Mixing and matching my Anthology kits

     I love to mix and match kits and the Anthology by Lisa Bearnson line makes it so easy for me. Coordinating colors and coordinating products, such as the stamp sets that coordinate back to layout kits,  allow me to extend the number of projects I am able to create without searching through my stash for other products.
    

 The layout above is one of the pages that I created using elements from the Lemon Squeezy Pocket Card kit and the Rosey Posey Collection kit.  Both contain 'cards' of various sizes, with coordinating colors.  The "Me" and "You" are letter stickers from one of the kits, while the "&" is a diecut element from another kit.  Because I was not on this trip with my husband and son, I would like them to fill in the details and their favorite memories from each day and want to be sure to make this easy and fun for them.

                                                                  

Most elements on this 2-page spread are from the "Better Together" Pocket Card kit, but again, I was able to add a few pieces from the other two kits as necessary, coordinating with the colors and topics of my photos which were taken over a span of several years. 

Do YOU like to mix and match kits, collections or brands/product lines?  I'd love to hear from you!  Have a wonderful week!SCRAP ON!

TBT... some earlier kits presented by Lisa Bearnson

     This is one of my first attempts at a TBT (Throw Back Thursday) post.  And yes, I'm still learning cyber abbreviations lol.  I thought that I would share some of my previous layouts that I created utilizing kits that Lisa Bearnson presented on HSN over the past couple of years.
 
      I love how this black and white layout works so well with most of the colors in these two pages, especially Dakota's thick, beautiful black, gray and white coat, as well as some of the winter wear and sleds used during the sledding part!  On the left page and the lower right page,  I dry embossed some swirls/flourishes to help carry out the snowy weather theme.

       

       The top of these two photos is the page kit as it came.  I've been mixing and matching a lot over the past several years.  Above,  I replaced the light blue with darker blue cardstock as the base, to match some of the colors in my photos, specifically the birthday boy's winter coat... I also left out the striped borders as well. 

     This layout is somewhat a mirror/upside down reflection of the suggested layout.  The 3 photo frames are on my lower right page, theirs are on the upper left, and so on.  Again, the colors of this layout kit went well with the photos, as we had a Star Wars themed party this year!    
     The 3 layouts above documented the long and fun packed day of Wesley's sledding birthday party.  Yes, Dakota enjoyed it as well!

      When I saw the colors in this kit, along with the layout suggested, I knew it would work really well these photos!  Again, the black, gray and white draw attention to Dakota's coat, but Wesley wears a LOT of blue, which until this past year, was his favorite color.  In this case, he was wearing black, gray and red, but his mini dirt bike is blue...  I love to scrap not only by theme, but by color! 
     I love to document how Wesley & I (and yes, Dakota too) spend our summers together.  On weekends, Wesley has a lot of what I used to call "Daddy dates", and now refer to as "Guy time".  Michael works a lot of hours, especially spring through summer, including 5-6 hours on Saturdays, because it is his busy season at work.  Once he gets home on Saturday, if the weather is right, they usually take off to the State Park or other local spot for MAJOR bike rides (which I can't do lol), fly kites next to Lake Michigan, etc.  Therefore, I have several "me and my dad" and "me and my mom" mini albums.  These 12" pages will have to go into a different album.

      You will see bits and pieces of this 3 Birds "All About Fall" kit in the 2 page layout below, again mixed with another Top Pages kit!  Both kits even have chipboard.

     These are some of the pages that I completed or started during one of our local Crop For A Cure, a 12 hour crop that we have twice a year in one of our local churches.  I apologize for the glare on some of the photos above.   Hurrying to get things photographed while trying to catch up on household chores is not a good thing lol.

      This kit ended up being used on TWO different layouts already!  Immediately below you will see a two page spread that I tried to complete, covering two different days and topics, because of the colors. Ultimately, the mint green still called out to be only used on the ice cream layout because of my mint chocolate chip blizzard, and the pink/purple ended up on the separate layout about my studio pellet stove.

     

      I ended up converting my photos to b/w because of Wesley's sweater, but still wanted to use the mint embellishments.  I NEEDED (lol) to include that adorable photo of Dakota enjoying our trip to Dairy Queen, therefore it became part of a second page of that layout. 

          Wow, those covered a fair amount of time, both in the events, and the time period over which they were scrapped.  I think I may be doing this on a regular basis.  Have a wonderful TBT!

