It's a Sketchy Challenge!

How fun is this? Canadian Scrapbooker Magazine has put out a challenge to all us scrapbookers (click here for details). It is a new monthly challenge and this is the sketch that we are to use for September: 

And here is my layout using this sketch:

I so enjoyed doing this layout. The photos were taken at my girlfriend's stagette. It was nice to have a picture with all of us girls - it just doesn't happen that often these days!

The product I used was primarily by Authentique. The papers and cardstock accents are from their Splendid line and I think they are simply splendid! I love the plaid paper - the colour, the texture - it is all great! This fabulous ribbon accent is from Prima and was a lot of fun to incorporate. The rhinestones come attached so it is super easy to use!

I really liked this challenge, but unfortunately I forgot to use something Canadian so this layout will not be eligible to be considered for publication. So... I guess I will have try to do another before the month is up! 

The newest subject!

I have a new scrapbooking subject. I won't lie - he is totally adorable and will be the star of many layouts. He is my new little baby - Reeve. Our family is so proud of our newest edition, Reeve Walker Parent. He was welcomed on July 27th at 8:27 at a good size of 7 lbs 10 oz and 19 1/2 inches.

This picture captured the only time we have ever heard him cry... (why are you laughing - haven't you heard of those babies that never cry, sleep through the night and are completely potty trained when you bring them home? That is what I had - I swear!)

After that it was peace... 

 And quiet...

 Till we got home and thought we might try to have a family picture... 

Take 1

 Take 2

 Take 3

 And here is where my cousin Cody helped out... 

Take 4

Life will never be the same... And I LOVE it!

Sweet Sundays and Photo-Free Fridays

I love Sundays. Family days... where my husband is always home and we usually try to get out and do something together - just for the love of family time. This Sunday feels a little different. This is our last Sunday as a family of 3! I can not believe how fast time has passed me by, but on Wednesday we will be welcoming a new little one to the family. It might seem like I mean that is my due date, but actually I am scheduled for a c-section - so July 27 is the latest that this little one will come... meaning next Sunday will be our first Sunday as a family of 4.

I have decided that I am going to start doing "Photo-Free Fridays" on my blog. It may not be every single Friday, but I often have layouts that for one reason or another do not have photos on them yet. I want to post them for you all but always put them aside to wait for the photos. For example I recently created a great single page layout from my leftovers of my "pink" Authentique paper. I used a tag that talks about Grandmothers and have decided to save the layout for a picture of my mother-in-law and the new baby (Which is less than 72 hours away!). I know that no matter what, the picture will be perfect so I was not afraid to create the layout before having the photo. Since I know I will be in the hospital until Saturday I am going to do my Photo-Free Friday post really early!

Here is the layout... I will be sure to post it again once I have the photo on it!

 You might notice a small reflection on the bottom left corner of the photo mat. This is simply the glue dot cover that I will remove when i add the photo.

I really love this quote about Grandmothers. The fact that my Mother in Law (Who I love to pieces!) sewed for years and years made this additional embellishment perfect.

Here is a little close up of the top left embellishements.

Have a very sweet Sunday.

Authentique!

I am totally in love with the new Authentique. If you haven't yet seen this paper in person, it is sooo worth a trip to your local scrapbook store! This company is setting the bar really high for all those other paper making companies and I LOVE IT! Yesterday I designed a layout with the Journey collection by Authentique. Right now there are 3 lines being carried at my local scrapbook store where we lovingly refer to them by colour (pink, yellow and blue), although their names are (respectively) Uncommon, Blissful and Journey. Besides the Journey layout I am about to post I also have an Uncommon (pink) layout on the go but have been stumped trying to find the perfect picture. Hopefully I can resolve that today and post that layout soon too!

