My Digital Scrapbook

Back at It.

2009-07-31T10:27:00.000-07:00

So, now that E-man is here and we're on a pretty good schedule, I decided to try scrapping a little bit here and there. I am SO FAR BEHIND on my blessings pages, but I will catch up...one day. In the meantime, here are three pages I did today. I feel like the Prince one is missing something, but it will work for now.

HD's Little Feet
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E-man's Little Feet
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Pregnancy Journal: Weeks 26, 28, 38

2009-06-24T14:20:00.000-07:00

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52 Blessings: Week 35

2009-06-24T14:18:00.000-07:00

My blessing this week are my sisters. I got to see four of the five this weekend at my baby shower. I love all these women! They are best friends in the world and I love the time we get together. I missed having Carrie there, but was grateful the rest made the trip just for me. So blessed!

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Pregnancy Journal

2009-06-09T13:22:00.000-07:00

I have journaled my whole pregnancy (on my blog) and decided it was time to scrap the journaling and the pictures. So glad I've kept track. Already it's fun to go back through and read each step along the way. And it helps pass the time until he gets here...it's starting to feel like time is slowing down - just when I need it to speed up! Hopefully this will help.

Here are the two pages I did today...

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52 Blessings: Week 34

2009-06-07T13:19:00.000-07:00

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My brother-in-law and his sweet new wife. Watching two people fall in love, choose marriage and then be sealed in the temple is an amazing blessing. These two are perfect for each other...like two puzzle pieces that finally came together. It was a blessing to witness their sealing and the joy it brought to them and to their families. We're so lucky to have Brittany as part of our family!

52 Blessings: Week 33

2009-05-26T13:08:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am about two weeks behind. With in-laws and wedding plans and baby plans and...well everything, I just haven't scrapped much. But when I saw these pictures and how they turned out, I couldn't pass up a blessings page. We are so blessed to have been able to spend the last few weeks with Matt's parents and family. HD's Nonni love her so much and she loves their adoring attention. What a blessing to have such great grandparents!

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52 Blessings: Weeks 31 & 32

2009-05-03T21:36:00.000-07:00

Week 31: My Growing Belly - Even though it's hard to watch my belly grown week by week, I'm grateful as well because it means my boy is growing, too. I'm grateful he's getting stronger week by week. So instead of whining about my weight and my size, I've decided to recognize it for the blessing it is!

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Week 32: Peaceful Sundays - With our lives seeming to be increasingly busy, Sundays are a special blessing. It gives us a chance to stop, reflect, meditate and spend time together - and even (occasionally) sneak in an afternoon nap.

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52 Blessings: Week 30

2009-04-19T10:33:00.000-07:00

Health! After a lingering two weeks of sickness, allergies, bad nights, housebound days, etc. I am more grateful than ever for good health. Even with all these sicknesses, we still enjoy relative good health. And I am more aware of what a blessing it is to not be sick. Hopefully we'll all start feeling better - and stay that way for awhile!

52 Blessings: Week 29

2009-04-12T19:56:00.000-07:00

This week my blessing is the Resurrection. I am grateful for Easter and the reminder it provides. The chance to reflect on the life of Jesus Christ, on His great sacrifice, and the Resurrection is an amazing blessing. I am grateful for my testimony in Him as a our Resurrected Savior. I am grateful for that most unselfish act. And I am grateful that I too can live again.

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52 Blessings: Weeks 27 and 28

2009-04-09T07:14:00.000-07:00

I know I'm behind again and I know it's Thursday, not Sunday, but I had a tough time getting these two together. I knew what I wanted to say and what my blessings were, but scrapping them was more difficult than I expected. However, I am really pleased with how they turned out. I can't believe I'm over halfway done with my blessings project. Very exciting!

Week 27: SAHM I feel blessed that right now, I can stay home with my little girl. With the way the economy is and the nature of life, I don't know if that is something I can always do. But right now, it is one of my greatest blessings. And maybe one I take for granted, without meaning to.

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Week 28: My Girls I spent last weekend with my sisters (all but one) and Mom in Park City. I love all these women. They are my best friends. We have so much fun together and they can make me laugh like no one else can. It felt good to laugh like that again. They are all amazing examples. What a treat to be their daughter and sister.

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52 Blessings: Week 26

2009-03-22T15:18:00.000-07:00

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My blessing for this week is my new quilt. I don't know that the quilt is actually a blessing yet (hopefully it will be to HD when she uses it) but the development of this particular talent is a blessing. I really, really enjoyed working on it and have a sense of accomplishment that is awesome. I'm grateful to my mom and a few friends for inspiring me to try this out. And for my mom's help and use of her sewing machine. Such a blessing to complete a project!

52 Blessings: Week 25

2009-03-15T19:48:00.000-07:00

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I love having a clean house. And with HD being sick this week and being housebound, I spent a lot of time working on it. It feels so good!

My Story Matters: Parts 2 and 3

2009-03-12T14:18:00.000-07:00

I am still doing the My Story Matters challenge at ScrapMatters. It is such a fun way to really do some personal history. And hopefully, my children will enjoy reading these pages as much as I enjoy putting them together.

Part 2 was to journal about my name...

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And Part 3 was about my hometown, which as an Army Brat I didn't really have. But I did journal about what life was like...

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52 Blessings: Week 24

2009-03-08T20:48:00.000-07:00

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This week is simple...Time Together. Even though I am grateful for any time we have together, spending a week away from the stress and worry of everything gave me more of an opportunity to realize how much I love being with Matt and HD. It was so nice for it be just us for most of the week - to really get to talk and laugh and enjoy each other's company. Really a blessing during a busy, busy time in our lives!

