She’s growing up so fast

I can’t believe how quickly time passes.  She’s growing up so fast.  Maddie is such a wonderful girl.  She’s becoming quite the preteen with the curling of the hair every morning and things like that.  But she is still our precious little girl, our treasure!

I created this digital page using:
ArtPlay Palette 10 Things 2 Heart Collection
Anna Aspnes of www.designerdigitals.com

Start creating digital scrapbooks today with Studio J!

Studio J, Close To My Heart’s online scrapbook creator opens for business TODAY!! 

For those of you that wish you had scrapbooks but think you don’t have the time or creativity for cutting paper and gluing things, STUDIO J is the program for YOU!!

With Studio J, all you need are your digital picture files, that’s it!! No special expensive software, no crazy amount of storage space available on your computer to save the hundreds of little picture files so that you can make one layout, no anything.. not even a lot of computer experience or creativity either.

So how does this work?  You first go set up a FREE account from my website at emilymclemore.myctmh.com then click on Studio J.  Upload you picture files and then start creating!

You get to choose from lots of different designs, colors and themes.  You can do you titles, make journaling boxes, and even put on seemingly real embellishments.

Once everything is exactly where you want it, you either save the file or send it to print!

It’s just that simple.

And for those of us who like “lumpy” scrapbooks, what’s cool about this is that the papers available for the digital layouts are also available as real 12x2 pieces of paper! Hybrid scrapping just got a whole lot easier.

So no excuses now!  I hope this motivates you even more to get those memories recorded.

And if you have any trouble or want some help, let me know.

Hybrid Scrapbook Project

Moving the girls bedrooms around got me motivated to make some new wall art for Maddie's room. She's got a soft green bedspread and almost the same color walls, so we needed to do something with color.

So, what I did was to find some fun fabrics that we will make pillows and a bedskirt from and also make wall pretties!!  In the above picture you can see that I took fabrics and made a digital copy and used them for papers on a layout.  The floral print and a funky paisley print made great papers.  The red also looks great on the computer and in person; however, the stripe did not translate to the computer very nicely, so I kept it in fabric form.

After designing the layout, I printed an 8x8 copy on glossy paper.  Then I took a 12x12 board and covered it with the stripe fabric.  The copper circle is chipboard covered in copper metallic paint.  Finally I used the brads to hold the circle onto the board. 

One of the things I like about this project is that I can change out the picture as I feel like it.  The plan is to make two more boards one saying family and the other saying forever.  I guess we will see how long it takes me to get that done.

Back to the digital stuff for a second.  Look closely at the flower that I used as an embellishment.. Not only did I cut out the flower from the print and add it back onto the layout, but I also used a swirly thing that I embossed via the computer.  It was a ton of fun to figure out.  But I have to say, I'm kinda needing a real hands on embossing fix now :)

Well, there you have it.  One of my recent projects. Of course I have more in the works, but I have our state art contest this weekend and PROM next weekend.  Have I mentioned that I am the Prom Coordinator?? Yeah.  I'm ready for "Night on the Town" to move on! As soon as that's done, I'm gonna have time to craft. Right? :)

Isn't she adorable

Isn't she adorable!!

I know.. I say it all the time, but I can't help it!!

I created this entirely in Photoshop. Yeah me :)

Here are the details:

Papers and embellishments are Festival by Shabby Princess

Delight by Katie Pertiet

Stamped Moments by Katie Pertiet

Footloose Font by CTMH

It's the little things

Supplies: Sweet Shoppe Designs, carnival kit

Green with blue flowers: Miriam Lima; Brown paper and polka dot paper: hroselli

Stripe: aslagle; Stars: Dani Mogstad; White floral: Paula Duncan

Once we have grown up and are on our own, it's the little things that we remember about our families that make us who and what we are.  Growing up, my family sang together a lot.  Yep, sitting around the living room singing praise songs. As children, we played a hide and seek game with my dad in the dark.  There are a number of things that made our family, our family, and none of them involved going anywhere or buying anything.  It's the little things that add up and make up who we are.

Now to my children.. we do all kinds of silly little things in our house.  We sing, a lot.  No surprise to anyone who knows me.  We make up songs to just about anything.  We dance, we do cheers and we play games. It's little things, but all together reflect our love and our desire to be with each other.  In my layout above, I have a couple of pictures of Doug having a balancing on one foot contest with the girls.  It was a fleeting moment and it was gone.  But it was a memory created and an opportunity to connect with our kids.  My praryer is that my children will have so many little things, little memories, little moments that when uncertainty comes their way, they will always know they are loved.  Loved by their parents, by their extended family and loved by God.

So I challenge you and myself, to take time for the little things. Because in the end, they are not so little.

5 people in the house. 4 sick. Yikes!

The stomach virus has found a breeding ground. In our house! Maddie was sick last Wednesday.  Lexi started throwing up Wednesday night. Maddie was better and went to school Thursday, but Lexi was down.  Friday we all went to school/work.  Saturday Doug and I were icky but we managed.

Today.. Maddie is throwing up again. I've joined her. Doug is a sad case.  He has a yucky stomach and he is very sore from moving his mom on Wednesday.  And poor Kylie, well, her stomach cramps up and she just wails.  I really feel for her.

Lexi is good. She is making jelly and cracker sandwiches and having pink milk. Sure hope she doesn't start throwing up again.

In the meantime, while holding a sad baby, I made this page today.  The prompt was take a picture off center and immediately use it.  I thought cool. So I did. Enjoy.

Papers and buttons: http://www.summertimedesigns.blogspot.com/

brush: http://designfruit.com/

Torn paper effect: KPertiet_PaperRevealNo2_2

Distressed edge: Trish Jones

vintage font: dafont.com

You can guess what she's doing.  Don't you just love her eyes.

I've got more pics to show off. Maybe I'll do it later....

More homework

Today while I held my sweet baby and took care of my sick 5 year old, I was able to continue taking my classes on photoshop.  Here are a couple of pages I created today.  Thanks for indulging me :)
 
Once again.. all of the digi supplies and the classes are via http://www.jessicasprague.com/

Showing off my homework assignment

I've started my Up & Running with Photoshop classes over at http://www.jessicasprague.com/ and here is my first assignment! I love online, self-paced courses as I can move as fast or as slow as I want..

Just gotta say, I am so priviledge to get to spend my work hours learning how to use Adobe Photoshop! Already my students are jealous :) I can't wait to teach them how to use these programs.  I can only imagine what they will be able to create given their tech savy ways.

My heart runneth over

It is no wonder that my heart runs over with love!!!

Pictures taken by Kyle Davis
Digital supplies: Summer Driggs; Ring It In Kit and as a side note.. this was a FREE kit!! If you are into digital supplies, or am just starting like me, you have GOT to check out her site!!! I am in love :)

Going a little crazy..

Well, as you can tell, I am going a little nuts with Photoshop and creating new backgrounds for my blog and various other websites.  It's just so much fun to create and it doesn't make a mess!  While it will never take the place of hands-on crafting, digital design has carved a place in my life.  I can play on the computer while nursing baby and I don't have to worry about little hands getting into glue or getting inked or anything like that!

So here are a few of my backgrounds I've made in the last day or so.  If you want to use any of them for your blogs, or have a request, let me know :) I am still learning, so don't expect too much, but I'd be happy to share if you would like to use any of my creations!

These were all created to be used with 3 column format, but can easily be made into the traditional 2 column format as well.

Well, thanks for indulging me.

And here is the latest on Kylie... at her 4 month check up yesterday, she weighed in at 18.4 pounds and was 26 inches long!!