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!