52 Blessings: Week 22 and 23

2009-03-01T19:50:00.000-08:00

I think I actually missed a week in there, but we're going to call it good...I might be a week behind, but in the end, when there are 52 pages, I don't think I'll mind.

The past few weeks there have been so many blessings come to mind. I might use those in the future. But these two definitely stood out in my mind the most...

Blessing 22: Tender Mercies - Although tender mercies come in so many shapes and forms every day of my life, this page is about a blog post I did on my other blog. The reminder of my calling as mother and it's importance, and my sweet daughter who "loves me anyway", has come at a much-needed time. I'm grateful for the little reminders every day.

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Blessing 23: Five Years - Matt and I celebrated our fifth anniversary yesterday. It's been an amazing five years. I really don't think I could ask for more. And I am so glad I'm "stuck" with this guy forever. Looking forward to the next five...and the next five...and the next five...and, well, you get the idea.

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Adoption - for my sister..

2009-02-13T07:26:00.000-08:00

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My sister just adopted her little boy two weeks ago. They had a "placement" ceremony in the hospital chapel where the birthmother placed her child in my sister's hands. I wasn't able to attend but was so moved by the pictures and the emotion that I had to (with her permission) scrap them. Adoption has now blessed my family twice. We love the birthmothers so much and recognize their love and sacrifice.

My Story Matters

2009-02-12T12:33:00.000-08:00

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There is a new challenge going on over at ScrapMatters, challenging us a chance to do a little personal history. This month the challenge is to scrap our birth stories. I'm lucky because my mom did an excellent job at journaling for us ... written in our perspective. Such a fun page to do and fun to go back and read the story from "my point of view". I love this challenge and hope I can keep going with it!

New Kit: Tropical Daiquiri

2009-02-11T15:40:00.000-08:00

I just got to scrap with the new kit that Brianna came out with a few weeks ago. It really made me miss summer...and the beach...and California...and...well, you get the idea.

First, here's the kit...Tropical Daiquiri! So pretty!{Available at Snap and Scrap.}
Chock full of papers and flowers and FOUR alphabets and so many fun elements. I dare you not to have fun with it!

And my page:

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Isn't it so great?! I LOVE all the flowers she put in there. So pretty and tropical. Anyway, it's always fun to get and use a new kit, so check it out.

52 Blessings: Week 21

2009-02-09T08:26:00.000-08:00

This week's blessing is my new nephew, who I like to call Z-man. He joined our family two weeks ago. This is my sister's second baby, second adoption. She and her husband headed to Colorado at the end of January to await his arrival and left 1 1/2 weeks later to head home. We were so lucky that our house was on their way home and we got to spend the evening and night with them. What a sweet, and tiny, little guy. So glad he's part of our family!

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Also, I did a couple of pages for challenges at ScrapMatters last week. It's been so nice to get back into scrapping. I love it!

This was a Tuesday Template challenge. HD just looked too cute last week to not take pictures. What a doll face!

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This was for a Scraplift challenge. We had to scraplift Brittney of Britt-ish Designs. Not hard to do at all. I LOVE her style and I already scraplift her on a regular basis. I really love, love, love this page!

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Speed Scrap

2009-02-04T13:40:00.000-08:00

I haven't done a speed scrap in a long, long time. I think it's been at least four months. But today, they had a daytime scrap, right during HD's nap. So I did it! It was so fun. I remember now why I love them. The hardest part of this one was finding an animal that "fit" but I love this birdie! So fun!

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Word Up Challenge: For the LOVE of Chocolate.

2009-02-02T13:18:00.000-08:00

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I haven't done a challenge in a long time. And the alpha was awesome so I couldn't pass up the chance to use it...and to scrap these fun pictures!

52 Blessings: Weeks 19 and 20

2009-02-01T07:57:00.000-08:00

Week 20: My Mom
She is my greatest blessing. Everything I am, I owe to her. She is an incredible woman and never ceases to amaze. And today is her birthday! Happy Birthday, Mom! I love you.

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Week 19: Scriptures

During particularly difficult times, I find so much strength and comfort in the scriptures. And when I don't read, I can tell. I'm grateful for the perspective I get when I do m y daily scripture study.{credits}

HD Two Years.

2009-01-29T13:42:00.000-08:00

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I was reminded by a friend that I never did HD's Two Year page (I did a similar one last year). And I had a free afternoon, with a clean house, so I did it. I LOVE how it turned out, but even more I loved going back through HD's pictures from the last year. Time goes by way too quickly.

Catching up on my Blessings.

2009-01-18T19:38:00.001-08:00

I haven't posted my blessings pages in a long time. I've been doing them here and there, but not posting. So here they are...weeks 15-18.

Week 15: Jesus Christ's Birth
During the holidays, I kept thinking about the birth of our Savior and what His coming to this earth meant for me personally. Of course, it is my greatest blessing, for it leads to all other blessings.

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Week 16: New Addition

Of course this has been on my mind. It's on my mind all the time. And what an awesome blessing to be enjoying right now! I love it!{credits}

Week 17: Reading

This one has been on my mind a lot this year, as I've set a new goal to read more. I've really gotten back into choosing reading over other hobbies and pastimes. It's been awesome! Now when you see me, I have my nose in a book.{credits}

Week 18: Date Night
Matt and I had such a fun date last night. I'm embarassed to admit how long it's been since we've been on a real date, just the two of us. Let's just say, it's been awhile. But I am so glad we got the chance. Even as low-key and "boring" as it could be considered, it was just what we needed!

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Okay, I'm all caught up. I'll try to be better about blogging my pages!

Another Christmas page.

