Boo!

Last weekend we celebrated Halloween at the "Boo!" Parade. Here are a few pictures:

Bella the angel:

Maddie the wicked witch:

Maddie the sweet witch:

Keegan, the protector:The group of kids at the Boo Parade.My sweeties:

We hope you have a safe and Happy Halloween!

My confession

Hello.... my name is Christy and I have a confession. I am.... a scraplifter. Yes, I do it occasionally. I take someone else's design and I make it my own. And I'm not ashamed of it. Wink! That's my *big* confession. ( You thought I was going to tell you something juicier, didn't you?) I think scraplifting is quite acceptable ....as long as you give credit where credit is due. Right? Isn't that why scrap magazines and blogs exist? I think its a fun way to get ideas and no matter what I do, my stuff never ends up looking exactly like the inspiration piece.

So, I was checking out some of my favorite blogs and found this idea on the amazingly talented Danielle Flanders' blog. This is her version:I scraplifted it and here's my version. I am *loving* Pink Paislee stuff!
Similar yet it never turns out the same.

Grandma's are so special and have such a unique relationship with their grandchildren. I only wish we all lived closer.

Also, I am such a fan of Danielle Flanders that when I saw this adorable door sign and I had similar supplies, I had to make it too. She even gives you a bit of a tutorial on how to make it. Of course her version is pink, girly and wonderful! Here's my version I made for Sam's door using the Pink Paislee Vintage Moon Topsiders.

Thanks for the inspiration Ms. Flanders!
Cheers!
Christy

Finally... I'm scrapping again!

I have been so busy with life (and making other crafts-wink!) that I've realized I haven't been making many layouts lately. So, I went to a crop on Friday night at Yellowbird scrapbook store and got busy. Here are the results...

Remember that pirate picture I took of Sam in the last post? One of them will go on this layout. I know its a little weird but sometimes, I scrap backwards. Meaning that I will make a layout before I have a picture printed or sometimes before I've even taken the photo.

That was an easy layout. Hambly Screen Prints makes the silver paper with the pirate ship on it. I simply cut a black piece of paper from Pink Paisley's Vintage Moon collection and adhered it on to be a photo mat. Then, I added the title (letters also from Pink Paisley), glued some trims on and it was done. I'll probably write the year and hide the journaling behind the photo mat when I put the picture on it.

Here's another "backwards" Halloween layout. Maddie, the dog, and I will all be witches this Halloween. With any luck, I'll be able to convince my mother-in-law to dress up as one too. Won't a couple 4 by 6" photos of us fit perfectly? Or maybe one 5" by 7" photo if I only have one good one.

Here are a couple layouts that I did "the normal way". I'd been delaying scrapbooking these pictures from the fair and from our vacation because I liked the photos so much that I couldn't envision a layout that would "do them justice." This certainly isn't my best work but I do like how they've turned out.
The "San Diego Fair" layout is so busy with pictures that I tried to keep it simple by using cream cardstock and accented it with patterned paper from October Afternoon. The title is American Crafts Thickers chipboard stickers.

This layout of Colorado is also simple. I just didn't want to detract from the great photo. The orange paper is also from Pink Paisley's Vintage Moon line (I'm really liking them lately!) and it went perfectly with the old vintage dictionary pages along the bottom and on the flower. I'm also really into trims and ribbon. Anything to give it dimension.
And because I'm always ahead of things, here's a Thanksgiving layout. We're renting a cabin in Big Bear with 3 other close families and I'm hoping to get a great shot of all of us this year. There's so much to be thankful for that the journaling part will be easy!
Feel free to scraplift whatever you see. Thanks for checking in!
Christy

Because its NOT a dress rehearsal...

Sammy has gotten into full character and is ready for Halloween. We made this pirate costume on-the-fly because his Firefighter costume is way too hot. Its been in the 90s for weeks here. Looking forward to fall weather...soon we hope!

Happy Friday!

Happy Friday! I've been busy creating but so much of it is Christmas gifts that I haven't been able to share. But this Halloween collage is for a neighbor who I don't think checks my blog. I love it so much, I just may keep it myself. It fits in so nicely with all my other decor.

I'm considering adding a black tinsel hanger. What do you think?
We're off camping this weekend. I'll share more next week. Enjoy your weekend!

Pennsylvania in the Fall

The kids and I just returned from a lovely trip to Pennsylvania (Lancaster area) to see the in-laws. We did so many fun fall activities but the highlight of the trip was meeting my new 7-week old niece, Abigail Louise. Isn't she adorable?



Here's a quick picture of our other niece, Annabelle. She's quick and busy so not too many pictures of this sweetie. No trip to Lancaster county is complete without visiting the Sturgis Pretzel House. This was Sam's first time learning to twist the dough. Talented? Nope, he didn't twist this pretzel though. This is a photo of him right before he crumpled it into a ball. And then threw it across the room. That's Sam.
Both Sam and Maddie were fascinated by all the Trains in Strasburg. We went with Brentt's Dad and even though he was annoyed most of the time, the kids and I had a nice time. I've never heard a boy yell "Choooo..... Choooo...." as loud and as often as Sam did. It was fun to see him so excited! And then, we rode the train. I thought Sam was going to have a baby-aneurism or something. He was out-of-his-mind excited!

Then, we went to pick some pumpkins for Grandma. How darn cute is Sam?!?
(Perhaps I'm a bit biased but I think he is so friggin adorable here!)Madeleine's goal was to find Grandma the "biggest pumpkin EVER."
And I'll just end by saying it was a busy, fun-filled trip. Even the kids were tired at the end. Perhaps, I am a super-Mom after all. (wink!)