stop and smell the flowers

I saw on Kelly Purkey's blog a layout she did (called Ombre! Ole!) using American Crafts Dear Lizzy ruffle paper.  I know we all loved it but it's one of those things that once you get it home you look at it think it's lovely and then think what the hell and I'm going to do with this?  I SO had that moment...until I saw the awesomeness that is KP.  She is one of the few that I follow on a daily basis and is a total creative genius.  I want to be her when I grow up...

Anywho KP used the yellow paper and masked/misted butterflies and I just thought it was so beautiful.  It also pushed me totally out of my comfort zone.  I am not new to painting or making a mess for that matter.  I am however new to misting and with misting comes the OMG what if I mess up this piece of paper.  Its my only one!!!  But I knew KP would never steer me wrong SO I grabbed a mask, sunset mist and ran with it. 

It was an EPIC fail!  BUT that's OK because I tried it AND sometimes those fails turn into to successes.  I wasn't going to let this get trashed.  I took a page from another one of my uber favorite people Stephanie Howell  and grabbed a doily - or two.  Layered some Dear Lizzy paper and stickers with three different alphas.  The two large ones are by American Crafts, one from the Dear Lizzy collection (the first one - a TJ Maxx score!) and the dreaded glitter gold alphas that everyone in the Studio Calico club was not digging.  I wasn't either but now I love them!  The smaller white squared ones are from MME's lime twist collection. I topped it off with a button/flair from Wendy's shop.  

So far this is one of my most favorite pictures of my daughter.  Spring came early here in Harpers Ferry and she asked if she could smell the flower.  When I told her yes she bent down and bit it instead.  What else would a 15 month old do?! :)  

A special gift years in the making....

Our beloved Grandmother who we called Nonna (Italian for grandmother) passed away Dec 2006.  It was a Saturday and I was out of town with no cell phone service.  I saw her on that Thursday but had spent pretty much every weekend with her when we found out she was sick.  My cousin Jen was up from GA and got to hold her as she went with the angels to a better place.

The months following we were tasked with cleaning out her house, getting it ready for the market when I opened the jumbled mess of her jewelry box (now in a zip lock bag).  Her nursing pin that every nurse receives at graduation was in that mess.  I put it aside along with a few other pieces that I had always treasured.   A few years later my cousin decided it was time to go back to college to become an RN.  I knew instantly this had to be her graduation gift.  She has asked me numerous times if I ever found this pin...I have been lying to her for years.  

This gift was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. 

Finally graduation day came and my family of 4 drove down to GA with this in the back...

That's our Nonna in 1947 on her graduation day.  And that in the white frame is her pin from her Nursing School in Wheeling WV.

Here is a close up of that pin...

To say Jen was shocked was an understatement.  There wasn't a dry eye in the house.  It was truly priceless!  I was bringing Nonna to her graduation.

I'm not sure how among the blubbering I got this picture.  I was crying so hard before she even got to open it my husband had to step in and tell her that Nonna wanted her to have something.

Isn't she just crazy beautiful!  I see a layout with this picture in my future :)  Congrats Jen!  I love you bunches!
xoxo
-M

Sketchbook 4 - Sketch #3 - everyday a family

Using a bunch of My Minds Eye (just loving their new lines!) I did this layout for Kelly Purkey's Studio Calico Sketchbook class.  The awesome thing is that with each sketch she gives you at least three different view points from a starting sketch.  This time I went with uber basic.  All the paper is MME except for the polka dot velum which is American Crafts Dear Lizzy (another line I can't seem to get enough of!) The embellishments are also from MME and the days of the week are from my old stash made by Maya Road.

Sketchbook 4 - Sketch #1 Happiness in a Box

For the first Sketch in Kelly Purkey's awesome class (you can buy two of them on her blog...run now because its worth every penny!) This class - Sketchbook 4 from Studio Calico is no longer available but their May class (which is Ah-Mazing) is so if you want to learn how to get messy go to Studio Calico and sign up for Celine's class.  There is a kit too which is also just as awesome! 