2008-12-22T09:17:00.000-08:00

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52 Blessings: Week 14

2008-12-21T15:16:00.000-08:00

My blessing this week is my family. With my brother's return from his LDS mission to Paris, France we were ALL together. All 27 of us! It was awesome. We couldn't remember the last time we were all together...and sadly we don't know when it will happen again.

I absolutely love my family. Always have. Always will. Even though it was just a few hours, I loved that we were all together again. I love that we are all back in the same country. I love that EJ brings out the best in all of us. I love my parents for loving each other and teaching us to love. And for raising us to be friends. I love that my sisters have all married amazing men. I love my nieces and nephews and the wonderful cousins they are to my little HD. I really am blessed to be part of such an amazing family!

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Christmas Angel.

2008-12-16T14:06:00.000-08:00

I just had to scrap this picture of HD. Her little grin captures so much of her personality. And of course I had to use Breeza's awesome kit (Candied Christmas) again!

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52 Blesssings: Week 13

2008-12-16T14:04:00.000-08:00

I know it's Tuesday, but I just got this one done. I'm still trying to decide what I think of it. But I really do think it's a blessing to have a tree. I have loved seeing HD's excitement at the lights and bows. And the smell is divine. It's a simple tree and we love it that way!{credits}

52 Blessings: Week 11

2008-12-13T09:53:00.000-08:00

I'm catching up with last week. I thought about doing pictures of my 30 November Blessings, but decided just to do the list. I liked the simplicity of the page.

I really believe that gratitude is a blessing. The opportunity to step back and recognize what we have in our lives blesses us and those around us. I loved keeping track during November and seeing how blessed I really am....even in the little things.

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New Kit: Candied Christmas

2008-12-09T15:26:00.000-08:00

Bree just released her new Christmas kit, "Candied Christmas". Such fun colors.

I scrapped this page this afternoon...and have more in mind. Thanks for another great kit, Bree!

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52 Blessings: Week 12

2008-12-07T14:34:00.000-08:00

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I know, I skipped Week 11. I have the blessing in mind...just trying to figure out how to scrap it. But I really wanted to do this page because it's been on my mind so much in the last little while. I am so grateful to our troops and their sacrifices. For their willingness to leave their families to serve our country, all the while putting themselves in harm's way.

I have a friend whose husband will return from his deployment next week. He has kept a blog going while he's been in Iraq and the other day, while reading his post about being thankful, I just started to cry. His words seemed to echo what I can imagine so many other soldiers are thinking at this time. During the holidays, these soldiers are missing out on so much, and yet, they volunteered their time to do it. We all owe them so much - whether we agree with the war or not. Our soldiers need our love and our support. Now more than ever.

52 Blessings: Weeks 9 and 10

2008-11-23T14:54:00.000-08:00

I haven't done a lot of scrapping in the past couple of weeks. And the only pages I've really done, I can't show here because they are part of my gift for my secret sibling Christmas gift. But I've had my blessings project on my mind a lot. It seems right now I have so many blessings - big and small - that it's almost overwhelming to choose which ones to scrap. Not a bad place to be. So this week, I narrowed my blessings down to two that I wanted to scrap....this is what I came up with.

Week 9: Young Women

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I work with the teenage girls in my congregation (to learn more click here and here). It's not the easiest thing I've ever done and the last couple of weeks were particularly difficult. But now, looking back, I learned so much during this particularly stressful time. And I have a greater appreciation for my girls and their struggles. I really am grateful for all of "my" girls and the opportunity to work with them and to be a part of their lives.

Week 10: Christmas Music

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I love Christmas music and anxiously await the day it's "allowed" in our house - the day after my birthday. It just makes everything feel right. This year I am listening to Josh Groban's Noel a lot. It's my favorite - now two years in a row. He has such an amazing voice!

Leaf Pages.

2008-11-12T21:12:00.000-08:00

Click pages for credits.

Another new kit by Breeza.

2008-11-10T21:26:00.000-08:00

Breeza just whipped out this beauty last week. So much fun. I love how much there is going on with this kit. I can't wait to use it again and again.

I really wanted to scrap this picture and this kit was perfect.

And then I thought it went well with leaf pictures from Saturday...

52 Blessings: Week 8

2008-11-09T18:49:00.000-08:00

After reading the Declaration of Independence again this week, I truly am grateful for the most important and inspired document of our nation's history. And I'm grateful for our forefather and their sacrifices. Our right to vote wouldn't exist without them.

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Scrap'It Designs QP Blog Train

2008-11-05T05:30:00.000-08:00

Welcome to your last stop on the 'Scrap'it QP freebie Blog Train'. Hopefully you've visted everyone else, but in case you missed someone (quite a few time zones involved), here's the list:

All the stops:
1. Bree's Blog ------> First stop!!
2. Melissa's Blog
3. Sharon's Blog
4. Cristina's Blog
5. Rachel's Blog ------> You are here!!

To celebrate Brianna's release of her beautiful kit, Lavender Mint-berry Cream, available at Snap and Scrap and Scrapm atters, I too have created a couple of Quick Pages.

If you hurry you can grab it at Snap and Scrap for 30% off until Friday!!!

And here are my pages!

Hope you enjoy using them as much as I enjoyed making them!

Lavender Mint-berry Cream and Glinda.

2008-11-03T18:32:00.000-08:00

Breeza just designed this awesome new kit...
...available at ScrapMatters & Snap and Scrap.

And so I created this page...

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I am really pleased with how it turned out. I used Pioneer Woman's Soft and Faded action to get the photo just right. I can't wait to do a few more pages. This kit goes perfectly with HD's costume.

And check back here on Wednesday for a QP blog train!

