Two Layouts To Share On Day 2 Of 2013!!

Well it day 2 already of 2013!!!  I can't believe 2012 has come & gone and here we are beginning another year in the journey of our lives :)  I have so many hopes and dreams for this year, but mostly I am excited for the growing & everyday moments that we all treasure so.   I found within the past year, I did not scrap anywhere near as often as I'd like to.  In part, because I'm just busy with the kids & family & life - but also because I am such a slow scrapper.  I tend to lament over silly things on my page and it just slooooooooooooooows down my process.  This year I really want to try to find a better balance.  I also want to include more photos on pages and work on keeping the process of recording my memories a bit more simple.  I have TWO layouts to share today featuring the fun & colorful Soda Shoppe kit!!!

My first layout titled "Love & Laughter & Joy" is definitely simple, but I love the clean lines & how it
allows my photo to really shine on the page.  We celebrated New Year's with some close friends & their kids.  Ryan had such a blast ringing in the new year with them & I wanted to make sure to document it.  The oversized photo takes precedence on the page but I added in a few embellishments here & there to accent.



I had a tough time getting great pictures for my son's birthday last week - not sure why, partially because I was running around hosting & partially because my manual settings on my camera were giving me trouble.  I knew black & white pics would be more forgiving, as well as printing them small scale.  I also knew I wanted to include multiple pics to help create a true sense of that fun evening :)  I used the washi tape from the kit to create a "frame" of sorts around the edge of the page & then stitched around it.  Within my "frame", I included pictures of the party & all sorts of fun embellishments and papers from the Soda Shoppe kit.



Do you have any goals for your scrapping this year??  New techniques you'd like to try??  I'd love to hear!!!  Thanks so much for stopping by :)

Note to Self

Happy New Year! I love the holidays and the New Year is the perfect ending to all the festivities. It brings the promise of new beginnings and new things to come.

I don't really do resolutions but I do pick a word for the year and it helps me stay focused on what's important to me. This year my word is YES!

YES to trying new things.

YES to changing what doesn't work.

YES to taking care of myself.

YES to family.

YES to...I can adapt my word in so many ways, I love the endless possibilities.

For my layout today I used Soda Shoppe for a "Note to Self" layout. I used a quote that I think will help me stay on track with my word for the year!

The quote reads, "If it scares you, it might be a good thing to try." How great is that? I love it!

Here are a few close-ups.

If you haven't already picked up Soda Shoppe you can get it in the shop. I love the color palette and can't wait to make more with this amazing kit! The flair is from {a flair for buttons} and there is a great selection of those in the shop too!

Thank you for coming by and Happy New Year!

*Oh Snap with Soda Shoppe*

Hi everyone! Happy New Year's Eve!
I hope you enjoyed your Christmas and are ready for 2013.
Wishing you and yours ALL the best for the new year!

Today I'm stopping by to share a layout I made
using January's Soda Shoppe kit.
When I received it, I couldn't WAIT to break into it & make something.
This kit is amazing. It really is! It's full of such fun, bright colors & details!

You will love it.

Here's a layout I did of my kiddo's. This is from a series of photo's I took of them
when they came home from college for Thanksgiving...

Check out the STRAWS! I love those. I couldn't wait to use them once I saw them!

If you're wondering "what am I going to do with them?" Think outside of the box.

They don't have to go on a layout. How cute would they be decorated and in a small
vase, or on a card, or any project?
I decided when making this layout - to make it fun & a bit whimsical, mimicking

the kids and their "shooting" me shooting them. So I added my straws as stems
to my "whimsical" flowers. Or lollipops. I couldn't decide what they looked
more like - ha!

I love how it all came together.
That Heidi Swapp trim - YUM.
The washi - fabulous. I'm addicted to washi's lately!
The only thing I've added here is the jute.

Thanks so much for stopping by the blog today!
I hope you've enjoyed seeing what I did with Soda Shoppe.
If you'll check below this post you'll see Virginia did a video recap of all

the gorgeous details of this kit. You don't want to miss out!

Before I go, I'll share a couple of close up shots!
I hope you have a VERY happy New Year's!

Celebrate big!

