Paper flowers

Lately I've seen so many beautiful handmade paper flowers on scrapbook websites, I just had to give it a try myself.  So much fun!  For each flower, I punched two flower shapes from a five petal flower punch.  On one punched shape, I lightly curled each petal downward.  On the remaining one, I pinched the center of the flower, forcing all the petals to point upward. Then I gently manipulated each petal to create the flower shape shown.  I adhered both flowers to the page with liquid adhesive, then added a button to the center of each.  I love the results and it is so easy once you give it a try!

Another layout using the same flower technique with a different patterned paper:

For a friend

I have a friend who introduced me to wildlife photography several years ago. There is a wildlife refuge near where we live, and I'll admit... when I'd been there in the past, I thought it was B-O-R-I-N-G!! She kept telling me how she and her husband would get up at 5 a.m. on Sunday mornings to drive slowly through the refuge to snap photos of whatever happened to wander out of the woods. I thought she was crazy. Until one weekend, I asked my outdoorsman 13 year old if he'd like to go with me just to see what the big deal was. I was instantly hooked! I am notoriously NOT a morning person, especially on weekends, but it was so peaceful there. And it was a great way to connect with my son. For my friend's birthday, I wanted to create something special, something that would make her feel like she was there. I took some of my own photos, collected twigs and brush from the roadside there and created this mini album for her. After almost five years, she still displays it in her office. The album itself is a bound chipboard book. I inked the outside cover with brown ink and tied wood beads to it with twine to give the album a natural, outdoors feel.

My friend driving through the wildlife refuge. She hadn't realized my son snapped this photo of her!

Pull out photo flip book using found twigs:

A liquid adhesive was used to attach fabric directly to chipboard page:

Right side flips up to reveal more photos. To make the flap sturdier, I printed journaling on a transparency and folded it over cardstock. The transparency is attached to cardstock using brads in each corner:

Under side of flap:

Okay, I'll explain! :-) The water is very shallow here and the geese dive down to eat whatever yummy thing they can find on the bottom of the pond. It looks so hilarious when their bottoms are pointed straight into the air!

He's here!

After a long difficult day for his mommy, little Jonah arrived last week safe and sound. Seeing my cousin in labor made me realize how glad I am to be past "all that"! And what a cutie he is.
Today's blessings:

• I am employed in a challenging job I love
• Great coworkers
• Friends who listen
• Healthy kiddos
• Another safe driving day for my 17 year old
• Our heat pump is fixed...warmth--YES!
• It was 67 degrees outside today
• Daylight savings time doesn't start for another week

Counting today's blessing

Things I am thankful for TODAY:

• My dad's surgery went completely as planned and he is back home already
• My cousin is welcoming her new baby boy into the world tonight
• I'm not the one enduring labor pains tonight! Been there, done that...ha!!
• No problems with the check printer at work today
• Finally got the insurance check from when our car was totalled last month
• Still thankful no one was hurt in the wreck that totalled our car
• My job
• And everyday am thankful for two healthy kiddos

Today's scrapbook share is a mini album I made last fall. If my kids only keep two albums after I'm long gone, I hope it's this one and the canvas one of my mom. This one has some family stories in it and just some "mom wisdom" I hope they carry with them. And it also has three of my favorite scrapbooking product lines, Graphic 45, Teresa Collins and Zutter!

Think Spring!

This is the time of year I can bearly wait for Spring to arrive. Warmer days, no more snow, beautiful colors, new life... it can't get here soon enough for me! I found this little wood bunny sign at a craft store. He was plain wood, just waiting for some paint to make him come alive! I painted all the edges with ivory acrylic paint, then traced his outline onto ivory cardstock and various patterned papers from Graphic 45. I added button eyes, gave him rosy cheeks with pink chalk and tied a few fabric strips to the wire hanger. Now he's all ready to "Welcome" Spring to our house!

Every new beginning...

There's a song with the line, "Every new beginning marks some other beginning's end..." That kind of describes our week. On Thursday I taught my last class at Bloomin Scrapbooks. I've been fortunate to have been on their design team the last few years and have met so many wonderful people through the experience. I'm sad to see the store close but am so thankful for the memories left in its place. Here is the layout from my first class in 2006:

Then on Friday, my 17 year old had the last basketball game of his school career. He's been playing since 4th grade, so this marked our eighth season of games. It's been a frustrating year for him with most games being watched from the bench and we knew this would be his final season. He had acted like it didn't bother him, but once the game was over and the players returned from the locker room, I could tell his eyes were red. Later I asked if the coaches had said something to him, and he said, "No I was just emotional because it was my last one." Boy, that tugged at my heartstrings... Oh well, track practice starts Monday!

5th Grade Tournament Runner's Up

Friday night:

Why I scrapbook

A few weeks ago, I was featured in my job-related professional association newsletter. When I was interviewed for the article, one of the questions asked was "What are your hobbies?" So I immediately responded, "I like to scrapbook." Then there was a momentary silence. "Oh." I couldn't help but crack a smile. Obviously this person didn't get it.

I love scrapbooking. It's my "happy place," my escape from the rigors of a hectic day at work. Playing with photos, paper and scissors is great relaxation! It's a way I can put into words how much I love my kids as well as tell the stories behind my photos. And I'm fortunate to have developed so many new friendships with other scrapbookers who get it just like I do.

This is one of my favorite scrapbooks ever. It's a Prima canvas album featuring photos of my mom as a little girl. She loved to sew and I wanted it to have lots of fabric and stitching to make it feel like "her". My favorite part of the book is the page with her toy trinkets sewed into it. I found them in an old doll case in a dresser at my Grandma's house. The one in the middle is a medallion engraved with the words "forget me not." Another is a tiny June 1954 calendar page--it was her birthday month--she had turned seven. Several people have told me some of the trinkets are Cracker Jack prizes. So sweet!