Family Selfie

Selfie shots are all the rage these days. I'm not personally a fan of the selfie, although i do take them. I just don't post very many. Instead, I keep them for use in my Project Life album and my traveler's notebook. Or sometimes I just use them to torture my son (like when he gives me those goofy faces). ;)

And sometimes the selfies don't turn out all that great, especially when you're trying to do a group shot. 

But they can be fun - and memorable.

This past summer, my family took a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Disneyland. Sure, we've all been to Disneyland before, but it was always separately. I think we took a family trip to Disneyland about a million years ago, when I was about 8 or 9. I actually don't recall, and we don't have a lot of photos from that trip. But this time, we decided to take my mother, who is now in her 80s and will probably never take the trip again. And I took a LOT of photos, as well as using the Photo Pass feature that we purchased with our trip package. Lots and lots of photos, not all perfect, but definitely memorable. 

One of my favorite photos is a family selfie that I shot with my phone while we were at the end of The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ride. It wasn't the best photo, but we were all smiling, my mother in particular - caught with a goofy grin and wearing her Mickey Mouse ears. Priceless. I finally scrapbooked that photo this past weekend.

We Are Family by cyranoscrap

CREDITS
Elements, papers: Family Forever (ninigoesdigi)
Template: DSD 2017 Freebie (Designed by Soco)
Font: Typewriterhand

Sometimes, it's just the not-so-perfect photos that capture the perfect moments!

Get the Family Forever collection from ninigoesdigi for 44% off through the end of today, as part of the Oscraps Mini O's sale! This collection also matches kits from other Oscrap designers, so you can mix and match to your liking.

Family Forever courtesy of ninigoesdigi

This Is 6

Last year at the portrait studio, the photographer wanted to try something a little different with my son's 6th year photos. She set him up, standing, facing away from the camera, and put a big number "6" on the floor, then shot the photo. She took two of these - one in color, the other in black and white. 

Although I wasn't sure when she took the photo, I LOVED the results when I saw the prints. However, it took me until THIS year (and this past weekend's crop at a friend's!) to actually scrap the photo. :) 

This is 6 by cyranoscrap

Credits

Paper: My Reflections - Snowhaven (Close To My Heart)

Ink: Cranberry and Glacier (Close to My Heart)

Rub-On Letters: American Crafts
Date Stamp: American Crafts

Pen: Slick Writer (American Crafts)
Photo: Picture People

Although the layout is really simple, it's exactly what I wanted to highlight the photo. And I'm super glad that the photographer changed things up a bit in the studio!

Vacation Time - Good Thymes!

As part of our summer vacation, we took a family trip to Disneyland. This was a very big deal since it would be my son's very first trip there, I hadn't been there since I was in college, and my mom hadn't visited since I was a kid.

One of the things we scheduled was a Character Breakfast so my son could have a chance to get pictures taken and get autographs from some of the infamous Disney characters - in the event we missed them while gallivanting around the Magic Kingdom. As part of the experience, we were able to get an official Disneyland photograph with Chef Goofy while dining in Goofy's Kitchen. I loved some of the candid photos that they captured and used the new release of Kitchen Good Thymes from ninigoesdigi to create my layout.

First, here's a look at Kitchen Good Thymes. There are three separate packs, as part of Oscraps' 4th Friday:

Kitchen Good Thymes - Elements courtesy of ninigoesdigi

Kitchen Good Thymes - Patterns courtesy of ninigoesdigi

Kitchen Good Thymes - Solids courtesy of ninigoesdigi

I know this entire collection is going to come in handy for my future recipe book and any layouts I create of my cooking experiences! In the meantime, however, I knew that it would work perfectly with some of our outtakes from Goofy's Kitchen. 

My layout turned out like this:

Good Thymes by cyranoscrap for ninigoesdigi

I have to applaud those Disneyland photographers. Those candids are some of my favorites of the trip. 

