Another Christmas Layout!

My goal is to have all of last year's photos done before Christmas this year! Last year at this time, I was a 100% paper scrapper. Which, for me meant 1-2 layouts per event, because of lack of time and money for supplies. Now, as a digital scrapper, I can make sure that all of my favorite photos, plus some I just like the story behind, make it into Grace's book.

When I saw this kit, Rainbow Heart by Julie Marie (which by the way is on sale for only $2!), I was reminded of the colors in this series of photos! It worked out perfectly!

This will be the facing layout in my album...

Has it really been a month?

I can't believe that a month has already passed since my last thread. The holidays have been just as crazy as they always are. Maybe more, since this year Grace is so much more mobile and independent.

Even though my sweet husband keeps stealing my computer time and my daughter keeps me busy with her holiday art projects, I was able to find find some time to play with Julie Marie's new Christmas kit, Deck the Halls.

This first layout will be a hybrid - I want to add some embellishments and stamping to it. I won't be able to finish it until next month, but I wanted to get it up for now.
I also made a simple Christmas Card for my mom.Credits: Everything is from Julie Marie Designs "Deck the Halls" except for the date strip on the bottom left hand corner of the layout titled "Christmas Eve." That is Valarie Ostrom, "Dated."

I can do it!!

I had fun putting this one together! I love these photos because they show Grace's independent personality. She always wants to do things by herself!
Credits: Pink Papers and Pink Glitter Alpha by Valarie Ostrom. Black paper, glitter frame, black glitters by Lindsay Jane Designs (Pink Fusion Add On). Note Paper by Julie Marie Designs (Peace on Earth). Ballchain by Miss Tiina.

Safe

Julie Marie designed this kit for Mission 3 at Sunshine Studios. (YAY! I hope she wins!). Anyway, when I saw her kit, it made me think of this photo. I have always felt so safe and at peace when sitting on my daddy's lap. Her kit, called Peace on Earth, is free at Sunshine Studios!

Credits: Kit - Peace on Earth by Julie Marie Designs. Alpha and alpha hangers - Old News by Valarie Ostrom. The glitter circle is cut out from paper by Amanda Dykan - the little rhinestone swirl was also designed by her (both from her contribution to Mission 3).

Sitting Pretty

Grace's Nandy gave her a new rug for her birthday this past June - and some bookshelves! It was great to get the books off the floor, and to let the rug add some color and character to her room.Credits - Credits: Cats Bag by Paula Phillips Designs. Green paper is from Let's Pretend by imaginisce. I did this for a template challenge at GDWI.

Family

Grace's cousins came for Halloween weekend. After the sugar high wore off, they all crashed on her floor.
Credits - Paper Pack is Let's Pretend by Imaginisce. The brad and the bow are Cats Bag by Paula Phillips Designs.

Gigi the Template!

For a challenge at GDWI called In The Blender, I made this layout, titled Gigi.Please go check out the challenge - if you participate, then you will the a template of my layout for free!!Credits: The kit is a freebie called Awareness by Andrea Cox and Emily Giovanni. The word art (January) is Date Lines: Months by Julie Marie. The title is Worn Alpha Pack #1 by Julie Marie.

Curiosity

I love this little mini-kit called "Buddies: Parker" from Duchess Designs at GDWI. Even though pink is one of my favorite colors (and Grace's), I do get tired of doing SO many pink layouts. When I saw this kit, I knew that even though blue dominates, I could use it. I hope you like what I did with it!

Christmas Cuties

I made this layout using a new kit from eNKay Design...coming soon (how exciting to say that! LOL) at Scrapbook-Elements.com. She has a grab bag there that has this Christmas kit in it, along with an alpha, a tattered and torn paper pack and some cool doodled (and some water colored) frames. There is a ton of stuff in that grab bag!

Figured out those templates!

