Graduation Card

We moved into our neighborhood the same time as our neighbors on either side of us.  At the time, the neighbors on the left had 2 boys, the oldest of which was just a little bit older than my son is now. 

Last night, that boy graduated high school. 

That really puts into perspective to me just how quickly the next 12 years are going to fly.  ~whimper~

April 2011 issue

I melded together a couple of Torendi kits to create this card.  The Dick & Jane text paper is from this month's kit "Color By Number", which is SUPER cute, playful, and fresh.  The red & white checked paper is from the "Modern Red" kit, probably my all time fave so far from Torendi.  AND it's on sale right now!!! 

Speaking of on sale, the Torendi Item of the Week is Buzz and Bloom's On Cloud Nine denim clouds.  They're only $4!!!!  Check them out here.  So stinkin cute! 

And while I'm on a Torendi roll, how about a Torendi giveaway??!!!!!  Woohoo!!!!! 

This set of Bam Pop! Bubble Love chipboard can be yours, all for the low, low price of a comment. 

Tell, me...if a word bubble (or thought bubble) floated around with you everywhere, what is the funniest thing yours would've said today? 

You have until next Thursday at midnight (EST) to leave your comment on this post for your chance to win. 

Hope your weekend outlook is fun!  It's the Memorial Day holiday here in the States so lots of you will be enjoying 3-day weekends!!  I know we will!!! 

Heidi

Game On

Wow!  Is it already Thursday?  I've been so focused this week on organizing the scrap room (yes, it's taken that long because it was that bad...you saw the pictures!) and my son's Kindergarten Celebration last night.

I'm happy to report that the scrap room should be almost completely done today.  AND I made it through the K Celebration with only minor, quiet tears.  I don't think I made that much of an ass of myself.  Waterproof mascara ROCKS!

I don't think my kids have ever watched any "Professional" wrestling but one day they decided to put on their best wrestling get ups and show us how it's done. 

October/November 2010 issue

This week's Sketchy Thursdays challenge is being sponsored by one of my favorite sites, Picnik.com!!!!  They're giving the winner a 6 month subscription!!!  That's awesome.  Because while there are many processes you can perform for free, there are lots of super cool ones that require you have a subscription.  So, besides all the normal cropping and minor touch-ups, my layout is FULL of examples of some fun Picnik processes.

Here I've used color boost, an Orton filter, and vingette:

This one has color boost, the Orton filter, and focal zoom:

On both of these I've used cloning to remove distracting background items, the cross-process filter, and stickers.  (Notice the "tattoos" on the boy??  LOL!!  Tough!)

And I also used Picnik to make collages so I could easily print 4x6 pics with smaller pictures instead of having to mess with the Kodak kiosk to do that.

Yeah, overall this is a pretty simple layout but my mind's been a bit preoccupied. 

Of course, the layout is based on this week's Sketchy Thursdays sketch:

Can you tell this is another one of my sketches? 

Be sure to check out what the Design Team made for your inspiration.  I think everyone played along this week!!  And check out Picnik.com.  As I said, there are lots of processes that you can play with for free.  Check it out!  I guarantee you will love it.

Off to the boy's classroom for undoubtedly another day of stapling, copying, and cutting.  I love it!!!!  :o)

Heidi

Got Balls?

For Mother's Day I made my mom a few scrapbook pages for her walls.  Most of them were very similar to ones I'd made before (of which I'll share with you on some future posts) but this one was mostly new.

(Sorry the color on these pics is so jacked up.  Not sure what happened.  It looks like I put some funky 70s filter on the pics.  Huh.)

The boy played both baseball and basketball this past year.  He was naturally good at baseball but found it boring.  Too much waiting around.  He is loving playing basketball even though it doesn't come as easily for him.  He'll be doing basketball camp this summer so hopefully that'll raise his skill level so the game is just that much more enjoyable for him. 

I used a combination of the Ninja Addicts' Mommy's Little Monster and Accidentally Kelly Street kits for this layout. 

Off to continue working on my scrap room.  I think I'm getting close! 

So what are you doing this weekend?

Heidi

Ballerina

This week's Sketchy Thursdays sketch is a 2-pager!

I had taken lots of pics of my daughter at her Fairytale Ballet class so the extra area aloud me to get quite a few different shots in as well as an artistically edited close up of her adorable ballet shoes.

Oct/Nov 2010 issue - "Ballerina", animal prints call

 

{insert full sized left & right side pics here}

I used the Ninja Addicts "Carousel" kit for most of the layout. 

It's really hard to see but each flower petal is actually a stamped image of ballet shoes.  (Maybe if you click on the pic and zoom you can see it better.)  Isn't that bottlecap center adorable?!!  It's in the "Carousel" kit.

Thank goodness for the Stamp-a-ma-jig.  This quote is a stamp and with the help of the Stamp-a-ma-jig I was able to stamp each individual line perfectly on the lines on the journaling spot. 

