Day 264: Right Here Right Now Album Retreat Layout

For this page I didn't really follow the theme at all. I loved how CTMH gave us an idea of the colors and general direction of each page when they allowed us to print our photos in Studio J to be picked up and used at the retreat.

I knew that I did not want to do a day in the life kind of page, so instead I decided to include some of my favorite people and things in my life right now at this moment. The papers are a mix of Charlotte and La Vie En Rose. 

How cute are all those watercolor touches? I added a hand lettered quote to the right page over top of the watercolor pop of color. It was hard to grab a clear shot since I may have added a lot little shimmer pen over the lettering too. Next time I wash the shimmer over the watercolor, then letter when everything is dry. Learn something new everyday!

Practical Scrappers Two Page Layouts

Today over at Practical Scrappers the ladies are showcasing two page layouts. I just LOVE a two page layout...though those one pagers are slowly growing on me... Anyhow, in the spirit of practicality (and since I'm up to my eyebrows in projects I cannot share until after convention), I shared this sweet and simple Studio J layout. 

While the layout itself is from an Express collection, I did do a bit of customization, as I wanted that picture of Gabe and Ben on the right hand side to go across two photo wells. So I loaded it up into each well, sized it up so I could only see one boy at a time, and lined up the two photos so it looks like the photo is one single piece. You can't tell a bit on my printed layout (or the jpgs I got with my purchase), so I felt pretty clever! 

20 minute (including fussy photo placement) layout is one more reason I love Studio J!

Don't forget to pop out to Practical Scrappers and take a peek at the gorgeous two pagers shared by the ladies!

And then he kissed me...

Just a quick Studio J layout and a not-quite-Monday Listicle to share today. The boys and I did do a craft today, making paper flowers that we floated in the bathtub after school. These pics are from a seed planting project from last year. My boys sure do love a messcraft! Not sure exaaaactly where they get that from {whistling} but I'm grateful for Studio J, which makes my quickie pics of the boys look so awesome. 

Stasha over at the Good Life has tasked the Listicles with a list of the 10 Favorite Places My Dear Hubby Has Kissed Me. I'm not usually one to kiss and tell...but for Stasha...

1. The hallway of Price House at UOP...first kiss sweetness!

2. On the tour of his high school on my first trip to his home town.

3. Top of the Space Needle when he proposed. Surprise!

4. At our lovely outdoor wedding in Apple Hill.

5. In Maui where we honeymooned.

6. In the Caribbean for my CTMH Cruise. Best vacation ever!

7. In Vegas 2005, when he came along for support (and poker) while I taught at Extravaganza. We discovered that what happens in Vegas does not always stay in Vegas...ahem.

8. At Tuality Hospital (for baby #1 in 2006) and St. Vincent's (twice for babies #2 and #3)

9.  At Hawthorne Fish House, a GF fish place he found for our last date night!

10. Just now in our kitchen where he's doing dishes while I work on my blog and instructions for Friday's workshop. He so rocks!

My Week

My week this week has been rough, busy, topsy-turvy, full of smiles and giggles...in other words, just life! This Express Collection Studio J digital layout is a glimpse at a week of random cell pics from January of last year. Was life simpler and easier then? Nope! But when I look at these pics I'm remembering the sweet moments and how small and precious the boys were, not the silly brother fights, spilled drinks, tantrums, and messes. This is why I scrapbook. This is why I love to scrapbook. 

Best of all...I got all that "stitching" and I didn't have to sew a thing! I'm off to CKC Portland - if you're local, come find me cropping at the big round tables during the afternoons for an inky treat! 

Have a scraptastic weekend!

One Day at the Zoo

I'm still working on projects that cannot be blogged (yet), so here's another of my Studio J Bonanza from last week. How cute is this new (online only) kit? We have a ton of Zoo pics, because we've had a membership for years, and yet I can't help taking pics of the boys every time we go. Someday I'll be able to do a through the years at the zoo mini album for each boy!

