02/25/19 - "Use Your Stuff" Challenge #348

This week at "Use Your Stuff" we are challenging you to use "magic" to inspire your creations.
Actually this is the 2nd week we are issuing this challenge as we are currently teaming up w/ the "Double Trouble" blog who has issued their own challenge.
See their post here: Double Trouble Blog

One of their challenges was to use a tic-tac-toe board to incorporate other items/techniques into your project.

Here is the board:
THING 1: Trouble Maker - says "Let's play TicTacToe - first pick a row, column or diagonal and let us know in your post which you have chosen." If you want to add additional elements the choice is yours.

Using both challenges as inspiration this is what I came up w/:

"The Stuff of Magic"

The "magic" theme is obvious.
From the Double Trouble Challenge, my tic-tac-toe items are:
Gold/Silver - Sentiment - Punch/Die Cut

Journaling:
"The first time the entire family entered the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. 3.21.16"

My family and I, especially the kids and me, love Harry Potter!
In fact the only reason we purchased Season Passes to Universal Studios Hollywood was because we found out they were opening up "Harry Potter Land" (as I call it...it's easier to say).
This was back in 2016 and once the passes expired we didn't renew because we had already seen and enjoyed what we went for.

I wanted to share that I chose the specific words "the entire family", instead of "we", when journaling because the month prior, Joseph and I were privy to an early entrance opportunity that David and Madison missed.
(I still need to tell that story.)
But this was the first time ALL of us were able to go in.

I had a lot of fun using my Harry Potter Themed scrappy supplies, from companies: Reminisce, Scrapbook Customs, Moxxie, and Paper House Productions... some items I have had since 2016!
Fun Fact: The Harry Potter theme strips are actually 1 border sticker I ripped into 3 pieces for visual interest.

I also sprinkled in a few non-HP items from Pinkfresh Studios and Kelly Purkey (the stamp).

I love this layout and that I finally had the inspiration to scrap these photos!
Come check out the "Use Your Stuff" blog for more inspiration.

02/19/19 - "My Cuddle Bug"

In case you're wondering...

Yes, I have been creating my Project Life Pages

I recently finished Week #05

We are currently on Week #08 so that's pretty good!

I just haven't yet decided how I want to share them on the blog, though I have been sharing them on Instagram: Mrs_David_Vasquez

Until I figure that out...

Please enjoy this 12x12 Traditional layout I created about Hamlet, which happens to be part of Week #07

"My Cuddle Bug"

A common scene in my home: Hamlet cuddling up against me while I lounge on the floor of our living room, hence the "ON REPEAT" stamp (from Kelly Purkey)

I've said it before and I'll probably say it a million times more, but I try not to scrap too many 1 photo layouts anymore...but this one just spoke to me. It said, "I deserve my own page" and I couldn't argue w/ it! ::wink::

The Alphas and Gray & White journaling sticker are from Elle's Studio.

All the PPs and the Journaling Block are from Amy Tangerine for American Crafts; the "Better Together" Collection

The "ZZZ", "Good At Naps" and "Cozy" came from the Pinkfresh Studio "A Case of the Blahs" Collection

 

02/08/19 - My 2019 OLW

Hi there!

Today I am sharing a project I hadn't planned to make but ended up loving.

This project combines 3 things I love:

1) Being Creative

2) Pocket Pages

3) Using up stash

6 of the 8 cards (1 of the 4x6 cards has a 3x4 layered on the back of it), plus a majority of the embellishments, have been in my stash for over a year.

I mentioned before that I used to subscribe to Studio Calico's monthly Pocket Page Kit. I loved it but it was a bit pricy and I wasn't using the supplies fast enough to justify the monthly cost so after a full year as a customer, I cancelled.

Recently I joined the Elle's Studio monthly Pocket Page Kit club. The price is much lower, though to be honest, you can tell the quality isn't the same, though it is definitely good enough!

Not only is it less expensive, but I find that I like their style better...which means I use the supplies more...and even if I didn't, because of the lower cost, I don't mind so much if I don't use the product right away.

The 2 additional cards used for these pages are from Elle's Studio.

The project is literally just Pocket Page Cards mixed w/ embellishments, doodling, and a bit of journaling.

If you don't follow me on IG you don't know that Hamlet has been ill (but don't worry he is currently on the mend! Whoo-hoo!)

I have taken 2 days off from work to take care of him, because pigs getting sick is serious business, and during those 2 days, now it's 3 but today is my Friday off, I have been monitoring him around the clock.

I have had a lot of nervous energy, and in moments where he was resting, I felt the need to do something! But I didn't feel creative enough to make a scrapbook page complete w/ photos that involved my thinking of any type of major design so a Pocket Page it was!

And then when I remembered I had so many unused cards, I challenged myself to complete a project using just cards as the main element.

With all that in mind, this is what I wound up w/:

As you see it's a OLW pocket page (front and back).

I did not intend for that to be the subject of my project.

I had just intended to try to use up some of my "New Years" themed cards, and I did -

Left:

- January (3x4)

- Hello New Year (3x4)

- Start Here (4x6)

Right:

-Start, Start, Start Somewhere (3x4)

-Here (3x4)

When I placed the "Start Here" card into the bottom of the first page, my eyes immediately focused on the circle and I thought it would be the ideal place to put a word.

