The Graduation Keepsake Book

I decided to create a book for our son's graduation. I wanted to fill it with some older pictures that captured several different memories from our son's life. I also wanted to leave open spaces so that guests attending his graduation could sign it with a personal message. Here is the sign I placed on the table next to the book~

 I used the My Creations Kraft 3-Ring Album for my project. It is a great way to showcase photographs and guests are able to sign the pages still. The albums total measurements are 8 5/8 x 9, so the pages inside are 8x8. The 8x8 pages correspond with the Inspiration Mini-Album found on the Artbooking Cricut Cartridge pages 44 &45.

I ended up with a total of 14 pages {class of 2014}, but you could fit more pages inside this album!

I filled it with photo's of all sizes, flip flaps and several different cards from the Picture My Life Later Sk8r Scrapbooking Program.

My favorite aspect was that the different family members were able to find a special memory with them or their kids and that's where they signed in the book! For example, one of my son's closest cousins signed under a picture of the two of them together.

I was able to incorporate the small & big PML {Picture My Life} cards, as well as cutting out portions of the card like the "hero" sentiment on this page.

How cute is this "then & now" page. One of the most difficult challenges in creating this album is that at the time my son was young there were no such things as digital pictures or SD cards or hard drives that contained all my pictures. Oh no! I was digging through old Rubbermaid boxes searching for old photographs!! Thank goodness I always got double copies so that I had extras!

The last couple of pages are just for sister, mom and dad to sign. I'm wondering if I left enough journaling lines for myself...luckily with all our guests and excitement lately I have not yet let the circumstances truly sink in. There have only been little moments (like watching him walk down the aisle at the ceremony)  that I start to think of it and I come to just the brink of a tear.  Things are winding down now and I'm certain that when I finally sit to write the words my eyes will flood.

My Creations Kraft 3-Ring Album (Z1871) $5.95

 

Cricut Artbooking Collection (Z1906) $99

 

Picture My Life Later Sk8r Scrapbooking Program (Z1945) $24.95

This album is not only great for graduation, but would be awesome for a baby shower or wedding too! You can find these products or similar items on my website here.

Graduation Thanks!

The celebration around here has been ongoing, hence the absence of artwork lately!

My first baby has graduated from High School! You've seen the announcements and now I am busy making thank you notes for the many friends and family that have shown their love and support to our graduate!

I found a clean and simple sketch this week on Freshly Made Sketches to use and also found some older bulk papers (Typeset) that were perfect for a school event!

{ I made a few variations using different embellishments I had.}

{A family picture after the ceremony!}

 

I made a great little album for guests to sign at his party using the 8x8 Kraft album. Come back soon as I will post some pictures for you!

Woohoo!

I've been using more of the Free To Be Me papers. It was such a wonderful collection and can be mixed with all sorts of other products and stamps. You will see it reappear again in the future I'm certain!

This is a fun Birthday card using a great graphic sentiment, some Heidi Swapp color shine pieces and stars punched from chalkboard labels.

Unleash Your Inner Sparkle

Today I've created a simple and sparkly card for Freshly Made Sketches. I incorporated one of the free downloadable cards from May's Rediscover CTMH promotion. You may remember the ones I used on this layout last month! I loved how clean the sketch was and knew it would be perfect for this printed card. It was so easy, literally a 5-10 minute card to create!

If you missed these printable cards, no worries, you can download a new summer free printable on my website. Be sure to check out all the new promotions this month and the totally cool Stamp of the Month! Click on Current Specials tab at the top of the page.

Scrapbooking Month Finale!

Did you get some scrapbooking done this month? I was able to complete my 2013 book and make a few new entries in this year's album. I have enjoyed the various events happening throughout the month and loved the Free To Be Me paper collection for both scrapbooking and card making.

For my finale I created one last layout using this fabulous paper collection. This has been an incredibly busy month for our family, but we made time for a whole new experience! We got to dress up and head down town for a fabulous theater event.

This is such a wonderful collection of papers and vellum's. You have today and tomorrow to still order, don't miss out! Click here to order online!

 

{I've pinned lots of inspiration on Pinterest, check it out!}

To the Moon and Back

Today I'm playing along with the sketch at Freshly Made Sketches as well as the cute Stamp of the Month for May! You can get all the details on this darling stamp by clicking on the Current Specials tab. The sketch was perfect to showcase this title and add a fun moon and arrow detail. I incorporated the lovely Free to Be Me paper collection also. It's difficult to see in my photograph, but this entire card has so much shimmer and shine!

Thank you for stopping by!

A Girl & ...

One of my favorite subjects to scrapbook are those little day~to~day moments. I also love to capture my daughter in these moments, because it allows me to use girly papers and embellishments!