This is one of those 5-10 minute layouts. Choose the kit, load in your pics (just like uploading pics to Costco or Snapfish), choose the colors for your pre-placed embellies and you're done! 

Kind of like this blog post - KISS!

Be Awesome Today!

Today my second child is 5 years old. That's him in the biggest photo, with the biggest smile, wrestling around with my Dad and Sister on a trip to CA last year. See him off to the right with his arms flung up, running full bore with abandon, giggling with glee? That's my brilliant boy Ben! 

Ben leaps headfirst into everything, loving life, ready for action, can't hold still for a second. Sometimes his focus on living in the moment leads to disaster...like when he snapped his glasses in half (twice) or this weekend when he managed to chip two of my husband's teeth accidentally while literally CLIMBING THE WALLS (well, the doorways) of our home like Spider-man. But mostly this little tornado of glorious energy reminds me to try anything, never give up, to enjoy life, to just be awesome. He adds a B to the front of words so they'll sound more like his name. I wish I had his self confidence!

Plus, even though the anxious worrywart mom inside me might wish that he could not scale to the top of the doorways spider man style to dangle from the top of the door frame... how awesome is it that he can? Ben's philosophy in life tends to go along the lines of "Why Not?". "Because it's not safe, buddy." "But I'm awesome at (insert physical and possibly dangerous activity here)". 

Yes, buddy, you are awesome, indeed. Happy birthday, B-awesome Ben!

This was one of my favorite layouts tucked away in those Studio J Express Collections. I love the trendy grey and yellow color combo, the "stitching", the stampy flowers overlapping the pics. This is a collection of pics of weird placed my little guys fall asleep. I tend to snap pics of them when they are sleeping like that and shoot them off to Instagram, so I end up with a bunch of cutie one-off pics that don't match anything. I changed them all over to sepia tone so they wouldn't clash (right in Studio J) and now I've got a sweet reminder of my hard sleeping buddies, all done in about ten minutes!

Shhh! I know that's exciting, but don't wake the babies!

Lucky Me! I've got Studio J!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Today I'll be sharin' the green with you...the digital green of Studio J! 

This is one of the Express Collection layouts I've been raving about. See all the stitching, the faux washi, the banners and the mixed and recolored papers? Every bit of detail was ALREADY DONE for me! I dropping in my Ben is a monkey pics, added the journaling and this page was done in about 5 minutes. And if I had dumping in my pics and not liked the page? I'm out nothing - it's all free until you are ready to print your adorable layouts!

Studio J might just be the pot of gold at the end of my never-ever-ever-getting-caught-up scrapbooking rainbow! 

P.S. - Sweet Scrappin' Friend Valerie mentioned that she loved the cropping of my photos on the last layout. I responded there on that post...but I have to say it again - it's all Studio J! I've loved that crazy photo quilt layout since it first came out in one of our How To books, but I only made it in paper ONCE. Once was enough - cropping those crazy shapes and getting the edges and angles just so was a huge PAIN. Now I can make it anytime I want...once you drop in your pics you can just grab them and scoot them to show exactly what you want, no mathematics required! 

Now everyone join with me in emailing CTMH to demand sweetly request glitter paper options on every paper packet! We want more bling!

I {heart] Studio J!

OK - these posts probably would've been helpful during the month and a half that Studio J layouts were on sale for $5...but I waited until the last two days to make my layouts, because I have been entirely too busy to scrapbook...well, digitally. It's not that Studio J is hard, or not adorable...I just love getting my hands in the inks and paper. But $5 for two pages?  Never mind - that special is done, but regular price is only $6.95 for 2 pages, still a rockin' good deal! 

I seriously need to make time for myself to do a couple of Studio J layouts every week. This is how to "catch up" - beautiful paper scrapping for events that really mean a lot, like the holidays or first day of kindergarten, and Studio J for my life photos...you know, the cell phone photos and Instagrams I'm posting constantly. Those print up beautifully on Studio J!

