Nothing inspires a great page

more than an amazing photo.

If you haven't checked out Jill's blog I'd

highly recommend book marking that baby.

I'm soooo lifting her photo ideas once I get the 

actual talent to do it.

So if you'll notice - not a flower on the page.

I'm quite pleased about that.

Tim Holtz all the way, except for the tag, leaf and thickers.

Oh and the adorable ruler and cog at the top is in M's in the bead area.

They're by Bead Landing and they're less expensive

 than some of TH's items but just as cool. 

It's cool I got to use a big fall leaf that I purchased in NJ. 

Since fall in Florida is when the yellow school buses come out.

Homemade washi roses..........

Another challenge completed over at SNC....

Gotta love that. 

Because another challenge done means another page is done.

Fini - Complete.

In order to get guidance on the making of washi flowers

I found this Utube video and unabashedly

followed the instructions.

And I love the results. 

Basically this page started with:

the flowers.

Then I found the papers.

Then I began tweaking the papers making girly borders.

And ribbon.

AND then I found the photo by my favorite SIL

who shot this with film.

He can be such a show-off LOL!

And the rest.....

Oh thickers. I have a love/hate relationship.

They appear to stick to everything BUT my page.

And they go everywhere.

I know it can't be operator error.

Like seriously.

Challenged in more ways than one!

 That would be me! However, being a glass half-full type of gal I turn them babies into opportunities. And why not. I once got the job because in an interview I was asked if I could lift 50 lbs.

I replied that if I couldn't I'd find someone who could.

So really that has nothing to do with anything I just felt the need to share.

I love this photo of my grandpop - at a young age - maybe his 20's, driving a coal truck. It had to be one of his first jobs because I only remember him working at Bethlehem Steel. It was such a cool shot of my grandpop doing and everyday thing at an everyday job and the composition is like YUM. I mean really. The challenge was a 6x12 double page.

WELL... I love 6x12 and can so relate. So I hinged them together and wa-la. Double page solved because honestly double pages actually baffle me.

And then there are more cool shots-modern times. This one of Amelia makes me swoon. Her adorable maryjane crocs and ruffled jeans. I mean really - doesn't everyone want to look that adorable-cute legs and totally small feet.

But the body changes and even stooping down like that is nigh to impossible.

Oh to be young again. Just to do that.

This challenge is the stamping challenge and its all about balance. I think I've balanced this baby out pretty darn well.

But I want to brag about the pearls and roses. It's a Prima thing and the entire pearls thingy just didn't work so I whacked them up.

GASP-I know!

Yes I know someone else probably had the idea but its mine now and I'm running with it. Whacking them up so totally worked. And its mine - all mine, twirling mustache and laughing evilly.

So the flowers is a stamp and I used water colored pencils, and then I have this fancy dancy water brush and made them - watercolors! TA-DA. (Thumbs in lapels - standing proudly).

Monochromatic page for the scrap

your stash challenge over at SNC. And while its not really old stash I did have this SEI paper for a few months.

Lucas is such a sweetiepie. I know that at times his parents wouldn't agree but he's always sweet to me - except when I aim my camera at his face in what he considers one too many times. LOL!

It's a gift.

Anyway I knew this shot would end up in my albums somewhere. I'm debating on doing a mini - especially for my SIL's (or one of them) however, it'd be better to do both for different reasons.

So I love my version of mono and of little Mr. Lucas who made my day the entire time I was in Ocean Beach with them. My favorite time of the year - to hang with family at the shore. Next time we visit will be Thanks giving. Oh boy.....

Evidently I'm continuing in my quest

in channeling Ms Ashli - Purple mailbox  so just head on over there and check it out. It just happened. Really it did.

Connor has the cutest penguin face - and so reminds me of my Nick. So it appears when I finished this - shades of Ashli - there's washi tape behind the photo, which she just did - I used paint and she probably has somewhere as well, and she did some sort of border thing like my snowflakes - on another page she did, only she used way more.

