Scrap Girls Digital Scrapbooking Adventures

Finding a Rainbow

Something has gone very wrong with the seasons. Not that I'm complaining - I quite like it when things are upside down - I seem to function better that way! It's winter in South Africa - in Johannesburg. It's our dry season - icy cold, bright days, with a sun shining so boldly it gives the illusion of heat that is just that - an illusion.

We never get winter rain - NEVER. That's how it used to be at least.

Last Thursday, we had a complete freak storm that was so beautiful I just have to share it with you. I was totally absorbed in designing a new collection in my second floor study. I am level with the tops of all the neighborhood trees and I was vaguely aware of a lot of movement. As it got more frenetic, I looked up. The sky was the most incredible color I have ever seen, peach graded down into an almost pistachio green. The trees were whipped into such a wild frenzy, I was almost afraid they were going to be uprooted.

Most amazing of all was the rain. It was pouring down through lazy afternoon sunshine amidst thunder and violent lightning that split the sky exactly in half. I just didn’t know what to make of it. So, being a scrapper, I did the only thing I know how. I took a photograph. That's what we do, isn't it? We capture the moment! I stood in that beautiful light - that sunshine, the rain, the thunder and lightning  - and took a photograph so that I could remember that strange moment.

When I downloaded the photo and looked at it, I was blown away to discover that amidst all of that I had ALSO captured a rainbow! I know it sounds silly, but my heart lifted because I felt for that brief second that with all that is going on in the world, God still took the time to paint us a rainbow. We just need to take the time to see it.

Have you looked for your rainbow today?

Ingredients used in my layout: Afro Candy Solids Paper, Junkyard Frames Embellishment Biggie & Brush Set: Well Worn.

That's a Wrap

I'm often cheap in the wrapping paper department. Why would I spend over $5 on a thin roll of paper? I can only use it so many times. If you ever get a hand-wrapped gift from me, it's often in brown butcher block paper. Hey, I like brown kraft paper. Who doesn't?

Recently, though, I had to go to a toddler's birthday party with my son and realized that I needed something a bit more fun and colorful. Thank goodness for birthday and boy brush sets. I printed out a bunch of brushes on letter-sized paper, roughly colored in the shapes with colored pencils, cut out the shapes, and stuck the pieces onto the wrapped gift with a glue stick. Cute or chaotic? Who knows, but I think it'll be a feast for the eyes of a one-year-old.

The following digital scrapbooking brushes were used in these examples: Brush Set: Bouncing Baby Boy Word Art - Biggie, Brush Set: Make a Wish 2, and ScrapSimple Tools - Actions: Photos that Pop 1801 Mini (for photos).

Collections

All around our home you will find collections, from carnival glass to sea shells. One of my favorites is our rock collection. In it you will find everything from old sandstone pebbles picked up from my grandmother's driveway to dazzling geodes purchased at the Renaissance Festival.

My sons have added to this collection with their backyard finds and interesting rocks found on vacation. There are even a few specimens that were made with a crystal growing kit one of the boys got for Christmas.

Most of our stones, however, were bought at our local nature center. It's wonderful to be able to purchase stones we could never find ourselves and be amazed at the beauty nature has created.

Sometimes I Just Don't Feel Creative

Being self-employed doesn't really allow me to stop creating simply because I don't feel like it. Sometimes, it seems like every creative thing I do must have some financial benefit to it. The stress of this takes its toll on me and my designs suffer.

When this happens, I grab my camera and shoot. I don't shoot with the premise of adding it to one of my stock photo galleries. I don't shoot to do a digital scrapbooking collection or even a layout. I simply shoot to escape. I randomly add these photos to my Facebook or Flickr accounts, but mostly they just sit in my iPhoto library. They have done exactly what they needed to do... get me back to doing the professional creative work I was supposed to be doing.

Here are some of my latest photos. Can you guess what they are? HINT: they were all taken outside.

A Little Boy No More

I must be going through some sort of new phase of life or something - the one where your kids transition from one stage of childhood to the next. Just a little over a month ago, I blogged about my youngest daughter growing up and sleeping in a "big girl bed" instead of her crib. And today, it's my oldest son who is on my mind.

You see... he just had his 11th birthday. I didn't realize that 11 was that big of a milestone, I guess. He is now off to middle school and is very excited about all the new activities and responsibilities that come with that. He still gives me hugs and cuddles, but I can tell his attitude about them is changing ever so slightly. At his birthday party on Friday night, it hit me like a ton of bricks that he is not my "little boy" anymore. I don't know when exactly it happened, but I do know that it was recently. I mean obviously he has been growing up little by little every day but, last year, he was still my little boy. And today, he is not. But, you know what? I'm realizing that I'm okay with that because I really like the young man that he is turning out to be.

Here is a digital scrapbooking layout that I did of his recent birthday celebration.