So here's 14 days of scrapbooking, Studio J style. That's right - in two evenings, while catching up on Glee and Once Upon a Time and Grey's Anatomy ('cause I never have time to sit and watch TV with my hubby in the evenings) I made 14 adorable layouts. I cannot wait for my printed pages to get here!!

Now for the details...this layout is done with a new ONLINE only paper pack called Wishes and Fishes Boy. I chose that kit, then a 10 photo pattern called Sideline Surprise. Did you know you can sort the layout patterns by the number of photos you want to include? I chose Kit Mix number 1. I added my title using the StickEase Alphabets, and the Seahorse StickEase is at the bottom of the Large Accents StickEase. The "waves" we made using the Stitching Tool under Embellishments - now there are lots of kinds of "stitches" to add! I used the Scallop border stitch, and stretched or cropped it to make the wave pattern right over the digital B&T paper, then used the Send backward button along the top to hide the ends under my photo mats. I left the suggested embellishments alone, just choosing the colors I wanted. This one took me about 20 minutes because I was fussing with the stitched waves...until I remembered we have copy/paste buttons now!

My crew of scrappy girls will be here any minute for some hands-on paper crafting - hope you are spending your day doing something just as fun!

These boys LOVE pancakes!

Last one! What's with all the Studio J this week you ask? Well, besides the fact that CTMH gifted us with 5 free layouts (and who doesn't like free), I've been pretty down for the count with allergy issues, so much so that there may have been a visit to Urgent care and a bunch of steroids prescribed. Again. Sigh...so I wasn't much up to scrapping and stamping this week at all - thanks goodness Studio J is around to keep me amused and feeling semi crafty! Farmville for scrapbookers I always say!

This kit is with the new Victory papers, which I'll be featuring in my club kit for next month. You should see those pics go up next week! We made a pleated ribbon trim using the ribbon tabs option - way less messy  to achieve for me than this one or this one! I am not a fan of liquid glue, but I keep on truckin'! 

We did some more cropping of StickEase images - a trick I wish I'd known before. You just grab the little icon at the edge of the StickEase and drag it in to trim off the part you don't want to show - so simple! 

Finally, since we can no longer indulge in pancakes (the whole family is now (happily) gluten free, here's our favorite recipe for Gluten Free pancakes...which I actually cook in a waffle iron. They don't crisp up like a waffle, but I find it a lot simple than dealing with flipping tender gluten free pancakes. So our pancakes look weird., but taste good - a daily mantra around these parts. 

The search for a decent GF pancake recipe quite a big deal around here, and this is the best compilation of all the many, many, MANY techniques and recipes we tried. Enjoy!

Terrific Teff Pancakes:

1 cup Teff Flour 

1 1/2 cups yogurt or plain kefir

3/4 cup buttermilk (or regular milk with a tbsp of vinegar added, let sit for 5 minutes)

3 eggs

2 tbsp coconut sugar (or honey or your fav sweetener)

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

Coconut oil or butter for greasing up the griddle/waffle iron

Heat up your waffle iron. Beat Eggs a bit, then mix in all the ingredients and blend until a nice batter forms. Grease up your cooking surface and fill up the waffle iron as per usual. Cook until your waffle iron says "done", then eat em up with extra butter and real maple syrup - or homemade strawberry jam! Nom nom nom! 

Sometimes we do 1/4 cup coconut flour (not a typo, coconut flour sucks up moisture like you wouldn't believe), but the teff comes out more like a traditional whole grain looking pankcake. We use the waffle iron but it still feels like a pancakes when you eat it, soft and yummy! Have some bacon too - heaven!

Next I'll need a layout of the boys helping to make their favorite breakfast treat! Thanks for stopping by...and sorry if you now need to go and get you a big fluffy stack o' yummy pancake goodness!

Linking up!

