gift for a lovely friend.

my wedding anniversary is coming up in a couple of months, and i've finally gotten a chance to slow down to enjoy our pictures from that lovely day.  since i DIY-ED a lot of elements for our wedding i lost my scrapping/crafting mojo, but i think it's coming back.  our wedding was held at our close family friends Ray and Michelle Dixon.  their backyard was the ideal setting for our night wedding.  i wanted to give Michelle some of our wedding pictures, but not sure how to arrange them i held off for a few months, but i was walking through Micheal's a few weeks ago and saw this awesome album stand.  this is what i came up with...

my husband with our bridesmaids 

Mr. & Mrs. Ray Dixon

my husband with our groomsmen

 

the stand had 12 pages and these are just a few.  i'm very, very pleased with the outcome of her gift, and i'm thinking about making one for myself or even as a Christmas gift for my Maid of Honor, Jeane.  in the past i've poured myself into a few different gifts for either birthdays or Christmas, but sadly they weren't welcomed with loving arm like i'd hope.  on the other hand, Michelle LOVED this gift!  and i was very happy to see her face light up with every page she turned. 

** supplies // the stand from Michael's, paper pack + twine from CTMH (sorry i can't remember what it's called), random embellishments from various scrap stores, photos printed at Cost Co, MS score board. 

super bowl of fun.

totally forgot about this layout and how much i heart this paper pack from CTMH.  back in February i took these pictures + finished the layout a couple of months after that.  i kept this layout pretty simple and clean letting the beauty of the paper and ribbon do all the talking. 

i really love these pictures, because everyone looks happy to be together.  i must say that we have some truly fun times with our cousins, and this layout shows a part of those good memories.  back tomorrow with a wedding wednesday post + i'm hoping to have a sneak peak at this year's December Daily "book" i worked on this past Monday.  it's going to for sure be a NEW twist on the same classic book concept....can't wait to show you!

best bridesmaids.

so, i've been trying to get caught up on my scrapping over the last few weeks and i'm almost there.  but, honestly it's going to take an act of congress to get me up-to-date with my 2011 album, since every weekend brings some new adventure for C & me.  here's one layout i've been dying to do since August.

i have a wonderfully close friend that sells CTMH goodies, and when i saw this paper pack in the new Fall look-book i feel hard in love!  i knew the Roxie (Paper Pack Level 2) would be perfect for these pictures. i tried a new twist on this layout with some lovely little paper rosettes and tying some tan color yarn to the picture with a brad and then pulling that yarn down to each girls name tag.  looking back, i think i should have placed their name along with the other wedding info, but it'll do for now.  here's a close up of page one...

side two of this two page layout was pretty basic, but i added a rosette to continue with that theme and this postcard i lifted from the restaurant where we had my bridal luncheon...lol!  anyway, i'm off to my good friends house to scrap the day away, so let's hope i've got something new to post tomorrow...if not, i'm hoping to post at least one or two more wedding Wednesday entries. enjoy your day + see ya back soon!

we're on a birthday roll.

here's another birthday layout for our friend, Meg.  she turned 40 this year back in April.  i know, it's taken me this long to finish up her layout too, but i must say i'm getting caught up pretty quick.

it was an all ladies night out with the exception of my future-husband-at-the-time.  we went to dinner first and then over to a local comedy club.  loved the colors of this paper, but i can't remember the name of it.  i kept this layout simple, but add some floss + brads to point out the birthday girl. 

enjoy your day!

welcome back the single life.

my partner-in-crime/best friend went through a divorce.  and since there were children involved- it made everything long/difficult/awful/painful, so once everything was said and done, we went out to celebrate.  i wanted this layout to be filled with color + life.  i know a divorce isn't something that should be celebrated, but in our house we celebrate everything and this was no exception.

happy 41st.

my husband turned 41 years young earlier this year and it's taken me months to finish his layout.  i know, i'm slacking off on my scrapbooking, but i'm trying to make a real effort to get caught up.  my plan is to tackle two layouts every week until i'm current.  i might fail, but then again it's all about the challenge of trying for me, not failing.  with that said, let's get back to this layout.

we went to see our cousin's play earlier that day and then we went to Pomona Mining Company, which was a first for both of us.  the food was excellent, but the birthday boy wasn't too impressed.  i used Graphic 45 paper, a few CTMH stamps to break-up my journal pattern, and the ribbon + flower are from Micheal's. 

have a great week + see ya back here tomorrow for another new post.

another birthday.

birthdays are big in my family.  they have been since i was a very young girl, so i've carried that tradition with me into adulthood.  i love celebrating birthdays with either close friends or co-workers.  if there's a birthday on the horizon i'm good for some cupcakes + a dinner to celebrate, so when my sister-in-law's birthday came up i had to take her out for just that.  we met our friend Pat at Cheesecake Factor in Brea for some good eats + a round of not too many pictures. 

