Very Mary

Winner!

Hey all! Thanks for playing along on the give-away post. Here's the winner: 

Am I first? :) I usually don't enter these things, but I need a calendar to organize myself, and heck, a scrappy calendar would be even cooler. My main goal for 2011 is organization... I'm still on that quest. ;p

Posted by: melanie | December 03, 2010 at 09:05 PM

Melanie, can you email me your address so I can forward it to the editors at SCT? 

 

SCT-PageMaps Sketch Calendar Giveaway!

Just today, I received a package containing my new 2011 SCT-PageMaps Sketch Calendar! Before I decided to cut back on my scrapbooking, I contributed a page for Becky's June 2011 sketch, and I was so pleased to see it in print. Becky creates great sketches, as I'm sure you scrapbookers know, and this limited edition calendar has 26 never-before-seen PageMaps sketches that are so inspiring and easy to use. Seriously. (I think I might have to try them all whenever I manage to find the time.)

So, do you need a little inspiration to kick start your scrapbooking in 2011? Here's the answer:

At only $9.95, it's a sweet deal, and the best part is that a portion of the proceeds go to breast cancer research charities in the US and Canada.

You can order one right here at Scrapbook and Cards Today (order by December 14 for holiday gift-giving). 

AND....SCT has offered to give one of my blog readers a calendar! So enter my little giveaway pretty please by leaving me a comment here on the blog telling me what your plans are for 2011. (Nothing detailed, just curious as to what you all have in store for the new year.) I will pick a random (and lucky!) winner on December 17. 

Hope you are all enjoying the beginning of the holiday season! :)

Making some changes...

The reality of life with two kids is that I have less time. Much less time, actually. And something had to give. That "something" just happens to be scrapbooking. 

I resigned from Write.Click.Scrapbook. and Two Peas in a Bucket. 

It was a very difficult decision to make because scrapbooking has been such a big part of my creative life for such a very long time, but it was the right decision. And it doesn't - by any stretch - mean that I am done forever with cutting and pasting photos and telling stories. It just means that I am done with monthly deadlines, so there will likely be fewer pages posted here. I still love scrapbooking. I just can't devote every single waking minute of free time to it. I want to do other things. (And I want to sleep too.) :)

So hopefully in the next while, I can use my time to get organized. I have plans for 2011. Plans for a few projects and things that I've always wanted to do (or decided that I want to do) and never quite had the time. Hopefully, you'll bear with me, and I'll see you here in the future. 

In the meantime, expect some sporadic blogging here and there...

Changes (a layout)

Remember when I asked your opinion on my photo processing in this post? The layout went live today at Two Peas (with more details and links to supplies here):

©Two Peas in a Bucket

Supplies:

• Bazzill Basics white cardstock
• Bazzill Basics kraft cardstock
• Cosmo Cricket Maple Nutmeg patterned paper
• Cosmo Cricket Autumn Nutmeg patterned paper
• October Afternoon Fly a Kite 8x8 paper pad
• Basic Grey Oliver buttons
• Cosmo Cricket Garden Variety buttons
• Sassafras Lass brads
• Creative Cafe journaling pad
• Cosmo Cricket Nutmeg stickers
• October Afternoon Weathervane stickers
• October Afternoon Detours Die Cuts

 

Things to note:

• The Creative Cafe journaling pad is 50% off right now at Two Peas. It comes with over 25 different journaling cards, and I've used them on a number of layouts. Colorful and useful. I'd buy another one, but I'm still using the one I have. :)
• I used a sheet of text patterned paper from the October Afternoon Fly a Kite 8x8 pad, and I covered up the word "vacation" with the "thankful" sticker. Suited my theme a little better. 
• It's astonishing to see how much my little girl has grown in the last year. 
• I took these photos the day of my 12-week ultrasound with Caleb. Sadie knew we were having a baby, but I knew she wasn't entirely sure what that would mean. This page is about the changes to come, but also about how some things will always stay the same. Know what I mean?