Supplies used: ScrapSimple Tools - Actions: Lens Effects 8301 Pinhole Mini, Geocache Collection Mini, ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: Directional, Brush Set: Highlights 8301 Biggie, ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Corkboard 5201 Mini, Destinations Collection, Splash of Color Collection, Brush Set: Journal Bits, ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Colored Vellum 5401, Bookworm Collection Biggie & ScrapSimple Tools - Actions: Mega Lift I-Squared Biggie .

Flower Decoration

It has been two years since we last decorated our front door with flowers. We used to do it every year, but life got a little busy and we didn’t have time to do it. This spring, we decided that something needed to be done.

On a Saturday afternoon, we armed ourselves with garden tools and started weeding and cleaning the pots. The whole family was involved in this project and the final result is more than satisfying. Each time we open our front door now and step outside we smile happily.

The flowers have such incredibly beautiful colors. Looking at them we just want to sit down, rest and contemplate.

My layout uses these digital scrapbooking products: Colors of Spring Collection, ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: Going Postal Frames, Life’s Canvas Collection Biggie, Dance Collection Biggie

Craft: Candle Jar Lids

It's always fun to think of new ways to use our digital scrapbooking products, after all; we can use them over and over again. I had some of those large candle jar lids hanging around the house and I was about to throw them away when a light bulb went off...hey..I think I can use these!

I made a souvenir gift for myself of a trip to Tybee Island with Jeroen just to try out the idea and then made a Christmas Gift for my neighbor at the time, Joyce. Here's how you do it:

1. First I created the circle that will be adhered to the bottom of the jar lid.
2. I measured my lid and of the 2 I had, both seemed to be 3.5 inches wide. The space for the interior was 1.75 inches wide.
3. I created circles in those dimensions to use as clipping masks for my papers and pictures. Then attached embellishments and photos and printed them on 4x6 photo paper.
4. After allowing the photo to dry I sprayed a clear-coat of acrylic to set the photo and keep it from smearing.
5. I washed the lids and removed the plastic stopper with an Exacto knife.
6. Once the printout was dry, I cut the circles out and used them as a template for cutting the felt. I then applied Mod Podge to the bottom of the glass lid and positioned my mini circle layout so that it could be seen through the glass. You get a really nice effect because the glass jar’s edges acts like a magnifying glass!
7. Allowing that to set for about an hour, I gathered up beads, ribbon, tags and stickers to decorate the lid. Lastly I glued the felt to the bottom of the jar lid and decorated it.

It gives me a lot of joy to give personal gifts. These can be used as paperweights, ring holders or for storing small things such as paperclips on a loved one’s desk. They can be further personalized using Alphas for initials. They could be great gifts for teachers or even a great Mother or Father's Day gift.

Scrap Girls Ingredients: Peace on Earth Collection, Gathered Beauty Collection, Tiny Frames Embellishments, ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Glittered Gelly 6401 Super Biggie & Blossoms & Blooms Fall Embellishment Biggie.

Other Ingredients: Glass Candle Jar Lids, Mod Podge, Tags, Ribbons & Beads, Exacto Knife, 4x6 Photo Paper, Clear Acrylic Spray, Your Home Printer.

Watching Cupcakes Rise

This afternoon, while I had cupcakes cooking in the oven, Kobee walked over and turned the oven light on to watch them cook (as he often likes to watch whatever is cooking in the oven).

He became very excited that he could see little bubbles form and pop as they cooked and before long, he had peeked both his brothers' interest too. Who knew it could be so entertaining to watch cupcakes rise? Curious kiddos.

Products Used: Mod Bungalow Embellishment Biggie, ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: Photo Masks - Nostalgia, Stylize Paper Biggie & ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: Make a Wish 1.

My sweet & simple joy

There is a big gap in the ages of our children. Our oldest two children are 18 (almost 19) and 17 years old. Then, we have our youngest, Mattie, who is eight. Toward the end of my pregnancy with Mattie, it suddenly dawned on me that the age difference could be an issue. I had great anxiety about it for a good while before I finally got a grip and realized that it was what it was and that everything would be okay. And it is. Having this age gap has never been a problem - if anything, it's been a blessing.

As my oldest children are busy with their own lives, embarking on new jobs, enjoying friends and preparing for college, it is my Mattie that still needs me so very much . I still get to do all the mommy things that my older two no longer need. And he brings me some of the most simple joys of my day. Like watching him fall asleep with the kitten snugly tucked under his arm. I love that even though he is a rough and tough boy who flipped his bike over a fence, loves his scary Spiderman t-shirt, and enjoys grossing me out, I can still catch sweet things like this.

(I used ScrapSimple Tools - Actions: Photo Basics 5001 on this photo.)