i normally don't do one page layout's, but for some reason i wasn't feeling the picture-taking-spirit that day.  so with that said, i only had enough photos for a single page layout, and i must say, i'm kinda diggin' this new concept.  note to self, try making another layout like this.  anyway, here's the lovely layout in question...

i used some leftover paper i had in my overflowing scrap box which (i can't recall the name of) i've used before on this card + a layout that i'll be posting next week.  i'm a closet orange color fan.  have been for years, but let's keep that between you + me.  anyway, when i saw this paper combo i fell hard for it, to say the least.  very happy with this layout. 

enjoy the weekend + see ya back here next week for all new layouts everyday next week...or at least that's what i'm shooting for.

You & Me / CTMH...

i had my lovely friend Pat Serrano order this kit for me since i LOVED her's so much.  CTMH sells these full scrap kits with everything you need to make a 2- 2 page layout.  here's what i came up with for the first 2 page layout...

page 1

page 2

i tried to keep both the pages as simple as they were in the kit example.  the pictures i used were from our little adventure around LA back in July.  i'll be posting the second layout from this kit tomorrow.

thanks for stopping by!

wedding wednesdays...

here we are again, another Wedding Wednesday is upon us, and i've got a LOVELY layout for you...

left side

right side

so, my stunning bridesmaids + me met for a short, but sweet lunch at Cheesecake Factory in Brea.  there wasn't really anything to review, or plan at this point, but i thought this would be a great way for all the girls to meet each other + just hang out together.  as you can tell, one girl wasn't able to join us that day, because she had prior plans that day that couldn't be changed.  she was missed, for sure.  we had lots of good eats, lots of yummy desserts, lots of laughs, + it was an amazing to finally feel like our wedding is REAL, and not just an idea in my head.

front side of outside "flip-flap" from CTMH

back side of "flip-flap"

i used the CTMH Magic Book (which i'm addicted to!) to figure out what layout i wanted to go with, the paper is Teresa Collins Posh, and some matching ribbon from that line too.  i'm planning on using black/pink/white paper combo only for all my wedding layouts this year.

thanks for stopping by...

happy birthday...

C's aunt Rosemary birthday was last month, so we all got together to celebrate at Johnny Carino's.  sad to say, but i finally finished the layout from that night.  bad Sophie, i know!  i'm sure all these guys + dolls all look familiar...

left side

 

right side

under those amazing flip-flaps

i used Wings paper pack from CTMH.  i just heart this mix of papers + feel that you'll be seeing it again in my 2011 book.  i used a "flip-flap" on the second page...it's an easier way to add more photographs without having to add more pages to your book.  the food was tasty, the company was awesome, + the birthday girl was happy!

thanks for stopping by...see ya tomorrow for an awesome "Wedding Wednesday" layout from my first bridesmaids luncheon.

triple D's for lunch...

C + i love to watch this show whenever it's one.  we've been dying to try any of the places Guy goes to, and we found some in our own backyard.  we took a weekend trip last year to San Diego, and stopped by here and here too.  the food was amazing at both stops, and we can't wait to go back this coming summer!  here's our fun filled weekend...

page one

a look inside those flaps

page two

page three...just might be my favorite!

it was an awesome weekend filled with Padres baseball on 9/11 (it's a MUST for any true baseball fan), tasty food, and the most outrageous cupcakes!  if you are ever in the SD area please check out Heavenly Cupcakes, and trust me you won't be disappointed. 

wishing everyone a great week... looking forward to the Housewives Reunion tonight!

new years, mmxi...

we went to Morton's to celebrate our first New Year's living together.  dinner was amazing, but the pictures from that night are the highlight for me of the whole evening... pss.. maybe the dessert was too!

now for the right page...

i've used this layout before in last year's book, but i just loved it so that i could help but use it again.  the paper if old, and the layout is a little basic, but that's what i love about it the most... the photographs do most of the talking.

thanks for stopping by!  how many people are watching the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills:Reunion tonight?  i've got class, but i'll catch up on it once i get home.  God bless DVR!

baseball anyone.....?

we're BIG San Diego Padres fan around here.  we make a few trips down south to take in a ballgame through out the season....

this time we brought along my nephew, Adam.  he had a great time even though he isn't a baseball fan at all...lol!  i LOVED this layout and feel like i should do more like this with the ribbon tied on the side of the photo but just haven't gotten around to it.  lots to catch up on......it's hard to believe but i'm BEHIND on my 2010 book.  not sure how that happened but i'm hoping to have some new, fresh layouts for you next week...have a great weekend!