The snowflakes - well that was a hoot.

If you look closely you'll notice. I die cut them and as I was putting on the glue because I thought what fun would GLITTER be on these, shook it all out, waiting for it to dry, I kept glancing at the the BIG jar and all of a sudden - A DOH! MOMENT - it wasn't glitter it was ULTRA EMBOSSING POWDER.
Sigh.
I kept glancing at the bottle but it just didn't compute until I of course had them glued down and was pondering the lack of glittering not being done. So I blasted it carefully with the heat gun and called it a day. Oh and penwork. Gasp*faint*thud..............

Another Ashli - who knew about layering tags. I want to know how she thinks ALL this stuff up.

I really do.

I did get to use my new $1 stamp and recollections tapes from Michaels.

So now I have a tag looking for a home.  I have this heritage photo calling my name - we'll see.......

A flash from the past going on here - that's meeee!! It just happen to shake out of the wayback box and it fit the page I was doing for the pattern paper challenge over at SNC.

6 months pregnant with my favorite eldest son - Nick and I have this deer in the headlights look. It was an adventurous time in my life for sure.

I know this'll surprise you - but I went in a different vein and used....Authentique.

The challenge was 3 florals, a diamond look, a solid and butterfly.

Scrap that tune at SNC

Is No Shirt No Shoes No problem. And I have this wonderful picture of Connor that met all the criteria.

I did title it Dockin' it because it was a quirky take on 'bookin' it" LOL! (just a peek into my thinking process-scary as that may be).

And the tag with the words on it - perfectly made and came in the "fresh" collection of...................

AUTHENTIQUE.  Thought I'd try something different this time. Bwahahahaha!

So I've been stalking Miss Ashli over at

the purple mailbox (let me know when it becomes felony stalking please) LOL!!! And she deconstructed a smash book and made it look awesome. And yes, I'm gonna point out AS USUAL. I didn't have a smash book, but I had Junkitz chipboard. And it took me twice to get what I was after. I actually got the resist thing, however, the colors I used were less than stellar, so I flipped them around, covered up the unsightly mess and tried again. And wa-la - LOVE IT!! AND, I have 8x8 papers by Fancy pants - called the Daily Grind. SO now, I'm tapping my toes waiting for the next installation of the reconstruction. 

Because I'm a copycat that way.

I've had these Trinity papers forever and love them now. I snapped this pix of Amelia - and I'm not sure why, but glad I did. I broke out my trusty foam stamps for this one. Don't they make you swoon? And a new product to me - Radiant Rain. You spritz this stuff and out pops glitter - but in your face glitter. 

If you look close at the primas it spiffed them babies right up. 

Ever use the stink eye???

Well I have and you can read the results on my hub Caution should be used when employing the stink eye.

Please enjoy my exploits and vote UP, as well as any other cool adjective you find next to UP.

Thanks for your support!

It was a fun manic Monday in cyberscrapping

God Bless those who lost their loved ones this day 11 years agao and God Bless America. This day will always be remembered.

Always a lot of fun creating with friends and technology today makes it easy.

I got 2 pages done and I'm happy about that. Jill sent this picture of Q totally engrossed in the paver, abandoning the toys and its a great shot.

Basic Grey came through and I took the wrench from Obscure collection and cut it down to size and found some sort of nut/screw/thingamabob that just implies manly stuff. OOOO and that punch I made into a cog. More or less. These pages are for an 8x8 album and sometimes doing squares is boring to I have an 8 in template that fits just right. I love this shot I took. I know. Swoon. Broke out a new background stamp that looks like bricks and my watercolors. Kaiser Kraft totally works.

The hardest part is waiting for everything to dry...

oH yeah!

The OLW challenge this month. Yeah. And it worked perfectly with this amazing photo my cousin shared with me. It's a picture of his dad, Albert, my uncle, with my great grandparents or his parents. He tells me they were visiting Hershey Park. Evidently there is a 4th person behind the camera and I'd love to know who that was because what a perfectly gorgeous shot. And they're dressed up to go to a park. 

