Number 4.

Yesterday I started thinking about number 5 which made me reflect on last year's birthday. Eli had a tractor/farm birthday party at a local entertainment type of farm. The kids played on the playground, fed the animals, and we all went on a hayride. It was a great party and it deserved a great layout.
On this page I wanted to include the invitation which I made using my Silhouette Cameo. I did this by titling the photo strip style pictures. This gave me enough room to slip in the invitation, but not let it take focus away from the photos. I used a cluster of tags on top of a doily to keep the page trendy without losing it's simplicity. I also used a border punch for the main piece of pattern paper on this layout. NOTE: I didn't throw away all the pieces I punched. I used a few of the star around the title and wanted them to appear as if they were falling. I used very basic scrapbooking techniques with a touch of fussiness to create this eye appealing page. I like these colors. I like this layout. I like telling this story. I love that boy.

Vacation memories.

Vacation memories are priceless. A special time for people or a family to be together. To bond over sharing the same experience. To explore and have an adventure. To relax and recharge. Vacations memories are meant to be made, shared, told, and remembered.
We experienced so many wonderful things on our recent vacation I can't wait to tell everyone about it. I plan to do that with a vacation mini- album. One sweet little album just for this sweet little trip. Luckily, I knew what kind of album I wanted to make before we even left the ground. This allowed me to think ahead about the photos I wanted to take. I created a daily log of our adventures in my iPhone notes feature. This will help with journaling, remembering the details, and the sequence of the actives when putting together the album. All things I struggle with once I get into the creative process. One vacation mini-album coming up!

On Vacation.

We had such a good time last year in Jamaica we are on our way for another visit. This time we are taking our Son. It will be his first out of the country trip. I am looking forward to a week of sand castle building, pool jumping, and relaxing. I am so excited for him to experience this adventure with us. Don't miss me too much. I'll bring back the sunshine.

Card making.

After taking a long break, card making has sparked my interest once again. It fits very nicely into my life right now. Cards are usually less time consuming which allows me to finish a project and still receive that feeling of accomplishment. Also, taking on smaller projects when I know my time is limited is a smart way for me to stay creative. I am in between albums so this is a great opportunity for me to make cards before I dive head first into the next scrapbook album.
I do not do a lot of stamping in my scrapbooks. This is when my stamps and inks get a work-out. It's not something intentional I've done, it's just the way I work. I also like to use foam adhesive squares to give my cards dimension and separate different layers of paper. I mentioned in the previous post, I prefer 6x6 paper packs for cards making. The smaller scale of the patterns looks nicer within the smaller space. Unfortunately, I don't have many of them on hand. I guess I have to go shopping!

Housewarming Card.

Just wanted to share the above card today to let you know I am still here. I wish I could say I've been crafting away, but life seems super busy right now. The lack of blog post and crafting time is directly related to the previous post and announcement. River has been keeping me on my toes. It's almost like having a baby in the house again.
This housewarming card was made from an older My Mind's Eye 6x6 paper pack. I haven't been in the habit of buying 6x6 paper packs for a long time, but they really are the best for making cards. The patterns of 6x6 packs are repeated on a smaller scale which is a much better options for cards. I envisioned this card much simpler than it came out. I wanted the Freckled Fawn wooden veneer house to stand alone as the main feature, but the empty space where the Heidi Swapp "family" sentiment ended up required something. I tried multiple elements in that spot before choosing the "family" sticker. I am happy with the final product I created and a little amazed the direction this card took me in. The mix and match technique of various different element I had on hand worked out this time.