SCY: Wastin' Away

Have you seen Ali's new challenge at Sketches: Creatively Yours yet? You'll not want to miss participating in this one because there is a great prize to be won!

Here's my take:

Journaling: Love the beach life. Love the music. I think I'm never more relaxed than when I'm at a JB concert with a drink in my hand. Too bad you can't make a living out of it!

LYM: Pursuits

I was a designer at Log Your Memory for 2012. Now that the year is over, I'm sharing the layouts that I created for it. Here's the first...



I’ve always been a busy person. Even when I was little, my parents saw to it that I was involved in things outside of school to learn, meet friends, or help others. In grade school, they signed me up for soccer (for which I was not cut out but was lucky enough to experience having my dad as my coach), Brownies, dance, choir, and church missions. When I was 12, enough people must have thought I was pretty responsible because I babysat often.
A little later on, when I really started making my own choices, I continued with the church groups but became very active in band: playing clarinet and serving as the drum major for the marching band. I signed up for Beta club to round out my college applications. I was really excited to get a job when I was 16, shelving books at the public library.
In college, I probably juggled too much: I continued in band, was the business manager for a musical theatre group, worked at least 10 hours a week, interned at a brokerage… I could go on and on.
After getting married, I taught as a catechist in our church and thought about playing in a community band, but I decided to serve as a board member for Prevent Child Abuse instead. More recently, I’ve served as the chairperson of the Pastoral Council, co-chair of the PTO, and a member of the Moms Group and baptism committee.
As a child, I didn’t have to continue in something if I didn’t want to, but once I signed up for something, my parents made sure that I saw it through. I hope that through my commitments as well as the ones that they make, my own kids also value being an involved, dependable person.

Supplies:
Scrapdango July 2011 Sugar kit (manufacturers: Bo Bunny, Simple Stories, Bazzill, Prima): http://www.scrapdango.com

Adult birthday

I don't know why I'm just scrapping these now, but I took a couple pics of what I bought on my birthday two years ago. It's funny how your tastes change over time!

Scrapdango April Sugar kit reveal

I LOVED this kit, featuring Simple Stories Fabulous line {Available April 5th)!

I remember weaving a basket as a child, so, on this layout about my niece, I decided to give it a try with paper:


I used every bit of the yarn in the kit on this layout, and I love the effect...


On this layout, I decided to only use the journaling cards in the kit as the patterned paper. The baker's twine on the second page was the actual twine from the bakery. Love that I was able to use it!


This one was simple... I only matted the picture twice and then added in lots of embellishments.


This kit just begs for cute, springy cards to be made.




Have a lovely week, and don't forget to get your own kit on the 5th!

My First Friend

I created this layout for last night's Scrapdango 1 hour sketch challenge using parts of old 'dango kits.

Journaling Junkie: Favorite Things

Does anyone else have the Sound of Music song in their heads now? No... just me?

The new challenge at Journaling Junkie is on your favorite things.

Because I turn 35 (gasp!) this month, I wanted to highlight 35 things about myself.



1. I am a die-hard HOKIE… loved my time at VT and can’t wait until my kids go there.

2. Speaking of kids, my kids are my favorite people in the world.

3. I was a music education major for two years before deciding that if I taught, I would never want kids of my own. I finished my finance major in two years so that I could graduate “on time” by taking several 21+ credit semesters (and I still never turned down the opportunity to go out for a beer).

4. The Melting Pot is my favorite restaurant.

5. I converted to Catholicism in 2001, and I am totally at home in the Church.

6. I miss living in D.C. I still read the Washington Post. And, no, the traffic didn’t bother me that much.

7. I miss working. I love that I decided to take a break to stay home with the kids, but I miss accomplishing goals and getting PAID.

8. I became a Democrat in college largely because my beliefs were more aligned with that party, but also because I didn’t feel, as a woman, that the Republican Party really cared if I was part of it or not.

9. I am addicted to chick-lit books.

10. My favorite drinks are a good Merlot, Mountain Dew, and Starbucks Caramel Frappuccino

11. I never learned to swim or ride a bike.

12. I am huge on recycling and try to buy only organic produce. I would love to buy almost all organic foods, but WOW would that be expensive.

13. We are only 13 years away from paying off our house, thanks to a great seller’s market when we left D.C.

14. I’m an optimist, and Joey is a pessimist… makes things interesting!

15. My first car was a wood-paneled station wagon. NO I didn’t buy it; it was the one that my parents allowed me to have almost-exclusive use of.

