New Page Maps blog sketch contest....ends Jan 3rd

This is the new sketch, contest open to interpretation and theme, and due Jan 3, 2011. The items below in the pic below, are the prizes---and they are handmade from ETSY and a generous donor to the pagemaps.com/blog contest. So excited. Have to find time to make this sketch and excited that for once, it is not a 1 photo sketch.

I finally won something....

granted it was a random # generator that picked me but I will take it.
http://www.pagemaps.com/blog.php?do=blog&id=77
Check me out. So cool. I can not wait to get this subscription.

A Page for All Seasons Contest Entry....

Just under the wire...barely. Here is my entry. I found this photo in an old cardboard box my mom keeps of all of her precious memories. It is my first Christmas. A wonderful memory.

The poem reads....Christmas memories to be found...not in a book that is bound, But in a box, plain and square...with memories of Christmas past everywhere. My first Christmas is plain to see...was and is very special to me. For Santa is a man I know and love...to BELIEVE in something special from up above.

Christmas 1973.

New PageMaps.com blog Contest

The sketch for this contest is 8½x11, but you are welcome to convert it to 12x12. Create a layout based on this sketch -- any size, any orientation, any way you want to interpret it (using any products you would like). The theme is wide open. This contest starts today and ends at midnight (MST) Sunday, December 6, 2009.

I am excited to try this one though disappointed that a multi photo sketch was not chosen. You can only do so many 1 photo sketches.

Another month, another loss....

Well, another month and I was not the winner. Oh well. I really thought the winner of the sketch was very cute as always. See above pics. Trying again of course. Check out pagemaps.com blog to get your page map ON!

My scrapping companion....

So, ladies--meet Joe Dirt. Joe is my sweet, ever present, MOMMY snuggling Chinese Crested. He has sat up a many night with me while I read a novel, scrapped, watched TV, done HW, etc. He is so loyal and loving, just a regular cuddler. And tonight, as I survey my mess of art called scrapping, I realized what a little blessing he is to me. My sweet Joey will be 12 yrs old next summer. We have had him since he was 3yrs old. He came from Minnesota on a plane from a breeder who no longer wanted him to stud and so she got him fixed and crated him off to Virginia. He has been the most expensive pet I have ever owned from his purchase cost, plane flight, and the clothing he requires because he is pretty much hairless. He has boots, a rain coat, several sweaters, some lightweight t's, and several heavy coats. He is my little man and I am so grateful for him every day.

Obsessed.....

Pic of My Beautiful Sis kissing her 5mo old son, Jaxson. So adorable.

A little bit about why I scrap. Truly love how artistic I can be and how expressive the art is to others as I make memories with my family and friends.

Truly, a dear friend, Aashima- who is one of the kindest women I have ever met.

So I really, really loved the pagemaps.com blog sketch for November. I had so many individual photos that I wanted to somehow highlight and in just the right way. Once I turned the sketch on it's side, Wala! I fell 'n love with it. I created these 3 layouts in under 1 hour after hubby went to bed tonight. I killed 2 birds with 1 stone on 1 LO, entering it both in the scrapbooks etc challenge and the pagemaps.com blog contest. I will have to say that using these sketches and the CTMH pattern books have really inspired me to creative new levels! Can not wait to see the next month's contest.

These are all pictures of layouts completed for a gift. Given to J. Rowley at her baby shower to celebrate her new son's pending arrival.

This title page was hard to create and custom made but worth the effort.

Carol's Entry to Pagemaps.com November Blog Contest

My entry to the contest was a hard one. I love this year's fall school picture of Dani but the colors were so hard to match. I did find these great papers at the scrapdoodles store in Fredericksburg. It turned out very cute and I was pleased with the end results.

Christie's Entry to the PageMaps.com blog (November)

Christie came about her idea while sleeping. She remembered the snake her hubby found in the back yard and how her oldest son, Nicolas, was not afraid at all. When they had lived in FL, one of their neighbors routinely caught snakes for analysis or research (something like that). They had taught Nicolas how to safely pick up a snake. Wow, my nephew sure is brave. This is the cutest page. She distressed with stamp ink, added details like the rhinestone eyes, scales and glitter tongue. It turned out well. This is her submission for the November Pagemaps.com blog contest.