So, if you're looking to spice up your family recipe book (the holidays will be here before we know it!) or want to capture some of your culinary creations, adding the Kitchen Good Thymes collection may be a staple for your digiscrap library. It's on sale through Monday, July 31 for less than $2 per pack! (If you're a newsletter subscriber, there's a special coupon code to get 50% off the FULL kit!) Plus, there's a freebie too:

Kitchen Good Thymes - Freebie courtesy of ninigoesdigi

How can you lose with an incredible deal like this??? Grab it now through Monday! And happy scrapping - and cooking!

Resurrecting My Crafting

As usual, this blog has fallen by the wayside, similar to my crafting habits. I know how it happens: basically, real life gets prioritized, while any creativity gets shelved until I have more time or inclination.

While I haven't been blogging much - ha, at all! - it doesn't mean that I haven't done some crafting, memory keeping, or scrapbooking. I've managed to touch my Project Life album a few times, started an album for a trip to Disneyland, dabbled in a traveler's journal, created a mini album, and even made a few digital layouts. 

Working on my Project Life album back in April

Missing You layout by cyranoscrap for ninigoesdigi

Silly layout by cyranoscrap for Design by Heather T

Working on a layout at a crop in May

So, as you can see, there is evidence that I haven't fully stopped creating. ;)

One thing I've noticed is that when you don't create on a regular basis, it's very hard to get the mojo going. It takes me five times as long to create something, and I still feel like it's not quite right when I'm done. I miss those days when I finished a project and knew that it was just what I wanted.

I will attempt - again - to be more creative on a regular basis, whether it's scrapping, writing, photography, or even doodling - which I have yet to actually commit to doing. And, I'll even try to get more photos of my dabblings up here on the blog. 

We'll see how it all progresses! :D

You Are Extraordinary

Oscraps has their monthly Mini O's sale going on right now. Ninigoesdigi has a trio of packs that are on sale through tonight. They combine to make the kit Find the Extra in the Ordinary:

Elements:

Courtesy of ninigoesdigi

 The solid paper pack:

Courtesy of ninigoesdigi

The patterned paper pack:

Courtesy of ninigoesdigi

My page:

By cyranoscrap for ninigoesdigi

CREDITS
Find the Extra in the Ordinary elements, patterned papers, solid papers by ninigoesdigi

Template: Template 47 (ninigoesdigi)

Fonts: Skinny Marker (journaling), PW01Script (captions)

The papers in this kit are super fun, and I love the colors. These three packs mix and match with the rest of the February Mini O's at Oscraps. Grab them before the sale ends on Monday!

My Valentine

Still trying to get into the scrapping groove in-between all interruptions of daily life. I used one of the photos I took on Valentine's Day. While it was a quick snap right before I dropped the little guy off at school, it turned out well. I decided to feature it on my layout using Ume from ninigoesdigi. 

First, the kit:

Courtesy of ninigoesdigi

And here's the page I created:

My Valentine by cyranoscrap for ninigoesdigi

CREDITS

Ume by ninigoesdigi

Template: Happy Thoughts (Design by Soco)

Fonts: Underwood Champion (date, journaling), Tropical Brush Script (title)

I love Nini's brushes in this kit, which was one reason why I had to use a white background. This kit also has some gorgeous patterned papers. I'm just glad they.are versatile!

My Biggest Treasure

Once in awhile, one of my designer friends makes an absolutely beautiful kit that I cannot find a photo that is appropriate for the subject. This is one of those times. Design by Heather T. came out with a gorgeous kit called Mermaid Dreams.

Courtesy of Heather T.

The colors were inspiring, and quite honestly, it took me awhile to find the right photo to scrap. However, I am quite pleased with the results.

My Biggest Treasure by cyranoscrap for Heather T.

So much fun to pull out one of my favorite photos ever and use it with Heather's kit!

Goodbye 2016

Ninigoesdigi's first kit of the year, Tsubaki, is one I loved on sight. I think it was the red accents that drew me in. With the help of a template from Designed by Soco, I ended up creating a page that even surprised me, lol.