Trick-or-Treat

2008-11-03T13:27:00.000-08:00

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52 Blessings: Week 7

2008-11-03T11:38:00.000-08:00

So it seems this is turning into a Monday instead of a Sunday project. It just seems like I can't ever get a page completed and uploaded on a Sunday. I'll keep trying though.

Anyway, it's finally starting to feel like fall here and I've been so happy. I love the fall! So, my greatest blessing this week is my favorite season.

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A Halloween Page.

2008-10-31T13:52:00.000-07:00

In honor of the day...

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52 Blessings: Week 6

2008-10-28T08:21:00.000-07:00

I'm grateful for HD's little friends. Although she is still kind of into playing by herself, slowing she is learning to play more and more with other kids. They are all so fun and take good care of her at playgroup - pushing her on the swing, helping her up the jungle gym and down the slide. It's so fun. Plus they can make her laugh - especially GB - which I love! And as an added bonus, I get to "play" with my friends while she plays with hers. What would we do without little friends?

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52 Blessings: Week 5

2008-10-19T14:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I ran a 5K that was set up to raise money for Stephanie Nielson's recovery. It was a really fun race with lots of kids and happy people! And for the first time, I actually took HD with me for a race. I loved having her with me and listening to excitement as people cheered us on.
As I ran I thought about how much of a blessing running is. It helps me stay in shape. It gets me outside (except when it's freezing cold). It allows me to spend time with family members when we run races. I get cool t-shirts. It's a good hour of time with HD. The reasons go on and on. I'm so grateful for running...and that it's a hobby that I really do enjoy.

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Three weeks worth of pages...

2008-10-17T12:53:00.000-07:00

From a Speed Scrap about three weeks ago at SM.
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Tuesday Template challenge at SM. Love this kit by Britt-ish Designs. Seriously so fun!
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For a scrap challenge hosted by onehm at Tangie Baxter's Loft.
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These two were to fulfill my CT responsibilities with Breeza.

For a scraplift challenge at SM.
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Tuesday Template challenge at SM.

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52 Blessings: Week 4

2008-10-12T12:43:00.000-07:00

My little brother, serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Paris, France is my blessing this week. He turned 21 on Saturday so I've been thinking a lot about him. He is such a good example to me. I love reading his emails and letters and getting pictures. Only two months and he'll be home!

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Fairies.

2008-10-07T14:15:00.000-07:00

Bree from Scrap'it Designs just released the coolest kit. You can get it at ScrapMatters and soon at Snap and Scrap.
It really is beautiful and has so many possibilities.

This is the LO I did with this kit.

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So much fun...and so many other ideas floating around.

52 Blessings: Week 3

2008-10-05T19:43:00.000-07:00

With it being General Conference, all I could think about is how grateful I am for living prophets and for continued revelation. It is always so nice to listen to the prophet's counsel and to know that his words are the words of our Father in Heaven. I really love listening to President Monson speak. He is so kind and uplifting...and he tells the best stories!

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{If you'd like, you can learn more about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Saints by clicking here and more about living prophets by clicking here.}

Big Week in my Scrapping World

2008-09-29T08:41:00.000-07:00

First off, two weeks ago I submitted this page to Scrap It by Breeza's Creative Team call. (The page had to use 75% of her designs.) Then on Wednesday - Friday she displayed my LO (along with 8 others) on her blog and asked her blog readers to vote on their favorite. The top two LOs with most votes would be on her creative team and guess what, I was one of those! So I'm on a creative team! Yahoo! I am so excited and I can't wait to get to "work"!

Then, I got a few more pages done last week. I realized that I still have a lot of Italy pictures to scrap so I started using challenges at ScrapMatters to do some of those pages. I really like how they are turning out. I think my creative juices must have been flowing. These are the three I finished:{credits}

Cortina was a page I did as part of a Telephone Challenge at SM.

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Slovenia was done for a Speed Scrap.

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I entered Vajont Dam into a template challenge over at Tangie Baxter's Loft and I won! I was so excited. It's always fun to be recognized and especially for a page I really love and can't wait to print.

I also scrapped this page for a Tuesday Template challenge. Looks a lot like this one, huh? Kind of fun to be able to do that since these two pages will go in two different albums - HD's and my 52 Blessings book.

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Oh, and when I have weeks like this, when I do a lot of pages, I get asked a lot how I have the time to do it all...in all honesty, I just do. It's one of my favorite pasttimes, so if I can find the time, I'm going to scrap. And these pages really just flowed. None of them took much longer than an hour and all were done during nap time or after HD was asleep. Oh, and Matt has been studying a lot this week and was out of town on Thursday and Friday, so I can spend my evenings and nights in front of the computer without feeling guilty!

52 Blessings: Week 2

2008-09-28T20:32:00.000-07:00

I took this picture of HD while up at Sundance visiting a friend's cabin last week. It's just got a little glimpse into her personality (and of course her best friend). This is a blessing I am reminded of on a daily basis when I get her out of her crib, spend my whole day with her and then kiss her goodnight. Love this girl! This is the same LO/template I used for a template challenge, so I revamped it and used it again. Love when I can do that.

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52 Blessings: Week 1

2008-09-21T20:47:00.000-07:00

I have been inspired by fellow scrappers/bloggers to create a page counting my blessings for the next year. Once I'm done, hopefully I'll have a nice album full of all my blessings.

Challenges.

2008-09-18T14:22:00.001-07:00

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Saturday Special - We had to scrap a wedding photo. Almost makes me want to go back and do all my wedding photos. Almost...

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Tuesday Template Challenge - I LOVE these pictures of HD. Seriously that little face just kills me.

I did these pages this week for challenges at ScrapMatters. It was fun to work with reds, browns and blacks. A little different from my norm.

