Seriously...

Hi everyone! So the second layout I made for Crate Paper recently was put up on their blog last week, which means now I can share it here! :D I used the Random Collection for this one, and did something different that I had never done before. I created a little flip book on my layout using the new 6x6 paper pads Crate came out with this CHA! I had a lot of fun doing this, and will definitely be using these paper pads like this in the future.

The story behind this layout is one I am very happy to have scrapped, but I think it might be one of those 'you had to have been there' moments. Laugh! It displays the type of relationship that my husband and I have, and what keeps us laughing together. These happy moments I cherish, and when I saw these photographs I knew I had to document it.

I had asked Jed if he wouldn't mind taking some new photographs of me, as I needed some for not only Crate Paper's new DT announcement, but also for the upcoming Guest Design gigs I had coming up. So of course he said yes, because he honestly thinks he is a really great photographer, and any opportunity for him to prove that he will take. LOL! One of the many things that he does that makes me laugh! Even though it may be slightly annoying, it really does put a smile on my face.

Anyway, the photos are going well, changing backgrounds and smiles and blah blah blah. Taking pictures of myself is honestly a pretty daunting task for me, as I really think I am the least photogenic person alive! But I am who I am, and I know that I will be kicking myself years from now if I hadn't taken any pictures of my early days as a mom and of me in my late twenties. These moments only come for a short period of time and then they are gone!

Everything is going well til we move to the waterfall (yes I have a waterfall in my front yard. I keep saying to Jed that I really think he is confused as to where we really live, cause I waterfall is the last thing you would normally find in the front yard of a home in our town! LOL!) Jed all of sudden says "Ohhh I know what would look really good! Stay right where you are...." and he just keeps snapping pictures whilst sloooowly moving the camera away from me. I start to think he must have some sort of look he is going for with these, but it just keeps moving further away and he is talking still like I am doing great and to not move. :P A couple more seconds go by and he is still moving away and I said "Wait a minute!! Seriously?! Do you even have that camera pointed at me anymore?!!

I said "Nu-uh! Your not getting me out of this shot!!" and I leaned over as far as I could making sure I stayed in the camera's view! Laugh!! He is such a punk! Always trying to pull a joke and give me a hard time! I totally didn't think he was getting me in the shots, but then when I loaded the pics to the computer and saw that he actually was, well I knew I needed to scrap this memory, cause it gave us both quite a laugh. This moment is actually really special for me, and I am so thankful to have these photos to go with it.

Hope you enjoyed this, and laughed about it some! It makes me laugh every time I think about it. :D I will be back again in the next couple days with another layout share. Take Care!!

~Amy

Wishful Thinking....

Hi! So my workload for this last CHA was REALLY light! :D I only had to make one layout for Crate Paper's booth at CHA, and one for their blog to use a week later. I was actually quite thankful for this because it turned out to be a rather busy time for me at home. :P

My CHA assignment was to work with Peppermint, which is their Christmas line. So gorgeous! I am totally in love with the colors of this collection, and all the patterns and details just make it wondeful! :D The only hiccup I have with a holiday collection is that we NEVER where I live. :P Never enough to really be able to take a picture of before the sun comes up and melts it that is. Laugh!

So I had to get creative with my subject. I chose to use some pictures of Creedence spinning the sand at the beach, pretending it was snow! This little girlie wants to go see the snow sooo badly! I honestly think she will be quite shocked when she finds out how cold it is! Laugh! Either way, I am really happy with how this layout turned out, and wish I still owned it :P But I seriously have enough product to be able to recreate it if I wanted. :D

Be back again soon with another Crate Paper share!

~Amy

A little more American Crafts love....

Hi again! :D Crazy to see me again so soon huh? :P

I wanted to real quick let all those who have written me emails as of late that I still need to respond to know that I am going to do so this weekend! :D I have not forgotten about you at all, things have just been super busy, so forgive me please! Life is just taking the wheel a little right now.

So as I mentioned yesterday, I decided to put my name in for the AC Design Team call-totally doubt I will make it but you never know huh?! :D I am trying to stay positive about it and not go nuts checking my email every 5 minutes ya know? I'm sure they had soooo many people apply this term, not that they don't every time, but I am just trying not to get my hopes up real high. :P I just think about how much fun I had making these projects and it makes me remember why I do this hobby. :D For me to have some fun, and get my family's memories recorded.

On with the layouts! :D

So my first here came out differently than I had started, definitely not how I had imagined it, but I am still very happy with it. I really love this photo of Creedence, even though it came out super blurry (it is actually focused on the tree behind her), and really wanted to use it on a layout. So I did sort of a play on words thing, and my title is Trying To Stay Focused. It is about knowing Preschool is just around the corner, and I am trying to make sure that Creedence is prepped for it. Staying focused on how it will all benefit her and help her in the long run, but at the same time I am starting to realize that the sooner we get to that point, the sooner she will no longer be a little baby!! She is growing up so fast, and I am just not ready for it.

This next layout is also about the Munchkin, she is just going through so many stages and changes that I am finding it difficult to keep up!! :P She has always been super active and on the move 24/7, but as of recent I have started to think she was seriously going overboard with being active! She is a million miles a minute, and that is NO exaggeration! She is always talking, moving, jumping, tickling, asking, drinking, eating, running, pretending, and just plain loving being a kid!

