More 12 days of Christmas Layouts

I promised to post my 12 Days of Christmas layouts as I completed them, so here they are as promised:

Day 4 focused on Christmas Decor - I took photos of some of the special ornaments and decorations that Have found their way onto my tree and around my various homes for as long as 30 years! ( Yes, that makes me feel very old!!)

My Day 5 task was to create a layout based on seasonal song lyrics.  I was so happy to be able to find a cool way to scrap my fave photos from last Christmas - Joshua as the miserable shepherd in the Christmas Eve Nativity play.  After fighting with the other shepherds over the crooks, jockeying for position around the baby Jesus, and pretending to smoke hay from the manger ( a crowd favourite), Josh finally settled for looking completely bored!  This year he was NOT a shepherd.

It is really great to have the kits all ready to go ( we prepped them in the days before Christmas) - makes completing layouts relatively painless - and I am only 4 days behind!

Happy day, everyone!

12 Layouts of Christmas

I know, I know, I have been MIA, but I have good reasons!  Health and life got int he way once again and so I haven't been near my blog for a while!  However, I have been doing a bit of scrapping (thank you Big Picture Scrapbooking for the 12 days of Christmas Class!).  Just wanted to share a few layouts of the sights and sounds of Christmas at my house!  Please note - I shopped my stash for all of these - nothing was purchased - love using up the older stuff I have kicking around!

Here is my Day One Layout!  (  I finally got a half decent family photo for Christmas! At least everyone is mostly looking and smiling!!)

Now for Day 2:  ( Still trying for that perfect night shot of the tree - I need a tripod!)

And finally, Day 3:  (Time for the annual gingerbread house making extravaganza!)

Stay tuned for the next layouts in my 12 Layouts of Christmas!  I hope you all had a very Happy Holiday and are ready to ring in 2012!

Happy day!

Jacquelin

Surprise! A Layout About . . .

ME!  Yup, it's true - I actually did a  layout about myself - and there are even photos!  I am pretty notorious for avoiding the camera, preferring, as I think most scrappers do, to hide behind the camera and take the pictures!

I recently decided to do a challenge over at WeScrap that was a layout about myself!  YIKES!!!
First, I really had to hunt to find a couple of pictures of me (  and ones that I actually was willing to scrapbook)!  I realized how few photos I have of myself and how I am pretty much absent from our family scrapbooks! 

We all need to create pages about ourselves.  Yes, we hate having our photos taken.  Yes, we are never completely satisfied with the photos of ourselves. Yes, it seem weird to do a page about me.  And YES, your family really wants to see you in the family scrapbooks - they want to know more about you, as a child, as a teen, as a young adult, as a mom, partner, sister, daughter and friend.

My friend Joyce always asks where the photos of me are - everytime I post photos on Facebook - but she is right! ( Do not tell her that though - I will never hear the end of it!)  I need to be in the photos more, and share a bit more of who I am in my scrapbooks!

So here goes - a page about me!

Now let's see one about YOU!!!

Happy Day everyone!

Autumn Splendour Class!

I am so excited to be back teaching again at Scrapbook Parade - I have missed all the lovely and talented ladies there! 

On Saturday October 22nd in the afternoon, I will be teaching a class for my favourite season - FALL!  This is a great opportunity to scrap your fall photos of pumpkin patches, Thanksgiving and leaves!!!

In the class we will make a double layout (using all 4x6 photos), and single layout ( you can use a 5x7 or a 2 horizontal 3.5 x 5's).  We will also make two fall cards to round out the class!
here is a peek ( but check in at Scrapbook Parade to see them in person - and to register!)
 

The cost of the class is just $50 and you will take home your completed layouts and cards, along with a great mini stamp and some new technique ideas for using your little bits of leftovers to create interesting square embellishments! Hope to see you there - call the store 250 727 0372, to register!

Happy Day everyone!!!

From Blog Post to Layout. . .

