Journey - Pretty Little Studio

Hello all! I love using travel-themed product as a metaphor for life - the journey, the adventures, etc. - and I did just that on this scrapbook page for Pretty Little Studio:

I used the Let's Go collection to document my little man's kindergarten graduation. You can get all the links to specific products on the Pretty Little Studio blog here.

Kindergarten for this kiddo went much differently than it did for his older brothers. It was an adventure, with a lot of learning (for him and for me) and growth. It has been interesting to watch first grade unfold and to see how he is continuing to overcome challenges and find success.

I'm off to do laundry and disinfect my house ;). I hope you're doing much better! Thanks for visiting today. Tessa

Pink Paislee and PageMaps

The Pink Paislee design team had the fantastic opportunity to contribute to PageMaps this month - happy June, by the way! Using the Atlas collection, we all created layouts in various sizes. You can see the gallery here, and win the Atlas collection for yourself here. This is the sketch I was lucky to work with:

I've had the chance to contribute a few times before, and every time I find PageMaps so easy to work with! Even if a particular PageMap doesn't scream my style, it still works. And that's the sign of a great sketch :). Here's my take:

I started with a white cardstock background, then used the gold foil map overlay on the left and a patterned paper (same design as the overlay) on the right. I used tickets for some of the banner strips, as well as ephemera pieces. The Atlas ephemera is the best. I love every little piece!

I didn't quite place my photos in the same positions as the sketch, but where they fell worked for my pictures. I put my title in the same place, but decided that I didn't want to cover up any more of the overlay with a circular base.

I love the boyish charm Atlas can have, so I knew from the beginning I wanted to work with photos of my boys. When I was planning my page, the two oldest were reading. At that moment I decided to include one of my favorite quotes about books and travel and to take photos of the boys the next time we went to the library.

Thanks to Becky at PageMaps for the opportunity to design with another fabulous sketch! Be sure to check out the gallery and details on winning the Atlas prize! Have a great day! Tessa

Dude! - The Studio

Happy Sunday! There's a new challenge up at The Studio today. It's our monthly sketch challenge, and I'm honored to have had a layout from August be the inspiration for the sketch :). Here's my take:

And here's the sketch alongside the original layout:

I usually have a hard time scraplifting myself, so I went with a photo of my son and a masculine theme so that  it felt "new". I'm pretty happy with the result!

I used a lot of Crate Paper, a little Basic Grey, Pinkfresh Studio, and Studio Calico stars (clear and wood veneer).

If I don't use flowers, stars are my next favorite :). I thought the mix tapes were a great trade-off for the flowers in the original layout, too.

If you'd like to play along, you can find the challenge post at The Studio here. Be sure to check out the design team's layouts, too. It's really fun to see all the different takes on my design ;).

Attitude of Gratitude....

I have a bit of catch-up to do! Let me explain.... Have you ever lost something, or it broke, and you didn't realize how much you depended on that thing until it was gone? Yeah, that was me this past week with my iPhone, which won't be fixed until Monday night. I was tracking all of my Attitude of Gratitude photos and thoughts on my phone, so until I can properly retrieve them and post them, I'm just going to move on.

Attitude of Gratitude Day 8: I am grateful for the service men and women who have proudly and honorably served in the military to secure and protect my freedoms. I am grateful for their families. I am grateful for their sacrifices.

For the past four years we've held a "Veterans Appreciation Night" for Cub Scouts. We invite the veterans from church, our families and our community. We prepare a program for them that includes patriotic songs, skits, and projects the boys have been working on about citizenship. The veterans share stories about their service. We present the veterans with a token of our appreciation. It's a really meaningful and fun pack meeting.

