Denali Shades of Summer

OK, that title is deceiving! AC Bailey did a Shades of Summer fun thing...we sent a funky pair of shades around the country and everyone took pictures of themselves and then did a layout with the pix. As you know, I rarely scrap myself...there are MUCH more fun subjects than me, but what a great opportunity for me to do it!!!

Oh, and for the rest of the deceiving title...once a year, Denali National Park opens up and allows private vehicles to drive thru the park. You apply for the lottery in July and two weekends after Labor Day you get to do the drive (Thur - Sun...THEY pick the day, but you prioritize your request). Well, we got drawn...YEAH!!! So we went last weekend. And we totally got lucky. The Alaskans reading the blog know how few days a year Mt McKinley (the tallest mountain in North America) can be seen...and we saw it! The morning started out VERY foggy, but it cleared by the time we got to polychrome pass (ugh...I was soooo nervous driving the pass!!!). We kept going and got some really good pix. Here's the layout:I did this for a the A is for Apple challenge at ACBailey. I think I got all the elements in it: design it according to a sketch provided, use only pattern paper or only cardstock (I used pattern paper), stamp, punch, and cut something, use red, buttons, ribbon, and hand journal. Whew...

Rock Out!!!

Ha...I finally have some inspiration coming for the on-line crop...yeah!!! I got another layout done this morning. I'm hoping to get ONE more done before Jeff comes home...or maybe tonight after dinner. I'm itchin' to do the progressive layout and the A is for Apple Scrapquest layout (after all, I worked so hard on finding all those clues!!!).

This is from Challenge #6. They provided a sketch and we are to do an everyday event. Well, the guitar is a gift Erica got for her birthday, but what she does is an everyday event: She's a HAM!!! I tell you, there's not a day that goes by that this girl doesn't crack me up in some way. She loves to show off and entertain. And you should see her when I pull the camera out...SHE starts directing the poses...really!!!These papers are some old left over My Minds Eye papers from a Costco pack about two or three years ago. I added some bling from the Sep KOTM, Doodlebug rub-on letters, and outlined papers using an American Crafts glitter pen (FUN!).

First Day Of School Scrapped...

Anyone scrapping during the ACBailey On-Line crop? With Jeff gone, it's hard to get some dedicated time. However, here it is past midnight and I'm up scrapping (ssshhhhh, don't tell him!). I'll go to bed after this post so I can be somewhat coherent when Erica wakes up tomorrow.

I haven't been feeling very inspired lately, even with the online crop...and that's odd for me. I think it's because I'm home by myself and not with friends. Anyway, I did manage to get this layout done. I downloaded a free template from scrapbooksetc.com and used it to create the photo collage. It was fun. I think I'm getting the hang of it and you may see more of that technique (Doesn't it look alot like color blocking? Yes, that's why I like it so much!).

I posted several weeks ago about Erica's first day. Here are the photos and the final layout. Erica loves the outfit and calls it her "grown up outfit." She had it picked out WEEKS before school started. And she wanted me to french braid her hair. This is the first time I've done it...I need more practice.

The paper is from the Sep KOTM as is the chipboard. I used some left over Bo Bunny ribbon and American Crafts Thickers. Here's hoping I can get more inspiration tomorrow before Jeff comes back...wish me luck!

Online Crop coming...

Get ready, get set, go over to the AC Bailey forum and register for the Fall Into Scrapping Online crop next weekend. Here's the deal:

Join us the weekend of Sep 25-28 for a fun filled online crop! We will
have Jenni Bowlin on for a quick Q&A on Saturday morning and Tracy
Weinzapfel of Helmar and Clear Scraps doing a product Q&A on Sunday.
Of course there will be online games, challenges from our Design Team and LOTS
of goodies given away (You could even win one of the new Cricut Cartridges...did
you know ACBailey now sells Cricut products? Yes, it's TRUE!!!). You
must be a registered member to play.

When you sign up, mention my name (Michelle P) as a referral...and then refer three new people of your own. There will be prizes for people who have 3 or more referrals!!! So get out there and publicize the crop and get some free stuff for yourself!!!

And there's a scrapquest going on. If you participated in the pot of gold contest last spring, it's just like that. If not, here's the deal. You search for five apples. Each apple has a clue for what you need to do on your layout (a sketch, colors to use, tools to use, etc). Find all the apples, create a layout, upload it by the end of next weekend and they'll pick a winner. There are clues for the apples if you get stuck...and I can help, too (wink, wink). So get click happy, find the apples, and create a layout...I'd love for you to be a winner (if I don't win, of course).

Caught up???

Well, I thought I was except for the first day of school (I'm waiting for the ACBailey Sep Kit of the Month)...and then I went to the fair and had Erica's birthday party...and remembered about two years worth of Disney photos. And this weekend we're driving thru Denali with the Road Lottery (yeah!). I actually left a crop early cuz I had nothing else to scrap (and no Disney photos on my new computer).

