40th Wedding Anniversary - March 8,2009

my parents celebrated their 40 wedding anniversary recently.as a gift to my mom, i made her this layout to be placed in a shadow box.

i love the antique look. i chose colors complimentary to the picture.i had such a great time making this.

Lucky :)

Well its time once again for yet another Design Team reveal :) this month's challenge featured one of my very favorite designer's line - none other than Jenni Bowlin ! ! ! i had the priviledge of meeting her and taking a class that was phenomenal ! ! ! ! Geaux jenni ! ! ! so this month's challenge proved to be a great success (i think so anyway :)....... we had to use only that designer's line of products. i used distress techniques and lots of ribbons and buttons to embellish the pages...i also accented some of the paper with an embossing gloss. i hand stitched a few loops and finished the layout off with crepe paper ribbon flowers...with a button on top:) i hope i made jenni proud.

Design Team Bio Q & A

okay :) here is a question and answer section....to get to know me and where my creativity comes from.....

1. Tell us about yourself. What would you like everyone to know about you?

all the questions that follow were much easier to answer than this one.... so even though it is the very first question...i saved it for last to answer....ha ha ha.... about me? hmmm.....well, im 33 years old, married to my lovely husband of 9 years. i am the mother to 2 special little ones- abigail delaine, 9 going on 25 and felix emile, 7 going on 45 :)... i am a daughter to the most awesome parents a girl could have, and the middle child - having an older brother and younger sister.... i live in abbeville, louisiana, where i spent my childhood and most of my adulthood.i am very very spoiled....i blame it partly on my dad....cause he still spoils me to this day :) and as they say, a girl tries to find a mate that mimmicks her father- so my lucky husband got me and has continued to spoil me very much - probably too much...ha ha ha !!!! im a bit of a perfectionist when i t comes to some things.....i CAN NOT cook whatsoever -and have given up on learning (...i think its safer that way :)....i am addicted to this hobby called scrapbooking ! ! ! - but im not complaining... i love spending time with my family. im very much a home body....really shy and quiet,until you get to know me:) and enjoy making memories come to life through my creativity....


2. What is your scrapbook style?

my scrapbook style is "Shabby Chic" - or in my own words - GAWDY...ha ha ha..... i love ribbons, embellishments, trinkets, tags and distressing.....lots of vintage nostalgia. im a perfectionist, so everything has to be fit exact...i pay alot of attention to detail.... and gawdy it up.....the more the better :) im a newbie to 12 x 12 layouts.....im a little book girl....i love making books.....from start to finish...top to bottom......


3. How long have you been scrapbooking?

i guess a couple of years now....that i really have gotten into it...and actually started making my little books......ive collected scrapbook items for many years...and have recently re-organized my scrapbook area - so lots of more projects are to come :)


4. Who do you scrapbook?

mainly my children, family, extended family and friends


5. Name your top 3 tools.

wow.....tough one.....
1) stampin up distressing tool
2) tim holtz scissors
3) ink pads?...do they count as a tool


6. How are you inspired to get started on a layout?

hmmm.....it depends.....i either start with pictures....and go from there....selecting papers to match. then i fill in the details and make it my own, always adding that special sentimental touch to every page... OR i find papers and embellishments that i love and put together a book...then add pictures later...... i usually have 2-3 projects going on at the same time.....i go from one to the next so that i can let the work i have done sink in or when i get stuck on ideas.....it gives me a break and allows me to switch gears and keep my creativity flowing....


7. Do you have any great tips to share?

Tips? make it your own....there are NO mistakes when it comes to scrapbooking..... you can never have too many embellishments. i find most of my treasures at thrift stores....i always look for unique buttons, lace, ribbons, material, belts, earrings - really all sorts of odds and ends ......you can find a lot of great finds......i gather these trinkets and pull them out to use in my designs where they most fit......i have some that i have held on to for years.....waiting for the right project to come along - then i am like- "YES" thats it! i always say to myself.... "i can use this for something...i dont know what right now....but i will find a special place for it" - i can thank my mother for that...she and i are alot alike in that regard.....


8. What are your favorite 3 embellishments?

oh my!!!! there are way too many to narrow down to three.... but if i must , they would be :

1) ribbons
2) tags
3) trinkets


9. What is your favorite paper line?

again....how can you have just one favorite paper line!!! thats impossible.... i mix so many lines together in my designs......at the moment - little yellow bicycle (....and sassafrass, jenni bowlin, cosmo cricket, rusty pickle, wild asparagus , and k & co. ) sorry - i dont have just one :)


10. What is your favorite way to journal?

i am NOT much of a journalist.....if im even a journalist at all...in fact journalling is my LEAST favorite thing to do.....putting down words on a layout (including coming up with a title) takes me forever.....ha ha ha!!!! to me, pictures say a thousands words......but any journal entries that i do make......add that special detail that recreates the moment....so if journalling is noted on any of my layouts - its usually on a tag...tucked away....i dont like my handwriting....ha ha !