Baby Feet (a layout)

I know I'm not the only one who can't get enough of sweet little baby feet. Here's a new page over at Two Peas (more details and links to supplies here):

©Two Peas in a Bucket

Supplies:

• Bo Bunny Double Dot patterned paper
• October Afternoon patterned paper
• Bazzill Basics kraft cardstock
• American Crafts cardstock
• October Afternoon die-cuts
• Hero Arts star stamp
• Tsukineko Versamark ink
• Making Memories Oliver Trims and Treats
• American Crafts silver mini-brad
• EK Success label punch
• Making Memories paint
• 7gypsies sticker 
• AL Softhearted font

Things to Note:

• I made a very similar page with Sadie's footprints. You can see it here. 
• To create the stamped feet: I taped a piece of cardstock to a large book, and while D was holding Caleb, I painted each of his feet (one at a time) and brought the book to him. I applied gentle pressure to make sure all of his foot left an imprint on the cardstock. It's not perfect, but it's sure cute. It helps to have a box of wipees handy. 
• I used the October Afternoon Farm Fresh 8" x 8" stack, but I couldn't find it in the store, so I linked the full-size collection. Same with the star stamp and paint, so I've linked other options. 
• Crazy how time flies. Caleb is rounding the corner on six months this Friday!

Have a very happy Monday!

Little Schoolgirl (a layout)

Over at Two Peas, Garden Girl layouts are now going to be released on Mondays (rather than throughout the week). This is a little more like the bi-monthly releases of years past, but with less chance of "idea overload." I prefer this, since I am trying to prioritize my internet time (say what?), and now I know exactly when to take a peek at the Garden.

Here's a layout of mine that went up today (with links to supplies and more information here) for the August "school" theme:

 

Two Peas in a Bucket

Supplies:

• Bazzill Basics Kraft cardstock
  
• American Crafts cardstock
  
• Bo Bunny Double Dot patterned paper
  
• October Afternoon Story Hour patterned paper
  
• October Afternoon Science Fair patterned paper
  
• October Afternoon Report Card die-cut
  
• Maya Road square kraft envelope
  
• We R Memory Keepers metal grommet
  
• Cosmo Cricket Garden Variety button
  
• American Crafts silver mini-brad
  
• EK Success Notebook punch
  
• Ranger Industries paint dabber
  
• Ranger Glossy Effects
  
• AL Serenade font

Things to note:

• I used the October Afternoon Report Card 8" x 8" stack, but it no longer appears to be stocked at Two Peas, so I've linked the full-size 12" x 12" patterned papers for your reference.
• The stars are homemade. Chipboard painted yellow and covered with glossy effects for a shiny finish. You can see a closer look here.
• The title was created in Photoshop. I used the pencil tool to draw blue lines and a dotted red line. 
• I printed my journaling on a die-cut, but I messed up the spacing and left an open space at the bottom, so I drew a little line with a real pencil. 
• Two Peas doesn't have the EK Success notebook punch, so I've linked you to the binding edge punch. I bought my punch at Michaels for nearly double the price. Oh Canada!
• Those Maya Road kraft envelopes look grey on-line, but in real life, they are a nice warm kraft.
• On a personal note, this is my little schoolgirl in the "getting-ready" stages of the first chapter of her school career. I have glowing memories of school, so I sure hope she feels the same. :)

Happy Anniversary to Us

He doesn't read here always, but still, this day deserves a comment or two. Every year, we alternate who will take care of the anniversary plans. Last year, I surprised him with the news about our second baby. And admittedly, that is a hard one to beat, but this year, he took care of our little ones so that I could go to a photography workshop. It wasn't a "couples event;" it was more of a "Mary event," but he encouraged me to go and supported me on the decision (difficult to make with a tiny baby at home), and that is just one more reason I feel lucky to be with the man I married six years ago. I like being married. It's a nice feeling to have a partner, a friend, someone you can always, always depend on. We have the same ideas, the same goals, and while we are far from perfect, I can truthfully say that I feel really lucky to be living this life and sharing it with him. It gets better every single year. :)

The June theme at Two Peas was weddings, and because all three engaged couples that I know have yet to set a date or two, I scrapbooked a photo from our own wedding. I don't ever get tired of those photos, however, I wasn't all that excited to scrapbook any more of them after having completed a whole album all ready (see album in the sidebar at left). BUT, it was a nice change from scrapping toddler and baby photos and a chance to use some new product from Imaginisce (more information here):

©Two Peas in a Bucket

Supplies:

• White cardstock by American Crafts
• Grey patterned paper from KI Memories
• Katherine patterned paper by Imaginisce
• Grace patterned paper by Imaginisce
• Juliet patterned paper by Imaginisce
• Our Love Story rub-on from Mr. & Mrs. Rub-on Words by Imaginisce
• Flower rub-ons from Toss the Bouquet Rub-on Icons by Imaginisce
• Clear Gemstones by Hero Arts
• Quote sticker from Love 97% Complete stickers by 7gypsies
• Foam adhesive from 3L Adhesives
• Glitter bookplate by Making Memories
• Policy Envelope by Bazzill Basics

Things to note:

• This is ONE of my favorite photos from the wedding, which was photographed by Trish Boyko of f8 photography. She is really an amazing photographer.
• The die-cuts on the envelope and under the title are from the Home Decor Solutions cartridge, and are cut with my Cricut.
• I layered a rub-on directly over the die-cut at the bottom right corner of the envelope. Then I added a sticker quote with foam adhesive. You can see a close-up here.
• I added rhinestones to the rub-on title. Just to jazz it up.

