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!!

Laughter

When my G'ma Jo was dying a few years ago, the entire family gathered at her house for a final spring cookout. My cousins from far away were able to come and we took as many pictures as we could. Sweet Sophia was only 3 and oblivious to the emotion and magnitude of the day. She ran and laughed and played with her cousins and the happiness there brought a lot of joy.

Grandma died just a few weeks later. She'd been fighting emphysema and lung cancer for a while and those last terrible days did not last long, thank God. We loved (and still do) looking thru the pictures from that day of joy earlier in May. This one was one of my favorites of my baby girl. I saw this design concept using vellum in an old Simple Scrapbooks magazine and ran with it. I think the materials used help to create the sense of surrealism that surrounded us that day. Beneath the frosted tag, it says "laugh."

The journaling reads: Sophia at Grandma's last picnic. Your laughter brought her so much joy. After she was gone, it helped Mimi heal. June '06

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!

Experimental Happiness

I love this page for a lot of reasons. It's an older layout, and at the time, it was experimental. I had these scraps of patterned paper and some solids, some new ribbon and a flower punch. Normally I wouldn't have used these patterns together, but it worked and I loved it. This was Sophie's first baby - she is now 5. When she saw the layout she said, "Mom! This is the doll I'm playing with right now!" Love it.

Stalling

Well, fellow scrapers, my creativity and skills are being utilized to the max this week. A week from Saturday my brother is getting married. (yeah! :) So far I've created the wedding invites, shower invites, and gift bag tags. And so far, so good. My final project is a piece of artwork the couple would like to give to someone as a gift. It’s a quote – a profound thought – that I am (hopefully) going to compose on paper and in frame. I thought my new cricut was the perfect tool to bring this concept to life.

But at this moment I’m running into some walls. Can I just say, first of all, that I don’t know that ANY of the cricut cartridges approach masculinity? J And that’s kind of what I’m looking for. So I have the Opposites Attract cartridge I borrowed from Christine (thanks! ;) and I’m working with it. I know I can’t connect the letters into words unless I have software to do so (which I don’t), so I’m hoping the upright form of the letters will do.

I guess I’d better get back to it. I’ll definitely post the result. Well, maybe. J For sure, though, when I get this done, I’ll post the wedding invite and other coordinating creations. Glad I got a little more stalling in. My perfectionism/stall tactics are strong right now and I need to shove them to the side – full speed ahead!!

Eyelets!

This is my layout for Practical Scrappers' first challenge! We're pretty excited about the first big reveal. I was happy with my layout, mostly because I finally used my baby's 1 year picture. I've been waiting for the right layout for a while. Having a challenge forces me to do something with my favorite pictures, and I love that.

Anyway, check out the layouts on Practical Scrappers today. It just might inspire you to do something with your favorite photos (and neglected stash)!

Baby Card

Super simple, but I can't help but smile at this card. Photograph isn't too professional, either, but you get the idea. With baby cards, I think simple really works.

Don't forget, Monday is the day Practical Scrappers will publish the results of our first challenge for the design team! Check out the big reveal!!