Birthday Boy - Two Page Scrapbook Layout

 This little man has another birthday coming up next weekend! He will be nine years old!!! One more year until double digits. Not sure how this is possible. We love watching him grow and mature, and seeing where his strengths and interests will develop. This child is so smart! His brain works in a way that mine never has, and it's pretty impressive.

This is a layout from almost three years ago when he was six! I'm usually about a year or less behind on scrapbooking my photos. I do scrap chronologically for the most part. However, I put off taking photos, posting my layouts on my blog, etc. I like the creative aspects of scrapbooking, but the follow up work is definitely not my favorite. I have a pile of layouts I'm working on taking photos of  now (for my blog), but I just ran out of battery on my phone. So, time for a post!!

This is a fun pack of  My Minds Eye "Boys Will Be Boys" paper that I received quite awhile ago as a prize for one of my layouts being published in Scrapbook Cards & Today magazine. There was tons of coordinating boy paper, ephemera and even a cute set of robot stamps. I love all the colors, and it makes it so easy when everything coordinates beautifully.

My absolute favorite part of scrapbooking is figuring out the design of my layout. Where do I want to put my photos? Where will the title and journaling fit best? Also, creating my own title from Design Space. The title above was two different phrases that I merged together and sized to perfectly fit my space on the red banner. Remember when we used to have to attach each letter separately and hopefully get it to all line up with proper spacing and level on the page? Welding letters saves me that trouble. In this example, I wanted the letters B O Y to be separate from each other, but by merging them with the phrase above, I'm able to easily get perfect spacing and to work around the corner of the photo.

I used some of the leftover paper scraps to make banners, and borders to go along the edge of the red pennant. And, the cute little red and yellow robot adds the fun factor to the page. Using a few wallet size photos or cropping to 4x4 helps fit more photos on the page.

Hope you enjoyed this layout of my incredibly smart, handsome grandson!! We are so very proud of him! Looking forward to celebrating with him next weekend.

This is How I Roll - Police Academy Two Page Scrapbook Layout

 We celebrated my son with a party at his home. We had a great group of people show up to show their support for his new role and sacrifice for the community. I'm so grateful for these photos and the great memories that still linger in my heart from this day. 

Scarlet got into the photo booth and her expressions crack me up! She's so serious!

I used  a lot of different red white and blue patterned paper, and some miscellaneous police stickers. I matted all of the pictures on white to help them pop off the patterned paper. My Cricut did the journaling for me so all can read my thoughts and emotions for this major life event.

Super fun and simple layout. Hope you are inspired in some way. 

Academy Graduation - Two Page Scrapbook Layout

 Wow...It's been awhile since I posted anything here. Life has been hard, and somewhat out of control. But, here I am with another scrapbook layout form my son's graduation from the police academy. I decided to add the program for the ceremony.

Look at that almost bald head! It's a little longer now, but academy is all about the close cut, super shined shoes, etc. It was such a proud day for all of us!!

I used some masculine navy hounds tooth washi tape, cut a few badges, and used my Cricut to journal. It's so much more legible than my own writing. 

Have a happy Mother's Day and enjoy your family. 

Police Academy - Two Page Scrapbook Layout

This boy of mine...gives me all of the feels. He's my oldest, and in his own way taught me how to be a Mom, a working Mom, and hopefully a good Mom. My kids are my pride and joy, even though they mess up along the way. I know I made my mistakes along the way as well. Right now, I will just talk about how proud I am of his service to our community!! My heart swells when I look back at these layouts from his academy days. He worked so hard to even get into the academy. It took almost a full year of applying, testing, interviewing and extreme physical demands in order to make his dream of being a Police Officer come true...and he did it!!

This picture above is the entire class after they were sprayed with tear gas so that they can experience how it feels. I can tell by their eyes that it was definitely not a pleasant experience. They also had to experience being tazed! Fun stuff.

He ended up graduating with HONORS! His class graduated right in the middle of all of the riots and protesting mid-2020. It's scary knowing that his life is on the line every day, but I know he is in the Lord's hands at all times. 

I hope you will stop by for more layouts! I'm trying to get back on a schedule of posting. Thanks for following along!
 

Covered Bridge - Two Page Scrapbook Layout

 Here's another layout of a fun day of one-on-one time with our one and only grandson. We had a lot of fun showing him some sights and just being together.

Yes, the paper has some flowers, but that is okay! I loved the colors of the leaves with the pictures. The rich red really jumps out at me. The little circle letter stickers are perfect for a quick sub-title telling more of the story. I know, without that, I would look at this layout and ask my self, "Where was this bridge"? I don't have a brain for remembering these types of details. 

Papa and his favorite boy! I love watching them together. Aren't they sweet? On the right side, I layered up a couple of journaling cards and tied them together with black and white baker's twine. I also faux stitched the edges of the cardstock to echo the stems of the leaves. Sometimes it's the little details that pull things together.

This is a super simple page, but I am very happy with the way it turned out. Hope you like it! Have a great week!! 

Never Grow Up - Two Page Scrapbook Layout

 It's always a treat to get one-on-one time with the grandkids, one at a time. They are fun together, but it's great to be able to concentrate on each of them separately in a way that makes them feel extra special. These pictures are of our grandson enjoying time with us at the park. It won't be long and they won't want to spend that much time with their "old" grandparents. 😢 This layout is from a few years back.

I love these two fun papers together. They're all boy just like he is.

The numbered washi tape is perfect for a kids layout, and the arrow washi tape plays nicely with the arrowed paper at the bottom of the layout. I added some black and white baker's twine on the date tag and one of the photos for extra texture.

