i spy

fix it

while my mom was here, i stole a minute to organize my layouts. i am generally fastidious with labeling, organizing and storing my layouts. but we all know baby 3 tipped my scales of sanity and anal organization. so i have piles of layouts needing protectors, and dates and albums. as i putting this sweet layout away i was once again struck by the fact that i don't love it. so i fixed it today! i added a flower and a ribbon and now it is a big love fest. so today you have my permission to tinker with a layout that is already compete but is just missing that "je ne sais quoi" factor. i am so happy to have a layout that i love instead of one that i just like. love love love the freedom to fix!

enjoy your day!

ps - sei papers, imaginisce flowers, close to my heart brad, ac thickers!

wild for stacy & mi'chelle

you know that thing that stacy julian does so well? which one, you wonder, as really stacy does SO many things well... you are right, i should be so much more specific. one of the things i love about stacy's layouts are the way she writes on her layouts. it's not just that she does it by hand in her fantastic penmanship, but also how she does it. i have likewise been drawn to mi'chelle larsen lately. she too mixes up the printing and the writing in a way that is so subtle yet effective. so here is my attempt. i didn't achieve their level of greatness in any regard, but i had a lot of fun trying. and that is worth everything. today, try find something that you draws you in and try it! remember it's the process today. don't be discouraged if it isn't quite what you had in mind, it's the trying that matters!!

happy day!

wild for the old stuff

remember long ago when we used wire in our scrapbooks? how much do you still have? i have 12 spools, barely touched. it is too fine for crafts, was too expensive to throw out, and so it sits. in my basement. in a container neatly labeled "wire." today go mad and crazy and wild and go find something in your stored supplies. maybe even a bit of wire. and add it to a modern layout. just because you can. just because you already own it, so why not? you might just love it! or not. and well, then at least you tried!!

a little wild

today we are about little. not that we aren't big and great and wonderful, but today we will be reserved in our greatness and smile slightly with just our lips (think Lady Diana) instead of with our big cheesy grins (think Fergie pre-weight watchers...). today we create with minimal supplies and design. today we are about letting the natural beauty radiate. not every layout needs to be big. not every layout needs to be busy. not every layout needs to be heard. some can just quietly be their simple selves glowing with inner goodness. for layouts like these, try to shrink your font a bit. (or your handwriting). remember the goal is peaceful serenity. loud swoopy letters will be a bit distracting!

enjoy our sweet day...

baby blue

nigel's teacher is having a boy soon (she hopes!) so we made a couple of gifts for her. hopefully she likes them. one was a triple layer flannel blanket. check out the cute tag! the birdies are from fiskars. love them.

then we made a book.  thought it turned out well. all the little trinkets are from the sharon ann collection by deja vue. thanks for looking!
ps - it's okay to be inspired to create a book on this wild wednesday!

wild for imaginisce!

today is just a bit more spring-y eyecandy. look at these sweet daisies. do you know their centers sparkle? who can resist such delicate beauty? and look how well it coordinates with my american crafts flower? with an itty bitty button center. so happy with this! i had some journaling strips along the bottom, but they clearly were inhibiting the lightness. so i will have to rework the journaling. until then, enjoy the paper. you may want to go buy some. it might just make you happy on a dreary december day!

walk on the wild side

today's challenge is to take a walk on the wild side. need a more particular assignment? run wild with colors that are unusual for you. or color combinations. like this paper. love orange, but usually work with the bright oranges, not the dark red oranges. and i am generally more white than cream. and the doodle thing is awesome to me, but difficult for me. but i loved this paper and the flowers and the black. so wild i went in an effort to grow. or at least stretch for a second or two!
hope you enjoy! thanks for peeking! now, go make your pies! teehee!

wildly hidden

today, our wildness is going to be subdued. we are going to be sneaky with our journaling. let's hide it. it will be fun. like wearing a red bra beneath your business attire...okay maybe not that fun, but better than burning your dinnner!

enjoy!

wild for color!

today is all about color. lots of color. colors that make you happy. colors that make you smile. find a photo that you can use on a layout that uses your happy colors and scrapbook that photo. and then spend all day smiling and happy from the love of your favorite colors!

scraplift from the simple gallery

back in the day, i left the house to go to work. (did you like that salute to my work here at home now??!!) Four mornings a week I would go to court and then return to my office to check phone calls work every day. While i read thru emails and returned phone calls, i would peruse the two peas gallery. if you visited twice a day, you could see everything posted.