So! Enough with the chit-chat, here is a little look at the layout. I would like to point out that I can often get carried away indulging in the beauty of the papers but my goal for this layout was to have the photo be the first think you looked at. As much as I adore everything scrapbooking I find I sometimes need to real myself back in and refocus on what I want to stand out. Besides this super-amazing paper I also used the Hanging Lantern Sign Post from Twiddleybitz. I was quite happy with the final product which is now on display at the store where I design and teach:

A close up of the top left corner of the photo - a bit of fussy cutting... 

Photo embellishments - The ready made journaling was absolutely perfect for the photo since we were on a hike. Of course I added a little more fussy cutting as well.

One of my favourite parts of this layout was this hanging sign. I loved how the sign portion turned out. Between the "paper scroll", Authentique's beautiful quote from the amazing Helen Keller, and the fussy cut flowers - it turned out even better than I was hoping. Yay!

So there it is! My "blue" layout with Journey. I actually have a whole bunch more of this collection so be sure to watch for more layouts with it.

I am also really looking forward to getting my hands on Splendid! This 4th collection by Authentique should be appearing at my local scrapbook store soon and I can not wait!! The colors are bright, fun and hip and the theme is so versatile! Thanks Margie and crew for this - I haven't been so enamored with a paper company in quite some time!

Sharing the cuteness

As I sit here looking for a picture to go on my FABULOUS new Authentique paper I came across this picture. My little brother came for a visit last week and spent some quality time with his nephew. Oh how Dax loved his uncle time... One day we set up the baby pool and they played together until Dax was so cold his whole body was shaking... So here was uncle's solution:

Stay tuned for that Authentique layout - should be done tonight so I hope to have it online tomorrow!

Happy 4th of July!

To all my American friends I would like to wish them a happy Independence Day! No, not this one...

This one...

I hope you all have safe and happy celebrations. 

Today I have completed my Scrapbook 101 section on my blog. Yay! It has some basic terms and a tutorial on how to complete a simple scrapbooking layout. This took me a little longer then I had expected but now that it is done I am really looking forward to working on some other beginner sections as well as getting into some more advanced techniques! I will soon be adding a section for basic techniques as well as a section for tools. Ahh Tools... Have I ever mentioned that I love scrapbooking tools? Well, I love scrapbooking tools! I have used most items I can get my hands on so I am really looking forward to writing about some of my favourites. If you are new to scrapbooking and have any questions or if there is anything you would like to see featured or explained on this blog be sure to comment below! Also, if you have stumbled on this blog and like it, be sure to follow it! I am hoping to build up my followers so that I can do some give-aways!  

Gallery Updates!

This afternoon I decided to work on a few photos for the gallery as well as updating my Scrapbooking 101 section! The gallery is coming along, although I feel like I need to work on the skill of photographing my layouts... I think there will be a little trial and error. Here are the first 3 I have added to the gallery:

I would like to note that the background (bricks on tattered angels canvas) for this Family layout was inspired by a fellow designer/instructor from my local scrapbook store where I also design and instruct. Although her beautiful layout is not online, you can find her blog here. One of my favourite aspects of this layout is the hidden journaling. Not only do I love the texture on the Tim Holtz Kraft Glassine Envelope but I like having somewhere to write personal thoughts for my family to read in the future. Be sure to check back for a tutorial on how to achieve this texture on the envelope!

The challenge of this Spread Your Wings and Soar layout stemmed from the fact that I have one beautiful little BOY and yet I loved the butterfly paper and wanted to use it for his picture. The colors of the paper matched nicely and I found that once the layout was complete, I was very pleased with the final outcome. I think it feels masculine even with the butterflies and flowers. I hope that Dax will agree when he is older!

I love this Meeting Time Holtz layout even though it did not turn out the way I had hoped and expected (and if you have never finished a layout and thought "this is NOT what I had in mind" then you are one lucky scrapbooker!). For this layout, the journaling was important to me - I needed to have a spot to explain who Tim Holtz was and why these photos and tags made me so excited! Although my fellow scrapbookers might not need much explanation - my husband sure did!! HaHa. Here is a close up of the journaling:

Check back soon for more layouts and tutorials!