TIS THE SEASON

This is my latest project for Sketches in Thyme using the following sketch.  This past Thursday, one of my favorite days of the year occurred.  Our local radio station changed over to 24/7 Christmas music.  I love Christmas.  I actually love the lead up to Christmas more than anything.  And one of the things I loved to do when my girls were little was to dress them up and take their picture for our family Christmas card.  This particular year was one of my favorites.  I loved their velvet black dresses, their curls, their innocence.  When I saw the Carta Bella Christmas Delivery collection, I instantly thought of these pictures.  I completely adhered to this sketch because the design allowed for the use of a variety of papers.

I LOVE FALL

This is my latest project for Let's Scrap using the following sketch.  I love fall.  I love the temperatures, the colors. It truly is a gift living in a part of the country where we get to experience all the seasons.  A few years ago, my husband & I thought it would be fun to take our girls on a road trip to Niagara Falls, NY to see Mother Nature's colors on parade.  No words can express how breathtaking it was to see this natural wonder...The beautiful shades of blue water with fall foliage as a backdrop made for Kodak moments at every step of our trip.  My entire family was in awe of the beauty that surrounded us.  I picked a few of my favorite pictures from the trip to highlight in this sketch.  I strictly followed the placement of the papers, but decided to change up the picture placement on the right side so I could include more photos.  To pull this project together, I used Echo Park's "Fall is in the Air" papers along with Lawn Fawn's "Perfectly Plaid Fall Collection."

REGARDING REPTILES

This is my latest layout for The Memory Nest using the following sketch.   My daughter has loved all animals since she was a little girl. She has been and still is fearless when it comes to animals, reptiles, amphibians...When she was six years old, my husband and I took her to the South Carolina Aquarium.  I turn around for a second and the next thing I know she's wearing a snake as a necklace.  A few years later on a pier at Isle of Palms, South Carolina, a boy was fishing and caught a baby black tip reef shark.  She asked, "Can I hold it?" and the boy said absolutely.  So I was not really surprised when I opened up a text from her last year and found her holding the Biology class snake.  I felt that this sketch would be perfect to showcase the various pictures of my daughter holding various creatures over the course of time..  To pull this project together, I used a variety of papers from Moxxie's Zoofari collection and Graphic 45's Safari collection.

WALKING IN A WINTER WONDERLAND

This is my latest creation for The Memory Nest using the following sketch.  When I see a sketch for the first time, I typically have an idea of what I want to do.  My initial thought when planning for this sketch was a layout involving bubbles, but then I looked at the calendar.  I created this project on October 30, 2016. Two years ago on November 17, 2014, Ohio got its first substantial snow fall.  That is UNHEARD OF in Southern Ohio.  December maybe; January definitely; November 17...NEVER!  And one of the perks of a substantial snow when you are a school teacher is a SNOW DAY!  So with November right around the corner and the stress levels at work and at home at an all time high, I had dreams of a snow day.  I've always loved this picture of my daughter playing in the snow on that unexpected gift from the snow gods, so I decided to make her the focal point of this layout.  The circles reminded me of snow flakes falling from the sky so to pull this project together, I used Echo Park's "Hello Winter" collection.  In addition, I added some sparkly snow flakes around the layout to accent the silver glittery paper acting as a border.

HALLOWEEN

This is my latest project for Let's Scrap using the following sketch.  In the spirit of Halloween, I went full on trick or treat for this sketch.  This is a pivotal year in my house.  For the first time in fifteen years, I do not have anyone trick or treating.  While there is a sense of relief of not coordinating who is passing out candy and who is taking out the children, I do feel an immense sense of sadness that my babies aren't babies anymore.  As a result, I decided to dip into my Halloween picture archives and use photos of my children through the years.  My daughters have always loved Halloween and have been some darn cute creatures.  To pull this project together, I used a variety of Doodlebug papers because they remind me of how innocent and fun my children were at this time of the year when they were little.
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