Bursting out the red and green

 

It's not too early, is it? 

The last paper bag book (previous post) I made had more of a vintage feel. 

For this one, I went with the typical red and green Christmas theme colors. 

It's filled with tags awaiting photos and memories.

I found some fun embellishments in my stash of goodies for the binding as well. 

Beads, bells and trinkets give it fun texture and movement.

I feel like I'm starting to get my mojo back. It must have been lost in the yard...all the raking must have brought her back to me.

 

It's beginning to look like Christmas....

Paper Bag Book

I'm in the home stretch from getting all my Holiday fundraiser items ready.

This was my latest project.

Here's a couple of my favorite pages on the inside...

Vacation album title page

As you know...I love being creative. But when it comes to scrap booking, I am a complete failure!  I think I get way too uptight when I think about preserving those memories. I'm determined to put this scrapbook together in a timely manner and not get to stressed out about each page and each photo and each piece of paper I choose. It doesn't have to be perfect...

Maybe once I get this one done, I will start the kids baby books! AGH! I know...bad mommy. I'll get them done before they have their own kids, I promise.

A gift for Mom

I put this scrapbook together for my mom.

She loves having something small to bring with her when they visit with friends.

Here's a little tiny peek at the inside as well.

Wish me luck...

I sent off more art to Somerset Memories in hopes of getting published again. This time it's an altered book about my dad and his childhood.

Here's a tiny sneak peek:

Starting on our Christmas page

Every year I make a scrapbook page... virtually the only traditional scrapbooking I do...then make color copies to send out as our Christmas greeting.

This year I am struggling with both a design and color scheme.

My first concept was this completely non-traditional color scheme. I love the colors and elements but can't seem to find a design I like.

The second has more traditional Christmas colors but just seems blah and ordinary to me.

I'm also struggling with what photos to use.

I think I just have too many things going right now and need to just focus on one at a time.

ART!!

It just occurred to me that the last few posts haven't had much to do with art...

I am doing a bit of creating. I am working on an altered book about my dad. I've had this idea for at least a year but haven't done anything with it. I have a book that he had gotten as a young boy. His signature is in the front cover as a kid. I thought it would be an awesome book to pay tribute to him in. Since Dad's stroke a couple weeks ago I had been thinking more and more about this book. I want him to see it. I don't want it to be something that is at his memorial service somewhere down the road. I think a big part of me didn't want to make the book because it seemed as if it was a "memorial". Now I see that it totally isn't!! I want to be able to know those stories in his own words and hold on to them for my children.

Still working...not sharing...

I'm a bit frustrated that I'm working on an altered scrapbook of memories but am not comfortable showing my completed pages with the world.
I am quite protective of my children's images (and my hubby is "off the charts" security wise, so showing pix is out of the question.

AAAGGHHH!!! I love the latest spread I made but if I blurred the photos on a graphics program the post would be completely meaningless.

Sorry, I guess I just needed to vent...or let people know that...yes, I am still working on stuff, along with spending countless hours outside in the heat watching my kiddos play. Ok, I'm whining but with the high temp and humidity it feels like forever!

Memories frozen in time

After finally getting around to ordering a ton of digital pictures, I figured I should really have somewhere to put our memories.

This is the title page.

I'll likely add a picture of both kids below the word Cherish.

I tend to do a *summer memories* book each year but I'm not going to limit myself to that this time. I'm not really sure how this altered book/scrapbook will evolve. Since I'll be including photos of family and friends I won't be showing many pages. I will show the completed book, at least from the outside, when finished.

Paper bag scrapbook

A good friend and neighbor asked me if I could make a paper bag scrapbook for her niece that just graduated from high school.

She brought a pile of pictures and some tidbits about the grad. Luckily for me, I know the girl as she babysat my kiddos before and we have spent the last few 4th of July's at her folks house which is right on the parade route. Handy, besides being a really fun group to hang out with. :)

For obvious reasons I can't show all the inner pages of the book but here's a sample for you.

I am...

I had this idea of doing a page about me yesterday. So I took some close-up pictures of myself. I cropped and played with the colors in Paintshop Pro. I wasn't exactly sure how the page would come together. This is the page that flowed out of me last night.

I was completely stressed about my mom being horribly ill and whether or not she'd be admitted to the hospital (thank the Lord, she was able to just go home). It's been a stressful couple of weeks to be completely honest. I realized that I hadn't been taking care of me...and if I didn't start doing that, I wasn't going to be able to care for anyone else.

Another gift

I got another gift made up this weekend. It's a scrapbook made from a children's board book. It is filled with pictures of the kids over the past year.

Scrapbook finished

Finally!!! I've completed my scrapbook of some of my favorite pictures/stories from my childhood. My babybook was one of those photo destroying "magnetic" photo albums. I convinced my mom that we should take the pictures out but then they just sat in a box.

Hubby says that I should change the name of the book to my childhood since "My Story" would need to have blank pages at the end. I understand his meaning but I'm certainly not going to change it now!