Fine.....

Okay, fine. I have been told. Apparently a kit is not a layout. Anything I design is not a layout. So I am assuming that any kit I have done on my own (ie not one I designed) also doesn't count? I guess I will remember that when we go scrapbooking and my cohorts say they have gotten a layout done. I will ask them if it was a kit..... if so. Doesn't count.
So I went back and recounted my layouts that I have posted. I even counted the two ugly, first ones that I did. And I didn't count anything that I designed, or bought through MNC. 58. So I wasn't too far off.
And today, I might post a mini album I finished. Do mini albums count?

Noel (60)

I don't follow Haley's rules. She wanted a "friendly" contest between the two of us to see who could post the most layouts, by the end of the year I guess..... Well. According to Haley, kits I design don't count as a layout. I, however, feel that they definitely count as a layout because they are layouts, just without pictures. So am I right? Or is she? Let me know!

(double click to enlarge)

Whatever. This is not a kit, but it is a layout that I designed for a friend who is looking for donations to her daughter's hockey tournament raffle. She asked for some scrapbook stuff, and whatever I could donate, so I did this layout this afternoon, and I also put together a couple of bags of goodies for them. But, now that i have done this layout. I love it, and want to keep it.

TFL

Avery's Art

So whilst I was watching Kevin Martin lose to Glen Howard in the curling today, my DD was busy creating pictures of our family. She has only recently become interested in drawing pictures, and today, she drew a picture of our family, and our dog.

This first picture is of our dog Sam. The picture is of his face, ears, whiskers, legs (which, incidentally, are the two outermost lines... the rest are whiskers), and his tail. I think she did not too bad. Until you look at our family picture that is. We all look remarkably like Sam... without ears, and whiskers, and legs and tails of course.

This is a picture of our family. The top left face is Cohen, the top right is me, and then there is a rectangle... because that is part of our family Avery told me. Then the large face is Avery, and the funny shape in the bottom right corner, well, that is Grant...

10 Random Sundays....

so Haley and I were talking yesterday about this note that she posted on facebook. It was 25 random things about her. well, she started a riot. Everyone is doing it. I did it, and after i was like... I could go forever. So she and I decided that every Sunday we are going to add ten random thoughts, ideas, lists, whatever to our blogs.
Because I started this blog as a scrapbooking blog, I thought it was only appropriate to make my first Random Sunday about scrapbooking.

Ten Things I Absolutely Can Not Scrapbook Without.....

1. my trimmer... that's obvious
2. brown distress ink
3. foam squares or pop dots, and glue dots (I know that is two things... but it is my list, so there ;)
4. my 3L tape runner. I buy them in bulk. I never run out, but when I do, you will all know about it, because it will very likely be the end of the world.
5. Making Memories tiny alphas. haley convinced me to use them, and for that, I am eternally grateful.
6. Le Pen journalers. I have finally started to write on my pages. Finally. and now I can't stop.
7. Stickles or some type of bling. I love sparkly things.
8. My Basic Grey file set. LOVE it. I love to distress things. So we were made for each other, that file set and I.
9. Patterned paper. When I started I rarely used it. My wedding album is so very cardstock boring. But now... I rarely use cardstock. Weird how things change.
10. My craft knife and mat. I use it alllllll them time. On just about every page. and that has only happened in the last year. I didn't own one until 2008. What did I ever do without it?

so that is my 10 random sunday post.

Perhaps if all falls together today, I might get a layout done. Perhaps.

done..... na na na na na

So about an hour ago, Haley was like, okay let's start a race and see who can get more layouts done. I know that she meant throughout the year, but I told her that the race started today. So in that last hour, I did this. It is all Scenic Route, so it didn't require a lot of thinking, and I had already planned everything out for it, so that helped, but I won! na na na na na.

That was only directed at Haley... not at you.

This was a day last summer at the spray park in High River. I love it there. The kids run free, and it only costs a dollar to get in. How great is that? This day however, was a trying one. Avery was terrified of the wind during those days, and the wind picked up, blew over our umbrella, and she freaked. Major freaked. Needless to say, it was a good thing I got these pics in the first ten minutes of arriving, because we weren't there long.

tfl

Another one done....

