A Kayak Adventure

Way back in my life before a child, I used to go places. (I know that sounds silly, but it's reality.) One of the memories I have of my childless days was a vacation taken in the San Juan Islands. To me, that vacation was a bit exotic and definitely outdoorsy, something I'm normally not, lol.

One of the adventures (among many) I had on that vacation was kayaking. I had never ever been kayaking in my life, and here I was, faced with a chance to do so in a beautiful environment. I swallowed all the little fears and said, "Yes!"

Thankfully, since this was before I even had a decent digital camera, there are a few photos (taken on film) from this experience:

Kayaking Adventure by cyranoscrap for Heather T.

Credits:
Camping (Heather T.)
Fonts: Shelter Me (date)

Camping, Heather T.'s newest release, is now on sale as part of Pickleberrypop's 11th Birthday Celebration. You can purchase this new kit for just $5 through August 5. Here's a quick preview:

Camping - Elements courtesy of Heather T.

 

Camping - Brushes & Overlays courtesy of Heather T.

Camping - Patterned Papers courtesy of Heather T.

Camping - Retro Papers courtesy of Heather T.

Camping - Arty Papers courtesy of Heather T.

Camping - Word Bits courtesy of Heather T.

Can you believe it? All those really cool elements - too bad I wasn't more of a camper! - THREE packs of papers, brushes and overlays, and word bits...ALL for just $5! I think it's a real steal for that price since there are so many ways to use this kit besides camping!

So if you're itching to get your outdoor adventures captured, pick up Camping before the sale is over on August 5!

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. :)

Shop Till You Drop

When I was in my 20s, I actually enjoyed shopping. It was fun to be out and about. As I've aged, however, shopping tends to be more of a chore, especially when it comes to clothes shopping. I loathe shopping for clothes for myself, which is why I normally just buy something, then take it home to try it on. 

About a month ago, I was doing a little retail therapy online, looking for a pair of shoes to replace my favorite leather Keds that had seen better days. I came across some Converse shoes that were a suitable replacement. I went ahead and ordered online. But, when they showed up, they were too small. Having never worn (or even tried on) a pair of Converse shoes, I had no idea what my size would be in that brand. I decided that I would go and seek out the same pair of shoes at Macy's so I could actually try them on. Lo and behold, they actually had this particular style in stock! Even better, it was on sale and they had a size to fit me! I was so excited, I went ahead and purchased them and was on my way in less than 15 minutes - most of that spent waiting in line to be rung up.

So, when ninigoesdigi's Shop Till You Drop collab with Designed by Soco came out, I knew exactly what purchase I was going to document - my new Converse shoes!

Check out the Shop Till You Drop collection:

Shop Till Your Drop Kit by ninigoesdigi & Designed by Soco

Shop Till Your Drop Journal Cards by ninigoesdigi & Designed by Soco

Shop Till Your Drop alpha by ninigoesdigi

Shop Till Your Drop templates by Designed by Soco

Shop Till Your Drop washi by ninigoesdigi

Aside from loving the colors, the elements and washi tape are just plain fun! And that's how it felt to put the following layout together using one of the included templates from Soco:

By cyranoscrap for ninigoesdigi

I know lots of women who go ga-ga over shoes, but these are more my speed. They will definitely be a part of my everyday wardrobe!

In the meantime, grab the Shop Till You Drop packs (click on the previews for each to go directly to the pack) for 20% off through the weekend. Or, save a bundle by picking up the collection. (And then you can do a little more retail therapy!)

Super Bowl 50: Who's Your Favorite?

I'm not a football fan. However, I do feign some interest when it comes to Super Bowl time. In fact, I'm even usually aware of who is playing. :D  Let's just say that I appreciate the commercials and the food when it comes to Super Bowl!

For Super Bowl 50. which is taking place this Sunday at 3 pm, Pacific, the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos will go head-to-head. What does this have to do with scrapping, you ask? Because LJS Designs released two football-themed kits in colors for each team: Orange Crush and Sweet Carolina. These two add-on mini kits are currently priced for just $1 each.

Courtesy of LJS Designs

Courtesy of LJS Designs

So if you love scrapping and football, or maybe you just want to commemorate Super Bowl in your memory books, jump on this sale. And if you are looking for a football-themed kit in general, check out Football Fan-Addict, also on sale for $1!

