October Hip 2 B Square Layouts

What a fun kit.  I know I keep saying that, but it was fun.  I got 4 single page layouts and two double page layouts done with this kit and I have a couple more that I am trying to get done.

Kimberly does a wonderful job of putting these together.

YOU'VE GOTTA FRIEND IN ME!

Cameron wanted to go as Woody, so I picked out Sami to be Jessie.  It will probably be the last time I get them to match their costumes.  For a two year old, Sami is quite particular about what she wears.

WOODY

In this layout, I made some of those spiral paper flowers that are so popular right now.  My fellow designer Eva Montes did a tutorial on them recently. (Click Here).  Part of our designers challenge this month was to take one of the tutorials from our designers and use them.  It took me a couple of tries to get them to look like a flower.  I sprayed them with a spritz of water to help manipulate the paper better.  I must say that they don't look to bad for a first timer.

JESSIE

LIL PUNKIN

Sami was just a couple of months old for her first visit to the Pumpkin patch.  I set her on the pumpkins but the sun was so bright she wouldn't open her eyes.  It is still such a cute picture.  I stiched a LOT on this page and used Glossy Accents to make the dots pop. 

FALL CITY FARMS

TACOMA GLASS MUSEUM

This layout was based on our challenge sketch by Melanie Jarocki.  I pretty much followed the sketch verbatim.  I did use my sewing machine to sew the journaling lines.  Which I must say is pretty clever of me. 

Here is Melanie's sketch if you want to try it.  For some reason, the outside lines are not showing up.

October Hip Kit Preview

Here is the preview of the October Kit.  I forgot to post it earlier.  I can't wait to share my pages with you.


Main Hip Kit

 

Embellishment Add On

Patterned Paper Add On

Retreat is Over!

I had such a fun filled weekend with good friends and got quite a few layouts done.  Not as much as last year, but still alot.  22 to be exact.  I had 2 more almost done and was able to get them done the next day while Sami was taking a nap.  Cameron sat next to me and worked on his own art project.

While at the retreat, I finished my layouts done with the October kit.  I will post them as soon as Kimberly posts them on her site first.  I really loved this kit.  I had tons of fall/Halloween pics to use.  Also, Melanie provided a really neat sketch for our challenge this month and I used some photos that I had from our visit to the Tacoma Glass Museum. 

Here are a 16 of the 22 layouts that I got done at the retreat. (The others are from the October kit)   I am finding myself going to the sewing machine more often to add that finishing touch to my layouts.  Some of them are very simple as I was trying to challenge myself to use old product and just get some layouts done.

"ONE"DERFUL

I finally scrapped Sami's first birthday.  (Don't even get me started on Cameron.  I've only done his 1st and have 4 more to go and will soon add 5 since his birthday is in a month) 

The next six layouts were done with SEI's Happy Day line and then I combined them with some DCWV Nana Kids paper that I've had forever and some DCWV Glitter paper.  The SEI Happy Day die cuts were to "die" for.  The were so cute and fun to layer with pop dots.  I also added lots of bling to these pages.  How could I not?

LOOK WHO'S ONE

  

MY FIRST NORDIES BOX

PARTY GIRL

2ND 1ST BIRTHDAY PARTY

LET HER EAT CAKE

TESTING BOUNDARIES

This was a challenge I made for myself.  Go through all of the patterned paper that I have left over from the Hip 2 B Square kits over the last two years and put some of it to use.  No card stock allowed, just patterned paper.  I actually think it turned out really cute.  

UPSIDE DOWN SHOW

IT'S MINE

Nothing fancy here, the pictures tell the story.  Didn't want to take away from them.

JUST THE GIRLS

MAGIC MEMORIES

This is the start of my Disney pages from our trip in April. 

SKIING WITH DADDY

BEST BUDS

DAUGHTER

TUBBY TIME

Countdown to Retreat

I am going to the fall retreat again this year.  I am super excited to spend three days scrapping all day long with good friends.  The only thing bringing me down about this right now is that I have no plan for what I am going to scrap.  I am so far behind the 8 ball on this one it is going to be a huge mess of paper and pictures with no rhyme or reason.  I have been trying to upload pictures all day to Costco and my computer crashed once and with the winds that we are having, CenturyTel went out once also. 

I got the October kit last week and it is FABULOUS.  I can't wait to play with it. 

If you are going to the retreat, I will see you there.
Good times ahead.

October Kits are almost here

I got to work in the store two mornings this week to help Kimberly out while her mom is visiting.  I helped put together the new October kits.  They are really cool and I can't wait to get my hands on mine so I can start creating.  I am really behind on scrapping the kids halloween pages and this kit is perfect to help me play catch up.

September Kit Club Layouts

This was a great kit and I was able to get quite a few layouts done with it.  Three two-page layouts and three single page layouts.  The combination of school themes and travel themes were perfect with this time of year since school just started and we just took a little trip to Astoria, OR with the rents.

1ST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

I can't believe my baby is now a kindergartner.  How fast time flies.  He was very excited and nervous about starting school and riding the bus. 

1ST SCHOOL BUS RIDE

 This layout was our Sketch of the Month Challenge.  The sketch was provided by Melanie Jarocki.

 ASTORIA MEGLER BRIDGE

 This bridge crosses the Columbia River at the mouth from Astoria, OR to the Washington state side of the river.  It is 4.1 miles long and a little nervewracking to drive across.  The kids and I went to Astoria for a three day mini vacay with the rents. 

LEAPING LIZARD!

