Eat This - Two Page Maui Scrapbook Layout

 Here's a little two page Hawaii inspiration for you. This is my second to last layout to share from my completed Hawaii album of our trip in 2019. 

Hungry? You might be after checking out my layout. 

I must admit this is the first time making a burger on my Cricut. Right down to the sesame seeds on the bun. Pretty cute, but I wish I could eat it. Right now...

I created my title to look like the menu. Did you notice that? 

The journaling was written with my Cricut. I should really do this with every layout, because it is so much more legible than my writing...But...it takes so much longer to get it the way I want it on the Cricut and sometimes, I just want to get the layout done. 

The woodgrain tape helps ground the page. I added a cute orange button with an arrow and few little pennants made from scraps to accentuate the photo of us. 

Hope you are inspired by the design! Now...go get yourself a good burger!!! 

Have a great weekend and make sure to stop by for my very last 2019 Hawaii trip layout. I promise it won't be food. It will be a lovely sunset layout from our lanai. 

Two Page Scrapbook Layout - "Mount of Olives"

Today I have another Israel scrapbook page to share with you.

 Our bus drove by a camel being ridden on the road as we were driving to the Mount of Olives. The same camel is pictured here. They were selling camel rides. Some of our group decided to do this. it looked like fun! The view from this point was breathtaking. This is where we started our walk down the long brick street (Hosanna Walk). Which will be pictured more in my next layout.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today! Have a scrappy, crafty week!

Two Page Scrapbook layout - "Zacchaeus' Sycamore Tree"

Today, I have another Israel layout to share with you. I'm about half way through sharing my layouts. I'm very happy that all the photos are scrapped and memories are in tact for future generations and not just sitting on a Scan Disk where nobody can enjoy them.

 Jericho is in Palestinian territory, so we didn't stay long. We never felt like we were in danger, but we could tell when our tour guides got a little "antsy" that we needed to hurry along.

 In the middle of scrapping all our Israel pictures, I felt like I was running out of embellishment ideas. Here I used travel washi, some wood arrows that I colored with markers, and some photo corners on a few of the pictures, making a rectangle. I'd have to say this one is not my favorite Israel layout, but it's done and the memories have been captured.

Nobody is sure if this is the EXACT tree that Zacchaeus climbed, but we do know it is in the general area and that this sycamore tree is hundreds of years old.

Two Page Scrapbook Layout - "Jordan River"

Here's another Israel layout! My husband decided to be baptized in the Jordan River with many of our group. It was an amazing experience for everybody.

One of our agents is from Israel, and his family still lives there. His Dad is a Pastor and was happy to do the honors of baptizing our group!! You may wonder why I didn't get baptized. I was one of the hosts/planners of the trip, so I felt like I needed to be helping out. Probably a lame excuse! Honestly, I was also a bit afraid of the muddy water, and doing it in front of a group of my peers.

My husband loved the experience! We were both baptized in our teen years, but this was meant to be a symbolic experience, being baptized at close to the very spot where John the Baptist baptized Jesus.

¹⁶ As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. ¹⁷ And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” - Matthew 3: 16-17

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!! 

Two Page Scrapbook Layout - "The Big Adventure"

Two years ago, we were blessed beyond belief to be invited to attend a work trip to Israel. One of the favorite parts of my job is helping to plan and organize agent incentive and training trips that we offer every two years. I typically am invited on the domestic trips only, but in 2017, I was giddy with the surprise invitation for my husband and I to join the group in Israel for our company's centennial year! Wow!!! 

I finished the album about 6 months ago, but haven't shared any of the layouts yet. It always takes me a while to photograph each page, then crop and edit them. So, now is the time! I will space them out a little with other family layouts, so that it doesn't get too boring. I was afraid all of the layouts might look the same, but I think they all have their own look and feel. So...here we go!! I'll share them in the same chronological order as our trip, because that is how my brain works.

What a long couple of flights! We broke it up a bit by laying over in Paris, so that I wouldn't get too sore from sitting. I have arthritis and sciatic issues, so getting out and moving was very helpful, even though it meant taking longer to get there.

From the moment we were picked up at the airport and ushered quickly through security, we were pampered and spoiled. The travel company took great care of us and we could relax and enjoy. It was such a joy to see the trip that we'd been planning for more than two years, playout in real life!

From the moment we started the commute from airport to hotel, it was obvious that we were not in the US. We knew this would be a great adventure and a trip of a lifetime for us!!