16. We live in a subdivision down the street from the house I grew up in. If you told me when I was a teenager that I would live here BY CHOICE as an adult, I would have never believed you.

17. I am a classic oldest child, and I still think my sisters had it easier than I did when we were growing up.

18. I use scrapbooking as a tool to document my family’s life. When I’m no longer here someday, they will have books of not only pictures, but my own love letters to them, to hold onto.

19. I love snow and complain about the heat every day of summer.

20. My least favorite chores are folding laundry and emptying the dishwasher.

21. I often have horrifying dreams about someone breaking into our house and have since I was a child.

22. I sing in the car. Loudly. And not very well.

23. I’ve been pulled over by the police for speeding five times and only received one ticket… on the day that I drove an hour and a half for a wedding dress fitting.

24. I’m a stickler about the kids’ bedtimes so that I can have some much-needed downtime at night. With each minute that goes by without them being ready, my patience wears thinner. As far as my bedtime, I usually am falling asleep by 10pm.

25. I have only my mom left before my in our branch of the family tree, and I think that just sucks.

26. I don’t like dogs. I was scratched on the face by a neighborhood dog when I was 3 and had to have stitches. I don’t remember it, but almost all dogs still terrify me.

27. First memory: riding big wheels on the sidewalk in front of our house with the twins from across the street; Second memory: the day we moved to Virginia from Ohio. I cried because I didn’t want to leave the “my” house, the only one I remembered.

28. I can take on a northern or southern accent depending on who I’m talking to… Born in Lancaster County, PA (no, my parents were not Amish), then lived in Ohio before moving here… wonder anyone can understand me.

29. I could eat strawberries and peaches every meal of the day, but I can’t stand strawberry or peach ice cream.

30. The night of Joey’s and my first official date, I was sick but went anyway.

31. Every big storm that we had when I was growing up, we slept in the living room because of a huge dead tree that was in the woods right beside our house (but not on our property; the owners refused to cut it down)

32. I hate that I can’t remember the last time I played my clarinet.

33. I got a black eye when I was 6 or so, sledding with the kids in our area… one of the teenagers sledded right into me.

34. I was seriously not happy when I arrived home from school the day that Kristen was born. My mom’s mom was there, and I wanted my Mommy.

35. Within a month of getting every hair cut, I wish I had let it grow out.

I used a Scrapdango kit for this one!

Home Parties

I wanted to get this one down about how almost all of my birthday parties growing up were at home, whether simple cake parties or (usually) sleepovers.

I can't believe my kids are at the age that they are starting to sleep away also!

I used the October 2010 Dixie Pieces kit here.

A Moment In Time

I love having this picture of Zachary in the backyard of my parents' house just before Mom sold it. I spent so much time out there playing, walking, listening to music in the sun. That day, he enjoyed it just as much as I always had.

I just the April 2011 Scrapdango kit for this layout.

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.

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!

Journaling Junkie: Big News Story

This fortnight's challenge at Journaling Junkie is to document a big news story that you have lived through. I chose a layout from a few years ago (like you couldn't tell that by looking at it... LOL!) about September 11, as I was a direct witness to it...



I do need to go back and do an actual layout on the day itself with more detail, as there are other things that I'm now remembering and didn't include here.

Journaling:
This trip was originally planned for September of 2001, but then the terrorist attacks of September 11 changed the baseball game that we had tickets to.

On September 11, I was working in Arlington, VA and saw the smoke from the Pentagon attack after watching the Trade Center attacks in New York on TV. Joey watched as fire and rescue vehicles made their way to the city. I spent the afternoon watching military airplanes fly cover over the city from our apartment balcony. I had to tell my dad what happened because he had been golfing that morning. I cried for a couple of years every time footage of that day was shown on TV. I really thought we were going to die that day. I think most of the country must have thought so, too, because people were so much nicer for a year or so afterwards.

Water challenge

The second challenge for the month at Trail Makers is to create a layout on rain/water.

The Cosmo Cricket papers that I chose from the store went perfectly with my pictures from the 1970s!



Be sure to hop over to the blog to see what the other designers did with this challenge! Play along with us!

TPT is being sponsored this month by Krisi's Kreations. Please click here to see what I created with her calendar download!

Journaling Junkie: Most Likely To...

***See the below post for the Paper Trail blog hop.***

I loved this challenge! I went back to my college years when I was voted "Most Talkative" of my (co-ed music) fraternity.