Thanks for helping me get these things on 4Shared! I hope you enjoy them! When using, I would love it if you could credit Aimee aka Scraftygirl @ scraftygirl.blogspot.com! Thanks!
Download Pumpkin Farm Template
Download Pumpkin Patch Template
The password for both of these is: pumpkins!

Unconditional

I love this kit (called Aquilegia) from eNKay Design. I thought it was perfect for these photos of my parents with my daughter. She has a ton more elements included in this kit. I can't wait to use it again!

Butterfly Love

These 2 layouts were made using an awesome new kit from eNKay Design called Butterfly Love. This is a perfect kit for my baby, who thinks she is a Fairy Princess. The colors are fun and the elements are awesome. You should check it out!

Templates and Princesses!

No, the 2 have nothing to do with the other, but this post has something about each of them.

First, my little faerie princess....I just love these photos of her. They totally catch her personality and who she is right now. I used Julie Marie Designs to showcase the photos (taken by Brandon Burkhardt). The kit is "Princess Hearts." The alpha on Princess Grace is also hers, aptly named Puffy White Alpha.Credits:
Princess Hearts; Puffy White Alpha

Okay - so templates...I am venturing into making templates. Thanks to AmyU at GDWI for putting the idea into my head! I have made a template for 2 of my layouts, Pumpkin Patch and Pumpkin Farm - in the post below. I am trying to figure out how to get them onto 4Shared and then how to get the link here....any hints or tips? Let me know and I'll get them posted (did I ever mention I suck at all things computer related!?)

The Pumpkin Farm

These were made using the Country Pumpkin kit by Julie Marie Designs. I LOVE this kit and can't wait to use it a few more times. The glitter is so much fun - I love how it spices up these fall colors.

Oh, and isn't my little pumpkin so stinkin' cute?? :)

My Little Star

This past weekend, Grace did a little ballet performance at a local carnival. She shone brightly as always - and didn't experience stage fright at all. I took a gazillion photos (okay, only about 60ish in 2 minutes!), so I wanted to get them done for her album.
Credits:
I used the Lil' Prima Kit by Duchess Designs available at GDWI. The sparkly frame is from Shimmer and Sparkle by Theresa Hernandez. Side one is a template designed by Kellie Puddy at CLD. My first template to use. I love it!

Great Granny

Julie Marie Designs has a great kit called Victorian Rose. I recently found this photo and discovered it wasn't in Grace's album, so I thought this would be a great way to showcase it. We don't live near my grandma, so this is one of only a few photos I have with her and Grace together.

Credits: Victorian Rose Kit from Julie Marie Designs; Worn Faded Neutrals also from Julie Marie Designs.

Visiting with Friends

This weekend, I was able to catch up with my old friend (and ex-roommate) who now lives in MO. Not counting my dad's funeral (which was a blur), I haven't seen her since her oldest was about 6 months old (about 4.5 years ago). I had a great time catching up with her - and it was so surreal watching our kids play together. Of course, I had to scrapbook this right away!I think that I am going to make a template from side one of this. I really like the way it turned out. I saw a similarly composed layout in SBC, but. unfortunately, I can't find that issue to let you guys know what inspired me.

Credits:

Pink Paper Pack from Valarie Ostrom
Black Paper and ribbon from Kystal Hartley's kit called "Crush."
Clear Flower is from Bluedream Design, "It's a Girl Thing."
Pink Lace is from Christie Lemmon's "Shabby Summer" Kit.
The inked-edge overlay on the photo is from LivEDesigns, "First Love."
The inked-edge overlay on the title block is from Nancy Wilkins of Scrappy Cat Designs

My Little Masterpiece

This is made using a great kit from eNKay Design called Orangeberry. The journalling reads:
"Grace, you are such a girly, little girl. You love everything from nail polish and glitter to eye shadow and lip stick. When you disappear, I can almost always find you in my closet, putting on my highest heels, or in my bathroom with my makeup. It came as no surprise to me, when i walked in on you covering yourself with my lipstick. All I could think was, “How cute are you?” I love your crazy hair in these photos and how they capture your big brown eyes. Every time I look at you, I see my greatest masterpiece."