Here's a look at Tsubaki:

Courtesy of ninigoesdigi

I found a simple template from Designed by Soco in my stash and set to work creating this:

"Goodbye 2016" by cyranoscrap for ninigoesdigi

CREDITS
Tsubaki by ninigoesdigi
Template: Simply Clean No. 1 Templates (Designed by Soco)
Fonts: Breakout (title), Arctic (journaling, date)

There are some days when I surprise myself with what happens on my computer screen. :)

Capturing 365 Days

A few years ago, I was all over the Project Life craze. A simplified way to capture my memories? Yes please! So I committed to it several times and actually completed a full year - one year out of at least five years. I still love Project Life and try to do some semblance of it, but haven't gotten close to finishing a full year. And yes, I am trying Project Life yet again for 2016. 

Pics for Project Life by cyranoscrap

In the process, I was also trying to take at least one picture a day to help me put my weekly Project Life spreads together. Unfortunately, I failed almost every month to get at least one photo a day. 

Why is that? Maybe I feel that I don't have a worthy enough picture-perfect moment? Or do I just simply forget? Granted, Project Life has made me realize that no moment is unworthy of a photo. Plus, I am well aware that every photo I take is not going to be perfect. (I have more than enough imperfect photos stored on my hard drives!). I also know about all sorts of sites that have photo prompts to help you capture a photo a day or challenge your photography skills. I'm perplexed as to why I still can't seem to take just ONE photo a day.

I'm still trying to be a daily photo taker, but it frustrates me when I miss a day. When I was sifting through the photos I took in January, I thought I had actually taken photos all 31 days, then I realized I had no photos for January 18. Aaaarrrghh! I use three devices to capture photos: my smartphone, a pocket point-and-shoot, and a DSLR. I almost always have the smartphone and P&S with me, so I shouldn't have any excuses for not getting a photo, other than the batteries dying. 

So here we are, February 4th, and I made sure I got my daily photo done. Only 25 more days to go. Here's hoping I can get one photo a day for the rest of this short month!

Embracing Imperfect Photos

A few busy days, and my good intentions for The Lilypad's MOC4 went out the window. Sigh. I was afraid that was going to happen. I found a layout from the Day 5 challenge that was partially finished. I went ahead and finished it this evening.

First off, the challenge: Embracing Imperfection, aka a photography challenge. The main point of the challenge was to take a less-than-perfect photo and alter it. I took a color photo during Christmas of my mother and one of her great-granddaughters. The photo had terrible lighting and too many colors, so I changed it to black and white. With a brush mask, I took out all the extraneous background so I could focus on the subjects of the photo. Voila! I salvaged a photo that I didn't like as is into something I loved.

Moments Make the Memories by cyranoscrap

CREDITS
Papers: Naturelle (Pink Reptile Designs)
Elements: The Little Things (Little Butterfly Wings); Love the Life You Live (Pink Reptile Designs); Sprinkles V.28 (Valorie Wibbens); Family Almanac (Sara Gleason)
Word Art: This Year (Word Art World)
Fonts: PW01 Script

It bothers me to have half-finished layouts, so I'm trying to make sure I finish them - a small resolution for this year. Let's hope I can keep it. ;)

Greetings for Fall!

Happy Fall...a week late!

I'll admit it. I've been a terrible blogger. Let's face it - life got in the way. I spent my entire summer working on a product launch that ate up more time than I cared to admit and sucked the life (and creativity!) out of me. In fact, it wasn't until earlier this month that I realized I was forgetting how to use Photoshop, as I tried to do a layout just for fun. I picked a template, placed the photos on the page, then left it for about two weeks. I finally finished it last week, when I realized that I didn't want to have an unfinished page that was lost in the nethers. (It's happened - I still have at least three layouts that I haven't finalized, and I feel guilty every time I see them in my unfinished layouts folder. Someday...)

This does not mean that I haven't been noticing what's going on in the digiscrap world or missing out on all the new products. I view, I shop, I drool. I just haven't scrapped much. Of course, I'm collecting supplies. ;)

Yet, I did manage to a couple of layouts in the past week. Neither were for a creative team. Instead, I tried to scrap just for me and to get my creative mojo going again. For those of you who have taken a break before, you know exactly what I mean. 

