Bolton Landing 2011 (Topaz #'s 7 & 8)

Every year we head out to Bolton Landing for Labor Day Weekend. It's only a few hours away and it is enough of a change that we feel relaxed when we get back.


This year was no exception. We had great weather, which turned out to be one of the warmest weekends I have ever spent there. This year was my 8th year there, my husband's 5th time there and our daughter's 3rd time there. Now that she is older, she really had a blast. Between the ducks, the water and the sand, she was all smiles all weekend! Not to mention that she was having a great time talking with all the friends of ours who were there as well.


So, here are the layouts I have done so far of my husband and daughter. There are other pictures of her with me (looking every bit of pregnant that I am) and of her alone playing in the sand. Those will eventually pop up on layouts, not to worry.


I used papers from the "Like Father, Like Son" collection because I refuse to use "girly" papers when my husband is in the layout. Besides, the blues and such worked with the lake backdrop. It just made sense...

The Difference 2 Years Make...(Topaz #'s 1 & 4)

So I have been neglecting my scrapbooking duties quite a bit lately. With another little girl on the way, I need to get cracking so that I can have as much done for the first one as possible (not to mention there is still that wedding album waiting to be done...).

Last night I was fortunate enough to get some layouts done that allowed my to get caught up on the Midweek Mojos for ScrapbookSteals. They are almost at 10 for the Topaz Club and I had only had one layout done from that series until last night. I managed to get 4 more done and am attaching 2 of them to this post. The reason I am singling these 2 out is because it just so happens that they are exactly 2 years apart and show how much my little girl has grown and changed.

The first one is Topaz #4 - Hanging with dada. She was 7 months old in this picture and my husband was playing with her on the couch. As you can see from her expression, she was having a great time (then again she was a supper happy baby and it wasn't hard to get that smile to come out). I used a kit that I got from ScrapbookSteals (which seems fitting somehow). I love using brown with other colors as it is softer than black and isn't the typical "girly" look. I kept the layout very simple because I wanted the pictures to stand out on their own. The journaling will be on the long polka dot strip and it will be provided by my husband.

Now the next one is a much more recent picture. It was August of this year and showcases my daughter's curls (which she inherited from her mommy). She is at a stage right now where she likes to ask for me to put flowers in her hair, so that was one of those days. It's amazing how the most normal days can produce the most beautiful shots.
I used a paper I have been dying to use. It's actually a Halloween paper, but I don't care. I just loved the colors and the black swirls. I also used "Coredinations" papers and love the way the frayed edges look. It's a simple technique, but has such a great look. I also decided to use lyrics from a Bruno Mars song (I've been dying to do a page using the words from "Just the Way You Are") and love the way the Tiny Type stickers look. All in all, this layout is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. Hope you like it too!

Going Back in Time...(Topaz #3)

It has been some time since I posted a layout. However, I must admit that I have not been scrapping as much lately. Work has been busy, I'm tired during my second pregnancy...But I do really want to get back into the swing of things. Besides, I still have tons of pics to get done for my little girl (and with another one on the way...I think I'll always be playing "Catch Up").

Anyhow, here is a layout from back in August of 2009, when my daughter was only 7 months old. This was an outfit that was given to us as a gift and it was one of my favorites! I loved the soft green and how cheerful it was. These pictures were on a day when I put "Finding Nemo" in the DVD player and Erica was glimpsing at it while playing with her first "Baby" doll. She was all smiles and I had to catch those moments on camera.

I used papers and embellishments that came in a Bo Bunny kit that I purchased at www.scrapbooksteals.com as they have great stuff at great prices. In fact this was once again one of their weekly Mojos that inspired the layout (gotta love their blog). The picture does not quite do the colors on this layout justice, but I was quite pleased with the final result. Now, if I can just get caught up once again with the Mojos for the Topaz Club! This one was Topaz #3.

Apparent Neglect...

This weekend I have 5 layouts to finish to reach Sapphire status for ScrapbookSteals. After having been bogged down by lots of work for the past month or 2, it's time to get the creative juices flowing (even if I did just get back from a business trip). I will hopefully be posting some pics by the end of tomorrow night. Stay tuned...

After a bit of a Hiatus...

Wow, it's amazing how when things get busy at work, my play time diminishes. I feel like I have been neglecting the weekly Mojos from Scrapbook Steals and am now playing "catch up". Thank goodness for Friday Night Crops at my LSS. I got 3 layouts done last night. Two of which are on this post.


