best pup a girl could have.....

Yes, I know I've scrapped about her quite a lot lately, but she's just so darn photogenic!! :) And she's always with me and never minds if I want to take her picture!!! :) I made this for several challenges over at Studio Calico. I used my SC January kit and a few bits that were sitting on my scrap table!! I made the flower with a doily that I scrunched and layered a round sticker, then a button on top of it! I love the look of the little clothespin holding the heart on the twine!! TFL!!

these two lovebirds

This is my son and his fiancee. They've been together since high school and they became engaged in October 2010. I was thrilled to take some of their engagement pictures (the bottom picture is the one they chose to use on their Save the Date magnets!). We had a lot of fun doing different poses - after Melissa finally loosened up!! Jonathan is always silly so he had no problem going along with all of my suggestions!! LOL

I made this layout for a sketch class that I was asked to participate in at Inspired to Scrap. I used my January Studio Calico kit for this (I'm bound and determined to use this one up before I get Feb's kit!!) with some elements from last month's kit!! I cut the red tab piece on the side and the red border pieces at the top and bottom with my Silhouette Cameo. TFL!

personality in photos

This photo of Samantha, my older daughter, captures everything about her personality perfectly. When I think of her I think of : style, spunk, intelligence, fun-loving, beautiful, nerdy, introspection, gumption. I guess because I'm her mother I can see all that in one photo - and I'm glad I captured that classic look of hers in print. Love her so!!

For this layout I used my January Studio Calico kit - the main and a mix and match of the add-ons. I used the Jan 22 Sunday sketch on the Studio Calico blog as a starting point and it kind of looks like the sketch!! LOL Just a lot of layering and paper cutting. I did use the new Sew Easy stamping head (the criss crosses). It was fun and easy. Of course I had to add some machine sewing in spots - it just looks bare if I don't do a little stitching somewhere!! :)

Quliting on my Layout

I just love the look of quilts and I thought how cool it would be to make a quilted look with paper for my layout! So, I used my Silhouette Cameo to cut out the pattern and I pieced it together. It looks like a lot of work, but because everything was cut perfectly, it all just went together like a puzzle! I did some machine stitching along the edges and then because I didn't want all that work I did on it covered up, I just made a small journal/photo spot in the corner. I layered lots of little things in that area though...LOL!! I used a b&w photo so it would pop off of all of that color - after all, the memory I want to preserve is the photo!! Thanks for stopping by!!

12 on the 12th Layout - Payday!

Here's the layout I made of the 12 pictures that I took on January 12th! It happened to fall on a payday so I chronicled the errands that I usually run every Thursday. The only thing that I don't usually do
is look for a dryer - but we needed one as ours went out last month and dh had some extra pay on this paycheck. I was lucky to find one the very first place I looked - Home Depot - where I got a a floor model that they were clearancing for a steal!! It was actually cheaper than the what the sticker says as the price had fallen a further $100 that day!! Woohoo!! I did some grocery shopping - I usually only go once a week, so try to get a week's worth of food. I had a few other places to go and then later dh and I picked up the dryer in his truck when he got off of work. It was a busy day but I got lots of stuff accomplished - including taking all of my pictures for that day!! :)

The layout is a two pager - unusual for me - but I like the way it turned out! I used products from several different older Studio Calico kits. It feels good to get them used up! I used my Silhouette Cameo to cut the January title out. I also used one of the awesome journal spots that you can get if you purchase the Take Twelve Inspiration Kit . There are lots of different journaling spots and calendar downloads as well as a bunch of sketches!! Check it out!!

Don't forget to link your layout here if you've made one this month so you are eligible to win one of the awesome prizes this month!!

Check out the awesome layouts the other ladies of the team

Aliza Deutsch

Amy Prior
Angela Gutshall
Jennie McGarvey
Lisa Ottosson
Stephanie Medley-Rath
Van Nguyen
Margie Scarpignato
Monica Bradford
Lisa Day
Janette Kincaid

Thanks for stopping by!!

I love Shearwater Pottery! & 12 on the 12th starts today!!

This is a picture that I took at the local pottery store where I grew up in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. It's called Shearwater Pottery and they make the most gorgeous pieces of artwork and pottery! The colors of the glazes are just spectacular - most are the colors of the coast! Here's a link to their website. I first visited the store on a field trip with my third grade class. I had a little bit of money and I invested in a couple of very small pieces - which I still have!! I also have many many more pieces as I've been collecting ever since then. I have several pieces that were made for everyday use (bowls, plates, cups....) that I do use everyday. Whenever I'm visiting home, I always make Shearwater Pottery run to add more pieces to my collection.

For this layout I used my December Studio Calico kit. I simply cut several strips of paper and layered them in a random starburst type shape. After adhering the strips, I sewed several "rays" through the whole thing to make sure it would stay put!

And don't forget to start your 12 on the 12th today - which means you take 12 pictures on the 12th of each month and then create a scrapbook page with all of those pictures!!

Ella Publishing is having a contest each month - submit a layout by the due date and you are eligible to win an awesome prize!! This month's prizes are some spots in a couple of BPC class

How about a spot in Cathy Zielske's new typography class, Ten Tips for Better Type? Or May Flaum's new creative layout class, The Curious Scrapbooker's Field Guide? All you have to do is stop back at this post and link us to your visual by January 18 for your chance to be eligible to receive a class pass.



Check out all the info here !!

Thanks for stopping by and have fun creating!!

My wonderful Mom!!

