A third layout...

You might be tired of seeing my kids by now...(this is the last layout I will show for awhile, promise!)...and they aren't the only subjects I scrapbook. However, they are the focus of my most recent layouts so that's why you are seeing endless photos of the three girly-girls.

So what else do I scrapbook if not my children? My husband - myself - friends - trips before children - I did an album for my paternal grandparents - I'm currently scrapping my maternal grandfather's WWII photos (which are all straight from the original negatives!) - I did an album of gourmet dishes my brother cooked (he liked to really "do up" the food presentation and do a photo shoot of the dish) - I created an album a few years ago for the sole purpose of going through the grieving process.

Really, anything is material for scrapbooking. I've made layouts just because there was a certain color combination I wanted to try, or a word I wanted to use. I have a layout with nothing but song lyrics on it. There's a LOT of creative freedom with paper, ink, and your thoughts. You get the idea.

The page pictured above was made to celebrate a huge accomplishment for Caitlin, our middle daughter (who's turning 5 October 2! Yikes!). She'd been struggling with going to the dentist and our 4th visit was a winner! You can read the journaling by clicking on the picture.

I cut a couple squares of patterned paper (Creative Memories) and glued them down to my cardstock. I used rub-ons (Basic Grey) to decorate the corners and bring your eye to the photo. I then used Whisper White Craft Ink (Stampin' UP) to stamp the title (Ma Vinci's Reliquary) and to add some contrast along the edges of my page. To add the contrast, I just brushed my ink pad roughly against the cardstock edges. I didn't think about it and it was a very random, imperfect thing. To finish the page, I outlined my photo with a black journaling pen and wrote the story in the lower left quandrant. Caitlin was too tickled that I'd made a whole scrapbook page about her (successful) dentist trip - her smile was the best!

I'll have loads of projects to show you in the coming days. I've spent most of today participating in the Splitcoaststampers Virtual Stamp Night/Weekend (VSN). This was my first time and it was a blast! A different challenge every hour, only 45 minutes to complete it - man, did my creativity just flow! When I can really dig deep into my supplies and play for hours, everything comes so quickly and easily. So make sure to stop back to see what came from my day of being challenged.

Now go create!
-Nicole