A close up of the artistically edited ballet shoes shot.  (Thanks again, Picnik!)  I might have to blow this up and hang it in her room on its own!

Check out what the rest of the Sketchy Thursdays DT made for your inspiration.  There is even an example of breaking the sketch down for a one-page layout!

Back to tending to a sick little boy, a curiously clingy dog (not sure what's up with that), and an extremely jealous but otherwise healthy girl (she's just not getting all the attention, darn it all!). 

Heidi

Random Quotation "Marks" & Superfluous Apostrophe's

**  Update - This layout can be currently seen in its entirety in the July 2010 Scrapbook News and Review issue!!!!!  **

The newest prompt on The Pink Ninjas is Randomness.  You're also to include a paper clip and the pink twist is to use embroidery floss.

I'm driven to distraction by random quotation marks and superfluous apostrophes.  I mean, seriously,

?

Had lots of fun with paperclips.

There are even paperclips in my picture of my daughter's doll as Super Apostrophe Woman lounging by our pool.  She's randomly quotation marked by the same giant ones hanging from the same paperclip chain as in the above pic.  Can you see the paperclips in the picture?  I know it's a bit hard because of the zoom I put on the picture.  (Yea, Picnik.com!)

You can click on the pic for a close up.

Check out what the rest of the Pink Ninjas made for your inspiration.  Lots of awesome randomness!!!!

I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with as their random idea. 

Heidi

Scrap That Poetry

Yea!  I'm so excited to be a new member of the Scrap That Poetry Design Team!!!!!   There are so many awesomely talented girls on the DT and amazing people who play along.  (Did you see Diana won the last challenge?)

My term won't start until the 6/1 poem but in the meantime stop by to play along with the current poem, Maya Angelou's "Woman Work". 

Butterfly Invitations

A while ago I created some invitations for a little girl's birthday party.  She's not all that much of a girly girl (read: no pink or frills) and the theme of her party was butterflies, specifically monarch butterflies. 

May 2011 issue

The butterflies are all colored with alcohol ink, paper and rhinestones.

The base paper is embossed in my Cuttlebug.  Don't use it often but LUV it when I do.

The flags are glitter, prismatic, and alcohol ink-colored pieces on which I wrote You Are Invited and stitched them on.

May 2011 issue

I'm not a big fan of cardmaking but sometimes I actually like what I make. 

I'm currently reorganizing my craft room.  I share the room with the kids' playroom.  I have sooooooo much stuff I'm sure there's no way I could ever use it all myself.  So, as I'm organizing, I'm setting aside stuff for donating, some for possible future giveaways, and a lot for the kids to use.  I've told them that this stuff will be available for their use but for now only with my supervision.  I want to make sure they learn to respect the product.  Inks must be closed tightly, and stamps cleaned between colors and uses so as not to mix colors.  Patterned papers are special - not to be used for confetti or "wrapping" action figures in the course of a fight scene.  You get the picture.  I've told them this summer they can start their own scrapbooks.  Cute!

So this is kind of where I started...

Yes.  I'm a HUGE slob.  Actually my scrap area has usually been really organized and reasonably neat but over the last few months (as I'm sure you've gleened from my occassional blog rantings) I've just been so busy that I'd been grabbing, scrapping, and dumping.  NOT a great idea. 

Hopefully I'll feel confident with the outcome to share those pics with you, too.  LOL

OOH!  OOH!  Yesterday before my son's basketball game my husband made a deal with him.  We would go to one of his favorite restaurants for lunch if he did ONE of the following during the game: 

* get a rebound

* dribble down court past the foul line

or

* made a basket.

He did ALL THREE in his first possession!!!!!!!!! 

Of course, I've been taking video and pictures of every other game and thought I'd give the camera a rest and just watch the game with my eyes (as opposed to on the camera screen as I'm filming) so I MISSED IT on film!  Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!  I swear if you look up Murphy's Law in the dictionary there's a giant picture of me next to it.  (Someday I'll tell you about my TPIR 3 Strikes game theory.) 

So the above action shots are from an earlier game.  (My son's #15.)

Hope you are having a great weekend!

Heidi

Discover Nature

I love digital cameras.  They allow you to take obscene numbers of pictures with reckless abandon.  I figure for every 25 - 50 pics I take, I'll luck out and get a good one every now and then.  For any sort of "event" (school, holiday, milestone, big or small) I tend to take upwards of 100 pics or more. (I took 263 pics of my son's first Valentines Day party in preschool!)  My kids don't even notice it anymore.  

Last year at my kids' preschool they had farm animal visits.  You can just see the thought process on my daughter's face in these pics.

April 2011 issue

"Awwwww...look at the cute little birdie!"

"Uh, yep.  So that's a bird.  Okey dokey." 

"Ummmm...I think he just poo'd in my hand!"

So loving the colors on this layout.  (Didn't I mention that yesterday?  LOL)  

Layout is based on this gorgeous Sketchy Thursdays sketch:

This week's awesome sponsor, SRM Stickers, let us play around with a sampling of their stickers, too.  (Didja see mine?  "Discover [Nature]")  See if you can pick out all the SRM stickers on the DT's samples!

