A Pinch of This and a Dash of That – just a great kit!

This week I had the privilege of playing with Just So Scrappy’s kit called A Pinch of This and a Dash of That. I love this kit – and it is HUGE! It has 34 papers, 148 elements and 3 full alphas – isn’t that amazing?? I love the colors and the variety and quantity of elements means you can make so many layouts. There is a whole set of baking related elements but also a full set of non-baking elements. I ended up making two Christmas pages since the colors matched my boys’ pjs but I still have many baking pictures to conquer and this kit will help me get the job done. Check out the preview:

While you are in her store, make sure to check out her other kits – there are so many great ones. My favorites are Boys Will Be Boys, Dylan, Ladybug Ladybug, and Hannah Banana! I’m adding these to my wishlist for sure.

My first layout was done for a Speed Scrap. The challenge for me in this speed scrap was the layering of papers – not something I do often. I do like it though so I think I’ll try to do it more. I took pictures of the boys sitting with all of their opened presents. My MIL did this and it helped later when the mister and his sisters were older and there were questions about who owned the stuff in her attic! I thought it was a good idea. :)

I did this layout for the Word of the Week challenge – how could I not apply the word cozy to the warm footie pjs? I wish I could get away with wearing them too! I’ll be sad when the boys outgrow their footie jammies. :(

I probably won’t post again until after Christmas so have a good and safe holiday! We’ll be going to my bff D’s house on Christmas Eve and then to my MIL’s for Christmas dinner. We are having turkey soup and snacks instead of a full, big meal. We did that last year because we were the only ones there. She decided to do it again just for the ease and also because we just had the huge Thanksgiving feast. I think it is a great idea!

Family Memories - something to cherish!

And aren’t family memories the main reason we scrapbook? I started paper scrapping before I was married or had kids. I felt fairly smug because I was caught up. So many of my scrapping friends had discovered scrapbooking after they had kids so it was a challenge to get the current stuff done but also to go back and scrap their wedding, honeymoon, life before kids – that sort of thing. I was going into marriage and kids all caught up. What no one told me was that once I had kids, I would never get anything done! Now I am currently paper scrapping my 2006 family album (or not really currently since I have only paper scrapped once in the last year) and have decided to do the boys’ albums digitally. I started that with J1’s album and then I got into CTing and I’m not even making much progress on their albums. But I am having fun and that counts for a lot in my book!

This week I made a couple of layouts with Family Memories by Gettin' Scrappy with Britt. It was a collab with Digi-Designs by Nicole - you should really pick up both kits! Anyway, can I just say that I love this kit? The colors are so great - they match so many of my pictures of my boys and are so versatile! Check it out:

I really love the ribbons, brackets, flowers and tree in this kit – they are all so nice! The swirly paper is another favorite and the alpha is very fun.

I did my first layout for a speed scrap. I’ve said it before but this is a great way to scrap outside your comfort zone. I usually end up making a layout completely different from my “style” which I love because, over time, my “style” evolves and changes as a result! I love the way this layout came out. I have been scrapping in an 11 x 8 1/2 format lately and all the challenges can be done in this smaller size! This was one of the first times the boys were wrestling around and it was pretty cute. I think J1 needs to watch his back because some day soon I expect J2 to kick his butt. J2 is a carnivore and I can barely get J1 to eat yogurt and almond butter for protein – that meat will build big muscles!

My next layout was for the font challenge. I love the font challenge because I am a sucker for new fonts! I told J1 that he could have a slushy drink from Sonic if he was calm during his haircut. He has always been fine with haircuts but it is just an extra incentive. He doesn’t choose the slushies for their flavor, he chooses them based on color. This day he wanted blue!

Thanks for reading my rambles – I’ll have more soon. Maybe I’ll post some more layouts in the next few days – depends on if J2 gets the stomach flu that J1 had today. Seems to be no reason he won’t get it because he insists on running off with J1’s drinks, even if he has his own. For some reason he always likes J1’s better. I guess that means he is getting a taste for soy milk too, though, which can’t be a bad thing.