Allergy Friendly Wednesdays @ The Willing Cook

Scratch Cooking Tuesday @ Mrs. Dulls Kitchen

Linky Party #22 at DIY Dreamer

Real Food Wednesday @ Kelly The Kitchen Kop
Pennywise Platter Thursday at The Nourishing Gourmet

Daddy's Photo Shoot

Last July I sent John off with the boys to get their pictures taken. Cute, coordinated outfits were brought along (ok, coordinating with one of our paper packets, lol...), but the boys went in their cheap-o 4th of July t-shirts, having learned my lesson long ago that if you put them in the photo outfits even 5 minutes before you get there it's pretty much guaranteed that SOMETHING will happen to said outfits. I couldn't go along, since I was teaching a workshop that day. You can imagine my surprise when he returned...with these adorable-but-not-what-I-planned-for pics of the boys...in fourth of July t shirts...riding a tractor...in a football stadium. 

Still those grins are pretty adorable!

In this version of a Studio J layout we learned to use My StickEase as a border for that cute open scalloped border. The paper packet was originally called Magic Moments, and it's a super cute Cocoa, Hollyhock, Goldrush and Indian Corn Blue polka dotty and floral packet...not exactly screaming tractor pull until you change out all the colors, eh? We also learned how to make a layered ribbon bow (adding extra knots and flipping the rotation - brilliant and fast!) AND we made that striped ribbon by stretching a journaling box and filling it with ///////// backslashes!!  How cool is that? 

Thanks for driving by!

The first Day of Kindergarten...

I wrote about the little tag book I made for Gabe's first day of school (click HERE to see that project). That's what he's clutching in his terrified hands in the photo on the right. He was totally jazzed for Kindergarten to start right up until we headed out the door to actually GO to Kindergarten. Oh the tantrums and screaming, crying and whining...

We did more color changing to the paper - in this case the kit was Lucky (click HERE to remember what that Grey paper above used to look like). We lined up Stickease across the center to make a scallop border. Little Tip: Line up 4 or 5 of them, then copy/paste the whole group again and again - much easier! 

Gabe just finished his last day of Kinder last week - and it was a very different experience. I walked to school and spent the morning in class with him. He was comfortable, participated in activities, played with lots of friends (instead of his usual one friend at a time policy) - it was a joy to see!

And yes, we did recreate the grumpy 1st day photo on the last day, but this time with a big beaming smile! But that's a story for another layout!

I feel so LUCKY you stopped by today!

Time for something SWEET!

I read somewhere that blog readers like bigger photos. Do you like the bigger photos I'm trying out? I can't decide if I like it better this way or the old way... I'd love to see your comments, dear readers! So much so that anyone who comments on this post by Friday will be entered into a drawing for a fun blog candy Surprise package valued at $20! I'll be waiting with baited breath by my laptop to see what you think...

Here's the 2nd of 5 layouts CTMH gave us for Convention this year. In this one we took a retired Halloween themed paper packet (Mischief - remember this one?) and changed the colors of the papers to get rid of the Halloween feeling. We also used the StickEase to make that trio of cupcakes in the upper corner. They are made out of an oval tag plus a piece of wrapped candy that we cropped to look like a bowl and a brad/cherry on top! 

We also learned how to add an extra mat by putting a journaling box over top of a photo well and sending it back behind the photo. I've always wanted to double mat in Studio J! There's stitching around each small photo well too - I am all for any stitch work that doesn't require me to actually stitch!

Max's first days in Studio J

One of the wonderful things about CTMH Convention is the swag. don't we all love to get a little something extra? This year CTMH gave us a free 5 pack of Studio J layouts to complete BEFORE we head off to Dallas. The instructions were a lot more advanced than I've attempted in Studio J. As I said in my post yesterday, I'm more of the 10 minute layout girl in Studio J. I like my paper too much to spend as much time digital scrapping as I do with paper. But it is nice to have the option!

In this layout, I used the new stitch options - there are straight lines of different stitches (this one is a running stitch) and also shapes (I used the star centered around my Start StickEase over the Max photo on the right layout. There's also some stitching at the start of each journal strip (computer generated journaling at the drop of a click - one of the bonuses of digi-scrapping!) 