Come, play along with us!  Hook up a direct link to your layout to  Mr. Linky in the Sketchy Thursdays sidebar for your chance to win some SRM Stickers goodies!!

Oh, and we're currently in full swing on our June Guest Design Team Challenge.  You just HAVE TO check out the AMAZING prize from Snobby Walrus for the lucky winner (besides getting to play along with all the Sketchy Thursdays sketches for June, of course).  Just lOOk:

Have a great Thursday!!

Heidi

Sassy From the Get Go

The May class this month over on Scrap Freak is "Be Inspired" - a set of 12 prompts to inspire and push your creativity.  Today's prompt is Fashion Trends . 

I made  this layout for the ruffles portion of this challenge:

April 2011 issue

I know they're not exactly what you'd call "traditional" ruffles, but I based them on a gorgeous ruffled t-shirt made by Elizabeth Kartchner HERE.  (I stitched it reeeaaaaalllllly late at night so blame it on fatigue that I somehow allowed the bunched up parts of the ruffles flatten out when I stitched.  Ugh!)

Loving the color combo on here, too.  (It'll pop up again tomorrow, LOL.)

My Pink Ninjas ruffled layout "Mad:Style" is also featured as a sample for the class. 

Check out all the rest of the prompts in this month's Scrap Freak class.  Lots of great inspiration to be had!!!

Heidi

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful moms in my life!!!!

Totally lifted this card from the Scrapbooks ETC June issue, I think.  But it's just so simple and classic.  You can find that gorgeous paper in the May Torendi kit "Color By Numbers".

Hope you are all having a great day!

Heidi

He Doesn't Do Mornings

Happy Sketchy Thursday!

Although he has rarely ever slept past 7am ever in his life, my son isn't exactly a ray of sunshine in the morning.  And to make matters worse (or, rather, more hilarious for us) is that he's a sweater when he sleeps and his hair coifs into the most amazing styles.  It's hard to see in the little blog pic but I think if you click on the pic you can see this particularly amusing style better.  We affectionately refer to this particular pic as his Gary Busey shot. 

This week's Sketchy Thursdays challenge is sponsored by {ippity} stamps by Bonnie Rose so I used an {ippity} stamp from the Life's Little Moments set.  The title circle is half of an {ippity} stamp.  (The other half is a calendar.) 

I told you I am obsessed with ruffles and crepe paper now. 

Sorry about the bad quality of this pic.  Aren't the patterned papers on this layout awesome??  They're from Torendi's May kit "Color By Number". 

Check out what the Sketchy Thursdays Design Team made for your inspiration this week.  Of course, everyone has outdone themselves again.  We'd love for you to play along with us.  Just hook up your layout to Mr. Linky in the Sketchy Thursdays sidebar by 10pm EST next Wednesday 5/12 for your chance to win some awesome {ippity} stamps by Bonnie Rose.

Thanks for stopping by today!!

Heidi

Mad Style

Had so much fun with today's Pink Ninjas prompt.  Lots of yummy things all rolled into one:

Prompt - stilo  (pronounced "style-oh")
Technique - crepe paper
Pink Twist - paper

January 2011 issue

 

When I saw that we had to use crepe paper I was all, "Awwwww...how the heck am I going to use that??"  Well, slap my ass and call me Fanny, I LUV crepe paper now!!!  Oh, you KNOW this stuff is going to start showing up all over the place now.  Goodness knows I have enough of it from all the birthday parties we've thrown.  I always keep everything left over from parties "just in case" and I ALWAYS overbuy so I ALWAYS have lots of party stuff.  Heck, if you showed up on my doorstep right now and said you needed to throw a fully decorated birthday party in 30 minutes, I'd just need to know what theme.  I got your back, baby!

Can't go wrong with pink houndstooth and crowns, now, can ya?

Everything other than the crepe paper and the alpha stickers are from the Ninja Addicts' kit "Carousel". 

So much girly goodness it'll make your teeth ache.  But in a goooood way.  There are THREE of these gargantuan felt and fabric flowers in the kit made by Ninja Master Ally.  They're sooo pretty.  (I'm just wondering what it's going to do to the scrapbook, lol.  No joke, they're about 1" tall.)

Hop on over to the Ninjas blog to check out what the rest of the Design Team made for your inspiration.  Some truly gorgeous stuff!!!! 

Do you remember last week when the Ninja Addicts held a little ol' blog hop with some cutie pie little stuffy owlies made by Ninja Carrie for prizes?   And I said even though there were 2 owls shown there really was only one up for grabs because I was going to win the other one??  Well...

Say hello to Josie Myers!!

She's MINE, all mine!!!!  I can't wait to hold her in my hot little hands.  Yea!!!!!!!!!!!

I'll be sure to take pictures of her arrival and settling in.  LOL.

Have a great Wednesday!!

Heidi