Recent Pages

2008-09-15T20:06:00.000-07:00

Saturday Special. Instructions: "your title has to be clever".
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For a Speed Scrap.
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Tuesday Template Challenge. Instructions: Scrap about someone special to you.
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Tuesday Template Challenge.
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Laurel Binders

2008-09-15T20:00:00.000-07:00

My sweet laurels reminded me yesterday that I still hadn't done their binders. Wow. I felt so bad. In all honesty, this summer was SO busy that I completely forgot about their binders. Anyway, after the reminder I spent quite a bit of time getting everything together and ready to print. These are some of the "fun" pages that I did. I'd post the others but they have the girls' names all over them.
I used Sprite by E-Zane and Britt-ish Designs.

Disneyland Pages

2008-08-31T16:46:00.000-07:00

I have SO many Disneyland pictures to scrap that it's a little intimidating/overwhelming to sit down and scrap them all. So instead I just do one or two at a time. Brittney, of Britt-ish Designs, does quite a few Disney-themed kits and I love them all!

This I did for a Tuesday Template Challenge at ScrapMatters last week. Credits.

And this one was for this week's Saturday Special at SM. I am really pleased how this turned out. I especially like the black and white photo with the recolored castle. Credits.

Baby B and Baby G

2008-08-29T13:54:00.000-07:00

For Baby B's Baby Shower. Credits here.

Sweet Baby G's Announcement. I created the lattice pattern and polka dots. So much fun! And isn't he a doll?!

A few more pages...

2008-08-29T13:04:00.000-07:00

Credits.

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For a Speed Scrap. Although I missed the actual SS, I went back and followed the instructions. It was a really fun one!

Credits.
I have to say I LOVE the dinosaurs on this page. I just extracted them from the various pictures I took that day. Love how it turned out.

Olympic Scrapping.

2008-08-14T18:12:00.000-07:00

The week at ScrapMatters, Britt hosted Olympic Challenges. There were four different challenges, each with a different them. It was so much fun and I got a lot done thanks to the challenges! Check it out:

1. Opening Ceremonies:
She gave a list of 6 requirements and we had to pick two. The two I chose were to 1) use colors from my country's flag and 2) to scrap a picture from a holiday. {credits}

2. Go for the Gold:
The challenge here was to scrap an emotion. While almost everyone else did joy or excitement, I chose this sad one because of how much emotion it displays. My daughter...the drama queen. {credits}

3. Triathlon:
For this one you had to use three pictures, three buttons, three papers and 3 words in the title - and then anything you want after that. Oh, and we had to complete it in the three days from when the challenge was issued. Pink and green are not the usual colors I would use when scrapping a race, but I had fun! {credits}

4. Swimming:
The challenge for this one spelled SWIM:

Scallops
White
Inked Edges
Multiple photos

I had SO much fun with this page. More fun than should be allowed. These pictures just cracked me up and it was fun to do a different kind of page {credits}

And finally, this one was a Speed Scrap on Monday morning...
I had a tougher time with this SS than I usually do, but it came together in the end. I LOVE this song by Jason Mraz and listen to it daily. {credits}

And my latest pages...

2008-07-25T16:26:00.000-07:00

The top two were for a challenge at, where else, ScrapMatters. The Saturday Special Challenge was to re-scrap a previous page. I've never loved my original Blessing Day page so I jumped at the chance to redo it.

The second and third were just a LO I created today after receiving Britt's show-off gift - four templates. Yahoo!

And lastly, the Kuhtai pages - the first one was for the Tuesday Template challenge. For that, in addition to using the template, we had to use a movie quote. I figured Warren Miller films are perfect for a ski page. The second one I did so I could have a two-pager.

{And all the credits can be found in my SM gallery.}

So that's what I've been doing the past few days (. And this is all the scrapping I'll do until I'm back from camp next week. A whole week without any scrapping! Wow...I'm sure I'll go through withdrawals after becoming re-addicted again. But I will survive.

Addicted to Speed!

2008-07-22T19:45:00.000-07:00

I did another Speed Scrap tonight. Here are the instructions:

1. Find two pictures. One needs to have more than one person in it. The other can be anything or anyone you want. The pictures need to be side by side or one on top of the other but not touching.
2. Next pick three papers. These are to be layered as your background. The top paper should be a very subtle print. They need to be centered on top of each other. Sort of like they are bordering each other with the subtle print on top. Sorry, I should have had this be the first rule not the second.
3. Frame your photos and connect them some how but don’t have the frames touch each other. I want straight, clean lines so don’t tilt the photos or the frames. You can use ribbons, staples, stitching, anything you want to attach the frames.
4. Stitch down your papers anyway you want to. Add some sort of trim below your photos if they are horizontal on your page and along side your photos if the are vertical.
5. Now embellish your trim with anything you want to.
6. Date your LO with a tag or a paper strip or a date stamp. Don’t just put the date in a text. Put it on something.
7. Now add your title close to your photos. You should end up with quite a bit of open space that you can leave empty or fill it up with what ever you want once you complete the required rules.

And my page:

{Credits}

So fun! I love that speed scrapping forces me to think outside the box!

My New Favorite Page

2008-07-16T16:42:00.001-07:00

I did this one day while HD took a 3-HOUR NAP! Yahoo! It was for a Tuesday Template Challenge at ScrapMatters.

I found a great kit at Raspberry Road Designs, which was perfect. My favorite thing about the page is the butterflies and flowers coming out of the envelope. That was my fun trick for the day!

{Credits}

Two more...