Best part? Most of these pics are CELL phone pics I took in the hospital with terrible light and my old crappy not-a-smart phone. I'm so glad CTMH decided to have us all take another whack at Studio J for free - I might not have gotten around to these pics for a while!

It was fabulous to see you today, darling scrappy friends!

Studio J Layouts

I spent a good bit of time last week working on 5 new more advanced Studio J layouts, but I wanted to be sure to share this one too, for the Heart 2 Heart Challenges Father's Day Challenge.   I did this one last year for John's Father's Day gift, and with the JPGs you get from your membership benefits, it's currently the background on my laptop as well! 

This was a pretty basic Studio J layout - sing in, choose a kit, choose a layout, drop in your pictures, and change the colors on the toggle accents (that's all the pre-suggested embellishments) I did add a line of stitching across the top - this was back when you had to line up the buttonhole stitches one at a time to make a row of stitching. When working this last week I was pleased to see that now you can drag and drop a whole row of stitches or even stitched hearts, circles, etc... What a huge improvement!!

Of course, if you've been following me a while, you've seen my Father's Day project for this year - this Superhero album! Here are some more pics from the inner pages - sorry I didn't get any with the pictures added yet. It's been a rough week healthwise for me, so blogging hasn't been at the top of my list. Stinkin' Allergies! But here's all the innards- I am loving this picture collage thing!

If you have already bought a Consultant kit for this workshop, I'll be emailing you this JPG later this week as I get caught up on my To Do list. Thank goodness for Prednisone! 


If you are not a Consultant and missed the kit and want to make one now, just drop me a line and I'll send you the details! 

Hope you had a SUPER Father's day weekend too!

I'm linking this post to the amazing Paper Issues Stars and stripes Party!

Five for Free in February + giveaway!

Hi! I've been out of the loop this last week (working on personal healing and (hopefully) a publication project! I've got more art for you this week, starting with Pemberly pages coming ASAP. I've had a fun achievement this week, with a card placed in the top six at the Card Patterns blog - yippee! The sketch for this week is super cute, so go out and play too! 


CTMH is offering a FREE Studio J 5 pack for each 5 pack purchased this month - an amazing deal! They make great gifts - think baby showers, bridal showers, teacher's gifts... Plus, if you no longer have the time to scrap, Studio J is your solution! No stuff to tote, no mess to clean, just beautiful pages done in minutes! The part I love best is that there is no financial commitment - no pressure to use that 8x10 reprint just right, or to cut your pretty papers just so. Just point, click, and if you don't like it, don't buy it. Easy peasy!


You can check out some of the fun stuff I've done in Studio J HERE. I'm going to sweeten the pot further, and offer one of my winning Stella Thank you cards with each Studio J 5 pack purchase this month! 


Anyone interested in learning how to use Studio J can attend a free quick class this Saturday, February 24th at 10 a.m. or 2 p.m. - thirty minutes and you'll be using Studio J like a pro! Just let me know you're coming so I'll print a handout for you!

Here is the CTMH take on this month's promotion: 

Double your layouts with our Five for Free promotion! For each Studio J^® 5-pack you purchase this February, you’ll get one free 5-pack. That means you get 10 layouts for just $55—that’s just $2.75 per page, with free shipping!

Studio J 5-packs include everything you need to have 5 two-page layouts (that’s 10 scrapbook pages!) shipped to your door ready for your scrapbook album. Each 5-pack can be redeemed for:

• 5 two-page layouts
• 5 Memory Protectors^®
• Free shipping and handling

Whether you’re looking for an affordable gift or a way to save money on your own layouts, Studio J 5-packs offer you convenience and savings. Even if you’re already taking advantage of Studio J’s incredibly low members-only pricing, you’ll save even more when you purchase 5-packs through this special February deal. Keep one for yourself and give one as a gift!

Visit my website and create your Free Studio J account. Build some layouts - it's all free! If you like what you see, then buy a 5 pack to order the wonderful pages you'll whip up. You will apply the code you received for your 5-pack right into your Studio J account. f you have any questions, don't hesitate to email me.

