Cherish Every Sunset - Two Page Lake Michigan Scrapbook Layout

 Happy Summer! I think everybody is ready to get out and GO!! Somewhere...Anywhere! These pictures remind me of the absolute beauty of our country. We'll be heading up to Lake Michigan next month, and I can't wait!! Until then, I will enjoy reliving these family memories from a few years back. 

Holland, MI is one of our favorite Lake Michigan towns. We were amazed by the sunsets we saw during this trip. My husband  captured this sunburst picture as we were making our way into the tunnel at Tunnel Park just as the sun was going down.

The paper is from a vintage summer stack that I've had on hand for awhile. I love this paper stack. The colors are perfect for the lake, beach, sunsets, etc. The orange patterned washi helped the orange in the sunset to really pop off the page and the light aqua striped washi adds another layer of texture. I used a StampinUp! journaling stamp to  frame my journaling, and matted it twice. The final touch on this page is the silhouette of the beach grass on each lower corner. The idea came to me from the photos themselves, and I love how it turned out. It also gave me the perfect place to add the date with a white Jelly Roll pen. I designed and created the title in Cricut's Design Space. 

In my opinion, a sunset just doesn't get any better than this. I guess a few clouds scattered about might have added to the skyline, but Lake Michigan will always be one of the best places to say goodbye to a beautiful day.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today. Hope you are having an enjoyably productive week!

Two Page Scrapbook Layouts - Mackinaw Island

Mackinaw Island is one of our favorite places to visit. Whether we're lucky enough to spend a long weekend there, or even just a day trip, it's so much fun! Here's a few layouts from a few summers back. Our son joined us for the trip. We had a great time!

First....."Are We There Yet" - A layout of our bike ride around Mackinaw Island.

 Even I made it all the way around!! I had to walk my cruiser bike up one of the hills, but aside from that, the 8.2 mile trip was a breeze! My son and husband bike often and go much farther, so I was happy to keep up with them, for the most part.

 We rented our bikes and mine was a cruiser! I came home convinced that I needed to replace my mountain bike with a cruiser! For my birthday that year, I picked out my very own Electra Townie 7D. Oh my word...so much more comfortable and I love riding again.

Gorgeous views all the way around the island. Lots of places to stop, rest, skip stones, and take pictures.

We stayed one night on the island at a beautiful bed and breakfast just one street back from the main drag. What a gorgeous place! The flowers and the hospitality were amazing.

"Flower Power" at the Metevier Inn, Mackinaw Island

 I must admit this is probably the first time I've ever used lavender card stock! :) I like the way it turned out, though. I can almost smell the flowers.

 Such a fun place to stay. They thought of everything to make our stay memorable.

If you've never been, you need to go and experience Mackinaw Island overnight. Maybe I should start collecting commissions from the MI Convention Bureau. 😃 You really don't need to go to California or Florida to experience beautiful coastal views and beaches. #puremichigan

Summer scrapbook layouts - "Moomers" & "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay"

Here in the midwest, summer doesn't last for long! The warm weather is fleeting. Sometimes it's even too warm to enjoy it much. At least, that is the way I feel about summer. BUT...It's never too hot for ice cream!
Moomers

 Moomers is a great ice cream place just outside of Traverse city. You will also find a few locations up that way that will sell it from their storefront. However, to get the full experience, you really need to go to their rural location and watch the cows eating hay, while you're eating your ridiculously yummy ice cream!

 They've won a lot of awards for their ice cream! But we were there before the secret was out, and before the long lines.  But don't let the lines stop you. They move fast and it's worth the wait!!

Aside from the ice cream, this was a special trip for us since it was the last trip that our son accompanied us on as a single guy! We had a lot of fun together and made special memories together. But we've gained a daughter since that time, so it's all good!! ♥

Sitting on the Dock of the Bay
Here's another layout from our northen Michigan trip a few years ago.

 Part of our purpose for going was for me to take my annual class to update my insurance designation. This year it was in Traverse City. It's great to have my hubby and son come along to spend the evenings together. They also enjoy spending the day riding bikes, or at the waters edge.

 These pics were taken at the pier right downtown after dinner one evening. If you've never been to one of Michigan's great lakes, you need to go! I'm partial to Lake Michigan for so many reasons! It's one of our favorite stomping grounds.

Thanks for stopping by my blog! See you again soon.

Scrapbook Layout - "Sunset Views"

Here's a layout from our trip to Northern Michigan last year. The sun was setting while we travelling up the coast, so we stopped at the nearest harbor we could find to catch the last rays fading behind the horizon.

 It was a gorgeous night! I'd never heard of Bowers Harbor until that day, but it was beautiful!

