Off to Egypt!

Egypt is calling! We leave in the morning for our annual conference. This year we're in Egypt again. In the past we've been in Petra and Amman, Jordan, too! I'm taking my laptop to see if I'll find any time to scrapbook digitally while we're gone!

Oh...and you should check out Scrap Orchard! I joined a few weeks ago and have received a warm welcome! Several designers have sent me a coupon for their shop just for being new! I thought that was super sweet...and I just had to go and check out their shops! :D Scrap Orchard is a really fun place in the digital scrapbooking world!

Okay, my blog friends, I'm heading to bed! See you all after I spend some time in the sun in the Sinai!

SPEED SCRAP!!!!

I got to participate in a Speed Scrap last evening as part of the Scrap Matters birthday celebration! What is a speed scrap? Well, you gather in one location (chat room or thread) and every 10 minutes for 1 hour you get instructions. The first one last night was to gather 3 pictures of a summer time activity. The second was to use at least 3 patterned papers. And so on. Then you've got a certain time limit after that hour to complete and upload your layout to the site.

I was pretty much finished within the hour, and this is what I came up with:It was tons of fun to complete during that time frame and try to follow the directions while still making the layout my own. I used the kit, "Ticket to Ride" by Chelle's Creations with a glitter spray for Jennifer Labre Designs' kit, Joyful. I loved scrapping this FUN memory!

Now we're off to Mosaic Church! Love me some church time! :D

Perfection!

Ever have those days that just seem to go so well they almost seem perfect? We were blessed with a few of those while we were in the US. I got to scrapbook about 2 of them! First, we went to Maryland to spend time with my brother-in-law and his family. One day we got to go out on their boat, docked, swam, grilled, leaped and swam some more. There was no agenda, no schedule, nowhere to be. It was perfect! Here are the pictures from that adventure.The kit is a beautiful, rich kit full of fantastic elements! It's The Lake House by Jennifer Labre Designs, available at ScrapMatters.

Another nearly perfect day was the day we spent at Dorney Park with my sister, Regina, brother-in-law, John, and my Mom. It was such a fun day...great weather, only a few tears, no one melted down, and we got to ride all the rides we had hoped we would. Add to it the tailgating lunch and the crab fries and you have perfection!This template is from Fiddle Dee Dee Designs' new template kit, Beep Beep Boop Beep. The kit is A Life Expressed Colorfully by SuzyQ Scraps, both from Scrap Orchard.

This is something else I love about digital: I seem to get more recent moments scrapped more quickly! I've got several layouts from the last month and a half scrapped and finished! YEAH!

Owl Love You Forever

I have been having so much scrapbooking some of the pictures from our trip to the US this summer! This is another layout featuring our final moments at my grandmother's farm before returning home. Love that I captured some precious moments of the kids with Na-na! This is Scoty and Na-na! The most shocking thing? Scoty is almost as tall as Na-na!
Kit is Who Loves Ya? by Elise's Pieces, available as a Mix-a-Kit at Scrapmatters. Template is Fuss Free Portraits by Fiddle Dee Dee Designs.

Reflections

Saying goodbye to people we love is the hardest part about living the life we live. Before we left in July, I tried to snap a picture or two of the last moments with my Na-na on her farm. The first layout features a happy Georgia Kate, hugging Jaroo goodbye. Materials used include a template by Fiddle Dee Dee Designs from Fuss Free: Pennies from Heaven, and Lazy Days kit by Designs by Kat, both from Scrap Orchard.This layout is of my two Margarets. Maggie, giving her great-grandmother and namesake a final hug goodbye. The look on my Na-na's face is what fascinated me about this picture. Emotion, memories, contentment...it's all there. Template is Fuss Free: Portraits by Fiddle Dee Dee and kit is All Natural by Elise's Pieces.

Water...

We do not have cold water right now. That means there is no water feeding our hot water tank so we will soon be without water at all if it doesn't return to our building.

This always causes me to reflect about how much we depend on water, how much we waste water, and how so very many people the world over do not have clean water to drink.

Water is vital to life. Don't take it for granted. I'm only sad that it takes me these periodic water shortages to remind me to be grateful for clean water.

My sister's wedding album...

I couldn't share all of these layouts as I was creating them because I wanted them to be a surprise for my sister, Regina, when we returned to the US for a visit in June. But, now that she has the album, I thought I'd share some of the pages with my blog readers! I hope you enjoy seeing them as much as I enjoyed creating them!








Materials used include kits by Jennifer Labre Designs (ScrapMatters), Elise's Pieces (35-50% of moving sale at The Digichick going on right now as she moves to ScrapMatters), Nikki Epperson (The Digichick) and Fiddle Dee Dee Designs templates (ScrapOrchard)

A whirlwind life!

I am assuming that I have lost all or most of my readers with my lazy blogging! I keep trying to come back to it and post once and then I'm gone again! Well, hopefully, this time I'm back for awhile! I've got a ton of scrapbooking layouts to share, and life in general has been exciting recently! Lots to chat about and catch up on!

As for my blogging friends, I hope to be reading up on your blogs, too! Happy Summer! :D Keep watching this spot...more posts coming soon!

Who Needs Sleep?

Wow! I haven't been around here much, have I? Too much hush hush work for a certain little sister happening! BUT, I've got this FUN layout to share! I used Who Needs Sleep Collab kit by Nikki Epperson and Kat's Creations! An absolutely adorable kit! It made me smile! And the template is one of Nikki's Sweet Starts! Both are available at thedigichick.com!

More fun coming up! So much happening in my life! I'm off on a trip to Hungary! I'm sure I'll have lots of amazing pictures to scrap! Of course, I'm working most of the time, but we'll get out and see as much as we can! My only hesitation? Leaving Scot and the kids behind! Sigh. It's an amazing opportunity to travel, learn some new stuff and see the country of my ancestors. I just wish the family could be with me!

More to come...

A GREAT sneak peek promotional!

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I'm baaaack! Wow...I've neglected you, my poor blog! Christmas and a huge family move have all passed me by...and soon...my BIRTHDAY! :D Been scrapping lots and settling into our new home. More soon...