I finally did a layout about Josh's amazing perseverance in Cross Country running last fall!  I wanted to use the text of my blog post, because I felt  like it really represented how I felt ( and still feel!) about how he inspires me.  It was tough to use that much text on a layout, but I am pretty happy with the result!

It has really inspired me to use more writing on my pages, and to utilize other writing I do ( blog, journals) on my pages!  Do you like journaling?  Or is it more of a chore?  I would love to hear how you use your writing to enhance your photo stories!!!

Happy Day everyone!

Multiphoto madness!

So I took another 1000 photos this summer - it really is ridiculous how many photos I take!!! So I am determined to use lots of photos on some double page layouts this fall, in an attempt to get through the literally thousands of photos I have!

I started with a double page layout using 8 photos  ( all wallet sized) from our (gasp) Spring Break trip to Cathedral Grove, BC.  It is a pretty amazing place - an old growth forest with enormous trees that have been there for hundreds of years! 

I used another great line from Authentique - this one called Splendid :

I haven't been doing a lot of double layouts, but my goal this fall is to do more and to use a lot of photos on each one - we will see how long that lasts!

Are you a single photo or multi photo scrapper?  Do you prefer single or double pages?  Whatever your preference, why not step outside your box and try something new?

Happy Day everyone!

Back to Class - 2011

It is hard to believe it is September and the first week of school is behind us!!  It is always a bittersweet time for me - I miss the kids when they are at school, after having them home for a fun filled summer!  But I also love getting back in to the routine that September brings, and the feeling of a fresh start that comes from the September "New Year"!

My kids still consented to one picture for the first day of school ( actually I threatened and bribed them, but hey. . . I got my photo!)  And I managed to get down to work and actually get the photo scrapped!

Using Pink Paislee's Old School line from 2010, here is my layout:

I am so glad they agreed to this photo - as they continue to get bigger, the opportunities for these special photos become fewer - so thanks to my kiddos - you make your mom proud!

Happy Day, everyone!

"Ad"ded Inspiration!

Have you ever used an advertisement as a jumping off point for a page?  I actually do not typically do this, so it was a great challenge for the Upsy Daisy Design team to use the ad below as the inspiration for our monthy design team submissions!

Here is the original ad:

And here is my layout - all about my first art journaling page!

It was great fun ( and a challenge) to use the advertisement and then come up with a layout!  I hope you will give this challenge a try the next time you find your mojo a little on the SLOW JO!!

Happy Day everyone!

OMG - A Post!

Hey Strangers!

I know, I know, it has been forever, but I wanted let you know I was still around, although our house STILL isn't done and very little scrappy anything is getting done due to the chaos!  But I did get a chance to complete a couple of projects for one of my very favourite companies - Upsy Daisy Designs!

Here is a peek at one of them:

Inspired by the Nickleback song - it is all about the kids' love for Rockband! (OK, I love it, too!) It uses the lovely "See You Later Alligator" line - which is completely adorable and fun!!!

For another quick and easy project that is a great thank you gift, check out my post on The Daisy Diaries blog today!

Happy Scrapping everyone!!

Jacquelin

Top of the Bad Blogger List!!!

I cannot believe a month has gone by since I last posted!  YIKES!  February has proved to be crazy busy, and amid the ongoing renovation saga ( which has turned into a gigantic project!), I have gone back to school to become a Childbirth Educator!  Not to mention all the usual chaos of our busy household!

While sorting through my unfinished projects - I found these using the wonderful products from my friends at Upsy Daisy:

(Products are from the Man About Town II line)

 (From the Avalanche line)

(From the Unwritten line)

Check out the links for even more inspiration from the talented Upsy Daisy Design Team members!

And speaking of Upsy Daisy - congrats to Nicole Nyvall (co owner of Upsy Daisy Designs) on the birth of baby #4 on January 29th - welcome to the world Carter! 