This was a layout that I was able to Instagram for National Scrapbooking Day. I used some gorgeous Ariana papers & embellishments. I also colored some ribbon with some Color Shine {Heidi Swapp} and created a lovely border. As much as I enjoyed to play with all the flowers and ribbon, it's the story of the layout that I love the most! My daughter was spending a sunny afternoon with her best friend in the backyard. They were rocking in the hammock and chit~chatting. She held her grandma's poodle in her lap and sipped on a frothy frappuccino. What more could a teenage girl want?!

I am also entering my layout in Heart 2 Heart's Take 5 challenge. My 5 items are simply the photo's I chose to be the centerpiece of my layout!

New Product Collections

Nothings better than all the specific crafting products you need in one convenient bundle! Now through July 31, you can choose from 5 new product collections that contain several must-have items at a discount! Take a look at the new product collections being offered under the "New Product Collections" tab!

Timberline Layouts

The Timberline papers are perfect for your outdoor photo's. Whether you enjoy camping, biking, hiking or just a stroll in the park, these papers are great for showcasing those pictures. I have a couple layouts to share with you from a recent trip to Zion National Park. It is one of our favorite Spring Break destinations.

I also shared these layouts on Instagram for National Scrapbooking Day, because they are simple to create. The papers coordinate so nicely and the MyStickease assortment is a quick and easy embellishment to add.

For this first layout, I wanted something that would draw interest to this page and remind us of our adventure in Zion. We all referred to the map several times deciding on which hike we wanted to do next. I simply ran a color copy of the map and added it to my layout. I used some Washi tape to hold it in place and also treated the "zip strip" as a piece of Washi tape!

This next layout uses the exact same paper collection, yet has a completely different look!

I love that these layouts came together so quickly and beautifully. That's what I love about scrapbooking! I hope you are finding some time this month {National Scrapbooking Month}to capture your memories! If your not sure where to start or want to find a way to make scrapbooking faster and simpler contact me, I can help! :)

You've Got A Friend

You Make Me Smile

I was able to accomplish so much this past weekend in celebration of National Scrapbooking Day! The celebration is not over though, it continues all month long! Remember that you have the opportunity to purchase the special Free to Be Me paper collection at a special price. This gorgeous collection will get you in a creative mood.

You can also download a free printable of Picture My Life style cards with some darling sayings. It's a part of the Rediscover CTMH promotion each and every month. Simply click here to download the printable and start creating!

Here is one of the final pages I submitted to Instagram for National Scrapbooking Day. It incorporates some of those free printable cards. I also used several pieces from Heidi Swapp's Color Shine collection and some Lollydoodle paper. You'll also find black glitter paper, pink polka dot Washi tape, aqua dots and various stamps throughout.

Sneeky~sneeky! Use those little vellum bags to tuck behind cards or photo's to keep little messages or memento's!

 

I love that shine on the Heidi Swapp specialty papers and embellishments!

 

  

I will be posting more detailed photo's of all the scrapbooking pages I completed and Instagrammed for National Scrapbooking Day. If you would like more information on this month's promotion or free download feel free to contact me.

Happy Scrapping!!

Free to Be Me Family {with photo's}

Did you do any scrapbooking yesterday? Have you been following along on Instagram? Before I fell asleep late last night they had reached over 4,000 layouts! Talk about being inspired! Big Picture Classes had some great classes throughout the day filled with several ideas and some really cool tips!

The scrapbooking celebration continues all month long. Close To My Heart is offering this beautiful collection of papers called Free to Be Me. I gave you a peek of the layout I created for yesterday's big event. However, I completed the layout for my Instagram post with some family pictures taken on Easter morning. The addition of the photo's really brings it to life!

 

Pictures don't do this paper justice. You really must see them in person! You can find more details about this month's special in an earlier post, under the current specials tab or shop online here.

Be sure to check out Instagram all weekend long for more inspiration. You can also see lots of ideas using the Free to Be me paper collection on Pinterest. I have an entire board dedicated to it!

Free to Be Me Family

It's National Scrapbooking Day! I decided to kick it off with a layout from the new Free to Be Me paper collection. Be sure to follow along on Instagram today where scrapbookers hope to reach 10,000 layouts today. See this page complete with pictures and lots more! Search #CTMHcreate or #NSD10k.

Freshly Made for Mom

I was working on a gift for my Mom earlier this week and needed a card to go with it. I chose to use the Ariana papers so that it would match her handmade gift which features the same gorgeous paper collection. I was also inspired to use the sketch at Freshly Made Sketches for it.

I love this sentiment, "Laugh until your heart overflows"! This was taken from the "zip strip" that is attached to the top of the 12x12 B&T paper. It's a beautiful sentiment and so easy to add to my project!

On the inside~ 

I used the rest of that zip strip to embellish the inside. It just makes it a bit dressed up!