One set of pictures, three ways

With three kids, I always scrap big events in triplicate (they each have their own set of albums).

Here is the set of three layouts on our visit to Luray Caverns last summer.

I would love to hear which one appeals to you the most!

McDonald's birthday party

Here, I pulled out pictures from my childhood and used the October 2010 Dixie Pieces kit to complete a challenge at Scrapdango.

Summer activities for kids

My kids are the type to complain that they are bored, so I was proactive this summer, inspired by my medium DD's Girl Scouts badges, to create a "badge" program with 50 different activities that they can do in whatever order they want (although the Christmas in Summer cannot take place until they have earned 24 badges, and, obviously, to earn the final one everything else must be complete.

Each of the older kids has their own ribbon attached to the wall to hang their awards on... I'm making them out of my scraps!

I hope this helps you to have a less boring summer. LOL. I'd love to hear how it works for you... we are almost 2 weeks in, and the kids and I are all loving it. I plan to modify it each year to try new things.

Requirements to earn a badge- complete (no more than two a day, unless they are out of town experiences) and journal about your experience
Badge Name - Description
1. An Apple a Day - No Sugar Day
2. Mother Nature – Planting a tree
3. Hiking
4. BioDome - go to the zoo
5. Until Someone Gets Hurt- Game day (soccer, basketball, board games, cards, magic tricks)
6. Shhhhh – Read 15 books (of appropriate difficulty) throughout the summer
7. The Baljeet Award- Z- master multiplication/division; B- become quicker at addition and subtraction
8. Get Moving – Slip n Slide, Bubbles, Fly a Kite, water balloons, picnic lunch, run a mile
9. Out of this World – Watch a sunrise and sunset, star/planet gaze (telescope)
10. Know Thyself – Write in a journal at least once a week
11. Mommy Rules- Go on a date with Mommy
12. Daddy Rocks- Go on a date with Daddy
13. Catch a Wave- go to the beach, build a sandcastle, collect shells
14. Smarty Pants – finish workbook over the summer
15. No rivalry here – make something for your sister/brother
16. Christmas in Summer: pick out a $5 treat
17. Fresh from the Garden- pick out food from a produce stand
18. Older than Dirt- visit a museum
19. Around the World- pick a country, learn five words in the native language, learn 10 facts, try foods
20. Mozart- part 1: perform a piano concert for our family; part 2- go to a concert
21. Oscars- go to the movies
22. Gotham – learn and have fun in New York
23. Wonders of the World- Natural Bridge
24. Culinary- Help prepare a week’s worth of dinners in one afternoon
25. Love thy Neighbor – deliver a treat bag and run away!
26. Aviary – make a bird house
27. Archery
28. Ancestry – visit your oldest relatives (great-grandparents)
29. Adventurer- try a new food, learn a new skill, and do something you don’t like
30. Religion- read a new Bible story and say an extra prayer each day for a week, attend a weekday Mass, go to confession (Z)
31. Touch the Sky- Blue Ridge Parkway
32. Friendship- Plan a play date
33. Love Thyself- Learn to tie shoes, wash own hair (Bella), clean ears, brush teeth for at least 1.5 minutes each time.
34. Construction – Build a blanket fort, block tower, candy lego tournament
35. Lost & Found- make up a scavenger hunt for your sibling (and color/play with Annie!)
36. Rot Your Brain- Computer/Wii /TV day
37. Picasso- craft day
38. Mama is no Maid- help Mommy and Daddy with chores (at least 1x a week over the summer to earn the badge)
39. Vanderbilt would be proud- Travel by train
40. The next Michael Phelps- compete and have fun in a swim meet
41. Pen Pal- write and mail a letter to someone
42. Character- Obedience, Orderliness, Diligence, Loyalty, Deference, Cheerfulness, Gentleness (Kindness), Contentment, Gratitude, Truthfulness, Servanthood, and Hospitality. Pick two of these strengths and do a project that demonstrates them.
43. Lights, Camera, Action- make up and perform a play
44. Inside Out- do everything backwards- go up a down escalator, wear your clothes backwards, walk backwards, can you talk backwards?
45. Business- Run a Lemonade Stand
46. Patriotism – learn all five service branch hymns, watch fireworks
47. Hometown- Learn about where we live
48. Minute to Win It
49. Hurricane Survival
50. Busy as a Bee- Earn all 49 badges… big time treat!

Call Me

I had been wanting to scrap these pics for awhile now, and a recent Scrapdango prompt was the perfect excuse.

My youngest DD uses all kinds of things as a phone... she will hold them up to her ear and say "hello?". I love it!

Still loving the Daily Junque line from Pink Paislee and House of Three. I can't wait to see what they come up with next!

MawMaw mints

I used the Dreamsicle Dixie Pieces kit for a "Then and Now" challenge at Scrapdango.



Journaling:
My MawMaw Boyers always had Hickory Farms mints that we called MawMaw mints. You guys have soft peppermint candies that you always ask your MawMaw for. I love traditions!

Father's Day card

I just realized that I never shared the father's day card that I made for my husband...

She believed

I saw a canvas by Nicole Pomeroy that I loved, and I wanted to make it my own.

She used a lot of paint and gesso, but, naturally, that is not my forte, so I pulled out Crate's Restoration line (again!)...



I'm off to go hang it in my 6 year-old's room!

Cloud Nine

This one is about my medium DD and her LOVE of animals...



