Sodding the Yard Scrapbook Layout

Here is another layout where we are fixing our home. When we moved in there was no grass in the front yard. It had died from neglect. That was the biggest negative in considering whether we should buy the house. We had never redone a yard but read a lot about it on the internet and decided to order sod. We ended up ordering less than half the amount we actually needed. It took several days to till the yard, grade the dirt and layout the grass. It was so worth it! This layout uses the Basic Grey Pheobe collection again! I used a photo of the grass cut in half as the border on the bottom.

Check out the Basic grey site. Everytime you click on the Home link you can see a preview of one of their new collections. There are 2 that will be great for scrapbooking boys. One is archaic and the other is boxer. I cannot wait! Like I need more paper :-)

Azaleas in Houston Scrapbook Page

Last year my mom broke her kneecap. The boys and I went to Houston to take care of her for a few months off and on. I love the color in these photos and I don't get to scrapbook anything with flowers very often. This paper is from the Pheobe pack from Basic Grey and is called Angel Island. The solid is Bazzill and I used green vellum to journal on.

Kitchen Renovations Scrapbook Layout

I love this Recess Basic Grey paper. This layout uses three different prints. The first renovation we did when we moved into our home was to rip up the kitchen floor circa 1966 and replace it with oak laminate. It was pretty easy and made a huge difference. These are my before and after pictures. We also removed a lot of wroght iron features. We still have some work to do in the kitchen.



This is another layout using the same paper. I inked the edges to give it a little more distressed look.

My American Idols Scrapbook Page

These are pictures from last Christmas - 2006. That is the year we discovered Karaoke Revolution. We started with Singstar but it is a little more difficult - not as much for getting the right notes as getting the right rhythm. I always have difficulty finding red and blue paper without it being a patriotic theme. I love that paper but it was not really appropriate here. The stripe is from the textiles pack from Creative Memories. It comes in handy for me because evidently I love to buy red and blue clothes for my boys :-) The red paper has a splatter print that really does not show in the pic. I stamped a mixture of Real Red and Charcoal gray ink using a Fancy Pants stamp from Bella Brush. I love these stamps because they are so substantial. They are kinda' pricey but worth it. They do require a larger acrylic block. I did not have one that large so I ended up using one of my Cuttlebug plates. It was just the right size. They will also work with that Fiskars stamp press. The blue paper was from a paper Stack and the black is Bazzill.

Thomas and Mary at Homecoming

This is my oldest son in 2006. I did this layout for our family book. Thomas had long hair back then. It is very short now and he looks so different. They come over just before going to homecoming so I could take pictures. The stripe is Basic Grey paper as well as the grey and beige so called solids. Black and red is Bazzill. The flourish red paper is by Lasting Impressions. I bought it to make Christmas cards but fell in love with the retro pink Anna Griffin paper instead. I inked the chipboard flourish from Maya Road and added some vintage buttons and a Bazzill flower. The fibers are Basic Grey.

Bible Drill Layout

Samuel was in Bible Drill in 6th Grade and went to state and made a 24. That is a perfect score so he got to keep the Bible he used to Drill with. This page uses Creative Memories paper from the textile package. Also used was paper from a Paper pad by DCWV. The script paper was made with the Stamp Up! Script stamp. These pictures were not very clear because they were from a phone camera but it is better than having no pictures. I always use Creative Memories Albums because I like the way the edges of the pages have that strip for protection. It is a pain the cut the paper since they are a little smaller than 12 x 12, but it is worth it. The only time I use a different brand is for Disney trips. I love the covers of their albums but I don't like the post bound pages. Sometimes they look crooked in the book.

Back to Scrapbooking

I have said before that I LOVE BASIC GREY! Nothing has changed. In fact, I think I use it more now. I have changed a lot as a scrapbooker. I started with some minor decoration on the edge and maybe a box with a sticker or two. My first CM Rep liked to do "naked albums" with almost no embellishment so the photos would stand out. I have learned over the last few years that photos can still stand out with a lot of embellishment.



The Basic Grey paper I used is from The Pheobe Collection. I thought it looked like bubbles. The solid paper is Bazzill. One of the problems I have with my journaling on the computer is that I cannot fit the 12" paper in the printer. A couple of weeks ago I read some tips on a scrapbooking website called ScrapFriends.us. I bought some full sheet see-through labels on ebay. You can get them at the office supply store. Now I can journal on them and stick them anywhere I want them. I am going to add some flourishes next time I try this. The trick is to really burnish them down on the page so the edges don't show. I also inked the edge of the solid green paper and the bubble print. Sometimes this helps the paper to blend in and not look so stark against the contrasting paper. I don't know if you can tell but there are three different print papers on each page.

The story of these pages is the conversion of our pool. We bought a home with a pool that had not been used for a while. We drained it, cleaned it, patched a couple of deep damaged spots and painted it with pool epoxy paint. It was an experience! But worth the work for the savings.