Reality....

set in on Saturday at my sister's place. I was able to almost complete the comp idea books (2 out of 3 complete before I ran out of tacky tape). I was able to make 4 pages for Joelle's baby album and I got the chance to head to FBG to shop Scrapdoodles (www.scrapdoodles.com). I also made my page for the sketch contest. Now here is the kicker- I have entered this contest every month and loved every sketch I made and Christie has never entered. This month, she had this epiphany in the middle of the night for a great idea for the sketch. She had this picture of her oldest son holding a large black snake. She was going to use that and have the snake be the flower type embelishment. Now, when I first heard her idea--I was skeptical at best but lo and behold--her page rocked. It was ultra original, very well though out and had cute embelishments (red rhinestone eyes for the snake, gold slithering tongue). Oh well, woe is me this month. I liked my layout but not as much as hers. She might actually have a chance to win this one. It is that great. But the real joy of the day, I had a great time and go to see my nephews and just have fun. Pics to come soon.

So excited....

I just love that Christie is now home in VA where she belongs (near her family). This Saturday we have an all day crop day scheduled. I have so much to do so I need to really prepare for this day in advance so I can get the most benefit from the time. Here are some of the things I plan to do:

• PageMaps Sketch Contest Page (Dani's back to school pic or perhaps Family pic?)
• Recipe Lunchbox with Recipe Cards (gift for my mom-Xmas)
• 3 Idea Books (Gifts for Sis, Theresa-BFF, and one for me)
• Baby Book for Baby Shower Gift- Joelle @ work (baby boy-safari theme)
• Baby Wall Art for Baby Shower Gift- Autumn @ work (baby girl)
• Christmas Pages (behind and I need more Christmas papers)
• ClipBoard Calendar (need to buy chalkboard paint for this)
• Pre-Made Halloween Party pages, Thanksgiving Pages for 2009
• Pre-Made Christmas Pages for 2009, New Years Eve for 2010.

Think I am a little ambitious....? LOL

New Page Maps Contest...

This is the new page contest for PageMaps.com blog. I am excited to try this one out. I just got Dani's school pics back and this might the perfect way to showcase her pic. The theme and interpretation is completely open. Contest closes November 8th. Can not wait to set aside time to scrapbook again. With our financial situation tight and my contract ending so soon, I really want to spend time making most of the gifts for family this year. I see lots of scrapbooking projects in my near future. :-)

And the winner is.....

Not me again. Oh well. I still have fun doing these contests and the sketches have been inspiring. I really liked the winner's layout. Tessa Buys. To see the layout again, look below. I will anxiously await the new contest coming out on Friday this week.

My take on the October Pagemaps Sketch

I really love doing this contest each month once I realized it was even out there and available. Here is my take on the October sketch. This is my handsome nephew Jaxson Cole. He is 6mos old and this is an impromptu home photo shoot my sister took of him. He was so animated and all over the place. She finally got 1 or 2 good shots out of the 100+ pics she took. I love this little guy. I flipped the sketch, used stars as my embelishments instead of tickets and added the cute journaling to highlight the photos.

ok, so I am behind....ok, so a lot behind.

My hubby always asks me "how is it possible to get behind on a hobby?". Well, the answer is easy. Really and truly, easy. Especially when that hobby is scrapbooking. I loved to take a ton of pictures everywhere we went and for every occasion. As my daughter has grown, I take less and less. It saddens me that I do not have as many exciting things to take pictures of. Dani already has her first crawl, her first steps, her first run, her first of every holiday. She has outgrown so many things. I realized scrapbooking my nephews' pages how much the kids have all outgrown. How did time fly by so quickly? And I realize, I wish I was behind in life as well. Sometimes, we go to fast and never truly appreciate the little moments in life. I would do anything to capture Dani's 1st look of awe the first time she saw a Christmas tree and really understood the magic of the holiday. The look of love on my face the moment I met my daughter for the first time. Some of these moments I will never get back. They are gone forever. But the ones I did capture, every last one of them--all deserve special scrapbook pages. And so what if I am behind. More time to justify scrapbooking when I am.