My best buddy is a.... Mala-Shee-Usky mix?

     Some recent photos of my beloved Dakota, who we believe will be 9 years old this year.  We adopted her 6 years ago ( I can't believe it's been that long!), from our County Animal Control Office.  She was listed as a husky, but as soon as I saw her, even in her thin condition, I knew she was much too large framed to even be a MALE husky.  She is approximately 6 feet long when she stretches out, and currently weighs 96 pounds.  I would like to get her weight down between 80-90 pounds, as I think she looked her healthiest weight at that time.

                          Christmas morning 2013, enjoying her favorite thing...fresh snow!

    
     Wesley must compete with Dakota for a spot in mom's chair, and on this day, he lost out.  Yes, he managed to sneak in, but only by squeezing himself UNDERNEATH her!  I bought this chair-and-a-half when Wesley was only a few months old, and at that time, both he and I were much smaller.  Eleven years later, add a multicoated "puppy" and it's overflowing.
    Ever since seeing ads about DNA tests for your dog, I have wanted to follow up on that idea.  I never had one done on my previous husky mix, and greatly regret it, as it may have prevented some behavioral issues I had with Orca.  As my birthday gift to myself this year, I finally completed one for Dakota.
     As she gained weight and her beautiful coat filled out about a year after her adoption, my husband began saying that he thought she looked like a collie, due to her 'cowl neck' fur that appeared.  A few years later, others had also mentioned that.  Due to her large skeletal structure, coloration, tail display, and personality, I thought she was a Malusky (Malamute-Husky).  When people commented about her size or beautiful coat and personality, I began telling people we thought she was a Mal-Ollie (Malamute Collie).
    So...the results?  Three generations on one side are Alaskan Malamute-Mix, and the other parentage is 3 generations of..... OLD ENGLISH SHEEPDOG-HUSKY!  WHAT?????

                                                     Malamute Husky mix sample photo

                                        Old English Sheepdog Husky mix sample photo

      Some people ask why I bothered to spend the money & time to run her DNA samples.... So I and our vets now have a much better idea of what to expect in regards to her possible health issues and behavior/personality.  
     I love my Mala-Shee-Usky mix!

Creating more layouts by utilizing Top Page Layout kits by Inspired Inc: Part 2

     Hello friends and family.  This will take a while for me complete, but I am working diligently to play 'catch up' on postings of my projects from 2014-2015.
     Below are 2 pages completed with one of the Inspired Inc Top Page layout kits, followed by a companion page that I created in order to include more of the fun photos from an afternoon of family play time in our home town.  The colors of this kit fit really well with the colors of our clothing as well as the BEAUTIFUL blooming tree which is part of the mini golf course.  I used part of another Top Page Layout kit, specifically the rainbow portions, to pull the colors from the prior two pages into the companion page.

     As you can see, I had to alter the layout suggested to fit my photo orientations, number and sizes, but the colors really helped to pull the pages together.
          

       Wesley joined Cub Scouts this year, and their only fund raiser is their annual popcorn sale which takes place in front of the local hardware store where the scout leader works...brilliant!  When combined with the fees each cub scout pays annually, this fund raiser covers the expenses of some of their activities.   Our favorite popcorn that they sold is the dark and white chocolate popcorn which Wesley is holding in one of the photos... a very popular seller.

    This layout kit featured brown tones along with orange and green accents, which worked well with our annual outdoor chores or activities.  Wesley has been learning to drive our lawn mower on his own, actually enjoying some of the outdoor chores since he's been allowed to drive.  Sometimes Michael lets him just zoom around the yard for fun.... typical kid at this age range.

 

Completing more projects utilizing kits from 3 Birds: Part One.

     During two of our local fund raising crops, Crop For A Cure & Crop and Craft for Missions, I was able to crank out a few more projects by using some of my huge stash of kits by 3 Birds.