My first two digital layouts were centered around blueberry picking this summer. I decided to go ahead and scrap the event on paper since I don't have a 12x12 printer...and because the layouts I've done digitally are not that great. This layout was the ACBailey August Sketch. The papers for this layout are from the Pink Paisley Captivating line. I also used the coordinating cardstock and stickers.

Here's some new inspiration!!!

Just a fun post to ask you to check out Becky June's blog. She's very talented! I was first introduced to her work when she was a designer for AC Bailey. She just posted that she's going to be published in Scrapbook Trends...my FAVORITE magazine for inspiration.

So check out her blog...and post a comment on THIS post. She's going to have a drawing from all the posts for some fun stuff. Mention that I sent you there and we'll get extra "points" for the drawing. Good luck and enjoy her layouts. Her blog is also listed in my favorites list on the right: One Scrappin' Mamma.

What a helper...

OK, I've been a slacker again when I said I wouldn't...but I've been out with Bronchitis, so I've been resting alot lately. I've been on antibiotics for five days and am still not feeling much better. I think I need to go back and see him...I should be feeling better by now. But enough of the woe is me...

Erica has always been a big helper. She likes to please and she likes to feel like a big girl. These pictures are really old (two years, I think). I think I overlooked them waaay back when because I was more of a 2-pg scrapper and couldn't get two pages out of them. I've been finding myself scrapping more 1-pg layouts recently, so I blew off the dust and scrapped them.
I'm just about done with all the Aug KOTM supplies. I still have lots of chipboard and ribbon, but most of the papers are used. I love how many projects I get out of these kits!!!

Roll in the Hay...Roll in the Hay

Quick...what movie is that from? Terri Garr (I hope I spelled her name correctly) said the line in a cute little German accent...Young Frankenstein!!! OK...sorry, I couldn't resist. When I think of hay rides, that line always comes to mind (if you haven't seen the movie, do so...it's hilarious!!!).

But I digress...When we went to Pyrah's Pioneer Peak Farm with the Girls Scouts (and a few weeks later with Erica's school class), we got to go on a hay ride. This was most of the girls' first hay ride, including Erica. They all had a great time...and the day was absolutely beautiful!!!

I lifted this layout from Scrapbook Trends (again, yes) and used some Stampin' Up! papers and buttons along with Pink Paisley alphas and misc embellishments from my stash.

Another old Kit of the Month Layout

Mid August Erica and I went with another Daisy/Brownie troop to Pyrah's Pioneer Peek Farm. It was a hoot! We went on a hay ride to see the farm, learned about the different vegetables (did you know that carrots and potatoes get sunburned? they do!!!), and then wandered thru the farm to pick our own veggies. They challenged us to pick items we had never had before. So Erica picked a Kohlrabi and I picked a Turnip...what do you do with turnips anyway???

This layout uses more papers and alphas from the ACBailey April Kit of the Month. I also used a butterfly from the May KOTM and stitched the flight trail (not my idea). Oh, and the layout is lifted from a digital layout I saw in Scrapbook Trends. You'll notice all the old kits are sold out...they are HOT. And now you get an opportunity to purchase exclusive add-on kits (I can't even link you to them because they are soooo exclusive) when you subscribe. Take a look at the subscriptions. When you sign up with my name (Michelle P), I'll make sure you get a monthly inspiration file with pictures and instructions for layouts, cards, and projects. Oh, and shipping is always free with the subscription!!!

Back in the groove...

Wow...has it been two weeks since I last blogged? If you're reading this, you haven't given up on me...thank you!!! I'll try to be better.

On the bright side, I went to an all day crop on Saturday and actually ran out of photos. No, I'm not caught up. I have a new computer and haven't moved over my photos from the old computer. So all I have are pictures from after late July. I did have my first day of school pix, but I'm waiting for me new AC Bailey Sep KOTM to scrap those. We did go to the AK State Fair on Wed, but I didn't download those pix, so I didn't have them. I'll post every few days so maybe I'll have a chance to scrap some more and not get behind again.

Of course, I have to post my favorite first. While I'm waiting for the KOTM to do the first day of school, I decided to go ahead and scrap our First Day of School Tradition: The Muffin Man. I take off work in the morning, we drop Jeff off at work, and go to The Muffin Man for breakfast. I'm not sure if she's more excited for the muffin or for the first day of school. I really like how the layout turned out...it reminds me of the chocolate muffin she ate.
The papers, flower, sticker, and glittered cardstock are from the AC Bailey Feb KOTM (Basic Grey). And the fabric tag is from the AC Bailey May KOTM (yes, I'm trying to use up these kits before they sit around and get more dust). And I added some Thickers for the title...you know how much I LOVE Thickers!!!