Santa Barbara for the day....

we LOVE Santa Barbara and try to head up that way a few times a year.  we took a little day trip there a few weekends ago.....

i'm unsure why but my boy LOVES to ruin all my pictures of us together!  i think he feels that i take way too many pictures of randomness in general + me taking a million pictures of us together has sent him over the edge.  and the results are, him making the above (&below) face(s) in most of my photos.  at this point it's a running joke but i'd like a lovely set of pictures of us once in a while.

i stepped out my comfort zone on this paget and was very pleased with this mixed up layout.  i used "Out and About" paper from We R Memory Keepers.  you don't have deja vu , it's the same paper i used on my Getty Villa layouts too.  i'm in LOVE with this paper!  i think it's perfect for our little day trip up the coast.  ~hugs + kisses

birthday boy.....

mine and Chris' birthdays are 3 years and 1 month apart, exaclty!  we are both 21st babies....so cute!  in all my many efforts of getting current with my 2010 scrap book i totally forgot about his birthday pictures.  LOL...bad girlfriend!!  so i sent the photos over to Wal-Greens STAT with the hope Chris wouldn't open my book and find everyone else had a layout but him.

i'm trying really hard to jump out of my scrap booking box and try new things.  so far, so good but i feel the pull of my old favorite layouts calling my name, loudly!  *must not listen to (scrap booking) voices in my head*  this layout was different for me all the way around.  i LOVE a brown/pink paper combo for anything but this Bella Blvd paper had me foaming at the mouth.  i HAD to get it.  i know it's a boy's birthday but it's in my book....that's my story and i'm sticking to it!

since it was girly paper i thought i would take it easy on the embellishments.  i kept the pages clean, simple and used my own handwriting on the journal card.  that's HUGE for me!  i'm not a big fan of my writing on my scrap pages but i thought it worked for this layout.  ~thanks for stopping by...Happy Saturday!

the Getty Villa.....part #2!

we took soooooo many pictures at the Getty, i wasn't able to fit them all in one layout!  so, here's page two and three of our "about town" adventure....

i used the same paper through out these 4 pages.  i tried something a little different on the above layout by cutting the paper in 3 1/2 X 3 1/2 strips and then mounting my photos on it.  i LOVED this idea and felt i could fit more on one sheet but not use up tons of pattern paper.

on our way back from the Getty, we wanted a good meal to reward ourselves for ALL our walking efforts.  seeing as how Tina has never been to P.F. Chang's before, i thought this was the perfect time for us to kill two birds with one stone....hehehehe!  i got the idea of saving the take-out page and using it as mounting paper for my layout from a blog i follow.  i LOVE this layouts clean lines and the way the blue paper highlights the logo on the side of the take-out bag.  thanks for stopping by, enjoy your weekend!  we're Sin City bound for a little birthday dinner and fun times overnight....wish me luck at the tables!

my two favorite little men....

i have two very beautiful and special Godson's.  brandon and bradley are just too cute for words!  every year their mother asks me to make a new layout for her school's "children of teachers" board.  this year this i what i came up with....

now in years past, i've went a little OVERBOARD, to say the least!  LOL!  but this year she wanted a little toned down layout and not a full 12X12 sheet.  i tried my hardest not to go crazy...just know it was a very, very fine line for me to walk while i was making this one.  have a great weekend!

the Getty Villa.....

i LOVED the Getty Villa before i ever step foot inside of it!  hard to believe that i've been dying to go there but never made it until a few weeks back in July.  it totally lived up to all my expectations and more!  we took soooo many pictures there was NO way i could print out every single one but over the next two days i'll be sharing my layouts of the pictures that made the final cut...so to speak.

i just LOVE this picture of tina and i!  she has become a very good friend in a short amount of time.

there's soooo much to see and i wish i could have scraped everything but there's only so much paper in the world.

thanks for stopping by and checking out my little spot of blog-heaven.

2010, here we come.....

my camera broke this past weekend!!  needless to say, it's been a rough week for me and that's why i haven't posted anything new in a few days...(mental note to self! take pictures right AFTER you finish your page!). but my new baby will be here this coming Monday (fingers crossed!).  here's an old picture from New Years Eve (this year) but i just got around to scrapping the layout.

i LOVE black & white pictures!  we didn't do anything special on New Years but i did make my boy take this picture with me in front of his house.  this is the first page on my NEW 2010 scrapbook.  thanks for stopping by and enjoy your weekend y'all!

are you a "Fangbanger" too?

they call a woman or man a "Fangbanger" if you're into fooling around with vampires...ROFL!  i'd get down with Eric Northmen anytime but seeing how i'll never meet him, i'll just lust after him on Sunday nights. LOL...Tina + me LOVED taking these pictures...we had a blast that night with our fake fangs + True Blood drink!

Tina is ALWAYS a good sport about taking pictures and making everyone laugh.  it's no different in these too!

these are the treat bags we made for the rest of the girls.  Tina was making the "Baxter Face" in that picture...long story but truly a funny one!  thanks for stopping by!