Fall is in the air

Today truely felt like the first day of Fall. This is my favorite time of year. I love the crispness in the air, the change in weather, the crunch of the leaves, the beauty of the trees. This is nature at its best. It was quite chilly walking to the bus stop this morning, but I relished every moment, it is so peaceful. I love just admiring the beauty of the season, clutching a cup of hot tea in my favorite mug, wrapped in a soft cozy sweater.

I also love this time of year because the pictures I take scream for Autumn colors. I am so drawn to the Autumn pallete and tend to use it often in my albums. I held a workshop on Friday night for a group of wonderful women. They wanted to learn more about the My Acrylix Stamps. We did this great layout (inspired by a layout in an old CTMH Idea Book) using CTMH stamps in different ways, showing how versatile they really are. I love how this came out and am happy to say that I can add a layout from 2007 to my album. All supplies are CTMH and I will post the products at the end of this entry.

One thing you will notice if you know my scrapbooking style at all is that I hand wrote the journaling. I NEVER do that. I always journal on the computer and add it to my pages. I have heard so many times from so many people that you should include your handwriting, but I just don't like how it looks. Why then, did I do it now? Well glad you asked. Kelsey has been telling me for a couple weeks now of and on how much she loves my handwriting (not sure why, but...) so I figured I should start including it. I am not too sure I like what I journaled, but I can always change it later I guess. So I ask, how do you journal, handwritten or computer? Long narratives or short blurbs? Let me know. Since this picture (and the ones on the right hand side of the layout) really tell the story, I think I might replace the journaling with a poem about leaves....any suggestions?

Products used (all products CTMH): Stripe B&T from Abundance Level 2 Paper Pack, Bamboo CS, Bamboo Ink, Autumn Terracota CS, Autumn Terracota Ink, Cocoa CS, Garden Green CS, Natural Hemp, Autumn Terracota Brad, Nature's Vein Stamp Set, Goldrush Ink, Barn Red Ink, Cranberry Ink, Playful Caps and Playful Lowercase stamp sets (alphas), Fall Leaves (Retired)

So behind but starting to catch up....

I am so far behind on my scrapbooking that it is not funny anymore. I just sat down last week to scrap these great pictures of my kids playing on the toys at my sister's house, but can you believe they are from 2004? Ugh! I am currently working on my daughter's first haircut (um...she is 8!). I do have more current things done, but I am ALL OVER the place and have 10 uncompleted albums going. Oh to be organized in this aspect of my life too.....

Anyway, thought I would share my recent projects. I love how these came out. The paper brought out the color in the pics perfectly. I wanted to keep it on the simple side because I had so many pics on the left hand page. All products are CTMH with the exception of the title letters, I printed those out on black cardstock and hand cut them (yep, I don't have any fancy machines....yet!) and the black leather frame.



I love how the distressing came out on this page, as I am a huge fan of it lately, especially with warmer colors. This also shows how cool the white core of the paper looks when you score it and then rough up the raised edges with sandpaper. The Cranberry CS is roughed up with the edge distresser and then inked with Chocolate ink - and how cute is that little photo hanger? The faux stitching is done using the Simple Stitches stamp set.


Products used (All products CTMH unless noted): Stamps ~ Simple Stitches; Ink ~ Chocolate, Black; CS ~ Chocolate, Black, Cranberry; Embellishments ~ Photo hangers (pewter), Hinges (pewter), brads (pewter), black ribbon, Leather Photo Frame (Making Memories), Edge Distresser, Scoring Tool.

Who wants free stuff?

Well everyone right? Alright so I am not the one giving it away, but maybe next time..... So go check out Stacey's blog for a chance to win some fabulous girly goodies. She is picking a lucky winner on Friday so don't wait. Also, check out Paper Popsicles (love these girls!) and all the great tutorials that Stacey has on the message boards.

Speaking of fun stuff and giveaways, don't forget that tomorrow is Hip Hop Thursday over at Unity Stamp Company. Join in on the fun for inspiration and giveaways at the end of the hopping. Come back tomorrow and start here for the fun! I never considered myself a product snob, because I do love all scrapbooking and stamping products (well most), but then I looked at my stash and realized that most of it is CTMH. Now, that could be alot of reasons:

1. I'm lazy, and having the Idea Book in front of me all the time makes it easier to pick the stuff out and order it. Plus, CTMH has the coordinating work done for you.
2. I get a discount as a consultant and that is always nice. Plus, I usually spend the majority of my commission on toys for me (now that really does have to stop).
3. Until I entered the blogging world, I never really ventured outside of my comfort zone with crafty.....now, I am so inspired and can't wait to get time to scrap, stamp and play!

So, the snobbiness aside, I fell in love with Unity's Little Monsters set and can't wait until it arrives....I have so many awesome projects in mind (think googly eyes and spooky stuff!)

Speaking of playing, I have been scrapbooking! Finally. It has been too long. I had to get back into a schedule...and I am pretty proud of how organized I have become. My house is clean (well, presentable and there are no cobwebs), mornings run smoothly, dinner is usually on the table at a decent hour and the kids are in bed by 8:30. There are still a few kinks I need to work out, but overall, life is running pretty smoothly. Enter the scrapbooking. I have set aside Fridays as my time and Saturday & Sundays when I can get it in (but always Saturday night if I am home) and then every other Monday (can you tell I am a schedule freak?). This is my time and I don't feel guilty taking it. Besides my previous distractions (laundry, dishes, dirty floors, etc) have their time and are already done...so YAY! I can PLAY!

Pics of my recent pages will be posted soon (wow 2 posts in one week), until then, I have to go do what I am supposed to be doing right now. Don't forget to check out Stacey's blog for goodies, mark your calendar for Hip Hop Thursday tomorrow, and when you get a chance check out all the creative inspiration going on at the blogs listed to the right! These ladies are amazing.