Untie the ribbons.

One of my favorite creations ever. It was our Christmas card a few years ago and on the back I included a bit of a Christmas letter explaining our eventful year. I love the picture of my girls, the colors, and the quote - something we should all keep in mind. Not too complicated, not too busy - just right.

Fun with Paints

Acrylic Paints. Ah, how fun they sound!! But how often they are avoided. After this challenge I now realize how great they are, especially in the right situation. I loved using paint on the back of my transparency. I will definitely do that again. I think I'd like to use it for a title background and add a rub-on to it as well. And hello - on chipboard it will come in so handy. I've had these for a while, but they will be getting way more use from here on out.

Simplicity

Practical Scrappers has a new feature we're calling Simplicity. I'm excited about this for a few different reasons. So far designing with Practical Scrappers, I've been challenging myself to do layouts that I probably wouldn't have made before PS. It's been great. I love the creativity and the stash I'm using!

But when I sat down to do a Simple layout, I was more excited about the process than I have been in a while. For a long time I've wanted to focus on clean&simple, and now I really have an excuse to do this. I need to have a specific goal and challenge to be simple and creative at the same time. That's what I've aimed for in the past, and now it can be like my job. :)

Btw, we are featuring something different every weekday: (M)Layouts, (T)Cards, (W)Cricut/Cuttlebug Projects, (TH)Altered Projects and Simplicity, and a (F)Guest Designer along with my little analysis of the week's challenge. Lots of beautiful pages and ideas over there from some incredibly talented women! Our new design team is up and running, bringing with them some fresh looks. Oh, and over the next 2 months we'll start running lots of Christmas projects and ideas which will be fun and festive. Can you tell I'm excited?! I LOVE this stuff!

Bright Eyes

This is one of those layouts that just doesn't look as good online as it does in person. Maybe tomorrow I can get a sunshine picture of it. But I love it. I was hesitant to put in two pictures, hate to go against the odds rules, but the idea couldn't be resisted. I love these pics and my baby's bright eyes. Using my new star border punch with these pictures for the punch challenge at Practical Scrappers worked great. One more example of how the PS blog continues to give me great results!

Perfect

Christine handed out the same paper to 5 or 6 of us at Practical Scrappers and then we all did layouts with them to show how the same paper can be used in so many different ways. It was a great challenge. Just enough guidance, plenty of freedom.

This is more freedom than I usually take. I was inspired by a layout I saw in Creating Keepsakes (again; I know! it's weird for me!) and so I stepped out of my box - as Practical Scrappers has led me to do over and over - and found this layout hidden inside me. :)

I've had this picture for years and I'm glad that the layout turned out this way. It needed special treatment.

Lace Cardstock

I'm behind on posts!! Yikes!

Ok, so here's my layout from Practical Scrappers challenge (last week!:) to use lace cardstock. I love these pictures of Sophia and me when she was sooo little! We were in Canada visiting family and I was excited to take Sophie on an international trip before she was even 1! :) That summer she also visited Washington DC. This is one traveled little girl!

Anyway, it was fun to use this paper, and not really something I would have done left to my own devices. Good stuff!

More Scissors!

I opened up my January issue of CARDS and quickly found some inspiration from Lisa Truesdell for a card using decorative scissors and one of my favorite things - scraps. The paper is Fresh Print Pear by Deja Views. And I love this sentiment.

Wouldn't have done this without Practical Scrappers! Yeah!

Transparency?

Oh yeah, from a LONG time ago. But thanks to Practical Scrappers, I took the challenge and used it! And I'm pleased with the results..

Scrapsketch / Practical Scrappers Challenge

This weekend at Practical Scrapperswe have partnered with Scrapsketchfor a challenge to create a layout based on a sketch from Stephanie. I'm all about being inspired by other layouts, but I rarely follow a sketch as closely as I tried here. It was fun to challenge myself in this way!

I shifted the sketch vertically so that I could use these photos from Easter of 08. I love how sweet and happy my babies look in these! Overall I'm pleased with how it turned out. Try your hand at the sketch too and enter it in the challenge at PS today - we have until 10:00 PM CST!

Mimi and the Aunts get Press

This is my layout for Practical Scrapper's challenge to use letter stickers creatively. It was definitley a challenge! :)

One day Sophie started calling my mom 'Mimi.' This caught on quickly (though my dad couldn't remember what the name was.. "Fufu?") and, anyway, Mom's sisters loved it too. My mom and her sisters enjoy getting together as regularly as they can - there are 5 of them plus some outlaws and cousins depending on who is in town. Add these facts to their love of music, and we stumbled upon 'Mimi and the Aunts.'

Children, brothers, the old and the young, lovingly refer to my mom and her sisters as Mimi and the Aunts. And since they are all 'Mimi's,' they happily respond.

This picture was taken at the annual Memorial Day gathering of McCabes about a week after Clare was born. The Aunts were more than happy to pose for a picture with the newest member of the family. :)

Simple Punches

Practical Scrappers challenge this week is to use simple punches. I don't have many, so I was a little intimidated. This was the second card made in my attempts, and while other designers got more creative with their circles, I'm pleased with how it turned out. I will have to harrass my brother about buying it from me for his new bride, since I used the ribbon from their wedding! ;)

Inspiration

Challenges are the best! This was my creation for Practical Scrappers challenge to use stamps. I don't have a LOT of stamps, so I was trying to approach things with fresh perspective. This is actually a Close to My Heart set that I haven't really had for that long. I love it and have been looking for a reason to play with it. Then, I stumbled upon a card in a card book - card by Summer Fullerton in the January issue of CARDS - that was set up with the circles and a stamp, sortof like this. Normally I wouldn't have given it a second look - it wasn't really my style - but the other night I knew I could use it to my advantage. I love my results! The process is such an important part for me. If I have a breakthrough concerning my approach or materials, I am happy, even if the layout or card isn't groundbreaking. It's all about the process!!

Joe and Amanda wedding card

In the spirit of the scraps challenge this past week on Practical Scrappers, I created this wedding card for my brother and his bride. Between the wedding and everything I didn't get it posted in time. I'm kindof in love with it and I think I'll be making more of these.

After I send my baby girl off to kindergarten this week :( , I'll have time to get some pictures up here of the other wedding creations!