First Scrapbook

I always thought I learned about scrapbooking after I came to the US in 2005. I was wrong! Although scrapbooking is not popular in Poland, I kind of "invented" it for my own use as a girl. When I was about 15 years-old, I collected pictures taken at different stages of my life and made a scrapbook. Well, actually, it was a very primitive scrapbook. It was made from white cardstock tied with a leather cord. Every page contained photos, dates, comments and embellishments. My embellishments were just stickers I had available at the moment. I called it a photo album. Apparently, it was a little bit more. I recently found it and I loved looking through it!

Sunkissed

Ahhh, summertime. I love summer! I was a summer baby and so were both of my children. Summer to me is birthday parties! It's sprinklers, kiddie pools, melting popsicles, and sunkissed faces.

My daughter Maddy gets the cutest sunkissed face in the summer. As she spends more time playing outside, she gets more freckles on her cheeks and nose. I always know that summer has arrived when I can no longer count all of the freckles on her face! Maddy's sunkissed summer freckles have to be one of my favorite things about summer.

Products used in this digital scrapbooking layout include: Sweet Summer Collection, Sunny Day Word Art Mini, Lettering Delights Hoopla Font

Chillin' in Cali

My two oldest girls and I have done something uncharacteristic. We've taken a vacation by ourselves, without my hubby, to visit my cousin in California for nine days. (The truth is, she's hubby's cousin, but I've claimed her as my own!)

So, here we are in San Diego enjoying sun, believe it or not, and beach, because the God of the Sun has smiled on us even in the midst of what should certainly be "June Gloom."

Our trip has included a visit to the mall in Costa Mesa, where we found the MAC pro store, certainly a highlight for me! The girls found lots of beautiful clothing that no one could afford. (The mall was the sort we don't have in our desert, filled with Prada, Coach and Chanel!) My cousin and I found cute, red shoes, always a banner day! The evening found us walking the beach under the moonlight, an experience which I gather is an unusual treat during the gloomy season.

The following day, we took a trip to the world famous San Diego Zoo, where we met Amy Flanagan. We had a first class tour of the zoo along with the opportunity to visit some brand new ducklings up close and personal.

Did I mention that I got to meet Amy Flanagan? Such a gal. If you come to San Diego, you should certainly find the time to meet her, for she is a delight.

It's been wonderful, relaxing and a delight to bask in the sun and the love of a good cousin in full-on girl fashion. I highly recommend a girl-cation if you haven't had one. Don't forget the camera because the photo op's are amazing with all this estrogen flowing. I'll be scrapbooking all of our little adventures when we arrive home and the unpacking is finished. It will help me remember and reflect on the blessings of a vacation well spent.

(Pho Sure)

Kuyteav is one of my favorite things to eat... ever. It's a Cambodian noodle soup usually with meatballs (or some other type of meat if you wish) and eaten with hoisin and sriracha. I love it because you can slap anything in there you like. Mine is usually topped with cilantro and green onion. Some may be more familiar with Pho noodles, they’re pretty similar.

Surprisingly, it’s something all of my kids will eat. Sebastian takes his "with no green stuff." Braden takes his with mostly noodles and a little broth and Evelyn takes hers with a little broth and her meat cut up really fine.

It also reminds me of a cat I had years ago. She loved it. She was a gray cat with a white underbelly and paws. If we ever had Kuyteav, she would make her way up to the stove once it was cool and drink the broth straight from the pan. Lord knows how long she actually had this habit, but I didn’t know about it until I caught her in the act one day. She took hers minus Sriracha I believe.

Photo uses: Brush Set: 4x6 Florid Ink.

Play Ball

This is the first year that the boys have decided they wanted to play baseball. We skipped the whole t-ball years and went straight to machine pitch. I was a little worried that they would not catch on, or be behind because they missed 2 years of playing. But they have both caught on really well. It does help that we have a team of first time players, and the coaches are really patient with them.

Justin is doing a little better at batting then Colby is. He hasn't scored a run himself yet, but he's become the RBI king. So far he's gotten 6 and we've still got 4 games left to go.

I saw these cute ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: Sports Stats Cards in the store and thought they would be perfect to do a little mini album with. This is my first page, once the season is over I will fill in the final stats, finish a few more cards and then put them together. I'll have to update you once I have it finished.

Hiking Buddy

My husband and I travel too much to have any pets of our own but I am definitely a “critter” person. I just love birds and cats and dogs and donkeys and rabbits, etc. etc. So what to do?

Well, I “borrow” pets wherever I happen to be. An example of this is when I travel to southern Oregon where my husband and I have some property. I like to go hiking in the hills but the neighbors were concerned for my safety because there had been sightings of cougar in the area.

One neighbor suggested I take his dog, Jasper, along with me on my hikes. This dog is the smartest dog I’ve ever met! I swear he understands English! We both have a great time poking about in the forest and I reward him with a little bit of jerky and a dip in the creek when we get home.

I mean, look at that face! How could I not love that!