Here is the journaling:
I beg your pardon! I do NOT talk that much... only when I'm passionate about something, or, okay, when I'm in need of a little attention... or when I know a lot about the subject at hand... or maybe when I'm bored... or there's a lull in the conversation... but, sometimes, it's to give helpful advice... or answer a question. Okay, I concede. I DO talk a lot, but I prefer to think it's because I'm a friendly person. But, we can have a chat about it if you think otherwise...

Where I'm From

This week's Crowned competition at Scrapdango was to use yellow, polka dots, and a reveal. Well, there's nothing more revealing than old photos (especially with HUGE glasses and braces!).



I took the idea and the last stanza of the poem from George Ella Lyon. If you haven't yet tried her idea of exploring from where you came, it was a fun experience!

Here is my full journaling:
I am from hanging the wash out to dry
and raking leaves in the fall.
I am from playing in the back yard
and having Easter pictures in the front.
I am from drying the dishes,
dusting the house,
and sleeping in the living room
during strong storms.

I'm from fruitcake and cotton,
Thanksgiving in Harrisonburg, Christmas in Shelby.
I'm from the three Bridges girls,
the thoroughbreds.
From hard work and Do your best!
I'm from soccer and dancing,
late football Friday night pizza
and New Year’s game nights.

I'm from glasses and braces,
reading and sleepovers.
From never knowing one grandfather,
and a grandmother gone too soon.
I am from Bible drills and prayer,
gullibility, nighttime tucking in
I’m from winding up an old mantle clock.

I’m from posters on the walls,
bunk beds and bedtime secrets.
From four schools in as many years
And an occasional heartbreak.
I am from those moments--
snapped before I budded --
leaf-fall from the family tree.

Spitting Image

One about how everyone always says I look like my mom for an "about me" challenge at Scrap it Forward...

Scrapdango Library Crop

This is my challenge for the Scrapdango Library Crop.

I WAS going to have you take a layout that you had done and weren't happy with and re-do it because I have a lot of my old ones that I don't like and wish I'd done differently.

BUT....

In the end, I just couldn't change them.

SO, I would like for you to just OLD photos (remember, this is a History challenge!) in a newly-created layout.

Here is my example {using the *amazing* Scrapdango January Sugar kit! Woot woot!}:



You have until January 23rd to complete this layout and link it in your sign in thread to earn one draw for a fabulous prize... so HURRY!

Tomorrow I'll share the rest of my Scrapdango reveals for this month!

Journaling Junkie: Goals

Challenge 90: a dream you have, a goal you'd like to reach.

... or not, in my case.

Here's my journaling:
When I was in 2nd grade, I wrote an essay for a creative writing competition on what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote that I wanted to help people by becoming a nurse. It actually won an award! Only... I didn't know what I wanted to be, but I knew I definitely did NOT want to be a nurse. It was a running joke in our family for a long time. My first award was a fraud!
Fast forward to Bella in preschool. The class created a poster of what they wanted to be when they grew up. She said "a nurse." When I told her that I had no idea, and I thought that was great, her eyes got huge, she looked horrified, and said, "I DON'T want to be a nurse!"
In some ways, she is SO me.

Come play along with us!

Journaling Junkie: Celebrate Women!

Challenge 89 one was designed to celebrate us being women.

Here's my journaling:
Had I been born 100 years earlier, I think my personality would have caused quite the commotion and gotten me into a lot of trouble... and I think I would have loved that!

I'm also submitting this over at Scrapdango for the Drama challenge, where we had to use a sketch, mask, fabric, and journaling.

Ain't She Sweet?

Did you catch the Beatles reference? :)

I combined two challenges, from Dixie Pieces and Scrapdango, to create this layout about my daughter wearing a dress that my grandmother made for me when I was little...


Almost everything was from the July 2010 Dixie Pieces kit.

Journaling Junkie: Things I Made

12 Things I Made:
this vow
this boy
this girl
this girl
this purchase
this mess
this cake
this art
this bow
this quilt
this music
this page

Challenge 88 one was on something we made. Hmm... easy enough. I make TONS of stuff. The concept was inspired by a video I saw a couple of years ago with a woman doing a tour of the things she made in her house. I've been looking for 30 minutes and can't find it to link here. I'll keep trying!

LOVE the Crate Restoration papers that I used here... can't wait to play with them more!

I'm also submitting this over at Scrapjacked. The original layout was amazing!