Last night, our gathering activity was "bootcamp" - an obstacle course with jumping jacks, army crawling and target practice. The Webelos incorporated Red Skelton's Pledge of Allegiance into our flag ceremony. The wolves sang a song and we all sang the Star Spangled Banner together. The bears shared posters about what makes America special and how to be a good citizen. We heard amazing stories about Christmas Eve in a foxhole and being chased by submarines while crossing the Equator. But my favorite moment of the night was when one veteran shared about the cost of service. He wanted the boys to understand that they could help veterans who had returned from war disabled. He talked about physical scars, but more importantly, he talked about mental scars. A lot of adults are squeamish about talking to young people about mental health, but I think, done in an age-appropriate way like this veteran did, it promotes understanding and compassion. He listed different organizations and encouraged the boys to find ways to serve these veterans. I am grateful for his perspective and that he shared those thoughts with the boys.

One of my goals for Attitude of Gratitude this year is to act on my gratitude more frequently. I'm taking that goal to den meeting this week. We will be writing thank you notes to the veterans who attended our pack meeting. We will also be putting together a care box for a young man from church who is currently serving in the Army. I hope the boys make the gratitude-service connection. They're great kids ;).

Hopefully I'll be able to catch up with Attitude of Gratitude on the next couple of days :). Thanks for stopping by! Tessa

Hello, Oreo! - Scrapbook Circle

I've been having so much fun with my May kit from Scrapbook Circle. Today I'm up on the Scrapbook Circle blog with my latest layout, Hello, Oreo:

These photos are from the day Jaxon and I made Oreo brownies for his birthday party. Our favorite phrase that afternoon was, "Hello, Oreo!" So the hello patterned paper by Pink Paislee in the kit was a perfect match.

I'm sharing my layout as inspiration for our latest challenge, From the Heart. The challenge is simply to use hearts on your layout. I think I got enough hearts in there ;).

The gray cardstock background is a Silhouette Cameo cut file. I cut the image, then isolated one of the hearts and used the offset feature to create a heart that was just a tad bigger. I cut several of those bigger hearts from the patterned paper and then tucked them behind the open spaces in my cardstock cut out. I used both the A and B sides of the patterned paper. Easy-peasy! Then I used the leftover negative cardstock hearts by popping them up with dimensional adhesive on the existing cardstock hearts. After experimenting with this background cut file, I think I'll play with more in the future.

If you'd like to play along, visit the original post here. You don't have to be a subscriber to join in. Thanks for stopping by today! Tessa

Scrapbook Circle All Is Bright Blog Hop

Hello! Welcome to my stop on the blog hop for Scrapbook Circle. If you are here by chance but would like to hop along, start at the Scrapbook Circle blog. If you just came from Rebecca's blog, you're in the right place. Be sure to visit every creative team member's blog - you have a chance to win an All is Bright December kit at each stop! And believe me, you want this kit!

This is the first page I created with the main kit, a touch of the add-on, and a bit of the cardstock add-on. Here's the story:

I used white and gold metallic paint to distress my background and make a home for layered patterned paper, tissue paper, vellum, die-cuts and embellishments. Because the theme of my page is the joy children experience this time of year, I wanted my page to be whimsical.

Some of my favorite items include the gold glitter cardstock (title and snowflakes) and the giant rhinestones by Glitz Designs.

I also love the Fancy Pants Designs buttons and tickets! I am saving them for a challenge project that you will see a bit later this month at the Scrapbook Circle blog. Being a Pocket Chick (Fancy Pants Designs design team member), I already have these buttons and tickets on hand. Would you like my extras? Not only will I draw a name from the comments for the All is Bright kit, but I will also draw a name for a Fancy Pants Designs goodie bag from me personally. Good luck!

I hope you've enjoyed the hop so far, and that you'll enjoy the last few stops, too! Hop quickly - comments are only open to win the kit until December 3rd at midnight. Visit creative team member, the talented Melissa Mann, next.

Good luck and Merry Christmas! Tessa

Swagger meets Cowboy at Fancy Pants Designs

Hello! Or should I say, Howdy! I've got a layout up on the Fancy Pants Designs blog today all about my 4 year old's cowboy birthday party. I used the Swagger line in a "western" way, and it turned out great!

I created a sketch for this layout, as well as a matching card, so please check out the post and let me know what you think! Other than paper and pen sketches, this is the first layout sketch that I've created and shared. I hope you find it useful! You can find the sketch here.