can you even imagine that now? it is so huge! (Yeah for Kristina!) as it was becoming the megasite  that it is now, i had to accept that i couldn't possibly see every layout ever posted. i still go often but have long since abandoned the notion that i can actually see each and every layout posted! this was no small feat. truly. truly took alll sorts of growth and learning. (shall i begin to explain the guilt and pressure i felt when i subscribed to entertainment weekly magazine? each week, a new magazine would appear in my mailbox. but, (breathing increasing rapidly), i have not finished the last one. oh no! what shall i do? oh, i know, create a stack. a beautifully organized pile, (abygarvey (yes, i know she actually has two names but to me she is abygarvey) would be so proud!) then read in order from cover to cover as time permits. six months later, as i did not renew my subscription, the sweet man on the phone could not understand why i HAD to cancel. "but i can't finish them all," i explained. "but why do you need to?" he asked. GASP! SERIOUSLY? YOU EXPECT ME TO BE LESS THAN THOROUGH?)

so i have grown and can now say ten times without hyperventilating, i do not need to see every layout ever posted online!  however, one must recognize that sometimes a quick inspirational fix is necessary! in times like these, i go here  or here. the simple studio is my incredibly talented sistas. everyday i count my blessings for being included with them. it is truly an honor. and the simple reader gallery is awesome. the other day as i was cruising thru i saw this beauty. it stopped me in my tracks. unbelievable. i loved it. i went to the next couple and then came back to it. twice. so for your wild wednesday, scraplift something from the simple scrapbooks studio or reader's gallery. you will be happy you did!

buy it use it

today's wild card might need a trip to the store. Just what you need, i know, more reason to shop! Do you ever go to the store and see something that catches your eye and then come home and immediately need to use it? That is me and this loverly pink scalloped edge paper. This sweet sumthin set me back $1.99. Yikes! And I still didn't put it back. In fact, I came home and had to try it out. Like when you find that great new pair of shoes and you have to wear them home from the store? Go find something that makes you wish it were clothes that you could wear home. Then come right home and make a page! Oh, scrapbooking is soooooo fun!

simply told

today's wildcard is to take a breather. find a picture that is sitting in your stack. pick up a pen and a bit of paper and take a minute to tell the story in a design that is soothing and easy for you. for some of you that means a flourish and some easy knick knacks. for others, a few moments in photoshop. for me, a few stickers for a title, a grey american crafts pen (my new favorite!) and just that aforementioned patterned paper. nothing tricky going on here. just a few words that have been trapped in the journaling vault in my head. man it feels soooo good to write, cut, and glue. the wild part of this wednesday is the freedom of embracing my own simplicity and of getting to forget 'cuz i wrote it down. ah! sleep with be sweeter tonight!

Outside My Box

Today was about stepping outside my box. Doing something wild. Out of my ordinary. This was the result.

The colors are a bit more bold than usual. The title is a bit more eclectic than usual. The basic design is a standard. Couldn't possibly stray too far! Honestly, if I try to do too much new I freeze and sit and get all befuddled. Today go a bit wild in some way. Just sort of play. Check here if you need ideas. This is seriously one of the most fun inspirations money can buy. It's awesome!

finally did it

for wildcard wednesday i thought perhaps i would try this thing that i have been wanting to for quite sometime. drumroll please..... a small photo layout. [okay, so perhaps that didn't exactly need a drumroll....teehee]

a few years ago we blew everything up and i have to say, i still love to do so (see yesterday's post!) but i am drawn to all these layouts with small photos. besides, because i print most of my own photos so it would seem to be cheaper as well, leaving me more money to spend on other things like more ribbon and buttons! aha!

what do you think? i am liking all the white space. makes me happy. the layout did seem to need a bit more substance, so i added a bit of silver inking around the edge to ground it a bit. you can't tell in the scan, but next to the layout is the word clap in white american crafts rubons. couple other things to note...check out those tiny little star and heart buttons. love me my tiny buttons. and two of the strands of ribbon are from my stash of treasured ribbon from a store that is no longer open. (hey wait, i don't live in wisconsin anymore so i couldn't go even if it was open!!;o)) and a new fave is the stamp. it is from sandylion. look how fast it made my journaling. love the timesaver things when they not only actually safe time, but also are fun to use. and let's be clear, it's not just the destination that matters when you scrapbook!

might have to check in with a little ANTM (top model) talk tomorrow. The guilty pleasure loses its first model tonight! until then...