Soda Shoppe Kit

The January Kit, "Soda Shoppe", is now available to purchase!  CLICK HERE to get yours! 

Soda Shoppe Contents:

PAPERS:
5 American Crafts Cardstock: (Kraft, Salmon, Mustard, Leaf, Turquoise)  Crate Paper On Trend (Swanky, LaMode) Glitz Hello Friend (Clouds, Bokeh, Polka) Lawn Fawn Bright Side (Bright Eyed, Jump for Joy) Dear Lizzy 5th and Frolic (6th and Main, Bowtie Boulevard, Simplicity Circle, 7th and Sunshine, Little Moments Lane, Sweet Street)  My Minds Eye The Sweetest Thing (Cutie Pie, The Best, Reasons Why, About Me), Basic Grey Serenade (Bustle, Half Penny, Shilling)
EMBELLISHMENTS:
1 sheet Elle's Studio "The Sweet Life" pennants, 1 large Elle's Studio Journaling Card, 2 yards Heidi Swapp Sunshine Trimmings, 1 sheet My Minds Eye "The Sweetest Thing" label stickers, 1 package Dear Lizzy assorted buttons, 1 roll Glitz "Hello Friend" washi tape, 1 Dear Lizzy roller date stamp, 3 My Cute Tape paper straws (turquoise/gray/lime), 2 small My Cute Tape chevron striped bags (yellow and gray), 1 Dear Lizzy feather accent sticker, 3 Heidi Swapp trimmings flowers, 1/2 sheet of Basic Grey mini flags, SEI chalk ink pad in coral, SEI chalk ink pad in greystone, 1 package My Minds Eye "The Sweetest Thing" enamel dots, 1 Glitz transparency, 3 Glitz die cut shapes (assorted), 1 My Minds Eye "Fabulous" journaling card, 1 package Glitz "Hello Friend" glitzers, 1 sheet Studio Calico gray alphabet stickers, 1 package Dear Lizzy 5th and Frolic Stickers (2 sheets), 1 package American Crafts "Rainboots" glitter thickers, 1 Dear Lizzy 5th and Frolic large shipping tag (not pictured).

And here is Virginia going through the contents for you in her monthly video:

2013 Pocket Calendars for my Kiddos!

One of the things my kids asked for this year was calendars. They are all getting a grasp on the sequence of time, counting down to special days, etc. and the visual of a calendar is really important to them! 

I found these little pocket calendars in the Dollar Spot at Target, but they don't particularly reflect my kids' personalities, so I thought I'd personalize them. 

I used the new Soda Shoppe Kit (now on sale!) and selected two papers to just simply cover the outside of the calendars. 

One of my girls like simple, feminine things, so this one is for her. 

The other one is more spunky, so I thought this fit her a bit better! :)

I used my decorative tape collection to put a strip of tape on pages that had important dates, like birthdays, vacations, holidays, etc. 

It helps them to see how much longer to those special days! :)

Have you checked out Soda Shoppe yet? It's a beautiful kit that you won't want to miss!

Happy Thursday!

Hi guys!

I hope everyone had a fabulous Christmas Day with their families and that they made Santa's nice list :)

Well, today is my last post and I have to say that I have had soooo much fun creating projects with Noel's AMAZING kits!!  I mean really, her kits are quite possibly the best that are out there and I'm not just saying that :)

For today's lo, I of course used the fabulous Glad Tidings kit because of course it is absolutely perfect for scrapping the holiday photos.

We just got our tree up last week (eep!), so it'll be nice to enjoy it a lil bit longer in a layout.

I hope you guys have a wonder new year and that 2013 is absolutely amazing for ya!!

xo

Twas the night before Christmas

Hello everyone, it's Diane here to wish you, my scrapping friends, a very Merry Christmas! I hope you have a fun-filled day planned with family and friends!

I wanted to share one more layout I made with the Glad Tidings kit. For me, Christmas Eve is just as fun and exciting as Christmas morning and opening presents. I just love the excitement and anticipation of Christmas morning and a tree surrounded by presents.

This layout showcases a photo of my kids several years ago right before bedtime on Christmas Eve. So much fun!

Here are a few close-ups:

Thank you form coming by everyone! Merry Christmas...I'll see you next week in 2013!