April Shower's Brings a Birthday at Cheddar's Scrapbook Layout...

Family time is a treasured time as are celebrating birthdays! So I wanted to use some beautiful papers and embellishments to show how much we do value this time together. I even have some hidden fun opportunities within these pages. =)

We were celebrating my son's birrthday at Cheddar's in Huntsville...

 

I loved this photo of all three boys...they looked so innocent until...

You pull out the photo in the pocket lol...not so innocent...

There is journaling space on the back of the photo too...

I used a punched spot for the journaling date, 

another scrap piece of paper...loving it...

Also, I only adhered the left side and bottom 

so that I could tuck the two cards behind it...

I used the same punched spot for another journaling spot beside the photograph...

Adding a bit of bling to the spot and the banner 

made the page pop without making it look too girly...

I cut the banner with the perched bird from scrapbook paper,

clipped the tail string, matted the banner, and added real ribbon.

I added a larger journaling spot and topped it with a punched tab...

My favorite punch (Stampin' Up)...

I used more scrapbook paper for the "celebrate" theme

again from scrap paper...the bottom half of the banner paper...

I did the same thing on this page with the banner and tab punch...

I made more journaling spots adding the month to one of them...

I created the circular photographs using the Creative Memories Cutting System,

another favorite product of mine...

Treasured times call for fun creativity...think I will shadowbox these pages...

I love my family and look forward to them growing and having families of their own...

Hugs, Rita

Garrett's Haircut Scrapbook Page Layout

Anytime Garrett wants to leave the house, it's a date day for he rarely wants to leave! He loves being home. He loves his "chores" and he loves his room. He plays, listens to music, watches sports, hangs outside sometimes and just enjoys each and everyday. Garrett has never been happy in crowds or traffic. He rides in the same seat in the vans we have owns since the day he was born. Consistency. Part of his Aspergers? Mentality understanding? Cerebral Palsy? No...it is who he is I believe. Why? Because I like consistency. He completes the cycle of life.

Hugs, Rita

Being perfectly unique Scrapbooking Page Layout

 I love the funny side of ourselves especially when they are caught on camera, but I also love catching the things we are passionate about as we did here. Jerry was in the shower at Lowe's or Home Depot, I can't remember. I found that I scrapbooked this photo twice lol. Then I am cleaning some of my dad's old things I found in the yard of the old home place and some things I got while junkin'...

 Here I took a tiny piece of metal embellishment and tucked it quietly under a couple of fabric yo-yos just as an "ah" moment on the page of beautiful creative paper. I may add some solid buttons to the yo-yos I don't know...

 Then I took some cute charms and a bright butterfly charm and added them to these fabric yo-yos. What a delight they brought to the page.

I love the colors of the complete page...

...I am just plain unique lol...

Embrace the moments of fun and laughter, junkin' and reality,

treasures and time, spiritual and pleasure...

of uniqueness...

hugs, Rita

Strawberry DNA Scrapbooking Page Layout...

Sometimes you have a photograph that you simply have to scrapbook! This just happens to be one of those photos. Most know how much I love strawberrie. So from a workshop on DNA, someone brought me the results, sealed forever calling it a little Strawberry Daq in a Bottle. Too cute... It is actually the real DNA of a real strawberry...I am so glad I love scrapbooking these moments...I used scrap papers in this layout, spraying several of the pieces with Marshmallow Glimmer Mist. Yummy on many levels...

Hugs, Rita

Hallow Candy Scrapbooking Layouts...

Trunk-a-Treat 2011

Items I used to create this lovely...

Close to My Heart Paper Kit Collection

and...

The circles were created using

Creative Memories cutting system which I love, love, love...

The banner pieces were made with Stampin' Up's banner punch...

A sweet addition to my collection last year...

Now to get the costumes made for this year...=) hehehe

Happy Halloween Season...

Hugs, Rita

Trunk-a-Treat is in the air...

I love Halloween...pure and simple!

It has to be my favorite holidays...

but since we live so rural, our community church offers

Trunk-a-Treat for everyone to come and enjoy...

In 2011, I decorated my van as the junkin' mobile...