I've got a lot to catch you up on - it's been a whirlwind couple of weeks! Stay tuned, this gal will be a regular blogger again starting now ;). Have a good one! Tessa

Jaxon has something to say...

My little man (turning 4 this month) is fascinated by my typing on the computer. He is learning letters and I think he thinks he's got it down ;). Anyway, I told him he could type a message to you all, so here it is:

;xlkjhhjjjjjkkkooookjhhjkkkl,m....
kikl;l;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;'''''''''''''''''''''''''\\[pkhttffettrettuyyygyygtyuugyiuhtjiuytuui9ijhyuuui\]ju8o'lkklllkhuuiooppppppoppppppppppppppppppppppjadxon                             hgjhfhdgfgsgsds

\

He wants to know if anyone will talk back. Too cute! I wonder what kinds of things he will accomplish with computers and technology one day. I don't think I ever typed on a keyboard until first or second grade, and this kid has been pretty proficient at my iPhone for more than a year. Crazy to think about, huh?

I've been creating like crazy lately and will share soon! Thanks for stopping by today, and for "reading" Jaxon's jibberish :). Enjoy your day! Tessa

Hiccups and a Layout

Life is full of hiccups. Those events that alter or even derail your to-do list filled with good intentions. Jaxon and I experienced one such hiccup yesterday:

Yes, those are staples. And yes, I did briefly think about how they were about the same size as the ones that come from Tim Holtz' tiny attacher. Jaxon and I were sitting at the kitchen table late yesterday morning when a lego he was playing with got too far away from him. I pushed it back to him when I realized he was reaching for it, but as he went to sit back down on his bum after being on his knees, the chair scooted out from underneath him and he went down, hitting his head on the chair before landing on the floor. I ran to him, cradled him, then felt the (unfortunately) familiar feel of blood on my arm. I looked and sure enough, he had a small gash on his head. We just did this a few months ago, except it was a hallway corner and a race with his brothers. That time it was urgent care and three stitches. This time it was a trip to the ER and two staples. He was a champ, though! He was really cooperative and the ER staff was impressed. He got a chocolate shake from In-n-Out and was a happy camper the rest of the day. Evidence - this photo taken when I said, "Let me take a picture of your staples so you can see them."

Goof ball. And yes, that is a mix of blood and chocolate shake on his shirt. So, anyway, this hiccup really put my schedule out of whack yesterday and I am going to postpone my Tahoe recap/Golden Birthday winner post to tomorrow. But before you go, here is a layout I have up on the Scrapbook Circle blog today:

I definitely count my blessings when I have days like the one featured on this layout. They keep me sane when those darn hiccups show up :).

Hiccups or not, my life really is simply wonderful.

As accident prone as Jaxon is, I wouldn't trade my little tough guy for anything! He blesses my life more than any stitches or staples could ever inconvenience it. I hope your day is a good one - hiccups or not :). Thanks for stopping by! Tessa

Happy

Raising this little guy has been different than the older two. Colten and Carson were born so close together (one year, one month, one week and one day apart), that it felt like I had always had two kids. They were into the same things nearly at the same time. They always had a buddy for entertainment. Jaxon, on the other hand, has only me during the school day. And he has me full-time, unlike his brothers, who saw Mom go to the dance studio for 30+ hours a week. So, our dynamic is different, and I am enjoying every possible moment. Like the one pictured in this layout.

Yes, it's a weed, but the sweet thought behind it is heart-melting. Really, there are no weeds when your boys offer you flowers ;). He is such a happy kid, and his happiness makes me happy.

I made this layout for the current challenge at The Studio - alter your background. I tend to alter the background of just about every page I make with mist or paint, so this time around I thought I would use rub-ons. I used a punchinella rub-on sheet from Glitz Designs, adding dots here and there, some overlapping and some distressed. I misted a bit on top of the dots, too.

