Scrap Within Reach - My 2 Boys minibook!

I am so honored to have been asked to work with the April Kit from Scrap Within Reach as their Guest Designer! This kit features their "Cottage" collection with it's beautiful blues and greens, and lots of coordinating embellishments!

I created my custom "My 2 boys" minibook by cutting the base of the pages from scrap chipboard, using my Pazzles Inspiration and a cutting file that I created myself (I ♥ my Pazzles!). After painting the outer edges of each page (and the back cover), I covered each page with paper or cardstock from the kit. Then I went about embellishing and adding photos of my two adorable boys! I converted all of the photos to b&w except for the 3 color photos on the “tag page” that I inserted near the end (created from the two large tags in the kit). Those I left in color for an unexpected “pop”, and since that photo just happened to match the colors in the kit so wonderfully! Other than stamps and ink and the ribbons tied to the binder rings, everything is from the kit.

behind the plate

I completely LOVE this Industrial Park line from Scrap Within Reach! Great, distressed patterns, perfect for boy pages. I've had these pics for a while of Ryan playing as catcher in Little League a couple of years ago, and thought these papers worked perfectly!

You can find the sketch for this page in the Allyscraps Gallery!

Journaling:
Clearly, the catcher’s equipment was made for someone a bit bigger than you. You could barely stand up wearing the shin guards, chest protector, and everything else. But that didn’t stop you from doing your best to get to the ball and throw it back every time.

planting seeds

This is my page for the Allyscraps March Design Team reveal, featuring the theme "spring"! You can check out all of the girls' pages on the Allyscraps blog!

I have to confess, I didn't really see this Pebbles Inc Downtown line as a classic choice for a "spring" themed page when I got it. But then I noticed all of the blue in the boys' and dh's clothes, the orange shirt on Tyler, and thought that the orange/yellow/brown color combo was just perfect for the photos as well as the topic of "planting seeds"! I love how the page turned out.

Journaling:
Well, it was a nice idea. After collecting a number of “whirlygigs” – the little helicopter-like pods that fall from the silver maple tree and hold seeds – we thought it would be fun to plant a few. Ryan and Tyler worked with Daddy to fill a pot with soil, find a few perfect seeds, and carefully nestle them down into the dirt. After some water and strategic placement in the not-too-direct sunlight, we waited and watched for a seedling to grow. But alas, our horticultural experiment was not a success. After several weeks, we accepted that no tree was going to materialize. Still, it was a good bonding and learning experience, one that I suspect we will try again.

first day tradition

It's really no surprise that I ADORE this My Minds Eye Penny Lane collection! I love pretty much everything that MME makes! These pics are from our first day of school traditional stop at DQ.

My sketch for this page is the current sketch challenge in the Allyscraps forum - be sure to check it out for a chance to win the April $10 gift certificate challenge prize!

Journaling:
The 1st day of school always means a trip to Dairy Queen! We started the tradition two years ago when Ryan started kindergarten, and now it is a yearly event. Vanilla with chocolate dip for Ryan & chocolate with rainbow sprinkles for Tyler. What a fun celebration to look forward to!

a look back in time

I don't really do heritage pages, but this Graphic 45 collection truly inspired me to pull out some boxes of old photos. I love this picture of my mom from when she was just a teenager.

This is also my page for the latest scrappy challenge at the Allyscraps board! Be sure to check it out for an entry into the drawing for a $10 gift certificate to the store!

Journaling:

Looking at this picture of Mom in her teen years is like taking a peek back in time. When this was taken, she was younger than the students who I now teach are. She looks so happy and pretty, and so carefree. I imagine that she enjoyed her teen job as a soda jerk, and took great pride in doing it well and taking good care of her customers. That's how she approached everything that she did.circa mid-1950's

so happy to have each other

I thought this new 3 Bugs Snips & Snails was cute when I saw it online, but it truly doesn't do it justice! What a GREAT boy line! And the papers are all double-sided, so if the themey-er patterns don't work for ya there is a gorgeous versatile pattern on the other side! I skipped any formal journaling on this one, as I think the photo combined with the sticker, bingo card and stamps says the story just fine.

This page goes with my March 13 Sketch Challenge at Allyscraps! Be sure to check it out for a bonus 2-page variation for the sketch! :) Complete the sketch challenge for an entry into the March gift certificate prize drawing!

so proud of our grad

I LOVE these Prima boy papers! Perfect for these pictures of my little guy's preschool graduation last year. Also used: Making Memories tiny alpha, Pink Paislee alpha stickers, and Jenni Bowlin mini calendar.