I love me

.....so its FINALLY here - time for the great reveal !!!! the very first design team challenge ! the assigment was so much fun ! ! ! i had a great time with this project. i have never done a layout "all about me".....so it was a time of self discovery....

i started by picking out paper and embellishments that mimick my style.

little did i know that this was the easiest part of the assignment. the hard part was narrowing down all the things i wanted to put on the layout.......i choose to go with the theme of "i love me - self discovery ."

if you look closely at the tags on the right side of the layout, all the letters in brown, if read from top to bottom , spell out the words "self discovery". i listed things about me that make me, me..... :) i cut out large blossoms and used pop dots to make them stand out. i also used some of my favorite ribbons and flower embellishments along with the added touch of the key, crown and fleur de lis locket, being my signature mark. the finishing touch was the ivory tulle that accented the pages. the tulle, having a special meaning behind its usage, was the same tulle that i used on my wedding day.....

and there you have it.......

so to be a little more specific, the following items were used:

* paper *: Fancy Pants - Blossom; Crate Paper - Mia Collection; Bazzill Cardstock; Iron Orid Designs - Journal notebook; Making Memories - Passport Die-cut Stamp * inks *: Dew Drop - Brilliance Pearlescent Chocolate; Tim Holtz - Distress Ink - Peeled Paint * stamps *: Background stamp by Anna Griffin; Stampin Up - "Be Happy" Collection * rub ons *: Making Memories; Sonnets; K & Company; Kaiser * tools *: Paige -lower case - Quickutz; Basic Grey - Precision File set * supplies * : Tacky tape; Zots; Inkssentials "Pop it" shapes * embellishments * : Maya Road - Velvet Pleated blossoms (pink and mauve); Spare Parts - Antique Flower Brads; Paperbilities - Tags; Assorted Ribbon

hello...this blog thing is pretty easy.....ha ha ha!!!

i cant believe how much fun it is :)

well....ive been working on my "All About Me" project...and im learning alot already about myself....and what a fun challenge is is proving to be.....

first off....i had NEVER done a 12 x 12 layout until i tried out for the design team---NEVER.....i know that that is hard to believe....what's even harder, has been trying to adjust to doing larger layouts...i am a smaller,detailed scrapbooker....i usually do albums...

starting from scratch...i enjoy making them out of odds and ends....and adding my own special touches.....i love mini books too.....and anything with tags are my fav....

my style is reflected in this book from my little man's pirate bithday party...

the book was an old ledger that i had picked up from a thrift store.... (i love thrift stores)the original ledger pages are what i used to bind the book together....

soooo...im finally getting this blog thing :)

yay me!!!! well i thought i would share whereall of my creations begin.....where i host my therapy

sessions...where i escape to relax.....the foundation for my scrapbook addiction.....my scrap area :)

oh.....and i can not forget my sassy little sissy :)

abigail delaine....she is the sweetest and most creative little girl.....she makes me laugh and keeps me entertained......in this layout...she had lost her 2 front teeth....

i think its quite classic......

in all my layouts, i always add a personal touch.....for instance, the pink and white striped ribbon used on the tags came from the curtains that once accented her picket fence bedroom....she loves to scrapbook too.....she made the little paper doll cut out that i placed just beneath her photo.....she is going to be a scrapbooking addict too...when she grows up.....

hi again.... well i hope i get the hang of this soon.....

ill start with the very first layout i ever did....

it was of my little man, felix emile, when he was 4 years old....he is his poppy's shadow....his pride and joy.....and he wishes so much to grow up to be just like him....all the way down to the worn out straw hat that he wears......

i love these photos of him....

hmmmm...... let's see.... how do i start this.... :)
well, this is my very first blog post ever !!!!
where have i been? ha ha ha..... it has taken me 2
days to just come up with a title that i could find
suiting for this blog and im still not sure if i like it.
and now i have to come up with
something to say about it? ahhhhhhhh!!!!

when i think of all the things that bring light to my life,
i think of the ones that i cherish most. whether it
was walking to school on the first day of kindergarten
or walking down the aisle on my wedding day....
i have those "Forget Me Not" moments to keep forever.

well i was more than excited when i found out that
i had been given the privilege to join the Treasured
Memories Design team....WOW!!! i just cant wait to get
my hands in all the creativity that comes with it...
i am looking forward to learning and growing with
this opportunity. its a chance of a lifetime to be able
to share my talent with those who enjoy this addiction
to the scrapbook world as much as i do :)

my story begins here....
today starts the sharing of my
life moments though scrapbooking.
when i think of all the memories that i made
throughout my life, my fondest ones are those
involving my family. i have been very fortunate to
have such wonderful childhood memories.
i want to share those same memories with
my children. my mom inspired me when i was a
young girl. she always told me that i could do
whatever i wanted if i put my mind to it. she
always believed in me....
it's that belief, support and encouragement
that has helped to mold me into who i am today.....