Swing!

One day at the park, I told my daughter to do anything she liked and I would take a photo.  This is what happened.

I used the November kit from Little Black Dress for this page.  It’s great for nearly any kind of layout!  Take a peek HERE.

~Alyssa~

December Daily

I’ve been working on my December Daily, getting it ready for the busy holiday season ahead.  I’m sharing it today on the Want2Scrap Blog.  You can see more photos and details HERE.

Thanks for taking a peek!  Are you preparing for the holidays yet?

~Alyssa~

Crafty Time!

My daughter loves it when it’s time to get crafty with mom!  For this layout I kept that palette muted, and added some Want2Scrap™ pearls to make it really beautiful.  You can see more about it on the Want2Scrap Blog HERE.

Want2Scrap™ Products:

Nestaboard Labels Nine

Swirls Maxxi Girl Pearls

Chipboard Alphabet- Stylish

The Magic of a Good Book

I just love this photo of Milena.  She was asked to choose her favorite photo from a special book, and she was really giving each photo a thought.  She’s almost reading (so close!) and I know as soon as she gets there we won’t be able to keep her nose out of a book.  She loves everything about stories and the imagination and dreams that she finds there.

I used October Afternoon for this layout, primarily the Farmhouse collection.

Thanks for coming by!

~Alyssa~

Turning 6

Milena turned 6 in August, and despite my best efforts (I took over 100 photos), the awesome portrait style shot I was after was not to be that day.  This photo, snapped with my phone in the dim light at Texas Roadhouse, was all that I was allotted.  I suppose some days are just too fun to cluttered up with posing for mom’s camera!

I created this page with some October Afternoon goodies and a sketch from Page Maps.  I liked this sketch as soon as I saw it, and couldn’t pass up a good contest either (LOL).

Thanks for peeking!

~Alyssa~

I’m Back!

That statement is loaded, most certainly.  It was been a rough week, and a busy few weeks prior to that.  I won’t go into al the details, but it does feel very, very good to be back.

The layout I have to share today was created what seems like a long time ago.  It was probably only 3 weeks, but it was the last time I scrapped, which is, in essence, and ETERNITY.  I REALLY can’t wait to dive back in and create something.  I might have to rebel a little and take the afternoon off. 

Anyways…  these photos are from the first Tee Ball game last spring.  Registration for the upcoming season was last night, so I suppose the timing is appropriate.  I used October Afternoon, some American Crafts, and a few other bits and pieces.  Since I am not a theme scrapper, it was a challenge to pull off a sports-appropriate page, but I did what I could.

I need some sunshine soon!  not only for my photos, and photos of layouts, but also for my own sanity…

Thanks for coming by!  I hope to see more of you very soon.

~Alyssa~

My Top 10 “Others”

Time for the Top 10 other-then-a-layout projects from 2011.  Let’s see what we have:










Have a wonderful day!
~Alyssa~

My Favorite Layouts of 2011

I did this Top 10 post last year, and I loved the opportunity to look back and see what I had created over the course of the year.  I can’t believe it’s that time again!  But it is, so today’s post will feature layouts, while tomorrows post will be top 10 other (non layout) projects.











Ok, that’s 11… but I couldn’t decide which one to take out, so there you have it.  What surprises me most about this list is how many boy layouts I did!  I guess I am officially out of my girly-layout rut!  I’ll be back tomorrow with my top picks for “other-then-layouts!” 
See you around!
~Alyssa~

I love color.

I know I’ve said this before, but it seriously bears repeating.  I love color.  most of my layouts are driven by the colors in the paper I am using, but this page was totally inspired by the colors in my photo.  We were on a field trip recently when my daughter and 2 of her friends stopped to watch the creek running by.  The setting was just beautiful, and I took a dozen photos in just a few moments, wanting to make sure I captured this moment.  All too soon they will be so much bigger, taller, older… but hopefully lifelong friends.

Remember the template form yesterday?  This is the same one.  But it was a completely different feel on this layout!  Love that.  The papers are mostly from Crate Paper, a real mix of old and new.  Love that too!

I hope you take a moment to enjoy the day today!

~Alyssa~

When you are 2, every step is a Big Step

This photo was taken 2-1/2 years ago, but it is so very typical of the personality my son has had since the day he was born.  He’s never been afraid to jump in with both feet and get wet in the process of trying something new.  As I type this, he is 4-1/2 and out in the driveway, trying to load pieces of plywood as big as he is into the trash can (which is taller then he is).   I love that adventurous spirit!

In the spirit of the photo, I created this layout using a combination of products that I never would have originally thought to put together, but I decided to be brave and pull out some products to mix and match.  The result is here:

I hope you are having an adventure of your own today!

~Alyssa~

Happy When Reading

I recently interpreted a sketch from Pencil Lines using the October Afternoon 5 & Dime Collection, and photos of Baby K:

I created the background leaves with the same leaf template I have been using over and over again.  I first painted molding paste over the template, then painted the dried molding paste with acrylic paint in 2 shades of green to create the shaded look.

Thanks for coming by!  Hope you are having a wonderful Monday!

~Alyssa~