Do you put titles on your scrapbook layouts? It's one of my favorite parts of designing the layout. All of the options in Design Space are so fun to put together and mix and match in my own way. I create and lay it out in Design Space so that I can see what it will look like together and get the sizing correct for the space on my page.

Thanks for stopping by today! Enjoy your weekend!

Sawyer Turns Five - Two Page Birthday Scrapbook Layout

Time sure does fly, even when we're "staying at home". Many have had more time to craft during this time, but we are actually working full time from home. This is such a unique time, but I must say that I love working from the comfort of my own home. I've been really productive and can do 98% of my job from here.

All of that to say, I'm so very thankful for my employer! They worked fast and hard to get more than 500 employees set up with all they need to work from home. Kudos to them!!

Now on to the point of my post today. My grandson's birthday is coming up quick!! Poor guy...quarantine birthdays are not ideal, but I know we will all do what we can to make the most of it. It may end up being one of the best!

Today I'd like to share the layout from his fifth birthday!

I love this boy paper pack from My Mind's Eye "Boy Crazy". The colors are so vintage and it's easy to mix and match the different patterns.

Stars and stripes, rockets, robots, and tennis shoes. What else could you need? Since he received stomp rockets for his birthday, I found a rocket image in Design Studio and added it for journaling.

There's a lot going on in this layout, but I love the way it turned out. It totally suits his fun personality. 

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!! Stay home and stay safe.

"Team Groom" - Two Page Wedding Layout

Hope you all had a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving. It's probably my favorite holiday!! We were truly blessed with wonderful family moments and yummy food...If I do say so myself. 😄

It's time to share another wedding layout. Today, it's the boys group photos!

 Of course, there will be some silliness with this bunch. They all have fun together, which makes a great photo shoot. I love the mix of fonts on the title which left just enough space for the wood mustache. There is no lack of facial hair, man buns, and long flowing locks on these handsome men.

 I used a mix of scrap patterned paper across the middle of the page to anchor the photos, and matted the photos in burgundy to help them pop on the wood grain background. The mustache paper scrap banners were another nod to the facial hair, adding yet another touch of masculinity to the "Team Groom" layout.

Again, I must apologize for the darker yellow look on the left side. I will have to be more careful to have more even lighting next time I photograph my layouts.

Make sure you come back for the next post featuring my daughter-in-love, the beautiful bride! Have a great week!! Stay warm and cozy.

Boys Will Be Boys - Two Page Wedding Layout

It's time to share more pics of the boys today! Having raised two boys (no girls), I kind of "get" them. My two never cease to amaze me or amuse me!!

Here's some photos featuring their sillier side for the wedding album. Boys definitely being all boy!

 My sons are at the top of the page above...My youngest, the handsome groom, on the left and my oldest handsome son on the right!! I love the black and white wallet of them "cuddling"...LOL! Could I be anymore blessed with these two? They keep me guessing, laughing, bursting with pride, and sometimes raising an eyebrow. 😍

 Aside from his one and only big brother, Jacob had three friends from college, and a high school friend stand up with him. I love seeing the more professional wedding-like photos next to the goofing off photos...it definitely shows their personalities.

The brick look patterned paper was a nice masculine background for these photos. The title was cut with my Cricut with a bold block font from Design Space and I added small letter stickers for part of the title. The photo corners were just enough to finish off the page. 

Thanks for stopping by for another wedding layout. More to come!!

"The Boys" - Two Page Wedding Layout

Now it's time to share my layout of the boys getting ready for the wedding. They had their own kind of fun, as boys normally do. 😜

Definitely a more masculine look for this layout with hounds tooth check and shiny mustache paper. There was a LOT of facial hair in the room!!  I sized the title and the tie to work together on the page. Both were cut with my Cricut. Look at that sweet little grandson of ours getting his hair combed by his handsome Daddy!!! He's so full of sweetness and a little bit of chaos. Couldn't love him more! 

How are we so blessed to have two tall, handsome young men as our sons?? Not only are they handsome, but they are good, God fearing men who love their families and leave their mark on the world around them. They are not perfect, but they strive to be the best they can be and we couldn't be more proud of them!!! This guy right here, the groom, is our baby, and I still miss having him around the house and our conversations. He always loved and appreciated my cooking, whatever I made. He was even super helpful around the house and the yard. 

Not sure why the coloration of this picture is off, but the left background is all white (like the right side). I used the Cricut to journal this one too. More from the boys later on in the album. They are such a hoot!

Thanks for stopping by my blog today. I have many more wedding layouts to share with you!

Two Page Layout - "Super Dad"

Father's Day is here! I hope you are honoring the Dad or Father-figure in your life. If you still have your Dad here in this world with you, that is something to celebrate. I found a layout from Father's Day 2015 that I never posted. Once I found it, I drafted and scheduled a post for today so that I wouldn't forget again!

So much has changed in 4 years since these pictures were taken. Our little grandson is now 5 and nothing babyish about him anymore. Time sure does fly. I know this was one of my hubby's favorite Father's Day because he received this cornhole game made specially for him by our two sons!!! We play this game so much every summer. Our boys put a lot of work into it and it's been a source of joy for all of us. I'm the only one who kind of sucks at playing it, but I play anyway!

I love this license plate paper and the red ruler washi tape. Perfect for the masculine layout.

So proud of the men in my life!! My father is now gone, but my husband is a great role model for manhood for our two boys as they start their families and take care of their wives, children and their homes.

My hubby spoils me rotten and I'm forever grateful to God for helping us find each other!

Enjoy your day!!