Tanner is 5!

I actually killed two birds with one stone at Lauritzen Gardens and took Tanner's 5 year pics there as well.  Some of the backgrounds I used were the same and some were different.  I had to sneak one flower one in (Tanner is still young enough it looked cute).  I also couldn't resist taking a picture of him staring at all the money in the fountain.  Those who know Tanner know that he can find money anywhere.  ;-)  I'm so glad that I went out on a limb and took a chance with their pictures that day.  I love the results and hope you do too.  Thanks for stopping. 

Zach is 9!

OK.  So technically Zach turned 9 at the end of May but due to a lot of crazy things (an injury, busy nights, etc) I didn't get his pictures taken until a couple weeks ago.  At least at this age they don't change as much as when they are little so I don't feel too bad about it.  One of my main obstacles in taking his pictures this year was the fact that he's 9.  He's not a little boy anymore!  Where do I take him to get great pictures that don't make him look like a little boy?  I've never done that before.  We were heading to Lauritzen Gardens for a sweet corn festival and I thought why not try them there?  Well, it worked.  Lots of great cement, wood, and stone to make for some great pictures of my little boy who's growing up.  We also found a great graffiti wall on the way so we had to stop for a couple of pics there too.  Enjoy and thanks for stopping!

 

Save Those Scraps

Those of you who know me, know that I love to save scraps.  I have tons of them and I really do use them.  They are perfect for journaling, diecutting, and other small uses but they can also have a big impact too.  The patterned papers on this layout believe it or not are scraps!  They are the piece of paper that you cut off that has the brand name and barcode!!  These just happen to have that info on one side and a lovely pattern on the other!!  By setting them all side by side and cutting a notch out of them I turned what most people throw away into a main component on my page!



My title was created with (you guessed it), scraps!  I used a Cricut marker in black to first write the word BELLY and then without unloading the paper I reloaded it, replaced the marker with the cutting blade, and cut the letters out.  Because the markers are thicker, when you cut the letters out you get a fine line of color on the edge of the letters.  This can really help your title stand out and give it some separation from the background. 

And one more fun technique to share with you today.  I used a bone folder and my paper cutter to add some embossed lines to my cardstock.  Make sure that you put the side of the paper that you want raised face down on your cutter and use the guide where the blade normally goes to run your bone folder.  Turn your paper over and instant dimension!  I added some Versamark ink to really help it stand out but you could leave it as is or even sand it depending on your paper. 

Here's the finished layout.  You gotta love looking back on old pictures.  At least one good thing about scrapbooking so far behind is that I get to relive all those fun moments again.  Well, I hope I've given you a new way to think about scraps and incorporate them into your layout.  Thanks for stopping!


Supplies:

• cardstock: Bazzill, The Paper Studio
• patterned paper: Basic Grey (Oliver Collection)
• ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Black Soot), Tsukineko (Versamark), Cricut Ink Markers (black)
• stamp: Autumn Leaves (Journaling)
• punch: American Crafts Knockout Punch (Notebook)
• Cricut cartridge: Opposites Attract (title)
• misc: staples, pop dots, bone folder, black pen, Creative Memories (circle cutter)