Even if you are not interested in Israel, these simple layouts can be used for any type of travel, or as a template for any two page layout, really. Just switch out the paper and embellishments and make it your own!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Two Page Scrapbook Layout - "Thunder Hole"

I have one last scrapbook layout from our trip to Bar Harbor, Maine a few years ago. These pictures are making me excited for all of the fall color that is just around the corner.

 Acadia National Park is a beautiful place to spend some time. One of the must see places within the park is Thunder Hole where the waves flow into the rock formation making a sound like the clapping of thunder. If you stand in the right spot, you'll get a nice spray in your face.

 Ignore my windblown hair...It's a sure sign of a great day out exploring.

 I love the mix of polka dots, chevron and stripes on this layout. The die cut of the mountains and tree is really simple, but I like the added geometric look in brown. It kind of pops off the page. As I look at this, I should probably have made the chevrons off to the left in brown as well. Oh well...

I layered the state name and silhouette shape at the bottom below the journaling. Again, maybe the brown would have stood out a little more.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today! Hope you are having a great week!

Two Page Scrapbook Layout - "Unconditional Surrender"

San Diego, California is home to the iconic statue of the stolen kiss named Unconditional Surrender. Not only is there a great story behind the statue, but it is absolutely huge.

 The first time we saw it was from the aircraft carrier venue USS Midway, but we went back at the end of our trip, so we could see it at ground level from the Navy Pier.

 Thanks for stopping by my blog today. Hope you are enjoying my California layouts....More to come!

Two Page Scrapbook Layout - "Journey"

The next day, we headed off across the state to the Sequoia National Park. The scenery changed very quickly as we headed away from the coast. We took some great pictures of the dry dessert like landscape on our way.

Even though this was a completely different color pallet than we'd seen the last few days, it was beautiful in it's own way....with beautiful browns, golds, and oranges set against the pretty blue sky.

 The locals were enjoying the cool Kaweah River below and we stopped for a few photos before finishing our drive up to the Sequoia National Park.

The paper is Little Yellow Bicycle's "Travel" along with the feathers I cut from Fancy Pants "Summers End". I layered them in the corner, popping up the smaller ones. The Chevrons were cut with my SU photo corner punch, and the title is from Cricut's Graphically Speaking

Thanks for stopping by today. More California layouts to come...

Two Page Scrapbook Layout - "Cable Car"

The iconic San Francisco cable cars!! Need I say more. We waited in line for an hour and a half, but it was worth the wait to check this off my bucket list.

 Part of the wait involved the cable car system being down for repair, but the rest was just a mass of humanity wanting to take their turn. It was fascinating watching them turn around slowly at the end of the road. I was praying nobody would fall out as we went up the steep hills. The views from the top were amazing too.

 I struggled with my color choices on this layout! Not sure what I was thinking actually. I'm still not sure about it, but I dislike it less than I did.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!!! One more Golden Gate layout before we head down the coast. I really want to go back!!

Two Page Scrapbook layout - "Just Hanging Out"

It's that time of year for spring cleaning and window washing. I may need to hire my son to wash ours!

Our company hires college age kids of employees during their summer breaks to help them earn money for their education. It was a great opportunity for both of my boys!! Good money and lots of fun. This is my youngest son rappelling down the building washing windows. He loved it! His Momma was a little freaked out watching him, though.

 The paper from Glitz Design reminded me of water running down the windows and pulled out the color of his shoes and his tee shirt. The arrow embellies signal the motion of swinging down and across the wall of windows. I was kind of proud of myself on this one! <me patting myself on the back>

I added a pop of orange with a few chipboard embellishments and a mustache paperclip...so appropriate for my bearded boy. He's obsessed with his facial hair!

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!! Stop back again soon.

Two Page Layout - "Smooth Sailing"

One of our favorite adventures in San Diego last year was sailing on the America for a whale watch tour. What a beautiful ship!

 The crew was fabulous and so knowledge about the area.

The paper is Heidi Swapp "No Limits" and Schmatic. I used the Fiskar's postage stamp border punch to frame around the photos. The journaling tag is DCWV "World Traveler" collection.

 This is one of my favorite pics of my dear husband. He's the best, and this pictures shows him off well. I can't think of a better person to partner with for almost 30 years of marriage!! What a blessing he is in my life! The die cut in the upper corner is from Graphically Speaking and the title font is Plantin Schoolbook.