"You Made the Cut"

I started this one at the Casino at the end of January. I just finished it today. I hate it. sooooooo not how I scrapbook these days. I find it to be very elementary.... does that make sense? anyhoo, it is done, I am done with it, and am going to find something better to do.





Old stuff: chipboard, buttons, ribbon, die cut stickers. yay me





However, in my good old, "copy whatever haley does or says"... I think I am going to try to post a layout at least once a week. She is going to post 150 layouts. I will never have that much to post, but I think one a week is doable.

Last Year's LOs...

I sooooo want to scrapbook today. I really do. But I don't really have anything to scrapbook. So rather than finish a new layout, I will post older layouts. It doesn't make me feel better, but at least I am updating my blog.....

this is the layout of Avery's first day of preschool. It is such a simple layout, and I am not sure how much I like it. Anyhoo, it is done.......Old stuff........ the paper, the ribbon, and the flowers. I stole the bling from Shannon.

this is obviously the Halloween layout for the year. I love the sparkly paper from Making Memories... it was so glittery. I used old stuff here. Old brads, and old photo turns.... that's it for old.

Yes They Can...

So yesterday was the day. The day that so many Americans, and people throughout the rest of the world have been waiting for. The end of the Bush Era. I, for one, was thrilled. I found it so hard to believe that W was elected for not one, but two terms. He always came across as such a rednecky guy, who really shouldn't be leading a country. Any country. Needless to say, yesterday's inauguration gave me goosebumps. Not the "First African - American", or "Today is very historical", but I think simply because I knew that we were done with him. Done with bad judgement, hasty decisions, and oversimplified explanations because that is how he was told....
I hope that it isn't all hype. I hope Obama can live up to the expectations of Americans and the rest of the world, and that the pedestal that he has been placed on isn't too high.

Two more kits

So the pics are crap, but I don't think the layouts are.... These are two LOs that I have been sitting on for a while, and haven't gotten around to completing. But, now they are done. Perfect is my colors. I love browns and pinks and burgandys. They are such rich colors, and I'm not rich, so I guess I should love rich things instead!

Wasn't that a Party? is a generic birthday layout that works for boy or girl, and any age really. It involves a little lost art in paper piecing, and a little hand stitching as well.

TFL

A Thing of Beauty.....

So I have been designing for Monday Night Class for just over a year, and I often use the cardstock that I have on hand. Well, when Cindy goes to order for the kits, I don't know the color of the paper, because there is just so much Bazzill out there... so, instead of sending her information like, Bazzill Pinky Reddy Brownishy (which, incidentally, is not a color on their color chart...) she sent me my own swatch books! I was excited until I saw that there were like nine of them. So, the anal, color-coded, organized freak that I am, took them all off of their posts, re-monochromaticed them, and put them all on a huge binder ring. I love it. Who knew there was so much paper to pick from??? (yeah right, like I didn't ;) )

So, instead of accomplishing a kit today, I did this. Feels good, my neck hurts from bending over and matching colors, but I still didn't get a kit done. Maybe the kids will go down early tonight.... yeah right.

Nativity Layout

I spent the whole weekend curling. My legs are sooooo sore, even with this crazy smelling muscle spray that I applied liberally (too liberally). We didn't win. We never do, but we did get a prize. I still don't know if we won watches or bracelets, and I won't know until Thursday. But this was the first year that I was actually looking forward to winning a prize because they weren't all hideous! Every other year that we have won, I have returned the prize and bought something else, but this year, I might not.

this was the only layout that I finished when I was scrapbooking with Tara last week. I have had my Grammie Collis' nativity since her death in 2002, but this is the first year that I have taken a picture of it. I love how the flash reflected in the mirror behind the crib, and that it looks like a star that is glowing.

and... I used old stuff here! Old thickers, old ribbon, and stickles....