2008-07-15T20:51:00.000-07:00

This one I did for Brittney's Show Off (I missed the deadline last week so I really wanted to get this done before we leave for CA). Anyway, this kit is called "Mermaid Lagoon" and I love it. I really want to use it more and more, and I can't wait until I have pictures so I can.

{Credits}

And this one I did for another challenge at ScrapMatters. The challenge was this: "I want you to write about something funny that someone you love said. But, not only about what they said, but the funny, cute, or endearing way that they said it. " Of course I love the way HD says balloon and now I finally got it scrapped. Yay for challenges!

{Credits}

A Softer Side.

2008-07-14T22:10:00.000-07:00

Last week my friend Ashley took HD's 18-month pictures. She did a great job! So, I scrapped just a couple today. I still want to do at least one more page to pair up with this one:

{Credits.}

And this one was for the challenge at Tangie Baxter's Loft.

{Credits.}

Black, White and Red All Over.

2008-07-10T16:14:00.003-07:00

For a template challenge at ScrapMatters. Credits here.

For a challenge at Tangie Baxter's Loft. Credits here.

Scraplifted from here. Credits here.

Don't know what's gotten into me but I'm all about black and red with the last few pages I've done.

The Little Things

2008-07-09T14:35:00.000-07:00

The page that corresponds with my blog post.

Credits here.

Still scrappin' away!

2008-07-07T14:47:00.003-07:00

A picture from this July 4th - more to come later.

Credits here.

For the Tuesday Template Challenge at ScrapMatters.

Credits here.

Another couple of page...

2008-07-03T13:21:00.000-07:00

I have been scrapping so much this week. Mainly after HD is in bed and a little during nap time. It's nice to have a little more time to do this after almost no time for the last two months.

I did this page as part of a challenge at SM. The challenge was to journal from someone else's perspective. I thought this pictures were perfect for the Carl's Jr. slogan. It works, doesn't it?

Credits here.

This page I finished this morning as soon as I woke up. I was struggling with the title last night so I saved it and put it aside. Then, in the middle of the night, I had the idea to do the title as a sign. I'm really pleased with how it turned out.

Credits here.

Crazy Night Speed Scrap

2008-07-01T19:55:00.001-07:00

I did another Speed Scrap tonight. It wasn't as smooth as last week because:

1. HD didn't go to bed very well because of diaper rash, so she ended up watching Nemo in the office while Matt did his thing and I scrapped.
2. The scrapper giving instructions had a power outage and so we waited for 1/2 hour until fearless Brittney stepped in with the rest of the instructions.

But it was fun and I did get a page done and I managed to organize some paperwork during the downtime.

So, long story short (too late) here is my page...

Credits can be found here. And in case you're interested, you can find my SM gallery here.

A Glimpse...

2008-06-30T16:14:00.001-07:00

Lately, I have been really getting involved over at ScrapMatters. I've participated in their speed scraps, done a template challenge, finished (and was a randomly-picked winner) a Saturday special scrap, etc. I even set up my own gallery over there. It's been fun. It's a great way to re-charge my sometimes waning creative juices.

And here is a page I just did today (thanks to HD's TWO naps). Kind of a fun one to show off her little face.

Credits here.

Another Speed Scrap.

2008-06-24T21:13:00.001-07:00

I haven't done much scrapping lately but these speed scraps are fun. I did my second one tonight. Here were the guidelines:

1. Pick 2-3 pictures, black & white or color, and arrange them in a line or a grid. That's kind of two instructions for the price of one. It was hard to get it down to seven total directions!
2. Pick your background paper—it needs to be black or very dark brown or very dark blue. It can be plain or patterned.
3. Place your pictures on your paper and stitch them down. You read it right—they must be stitched down. I don’t care how much stitching, but every picture has to have at least one stitch on it.
4. Title—Your title must contain two words and only two words. You can use a font or an alpha or a combination of the two.
5. Elements—Whatever elements you choose to use, must be tucked part way under at least one of the pictures. No floating elements!
6. Almost there—now use a definition to define one of the words in your title. It should also pertain to your layout—the dictionary is fine. It can be word art or just text.
7. Last one! For this LO you can’t add any real journaling, just your definition and names of people in the pictures and the date. Of course what you do with it after the speed scrap is up to you! But your definition should really cover most of it.

And this is what I did:

Click photo for credits.

This is the first time I've scrapped pictures of myself. Stepping out. I figured that the Wasatch back was a good reason to do it.
All my digiscrap friends out there, you really should check out the Speed Scraps over at ScrapMatters.com. They are fun!

Speed Scrap

2008-06-06T12:20:00.000-07:00

I did my first speed scrap on Tuesday. I heard about it here and decided to go ahead. The speed scrap was hosted by ScrapMatters and it was so fun! Matt was in the office with me, entertaining HD so we could all be "together" while I had my head in Photoshop (thanks Matt!) I love these pictures so it was fun to get them on a page.

Credits here.

Today I went back and finished the opposite page using the same kit.

Credits same as above.
Butterfly and stitching by Shabby Princess.
Template (altered) by Mrs. Wresh.

Word Art

2008-05-31T14:18:00.000-07:00

I found this site awhile back. I have mentioned her word art on her a couple of times. She does such a great job. And, if you ask, she'll prepare one for you. So, I asked her to do a word art for "Ride Em Cowgirl" - this is what she came up with:

I love it!
Sorry I don't remember where I got the paper or elements. This page took two weeks from start to finish.

And this is a new one that she just did. I thought it was perfect for this picture.

Paper and Elements by MissVivi

Photoshop Actions.