If you'd like to play along, you can find the challenge here. And just to give you a heads up, in November it's my turn to set the challenges. I've got some ideas twirling around that I think will be fun, as well as a fabulous prize to give away! Thanks for stopping by today :). Have a good one! Tessa

More Scrap Rat

Hello! I wanted to share another layout and a card that I created with the August Scrap Rat kit.

Jaxon is really good at peddling his tricycle now. It's the first thing he plays with when he goes outside. At least a few times a day, while I'm folding laundry or working in my scrapbook room, I'll hear his little voice say, "Hi Mom!" I'll turn around to find that he has peddled his way through the garage, kitchen, dining room and down the hallway to me. One time the camera was handy, so I had to snap some photos before he put it in reverse and headed back outside.

He also has a thing for the number three right now, which is what this layout is about. Besides his three-wheeler, he thinks the answer to any kind of number question is three, including how old he is. He's really two.

One of my favorite elements in the kit is the package of mini cameos from The Girls Paperie.  I used one here to top off my twine bow. I'm excited to share with you my last project from the August kit, but you'll have to wait until it's my turn for a tutorial on the Scrap Rat blog in a couple of weeks. If you haven't had a chance to check out Scrap Rat, you can find them here.

Have a great day! Tessa

Scrap Rat August Kit

Hello!  We are riding roller coasters today, but I just had to share the Scrap Rat August kit with you! I'm on a major navy blue kick right now, and this kit just fueled my frenzy :). I created two layouts, a card and a mini album that I am really excited about, but for today I'll just share this layout:

I took this photo of Jaxon recently while we were visiting with some neighbors in our driveway.  He wanted to climb up on the car, which was parked up against a flowering bush. The backdrop was so pretty I just had to snap a photo, and of course, I got the "cheesy grin".

The flowers in the photo inspired me to use the crocheted flowers from the kit, as well as several accordion fold rosettes that I fashioned from patterned papers in the kit.  I just love this blue! The "2" from a sheet of Pink Paislee paper made for the perfect title.

I used barnwood and white Mr. Huey mists, as well as my new favorite Glimmer Mist - Bell Bottom Jeans - on the background.  To create my leaves, I die cut leaves from pages of the vintage book text in the kit.  I colored the leaves by dipping a paintbrush into my Olive Vine Glimmer Mist and painting it onto the leaves. I love seeing the text through the color :).

I didn't want to journal on the dark background paper, so I tucked a journaling card from the kit behind my photo. Easy peasy :). The kit is now live and you can find it here, along with the rest of the design team's work. Thanks for stopping by today! I hope your Monday is as exciting as mine is hopefully turning out to be :).  Tessa

Short and Sweet and SRM

Hello! How are you? I have lots to share today :).  It's Thursday, which means I have a Sketchy Thursdays layout to share:

I got the itch to cut my hair and my sister/stylist obliged :).  We took out the blond highlights I added in late Spring and went dark.  I love the color, but I miss the length.  She took off five inches!

I used some bits and pieces from various manufacturers, including a polka dot Cupcake Poppy from my Etsy shop, Precocious Paper.  I just restocked this color, too :).

I chose to do the left side of the double-page sketch, flipped to suit my photos:

I'm definitely going to save this sketch for a future two-pager :).  If you'd like to play along this week, you can find all the details here, along with fantastic samples by the design team.

My dance studio's annual showcase was a couple of weeks ago. In years past I've taught 20-30 classes every week, and making something special for each student wasn't an option.  However, since I only had three classes this year, I took the opportunity to spoil them with treats :).  SRM stickers, tubes and wands were my inspiration and here is what I created:

You can see detailed shots on the SRM blog today, as well as more pictures in my flickr photostream.

Thank you again for all your kind thoughts and prayers for Jaxon.  After we did all we could do, he just wouldn't cooperate at the dentist's yesterday.  We are going to try another pediatric dentist who works more often with really young, stubborn kiddos like Jaxon before we go the oral surgeon route.  He isn't in any pain, so other than a weird smile, he's doing okay.  Your well wishes have been heartwarming and comforting.  Have a fabulous day! Tessa