Let's Go Fly a Kite - two page summer scrapbook layout

 We just came back from a work trip in Florida.  It was hard to escape the excessive heat and humidity, but it made the pool feel that much more refreshing!

Are you enjoying your summer? It's slipping away quickly. 

I decided to take a little break from posting my travel pictures to a summer layout featuring my adorable grands! They're the best. I love that this layout helps me hang on to the memories of this day from 2020. 

I love the accents on this page, from the kite to the clouds!

The paper is Simple Stories "We are Family" and Close to My Heart "These are my People", along with some Recollections cardstock.

My favorite part about the page (aside from my beautiful grandchildren) is the simple layout, and the fun embellishments. 

We had a great day flying a kite, playing with fairy gardens and Hot Wheels, and soaking up some rays.

Hope you are inspired to be creative today, or to spend some extra time with your grands. Have a fun week!

Wander - Two Page Scrapbook Layout

 We were able to blend business and pleasure with this trip to Michigan in summer of 2020. Each year, I need to update one of my insurance designations and when I see the class offered in northern Michigan, it's a no-brainer! The conference was at a quaint resort in Boyne Highland. My husband was able to go explore, while I was in class all day. Lucky guy not having to endure the classes.

I had a fun new pack of paper to use from Simple Stories called "Simple Vintage - Great Escape". It's chock-full of mushrooms, ferns and other woodsy type paper and stickers.

I love how realistic the artwork is and the beautiful natural color scheme. I just kept layering things up using the map side as a strip along the outside edges and flipping the paper to make banners from the woodsy plant side. This set of paper is gorgeous and if you take pictures outdoors, you must have it!

I used a few pops of red to accent the red roofline of the conference center and a title made of Kraft paper.  

Thanks for stopping by my blog today! I always love to hear your comments if you have anything to share with me. Happy crafting! 

Celebrate Love - Two Page Wedding Scrapbook Layout

Is anybody else happy that it's Friday?? Man, it just couldn't come soon enough for me this week. I love my job, but sometimes, I'd just rather be home playing in my craft room!

Today, I have another layout from my son and daughter-in-law's wedding album. These pictures were taken directly after the ceremony, outside of the chapel. The lighting was so perfect!

 Choosing pictures was the worst...so many great options! Thankfully, I was able to pack a lot of pics on this page.

 Aren't they they cutest couple! We are chest-popping proud of both of our boys! We are blessed beyond measure, for sure. Their wives have brought so much additional joy into our lives. The empty nest stage of life is growing more familiar and enjoyable as our kids become the great people we always hoped and prayed they would be. 😍 The resulting grandchildren are our greatest reward for surviving the toddler and teen years.

 It's such a cute saying, but honestly, there was no "stealing" necessary!

Thanks for stopping by my blog today! Have a blessed and crafty weekend!

Two page Scrapbook Layout - "Good Times"

Who is hanging on to the last few days of summer?!? Fall is, by far, my favorite, but I've learned through the years how fast times flies....so I'm hanging on to summer for awhile longer.

 I don't always break out the camera on our Sunday family dinner get togethers. I'm glad I did on this day, because these shots are priceless to me. Our two boys, their sweet wives, and these two grandchildren have our heart!

I cut the title with my Cricut to look like the patterned paper on the bottom part of the layout. My patterned paper scraps came in handy to show through the heart cutouts. I doodled a few X's just for fun, to match the cross-stitch look in one of the hearts below.

 Bright colored washi strips to line the edges and a little bitty banner with a heart for extra interest along the bottom. I used a few of the heart shaped negatives to scatter around the title.

These are my favorite people...my family! Can't get enough of them. We are so blessed to have them nearby and that we're all willing to make time for each other in this busy phase of life. 😘

Two Page Scrapbook Layout - "Future Mrs."

My husband and I were born and raised in Michigan. Most of our remaining family still lives there. We decided to shower my future DIL with a celebration up there so that our MI relatives could join in the fun. My wonderful sister-in-laws helped with all of the planning, food and décor.

 Katie's Mom was able to join too. We had a great time and she received some great gifts. My two daughters-in-love, pictured there on the love seat, are amazing young women. I have a lot of respect for them and I pray that our family will continue to grow together and love each other. We have a ton of fun. I think we spend as much time laughing together as we do eating together.