In late August, one of my brothers paid a visit - along with his gaggle of girls (there is exactly ONE boy among all his grandkids). We took family photos since we don't see them all very often. As usual, there was a few minutes of just plain clowning around, especially since we took them outside on a day where temps were 95+ degrees. I just snapped away at grandma and the grandkids and great-grandkids, knowing that I'd find at least one photo that would commemorate the occasion. Instead, I ended up with over a dozen. I chose 9 of those photos and placed them on this layout:

goofiness by cyranoscrap

CREDITS

Elements: Count Your Blessings Collaboration (Mari Koegelenberg, Scotty Girl Designs, Wishing Well Creations); Project 2015 – January (Wishing Well Creations); Plan With Me (Mari Koegelenberg); Click (Scotty Girl Designs)

Papers: Count Your Blessings Collaboration (Mari Koegelenberg, Scotty Girl Designs, Wishing Well Creations)

Template: Bunch of Photo Templates (Scrappin with Liz)

Fonts: Ashley Brush Script (title), My Underwood (journaling, date)

For this layout, it was the template that came first. I knew I had a lot of photos to scrap, so I searched my archives, looking for one that could showcase a lot of photos.

This second layout I created last night. Sahlin Studio offered an 8.5"x11" template for September that I couldn't resist. I haven't done a page that size for quite awhile, so it was a nice challenge, and it gave me an excuse to scrap some of the many photos I've been taking, as well as search for Sahlin Studio goodies in my stash.

Saturday - Go See Do by cyranoscrap

CREDITS

All products (except fonts) from Sahlin Studio

Elements: Documentary, You Are Here, The Everyday Routine, Hello Kit Sampler

Papers: Documentary, You Are Here

Template: September 2015 Template Freebie

Fonts: Traveling Typewriter (date); Miserably Lose and PeaBMad (journaling)

I had a lot of fun looking through my stash to complete the Saturday layout. It was my chance to use lots of bits and pieces, although I had forgotten that it is easy to lose track of which layer is which when you use a lot of items. Oh well, fun is the operative word here, and capturing a little slice of life was the frosting on top!

Ah, I can't wait to scrap some more. Maybe another page tonight? We'll see...

Shine

For the September Mini Os, ninigoesdigi got a little sparkle crazy. BlingTastic is the newest release from ninigoesdigi, with lots of sparkle, shine, and glitter! Check out the full kit and alphas...

BlingTastic by ninigoesdigi

BlingTastic alphas by ninigoesdigi

I am not a "blingy" person by nature. However, I really loved this kit and found the perfect photo for it. (It was a plus that the colors of the photo just happened to coordinate with the kit!)

Shine by cyranoscrap for ninigoesdigi

BlingTastic coordinates with the entire Mini Os for September. So mix and match as you please - you can purchase the elements and papers for BlingTastic separately too!

Summertime is Bubble Time!

My son is a huge fan of bubbles. Of course, who doesn't like bubbles, regardless of how old you are??

One thing we like to do is blow bubbles in the backyard during the summer. He's still learning how to puff at the bubble wand so that bubbles actually form. This summer has to be the first one where he's pretty successful at getting a decent number of bubbles to come out in a stream.

Summertime, Bubble Time by cyranoscrap for Blue Flower Art

CREDITS

All products (except fonts) by Blue Flower Art

Elements: CountryLiving, Honey Honey

Papers: HoneyHoney

Template: Art Therapy – Text Strips 2

Fonts: The Great Escape (journaling and date), Stampete (title); Typewriterhand (strips)

I love the new Art Therapy - Text Strips 2 template from Blue Flower Art. It makes creating a page like this so easy!

The best part of capturing all this - the expression of sheer joy on his face as he has fun blowing the bubbles. I've now got a summer memory I know I'll love reading about in the years to come.

The Horse

One of my nieces had a photo that she shared with me that was perfect for scrapping with the Keep Calm & Ride On packs from ninigoesdigi.

CREDITS
All packs by ninigoesdigi
Keep Calm & Ride On Solids
Keep Calm & Ride On Elements
Keep Calm & Ride On Add-On Pack
Font: Stampete
Photo: M. Empasis

With such a touching photo, I wanted to make sure it took priority on my layout.

