Two Page Scrapbook Layout - "Blessed"

It sure feels like fall today! Fall is my favorite, for sure, but it's barely September. The crisp air puts me in the mood to share some of my layouts from Bar Harbor, Maine.

  I found these cute little cork embellies that worked nicely on the page with the tone on tone animal print paper.

 There is no place more beautiful then Bar Harbor in the fall!!! The weather was still very nice and views went on forever at Arcadia National Park.

Hope you will stop by tomorrow for more layouts of our trip to Maine! 

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 - "Mallory Square"

Are you longing for some warmth and a beautiful sunset? Maybe this will help. Just looking at the colors in this layout brightens my dreary day.

 Key West was the destination for our 30th anniversary trip December, 2015. We had such a great time and are so blessed to be able to take time away together. Mallory Square is the spot where Key West tourists and locals go to watch the sunset. They have a nice shopping area, ice cream, street performers, and people watching. Our hotel was quite close. It's also where the cruise ships dock. We got some awesome fresh guacamole from one of the \vendors in the square. They made it right in front of us...Oh man...It was great, and I'm not a big fan of guac!

 I have no idea the brand of this lovely paper. I typically make notes on the back of the supplies I've used on the layouts, but alas, I forgot on to do so here.

I used the StampinUp bitty banner punch for the banner along the bottom, and freehanded the two longer banners, and topped them with a brad.

Hope you can feel the warmth of the sun and the colors on this layout. It's pretty cold and dreary here in Indiana. It's actually been raining. Normally we have snow and ice in January, but I'm not going to complain. Thanks for stopping by! Now I want guacamole!

Two Page Scrapbook Layout - "Home Tour"

Time to share another Key West 30th anniversary layout!

If you ever go to Key West, the Hemingway House is definitely worth your time. We enjoyed checking out the architecture, simple furnishings and décor. However; the six toed cats were our favorite!! They're everywhere. They are very well cared for and quite friendly.

 I framed my title with an arched window and open arched shutters cut from Cricut's Art Philosohy  to look like the windows on the house. How boring would the title have been without the window? 😏 The patterned paper is StampinUp with ribbon from Paper Studio, and green chevron washi from Queen & Co. The StampinUp five point flower punch and bitty scalloped circle punch worked great for the flowers, topped with buttons.

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

Two Page Scrapbook Layout - "Key Largo"

We're wrapping up the holiday season. Hope your Christmas was lovely and full of love!

I'm itching to share the layouts from our 30th anniversary trip to Key West! I think it's time to see some warm layouts.

We flew into Miami and rented a vehicle to drive through the Keys. Our first night was, obviously, in Key Largo.

 We had a great meal at Skipper's Dockside. It had just finished raining lightly, but we were able to eat outside under the canopy. Their key lime pie was, by far, our favorite on the entire trip! The crust made it really special!

 But you're probably not here to read about my pie experiences... This layout was really simple with so many of the embellishments already on the paper from Simple Stories. I simply matted some pictures, and added them tot he page. I used Washi tape on some of them to continue the look of the Simple Stories paper.

Hope you will stop by and see more from our Key West trip. Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

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 - "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 Scrapbook Layout - "The Anabella"

From Beverly Hills, we drove to Anahiem, CA and stayed at a beautiful hotel just outside of Disney Land called the Anabella. We had such great hotel experiences every place we stayed! I'm sure this was the result of the many hours we spent online researching hotels in each location. My husband gets all of the credit for this find, though!

 The patterned paper is Simple Stories "Life Documented". Love the cute cameras! The camera die cut is from the Artistry cartridge. I popped up the center circle in the lens.

 The heart and arrow pins were also cut with Artistry and I again pulled out my favorite mini circle alpha stickers to create my subtitle. The "shine" tag and journaling tag are from Studio G.

Thanks for joining us on our journey through southern California! I should finish scrapping our California trip next week, and hopefully finish posting them over the next few weeks.

Two Page Scrapbook Layout - "Location, Location, Location"

I'm still working my way through the layouts from our California trip last year. This one features pictures from our brief visit to Beverly Hills! Yes, it's beautiful there, but no, we didn't see anybody famous. :)

 I really like the way this layout turned out. The colors are vibrant and it has a vintage look! The title was cut twice from Cricut's "Graphically Speaking" cartridge. I attached them with foam dimensional squares between the two layers to give it extra definition and to create a shadow effect. Placing it on the white circle and setting the title on an angle really made it pop.

 I adore the Route 66 die cut from Cricut's "Nifty Fifties" cartridge! How cute is that!?! My husband and I would like to drive the entire route of Route 66 some day...bucket list trip. October Afternoon's circle alpha stickers add to the vintage look of the page and echo the polka dot patterned paper from Simple Stories "Snap". The arrow and yellow stars are also from "Nifty Fifties". I attached the stars with mini red brads.

Pretty easy page, really, with just enough embellishments to let the photos be the focal point. Using wallet size photos helps me to pack in the pics and still have room for design elements.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today! I'm going away with friends for scrapping Monday through Thursday of next week!!! I can't wait!!!

Two Page Scrapbook Layout - "Giant Trees..."

Here's my second and last layout of the Sequoia National Forest. I really make myself pick the very, very best photos so that I'm not doing an entire album for a really special one day event. It's hard, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who struggles to not scrap every single great picture.

