Why is it that summer always seems to be busier than when the kids are in school? June has been non-stop so far! I am getting ready to show a sneak peek of July's kit tomorrow...by the way it's shaping up to be my all-time favorite kit! For now, here is a guitar case that I would like to put on my *wish* list. Isn't it dreamy? I have 2 black ones that are just plain ugly. 
(found here)
See ya tomorrow!
There are weeds in the yard that are calling my name to come and take care of. There are errands to run...which isn't so bad because one stop will be the fabric store...and kids that are "bored" in true summer fashion. I have heard and read lately on blogs and in email about people facing trials, and just being "real." Honestly, it's got me thinking of the reality that life is hard. It's full of twists and turns, and highs and lows, and it's not always something fun. I hope that I have portrayed HOPE here on my blog and a positive outlook, but trust me, my personal life is a mess, I have faced more trials and struggles this spring than I have in a while. There were big decisions to be made...the kind that you want someone else to make for you...but in the end you are responsible for. There were situations that broke my heart in two, that broke my heart for my children. There were battles that were fought...and lines that were drawn, in the hardest of situations. I am always amazed at how people who you think legitimately love and care for you can throw you under the bus and trample on any respect that you once had for them. There were triumphs and joys and laughter...lots and lots of laughter. But in the end...we are still here. When you lay your head on your pillow at night and think that the dawn will never break because you are surrounded by so much darkness, and yet it does. And not only is it another day...but it's one full of possibilities! I love that I don't have to have all of the answers, but just rely on the grace of God and his forgiveness and mercy to pull me through. He really is BIG enough. And as I sit here and dwell on my problems...it only gives them more power in my life. So instead I choose to focus on the solution to them. And I think of all of the people out there who are facing much bigger struggles than I am. And I pray for them, and remind myself to stop and be thankful. I have so much to be grateful for. Every day I am surrounded by the laughter of my children. (In fact that is what is ringing through the halls of my house right this very minute. :) I have health. I have more love in my life today than EVER. Just a reminder to myself. I'm adding it to my agenda...BE GRATEFUL FOR THIS DAY.
Oh, and I'm also thankful for happy photos of yellow doors and green refrigerators.
Jaime Warren sent her gallery over to me and it's just sooo cute I'm glad I finally had a chance to share it here! Here she used that great flocked Fancy Pants transparency to border her layout. I think my favorite part of this one is the lacy border that she punched at the bottom. It's so delicate and pretty. Of course Jaime's photography always shines bright on her layouts. It's perfect!
These sweet little frames look so cute with different patterned papers tucked behind them. The papers from this kit just all coordinated so well, without being too "matchy-matchy."
There were kids running around everywhere playing games and being loud...and I hear Tanner say to Chloe "Let's just sit here on this grass and enjoy this beautiful sunset." And he plopped right down and put his arm around her and I got one decent shot. This is what scrapbooking is all about for me. Capturing this precious moment...writing it down...documenting exactly who these two are today. This pose lasted for exactly 2 minutes and then they were off and running. I'll cherish this. How was your day?Hi everyone! Hope you had a great weekend! I wanted to share my last projects from the gallery today. I loved this flocked transparency! I snipped out a few of the shapes to layer over the American Crafts paper. I liked the look of it better than using the whole transparency which seemed to overwhelm the photos. 
The 3 little rectangles are shapes from the Girls Paperie die cuts included...I layered a chipboard frame with the flocked bumble bee over the top. (The bee is raised up on a pop dot to adhere it just above the frame.)
Love the layered flowers by The Girls Paperie! I also used the ribbon included in the kit to put underneath the pink polka dotted frame here and then added my tiny type stickers over it to complete the title.
Here is a simple card. Pretty self explanatory. I loved the raw chipboard dress forms with this patterned paper...and usually I am more likely to paint it. 
The inside of the card. Loved both sides of this patterned paper by Pebbles Inc. 
And one more super simple card! Speaking of loving that yellow dots paper...here it is again. layered on top of a Girls Paperie die cut with a bright pink butterfly on top. 
I felt like this week was really the kick off to our summer. Every morning Tanner would wake up and ask me "Mom, are we going to have a fun day today?" Meaning I needed to come up with a schedule to entertain him. He is used to having a routine at school and wants to know what the plan is for the day. Unfortunately, lots of days include work and laundry and scrubbing floors, which is of no interest to him of course. So we have made a lot of trips in the evening to the swimming pool and we headed to The Cherry Festival to watch a concert that I had wanted to see. I had never been before to this festival, although I had seen it advertised in years past. It was a full fledged carnival with all the rides and funnel cakes you cared to have. This one was pretty special because it had a petting zoo for the kids...and to my kids that won me the "Mother of the Year" award. Tanner's favorites were the baby piglets, and Chloe loved the floppy-eared huge rabbit. I did love those sweet little pigs, but that baby calf just stole my heart. So cute!
They were hearding the sheep in this shot. :)
Isn't she just the sweetest? 
Miss. Chloe lost her first tooth earlier in the day. She was SO excited! 
She wanted to play this carnival game where you could win a live goldfish...and to my shock (okay and HORROR) she won one. She has named it Chloe and is sure it's a girl. Oh my. I think I asked my friends on Facebook why animal rights activists aren't protesting at these carnivals, giving fish away to homes who own no fish food. I don't care about feeding it...but I am NOT looking forward to cleaning that bowl!! 
We had a really fun night!
Carnivals really are magical when the sun goes down! Love these shots...and all taken with my iPhone since I didn't have my real camera with me! On the way home Tanner announced that "Yes...we did have a fun day." Mission accomplished! Hope you're all having a great weekend!
Thought I would share a few layouts today...I can't believe it took me this long to scrap these photos. One Sunday morning before church we had 3 of the cutest little visitors come to the front door. There was no momma in sight, and they just wanted to come right inside. They stayed pressed against the glass for a good 10 or 15 minutes while we oohed and ahhed over them and I snapped away taking pictures of them. When they finally got the hint that we would not be providing breakfast, they went on their way. So cute!
Loved both of the alphas in this kit so much! They were perfect together. I am currently obsessed with the color gray.
Lots of layering and adding pop dots!
I decided to write out the quote around the outside of the page that this layout is based on. The quote is something I posted on Face Book. And it just spoke to me. "Do you want me to tell you something really subversive? Love is everything it's cracked up to be. That's why people are so cynical about it...It really is worth fighting for, being brave for, risking everything for. And the trouble is, if you don't risk anything, you risk even more." Erica Jong
This parasol fabric was my inspiration for the name of the kit this month. LOVE!
Flocked chipboard shapes...be still my heart!
Hope you are all off to a great start to your weekend! I'll be back with more gallery projects tomorrow! :)I am thrilled to introduce you to our newest kit "Parasol" this morning! I really had fun working with this kit...and made so many fun things with it! Have you had a chance yet to see the gallery? You really must head over to the website and check it all out. Very cute things. You know you want one!!
TWO alphabets!
Lots of fun little embellishments! You get 11 of these Girls Paperie die cuts!
The parasol fabric that I adore and also these sweet flocked chipboard shapes!
There is just so much packed into this kit! And if you are like me and don't want to buy an entire package of flowers or frames or chipboard because you know you will never use it all...then this is the kit for you! There is just enough of each embellisment to not be overwhelming!
I hope you love it as much as I do!! I'm working on a newsletter also so be checking your inboxes soon! Hugs...and I hope you had a beautiful weekend!
