Double Christmas scrapbook layout - Chillin

Hope all of you had a very Merry Christmas!!

I saved a few Christmas layouts from last year to share with you today. As I was looking at the pictures, I suddenly realized I hadn't titled one of them. How could I forget a title? I'll have to get back to you later this week with that one.

There were not a lot of spectacular pictures to scrap from the small get together with my parents last year. We were kind of partied out at the time.

Here are closeups of both sides. The snowflakes were cut with my Cricut and stickled with a glittery silver. I believe the patterned paper is BoBunny.



 Here's a closeup of the right side.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today. Keep checking back...I'll be posting about blog candy to celebrate reaching 10,000 pageviews once I figure out what I'm going to give away. I appreciate all of you!!! There are many SB blogs out there and I'm so happy that you choose to follow mine!

"Colorful Side Shows" layout and Giveaway!!

Happy Sunday! After church, we spent quite a bit of time and gas running around town for stuff. Gas is up to $3.85 here!!! I got home just in time to photograph the projects I made on Friday. I especiallly wanted to share this layout featuring the GlitzDesign distressing stamp set that I'm giving away here on my blog.

These pictures are from our 10 day 25th anniversary cruise we took this past December. It was our first cruise ever and we LOVED it! Anyway, back to the layout. Here is the left side:

You may have to double click the layout to see how I used the stamp in the upper section on the turquoise paper. I used the bottom of the five stamps which is a map and VersaMark ink pad. I love the dimension and detail it added to my layout.

Here is the right side of the layout. You can see a the stamped map on the top a little more clearly. 

The paper I used on the bottom is K & C company travel log. I enjoyed being able to journal right on the travel log which is printed on the paper. Easy! Fell in love with the antique brads from StampinUp.

I used two different titling fonts, both cut with my Cricut machine and Lyrical Letters cartridge. The tabs were punched with the decorative labels punch from StampinUp. I cut each label in half lengthwise and inked the edges for definition.

Here are the two pages side-by-side:

You will love this stamp set for both scrapbooking and card making. I have a brand new, unopened set looking for a good home. LOL! If you haven't yet done so, go back to this post about the blog candy and get yourself in the running to win it!

Blog Candy - Giveaway!!

Random Memories is 1 1/2 years old today! I thought it might be time to celebrate with a giveaway. I spotted this stamp set from Glitz Designs and want to give it to you! It would be great for both scrapbook pages and cards. This is a set of 5 clear distressing stamps great for background texture and design. It is brand new and still in the wrapper, laying on my dining room table. It wants to be yours!!!

Five stamps from top to bottom:  postcard, ledger, history journalling block, penmanship practice, and a map.

I can't wait to use mine!

Here's how to win it!

1) Must leave a comment on this post AND be a follower of this blog for 1 chance to win.

2) Post this giveaway on your blog (in addition to steps #1 above) for 2 additional chances to win. 

My winner will be drawn randomly (US residents only) on April 8. Check back to see if you've won!

Thanks for following!

"Party On" birthday layout and future blog candy!!

I really have done a lot of birthday layouts lately, and believe it or not, there are still SEVERAL that I haven't posted yet.  This layout features pictures from my birthday last September. I'm learning to scrap about my events too, and learning that it's all part of documenting life in general.

Left side:

Close up of the title at the bottom. I cut this with my Cricut cartridge and used Glossy Accents (Ranger) on it to make it shiny and puffy looking. Pretty easy, but gives it a pretty cool look. The candles were also cut with my Cricut. If you need to know which cart, I will check it out and let you know if you leave me a comment.

Here's another angle on the title that shows the dimension. 

Here's the right side of my layout. 

A closeup of the journalling I typed out. My son said he could actually read my journalling this time. =) 

Here's a close up of my "birthday girl" banner using my Cricut, letter stickers, and Baker's twine. 

Here's the whole layout side by side. I managed to squeeze 10 good size pictures on here and it still has some style and design.

Don't forget about the blog candy that I'll be offering on Wednesday. It's a stamp set from Glitz Design.  I will reveal the blog candy on Wednesday and tell you how you can win!!! I thought it was worth one more teaser. =) Be sure to check back on Wednesday.

Christmas layouts - "The Hunt" and "Joyous"

I'm sitting here at my desk and my hands are ice cold, it's raining outside, and very gloomy. We have the possibility of some flurries AGAIN later in the week. Since I still have several recent Christmas layouts to share, I figured today was as good a time as any.

I recently was blessed enough to win some glorious blog candy. All of what you seee here was made with this great set of winter paper. It was so much fun to work with it and have all of the cute embellishments to match. The majority of the paper was from Echo Park "Wintertime". These pictures were taken when we were searching for the perfect Christmas tree. It's a tradition that I love more and more each year. This year we had to find our Christmas tree earlier than normal since my husband and I were getting ready to head out on an anniversary (25th) cruise the first week in December.

The decorations on the tree were punched out of snowflake patterned paper. All of the accessoreis were included with this great kit of goodies.

We ended up picking our tree from the fresh-cut trees in the barn. We warmed up with hot cider and then went to dinner together at BWW's. I'm so thankful that our kids will still participate in and enjoy these traditions with us even though they're all grown up. I loved the 12 " border stickers on the bottom of this side. Stinkin' cute and easy!

Here they are side by side. I wish I could remember the name of the blog where I won this paper set so I could post it here. Maybe she'll see this post and remind me. I sent her a thank you card, because I was just so excited to get it and her gift was so generous!

The pictures in this second layout were taken on Christmas Eve when our immediate family got together at our house to celebrate with a meal and presents. I love making a special meal and decorating the table for Christmas. Always a litlte stressful to get everything done on time, but always worth the extra effort! I'm pretty sure I burned something a little bit this year, but now that it's March, I can't remember. I guess it's good to have a short memory sometimes. =)

Again, this is all from the Echo Park "Wintertime" set of paper, except the gold ribbon and the metal "Family" trinket which I had in my stash.