I have decided that I am on a no-buy January. No-buying scrapbook supplies that is. I have way too much stuff. Way too much. It has taken over an entire room, including walls, floor, and a closet. Seriously. I need to stop. So, I plan to continue with Haley's mission to use old on every layout, and work really, really hard at diminishing what I have here at home.

TFL.

so vaseline hey???

so Cohen cried and cried for an hour today and then he was quiet. I foolishly assumed that he had cried himself to sleep. he did not go to sleep. in fact, he was very busy spreading vaseline everywhere he could reach.... his hair, clothes, bedding, gate at his doorway, carpet, wheat bags, dresser, door..... I was giggling when it happened and took this picture, but now I am trying to get it all out..... not giggling now.

Frosty day...

yesterday was so foggy and frosty out. not fun to drive in, but beautiful for pictures. I was driving yesterday. I went to High River to scrapbook with Tara and another friend of ours. I got very little accomplished, but it was nice to hang with the girls, get fed (Tara is such an amazing hostess... if people came here to scrapbook they likely wouldn't get fed, and if they did, i can assure you if wouldn't be caesar salad and steak!) and accomplish at least one layout.

Anyhoo, that has nothing to do with this picture. When I got home last night, our yard looked so perfect, (it helps that all the weeds are dead and covered with snow...), so I had to run outside and snap a few shots of our yard.

I didn't realize we had a tree like this. And it is in the front yard. I drive by it every day. I look out my window everyday. I guess the change in perspective came from the beauty of the frost on the branches, the blanket of snow, and the fog in the air.

Ahhhhh Chinooks!

Grant and I snuggled - the kids on the sleigh

the kids enjoying the snow - Avery in the fort!

Chinooks are one of the best things about living in Southern Alberta. We have had an unusually cold and snowy winter for down here. I am used to it because where I grew up, there was snow for at least five months a year, and sometimes even six! anyhoo, it has been too cold to do anything much outside, but the wind howled last night, and drifted our yard something fierce. so we bundled up in our snow gear and headed out to the "back" yard. Grant built a fort for the kids (he says kids, but I really think it was for him!) and the drifts were big enough for the kids to think they were sledding down some huge hill! It was a great morning!

Best Christmas Gift

I think the best gift that we got for Christmas was from my MIL. She got Grant and I a date night. She bought us a gift certificate for a movie and popcorn, as well as a gift certificate for dinner! The best part... she also looked after the kids, fed them supper, and chucked them into bed! That alone is a great gift!
We wanted to spend a little quality time together before he went back to work, so we went to Lethbridge last night. We went and saw the Curious Case of Benjamin Button. It was AMAZING! I loved this movie. I can't stop thinking about it. I am facinated with how they got rid of all of Cate Blanchet's wrinkles, and how they made Brad Pitt as young and hot as he was in the Legends of the Fall days. He is definitely an attractive man. There is one scene where he is in the lake, and it is a close up of his face, and he is nice to stare at. I leaned over to Grant and said, "This rivals the volleyball scene in Top Gun!" he laughed.
So, despite what Grant thinks is the best gift (an oil change) I would have to say that this one was much, much better.

Off to have a shower, and then to the church that I apparently never go to anymore because my priest gave away my collection envelopes...... ;)

MNC Kit - It's Spring

This is what I have been up to today. I have had this paper sitting around since the beginning of October, and Dr. Phil has been on my case about getting some layouts done, and my amazing hubby took the kids all morning so that I could work on something. This is what I came up with. A little bit of spring while the wind and snow swirl around my freezing cold house.

Project 365

I am not big on a lot of what Becky Higgins does. It is a little too simple for me. But her Project 365 was something that I was totally interested in. so interested, in fact, that I have been trying to get through to order one since 9 this morning. Seriously. I have been on the phone since then. i even got through and was on hold for 1 hour and 20 minutes before getting kicked off the phone. Nice. I know that this has nothing to do with Becky herself, and that she isn't on the other end of the phone to hear me complain, but doesn't she represent CK? this is a pretty bad reflection on them as a business. I have read some of the hundreds of complaints on her blog, and at least I am not alone in all of this.

What a great way to start the year.