2008-05-17T12:14:00.000-07:00

I LOVE actions. I am not much of a photographer but I DO love to take pictures of HD. And I really believe (not saying this is fact...just a belief) that 90% of photography is in editing. So when I get a fun shot, I enjoy playing around with all the actions there are out there. I found these actions here. I had more fun with this picture than one person should be allowed!

Now the hard part is deciding which version of the picture I want to scrap. Let me know if you like one more than the other.

Scraplifting.

2008-05-16T13:28:00.000-07:00

Scraplift Definition: Seeing a digital or paper scrapbook layout and copying some or all of the LO for your own use.

Sometimes when I just can't come up with an original idea, I like to browse through online digital scrapbook galleries for inspiration...or a page I can straight up copy. Both of these pages were scraplifted. I have provided links to the pages, but I'm not sure you can view them unless you're logged in. Anyway, thanks to the ladies who did these layouts and provided creative juices for mine.

This scraplift came from here.
Kit by Tinks Trinkets.
And the frame was just floating in my scrapbook folder without a TOU. Love it though!
Action on photo (Strawberry Glaze) from here.

And this one came from here. This is a really loosely scraplifted LO.
I've had the negative frame for awhile - can't remember who to credit.
Paper by Valgouveia Designs.
Stitches font called STITCH-*&$%!. Hate the name - love the font.

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

QP by Mandy Mistiques.

Italy: San Marino/Rimini

2008-05-07T13:01:00.000-07:00

One day towards the end of our time in Italy, we took a day trip down to Rimini and San Marino. I took so many pictures that day that's it was almost frustrating trying to decide which ones to scrap.

Rimini - We weren't in Rimini for too long because, as you can see, we were cold. But it was still fun to be on the beach - HD's first time. This kit couldn't have fit more perfectly. I wanted blues/creams and I happened upon this FREE kit while browsing Ikea Goddess' site.

Kit collaboration from Digiscrapbook

Template by mandagirl (altered)
Alphabet by Pam Lefors Designs

San Marino - We spent the majority of our day in San Marino and got lots of pictures. When I initially put the second page together, there was something missing. It just wasn't quite right. So I ran a vintage action on all of the photos and loved it! The old-fashioned look seemed so perfect for this amazing, old city on a hill. I used the Jane Austen font for the same reason.

Kit by coralie.
Template (second page) by mandagirl.

Nonna and HD

2008-05-04T19:56:00.000-07:00

I did these pages about two months ago and made them into a gift for Nonna. She just got them this last week so now I can display them. I wish I had taken a picture of the final product. Don't know where my head was. Anyway, this is just a small sampling of the WONDERFUL time HD and Nonna had during our month in Italy. We miss her!

Since I created this so long ago, I seriously can't remember where I got the kit. I'm looking and will give credit as soon as I remember.

Bathing Beauty

2008-05-02T12:13:00.000-07:00

In honor of National Scrapbooking Day, I finished this fun, fun page. I love the kit for this...especially the tub.

Kti by Velma Balint.

New trick.

2008-04-28T21:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, HD looked so cute before church so I had to grab a few pictures. Although I couldn't really get her to look at me, I got some fun pictures of her little face. She looks so serious in this picture. This definitely comes from Matt's side of the family - from Nonno all the way down to her youngest cousin...they all pull serious faces now and then. This was the first page I did with this picture...pretty simple and "nice".

Overlay by Berna Datema.

And then I came across this tutorial and changed it into this....
Amazing right? I love what this technique did for this page. It turned it into something really special. This is something I have seen on others' pages and I am glad I learned how to do it.

So, of course I had to go on and do a few more. I really like how Hailey's arm blends into the flowers on the background page of this one. I am so tired right now that word art is going to have to cut. But, here's a challenge to all of my readers....I want a really great title for this picture. Notice the adorable little smurk on Hailey's face. Classic. Any ideas?

Background Paper 1 by Misty Cato.

Backgroun Paper 2 (with flowers) by UrbanScrapz.
Word art by Bethany.

Travel Companion

2008-04-24T15:37:00.000-07:00

Okay, little bit of background on this page.

1. The picture: we took this upon arrival in Italy, after our trip to Paris. It wasn't the best quality picture because it was dark and we were holding the camera. But I love the picture of us in front of the plane - I had never been on the tarmac until this trip - very exciting. Well, in an attempt to improve the quality, I was playing with black and white and some other actions, and it ended up looking like a newspaper photo. And that's when it hit me to do a newspaper page.

2. Journaling: Matt seriously is so fun to travel with. He is so street smart and knows people and how to work with big crowds and new situations. We have traveled a fair amount in our four years together (NYC, Miami, San Francisco, Paris, etc.) and everywhere we go I'm amazed at his ability to get around. He just knows what he's doing. I LOVE traveling with him because when I'm a freak/stress case/dork on the trips, he's just the opposite. He's just cool. Plus there's nothing like traveling with a hottie! So, what I said is really true. I probably had these thoughts about 50 times during our month overseas.

3. Ryan Air: This is a plug for Ryan Air. Use it when you go to Europe...you won't be disappointed. It's kind of the Southwest of the United States - only with planes that work...and cheaper prices.

The Louvre

2008-04-23T12:24:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I've done a Europe page. And since I'm kind of missing Europe today, I felt it was appropriate. I really love the papers I found. I think they fit perfectly.

This first page was a little tough to do because of the colors so I ultimately decided on sepia and then ran a "Barely Vintage" action. It definitely looks better. And the quote...well I have Google to thank for that.

Template by scrapandrea.

Papers by Viviane.

Elements by coralie (ribbon recolored).

The second page I decided to keep really simple - focus on the architecture instead of the scrapping. I'm not sure I could even begin to capture the beautify, complexity and breathtaking nature of the Louvre. This was my attempt.