I almost always end up with some kind of grid of pictures on my page. It's just the easiest way that I've found to fit in a lot of pictures. I managed to squeeze in 11 pictures on this double layout. Another little trick I use is to order the "true digital" size rather than 4x6. They are just slightly shorter in length and it gives you room for a little bit of paper to peek out behind. These are actually cropped down even a little smaller in length to create room for my title. The only thing cropped out is the distracting backgrounds in each shot. The glitter chipboard letters were also in my stash and I used a mix of the colors to spell out the title.  

Not sure if you can read the journalling, but it's all about the blessings of family and how much we are enjoying our daughter-in-law. She is a treasure and it's fun watching their relationship grow. 

Have a great week...Oh, and keep checking back because there will be some yummy blog candy in the very near future. I need to get a picture of it and figure out the best way to give it away. =) It's so cool, that I bought 2....one for me and one to give away to my fellow bloggers. =) More details soon....

Blog Candy Winner announced again!!!

A big thank you to everybody who participated in the Paper Secrets blog hop!!! Hope you had fun and found some inspiration. I'd like to especially thank all of you who both commented and are now following my blog! Thank you so much and I hope that you will enjoy future posts.

And now for our winner!!! Drum roll please.....

Silvia! (random.org)

Silvia said: "Great cards!! My favorite is the Peace card. I am now following your blog."

Silvia, please email me jaleon40@frontier.com with your mailing address so that I can mail your new "Just Because Cards" cartridge to you as soon as possible!! Woohoo! I'm jealous. I may need to pick up another one for little old me. Please email me your contactinformation before December 31!!

Paper Secrets Holiday Blog Hop - Welcome!!

Welcome to your 8th stop on the Paper Secrets Holiday Blog Hop. Make sure you read to the end of the post for instructions on how to win a prize from me in addition to the hop prizes from Paper Secrets.

My friend, Jodi, and I recently did a card swap. We both created 4 designs in multiples of 10 and then swapped 5 of each. This gave us each 40 cards in 8 different lovely designs. I'm excited to share all of the designs here with you today. I hope you'll be inspired to try a few!











Don't forget to leave a comment on all 25 blog posts and in Paper Secrets forum for your chance to win 1 of the 3 gifts Paper Secrets is giving away.
http://papersecrets.friendhood.net/blog-candy-blog-hops-f5/paper-secrets-holiday-hop-dec-10th-13th-t1113.htm

NOW for my yummy prize....If you are now a follower OR become a follower of my blog, PLUS leave a comment on this post, you will also be entered to win a prize from me! I'm delighted to be giving away my very first "blog candy"...the Just Because Cards cartridge for Cricut machine. This is a great cartridge for both scrappers and cardmakers!! (shipping to US & Canada only). See images below. Pass this opportunity along to all of your scrappy friends!!

Your next stop will be Brittney Calgary's blog. In case you get lost, you can find a complete list of participating blogs here...

"Ludington Pier"

Hello!!! I'm squeezing in one last post before I get away with my hubs for our 25th wedding anniversary. We'll be cruising for the first time ever!! I am so looking forward to our time together....We feel very blessed for the 25 years God has given to us and even more blessed to have the opportunity to take a really nice vacation to celebrate together.

I decided to post a layout with a nautical theme in honor of our cruise. These pics are from our summer vacation. It was a super foggy day in Ludington. If you double click it you can enlarge for the details. Just hit your back button to come back to the blog again.
I thought it was very "I" catching (sorry, I couldn't help myself) to use the lighthouse die cut (Life is a Beach) as my "I" in the title. The strip of patterned paper in the middle is from SU Sweet Pea collection. It has a dotted circle which kind of echoes the dots and circle windows on the lighthouse. I used the SU punch to cut the penant flags for the side borders. I cut each punch in half to look like a flag. We were a little chilly but had a great time walking the pier.

Be sure to check back in a few days. Even though I will be out of the country, I've saved a few posts to publish while I'm out. AND don't forget the giveaway coming with the Paper Secrets Blog Hop. See the banner on the side bar. You will not want to miss the chance to win the "Just Because Cards" cricut cartridge. =) Don't forget to tell your friends that you scrap with...If one of you wins, you can all share the cartridge when you scrap together.

"Fall Favorites" layout and blog candy coming soon!

Hope everybody had a great time with their families celebrating all that we have to be thankful for! We had a great day. We have so many reasons to be thankful. God has been so good!!

I have another fall layout to share with you so lets get on to the scrappy. Here is the left side:
The background paper is Cloud 9 Design and the patterned paper is Little Yellow Bicycle, journaling blocks are Deja View...Here is the right side:
The details...Font: Winter Wonderland cartridge; Leaves: Wild Card. I cut out a strip of the argyle to use as the middle border and to anchor my title. I inked the edges of the argyle strip with a dark brown ink for definition. The pearlized blue lettering is shadowed with dark brown.
Here is the double layout together. I hope it inspires you in some way.
Don't forget!!....The Paper Secrets Holidy Blog Hop is just around the corner. I'll be sharing some Christmas cards with you at that time....AND it will involve Blog Candy!! That's right, make sure you check back because not only will you be eligible to win the Paper Secrets prize, but my followers will be eligible for the drawing to win the "Just Because Cards" Cricut cartridge. More details later. Yes, I'm shamelessly looking for my scrappy followers! Be sure to pass this information along to all of your scrappy friends so that they can get in on this prize!! Random Memories is offering the prize to attract more followers. I hope that you will join in on the fun!