But what word? Hmmm.... then I thought that since the page was about the New Year, this would be a great place to introduce my OLW!

So that is how this page came to be my OLW Project.

My OLW this year is "breathe".

I suffer from depression and anxiety and have a tendency to stress out over just about everything! Towards the very end of last year I had a major panic attack and my husband literally told me "breath!". Once I took a moment to do so I did feel better...because I tend to forget to do so when I spiral out of control.  Since that day, I have been trying to control my stress and anxiety by telling myself to "breathe" and taking  few deep breaths before deciding just how much of my energy I need to invest in a situation. It does help, and so it soon came to me that this should be my word for the year. BTW - I also discovered that I have this bad habit of holding my breathe when I get too immersed in a stressful project, which is pretty much all my projects at work (sigh)... it is completely subconscious! I would be working on a project and get up to go to take a break and find myself heavily exhaling as I left my office, like I couldn't catch my breath! I did this on multiple occasions...Crazy huh?

So my goal for this year is to "breathe" both literally and figuratively.

This will be the first page in my 2019 Project Life album.

02/06/19 - Happy 17th Birthday

Today I am sharing a 12x12 Traditional Layout.

It is my first layout of February and I'm really happy w/ it!

Could it be my mojo is coming back?
::crosses fingers::

My baby recently celebrated her 17th Birthday.

And I truly could not wait to scrap it...

I even order new scrappy supplies specific for the page: the BG Paper and a 12x12 Birthday Themed Cut-Apart; 2 of the pieces are being used as embellishments.

Sometimes I order photos instead of printing them out at home; these photos I ordered.

As I was waiting for my photos to be delivered, these supplies were also in transit. I ordered them from Scrapbook.com... guess which package arrived first?!

If you aren't aware SB.com has always had quick delivery!

I secretly wish, or not-so-secretly, that I lived next door to a scrapbook store so I could do this w/ all my layouts! Though truthfully I would have more choices online. Hmmm... I think I need to talk to SB.com about offering a Amazon-Prime like account, where you pay an annual fee in exchange for free shipping on orders, LOL!

Okay so moving on, here is the layout:

Journaling:
"Madison wanted a Circus Animal Cookie Themed cake; her Daddy made her one.
1.24.2019"

My daughter is so NOT a girly-girl (notice all the Batman) but she requested a Circus Animal Cookie Themed cake so the cake wound up being super girly, LOL!
I mean how could it not, Circus Animal Cookies are Pink and White and have colorful sprinkles on them!
She loved it but we still balanced it out w/ the Dark & Twisty-ness of Batman w/ her Birthday Party Décor.
The BG paper couldn't be more perfect w/ it's mix of Black BG and Colorful Title!

I am playing along w/ the current Scribbles Design Challenge which is to create something birthday related... pretty sure I nailed it, LOL!

02/04/19 - "Use Your Stuff" Challenge #346

This Week at "Use Your Stuff" we are Challenging you to create a project that includes Food or Drink.
Right up my alley, right?!

Despite a plethora of photos I could have scrapped I decided to complete the last layout of our Anniversary Trip to Vegas in July 2018, since I was also trying to complete Project Life.

Though it doesn't show a close-up of the food in the store, it does give you a glimpse, and a list, of all the yummy things you can purchase at this "Disneyland of Gas Stations" we came across on one of our trips to Vegas last year. Plus peep that cool Candy Land like "tower"!

I used a lot of old Doodlebug and Simple Stories on this page!

"Never a Dull Moment"

 

Details ---

Top Photos:

As often as we go you'd think that we've seen it all, but nope!
On the drive up we came across this place called Eddie World (in Yermo, CA) that is nicknamed "The Disneyland of Gas Stations"...so big and so much stuff!
I tried my best to describe it but it was difficult so I just used the description I found online... even those words aren't sufficient enough to describe this place!

Bottom photos:
As often as we go to Vegas you'd think we would no longer be impressed w/ the views.
Again, nope!
Still get a thrill when we see the (mostly) beautiful city of Las Vegas!
The view from our room.
And the Bellagio always has something to look at!
My husband is a huge fan of carousels so he took a photo of the carousel made of flowers.


Stop by the blog and see what the other DT Members have created... and play along!

 

02/01/19 - Project Life 2018 The End (Mostly)

OMG it's already February!

Okay can we just stop time for a little bit? Please?

I guess I should finally share the last of my 2018 Project Life pages.

Today I bring you Project Life Weeks 51 and 52 and a Traditional Page.

The Traditional Page being the very last page in my 2018 Project Life Album.

Week 51

Digital/Traditional Hybrid Page

Week 52

Digital/Traditional Hybrid Page

"Oh, Christmas Tree"

Traditional 12x12 Page

Though I feel like I am officially done w/ Project Life 2018, I do think that I may be sneaking in a few items, maybe even some random layouts I might have missed... for example a highlight page for both my Boston and Maine trips... as I move into 2019.

But I no longer consider my 2018 PL an "active" project that needs my full attention.

Time to move on to 2019!