Courtesy of LJS Designs

Listers Gonna List

Day 2 of The Lilypad's MOC4. Today's challenge: Journaling in a list format. 

I don't mind doing journaling in a list format. It reminds me of doing bullet points for PowerPoint presentations, but on subjects that are much more fun!

The rules:

1. All of the journaling on your page must be in the form of a list.
2. You cannot have extra journaling on your page other than your list. You CAN add the date of your photo if you wish.
3. You can use additional word art, word strips as your title work or as elements on the page, however your all of your journaling must be in the form of a list.

Not so bad, right? The hard part for me? Trying to figure out a topic for the list!

There is another challenge called 30 Days of LIsts that I have yet to try, but that I've seen. The list topics are pretty fun, like "Today's Playlist," "What I Like About ____," or "Recipes I Want to Try." These are just a few examples from the website, but I know there are more interesting lists that can be made as well. Anyway, I suppose the easy thing would have been to go get a few ideas from this website. Ha!

What I ended up doing was making a list of my "Favorite Hallmark Christmas Movies." Crazy, I suppose, but when the Hallmark Channel has their Christmas movies going from Thanksgiving through New Year's, I end up forgetting the titles of the ones I really like. So, that's where I focused my efforts. 

Favorite Holiday Movies by cyranoscrap

CREDITS

Evergreen (One Little Bird): Papers, Elements

Chesnut Lane (One Little Bird): Papers, Elements

There’s Something About Merry (One Little Bird): Elements

Advent – Story Seeds (Sara Gleason):  journaling card

Fonts: True North Textures, Very Berry Pro, Underwood Champion

Not a terribly exciting page, but I'm still quite pleased with the result. And, I have a list that I can refer to next holiday season, when all the Hallmark holiday movies come out!

Road Trip

Over the weekend, I purchased Ready Set Go, a new travel-themed kit from One Little Bird. I couldn't resist - loved the colors and the whimsical art. I didn't have any particular photos in mind (which is normally the case). I just wanted the kit. 

Late last month, during my birthday weekend, I decided to cross an item off my bucket list and paid a little visit to the Charles M. Schulz Museum - a homage to the creator of Peanuts! I took a lot of photos - almost 200 of them - and plan on putting them in a small album. In the meantime, I wanted to create a page of our excursion.

Road Trip by cyranoscrap

CREDITS

Kit: Ready Set Go (One Little Bird)

Template: Whip It Up Mega 2 (Amy Martin Designs)

Fonts: PW01 Script (journaling and date), Vaguely Repulsive and Zitz (title)

Using one of Amy Martin's templates (I'm going to miss them when she retires at the end of this month!), I was able to include a rough map (we didn't actually end up taking this route) of our trek to the museum. And while I took a LOT of photos, I neglected to take more than one of the two of us. Oops. Luckily, this one came out, so it was a pretty easy choice as far as what I was going to use for a photo on this layout.

I'm so glad I was finally able to document one of my long-awaited bucket list items!

Scrappin' Salmagundi Thursday

I have a new Word of the Day: SALMAGUNDI.

Salmagundi means miscellany. Yes, it's a mouthful, but still, I think it's a fun word to play around with. And, how many of you have heard of it before? ;)

So today, I have a bunch of odds and ends - all scrapping-related, of course!

First up, a freebie that I found just before Valentine's Day. It's still available as of today, so move fast!

Courtesy of 2 Curly Headed Monsters Designs

I like that this freebie has sassiness and vintage all in one!

Saw this last night on Facebook - Sesame Street character cards! You can read all about it on the Paper Ecstasy blog. I showed my little guy the photos, and he got very excited. I guess we'll have to make these soon.

Courtesy of Paper Ecstasy

Have you seen the new "I Am" line from Simple Stories?

Courtesy of Simple Stories

I've always been a fan of Simple Stories. The "I Am" Collection is focusing on getting more of "you" (aka as the memory keeper of everything and everyone) in the story. If you're already a pocket scrapper (aka Project Life to some), this whole line makes it easy. It's only available in real, touchable paper products for now, but I'm hoping they'll come out with the digital version soon! In any case, the idea is good, especially since many of us scrappers are always capturing events and lives of other family members and/or friends, but lack any real stories about ourselves. Incidentally, SS just released a free idea e-book and Sn@pbooking Guide using the "I Am" line!