Now that I am back to blogging - look for more designs from Upsy Daisy and updates on the great renovation - which has grown from replacing our main floor flooring and bathroom to flooring upstairs, a huge kitchen/family room reno and updates to the other bathrooms and laundry room!  We must be crazy!!

We Remember

Today we remember all those who lost their lives in war, and pray for peace.

Last year I did this layout about my mom's brother, who died in WWII, and was buried in Holland. I had no photo of him- I used a photo and information from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, which keeps records of where soldiers are buried and has photos of the various cemeteries around the world.


Please take time today to remember and to think about how you can work for peace in our world. For me, that is the best tribute we can offer those who gave their lives so that we can be free to work for peace and justice around the globe.

More Quick and Easy Pages!

I promised yesterday to post a few more of my quick and easy layouts today. I really enjoyed just getting these completed - simple design and just a bit of embellishment really made them come together quickly! The above layout uses a bunch of fun stuff from Jillibean Soup - the layout below uses last year's Christmas line from My Mind's Eye! ( I am using up the stash , too WOOHOO!)

This one uses the Lush line from Kaisercraft:

What is your scrappy style? Mine tends to be fairly eclectic - I love the look of clean and simple, but I am a sucker for anything vintage, so my style ends up being a big combination of a variety of different styles. I never really think of myself as having a particular style, although when people see my layouts at the store, they always seem to know who created them! ( Maybe they just recognize my kids! ;) )

Do you work on developing a particular style? Are you a technique junkie? Clean lines your thing? Or do you prefer shabby chic? Whatever your style, I hope you are finding time to create!!

Happy Day everyone!

17 Minute Pages

Last weekend I taught a 24/7 Marathon class at my LSS, Scrapbook Parade. That means we completed 24 layouts in 7 hours! If you do the math, that works out to about 17 minutes per page!

Together with the 14 fabulous participants and my co teacher Lana Day, we worked like maniacs to complete 20 double and 4 single page layouts! I promised at peek at a few of the layoutson Monday - so here they are!

Lately I have been on a clean and simple, get them finished kick - I have a lot of photos to scrap and I was starting to feel pressure to make every page a masterpiece! If you are like that, and happy - I am jealous! I just felt like I wanted to just get some pages completed - and was feeling overwhelmed with fussing over every detail of every page.

I decided to just get some completed, and I am feeling very happy with the results - and as an added bonus I am now more motivated to really try some new techniques and fun stuff on my next pages!!!

Tomorrow I will have a few more quick and easy pages, plus a couple with a little more detail!
Stay tuned!

True Love - 1951

I am really loving scrapping with the vintage photos I stole from my mom when I was home!

This layout is one of my parents before they were married, taken in Olds, Alberta in 1951. They look so young and happy!!

I am teaching a class for this layout at Scrapbook Parade in November! I just love the papers from the So Sophie and Lost and Found collections from My Mind's Eye! Flowers and lace are from Prima.

Yesterday I taught half of a 24/7 marathon class - 24 layouts in 7 hours! Whew! Exhausting, but a great feeling of accomplishments for the participants when we were all done! That is 17 minutes per page - yikes - I will post some photos tomorrow, along with a few other projects I have been working on. . .

Happy Day everyone!

New paper, old photo

I have been working with the October Kit from Scrapbook Parade , which features some great papers from Kaisercraft's LUSH line. I love the colour combos in this line, but I was having trouble choosing some photos to use it with.

I was searching through one of my old boxes of photos from several years ago ( thank goodness for digital cameras!!! No more boxes!!), and I found one of my favourite photos.

Taken on the day we brought Joshua, our youngest, home from the hospital, it has our eldest daughter Hannah snuggling with her new little brother. I just love it, and it ws great to see their reaction to the layout - Hannah is now 14 and Josh is 8!

Such a gift to find such a great photo - and it means I am going to have to get serious and tackle those boxes soon - who knows what other treasures are hiding in them!!