     This is one of the many diecut page kits that 3 Birds has offered since I discovered them around 2009.  Since I am a 3D embellishment lover/hoarder as well, and have so many pieces which coordinate with their color schemes over the years, I took advantage of the situation to create a quick (it usually takes me hours to complete a layout), balanced and fun layout.
     Not only was this our first vegetable garden at this home, it was Wesley's first opportunity to grow his own pumpkins.  We were quite surprised to see that we were able to get not only one or two, but 4 pumpkins.  The pumpkins were small, but it was a nice learning experience for Wesley as well as Michael and I, as we learned a bit about how well some things may or may not grow in relation to its location in our yard, the amount of rain we did NOT receive this year, and the cooler than normal temperatures we also experienced during this odd summer season.
     We planted 3 types of tomatoes, locating them on the West side of the raised bed so that the corn was less likely to shade them out.  What we learned about the tomatoes:  they grew like MAD in relation to the other plants, and therefore are going to have their OWN bed next year!
     The peas tasted WONDERFUL and were the family favorite, with us fighting over the few that we were able to harvest.  The tomatoes growing like weeds shadowed them out, plus we definately need to plant more pea plants next year.
     The corn didn't do diddly.... too little heat as well as rain (yes, we watered the garden almost daily)
caused our corn to only grow a few feet, not being any where near 'knee high by fourth of July'.  Local farmers struggled with the same problem, but we were able to buy a fair amount of locally grown sweet corn from the 'Larsen Girls', granddaughters of my scrapbooking friend, Judee Larsen.
     I accidentally picked one of only 2 peppers that grew this summer, upsetting Michael a bit.  I didn't check the label of that particular plant before picking the lovely green pepper which was calling my name.  When mature, it was supposed to be red....oops.  I got to enjoy it since it never fully ripened, and Michael was no longer interested in it.
    Next year we plan to build at least one more raised bed like this one which Michael and Wesley built for me.  As mentioned above, we will definately be giving the tomatoes their own bed, perhaps with corn getting it's own private 'suite', and lots more peas being planted.

A rare family visit. Remembering some summer fun...and cuteness!

   It has been approximately 7 years since my oldest nephew and his wife flew out from California to see our family.  Their older daughter, now 7, was only a few months old at the time.  They had a second daughter who will turn 2 this September, so there were four of them flying this time.  They were lucky that both girls didn't really mind the flights.
      My oldest brother (grandpa to these two girls) hosted a Gleason-Leohr family picnic while they were here, and they also celebrated with my sister-in-law's family as well during their 2 week stay.
    This trip was full of 'firsts' for the two girls.  I can't believe it, but they had NEVER seen FIREWORKS before!  They also went to Lake Michigan for the first time as well.  Of course, it was the younger niece's first plane trip as well, and although they had a layover in Denver, both girls seemed to enjoy the trip, like an adventure.
    When I found out that we had not only one, but TWO baby girls to be born in 2012, I was immediately spurred to create baby girl albums.  I gave both mothers their albums during this visit and the family picnic.  I am also creating copies for all us aunts and grandmothers as well.

 Skylar, granddaughter of my brother Robert.

 Walking off (not) into the sunset... Jordan's girlfriend Marci, Skylar, and Robert.

Robert's daughter Jennifer with her daughter Skylar, the first grandniece born in 2012.  Skylar is a VERY girly-girl, & her nursery was done in a baby animal theme, so her album is made of not only the pink & green, feminine items as on the cover, but also contains several animal prints.

     I created Gleason Girl albums for the ladies of our family as well. Aunt Pat's is seen above. Rather than concentrating on the two youngest girls, I included bits of each of us in order of age.  If I did not have a newborn photo, I used the photo at the youngest age available.  I included a more current photo of them when available, & included wedding photos of myself & adult niece Sarah.

     Aunt Pat ended up crying TWICE, first when I gave her the ORIGINAL (& only copy?) of her brother's (my Uncle's) senior album, seen below.  She wasn't expecting either of these gifts, and I think she really appreciates them!

     My cousin Marvie (Marvin Jr.) was one of many relatives on this side of the family, who I have not seen in several years, so that was a special treat.  There were also a lot of new family members who I had NEVER met!  Needless to say, I took LOTS of photos & am trying to share them with as many as possible.

So much to catch up on, AUTOSHIP, and getting a LOT of pages done utilizing kits!

