New Pages

I can't believe it is Friday already....where did the week go? We have had an incredibly busy week so it feels good to be approaching the weekend. We are constantly on the go....between school, swimming lessons, ice skating, girl scouts, choir practice, and basketball......life is hopping.

When the kids go to bed, I unwind by working....ok, I'll be honest "playing" on the computer....here are some of the pages that I have created over the last couple of weeks...

All products are from Designer Digitals.

Fall is certainly in the air here. The temperatures are beginning to drop and the colors are starting to change. I love fall. It is my absolute favorite time to take pictures so I'm excited about the changes that are occurring.

I hope you had a great week. Thanks for stopping by!

The Weekend

The weekend through my lens...

Thanks for stopping by...have a great day!

Baby Announcements

Baby announcements are one of my most favorite things to create. I created this announcement for my dear friends. They had some amazing photos from the hospital that were done by Baby's First Photos. I took the group shot of Sophia and her brothers. I immediately fell in love with the photos from the hospital...isn't she GORGEOUS. I couldn't wait to do these announcements. I really wanted them to be clean and simple because the photos captured her beauty so well.

All products are from Designer Digitals.

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend!

Clusters

Before we dive into today's topic, I just wanted to mention something about leaving comments on my blog. I have had a number of people tell me that they wanted to leave a comment but couldn't seem to get it to work. Honestly, I couldn't figure out how to do so as well but thankfully my husband shed some light on the situation. When you come to my blog, it just goes to the main page. If you click on the title for a particular blog post, a spot appears on the bottom where you can leave a comment. Please feel free to leave comments. I would love the feedback and also input as to what things you might like to see me cover on my blog.

Whenever I'm involved in something, I always try to figure out what my strengths and weaknesses are. I think it is important to do this so that I can try to improve in whatever I am doing. I am constantly evaluating my parenting skills....that is for sure!

As a scrapbooker, there are things that I think I do alright with....I feel very comfortable designing a page, selecting the right photos for the page and of course blending. There are things that I am not very good at. Clustering elements would certainly be one of those things. A cluster is basically a group of products that bring interest to the page and help the viewer's eye move around the page.

I recently completed the page below, Sneaky. When I look at this page, I can see a cluster on the top left that includes a bunny, a word disc and a date tag. I also have a cluster on the left hand side that includes a leaf, flower, and twill. I don't know if this could be "technically" considered a cluster because it is only one element but I have a heart in the middle of the photo cluster. I believe that heart does what the other clusters accomplish, it makes your eye travel to that part of the page.

Well, recently a dear friend of mine Kayleigh started designing clusters for those of us who struggle in this area. Kayleigh is BRILLIANT at using products. I wish my mind worked like hers. Kayleigh's blog can be found here. Her cluster of elements can be found under the Studio DD area at Designer Digitals. You will also find some wonderful templates. She has another beautiful one coming out this weekened called Family Element Clusters. I used it on the page below. It made this page come together in no time....love it when that happens.

Here are some other clusters that are available....believe me they make life a whole lot easier.

I encourage you to look at your pages and figure out what your strengths and weaknesses are. If designing a page, isn't your cup of tea......work with a template or scraplift. If you can't figure out how to do a title, look through an online gallery for ideas. There are so many great resources available to inspire us, we just need to access them and enjoy the entire process of scrapbooking.

Have a wonderful day and thanks for stopping by!

Project 365 - Week 37

We are on Week 37 of Project 365. I think it is hard to believe. I have really tried to stay caught up all year and it is paying off. I have added some "special events" pages this year so it is turning out to be more work but I think I am going to be happier when it is all said and done. I'm so glad that I have a template to work with and the pages don't take much time at all. I think that is probably the key for me.

Here is my latest spread. It includes a "back to school" page on the left and just every day photos on the right.

Here is a look at a few of the other recent pages for this project:

All products are from Designer Digitals.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great week!

Blending and Beyond - Early Bird Sale

This is just a reminder that the early bird sale for Blending and Beyond will expire tomorrow (9/16). If you are interested in taking this course at Getting It Scrapped, you can find additional information here.

Have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by!

Quinn's First Day of Preschool

Today was Quinn's first day of preschool. He is going two mornings a week which is perfect for him. I was a little sad when I really thought about it but he was so excited, I just kept focusing on that. He had an awesome day.....here are a few shots....

Good-bye hugs....

When I walked in to get him, this is what I had charging at me....

Life is pretty awesome!

Selvage Frames

I thought it would be fun to show you a product that I find myself going to over and over again lately. I love these Selvage Frames by Katie Pertiet. I was immediately drawn to these frames because of the colors and textures.

You might not be able to see the frame here but I used it on the edges of the main portion of the image. I used a blending mode and then positioned it so that it was on the very edge of the image. I love the worn look and color it gives.

I have also used it behind some of my framed images to create a matte for them. I used blending modes on both of these images as well. I just love the rugged edge and how they create a soft home for my framed photos.

The sale is still going on at Designer Digitals. If you haven't looked at these frames, you might want to consider them. I'm certainly glad that I have them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!

Back to School

The girls headed back to school today. They were both so excited. Ellie is in second grade and Amelia is going to half day kindergarten in the afternoon. I am thrilled that I will still get to spend so much time with her. Here are some shots from the day...

Ellie went to school in the morning and we headed to the park for awhile. Then we took a few more photos before Mia got on the bus. She was so thrilled to be riding the bus.

The following photos are from this afternoon when we picked them up from school. I think somebody missed his sisters.

The girls both loved their teachers and had so much to tell us. The walk/scoot home from school....what a great day!

Blending and Beyond - Registration Open

I have wanted to teach a class on blending for a LONG time. Today I am thrilled to tell you that registration is now open for "Blending and Beyond" which will be offered this fall at Getting It Scrapped. I want to give a special "thank you" to Debbie Hodge for giving me this opportunity. She has been AMAZING to work with and I think you will really enjoy the format of the class.




The class will be six weeks long and will start on October 10th. The class will consist of recorded webinars as well as live webinars. I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I am about this format. I think it will be a great way to share my "go-to" techniques and allow you to ask questions along the way. Each lesson will come right from my desktop as you watch every step of my creative process. I have created six new layouts for this course that are packed with the techniques that I use daily on my pages. I hope that these pages and techniques inspire you to look at your photos in a new light. There will be a private forum and gallery for you to share the art that you are creating. I cannot wait to see what you create!

Here is a sneak peek at the layout that I will be creating for Week 2....

All products are from Designer Digitals.

More specific information related to the course can be found here.

I hope you will be able to sit next to me on this journey. I am confident that you will see your pages in a whole new light. I look forward to seeing you in class!