Leaning Linear

I tend to like the "kitchen sink" version of scrapbooking, with a single photo and a lot of fun things flying around, but lately I've been experimenting with a more linear and simple way of doing things. It's fun to switch it up every once in awhile.



"Are You Sad Mom?"
I was watching the The Orphanage, a wonderful movie from Spain. I loved loved loved it, but it made me cry because I'm a sucker for good movies.


Eliza woke up during the last five minutes and said, "Are You Sad Mom? Are You Crying?" I told her it was okay but she hugged me and told me to turn that "sad moony" off. Taylor (my little sister) wanted to watch it the next day, but Eliza took one look at it and said , "No! Turn that moony off! That moony makes Mommy sad!" I don't know what impressed me more, that she recognized the movie or that she cared about my feelings. But seriously, if you like thrillers that you will love this movie! I haven't seen one so original in a long time!


"Car Cart"

One of our important everyday adventures is grocery shopping. I love summertime because I actually have time to cook, and Eli loves helping find the item that we are looking for (it's sort of like i spy). But she ALWAYS has to have a car cart, or a meltdown could be near.

"I love Candy Necklaces"
I've been avoiding using this lace card stock by KI Memories. It is super pretty, but I don't like the way it looks when you cut across it. To save this I cut off part of it so that none of the flowers were cut in half.


Hidden journaling is above. The way to Eliza's heart is her stomach, and Papa has that one down with his candy necklace trick!

"Caught!"


Eliza covered her entire room in baby powder. I didn't get a picture of her room, but I figured I'd put her mug shot in her "file" and give the journaling a detective twist.

"Eliza Hearts Abba"
Showing Eliza's relationship with her Abba. Abba is short for abolita, which means little grandmother.

"Little Train"
There's a little restored train in our county run by train lovers that mostly remind me of Shriners. It originally was a zoo train. Eliza loves it! We went with Jake's little sister Savannah.

"Piggy Tails"
I knew learning how to draw funny looking pigs in kindergarten would pay off. Jake did her hair. It's a good thing he can figure it out because I am horrible at it.

"Scardey Cat"
I thought it would be a treat for Kiki to go outside, but he HATED it. He never snuggles, but he had his face buried in my elbow the entire time we were out there.

"Silly"
Eliza and her Uncle Nick (Jake's brother) being silly.

"Super Hero"

We told Eliza to be a Viking, and without any prompt, this is what she did. Sure, she looks a little constipated, but it's hilarious.

"You are Comfy"

Daddy dressed her, can you tell?

Random Layouts

"You are my Sunshine"

This is a layout of Grammy (my name for my Grandma) when she was young. I miss her so much.

"His Eye is on the Sparrow"

"Holiday Jammies"

Man, I love those baby blues. I've been feeling in the mood for Christmas layout lately. I like this layout because it celebrates one of the abnormal Christmas traditions that we have- Jammies! My parents are split, so I always kept on my p.j.s for the first half of Christmas so it would feel like Christmas morning at both parent's houses. And then when I was pregnant with Eliza, I couldn't fit into anything but p.j.s, so Jake was kind enough to wear snowman p.j.s all day with me so I wouldn't feel silly in my flannel reindeer ones at the family parties. Now it's our tradition to try to stay in pajamas for as much of the day as possible!

"To Be a Daredevil, You Have to Have Courage"

This is Poppy, my Grandpa, when he was younger. How wicked cool is that jump? He raced dirt bikes for a long time, and had a ridiculously large collection of trophies, which he gave to kids that came to one of their garage sale one year. He kept the plaques off of them and a few of his favorite, but man those plaques still take up tons of space. I would have loved to see him at the top of his game. He still rides often though. He just retired and has been taking long trips on his motorcycle.

"King for a Day"

A layout that I did for Got Mojo? Challenge # 3 that, true to character, I never turned in. The picture of me was taken at NCORE 2007 (National Conference on Race and Ethnicity in Higher Education). The photo was a happy accident, taken through a window. The reflection of the woman in traditional African clothing looking over me was a result of her placement on the other side of the window next to Jake, the photographer.



P.S. Please leave me comments! I desperately need on-line scrap buddies!

*photo heavy* Eye Candy

My printer is out of ink, so I've been rockin' it with the pictures I already have. So, there's a lot of oldies but goodies.


"We're Better Together"




This is an old layout, but it's Jake's favorite so I put it up for him. The pictures were taken in 2005.

"Rose's Thorns"



A layout about the murder mystery one act I wrote and directed in high school, which one me a cute little best director "Oscar" for the year. It's for yet another challenge out of We Dare You. The challenge was to scrap an accomplishment.



"No Pony"







A picture of me and Jake a week before Eliza was born. We made a deal with her in the womb that she could only have a pony if she was born in 2005 (so that we could get the tax break). Now when we go through the whole "Mommy I want a pony" phase, we can tell her that she lost that deal fair and square.

"I am Sorrow"



My senior pictures. The journaling is my favorite sonnet that I wrote in high school. It reads:

I am Sorrow, the Straight Edge Queen of Hearts
The King has slain himself on battlefields
The price to pay he did know from the start
I knew too late his hollow fate was sealed

Opposing suit, I am now dressed in black
The color of my heart that's turned to stone
My mind is haunted by the pressing fact
That him I could have saved had I just known

If I, perhaps, my tragic mask had changed
His spirit would, instead, have breathed in life
But as it is his comic face is hanged
He could not take my vast and sourceless strife

Because my words of comfort were not said
King Happiness, my other half, is dead

"I Love... in 2002"




These were a few of my favorite things (all authentically taken from my journals in 2002).


"#18: Je Crois en Toi"




Okay, I didn't know it was a Celine Dion fact until after I made the page. Oops. Anyway, I have a "To Do Before I Die" list, and #18 was to "Spell Believe Without Lie", which is a play on the No Use for a Name song Insecurity Alert. The answer to this riddle? Fall for a boy who woos you in French.

"#4: Save the World"



Also on my list is to save the world or make a dent. Featured here is the Vincent van Gogh quote "If you hear a voice within you say 'you cannot paint,' then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced."

"The Same Hair"

*photo heavy*

I am ridiculously happy to be out of school for the summer and have been scrapping like crazy. After over 60 pages of term papers and project, I have been happy to be nothing but a bum, short order cook, and a Hi Ho Cherry-O competitor for Eliza. I love that I am finally getting chances to dig in to my stash. I haven't been able to keep away from my Red Velvet Kits (which you should go drool over right now if you are not familiar with them). Without further ado, here's what I've been working on:





The ever lovely miss Eliza playing dress up. It's nice to get a chance to use very girlie products.


I was very mean as a child to have written BRAT on my little sister's forehead, but I still think it is 100% hilarious. I'm sure she deserved it, but I don't remember why.

Jake: The most beautiful boy in the whole world and my personal photographer.

Okay, so I have a coffee problem. This is a reoccurring theme, you will notice. This page was a challenge from We Dare You.


Yes, that is hair on the layout. What else was I supposed to do with it?

"Summer is here!" Mojo Challenge 15

Got Mojo? Challenge 15 was to use fashion as inspiration and to use tape on the layout. So, here's mine:

My fashion inspiration was the winning design of Project Runway Season 3 by the ever talented Jeffrey Sebelia. The green one was the page's muse, if you couldn't tell.



I used this awesome packing tape as "trim" on the page. I just adhered it to the yellow Basic Grey paper and cut it into itty bitty strips.

Some of my favorites

Here's a "Some of my favorites" layout so you can get to know me!