 Which photos tell your story the best? For this layout, I picked the photos of the biggest tallest trees with the best lighting, and if possible with people in the picture to show just how huge the trees really are. I quite often print several pictures in wallet size so that I can put more on a page. I didn't do that for this photo, but I did use True Digital size which is a little smaller than 4x6.  This really helps when you're trying to maximize the number of photos on a layout.

 Why do I limit myself? Have you ever had a close friend or family member who went through ALL of their trip photos with you one by one by one? It can be painful as you pretend to remain interested. I try to keep that in mind when I'm scrapbooking my own photos. My albums are for me and my loved ones to cherish, but nobody will want to look at them if there are too many layouts of the same event...they won't even know where to start, and they'll just get bored. It's sad, but true! These are the things I think about when I scrapbook, but I know others like to scrap every picture, so please do whatever you have time to finish, and what makes you happy. I try to be realistic with myself...scrap the event, not every photo, so that the album can actually get done and be shared. It's one of the many beautiful things about digital photos, you only print the best.

Now I'll step down off my soapbox. ;) The paper is Heidi Swapp's "Forever" and Paper Pizzaz (barnwood). I used Simple Stories "Snap" little alpha stickers and the title font is Cricut's "Jubilee - Runt". I used marker on the little StampinUp! wood elements to give them a little more definition. The banner at the top was made from a piece of scrap that I had on hand and my SU bitty banner punch.

I'd love to hear how you decide which photos to scrap. Do you limit yourself? Thanks for stopping by my blog today. Hope you are able to enjoy some scrappy time really soon.

Two Page Scrapbook Layout - "Redwood Forest"

Have you ever seen the giant Sequoias! Trust me when I say, the pictures just don't do them justice. You must see them for yourself. These shots were taken on the way up and around the mountain.

 I used the black out letters from Close to My Heart's Artistry cartridge then added the woodgrain to the letters with a while jelly roll pen. I thought they turned out pretty cute. I realized later the same cartridge has a similar circular woodgrain image to look like a slice of wood.

The paper is MME "28th Market St" and Heidi Swapp "No Limits". The journaling tag is from Basic Grey's "Capture" collection. I used both circular and scalloped round punches from StampinUp! for the slices of wood.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today. Next, I'll be sharing my layout of the Sequoia trees.

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 - "Beautiful Cambria"

After following the beautiful Big Sur (Pacific Coast Hwy 1) we landed in Cambria for the night. I found the FogCatcher Inn on line and fell in love with it. I couldn't wait to see it in person. It didn't disappoint!! Nothing fancy, but a very relaxing and beautiful room with a view and a fireplace.

 The view out the window was amazing. We walked on the boardwalk along the beach for awhile and just listened to the waves roll in. It was truly a destination in and of itself.
 I wish I could say I added all of the beautiful shells and coral on this page, but it was all printed on the paper when I bought it. After adding my pictures, journaling and title, I didn't feel like I needed to add anything else. I could have stamped and embossed some shells, cut them out and popped them up, but I liked the simplicity and decided that "done" is good. :)

The paper is from Sandy Lion "Coral Reef" and the title is from Art Philosophy and Lyrical Letters. Thanks for stopping by my blog today! More California Dreamin' pictures coming soon.

Two Page Layout - "Location..."

The views along the Big Sur are amazing and totally worth the curvy drive. I almost felt bad that my husband had to keep his eyes on the road, because I definitely got to see way more of the sites than he did.

 We took full advantage of the many opportunities to pull off the road and take photos. Each stop seemed even more gorgeous than the last.

 We stopped to see the elephant seals at Piedras Blancas, just before we got off the Big Sur and headed for Cambria. The seals were very noisy (and a little stinky), but fun to watch.

The paper is Sandlion's "Board Walk" and the title is from Graphically Speaking, along with the star next to the title. The larger stars were printed on the paper, so I added a brad to the center for additional definition.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today. Stay tuned for more California Dreamin' layouts.

Two Page Scrapbook Layout - "Carmel by the Sea"

Our California trip was pretty amazing. After spending a day and a half in San Francisco (not nearly enough time) we drove to Carmel by the Sea. It was so beautiful.

 We spent a lot of time researching hotels on line and had all of our reservations lined up months in advance. They were all beautiful. This one had a beautiful vaulted ceiling and a fireplace...so relaxing and enjoyable. We headed out right after breakfast the next day to see the beautiful beach and snap some great photos.

The paper is from Making Memories "Passport" and Studio Calico "Take Note". The passport paper had a pretty navy blue vine on it, so I duplicated it with a vine from Cricut's "Artistry". The button is from StampinUp.

This is only the second day of our Cali trip!!! There are still a ton of layouts to post. If you are enjoying them, stop back.

Two Page Scrapbook Layout - "I Left My Heart in San Francisco"

Our last views of San Francisco were the mighty Golden Gate bridge. This time we viewed it from Bakers Beach and Fort Point.

 What a fun and beautiful destination!!! I hope we will be back some day.

 The paper is "Trend Setter" from Fancy Pants along with the button and banners. The title font is Lyrical Letters.

I will probably throw in some miscellaneous family posts before I continue with our California Dreamin' vacation album. Hope you will stop back to see the rest of our trip down the Pacific Coast Highway, the Sequoias, Hollywood, and San Diego.