Challenges and contests galore...

Boy, am I so far behind in my little crafty world. So many challenges to complete, so little time with which to complete them! At least I've gotten as far as posting my own challenge on thesketches4all site, and entering this great contest at Scrapbooking Supplies R Us (you should do it, too!) I started a Book of Me challenge group, which will be good for me, as I usually devote all of my creative energies into the kids' albums.

This week's challenge focuses on Easter and traditions. Every year, my family would head to my grandmother's house after the chaos of Easter morning. Once there, my brother and I would head outside to have our photo taken in our Easter finest just before we headed to church. When the mass was over, we would head back to grandma's for Easter baskets and an egg hunt. Here is the layout I created for this challenge:

Paper: 3 Bugs in a Rug - Color Me Pink (Background paper: Swirl, photo mats and hidden journaling block: Lily). Title accent parenthases: MakingMemories Glitter Die-Cuts No. 31354 Just Chillin. I sanded the background paper and photo mats for a softer feel. The flourish on this paper was so pretty I just couldn't hide it, so I cut along the flourish edges with my Exacto and tucked the pictures and journaling behind it.

Now lets see how much more I can get done this afternoon! The rain outside my window makes it easy to lock myself up indoors, but the kids make it hard to sneak away to the craft room :(

Scrap frustration!

What a bummer. I pick up the fantastic DT sketch from sketchesforall yesterday, and wouldn't you know it, I detest my creation. I think all scrappers go through moments like that. You start out with the best of intentions, and screw it up royally by choosing the "wrong" paper color, or handwriting journaling instead of using a font or letter stickers. In this case, I used grungy papers with a stark white background. After having it completely assembled, I just did not think it was working. I haven't even put embellishments on it yet! I got up, walked away from the table, and was in a bad mood for the rest of the day. Today my creative vision will be put to the test yet again, and I will be trying to do my best to make that page work. I just don't know if I have it in me to re-scrap it!

This leads me into a sort of brainstorming session then, to discover what I can do to make the page a little better. You can always manipulate what you already have done with simple things like ink and ribbon or even metal embellies. I will be posting before and after (as long as I can create something I am proud to post!) when I complete this task, hoping that it helps someone else out there transform a not so great page into a work of art!

As a side note, I just want to say how super excited I am to have a netbook! Hubby just bought me one yesterday and I love, love, love it! It is so tiny, and will help me be active in the forums I belong to. Another bonus: I don't have to go back and forth from the computer area downstairs to the craft room upstairs to print out sketches to work from. I can have it up on my computer screen! Next step: another printer to make my picture printing as easy!

Sunday, Sunday

Yesterday was such a great Sunday. Yes, the weather was miserable here in NH - high winds, driving rain, and even a little hail and sleet. What is a girl to do on a day such as this? Well, I started my day at Ben Franklin Crafts. It's always great to browse the aisles and see all of the pretty papers and embellishments. 2 of my 3 rugrats tagged along, and it was a struggle keeping Patryk's hands to himself. Rileigh decided to buy a colored pencil color-by-number, with *of course* a dog on it. I walked out with clearance priced acrylic paint and a plethora of paper, including paper purchased to do my first sketch layout for the site I design for, sketches4you. After a trip to the grocery store, feeding the kids lunch, and putting Patryk down for his nap, I was able to escape upstairs to my craft room.

It felt great to be scrapping again. Ever since moving in to our new house, I haven't been able to find the time, but I've decided I have to make the time. There will always be housework to be done. The hard part for me is just letting go and getting some "me" time in. I guess I feel guilty, being the adult that gets to stay home all day long while hubby works third shift, driving a big truck in all kinds of weather. I feel that I must do my part around the house to "earn my keep" if you will. I am grateful for this opportunity, to be here for my kids and to keep the house clean, for I know how much harder it could be if I worked. How would I find time to get the kids to everything they needed to get to and keep the house in order? I know that it could work, but it would not be easy. I've realized, though, that if I don't sneak away and do something just for me, I become less patient and more stressed out. Yesterday was a perfect day to take a break from doing chores, and armed with new paper, it was a very easy decision to make.

This is the layout I came up with up there in my little craft room. It shows how far behind in the kids' albums I really am! The daughter featured in the layout is going to be 8 years old on the 31st of this month, and here she is, just 4 years old! I think Patryk (who is 2 1/2) is only a couple of months old in his album, and poor Andraia, my 10 year old, is still in the 2nd grade. This picture was soon after her first short haircut, the first of many, as she struggles to keep her hair out of her mouth! I chose these papers at the craft store specifically for this layout. I loved the patterns and colors!

Paper is The Paper Loft Morning Rain - dew, wildflowers, and garden path. Cardstock: core'dinations - whitewash, sanded the edges to match the grungy patterned papers. Scrapworks Colorrubz Poster Upppercase - true blue for title. MM Scrapbook Stitches handsewn. Embell's are flowers cut from the paper attached with pop dots.