All products are from eNKay Design @enkay-design.com, nuts4digi.com and digital-scrapbook-art.com.

Templates!

I haven't ever used a template before, but when AmyU at GDWI it designed a template from my layout "Fireworks," I decided that I need to at least try that one. It was quick and easy to put this layout together. If you would like information on how to get this template, please e-mail me or leave a comment here!
Credits:
Paper from Julie Marie Scraps, Autumn Spice, available at Faith Sisters.
Elements from Valarie Ostrom Desgins, Forever and Always, available at CLD.
Title Alpha from eNKay Design, Tall Dude Red, available at at enkay-design.com, nuts4digi.com and digital-scrapbook-art.com.

Speaking of templates...it has been suggested that I make templates out of some of my layouts. If you guys are interested in having them, let me know. I think it would be fun to do, but want to make sure there is intrest for them!

Love

I got this great new kit from Julie Marie Designs called Autumn Spice. I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do with it, but I knew that I would be able to use it a lot. I love the colors, all the elements, everything about it! As I was going through some photos, I saw these pictures of my dad and my nephew. For those of you who don't know, I am slowly writing a book about my wonderful dad and his journey through life. Throughout the book, I am hoping to mix in layouts of him and his grandkids. Since they were all so young (and some unborn) when my dad died, I want something for them to remember the love he gave to them.

Anyway, I totally was inspired by the concept of using this kit with these photos!

Prima Ballerina

Grace had a little mini-recital at the Fire Fest on Saturday, so that totally got me in the mood to get these photos into a layout for her book. I found this great kit, called "Lil Prima" by Duchess Designs at GDWI. It is perfect for the little ballerina photos, though I know I can use it on so many more layouts. The little stitched circles come from a freebie kit by Jen*uine Artistry.

Diggin' The Dinos!

Grace LOVES dinos at the moment, so it should come as no surprise that I am using this Dino Roar kit - again! This kit is a little more busy than I am used to, but I was having a great time in PSE6 learning some new techniques! all of the papers and elements are from the Dino Roar kit, but I used a couple of inking templates and an edging template. Now, all I need to do is find a paper-tearing template that I can work (I have one I can't figure out).

Credits -
Dino Roar by Paula Phillips Designs, available at Get Digi With It
Ink It Up 2 by Duchess Designs, available at Get Digi With It
Scallop Edges by Hummie

Beautyfall by eNKay Design

I was invited to be a guest Creative Team member for eNKay Design for the month of October. I am so thrilled that the designer, Nathalie, asked me! For my first project, I chose her new kit, Beautyfall. I love the colors and the elements are awesome!

These photos are from last year's trip to the pumpkin patch. This kit totally got me in the mood for fall and Halloween. I know that I will be using quite a bit as this season progresses!

I hope that you all check out her blog! She has a ton of great things available!

Credits: Beautifal by eNKay Design at enkay-design.com, nuts4digi.com and digital-scrapbook.com.

Forever and Always

I just snagged this kit from Valarie Ostrom Designs - and I LOVE it. It is called Forever and Always. I absolutely can't wait to do more with it. This kit is filled with so much stuff...including 3 entire sets of alphas (upper, lower and numbers!). Of course, I will have to design something to go on the other side of this layout, so check back soon! This horrible picture of me bawling will probably be on the facing page! I need to play with this photo, but I am crying like a baby because my baby was having a hard time going into her classroom. She said, "You're LEAVING me???" Her tone of voice just broke my heart; it was so incredulous. By the way, thanks a lot Jen for catching this rotten photo! I want Grace to later know that day was harder for me than it was for her! hahaha

Dinoland with Dino Roar!