Now, first I will put up Mojo #34 - "Silly Monkey". I have a little girl who is VERY expressive, which cracks us up. Everything is done larger than life, be it a smile or a sigh. She also thinks she is a Daredevil, but she is actually quite cautious. The picture of her on her little car is as far up as she went (much to our pleasure). She even tends to climb up onto one step, then count to three, step down and THEN jump. But I digress...


I used papers from "Like Father Like Son" as well as "Wishful Thinking" from Fancy Pants. It was nice to mix and match a bit. I also used some white foam Thickers that I inked with Colorbox inks. I really liked the effect that had on the title.

And now for this week's Mojo (#35) - "Family". I used "Zinnia" from Little Yellow Bicycle for the larger elements. For the little flags, I used "Wishful Thinking" again (as well as for the little Memories sticker). I really liked the soft colors of this layout and decided that mainly staying with one kit would give a really nice look to it. I am very pleased with how this turned out too :)

And that's it for me for now. Maybe I'll get something else done this weekend. One can only hope...

Back in Time...

I decided to work on another page for the wedding album. This time I did a picture of myself (that doesn't happen often). I used something new, for the very first time: an acetate overlay! Now I am asking myself, "Why did I wait so long???" I love the way it gives just another accent to the overall layout. I also used a thin strip down the middle from "Invisibles" which have great patterns on them that you get to bring to life by adding inks, paints, etc...to bring them to life. I used a soft sage color initially (and wiped off the excess with a damp tissue) and then added a bit of slate grey to give a bit more dimension. Very cool!
This was inspired by the sketch for Mojo #31 from Scrapbook Steals, even if I am late with it. I am quite pleased with the look of the velum tags, which are nice and soft and don't compete with anything else on the page. I think I am going to have to use more overlays and velum in the future!

It's All About Me :)

I am sure that all you scrapbookers out there can relate with me when I say this: how often do we actually take the time to do a layout about ourselves? I'm not talking about the wedding pictures or pictures with our kids/hubby/pets...just us! It's amazing how we chronicle the every day things for everyone else, but how about something that talks about who we are? This week's Mojo for Scrapbook Steals was a simple and beautiful layout that required only one picture. As soon as I saw it I decided it was time to find a picture of me and describe myself. How else will my daughter know my background? the stuff from before she was a part of my life? even before her father and I dated and married? What made me tick? So, I found a picture from back when I was teaching in Korea. This picture was taken by a friend of mine who came to visit. We were at the temple that I lived near. Here's an interesting fact about that temple: it was the only one with strictly FEMALE monks. Very unique, indeed. Hmm, I'll have to do a layout of some of those pics because the gardens were beautiful...
Alright, so here are the sketch and my layout:

It was kind of fun stepping back in time and thinking about who I used to be when my only responsibility was me. However, I would never trade what I have now. Life back then was hectic because I had so much to give and not always a place to focus that energy. Now I do: my husband and little girl :)

Productive All-Day Crop

Today was the monthly all-day crop at Scrapbook Centrale. I got a few pages done which I am quite happy with. Mainly older pictures of my daughter, but some recent Christmas photos as well. Here is my take on the Mojo this week:

I am quite happy with how the paper choices and overall color scheme came out. The pictures are from Boxing Day and are of my daughter and her cousin. I also got some pictures of my daughter opening gifts on Christmas morning with both me and my husband. She really got the concept this year and ripped open the wrapping paper with gusto for just about every present she received :)

My Husband

This week's Mojo on Scrapbook Steals made me think it was time to do a layout with a picture I took a few years ago of my husband just before we got married. It was a regular day and we were waiting for the bus to go home from work. I happened to have my camera in my purse, so I took it out and captured his profile. I just thought he looked HOT (but I may be biased). So, I also knew what kind of papers I wanted to get (if I could find them). Something about pirates, something about fantasy/sci-fi and something about computers and computer games. I found them all and was quite pleased with the overall look. The only thing that might have been a bit better: Darth Vader instead of Yoda, but I couldn't find a paper in the same style (only something huge and a bit too cheesy for me). I an quite happy with this layout (as was my husband - he commented on the Yoda thing until I explained why - then he was okay with it ~ lol).