 I love the silhouettes of my son looking out towards the lake. This was his last vacation with us as a single guy. He's getting married next month! We hope to take a trip there with our kids, their spouses and our grandchildren in the next few years.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!!

Two Page Scapbook Layout - "Up North"

Northern Michigan is one of my favorite "happy places". The west coast of Michigan, Traverse City, Mackinaw...I love it all! Here is a layout from our stay in Traverse City.

 The pics aren't the most flattering of us, but we had fun taking selfies...

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!!

Two Page Scrapbook Layout - "Love These Moments"

I think this is the last layout to share from our trip to Holland, MI in 2014. These layouts make me long for another Lake Michigan getaway!

 Sunsets on Lake Michigan are amazing!! Every bit as beautiful as the ocean, but unsalted.

The paper is My Mind's Eye "Lost and Found", including the chipboard, brads, and stickers.  I used Cricut's "Edge to Edge" cartridge for the lovely sun and rays. The possibilities with this cartridge are endless to add a full page die cut to your layout. Check it out, if you haven't! The title font is Cricut's "Jubilee".

Thanks for stopping by my blog today. Come back soon!

Two Page Scrapbook Layout - "The Best is Yet to Be"

I was scrapping with friends last week, and wasn't able to do any blogging. But, today, I'd like to share a Lake Michigan layout with you.

These pics are from 2014 in Holland, MI where I sat for an insurance education update. In the process, we added to our list of "favorite" towns on Lake Michigan. The town is full of great little shops and the sunsets are to die for. The sand covered steps were a little bit of a challenge to get your footing on, but totally worth the extra effort.

 This man is my rock and best friend! We have a great time out exploring together.

The paper and embellies are from My Minds' Eye "Cut and Paste" collection. Nothing like a cute collection of paper to help a layout go together quickly. I often want to declare a certain set to be my "favorite", but honestly, I'm just in love with all beautiful paper. Aren't we all? 

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!!

Two Page Layout - "Downtown"

Holland, MI is one of our new faves on the coast of Lake Michigan! It has a little something for everybody. My husband joined me while I was there a few years back for educational credits.

 We especially love the beautiful downtown area with the great restaurants, coffee, and local color.

The pretty patterned paper is Creative Memories. The flowers are punched with the StampinUp! five petal flower punch and topped with a brad. The leaves were also cut with the same punch, and then cut apart. Haha...sometimes I'm just lazy like that. The title is Cricut's Art Philosophy.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!! See you again soon.

Two Summer Layouts - "South Haven" and "Enjoy"

Oh man, I could handle weather in the 70's for the next four months or so. It's breezy and beautiful! Where is the hammock?

I have a couple more Lake Michigan getaway layouts to share with you today. My youngest boy is back at college, and I'm missing him already. He's the good looking one in these layouts.

 Lovin the red white and blue distressed nautical look to this layout.

 I used my Fiskars postage stamp border punch around the edge. The banner is from Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge. It punches the holes and everything. That makes it really easy to string it up with baker's twine. If you are looking for an excellent jam-packed cartridge that you will use all the time...Art Philosophy (from Close to My Heart) is it!! I use it every time I scrap.

The stamped tags are StampinUp! I love the distressed, nautical look when stamped in this pretty blue.

This paper was pretty fitting for the pictures we took on the boardwalk at Pentwater. I grouped my pictures in the center of the two page layout so the design on the paper remained visible. There were several cute little gears, tags and stamps on the paper for me to journal on. The August 12 tag is from Close to My Heart. I also added several red circular stamps on the layout to bring some red over from the the right side of the layout.

This paper already had the red distressing on it. I added some more random red stamps and sentiments around the pictures. When I'm at a loss for a title, I turn to Cricut's Graphically Speaking cartridge. There are so many great options to choose from.

 Here are the pages side-by-side. I love it when I can find papers from two different brands that work together. =)

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today. Enjoy the rest of your weekend, and have a blessed week!

Double layout "Lake Michigan Mini Vacation"

Time to share another layout of my son. He's so photogenic and he's very patient with us constantly taking his picture. Our oldest son is married now, and they aren't always able to join us when we head out for a long weekend. So....he's our main target. Every once in awhile we give him the camera so he can shoot some of us.

 The patterned paper and stickers are from Creative Memories. I picked these up at a crop I attended last year (on sale...yay). The mini sun stamps are from StampinUp! I just love all these pictures of my handsome son. We are so blessed with such great kids!! I cut the title with my Cricut, with either the Jubilee or Lyrical Letters cartridge.

 I found a stamp in my collection that I used as rays around the striped circles. The "picture perfect" sticker is Creative Memories.

Here are both pages together. This layout went together fast and easy!

Thanks for stopping by my blog today. Have a great week!