The Keep Calm & Ride On packs are $2 each through June 5th! (And the Add-On pack is free if you buy the other 3!)

Summer Memories

A new Get Real Challenge is going on over at Real Life Scrapped! This time around, our sponsor, Zoliofrope, selected "Summer" as our prompt. There are lots of ways to take this prompt (see the post for details). I decided to do a little photo compilation from Summer 2011 for my layout.

Summer 2011 by cyranoscrap 

CREDITS

Papers: Sunshine and Grass Stains (Michelle Godin Designs); Paint the Town Vol. 3 (Amy Wolff); A Beautiful Day (Kristin Cronin-Barrow)
Elements: Sunshine and Grass Stains (Michelle Godin Designs); Hey Summer (Re Kneipp); Beach Cottage (Amy Wolff); Wanderlust (Pink Reptile Designs); My Sunshine (Shawna Clingerman); TGIF (Kristin Cronin-Barrow)
Template: Summer Lovin’ (Zoliofrope)
Fonts: Fontdiner Swanky (title); Traveling Typewriter (journaling & dates)

This was the very first summer my toddler and I had together after he was born. We got out and about (including his first trip out of state), and I really tried to capture a lot of firsts for him (don't we all, ha ha!). It's funny to look back and see what we did for our first year together.

There's plenty of time to join in on the Get Real Challenge - closing date is June 3rd. And just for participating, you get this Summer Lovin' template set from Zoliofrope!

Courtesy of Zoliofrope

I know you have a summer memory, so come on and share it!

Birthday/Anniversary Card File

While I was sorting through some things yesterday, I found a small file box of 4x6 cards from a paper crafting project I started many years ago. The box was a fun way for me to remember birthdays and anniversaries. Here are a couple of sample cards:

The cards also included their last names (which I have edited to allow for privacy). I also put a year after some of the dates - if I knew the year. This was a great way to use up odd little paper scraps and miscellaneous embellishments. I also had notes about each person's interests, written on the back, to give me ideas for gifts:

I'm not sure who manufactured the rubber stamp that is on the back, but I think having just plain lines running across the back would work just as well.

I didn't finish embellishing a lot of the cards in the box, but I'll have to go back and revisit that project at some time, when I can pull out my traditional scrap supplies. Of course, now I'll have to make space to do that, which is another reason I do mainly digital scrapping these days, lol! However, I do miss being able to cut, glue, tear, stamp, etc. actual paper. At least I haven't stopped scrapping completely, right? ;)

The Happy Challenge: Day 61

Day 61 of 100 Happy Days Challenge.

Happy #1 - Mother's Day greetings from friends and family.

Happy #2 - Free strawberry sundaes for moms from a local burger place...yum!

A Special Graduation Gift

Today on Facebook, I spotted a story that was going viral (even though it was posted in June 2013) of a special gift from a father to his daughter on the day of her high school graduation. What a very special idea to give a child!

And yes, that's my copy there on the right.

Hello Fall

So Fall officially started at least a week ago, but I'm just now getting around to scrapping a layout about it. And, of course, it took a challenge deadline to push me to do it, lol! No matter, though - I LOVE this photo and the colors were perfect for the challenge, which was to use this month's BYOC at The Lilypad. I'm just lucky that I even had these photos from earlier this month.

CREDITS

Fall In Love (Michelle Godin Designs)
Fallala (Pink Reptile Designs)
Beech Tree (Sara Gleason)

Fonts: Traveling Typewriter (date); Jenna Sue (journaling)

Template: Sept. 2013 Facebook Fan Freebie (Amy Martin)

Time

I finished my entry for this month's One Little Word Challenge over at The Lilypad. For some reason, although the word "Time" was easy, I had a hard time figuring out a layout for it. Here's what I finally created:

CREDITS:

Papers: Dayplanner (One Little Bird and Paislee Press)

Elements: Dayplanner (One Little Bird and Paislee Press); Love Me Tender, I Am Not Perfect, One of a Kind, and Growing Pains (Pink Reptile Designs)

Brushes: Journaling Doodles (Micheline Martin)

Fonts: Bebas Neue, PW01 Script