      (This is one of many catch-up posts that I am completing, after FINALLY finding a program which works with both my laptop & blogger.  It has been over a year since I began the struggle of posting, needing to load my photos onto a memory card from my laptop and load them into blogger with our old pc upstairs.  For some reason I was only able to add text to my blog with my laptop.
Now, from this fall...)
      I was lucky enough to obtain the AUTOSHIP of Inspired Inc's (Lisa Bearnson's collaborative kits) Top Page Layout kits!  After going through a 'dry spell' of not creating many layouts or other papercrafting projects, I have gotten several done in the past few months. 
http://www.hsn.com/products/inspired-inc-top-page-layouts-kit/7310252
    ( The single shipment of the Christmas/holiday order is still available at:
http://www.hsn.com/products/inspired-inc-holiday-happenings-top-layout-kit/7604970 )
     I was even featured on the 3 BIRDS DESIGN blog, with a page created using 3 Birds Design lines!

http://3birdsdesign.com/2014/09/03/august-scrapbook-sketch-feature/

  

     Utilizing the Inspired Inc layout kits, I was able to document several of our summer activities, such as our (almost) daily walks with Dakota.
   I have a ton of layout photos to post, as well as our Halloween adventures and other fall activities!

Some of my favorite photos from this year's Christmas at home...

My Red & Silver tree... I can't believe I only used 2 colors this year!
 



May the smiles begin... hopefully!
 



Wesley has been asking for a double ended light saber for several months and apparently Santa was paying attention.  Santa also knew of his increased obsession with drawing this past year, frequently done in the evening in his lofted bed, so he brought him 2 sketch tablets, along with nice pencils and artist's erasers.

Squirrel has been sitting on top of this Cub Scout popcorn box whenever it was out in the open...she found it AGAIN.  She wouldn't get down off the top, even while Michael & Wesley were unwrapping it.

What did that large box contain?  Snowshoes for Michael and Wesley.  Running out of money, my guys' gifts came first.  I will have to go to Dunham's and find some for myself.

Wesley's first girly-poster lol, a Star Wars calendar that I suggested he use as posters in his Star Wars themed room.

My guys gave me jewelry.  An amethyst bracelet from Michael and "MOM" necklace with coordinated earrings from Wesley.  MCC moms set up a shopping day for the kids in the Upper Elementary again this year.

OK... I think he likes it!  He's been asking for a Surface Pro 3 each time the commercial came on.  I found an RCA version that we could afford.  Ever increasing school projects no longer need to be done utilizing my laptop or the slow family pc for some of the work.  Now he can also play another version of Minecraft on it rather than on my laptop.

Wesley's tablet was in a red glittered box, so guess what was in Michael's silver glitter box....



Knowing my obsession with decorating for Christmas, Wesley gave me this gorgeous 3D silver and gemmed snowflake.

Bacon flavored treat, Denta bone, and rawhide bone... Dakota is a happy girl!  My what big feet you have!
 

Some of the aftermath.  Apparently they're both happy with them because whenever I walked into the living room over the next few days, they were looking down into their tablets.  Dakota is resting after snacking on a bacon treat, dental treat and chewing on her rawhide bone that she received from Annie, canine companion of niece Kendra.

Another ugly shirt from Michael's stocking.... we let him open the first one last night, hence the horrid combination of clothing today lol.

The two big items on my wishlist were a treadmill (because Dakota and I missed a lot of walking the past 2 winters due to thick layers of snow with multiple layers of ice between them.) & railings for my studio stairwell.  I recieved ONE piece of my rails today lol.  Now I'll soon be able to have my SCRAPPY girl friends over for crafting days. I haven't had any of my local crafting friends over because of fear of them falling off the stairs.  We carry BIG bags of crafting supplies!

I scored!  I also received a treadmill!  Now Squirrel is 'supervising' its construction.



Really, mom????  Some assembly required.  TWO people at times lol  Have you noticed the HUGE TV hanging on our wall with all the wires dangling beneath it?  Wesley & I found this 'special purchase' at Wal-Mart on the evening of Black Friday.  We've been watching HD movies every since.  AVATAR is even MORE amazing on a true HD tv!
 

Supervising again.... if there is ANYTHING sitting on top of a countertop, the island, the furniture, or the floor, she finds it and decides she needs to sit there.  Of course, they always think we need their help with projects as well.

I finally get to try it out myself... ok, how do you start this thing? Get out the instructions!

I can't believe that we sent Wesley to bed last night without our traditional egg nog toast on Christmas Eve.  We'll make up for it now, ugly shirt and all.

My Christmas table. Dinner consisted of Lobster tails & shrimp for Wesley & I, and rather than a steak as I suggested for Michael, he made himself Lasagna! Do you think he made enough???  Completed with our traditional drinks of egg nog and alcohol-free St. Julian's wine.

MERRY CHRISTMAS... everyone!