Courtesy of Quirky Heart

Speaking of pocket scrapping and Project Life, there is a great article by Quirky Heart on how she has changed up Project Life for 2015. Not only did she change the size of album she is using, but Michelle is also eschewing the conventional chronological structure - yikes! I swear it's a good read, and it certainly makes you think about a new approach to Project Life, especially if you are having trouble keeping up with the traditional approach.

I am one of those that has issues with keeping up on Project Life. The last couple of years I've "failed" at it (i.e. not completed a full year), so I've been deliberating on what to do about 2015. Digital or continue hybrid? 6"x8" or 12"x12"? Less embellishments? Less journaling? The jury is still out, but I'm at least capturing notes in my day planner and in a special notebook designated to plan out my Project Life pages. This notebook is a new thing for me. I used to keep my notes in a Word doc, but I find that I don't always have my computer on when I think of something. It's easier to just be able to grab the notebook and jot a reminder down. Yes, it's old school, but I've always been better with paper and pen, lol!

That's it for today! I'm hoping to start my Project Life 2015 sometime soon - maybe March? Wish me luck. ;)

Word Crimes

There are days I actually love social media. Today was one of those days because a friend posted the video below:

As an English major, I cringe a lot over shortened versions of words. I understand taking shortcuts when it comes to texting, but when it starts to simmer over into real life writing...well then I just shake my head and wonder if the English language will ever be the same. 

I think the video would be great for kids to see in their English class. And they just might want to have a dictionary handy for those big words in the video, ha ha!

National Doughnut Day!

Courtesy of Peanuts

While I can't really eat doughnuts because the ones I truly love are NOT gluten free, I still love the idea of National Doughnut Day, which is today. My all-time favorite doughnuts? Sugar doughnuts, which I rarely find. I don't mean the glazed ones. I mean ones that are actually rolled in granulated sugar. And I like them when they're fresh.

When I was little, my dad used to go to the bakery early on Saturday mornings just to get a box of these. When I woke up, there used to be a pink bakery box on the kitchen table with these fluffy, fresh sugar doughnuts. I remember my younger brother and I couldn't get enough of them. If only I could get them now. Unfortunately, the closest I find are the twisted ones. While it's the same thing, technically, it just isn't the same. The twisted ones aren't as fluffy and light as I remember.

My other favorite doughnut is a jelly-filled one. I remember Morton's Jelly Doughnuts, which you could find in the freezer section of the grocery store. That was the first time I ever tried a jelly doughnut. It, too, was covered with granulated sugar. (Do you see a theme here? Lol!) But the jelly inside was the yummy part. It was a berry of some sort; I'm not sure what kind. Anyway, they disappeared off the market, and I forgot about them until I went to England for the first time. Completely by accident, I found some in a bakery and decided to try them. O-M-G! That first bite brought back so many memories! It tasted just like the Morton's Jelly Doughnuts that I grew up with! I ended up having at least one every day while I was there. Even the jelly-filled doughnuts I've found since just don't match up. 

If I were feeling a little more energetic, I'd attempt one of these gluten free doughnut recipes. Unfortunately, I don't think they'll live up to what my taste buds are expecting. So go have a doughnut for me!

The Happy Challenge: Days 84 & 85

Days 84 and 85 of 100 Happy Days Challenge.

The BIG happy for Day 84 (June 3) is...the toddler asking to use the potty and actually using it! Now, to just get him to use it consistently...

Happy stuff for Day 85 (June 4):
1. Watching a small race for National Running Day. One of the companies in the area sponsored a race today, and I accidentally got caught in the traffic. I enjoyed watching the runners go by - made me yearn for my own running days.

2. Finding a brand new pint of Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey hidden in the freezer. I totally forgot I bought this when it was on sale!

The Happy Challenge: Day 83

Day 83 of 100 Happy Days Challenge.

Today I introduced the toddler to the iPod. At first he thought it was a cell phone, but when I plugged in the earbuds and gave him one to listen, he found it fascinating. It was fun to watch him bob along with the music.

Famous Art Coloring Pages

Courtesy of CanadaArtsConnect.com

Even if your child isn't Van Gogh or Picasso, the budding artist can still color like one with these cool printable coloring pages of famous art!