I completed it for a Scrapdango challenge to use the color green and a banner.

Journaling Junkie: Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to the man that loves my kids almost as much as I do! :)

This is actually an 11x14 layout that I framed for him!

Such an easy prompt at Journaling Junkie this time around... come play along with us!



Journaling:
Zachary Bella
1. Because he reads me… Diary of a Wimpy Kid books Pet Shop books
2. Because he helps me… Get better at sports Open candy
3. Because he lets me… Play with him Have animals
4. Because he taught me how to… Play basketball Play soccer
5. Because he… Taught me to ride a scooter Taught me to ride a scooter
6. Because he finds time to… Give me horseyback rides Give me horseyback rides
7. Because he… Loves me Comes to have lunch with me
8. Because he takes me… Go-Karting To Cici’s
9. Because he works hard at… Teaching me to do new stuff Work
10. Because he is the BEST Dad ever!

SCY: Sympathy card

I created this one based off of the new Sketches: Creatively Yours card sketch.

New Dresses

I somehow missed posting this, though I've had it done for a few weeks.

It might be my favorite layout ever!

When my sister and her husband went to pick up their daughter from China, she picked out these awesome dresses for my girls.

Love this pic SO SO much!

Hope you do, too.

This one was for a Scrapdango challenge to use red and pink.

Red Hands, Happy Hearts

I'm in love with these Sassafras sketches!

This page is on our Mother's day trip to pick strawberries...

Gauche Alchemy

I'm trying something a little different today (I had too much coffee this morning!).


I thought I would have a little fun posting some projects done with Gauche Alchemy products(NOT mine... way cooler than mine!), that I found while trolling the web in an effort to be more artsy-thinking (which will hopefully translate into ME being able to create more artsy projects, which you know I've complained before that I fail miserably at). {Yes, I know that is a disaster of a sentence, but it fits perfectly with my disasterous painting experiments... and my high caffeine levels won't let me concentrate enough to fix it!}

One of my great addictions is cake shows. There's something about building layer after layer of yummy, creative goodness (oh, yes, and sugar... caffeine's best friend!) that keeps me looking for cake shows on TV.

Cake decorating style 1: vintage wedding

Imagine pearls and lace and dainty flowers.

Julia Stainton created this fabulous layout with producs from a Gauche kit using all three of these elements- emphasis on the amazing lace (Not Amazing Grace... that's a funeral song, not usually appropriate for a wedding.)! Look at the sparkle of the little blue gem. And, I just adore the rolled paper flowers.


Cake decorating style 2: child's birthday

Think crappy plastic toys. Horrible for a cake, right? Especially one that you paid $600 for.

But, genius for a layout. Can you imagine getting fun army men in a kit for use on a paper project?

Merdrey created this layout that I'm in love with (look at the paint splatters!)...


...{and, woot!, I just remembered that my son has a few army men that he got during the Valentine's swap at school. What do you suppose that means, anyway? I'm not sure war=love}.

Finally, cake decorating style 3: horror

{What? Have you never seen Cake Wrecks??? Go there after finishing this post!}

Horror... like a spider being stabbed to death. Okay, not really- that would be gross. But, take a look at this pin cushion by Carmen:



So.MUCH.fun!

I hope you enjoyed this post... I had fun writing it. And, now I need more coffee! I'll be back in a few days with my own work.

P.S. For more info on Gauche Alchemy, see their store or blog.

SCY: Baby meets pinata

I actually scrapped this on Cinco de Mayo. I didn't plan it that way... it just happened, but I thought it was appropriate! :)

Loved this sketch for Sketches: Creatively Yours, but the curve on the right threw me at first. I'm happy with the decision to add ribbon there, though.

Used mostly Sassafras and (a lot!) of buttons from my stash on this one.

Trading card box

My son loves trading cards. So much that they end up all over his bedroom floor more often than not... because he'll want to check a stat on one particular card.

This project doesn't solve the mess, but it might help with the organization.



I repurposed a shoebox, adding lots of boy papers to the top and sides, and split off the inside with chipboard into four rows.

Now he can organize by sport, year, or whatever. Once he decides on that, I'll make labeled chipboard tags.

No more mess.

Right?

Mommy cards

Before my youngest was born, I had information cards that I could give out to my friends with my information on them.

I was thinking of ordering new ones, and then I decided to make my own.



I apologize for the blurring, but I didn't want my information out there for everyone. You understand, and I think you can get the idea, anyway.

I thought I'd give you an idea how I made them, though. The overall size is 2.25 inches x 3.5 inches. The backgrounds were all leftover scrap material. I printed out the information on one 8.5x11 inch sheet of paper, trimmed to size, inked the edges, glued to the background, and adhered a border sticker.

That's it!

Why buy them when they are that simple to make?

Happy crafting!

Scrapdango's Totally Rad Crop

SCY: Picture Day

I finally scrapped these pics from last year! When I saw Ali's sketch for Sketches: Creatively Yours, I immediately went for these pictures because I knew they would be perfect.

I used a Scrapdango kit for this one.

Journaling Junkie: Things Change

Check out the newest challenge over at Journaling Junkie!



Journaling:
It's funny how you can tell your age based on your priorities in life. As a child, I wanted to be nice to others. In college, it was all about me. As an adult, it's about teaching my kids.

I used lots more Pink Paislee here!

Sassafras score!

I made one of the top 20 submissions for Sassafras' May challenge with the frame that I shared with you a couple weeks back.