I in self-imposed hoarder recovery and this was perfect...

Garrett was the candyman...

I left a lot of space to journal and add the bulletin announcement...

This year, the church in our community is once again doing Trunk-a-Treat,

but they are doing Bible Character Themes...just wait until you see what I am going as...lol...

Happy Halloween Season...

Hugs, Rita

Making of a Stretch Bracelet with Photograph Directions...

 Our sweet Madison loves wearing these pretty stretch bracelets. She can easily put them on and off. However, this one broke and was in need of being put back together. I wanted to show you step-by-step how I did this just in case you might want to make your very own possibly removing the clasp. I did add the charm because I wanted to add a few beads to give her more flexibility with it.

First, decide how long you want the bracelet to be. In this case, I made it 8" so I cut the piece 12" to make it easier to work with.  Once you have the beads strung in the desired design, cross the string. 

Tie it...

Then tie it again...

And tighten the knot TIGHT!!! 

Done...

You are ready to make more...=) Quick and Easy AND fun...

Hugs, Rita

The Frog Bracelet...

 While junkin', I came across this happy frog bracelet. When I stretched it to see if it fit on my wrist, guess what happened! Yep, it broke! Beads and frogs leaped everywhere...I gathered them all up and got them anyway. They were too happy not to!!

I restrung them and added some findings from my stash to make the bracelet longer to fit a wonderful special friend's wrist. I plan to give it to her later as a gift. I just thought how happy the little frogs looked! I had to bring them home and give them a place to make me smile and on her wrist will do just that...=) Giving it away, regardless of what it might be, is a great way to think about this holiday season. One can never lighten the heart, the soul and the life of another often enough than to give them something that will make them smile.

Hugs, Rita

How sweet it is indeed...scrapbooking layout...

How sweet it is...indeed...delicious...in color, in everything...

Again, as you have seen if you have been following the past three weeks, I have added yet more tags behind photographs and recipes and this page is no different. Also, meet my great-grandparents and great aunt, whom I never knew personally. The aunt I met, but didn't know deeply as I wished I had. The embellishments are canvas, which I am really enjoying working with...

The bird...just flew into my heart...=)

I used the embellishments from this Close to My Heart kit as the pull tab for my tag...

Pop up foam dots are great when you want to create a 3D element within your embellishments as I did here with the flower and the button in the center...

The title, I popped up with foam dots also and landed it on top of the tree which served as a flag pool waving the theme of relationships, family and time. Indeed, it doesn't get any better than the good, positive, rich role models we have in our lives that have walked before us. Some we have never met in person, but that brought us to where we are today. Who within your life, that even though you never met, did this for you?

Hugs, Rita

Creativity with Bobbie and Stampin' Up!!

 My friend and sweet creative soul sister, Bobbie Weinbaum, opened her home to a Stampin' Up reveal party for creativity and to see her new kitchen remodel! WOW! on both counts...You have to see what we created on this fabulous "road" of adventure with Stampin' Up...

Love love love this card...

I named it the "Bobbie Card" =)

Judy Hardwick was one of the guest...

Sandy Keel and Amanda Zimmer...

Sandy has been an amazing friend of creativity for so many years...

This is one of the delicious items we created...

I can't wait to make more of these which I titled the "Bobbie Box"...

They look adorable together...might be coordinating gifts here...

Bobbie demonstrating...

I soooo love stamping...it is therapy and good for those "arm wings" lol...

Another sweet card...one Christmas Card down...

Bobbie and Kathy to the side...

I especially love Stampin' Up's papers and ribbon, 

but my first love would be the punches...love them...

Shopping between dribbles of slobber on the pages lol...

Yummmmmm....fall colors...

Now, all the fabulous creativity sitting happily together...

I am hosting my first Stampin' Up Workshop

Saturday, October 27th at 2:00 pm

with a Chili Supper following the Creativity

at Hickory Glynn Studio and Farm...

Make your wish list for the holidays and I will be happy to call that one person with your list!

You can also order through me or Bobbie, but most of all, I would love to have you come to the event and share this amazing time with us. We have soooo much fun together...

Hugs, Rita