Of course, I personally think it's great for kids of ALL ages. ;)

The Happy Challenge: Day 74

Day 74 of 100 Happy Days Challenge.

Happy stuff for today:
#1 - A nap!

#2 - My toddler completing most of this puzzle himself! It's the biggest puzzle (48 pieces) he's tried so far!

The Happy Challenge: Day 67

Day 67 of 100 Happy Days Challenge.

Happy #1 - Tried a new (to me) frozen yogurt place called Twist today. Loved it!

I've never seen a flavor divider (the green thing in the center) before. It was a lightweight plastic divider to allow you have different flavors separately. Of course, I still mixed flavors for each half - vanilla/strawberry/blackberry on one side, Dutch chocolate and mint on the other. All were great - my tastebuds were very happy!

Happy #2 - An ORANGE spoon for my yogurt! 

Happy #3 - The weather! It was absolutely perfect today - about 69 degrees, sun & clouds playing peek-a-boo. Perfect spring day to me!

Happy #4 - Toddler was VERY well-behaved today. I guess he knew I had to work on a deadline, so he was being cooperative. :)

The Happy Challenge: Day 59

Day 59 of 100 Happy Days Challenge.

The happy for today was all about scrapbooking. While I didn't actually do any scrapbooking, I spent a little time taking care of a few scrap-related things for the creative teams I'm a part of. I especially loved one of the freebies that one of my designers was offering:

Courtesy of Crafty Button Designs

The words/phrases made me smile.

Oh, and one other happy - also scrap-related: my layout from Wednesday was selected as a Real Standout!

The Happy Challenge: Days 53 & 54

Days 53 & 54 of 100 Happy Days Challenge.

A weekend of dealing with a sick kid, then getting sick, so finding happy stuff was a little bit of a challenge.

Happy for Day 53 (May 3): 
#1 - Noticed the irises started to bloom, so I had to get a photo of them before they disappear.

# 2 - And finally got the toddler to eat something since he's been running such a high temp and only taking liquids - steamed pork dumplings, one of his favorite things.

Happy for Day 54 (May 4): 
#1 - Finally had a chance to do a little bit of shopping for International Scrapbook Day (iNSD)! Found some great deals and some fun things to play with. Hope I get to actually scrap a page in the next couple of days, lol.

#2 - Toddler is feeling MUCH better today, so it hasn't been as much of a struggle. 

Lady of Leisure

How many of you want to be a "lady of leisure," even for a day? I know I do! But, fat chance that will happen any time soon, lol!

In the meantime, I can at least pretend and use the Lady of Leisure kit from Blue Flower Art!

Courtesy of Blue Flower Art

This brightly colored kit for the ladies has 19 papers and 40 elements to use for those pics of all your girly times. Lady of Leisure is currently on sale for 30% off (or $4.55 U.S.).

I decided to use it for documenting my unexpected girls outing for Black Friday this past November.

CREDITS:

Lady of Leisure (Blue Flower Art)

Font: PeaB Mad

Yes, the photo of the back of the SUV is real. We managed to cram every available space with shopping goodies, including the remaining space in the back seat. It was quite an adventure!

The Happy Challenge: Day 52

Courtesy of Cathy Zielske

Day 52 of 100 Happy Days Challenge.

Today's happy - the start of iNSD (interNational Scrapbook Day). Officially, it's on Saturday, but in the digiscrap world, festivities have already started.

It's a big deal in the scrapbooking world. Lots of sales, freebies, and fun, if you have the time to partake in it all. I'm just hoping to indulge a little in my hobby and try to scrap a few pages!

Cathy Zielske offered a card set commemorating the event on her blog. I included one of the cards as my graphic for today.

The Happy Challenge: Day 49

Day 49 of 100 Happy Days Challenge.

Happy #1:

Happy #2: Watching the toddler dance around to the song "Happy."

Happy #3: A salad (with real bacon bits!) for brunch.

The Happy Challenge: Day 47

Day 47 of 100 Happy Days Challenge.

Happy #1 - Dim sum lunch with friends! Having a bigger group always means we'll have a lot more variety to choose from! :)

Happy #2 - The spontaneous, unbridled laugh of my toddler when he enjoys something.

Happy #3 - My toddler saying "I wuv you, Mom" while I'm hugging him.

Happy #4 - The excitement of my toddler over his new Lego train set.