Horizontal frames by Viviane.

Frame cluster by Lindsay J. Designs.
Papers by Viviane.

Challenge

2008-04-21T17:17:00.000-07:00

Did this one for the challenge over at Tangie Baxter's blog. Thought this was more fun than my fridge.

Challenge details here. Credits here.

Little E's Birth Announcement

2008-04-21T17:10:00.000-07:00

Heaven

2008-04-19T22:15:00.000-07:00

Same picture. Different page. Did this tonight while I was up with allergies (yuck). I found this word art and I really wanted to use this frame. I think the "heaven" quote goes well with the background. Obviously, I'm IN LOVE with this picture. Expect to see it again.

Striped paper by acarlson.
Frame by Summer Driggs.
Word art by Bethany.

Blown Away

2008-04-19T20:05:00.000-07:00

I LOVE this picture of HD t. Wasn't sure if I liked the page. I feel like I'm always playing...never quite satisfied with what I've got. Not sure why. But I'm working on a couple more to see if I can settle on something.

I did this face pop-out with the face for a friend's birth announcement and really liked, so I thought I'd try it on this page.

My Little Hands

2008-04-15T21:31:00.000-07:00

This is one of the pictures that my friend Ashley took on Monday. HD was doing the hand motions to Popcorn Popping - she was "smelling" the popcorn ball. I love the look in her eyes...a little mischievous but full of sparkle. This is my first go at this picture. I plan on doing a couple more pages with the same shot.

Bow and flowers by LorieM.
Ric-Rac ribbon by Amber Reimer.
Threads and background paper by catlady.
Poem found here.

Zoo

2008-04-15T11:51:00.000-07:00

I had a lot of fun doing these pages. I actually bought (gasp) the kit. I needed something perfect and figured I could use all/most of the kit again. Wouldn't these animals be fun printed big and hanging in a zoo-themed room? When we change Hailey's room to a "big" girl room maybe we'll do an animal theme. In the meantime, they make for some cute pages.

Kit by Kay Miller.
Template by Yin Yin Designs.

Nonna and Hailey

2008-04-12T13:35:00.000-07:00

Nonna is missing her little girl. She asked me the other day to show HD a picture of her often so she won't forget her. She is always sending kisses and hugs our way. I figured this page represents Nonna's love pretty well. My plan is to make this into a wall-hanging for HD's room.
I did this page for a challenge, so you can find credits here. Thanks onehm for telling me about the challenge. It was fun to do!

Also, I ran a Black & Color Action on the photo. It turned out exactly as I'd hoped.

Jumpin' Jacks Storyboards

2008-04-10T13:08:00.000-07:00

Our playgroup went to Jumpin' Jacks today. Although HD didn't quite know what to do and hasn't learned how to really jump yet, she still had a good time. I'm kind of disappointed in the pictures I got but worked with them in PS. It helped...a little.

Luck O' the Irish

2008-04-09T11:00:00.000-07:00

I know, it's like an overload of green, but isn't that what the holiday is all about?

Kit by gg digital designs

Laughter.

2008-04-08T19:42:00.001-07:00

Love this sweet picture of HD laughing. No one can deny that she is a happy, happy baby. It doesn't take much to put a smile on her face. And we are the lucky benefactors!
Idea for layout found here.
Kit by MissVivi.
Frame by Ellie Lash.

Paris - Arc de Triomph

2008-04-04T10:12:00.000-07:00

I had a tough time with this page. The usual frills and flowers and cute embellishments that I would put on a page for HD just didn't seem to fit. So it's a little more of just pictures on a page. I'm still not sure about it aand may have to revisit it in a week or two.

Kit by Summertime Designs (really check out her site...she has lots of fun, fun freebies)

Template by Jodie Jensen (altered)

Paris - Eiffel Tower

2008-04-02T15:14:00.000-07:00

I have so many pictures of Paris that I decided to split the pages up by the specific places we visited. This page took a long time, so it's all I got done today during Hailey's nap. The main picture was taken by Matt. Impressive huh? He actually took this same shot with a number of filters...all amazing...but this one fit the best with the rest of the pictures.

Template by simplyin.

Eyes

2008-03-31T20:35:00.000-07:00

I took these shots this morning while HD was in the tub. I don't know why, but her eyes really do shine during bath time. I am really pleased with how these turned out. The girl's eyes are incredible. Seriously, they blow my mind.
I debated on going black and white or not because her eye color is stunning. I may do another page in full color. We'll see.

Background paper by Shabby Princess

Verona - Downtown

2008-03-26T09:49:00.000-07:00

I actually ran a "Barely Vintage" action on the photos to soften the colors up a bit. I think it turned out really well and better captured some of "old-ness" of Verona.

Kit: petit moineaux
Template 1: MandaGirl

Template 2: Scrap Andrea

Easter Pages

2008-03-24T14:47:00.000-07:00

Kit by Angie Briggs.
Template by Made by Mitzie.

I am really bummed about the Easter Egg Hunt page. I know I created a better one than this, but for the life of me, I can't find it on my computer. Weird. So, until I can either find it or create another page, this will have to do.

Verona - Home

2008-03-20T12:22:00.000-07:00

This is a two-pager that I will split for printing. I decided not to journal this one because I wanted it to be a "picture tribute" to our old home.

Elements and background paper by petit moineaux.

Venice

2008-03-19T14:49:00.001-07:00

Template for first two pages by scrapandrea. Template for pages 2 and 3 by Sketch me if you can!

Elements on page 2 by EvaK Designsô

Pages from Cosa Nostra

2008-03-01T10:14:00.000-08:00

In order to create more space on my other blog, I deleted all the pages I've posted this year and moved them here.