P.S.: There's only one week left to RSVP for my Pemberly Card Box class! 15 cards plus a beautiful 3-D storage box for just $25!

CLICK HERE for details!

Studio J Free for All and FREE Stamps too!

If you haven't gotten your FREE Studio J Layout this month, what are you waiting for?! It's fast, easy, fun, and FREE - just pop out to my website and click on Studio J Online Scrapbooking. You can do it...at least for 2 more days, then the free offer is over!

Here's what I made for free this month, a Layout of John and the boys for Father's Day. I turned all the photos Sepia in the Studio J tool, and they let you do Black and White too - so handy!

I added the stitching along the left page using the button hole stitches under the Embellishments category. The new Snap in place guidelines made lining up the tiny stitches pretty easy!

I also resizes the star StickEase to better fit my title area. I love that in digital scrapping you aren't limited to the original look of the product. I added a lot of digital distressing too: Sanding in cocoa to most layers. Just click and BAM! You got sanding, Baby! So easy and no mess to clean up later!

Now get out there and make a scrapbook page! Show me your free Studio J Layout by Friday to be entered in a drawing for a FREE June Stamp of the Month!

Last Day for Studio J - FREE ALBUM!!

 Just a Friendly Reminder: LAST DAY! CTMH is running a Studio J Members Only promotion during February – create 10 layouts, buy 9 and get the 10th one free!  You can even do multiples – buy 18, get 2 free, and so on.  So…I thought since I know how much you'll  LOVE your Studio J membership, and you’ll have a GREAT opportunity to get caught up on scrapbooking…you’ll be needing a new album – so how 'bout a…

Free 12″ x 12″ Faux Leather Album!

Purchase a one-year Studio J membership (through me) TODAY, February 28 and receive a 12″ x 12″ CTMH Faux Leather Album the color of your choice: Black, Dark Chocolate, Outdoor Denim, Hollyhock, Dark Cranberry or New England Ivy (not shown)…FREE!  I’ll pay the shipping & tax to get it to you!  Over $25 value!

Give Studio J a try.  It’s totally free to go in and play around. You don't have to be a member to try it - there's no credit card to enter, no purchase required. I think you’ll be pleased at how fast, simple & easy it is to create gorgeous layouts in minutes.

If you love it…then get the 12-month Studio J membership & get a free album too!

Get your 12-month Studio J membership today!

Missed my Mojo...

OK - We'll I lasted a month, then I missed completing the Mojo Challenge on time this week...on the plus side, we put an offer in on a house today, so cross your fingers for me! Perhaps next week I'll be less distracted...

While I might not have scrapped or stamped as much as I like this week, I did finish a bunch of Studio J layouts. The awesome February special is buy 9 layouts, get one free, plus with my membership it's free shipping for up to 20 layouts, so it's apparently a digital month for me!

These pics I took of Ben just lounging outside of Gabe's school and spilling water onto his face on purpose. I love the new drag and drop photo feature - you can switch photos between wells without reloading, easy peasy. I pulled these papers from the Caboodle Kit, and found my layout using the search feature that only shows the layouts that fit the number of pics you have.

I'll hop back on the Mojo horse next week - and I've got lots more Studio scrapping to share too. Happy Super Bowl!

Studio J rocks!

I spent a couple hours on Studio J last night, and $35 later I had finished 7 layouts - so awesome!

Here's one of my pages - adorable new pics of Max. I used the Cherry-O paper pack, but changed a bunch of the papers to tones of grey and black - colors that are not in the kit. I love the new controls that allow you to take any of the B&T patterns in a kit and change the colors and saturations to match whatever color you need! And it was so simple - just point and click.

The new lining up tools were useful too - as you are placing items, there are little blue guidelines that appear to help make things even. That's how I lined up my row of brads across the scalloped border. So simple - I had a blast Studio scrapping last night!

Check back tomorrow - it's almost Blog Hop day!