Thanks for stopping by Random Memories blog today. I can't wait to scrap the San Diego trip we are on right now!!! We are enjoying it with a fabulous group of people. I never knew work could be so much fun!

Two Page Layout - "Out and About"

SanDiego!!!!....What an awesome adventure! Here's a layout from our trip there in 2014.

 We walked to at Zanzibar's café for breakfast and ate el fresco. We enjoyed planning our day and watching the people go by. We decided to take the trolley for the day. You can see just about every corner of San Diego by taking the trolley and hopping on and off throughout the day. The paper is Heidi Swapp "No Limits" and Authentique. The stickers are Creative Imaginations, miscellaneous washi tape, and a Basic Grey journaling tag. I love using the SU photo corner punch to make Chevrons on my page.

 Little Italy was one of the stops along the way. We bought a little snack (Gelato) and then continued with our adventure.

We're enjoying ourselves in Southern California for the next few weeks. Thanks for stopping by my blog. Have a lovely day!

Two Double Layouts - "Country Girl" and "Good Times"

Birthday celebrations are the best!! My sons share the same birth date in August, so we almost always find a way to celebrate the day as a family.

 This year, we made the short trip to Muncie to celebrate on Jacob's turf at Ball State. Cammack Station is one of the local hamburger joints with a vintage vibe and yummy food. There were a bunch of tractors on display across the street, so we took our turn posing on them and letting Scarlet turn the steering wheel.

 We got some great shots, even though she wasn't especially smiley that night. She's so adorable with or without the smile. The patterned paper and chipboard embellishments are Echo Park's "This & That". The banner is cut with Art Philosophy and SU's bitty bracket punch.

 These pictures bring back so many memories from the boys' birthday last year. It's always a hoot with this family!

 These pictures were taken inside the restaurant. The patterned paper from SU fit the vibrant vintage theme of the restaurant perfectly. The title is cut with Cricut's "Paislee" with an orange block out shadow.

 The Studio Calico wood grain circle banner just happened to be lurking in my stash. I love it when that happens. I cut the bracket map with Art Philosophy and sliced it in half to use on each side of the collage of photos. The Chevrons were punched out and faux stitched with a fine marker.

I hope your week is blessed and filled with fun family times.

Two Page Layout - "40 Years Together"

My husbands sister and brother-in-law celebrated 40 years of marriage last July. They celebrated with a wonderful garden party in their back yard. It was extra special, because they renewed their vows and had most of their wedding party with them to celebrate! Every milestone in marriage is worth celebrating!

Here is a layout of the happy couple and their celebration.

 The outdoor decorations were beautiful! Hydrangeas and roses in Mason jars with red ribbon. Some were even hanging in the trees.

 My family had such a great time celebrating with them and the rest of our extended family and friends. And, of course, there were yummy desserts which my grandbaby enjoyed very much.

I helped out with some of the decorations and with the guestbook. See the altered guest book, cup cake liner pompoms, and nametags here.

 

I'd love to hear how long you've been married. Can you beat 40 years? My husband and I will be married 29 years this December. I'm so blessed to live my life with him and I try not to take any of it for granted.

 

Altered Keepsake Boxes

Last fall, I bought some cardboard boxes to decorate for gifts for some young ladies at our church. What a fun project! 

 



 I used My Minds Eye scrapbook paper. This particular pad of paper is filled with pretty chevrons and woodgrains...two of my favorite patterns to work with. =)

 I measured and traced around all sides of the box. After the dry fit to be sure each piece was right, I glued it all down with Mod Podge.

 I even covered the inside of each box.

I used washi tape along the edge of the lid. It was the perfect width and the colors all matched perfectly.

 After the box was covered with paper, I brushed Mod Podge over the entire inside and outside of the box, letting it dry hard in between coats. I gave it three coats making sure to seal all of the edges and surfaces.

I purchased a drawer pull to use as a handle for the top of the box. My husband drilled a small hole in the cardboard top. He also cut off the excess length of the screw.  I used two different sized scalloped circle punches (4 layers from each size punch) to make a flower out of magazine pages. I punched a whole in the center of all the layers, then put the drawer pull through, and attached it with a small nut on the inside.

I added a large rhinestone to the top of each pull for a little extra bling. I hope the girls are enjoying their boxes and tucking away all kinds of fun keepsakes. Thanks for stopping by my blog today.