Isn't this just the cutest little lizard ever!  And the little boy holding it isn't so bad either!

PAPA'S LITTLE GIRL

I just realized this layout is very similar to the one I did with Sami last month and I didn't even do it on purpose.   I just wanted to higlight the green houndstooth pattern on the backside of the paper so folded for photo corners.  I also wanted to highlight the pink in Sam's dress so used some pink alcohol ink to change the yellow buttons on the flowers pink.  I think they turned out cute.

SIMPLY SAMI

I got some new EK Sucess border punches.  I am in LOVE with the new giant ones.  I tried to mimick the patteren in Sam's dress with the punches.  This is a very simple layout but turned out SO CUTE!  I also inked the flowers to tone down the green a little bit. 



Another August Hip Kit Layout

BEAUTIFUL ANGEL

This kit has so many different papers that they go with so many different subjects.  The blues and greens were great for summer layouts.  The pinks were perfect for my little princess.  I broke out the sewing machine again and am now thinking that it is my new favorite embellishment.  It just adds so much more to the page.  I also used my photo editing software to put the nice thick black lines around the photos along with a white border.  I think it really helps make the photos pop off the page.

I used my Dark Brown Color Box Chalk ink on the letters to tone down the bright red.  This layout had a lot of browns in it so this helped the letters match more.

I just had to redo Hand in Hand

I was trying to not add to much to this layout so I wouldn't distract from the wonderful picuture I took of the kiddos on the beach.  I really wanted the picture to say everything.  But then I think I went to simple on the layout. 

Here is the before.......

It is nice, but is just missing something.  I was having a little bit of scrappers block, so I emailed Kimberly to see if she had any suggestions.  She is really good at being objective and looking at things with fresh eyes.  She thought I should add a border sticker from Sassafrass Lass and add some of the chipboard flowers to the bottom of the layout. 

Here is the AFTER:

I think by adding those slight little tweeks and lifting up the border sticker at the bottom of the flags, gave the page a lot more dimension without taking away from the picture.  I also got out my trusty sharpie and outlined the red letters helping to tone them down a bit. 

Moral of the story, don't be afraid to ask for help.  Sometimes an objective eye from a friend can help so much.

August Hit Kit Club Layouts

This was a fun kit to work with.  Kimberly always does a wonderful job of putting these kits together. 

THIS LOOK

How cute is this girl? She is my sweet little Sam. I can't get enough of her smiles and giggles. However, THIS LOOK, is a smile only reserved for her brother. She smiles at him differently than the rest of us. Cameron picked up my camera, without permission from mom BTW, and took a bunch of pics. Most of them didn't turn out but this one did. It captured that smile that Sam only gives to him.

I just think those little tickets are so adorable, so I had to get more than the kit included. The little polka dot flower was from the packaging that our buttons came in from American Crafts.

I also tried another technique on this layout, I borrowed some Glimmer Mist from Kimberly and I think it turned out cute. It made the papers curl a bit which I think gives it some additional depth.

HAND IN HAND

This is a Super duper simple layout.  I really wanted to highlight the picture.  As a Mom, it is about the cutest thing ever to see your kiddos holding hands and not fighting.  Cameron was having so much fun showing Sami the shells on the beach, they walked like this for a good 30 minutes.  I found this really sweet poem online about brothers and sisters and with my photo editing program and put the poem in and the bottom portion of the titile. 

One of my favorite websites to get title and poem ideas for pages is http://www.dennydavis.net/.  There are so many title ideas for when you get scrappers block.

SHELL SEEKERS

Layout designed from a Melanie Jaroki sketch

Three or four years ago for Christmas, I got a sewing machine from my mom and dad.  I had asked for it so that is what they got me.  I'm not really sure exactly when it was because until three days ago it was still in the box, I had never even taken it out.  My entire family has given me a hard time because I had never opened it.  I had to send my mom a email pic of it out in it's glory when I opened it this week.  My dad asked if I was sick. 

Well the moral to this story is that you should really appreciate the gifts your receive and that I FINALLY sewed something on a layout.  I was always a little afraid to sew on my layouts.  BUT NOW, I have a feeling that you will see a lot more layouts with stitching and not hand drawn or rub on stitching.  Not that there is anything wrong with those either!

I distresse the edges of all the papers and inked them my trusty Color Box Chalk Ink in Chestnut Brown.  I should really buy stock in that color!

TICKET TO SUMMER FUN

This was a fun layout to do, how can it not be fun with those two cutie patooties!  I also tried some new techniques.  I took the plastic packaging from the Jenni Bowlen butterflys and punched out flowers and butterflies.  I used some alcohol ink to color them to make the papers and then outlined them with a black sharpie.  I also used the packaging from the Sassafrass Lass Number for my journaling tag.  Lately the packaging has some super cool uses too.  The top border was one of the border stickers from Sassafrass Lass, I cut it in half in my trimmer before I took it off the backing sheet. 

TRUE LOVE

I really like this picture so much so I just wanted to highlight the love my kiddos were showing for this one second before they started picking on each other. There is a hidden journaling tag behind the photo. I used two of the same flower chipboard stickers and put them back to back for the tag pull. I ran out of E's from the alphabet for my other layouts so chose to use 3's upside down. I used the red flower dotted paper because it kind of matched my daughter's shirt.

Thanks for taking a look at my latest layouts.  I sure wish I had more time to be creative but am happy with the times that I do get to create.  Kimberly just got the cutest school paper at the store that I am dying to get my hands on to use with Cameron's first day of Kindergarten pics.