A Little Nervous

A few months ago, we boarded a plane to move to Europe.  It was my son’s first flight, and for the most part he was filled with bluster and bravado.  There were moments, however, when the inner uncertainty showed through.  This was one of those moments, while we were waiting to check in for our flight. 

That amazing burlap star is from The Curtsey Boutique, the rest of the items are older items form Basic Grey (Wander) and Simple Stories.

Thanks for taking a peek!

~Alyssa~

A Wordless Book

The photos really say it all, but if you want to see more anyway, go HERE or HERE. 

~Alyssa~

Panda Bear Girl

New Want2Scrap Layout today!  You can see the details, hear the story and more HERE.  Thanks for coming by!

~Alyssa~

2012 Top Ten List

Time for my favorite layouts of 2012!  I struggled with Mojo for much of the year, it seems, but managed to still create quite a few things I live.  Here are some of my favorites, in no particular order:

I notice a few trends here.  First, I really love single-photo layouts, but in most cases I use a fairly large photo (4x6 or greater).  Second, I used Mit/Paint/Ink on each of these.  Third, I like bright, bold colors.  Fourth, my fussy cutting habit is alive and well!  It’s interested to look at a collection of your work and see what defines it, isn’t it?

Thanks so much to all of the companies and design teams that sent my products and creatively supported me this year: Want2Scrap, Little Black Dress Kits, Pretty Little Studio, and The Curtsey Boutique.  I’m looking forward to what 2013 will bring!

~Alyssa~

Well-Trained Hero

My kids loved being at the local library recently for an introduction to Faith, a therapy dog that works in our local hospitals and nursing homes.  I snapped this pic during the presentation.

The chipboard word and bird are from the most recent Want2Scrap release, and you can check them out HERE.

Thanks for coming by!

~Alyssa~

Dreams of Victory

I have some very special friends who are big sports fans.  The cheer loudly, go to the games, and wear the apparel.  When their little girl was born last year, one of the first things they dressed her in was a sports-themed outfit.   Do their teams always win?  Of course not!  Husband and wife aren’t always cheering for the same side either.  But regardless, the family times in the stadiums and bleachers make for some pretty great memories!

I used a load of BasicGrey and Want2Scrap on this layout.  Chipboard adds wonderful dimension and diversity!

Thanks for taking a peek!

~Alyssa~

Say Cheese!

Hi everyone!  Just popping in on this gorgeous Indian Summer day in Indiana to share another page using some Want2Scrap™ supplies.  This page features my adorable nephew and some colorful BasicGrey PB&J. 

How cute is that face?  I used Ranger Distress Inks on the Want2Scrap™ Chipboard, and threw in a few embellishments from the older-ish BasicGrey Collection Wander (Still one of my faves). 

Thanks for stopping by!

~Alyssa~

Want2Scrap™ Products

Chipboard Words- Faith

Jewel Fantasies

Nestaboard Stars Five

Peek

I love this photo.  It’s one of my all time favorites.  My dad, holding my daughter, on a fun day at the zoo.  It’s hard to believe this was 4 years ago!  I’ve found it hard to scrap because of that orange sweatshirt being so front-and-center.  However, the “Just for Today” kit from Little Black Dress features some BasicGrey Konnichiwa papers, and they turned out to be perfect.  The design is a scraplift of one of my EARLY pages from 2005.  Love updating my own ideas.

I just received the November kit in the mail today- and it’s my favorite yet!  You need to get on the list for this amazing kit RIGHT.NOW.  Ok, talk to ya soon!

~Alyssa~

Tree Pose 2012

I have a new layout up at Want2Scrap today!  Here is the layout:

For close ups and more, CLICK HERE.

Thanks for coming by!

~Alyssa~

The Cutest 2

This was my son’s “official” 2 year old portrait… taken, as it happened, when he was nearly 3.  Sigh.  Oh well, it turned out pretty cute regardless.  I used the July “It’s My Party”  Little Black Dress Kit for this layout, and it so happens, there are boy pages to be had in this kit too!  Check out the kit HERE.

Other then a sheet of cardstock and some paint, everything here is from the kit.  Those big numbers are a classic favorite I’ll be using for a LONG time!  They were the glue that brought this kit together, and let me just say…  “YUM.”

Thanks for coming by!

~Alyssa~

We’re Hopping with Glue Arts!

Welcome back  for Day 3 of the Glue Arts and Want2Scrap Spring into Summer Blog Hop!

AND

Glue Arts provides a wide range of adhesive from their Glue RiderPro+, Adhesive Squares, or Embellishments Adhesive. They have just what you need for your next scrappy or crafting project.

Want2Scrap specialize in bling, chipboard albums, laser designs, iPhone 4 cases and ribbons!

Here’s my project, created with this fabulous pairing:

Here’s the hop line up for today:

Lesley Langdon

Andrea Budjack

Angela Holt

Alyssa McGrew (you are here!)

Terre Fry

Here’s my project, created with this fabulous pairing.  I started by attaching the Want2Scrap™ Nestaboard with the awesome Extreme Tac from Glue Arts.

Then I added layers and dimension with the 3-D Combo Pack.

This is the final project.  I used lots of Nestaboard and Nestbling on this page.

To be eligible for the prizes leave a comment on the Want2Scrap AND the Glue Arts Blogs.

Be sure to check in everyday this week for lots more ideas.

Thanks for coming by!

~Alyssa~

1 Look

no matter how hard he tries to hide it, my son admires his big sister.  I managed to catch the expression I love so much in this photo.  I just love all the admiration on his face, and the sentiment it expresses.  Even though Milena is the focal point of this shot, my eyes are always drawn to my little man’s face.  So precious. 

Most of the paper here is from Basic Grey.  The little bits of everything else that was on my desk are on here too.  Thanks for coming by to check it out!

~Alyssa~

2 Attached…

This winter, my daughter had a hat the she just loved.  Problem was, it was far too small, and didn’t keep her ears covered.  She didn’t care, she wore it anyway.

I only managed to get one photo of her in this hat, and I cut off the top of her head in it.  Oh, well, that’s what creative cropping is for!  I used new BasicGrey, Pink Paislee (the 2’s) and some older LilyBee on this page.   It’s been a while since I did that much fussy cutting.  Feels good to return to my roots.

Have a great weekend!!

~Alyssa~

Leaving Impressions

I have really been trying to stretch myself recently, to create with a challenge, or a specific idea in mind.  Making myself try new things is really how I notice my art changing, growing, and my style evolving.  I shared a layout a few days ago where I chose to use all neutrals.  This layout, I decided to use black and brown together in the same layout.  It used to be a hard-and-fast rule: NEVER wear black and brown together.  I remember my mother telling me that many times when I’d try to wear a black belt with brown shoes. 

That doesn’t seem to be the rule as much anymore.  As I write this, I am wearing a brown shirt with a black design on it.  So I decided to break this age-old rule and put the two colors together.  When I got started, I realized the BasicGrey helped my along by breaking the rule too (and in one of my favorite BG collections, no less!).  I used a lot of “Origins” to put this page together, with a few embellishments from other companies.

I have tried to use that Echo Park car sticker about 12 times, but it finally worked on a page.  Since the photos are of the construction of our garage, it seemed to fit.  Yay!

Have a creative weekend! 

~Alyssa~