All I Want for Christmas – a new kit and a freebie

Growing Pains Scrapped has a new kit hitting her Stuff to Scrap store this week called All I Want for Christmas. It is a fabulous and huge kit – the perfect colors for all your holiday pictures. And, as a holiday bonus, it is on sale for 25% off until Christmas! Check it out:

My most favorite is the snowflake paper as you can see – I used it in both of my layouts. Oh, and rumor has it that Tracy will be giving an All I Want for Christmas mini-kit as a Speed Scrap prize on December 27th – you don’t want to miss that!

This is J1 when he was almost 2. He still wasn’t afraid of Santa! I made this layout into a quick page for you – keep reading for the download! This layout was done for a Speed Scrap over at Stuff to Scrap. They are great fun – you need to come check them out! There are prizes too.

These are various pictures of J1 from last Christmas – I loved it when he “helped” decorate the tree! This was also for a challenge at Stuff to Scrap – the template challenge.

Here is my quick page:

:: download here ::

Also, don’t forget to get the rest of my freebies – they are all still available. I also have some at A+ Designs so head there and get some too!

Christmas desktop and a quick page

I posted a December desktop and a quick page over at A+ Designs' blog - head over there and pick them up!

I made the desktop out of Christum - here is the kit preview:

Here is the desktop I made. I did it for the Enchanted Studio Scraps desktop challenge using Amy from Starry Eyed Designs’ template.

I made the quick page using Whimsy - isn't it a lovely kit?

Here is my sweet baby boy!

A Warm Cup of Cocoa Quick Page Freebie

Well, it is Monday and I never got a chance to make a different layout for a quick page so you get this one:

Here is a final look at the kit – if you haven’t downloaded it yet, I think you still can – just hurry!

Make sure to head to Tracy’s blog so you can get her quick page and links to the rest of her CT!

:: download here ::

A+ Designs Quick Page Blog Train Freebie

A+ Design is celebrating her grand opening at Scrapbook Bytes and we are having a quick page blog train to celebrate. Mel is also having a great grand opening sale – check it out!

Here are the stops on the blog train – each one has a quick page from a different kit and all of the kits are on sale - go get them!

A+ Designs
Scrap for My Girls
Kerry's Scraps <------ you are here
LivyBug
IvoryKeys
Deej

Here is my quick page – I made one for a boy and one for a girl with the Good Times kit.

:: download here ::

Make sure you sign up for the newsletter on the A+ Design blog because there are freebies with every one! Also, you should follow the blog because there are freebies each week.

I just love A Warm Cup of Cocoa

Okay, that isn’t just a cheesy line to tell you about Growing Pains Scrapped’s new kit although it does that too. I am not a coffee or tea drinker so my hot beverages are limited to hot cocoa and apple cider. As I sit at my desk and work on the computer, I am cold nearly year round – my nail beds turn blue my hands get so cold! Luckily the boys seem to enjoy my freezing hands on their backs. :) I have coats slung over the gate around my desk and fingerless gloves to wear so I can still type. In the winter I *can* drink hot cocoa every day but try to limit it to a couple times per week – I also use milk so I get at least some nutritional value. Anyway, on to the awesome new kit – check it out.

For some reason when I was making layouts with this kit, I was loving the monochromatic look so here are my layout:

This is J2 at Gramma’s when we were picking pumpkins out of her garden:

This next one is my dad sleeping with J2 last winter. I love these pictures and have made 3 layouts with them so far!

I think I will make the top layout into your quick page freebie coming next week but I haven't decided yet. Maybe I’ll make a brand new layout just for fun – stay tuned and see.

The release schedule for the kit is papers Friday (today really), elements Saturday, alpha Sunday and quick pages Monday. After that, you can pick it up in the store at Stuff to Scrap. While you are there you should check out the retirement sale going on – there are over 120 products set for retirement. There are some awesome kits and I only saw a couple that were over $1 and even those were a screaming deal – what are you waiting for??