Happy day everyone!

A little Dusk and Dawn from My Mind's Eye

I love the look of black and white paper and the versatility it gives me when I scrap! I especially love the "Dusk" and "Dawn" collections from My Mind's Eye - these take inspiration from Trisha Ladouceur and of course my own twist on things! And if you are interested in seeing more of Trisha's amazing work, click on her name to check out her blog - she is coming in just two short weeks to teach some very special classes at Scrapbook Parade - I can't wait!!!! Click on the link to check out what she has planned - there may be a couple of spaces left in some classes!!!!

Now back to Dusk and Dawn:

The first one is of Ben - I thought it might be a bit too girly, but I am loving the result!





Next comes Miss Emily - this was a fun and non traditional way of scrapping school photos! ( sorry for the not so great photo quality on this one!)

I really love how this one of Hannah's Grade 9 graduation photos turned out - the blue of her dress really "pop" with the black and white.

If you haven't already - give scrapping with just black and white a try - I am sure you will love the result!

Happy Day everyone!

More Mamarazzi. . . .

I am having a lot of fun with this line of paper from BoBunny!

As promised - I used up the leftovers from the Mamarazzi mini kit and came up with this layout of my lovely daughter Hannah:

I love these self portraits - although she says she looks a little cross-eyed in the one with the camera! That is what happens when you take photos in a mirror - I think she looks fantastic - but I am more than a little biased.

There are still a couple of spots in my class on September 4th at Scrapbook Parade - check out the store blog and website for more info or to register! $30 gets you a fabulous minibook, plus the supplies and instructions for this layout!!! It is a great deal and I would love to have you join me!

I have a bit more of this line that I bought in the summer, so I am thinking I will be doing at least another double layout with it - maybe one of all the times my kids hide their faces from their sort of psychotic, picture takin' mama!

Watch here for more from BoBunny and the other great companies out there!

Happy Day everyone!

Recent pages. . .

I am in love with Upsy Daisy's Home Sweet Home line - great for fall, family - you name it!! Here are a couple of layouts I have just finished with this great product!







I also did this one using Basic Grey's Green at Heart - I am addicted to making handmade flowers of every kind!!!

And this one for a weScrap challenge - using Cosmo Cricket's Snorkel line and based on a sketch by Michelle Galloway:

What is your scrappy agenda these days???

Vintage fun!

I have been working on some older family photos and was so happy to come across this one of my dad. He died when I was just a baby, so I never knew him. He was an amateur radio operator - it was a passion of his and I love this photo of him at his radio.

I used the Communique line from Graphic 45, which I think was a perfect fit for this photo.

I also have been playing around with a few more types of handmade flowers on this layout of my mom and dad leaving their wedding reception for their honeymoon.

I love the original reservation responses for their first night in Calgary and then a couple of nights in Banff, AB. The paper is from the Passport line from Making Memories.

Finally, I hope you will join me - I will be hoppin' with the gals from weScrap today- they have great mini album that I am sure will be awesome!

Happy Day, everyone!!!

Project 12 July Layout

Have you been following Project 12?? I have been trying to do my layouts each months - some have been better than others!!! It is hosted by Scrapbook and Cards Today, and you create a double layout each month. You can click the link in my sidebar for all the info!! Here is my July Layout, based on another great sketch by Becky Fleck!

We had so much fun at Atlantis Waterslides! I am also trying to use up my stash - these papers are from Scenic Route - sadly now out of business - with a few newer ticket embellishments from Tim Holtz, October Afternoon and Jenni Bowlin

While I was on a double layout roll, I also did this one with pics from our strawberry picking adventure earlier in July! I have SO many photos - I am really trying to do more double layouts with lots of pics on the page!!!

This one uses papers and embellishments from Echo Park's Sweet Summertime line. Clean simple and get it done is my current motto. ( Except for when I need to be all vintage and one photo-ish!!!!)

Happy Day everyone!