Ride My Bicycle (a layout)

Behind (as per usual) in sharing some layouts for those not accustomed to frequenting the Two Peas gallery. Here's one that was posted a few weeks ago, with one of my favorite photos from 2009 (more details and links to supplies here):

©Two Peas in a Bucket

Supplies:

• White cardstock from the White Foundations Paper I kit by Vinnie Pearce
  
• Bicycle patterned paper from the Birds, Blooms, and Bikes Paper pack kit by Stacy Marks
• Polka dot patterned paper from the Holiday Party kit by Brandy Buffington
• Kraft paper from the Winter Romance Solids paper pack kit by Michelle Underwood
• Bicycle rub-on from the Birds, Blooms, and Bikes Elements kit by Stacy Marks
• Stitching from the Basic Stitches kit by Mary Ann Wise
• Label from the Vintage Labels kit by Rhonna Farrer
• Brads from The Basics:Brads kit by Sande Krieger

Things to note:

• It had to be a digi layout after I saw the bicycle rub-on. Although, I'm tempted to print it out and make a paper version with a lot more photos that I took that day.
• It seems that I scrap a lot with white cardstock (paper-wise and digi), so I really love White Foundation Paper kits by Vinnie Pearce. The texture is so nice on digi - can't wait to my layouts printed.
• She can now pedal all by herself.

Here We Grow Again (a layout)

I admit that I like digital scrapbooking. It's faster and easier, and though I have yet to do this, I like that I can create a page, change a few things and use it for both of my kids. That's a nice option. Having said all that though, I really miss my paper. I ordered a box of "boy" papers and embellishments from Two Peas, and I picked it up from the post yesterday. I'm very excited to dig in, but I had a little mental block since I haven't scrapbooked with paper since January. How do I do this again?? I'll might be pondering that for a while, so in the meantime, here's a digital page that went up at Two Peas earlier this month:

©Two Peas in a Bucket

Supplies:

• Patterned papers (star, blue) from the Safari Street kit by Vinnie Pearce
• Patterned paper (brown) from the Birds, Blooms, and Bicycles Paper Pack kit by Stacy Marks
• White cardstock from the White Foundation Papers I kit by Vinnie Pearce
• Notebook paper from the Notebook Basics kit by Jen Martakis
• Giraffe sticker from the Safari Street Elements kit by Vinnie Pearce
• Silver brads from the Bit of Pretty kit by Jen Martakis
• File tab from the Artsy Edged Punches kit by Rhonna Farrer
• Stitches from the Spool of Stitches kit by Tia Bennett
• Basic Stitches No1 kit by Mary Ann Wise
• Vellum tape from the My Animal Friends kit by Brandy Buffington
• Photo corners from the Fall Primitives kit by Brandy Buffington
• Distress Brush Kit Set 01 by Vinnie Pearce
• Cross-Eyed font by Amy Grendell

Things to note:

• This page isn't finished. It's a work in progress where I plan to keep little man's weight and height changes over the year. When I've included everything, then I'll print it for his book.
• Sadie has a similar page, and I am enjoying the comparison:

57 Minutes (a layout)

A simple, simple layout that went up in the gallery (more details here) at Two Peas earlier this month:

©Two Peas in a Bucket

Supplies:

• Patterned paper from Typography Corner by Vinnie Pearce
• Solid paper from Bloom Papers by Vinnie Pearce
  
• Flowers from Peach Hill kit by Vinnie Pearce
• Basic Stitches by Mary Ann Wise
• Curled Photo Frames by Mary Ann Wise

Things to note:

• I tried adding more to this layout. If you follow the blog, then you probably scrapbook, and if you scrapbook, then you've probably noticed that I am a sucker for little details on my pages. But it just wasn't working here. This layout wasn't having any of that detail-schmetail stuff. Derrick tells me that is OKAY. :)
• I played around with the opacity of a brush to get the layered watercolor paint "frame" for the photo.
• I layered a solid green over one of Vinnie Pearce's Typography Corner papers and changed the opacity for a soft, vellum-y look.
• Those cute little heart flowers are from Vinnie's Peach Hill kit.
• Someday, I will blog about something other than scrapbooking.