Journaling:

Your preschool graduation was such a proud day! You and your class performed a wonderful program. Then it was time for hugs & saying goodbye for the summer to your friends, like Maria, Joey, and of course, Mrs. Wasko.

no fear

I love this Cosmo Cricket Snorkel - what a fun line! This is also for Dana's "use a shaped paper" challenge on the Allyscraps forum. I used my Pazzles Inspiration to cut the eyelet-scalloped edge from the yellow, and also to cut the diecut paper shaped journaling block (using a print-and-cut technique).

Journaling:
It doesn’t seem like it was that long ago that you were timid about letting go of the side of the pool – even if the water wasn’t very deep. And now here you are, suddenly fearless, jumping off the diving board like it was nothing at a friends’ pool party. When you first asked me if you could go off the diving board, I was nervous, but thought you would probably reconsider once you got up there. You sure taught me how wrong I was!

forever us

I wasn't sure how I was going to use this Fancy Pants Splendid from Allyscraps since I don't scrap girlie pages. But I just LOVE how this page turned out! This is truly a versatile collection, and soooo pretty! I used my Pazzles Inspiration to cut the "forever" and the mat behind it with the cut-out hearts.

The sketch for this page is the current sketch challenge on the Allyscraps forum - be sure to check it out! Complete a page before the deadline and earn an entry into the March drawing for a gift certificate to the store. And if you're new to the site, be sure to check out the membership drive for the easiest-ever $10 gift certificate!

Journaling:
Just us, being silly and goofy. Sometimes your silliness cracks me up and at other times it’s just annoying, which I know makes it even more fun for you. But that’s ok, because it’s part of what makes us fit together so well. So we’ll just keep on being goofy together… being forever us.

Allyscraps is having a Membership Drive!

This just might be the easiest gift certificate you could ever win! We are having a membership drive at the Allyscraps Forum! Just come register on the forum, and then sign in on the Membership Drive check-in thread. That is all you have to do to get started. Post 50 posts on the message board ("real" posts with some substance, of course) over the next 4 weeks, and we'll send you a $10 AllyScraps gift certificate as a big HELLO! Now of course we are hoping you like us and want to hang out all the time, but if not, the gift certificate is still yours!

The counting starts now, but you can join any time between now and March 23. So, to sum things up, you will meet a great group of ladies, who will enable you with your addiction, and never make you feel guilty. Be both challanged and inspired. Play games, chat, and maybe make a new friend or two, and we are going to pay you to do it! What are you waiting for? We can't wait to meet you... come on over and have some fun!

never out of season

Love this My Mind's Eye Snowed In - it's not just for Christmas, worked great for these winter pictures too! The sketch for this page is also available in the Allyscraps sketch forum!

Journaling:
When we built the playset, we expected it to get lots os use in the warm weather months. Little did we know that it would provide year-round fun! The boys love it just as much in the middle of winter! 2.12.08

baby how I love your smile

This was Tyler's first ever dental visit, and I'm so glad I took my camera! It was really funny how he walked right in, took off his shoes and climbed up into the chair. LOL! I thought this Fancy Pants Daily Grind was great for this.

Journaling:
It was your first time at the dentist and you made yourself comfortable - even taking off your shoes! You did great, only getting a little bit upset at the end, when you had to pick just one new toothbrush. You wanted to take all 3 of them home!

a fun gift card holder!

Well, this was just such a fun little project and a great way to give a gift card!

If you check out this post on the Allyscraps Blog, I give the complete instructions and templates for making this.

a tree to climb

I LOVE this October Afternoon Weathervane! What a great, rich, fallish line! Wonderful for boy pages, but certainly versatile enough for lots of other things too! These fun pictures of Tyler climbing a tree are from our Thanksgiving trip to my dad's place in IL. And how cute is that little Maya Road chipboard tree??

Journaling:
What could be more perfect than a beautiful fall day and a tree that was made for climbing? Tyler went at it like a natural. It must be a boy thing!

You can also find my sketch for this page at the Allyscraps forum, and submit a page by February 12th to be eligible for the February prize drawing!

I can share some news!

Well, I'm just SO STINKIN' EXCITED to announce that I was one of the lucky designers selected to the next team of Bella Artistas for Bella Blvd! This is my first time on a manufacturer Design Team, and I couldn't be more thrilled and honored. I'm in the company of some incredibly talented ladies, including my fellow Allyscraps DT member, Morag!

Bella Blvd. has some great new products, and you can check out their full line at their website, here! I can't wait to get started! Thanks for letting me share!

happy birthday star card

Here is another Pazzles project! This card was also for Morag's "Seeing Stars" challenge on Allyscraps. I created the files for the star circle, the background paper, and the lettering in my Pazzles software and cut them out. I'm still having fun! :) Also managed to use some older papers in my stash that I love - Fancy Pants and Prima.