 And then there is my most adorable granddaughter!! She and her brother are the light of our lives! She can be a stinker sometimes, but I'm not surprised since I raised her Dad. 😂

 There's a lot going on with this layout, but I love all the heart garland, doilies and gemstone brads. Most of all, I love all the smiles and great memories from that day.

My family has my heart and I'm so grateful for the bond we share. Both my husband and I have already lost our parents. That means he and I are now the ones working on building and leaving our legacy to our children, grandchildren and future great grandchildren. I pray that we will leave a legacy of love, laughter, and a strong faith that will pull them through all of the tough times.

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

Two Page Layout - "Tomorrow will be..."

Last fall was a very bittersweet time for our family. The bitter....My Mom was in the end stages of her battle with Parkinson's disease. What a horrible thing to watch your Mom just waste away. It's a very slow and painful process to watch. She didn't seem to be in pain, thankfully! The sweet...my son was getting married to his forever love and we were all super excited and blessed for her to join our family.

The hardest part was that these two major life events collided in one weekend. My Mom passed away on Friday October 13, the day before my son's wedding. My brother called to give me the word as we were pulling into the venue for the rehearsal dinner that we were in charge of. Well, you can imagine the rush of emotions and anxiety knowing that I had to pull myself together in order to be ready for the rehearsal dinner guests.

 Some how, by God's grace, we pulled it off. The venue looked cute and the food was yummy, and really that's all anybody cares about anyway, right? I was riding on my happy emotions and was able to let joy rule the day and the rest of the weekend.

 As happy as I was/am for these kids of mine, I knew we were becoming empty nesters. I was experiencing the feeling of being parentless and childless all at the same time! My kids and all of the family visiting for the wedding helped me push on through the sadness.

 The wedding was beautiful! I'm working on their album now and will start sharing those layouts soon. I do love this layout, but it still brings tears to my eyes as I remember the roller coaster of emotions that were going on inside of me that weekend and for weeks afterwards. I really didn't have much time to actually grieve. Remember...we were building a home, getting ready to sell our home, pack all of our belongings, and move at the end of the year. I was literally too busy to think about my emotions for very long.

Yes, there was loss, but I also gained a daughter-in-love who is beautiful inside and out! Yes, my youngest son left the nest, but they are very happy together and a Mama can't hold on to her babies forever. That's the way God intended it to be. There have been many changes for my husband and I since last fall, but we are so very happy in our new home and enjoying all of the settling in and decorating.

Whew...longer and more emotional post than normal, but thanks for reading. Have a wonderful weekend!

Two Page Scrapbook Layout - "Legacy of Love"

Here is my final layout of our fall family shoot of 2015. It's the whole crazy, beautiful family!

 The stitching is just drawn on...I don't have a sewing machine, but it's pretty hard to tell that it's drawn on once you get the layout in the page protector, right? Again, I've used washi tape, a border punch along the edges, and a few punches to layer up a small flower circle embellishment.

 I love this crazy bunch of people! They bring so much love and light into my life. We struggle and we fuss over issues sometimes, just like every family does, but we stick together like glue through it all.

 Here's a close up of my faux stitching....Not perfect, but I think it adds a lot to this layout.

So now you've seen them all.😲 Thanks for hanging in there with me and looking at some of the same pics in multiple layouts. Some layouts were for my grandchildren's books and some for our own.

Next up will be a few Halloween layouts.  See you soon!

two page scrapbook layout - "Silly Smiles"

Here's a fun layout with my two grandbabies! They are so much fun! Being a Grandma is the best thing ever. I'm so blessed that they are here in town and we get to see them often.

 Selfies are always a challenge with these two, but I think we nailed some fun shots, inspite of my lame camera phone.

 This little cluster of hearts was cut from Cricut's Edge to Edge cartridge. I used the inside part of the hearts and spread them across the page and added some heart brads.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you have a productive and relaxing weekend!

Two Page Scrapbook Layout - "Live Laugh Love"

Today is our 31st wedding anniversary! I'm still crazy about this guy! He's the best gift the Lord ever gave me. These pictures are from two years ago!

 Trust me...our marriage is not perfect, but we continue to make it a priority and to love each other unconditionally. He's definitely the better half!! Our retired racing greyhound, Riley, even got in on the action.

 These were all selfies. We set up a tripod and set the timer on the camera. I think they turned out pretty well, and we had fun doing it.

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