It's Tractor Time

It's tractor time!

My team went to ride tractors.
Yes, you read that correctly.  Tractors.
And oh boy, was I excited.
I skipped.
Yes, skipped as in "skipped to my Lou".
And I've never been so excited to scrap a photo.
Because honestly, that face -- epic.

For this layout, I went a bit scrappier.
A bit messier.
A bit crazier.
More layers.
I was feeling a bit crazy.
If I was really crazy, I would have misted.
Unfortunately, I couldn't find the right color mist in my collection.

I'm sure some of you are secretly sitting there laughing and thinking "girl, you have no idea what layering is all about"
And you would be right - But this is already a lot for me...
More than any other page I have.
So I'm quite proud.

I tend to take photos of my layouts and then set them aside.
Then I go back and edit my photos and think to myself - what was I thinking?
Usually my jaw drops in shock.
Once I get over myself, I go back and add something.
Or move something.
Or take something off the layout.
And repeat the process.
Usually this is a few tries before I'm content.
Sometimes this takes days... not kidding.

This time, I just kept adding.
And I'm ok with that.
But there's a few closeups that I forget to retake.
Go back to previous posts and you'll see what I mean.
Reading my posts is like playing the "What's Different" game in Highlights
(Is that magazine still around? Because I loved it as a child).

Thanks for stopping by! And for listening to my crazy processes. Please, for the love of cookies, let me know if you do anything crazy like that as well. Or perhaps it's not as crazy as I thought?

Road Trip Layout

During our road trip, my husband stopped at every single state sign
We got honked at. We were stared at.
People thought we were cray cray.
Heck, there were times when even I thought we were losing our minds.

But at the end of the day, it was worth it. Honks, whistles, and all.
It was definitely fun to see all the different state signs lined up
And now that we had all these pics - what is a gal to do?
Ah yes... you make a layout. 
Because it's going to be really hard to convince me to drive across 8 state lines again...

Each of the welcome signs was cut and trimmed.
And they were even organized in the order we crossed them.
Well sort of... We crossed into the Wyoming/Colorado state line twice... 
(Long story)

When I started this layout, I figured I'd do a grid.
Grids are a great way to layout multiple photos.
Grids also make me happy.
And since all my photos were the same size and there wasn't really any one that was "more important" than the other, I figured a grid was perfect.

The photos in the grid are also adhered with dimensional adhesive.
Which makes it look cooler in person.
Yet another thing I can't get the camera to capture.

I stitched around the border.
Love the texture that this adds without any real bulk.
And because I think it adds a little interest to the edges as well for simpler layouts.
I also added few stars to the All-American feel of the layout.
Because really a few stars never hurt anyone.

And there you go - a simple layout for a crazy trip.
Is anyone else crazy enough to take these kinds of photos on a road trip?
Or any other photo traditions for trips that your family does?
We have more weird photo traditions... oh just you all wait!

Crate Paper 680047 Story Teller Collection Kit 12 in. x 12 in.
Studio Calico Story Hour Kit (March 2012)
Red and White Striped Baker's Twine

Love

Lovey dovey layout time
Because that's how we roll on this blog.
And because I'm still swimming in engagement and wedding photos.
Despite the fact that it's been years since our wedding.

I tend to scrap photos that are printed already. Since I haven't had a chance to print vacation photos yet, when I sat down to scrap recently, this is what came out.

To add a bit of layers and texture without the bulk, I just sent my texture plate through the Grand Calibur. Love the look and I'll be doing it again with my layouts. Just imagine adding a touch of mist or some color to the embossing.

I stamped the flourishes from WMS's Flourishes - Scallops and Dots set. Love the little touch swirls can add to layouts.

Thanks for stopping by!

Crate Paper 680047 Story Teller Collection Kit 12 in. x 12 in.
Waltzingmouse Stamps Flourishes - Scallops and Dots
Studio Calico City of Lights Kit (April 2012)

Seattle

We were in Seattle recently for a wedding.
And of course, we took the time to wander the city a bit.
I adore Seattle.
Although I say that about every place we've visited...
So take my adoration with a grain of salt.

But this is a land filled with tasty doughnuts

A place where you can get a smoking drink

And see some blue trees

A place to get a view of the city at night (or during the day)

What's not to adore?

Blazing the Trail

I know its been awhile since I've updated. 
I keep telling myself I'll update. 
And then life gets in the way. 

Summer usually means weddings, vacations and talking walks outside. 
Because really, what's better than enjoying life?
But I do have a layout to share
A layout that encompasses everything I love about summer.
From the fresh air to the bugs,
From the long car rides to the hikes until your feet hurt.
From the hot dogs to the granola bars.

I found this photo in my stash o photos.
Carrie had sent me a bunch awhile back
And I finally got a chance to use one.

And so of course we had to make a layout.
A layout with a few more layers than I usually use.
And more white than I prefer.
But that's half the fun. :)

I have lots of photos from the hikes we've done recently
And most of them are going to stay unedited
Until the weather stops being so wonderful.
Because that's how I roll.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you're enjoying your summer!

WMS July Release - Waltz

Welcome to the Waltzingmouse Stamps July Release waltz! If you didn't come from Jennifer's site then be sure to go to Claire's blog to start from the beginning. There will be a prize of a stamp set of choice from a random drawing from comments left all the DT member blogs. You have until July 4th 11:59 PM, 5:5 9AM Central, 3:59 AM Pacific and 6:59 AM Eastern to leave comments. The winner will be posted on Claire’s blog on July 6th.


Today I'm sharing a layout made with My Island. I stamped the tree image and also used the vacation sentiment. I'm not sure the photo makes it clear, but there's a sentiment with 'chillax' and I used it as part of my journaling. The clouds are colored with mist. One of them has a bit more mist than the other so that they appear to be slightly different colors. 

Thanks for stopping by -- next up is the very talented Mona Pendleton!

WMS July Release - Day 3

Welcome to the third day of the Waltzingmouse Stamps June Release previews! The DT and I will be sharing projects over the next several days featuring THREE new stamp sets that will be available for purchase at the Waltzingmouse online store starting May 8. 


Today we're all sharing projects with My Island. It has lots of fun components to build a fun beach scene. And of course, there's some great summer sentiments! For this card, I stamped the palm tree in the bg. The sunset is stamped on vellum so the tree image does peek through a bit in real life. 

Make sure to check out everyone else's fabulous creations!

Anya Schrier

Beeca Feekan
Clare Buswell

Bonnie Sharp

Julia Aston
Jennifer Holmes

Kelly Schirmer

Laurie Schmidlin

Mona Pendleton

Sandie Dunne

Tosha Leyendekker

Claire Brennan (owner)