At Get Digi With It, there is a rockin' kit called Dino Roar. When I was selecting my kits for this month, I knew that I HAD to have it! Not only does Grace love dinosaurs, but there is also a new dinosaur exhibit at a local park! I love the color swatch the designer, Paula Phillips used...and even though I am not usually a cutesy-element type of person, I found the dinosaurs she designed to be very fun. Not to mention my favorite critic (Grace) loves them!

Julie Marie Designs

I am now creating for Julie Marie Designs, too! I can't believe how quickly all of this happened. Here is a new layout from one of her kits called Lion Safari. I love her work!

Valarie Ostrom Designs

I am so blessed! I was invited to be on Valarie Ostrom's Creative Team!! She wrote me the sweetest e-mail --- and I can't wait to get to know her better in the upcoming months. She has some great kits available and I am itchin' to get my fingers on one so I can start playing. You can check out her blog to see more about her. Her Creative Team also has a collective blog, so you will see me post from time to time there, also.

Thanks, Valarie! I am excited so work with you.

Shine

I have long loved this photo of my daughter. When I saw the La Luna kit from Boyerville Scraps, I knew immediately what I wanted to do with it first! (I'm sure I'll use it again and again!). The colors are what grabbed my attention first. When I saw all the stars in the embellishment folder, I knew this kit was rockin' - I am a huge fan of stars! Those of you who have seen my paper scrapbooks, know this to be true! I think I have several containers of nothing but stars!

Boyerville Scraps

Andrea Boyer of Boyerville Scraps has invited me to join her creative team! I am so excited to be working with such great talent. I couldn't wait to share the news! As soon as all the details are worked out, you will begin to see some layouts used with her goodies. You can see some of her digital magic at Faith Sisters.

Thanks, Andrea!

Grace's Smile

I love this photo of Grace and even though I have already put it in her album once, I had to do another page about her!Credits: The papers came from Candy Coated Love by JannyLynn. The photo corner came from a frame out of an add on kit called Just Me by Marianne Wåhlberg Designs. The swirls were from Shazzbutt's blog (I covered and textured to match my LO). It was inspired by this layout.

Edited:
Because I am so weird - I HAVE to have all of my layouts "match" the facing page in my printed albums. So, all day long this LO has been bothering me because it was only 1 side! So, I made another side (of course!).

Wonder

I made another one from that challenge. I really like it for some reason!

The first side was made in response to a Scraplifting challenge at Get Digi With It. You can see the details here. Thanks for the inspiration, Heather!Credits: Everything but the alpha and the circle came from Daintree Summer by eNkay Designs.


The Alpha is a freebie from Sentimental Style (Autumn Treasures).


The circle on side 2 around the initials came from Lindsey Jane Designs (Wild Glitter - It is supposed to be orange glitter; I changed it to brown cardstock to match the LO).

Love

These photos are from the weekend of Grace's birthday party. I love that my daughter has cousins close to her in age - but it breaks my heart that they live so FAR away!
The first side was made in response to a Scraplifting challenge at Get Digi With It. You can see the details here. Thanks for the inspiration, Heather!

Fireworks!

I made this layout with a freebie kit from Sassy Scraps Designs called Freedom Days. The alpha is Clear Alpha from Designs by Nikki (also a freebie!).

2 More New LOs

I am loving these 2 kits from Get Digi With It. I can see me using and abusing them far into my scrapping future! :)

Grace Evelyn is made using 2 of the 3 Hot Mama kits. I gotta get the 3rd one! LOL

She's a (Pre) School Girl was made using Berry-Licious.

Click on the links - aren't those SO yummy??

Dancing Diva

My newest layout made from a couple of fabulous kits from Get Digi With It. The papers are from Berry-Licious and the embellishments are from Hot Mama. I LOVE these kits and can't wait to make some more things with them. The flocked alpha is from Christina Renee at christina@christinareneedesigns.com. I added the rhinestones to the alpha from the Hot Mama kit.
I am back from vacation, so I should be uploading more and more layouts from our vacation, Grace's first day of school, etc in the next few days! Please come back!