July Cocoa Daisy layouts!!

Well here are my creations with the July Cocoa Daisy kit!! I loved this kit so bright and bold, really enjoyed using the sunny colors with the black and white! The paper used on the "love notes" mini album was originally just black and white, I added some color to it with water color pencils.

Latest scrapjack!

I did not think I would have time to get this one done! I threw it together pretty fast - in about an hour which is VERY FAST for me- I am normally a slow scrapper!

remember that secret..

...I said I had? Well I am the July Girlie of the month for Scrap-Tastic! I had a lot of fun creating a couple layouts and cards from the kit Becky sent me and I also did a couple layouts using my own stash of scrap supplies. The close ups for the "beautiful color" layout show two different techniques: the acetate hearts, flower and swirls were a bright pink and I painted them pale pink and sprinkled on pink glitter, I also colored in the Urban Lilly alphabet cut outs with colored pencils. The cards were made using the leftover scraps from the layouts.

Rub-on help!

After a few choice words directed at yet another fumble with my beloved rub-ons - I finally came up with a solution to handling those darn little pieces!! You have to cut them out to use them but then the pieces are so small it's hard to handle them and hold them in place without having them come off on your fingers or worse yet on the wrong spot on your layout, so I came up with the idea of using removable tape!! It works great, just use a long enough piece of tape to pick up the rub-on with and then use it as a "handle" for the rub-on to position it where you want it. Then leave the tape on it to hold the rub-on in place while you rub it down (you can rub right through the tape). I hope the picture helps - it's not very clear- you will have to forgive me it was late!! By the way the layout is a little sneek peak of the Cocoa Daisy July kit!

Here's my apron.

The girls at Scrapbook Takeout were asking about scrapbooking aprons and if anyone had/used one, well I have one that I made but I don't use it! I am afraid to get it dirty, so it just hangs on my scrap room door looking pretty. It is a plain apron from HL that I embellished with tulle, ribbon, pom pom trim and various other trims - so fun and so girly!

Just plain yummy!

Oh how I wish I could share what I am creating with the July Cocoa Daisy kit!! The best word to describe this kit is YUMMY! I am having way to much fun! Be sure to check back around the 23rd - that's when I can share them!

Style or rut?

Have I found my "style" or am I in a rut? This is a question I have been asking myself lately, and as I reach for yet another piece of cream ledger paper I really wonder. It is rare for me to create a page without a few of my tried and true favorites, and if I look at some of my older pages I see those same things again and again. But I don't think my pages all look the same. So help me out here do you think I have found my "style" or does it seem like I am in a rut and need to try something new. Let me know what you think! And just for fun here is a layout from 2 years ago - but it is one of my all time favorites.

Out of control ribbon.

I have an addiction to ribbon (and yes Amber you should feel sorry for me!) and I am sure many of you suffer from the same affliction. Well this picture is of my ribbon basket - this is just the ribbon I need to take care of ( I put all my ribbon on floss cards and in cropper hopper storage cases) and I clean this basket once every couple months! I have 7 cropper hopper storage cases and I am on the verge of needed more - someone please help me!!!

It's June 10th...

...and June 10th is never a good day. June 10th is the night that I got the phone call that my precious Nephew was in an accident and was not expected to make it, June 10th is the night that my brother's heart was crushed as his son was taken from him. No June 10th will never be the same and it will always be a sad day. I miss my sweet nephew and I miss what he would have grown to be. But we had him with us for 15 years and those memories I will always hold close to my heart, so if you are a mother or father when you get done reading this post please go hug your child and tell them you love them - in memory of Andrew.

A couple cards

Here are a couple cards I made with my May kit from Poppy Ink. It's hard to see but I painted over the patterned paper with Li'l Davis blue glitter glaze, I love how the glaze adds just a touch of color - very fun!

What a beautiful day!

I had such a wonderful day today; blue skies, warm summer breezes - the kind of day were you cannot stay inside! Throw in time with my best friend, a Peachmopolitan (adult beverage), some scrapping, lots of outdoor play with the kiddos and even a big plate of nachos made by my hubbby and you have one darn near perfect day! Oh and I got my July issue of CK in the mail today - take a peek on page 109, you may just see a familiar name :)

My Scrapjack!

Here is my take on the super talented Anja Wade! Thanks for the inspiration Anja!

stop and look around you...

...you may just see the sweetest little vignette. I must have moved Nate's rain boots away from the door without thought of where I sat them, and the next day as I was watering my flowers I looked up and saw this little pair of yellow boots sitting so sweetly next to one of my pots. I grabbed the camera - this was such a perfect photo, it represented so much in our lives right now, my garden, how small an almost 5 year old's feet are, our back porch, and my collection of watering cans. So take the time to really look around you, observe the little details - they might just be telling you a story!

Another layout.

Here is my latest layout using the Cocoa Daisy June kit! This is my adorable niece wearing a cap that she knitted. Isn't she sweet! I went outside my comfort zone with this one - I can't remember the last time I used bright cardstock! It was fun using so many "girly" accents, with two boys I don't get to very often.

How my scrapbook brain works.

I thought it would be fun to show how my brain works when it is in scrapbook mode ( which is most of the time! ). The first photo is of a Diet Pepsi can, and while looking at the can and eating lunch the other day I noticed how the designers of the can used a bold stripe down the side with a circle over top -great idea for a layout! The next photo is of my sketch book and it shows how I took that idea and made it into a sketch of a layout. The last photo is of the finished product (my Be Happy layout for Cocoa Daisy). Always look at the world around you in a "shape" mentality; i.e. circles, rectangles etc. and it is easy to transfer what you see into a layout design!

First Cocoa Daisy layouts!

I am so excited to be showing you my very first layouts as a member of the Cocoa Daisy Design Team! Talk about nervous! These were done using the June Kit - and I am in love with the little Sassafras Lass set of stamps that came with the kit, the little birdie is so cute! Mother's of little boys take note - YOU CAN USE FLOWERS ON YOUR LAYOUTS OF YOUR BOYS!