I know you're surprised to know I used Authentique. 

And Tim Holtz. 

Basic Grey.

PRIMA.

Funky and Fun!

So I had this bill of laden from a hardware store in Lehigh Valley where we are all from. But it was distracting so I removed it. 

It was HUGE. 

I'll work that baby in somewhere else. 

Hmmm..........because my cousin shared more photos.

Fun Friday at ScrapNChat and getting some

challenges done! Gotta love that! this is the recipe challenge that has a lot of items to go on, utilizing all except I changed out the ribbon for the netting. I've had this page in my head ever since I took these pictures while on vacation. I love shrimp boats. I adore them. I did post these pictures that I took from the window and some outdoors at a restuarant called the Shrimp Box in Pt. Pleasant, NJ. I could barely look at the menu and eat because these amazing boats were right out my window. And yes one of the photos is instamatic. Doesn't instamatic make you swoon? Bo Bunny!

This one was the journaling challenge and utilizing blocks. I did slide 3 in there however stealthy. LOL! I wanted to show my efforts for riding a tram way up the mountainside and well the entire world knows I'm not fond of heights. But I did it. I rode the tram up and walked to the top of the observation tower. And I took pictures. Not looking straight down of course, but looking and not wigging out. Twas a good day. Authentique - surprise!

This is a lift of a page by Fevver on 2peas. Another challenge notch. I wanted it girlie and this is enough to make your teeth itch. Really. I finally used stash - that KI memories - lasercut. I wanted to play off Amelia's girlie dress. Left the primas white because I was looking for that monochromatic look well except for the title. 

MADDAWG'S MADCAP at S'NC.....

See these Bo Bunny stickers? I really couldn't figure out how to use them as they are.

So I took them (not this one actually but I whacked the other up before I thought to photo it) and whacked them up.

Like this. BB makes pretty realistic looking tags and stickers which I think is totally cool.

So some embellies that had been laying around and taking up room, are now slapped on a page. I stickled them up. It got messy because I forgot they weren't dry and laid my hand on them.

 I know you're shocked.

So the challenge is to take some embellies you have laying around and will never ever use them in their current condition and whack them up and then jazz them up and slap them on a page or tag or card or.......

Scrap N Chat...

AT the Shrimp Box....

which is in Point Pleasant - a lovely dining spot with a view. Shrimp boats.

Watch me swoon. So while perusing the menu and I was making use of my camera and iphone camera. Everyone was patient. 

It was a lovely dinner with Tom and Ginny. And the food was great.

But oh my my the view.

And it kept changing. The sun played peek-a-boo all day between showers.

Yes, it was dark and moody. Because it seems that follows me.

And I made another new friend. Who let me get quite close actually. Posers make me swoon too.

We will be heading for home tomorrow morning. I'm ready...........................(Oh instamatic pix are on facebook)..............

Together on Labor Day...........

is a fun, different venue, coming together on the shore. It has become an important a holiday as Thanksgiving. Lucas has devilish eyes.

Watching all the kidlets grow and change so much is mind boggling. And little Darla with her blingy harness was a hit. Other than babies, nothing like a 4lb puppy to turn adults and kidlets alike to mush.

The cheetos were a total hit and you could tell what the little ones were eating just by looking at their faces.

Lucas will be starting kindergarten this year. 

And Frankie is almost as tall as me - which really isn't saying much - although for awhile I was taller.

Another cheeto fan.

Including dad. 

Cousins playing together - finally.

Ending with a rousing game of peek-a-boo. 

Beachin' it at the shore............

Annie in the sand........

 Owen sifting.....

Annie sharing her rake and building castles.

And making a break for the water.......

Family fun at the water's edge.

More fun..........

Loves the water.....no fear.

Thinking about maybe kinda sorta going in.