THE STORY is a simple one. Andrea reads and I love that about him. I also love this photo of him reading. Last week I was on a roll and made three layouts in one day. This is one of them.
THE PROCESS The patterned paper does the heavy lifting. A few stickers and a rub-on, to decorate the place, and some journaling (where I go on some more about reading, Andrea and me). Another pretty simple page as far as pages go.
THE STORY If Thierry is in the room, no one else matters to Lucien. It's adorable. Don't get me wrong, Andrea and Maxi love to hold Thierry's attention too, but with Lucien it's been this way since he was very young. So when the soon-to-be-released father-themed Kesi'art stamps came in the mail last week, I knew I'd make a layout about these two.
THE PROCESS Like I mentioned, this page began with a stamp. Although I didn't set out to do it on purpose, I made a collage-y and shabby style page all because of my terrible stamp skills. I used to be much more accurate about my stamping but lately it's been a lot of fails. Anyhow, I messed up on the bottom left corner of the page. Since I was set on using the background paper, instead of starting over, I decided to go with it.
First I placed the photo and blue folder (which serves as a journal spot) strategically to hide to main part of my messed up stamp. Next I put together the elements that make up the border between the photo and the journaling. Then I finished the stamping and journaling on the blue folder.
Next I put together the little clusters. I can get lost in time looking around my table for embellishments that look well together. One of my favorite things to do! Funny story. See the metal-rimmed tag? Those were one of my first scrap purchases back in 2002 or 2003! They've been making their way onto my pages. Last I added some white paint to the background and called it done! We can't win them all. That's what I think when I see this layout. I don't love it (even though I do love parts of it!) and that is OK with me.
Seriously, isn't the Super Papa stamp awesome?
THE STORY Thierry and I flew to Chicago a few weekends ago to celebrate my sister-in-law's law school graduation. Say that three times fast. My little sister, Mariana, was one of several family members that joined in the fun. And how cute is my brother for snapping this photo of the two of us taking in the sights? My favorite part is that he added a sisters label right beneath our hands. I love him.
THE PROCESS Can you say Plain Jane? I know. Listen, all I wanted was to write down my thoughts on how wonderful it was to see Mariana and how cool it is that my brother took this photo. Oh, and I wanted to practice messing up the date stamp some more. I'm perfecting that skill. On a more serious note, I love the photo and wanted it to get center stage. Also, I love mixing up type and handwritten text. There you have it.
The story : Looking through iPhoto I noticed the pattern of early morning self-portraits. Five days out of seven it's me that jumps out of bed when Lucien wakes up. Even I, a certifiable night owl, can see what a special time of day that really is.
The process : Once I printed the photos, this layout came together quickly (less than an hour). I knew I wanted to use some Hambly. I was sad to read they are closing and felt like paying homage to a brand that is a personal part of my scrapbooker's story - I served on their design team from 2009 to 2010. Next, I typed out my thoughts onto white cardstock and laid it all out. This layout is a variation of something I love doing - an end to end row of photos.
Then came the yellow Kesi'art flowers and Douceur De Vivre tag. That tag has been cut and waiting to be used for about a month! I love those bunnies. I used them on the last layout about Lucien too. The little flag hold a date stamp. (That too has been making an appearance on just about every layout from this year!)
To finish, a quick heart stamp and signature. I love to sign layouts I make for my boys. Part of making this layout is a creative outlet, but another part is about having a conversation with them. For me, signing makes it legit.
So that's that. I'm pleased with this layout and I don't think I'd change a thing.
Did you do something for National Scrapbooking Day this past Saturday? I couldn't scrap all day but I did participate in this and this Kesi'art challenge awesomely organised by Armance. The first layout is about what we the boys eat for gouter or snack. The second layout needed to use the yellow & gray color combo and I made a page about Lucien. I love challenges because it lets you approach a project with guidelines and sometimes that makes it easier to get 'er done!
Do you like participating in challenges? I do!