My parents were up from Mississippi visiting last week and I snapped this pic of my Mom with my Instax camera. Lately, she doesn't like it when I take her picture because she says it shows too many wrinkles, but this picture is kind of washed out (so like a Polaroid!!) and she really liked it a lot since you can't see her wrinkles!! ROFL! She's the best - and she is a first call Mom!! I used my January Studio Calico kit (bought in December so that's not cheating on my no spend month) to make this and my Silhouette Cameo to cut out the heart tickets. I love that I'm actually still using my Cameo - it must be quick and easy if I'm still using it....LOL! TFL!!

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!!

I have a winner - I used Random.org and got #11 which was

Lori said...

What a great giveaway! I am now a follower!
loriannie670@gmail.com

I am sending you the coupon code right now to use at Ella Publishing!! Congrats and thank you so much everyone for commenting!!

Ella Publishing Take 12 Inspiration Kit Giveaway!!!

Hi everyone!! I have an exciting giveaway to share with you!! You can win a Take 12 Inspiration Kit from Ella Publishing! Simply leave a comment with your email addy on this post. If you become a follower (or are already a follower) I will count your name twice! Just let me know that you are following my blog and don't forget your email address!!

Tackle the 2012 Take Twelve photography and scrapbooking challenge with confidence, thanks to our exclusive Guided Inspiration Kit.


This kit includes five complete products in one!

You'll get:

12 monthly photo checklists

12 bonus project ideas

12-month mini-album idea

12 layout sketches by Donna Jannuzzi

54 printable journaling lists + .png files

24 printable titles + .png files

24 printable calendar accents + .png files

The goal of the 2012 Take Twelve Project is to take 12 photos on the 12th day of each month for a full 12 months—and scrapbook them! You can join in the fun any month of the year, but we hope you'll join in starting January 12. Get the scoop at ellapublishing.com/taketwelve.

Learn more about the history of the Take Twelve project and see our FAQ section.

You have until 10:00 am central time on Jan 11, 2012 to leave a comment. I will draw a name that morning and send the coupon code immediately to you so you can join in the fun on the 12th!!

Exciting News from Ella Publishing!!

I've been invited to the Take Twelve Team for  Ella Publishing Co.'s new Take Twelve photography and scrapbooking challenge !!! The concept is to take 12 pictures on the 12th of each month and make a layout from that for every month of the year!! I am so excited to be a part of the team and to take part in such a fun project!! It's the perfect way to celebrate 2012!

There are lots of ways to participate!



•Get a free email reminder sent to you on the 11th of each month, so you'll never forget to take your photos. Click here to sign up for our email list.

•Take 12 photos of your everyday life on or around the 12th of each month. Need ideas for what things to photograph? Get our Take Twelve Guided Inspiration Kit!

•Turn those 12 photos into a scrapbook page, using your own supplies and ideas—or get help from the sketches, journaling lists, printable titles, and mini calendar accents in our Take Twelve kit.

•Visit our blog on the 12th and the 19th of each month to see Take Twelve layouts from our team and from other readers too.

•Enter your layout into our linky party on the 19th of each month for a chance to win great prizes from our sponsors.

•Feel proud of yourself for making a commitment to preserving precious memories this year.



Here's what you'll get in the Take Twelve Guided Inspiration Kit:

12 monthly photo checklists

12 bonus project ideas

12-month mini-album idea

12 layout sketches

12 printable + .png journaling lists

12 printable + .png titles

12 printable + .png calendar accents

And if you sign up now, you get 12% off the purchase price!! Hurry up and check it out now!! :)

She's Captured my Heart!!

I've been a cat lady all my life but this little dog of mine has totally captured my heart! Not that I've not liked dogs - we've had dogs as well as cats, but the dogs have been big and smelly and liked to stay outside and wallow in dirt!! LOL This little girl stays by my side inside the house wherever I am! She is so excited to see me when I've been gone (even if it's just been to go out and check the mail!!). She sleeps right by my side every night and sits on the couch with me when I watch tv. She's at my feet when I'm eating (yes I share with her!). She stays in the kitchen when I'm cooking and helps me wake Danielle up for school every morning. Yep - she's got me twisted around her little paw - but I don't mind ;)! I used my Silhouette Cameo to cut the title out and my EK Success 3in1 punch to punch the hearts out. Just about everything is from my Dec Studio Calico kit. I just added a few embellies that I have sitting on my scrap table. That's my goal this year - to use the pretties that I have sitting on my table instead of hoarding them. I've accomplished that so far with every layout I've made this year!! Have a great day!

First layouts of 1-1-12

Just a couple of simple layouts I made on Jan 1, 1012. I had a couple of techniques I wanted to try - the weaving and the layering. I like the way they turned out! It's the start of a new year and of my spending freeze so I've started using my scrapbook stash for layouts instead on new product!! Both of these layouts use a combination of different lines of Webster's Pages. Love their paper, but usually have such a hard time using it. So I just used bits and pieces. The snowflakes are even some of their paper diecut using an EK Success punch and then sprayed it with Maya Mist, then layered with some vintage buttons that I got a while ago at an antique store. TFL!!

Exciting News from GCD Studios with Heidi Sonboul!!!!!!

There are going to be be some gorgeous new stuff coming out soon from GCD Studios and I am so excited with Heidi Sonboul's vibrant and gorgeous line - Oh Happy Day!!! The colors are just stunning and the designs are precious!! Here's a little sneak of the pad cover of her new collection

Isn't it so much fun???!!! Can't wait to create with this!! The full reveal will be on Jan 6 on the GCD Studios Blog - come by and check it out!!

Happy new year!!

Wishing everyone a fabulous start to the new year! Hope all your hopes and wishes come true!