Twelve: Personality

Big Picture Classes has a class called TWELVE.  The class is a 12 week class superimposed on a year long class.  We will scrapbook a total of 144 layouts this year, 12 per each month based on the following categories: Me, Holidays, Places, Everyday Life, Rituals, People, Inspiration, Personality, Things, Family Story, Season, FUN.  Each category is assigned a color, by me.  Personality is yellow.  I have hidden journaling behind the picture, but pull on the little yellow tab and there it is!  This is a picture of Walker eating Elk Jerky in Toronto, Canada at an open market.  He was sulky because we were shopping, but then brightened up when we found some elk jerky and a coke.  Being a hunter, he was thrilled to eat ELK!

4x6 Photo Love: Erie Canal

Left page

Right page

Close up of Title & Journaling

Well, I failed at the Christmas Journal, but I decided to accomplish Shimelle's 4x6 Photo Love in conjunction with Two Peas in a Bucket 4x6 monthly challenge.  November's challenge was to use 11 pictures on one layout.  This was accomplished by inserting a 6x12 photo insert into the middle of a two page layout.  My 6x12 insert did not arrive in time; so I used a 12x12 photo insert w/ 6: 4x6 inserts, which allows a total of 12 photos.  I folded over the right side in order to accomplish the challenge.  There are 4 horizontal 4x6 photos along the bottom of the two page spread, 3 4x6 vertical at the top and 4 4x6 photos in the insert w/ 2 journaling cards.  I always love these challenges because they are so interactive!  Here is my attempt at this month's challenge, which was issued on November 30 and Due today, December 29th.  Nothing like waiting to last moment.  These pictures are from our summer vacation to Buffalo, NY & Canada.  We took an Erie Canal boat ride to view the lock system in action!  It was incredible!  Gates would lock in front of you and open behind you and the water would either flood in or out depending which way you traveled on the Erie Canal!  It is a spectacular feat of engineering!  This was such a fun trip!  We were all amazed by the Erie Canal!

LOAD: Day 2 Cave of the Winds

     
 We were challenged to scrap a picture of a time when we "bellied" laughed.  This was certainly at "Cave of the Winds" at Niagara Falls.  We took an elevator down several "floors" down the cliff side to slowly (or race it Walker style) make your way back up the cliff under the American Falls.  At several levels there were observation decks, ending on the "Hurricane Deck", where you had gale force winds, drenched by water from the American Falls!  It was fabulous!  Walker was so excited!  He ran from deck to deck with Maddie, our tour guide's daughter, pulling us along!  the picture inset in the upper left corner is Walker & Maddie on the Hurricane deck!   What fun we had!  We certainly bellied laughed the entire trip!!!!  And got a little wet!  This picture is of all four of us at the end!  Forget the rain coats! They didn't work! The layout is based on Shimelle Laine's sketch July 2011.

My Scrappin' Style

I am currently taking LOAD, Layout A Day, with Laine Ehmann at Big Picture Classes. For the past 9 weeks we have been "getting into shape" for our 26 layout marathon. Starting September, 1, 2011, we will make a layout a day. This week, Laine challenged each of us to identify our scrapbooking style. And of course, I thought, "what style? I don't have a particular style. I "SCRAPLIFT" everyone else's style". But per our homework, I watched Stacy Julian's video,(let's see if I can enter the link) Stacy Julian's Video reviewed my recently created LOs, and made a list of similar creative trends within my layouts. So without further ado, here is my current style:

1. Hand Journal
2.Use multiple pics
3. Up until May (past 3 months), double page LOs (Lain, May and Nic are breaking me of this habit)
4. 4x6 photos (hand crop on occasion)
5. Use colored CS as background
5.5 INK the edges, use tattered angels spray ink on background+
6. Use a sketch/challenge as a starting point
7. Lots of pre-made/make n take kits, in past 3 months: more kits w/ PP, embellishments etc all together
8. Lots of Prima flowers/embellishments
9. No B&W photos
10. Titles are an after-thought

then, I realized I forgot (which I added after #5) inking (edges)/spritzing (tattered angels)

I also saw I am trying a lot of new techniques and mimicking artists' styles (saw lots of Nic, May and Lain) This was a very interesting homework assignment. IT was very enlightening. Still thinking about what my HW LO will be, but I can't wait to find out! Thanks for making me "think and observe" Lain!

So, the challenge is to now see if I can truly make a layout a day for 26 days, starting on Thursday! Wish me luck! Part of our homework assigment was to create a layout based on our newly identified scrapbooking style. So below is the page I crated and submitted.  It is of the CN tower in Toronto, Canada.  It is the tallest tower in the world.

P.S.  I am so freaking excited that I finally figured out how to add a link to a video or someone's blog!  Yahoo.  Hope I don't forget!

4x6 Love: Niagra Falls + 7 pictures

Each month over at Two Peas in a Bucket, Shimelle Laine hosts a free class called 4x6 Love. Each month she demonstrates how to put a certain number of pictures on a layout. July was the 7th month in our year; hence you had to incorporate 7 pictures in your layout using the design she demonstrates! I love this class because many times she has "interactive" or "hidden" pictures! Below are examples of the layout I made using Shimelle's July design!

Front page

opening the hidden pictures

revealing the pictures below

and finally unveiling the rest of the pictures and the hidden journaling

Shimelle's Sketch of the Week

Shimelle Lane posts a weekly sketch on her blog . This past week she included the sketch as part of her weekend crop challenges. It was the perfect sketch to help me get all those 380 pictures I took of our trip to the Niagra Falls area! Ms. Shimelle based her sketch on the design of a postcard! I used "travel" style pages on a creme cardstock. I also used a postage stamp journal stamp on the lower left corner along with a sticker stamp top left above the picture and premade chipboard stamp to the right of the picture. Well here is my take on her sketch!

Niagra: Shimelle's 4x6 LO

These are random pictures we took during our vacation to Niagra Falls & Canada! I used Shimelle's 4x6 LO from Two Peas. I need to journal but, I will eventually!

Home Again Home Again

Wow!  Walker and I have been gone for two weeks, leaving Chet to fend for himself!  Walker and I went to Niagra Falls and Toronto, Canada with my mother for a week.  What a fun whirlwind week!  Niagra Falls is certainly an amazing, awe inspiring vision.  Upon returning to Texas, Walker attended the Texas A&M Baseball camp for 3 days!  He was exhausted after each day of practice however, he woke up each morning asking if it was time to go!  However, after all of of our travels,  I am glad to be home!  To See my Chet and my Daisy Dog, our 16 week old Blood Hound.  She is a mess, scared of her own shadow, but she is so sweet!  Pictures to come...soon(er) or later.  Now I get to wash, iron, clean....