Speaking of, I am spending a scrapbook day with my sis this coming Saturday, October 10th at her place. The kids can keep each other company, her hubby can watch the youngest son and her and I- well we can get busy making each moment count. :-)

Newest sketch contest at PageMaps.com

Check out the newest contest on pagemaps.com on their blogsite. This cool layout can be interpreted any way, theme and orientation and the prize is shown below. It ends 10.11.09 at midnight so I will be trying twice for this one. I was thinking about the recent pics I took of all of the kids together. I did a really wonderful 2 page layout for myself but I wanted to do one for my mom's album and this gives me the perfect layout. I can not wait. And for the 2nd attempt, not sure but I will figure out something. With my 2nd fall class coming online the week of 9.28 I need to enjoy what little scrapbooking time I have left. Taking 2nd level accounting is killing me as it is. LOL
Have a wonderful week and make sure you take time to scrapbook at least once a month my friends. :-)

The winner was....not me...

But that is okay. I have to admit, the winning LO is awesome and oh so cute.
Check out the next challenge and credits for the winner at pagemaps.com/blog. Looking fwd to the next one. This whole sketch contest thing has me trying new stuff and really getting out there with my scrapping. Loving it.

Page Maps Content for September....

Here it is. My completed LO for the PageMaps.com/blog sketch challenge for September. I had held onto this pic of my sister, Christie, for the longest time. I never really visualized it in a LO until I saw the challenge for September. My sister means the world to me and having her back home in VA after being in FLA for 4 yrs while her hubby went to college was so hard. Much changed in those 4 yrs. What did not change was our love for one another or our love for scrapbooking. This LO was completed as part of a 2 day scrap marathan we went on. We scrapped until 4:30am on a Monday (Labor Day). It was awesome and so much fun. My sister is my friend. I loved this sticker and wanted to choose out there colors and embelishments to showcase her individuality. I think I succeeded with the handcut elements, stamping, beautiful light floral background and just the right mix of color and fun. Looking fwd to the next contest. Keep them coming!

LOs Galore.....

Dani's 1st salon haircut.


Meeting neice Leah for 1st time.

My brother and his family.

Laser tag with sis and her family.

Remember the cute milestones lo I had for a scraplift....see one of my 1st posts. I still need to create the leaves but this will be 1st 10 yr milestones.

Cousins page. Cute because the bottom 8 photos show all the funny, imperfect photos.

Why I love my nephews pages, I typed things I adore about each of them and adhered to bottom. Will add blue ribbon (ran out of tacky tape).

DC fun with the kids.

Snow day and snowman in VA.

Halloween party 2008.

Dani's performance for Black History Month 2009.

Package fun, pics of Dani and her packages from FLA.

Dani- Easter 2007. Christie had this pre-made stamped paper that worked perfect.

Leah's 1st Bday. Shame I was so behind I was scrapping her birth in the same mo.

Blue Angels and NAX air show 2009.

Dani and shots of Blue Angels.

Report Card Tradition---Honor roll and she gets to pick her dinner of choice. We started this in 3rd grade and she has made HR ever since.

Boys and their toys fun....my nephews in the rain playing with space alien robots.

Pre-Made page I had from C1 scrapbook club days. Repurposed from May flowers pages to pregnancy blooming.

Winter Wonderland, pre-made pages Christie gave me.

Leah's 1st time in the pool.

Random pic of Dani I took with her new glasses and her braces at the time.

Earth Day Fun with Jordan.

Redo of Dani's room with new Full size bed, new covers and new curtains.

My sister's hubby's graduation.

Dani's 10th bday party at Paint N Play.

Dani's final phase 1 of Braces---They came off.

Brunch at the Jefferson to celebrate with Mother in law and step-father in law.

Claudia's baby shower. I love this LO. Have used several times for baby showers.