My last paper scrapbooking project for the call is this card. :D Now most of you who know me absolutely know that I am NO card maker! I have gotten many a laugh from myself at my failed attempts at cardmaking, and I have also wasted a TON of scrapbooking supplies trying to make said cards. :P But it is so much fun when it comes together as easily as this one did! It really helps when you have stuff that all goes together. :) To be honest, I think this might be my fav card that I have ever made!

And last, but certainly not least, my altered project. I had really REALLY wanted to do a particular mini album, but I had to put that aside for later due to time constraints. (I have intentions on doing the mini real soon though!) So instead I made this t-shirt for Creedence! I had started one for the baby as well, but realized I used the wrong size onesie-I used a 6 month when she fits 9 month so there was no fudging trying to get her in it! :P She is just waaaaay too much of a chunker anymore to fit anything but 9 month. Which technically for her age is the right size, but she has actually been in that size since she was almost 5 months!!! :P

Anyway, this shirt was so much fun to make! I have really been loving the cute little t's made by Amy Tangerine, and really hope someday I have enough money to get some for the girls! But for right now I opted to make my own. And it actually was a lot easier than I thought it would be!

I decided to use my favorite font, American Crafts Regards chipboard thickers, and they worked beautifully for this! This particular font was big enough to show what the letters were when stitched, yet small enough for all the letters to fit on the shirt :D I just simply stuck the letters on the shirt where I wanted, then stitched around them, and peeled them back off when I was done, to reveal the perfect size letters! :D I was really quite proud of myself because this was pretty crafty for me! Laugh! The little heart I made out of felt, and I sewed some Dear Lizzy ribbons onto it and then a pretty little bow in the middle! It came out pretty cute and Creedence LOVES wearing it!

She had such a blast posing in it that I couldn't help but send in this other cute pic of her wearing it! :D She is such a ham!

So there you have it! My submission! :D I really hope they like it!

And I totally blew it the other day when I posted my Guest Design projects and forgot to put up my cards! I made two cards for it, and they took almost as long to make as the layouts because I am that card challenged! Laugh! They are both pretty simple, and both baby cards. I am still in baby mode over here! And I think it is safe to say that I probably will be til the littlest turns one. :D

I'll be back again soon with my recent Crate Paper shares!
Take care!

~Amy

Guest Designer at American Crafts!

Hi Everyone! I know I have been gone for a little bit here, but it is because I have been non-stop crafting and had family visiting. :D I hope to get back on a blogging schedule real soon here! It is incredible how much time has gone by since I was last on here, and it seems like a million and one things have gone on in that time! :P I am writing up some other posts today, most of them will be scrapbooking catch up, but I will make sure to do some update ones on the girls cause they have grown sooooo much!!

Anyway, back to the scrappy stuff for right now....I received an email from Paige Evans of American Crafts a while ago about being their Guest Designer for the week! I couldn't believe it! Talk about a dream come true! :D Who doesn't love American Crafts stuff huh?! So of course I said yes! It has been a little bit since my layouts went live on the AC blog, so I thought I would share them here too. :D

This first layout is about my two favorite flowers we had in our garden this season! I LOVE Ranunculus and this was my first time having some! They are so beautiful and delicate and just perfect for putting in vases. :D Make me very happy. And then we had a surprise in the garden with millions (I am not exaggerating!) of poppies! Jed threw out a butt load of seeds without paying attention to what went where or anything, and as plants started growing we would try to figure out what they were. Well for the loooongest time we thought these were weeds, but as buds started to form we realized they were poppies! And man they were stunning! So many colors and sizes, some single petaled and others super thick!! And with how many seeds they let down they should come back even more next season!


The theme for my week of guesting were decorative brads, so I tried my hardest to use them on my projects! But they really took center stage for my altered project: hair barrettes and pretty clips! I couldn't resist making these! They not only work for going in your hair but also clip onto clothes or scarves! Some I made specific for me :D , and then the rest I made for the Munchkin and Aurelia!
These are for the girls!
And these are for me! :D I've already worn the middle one several times and love it!!
I know there were requests to do a tutorial on making the little hair clips from the Elmer's and XACTO Blog Hop, and I haven't forgotten that! I will be working on that real soon! :D

Next up is a layout about the little one. I am working on trying to catch up on her monthly layouts, and I am still three months behind now! Laugh! Anyway, I had so much fun making this layout! I tore out a couple sheets of paper from a spiral I have and messily folded them in half. Not a bit of it was even, as sheets were sticking out in different directions in several places. I trimmed some layers with decorative scissors, and then stuck some strips of patterned paper cut with punches into some of the sections. Everything is leaning differently and it is slightly messy, but by keeping the colors crisp and bright and using a clean white, it keeps it from looking a mess! :D Once it is all stuck down, then I sewed through each layer and started adding photos!



I have my dear friend Rahel to thank for the gorgeous pink Thickers!!! She is the sweetest!

And last, but certainly not least, is my layout about Creedence's Speech Therapist, Sharon. I am so indebted to her, I don't know how I could ever thank her enough for all she has done for Creedence! She worked so hard with her and was so patient with her, and Creedence is not the same little thing because of it! Her speech has improved immensely and I am so happy because of it! Laugh! Now Creedence seriously NEVER STOPS TALKING!!! But I wouldn't change a second of that! :D


So there you have it!! :D All my American Crafts GDT work!

Less than two weeks later was the deadline for the DT call, and serioulsy with all this amazing AC product that I had just received I could not resist putting my name in!! :D I will be back tomorrow to share with you my submission!

Take care!!

~Amy