While I loved the original sketch (which I can't show in respect to Kelly and crew) this is my take on it.  I just love some of the older lines (that you can still buy from two peas) and this alpha paper is just mad love.  Every month us subbers get a kit from SC.  You can get the add on's or anything else you wish in the shop.  This was my loot from April and oh boy was it just awesome!  Best box ever! but I'm sure i say that every time ;)  (sorry for the crocked picture...I'm still learning PS and how to take a straight picture apparently!) 

"Do You Realize?"

I was listening to XM radio the other day and Flaming Lips came on with their song "Do you realize?".  I've always loved that song but I was in the middle of scrap-lifting this awesome layout that I found over at Studio Calico when it just hit me.  As soon as I got home I took all the butterflies that I had die cut (A Muse Studio butterfly trio) out and redesigned my entire layout.  I knew I wanted a tone on tone look but instead of it looking like Kinsey's page called Dylan (Take Note) see- Kinsey's work @ Studio Calico  (which don't get me wrong - I LOVE. LOVE, LOVE this layout) to the one you see above.  I never do double pages but and defiantly not 8.5 x 11 but that size seems to be my thing lately and I thought these lyrics just looked better on two pages.  I used Stepping Stone which is a alphabet set from Studio Calico (in both the lined and solid fonts) as well as using their awesome wood veneer letters from a previous kit.  I pretty much have killed that alpha so I used what I could and left it plain.  I used chalk ink in raspberry pie and dark bark.  I don't even know who makes them but they are little ink pads of loveliness.  To finish it off I took brads from My Minds Eye from the _ collection and 7 Gypsies silver domes to break up all that craft.  I took this picture of my daughter Zoe when she was just 6 months and it's still one of my favorites to date.  Poor Holden has been a bit neglected in the scrapbooking world so I will have my next two layouts be all about him.  Until next time :)

Just a few cards...

Here are 3 cards that I whipped up for a DT call that ended earlier this month.  I just love the new My Minds Eye Lost and Found two collections.  I love to cut things out and any of these collections (and any thing from Websters) are just perfect for the "fussy" cutter.  Just something fun and a good size to fit into my Project Life pages.  I love making stuff that has a  multipurpose :)

Young Crafters Unite Blog Hop!

http://www.youngcraftersunite.com/

Hello Everyone, 

Welcome to the YCU blog hop.  This hops theme is masculine cards and who are the rockin sponsors for this November hop you ask... Why that would be Paper Smooches and Simon Says Stamp Check them out if you haven't already!  They are awesome sites.

If you started at the beginning then you should have just came from Katie K.

If not then go check her out - she has some beautiful work :)

Here is today's card...

Everything on this card is from A Muse Studios except the brad and the tie.  I stamped the tie from an A Muse stamp but used My Minds Eye Hattie 6x6 paper pad for the tie.  The brad is from my stash - sorry I don't know the brand.  The sentiment and shirt is from the set called brief notes.  The circle was cut out from my spellbinders nesting circles.

Thanks for checking out my card. 

Time to pass on the love to the next blogger Jenny M

She has some great stuff too.  

Thanks for hopping with us hope you every one's cards!  Have a wonderful day :)

**I am adding a small side note.  I couldn't remember where I saw the original sketch that gave me inspirations to do this card.  Since I wanted to give credit where it's due I went thought my stash of print outs and finally found it.  The original (similar but not exact) sketch that gave me inspiration to do this card was off of Paper Smooches.**

(More) Masculine Cards

As soon as I signed up for the blog hop from YCU I struggled to come up with a card - any card.  Something I guess clicked and I ended up making 5.  I could only pick one for the blog hop see the post above (unless you got here before 11/4/2011 @ 1:01am then you will have to come back to check out the one I picked). 

It was really hard to pick a favorite because each card had something that I really liked - I hope I made the right choice... On to the 4 that didn't get picked.