Scrap Girls - Digi Layout Contest - What Makes Me Happy

Digital Layout

 The journaling reads:

What makes me happy?  Pumpkin Lattes,  from October thru December.  My 12-year old daughter making scones - just because she wants to.  My 11 year-old son wanting to ride his bike to the neighbors and back all by himself (2 miles round trip - we live in the country).  my favorite birch tree turning colors. Mad Men on Sunday nights!  Soccer games and jerseys that have ‘Corona’ on the back - because our team is mostly hispanic,  even if it’s a youth team and not PC! Learning new things.  The hope to be something better!  

Supplies:
Cathy Zielske Layered Template #37 (I changed it a lot!)
Katie Pertiet Collection Manuscrite

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So there's this super duper awesome challenge going on right now at SrapGirls!  They are a digital scrapbooking community whose newsletter visits my e-mailbox almost daily.  And, today, in my little einbox was the announcement that a challenge was going on - with ipod shuffle prizes!
Yep.  Ipod.

I'm not much of a digital scrapbooker.  But, I am trying!


Go play, too!

What I Know About You - A Layout about my Father

What I Know About You
(click on image to read journaling)

This is the first 'real' layout I have made about my Dad. He died close to 20 years ago (this coming August) and every time I attempt to do a layout, I step away from it.

This layout was actually inspired by the current challenge over at the Good Grief Blog. The challenge is to 'report simply'. I have to say, making a simple list, and simple layout, finally brought me to the scrapping table - actually, digi-table. All that you see in the layout above are digi-elements, and very basic. Nothing fancy. (I'll add my sources later. This layout is due tonight!)

I have been following the Good Grief Blog for sometime. If you have lost someone close, and are grieving, I suggest you follow it, and leave a comment now and then so the girls don't feel alone. What they are doing takes so much courage! Let them know you are there supporting them and how much you appreciate their work. Eventually you will be able to tackle the emotions, and put your thoughts on paper as well. Believe me, it does take a while!

The photos: The top is from when I graduated from CSU Chico. 1988. I love how my dad has the tassle on his ear. He always had a playful sense of humor. My little sister Paula gets that from him. Two years after this photo was taken, my died. Who would have known???

The bottom photo: Is from the year I did a 'road trip' to Missouri with a girlfriend (we left from CA, with our backpacks -it was an epic trip!) and then, my Sister Avis & I drove the route back - she moved to CA that year. I was attending a Jr. College at the time, so it must have been 1984 or so... In the photo, my dad and I are leaning up against his convertible El Dorado Caddy.. That man sure loved his cars and convertables!! (There's another thing to scrapbook!)

Thank you to all the ladies at the Good Grief Blog. I finally did it. You are all an inspiration.

and, thank you to anyone out there reading this as well:)

Some Layouts to Share

Digi Layout of Sami's New Birthday Duds

Traditional Layout (paper, stamps, etc.)
of Jake Making His Monster Snow Ball!

Just thought I would share some things I have worked on lately! The layout of Jake was for the Hero Arts 'pocket' challenge, and the layout of Sami is for a 2peas Digi Class for January.

I have another layout of Jake, but can't find where my darn computer filed it! ARG! It's a 12x12 layout that was 'stitched'. Every time I do something different in Adobe PSE3 (take photo, take scan, or create new canvas, or save as jpg) it files it somewhere funky....

Still learning that darn program...

Have a great day!

Are You Ready for Another Digi Layout?

Beautiful - Samantha, Sacramento River, Chico CA

Can you believe it? Look! Another digital layout!! So, I 'got to' learn how to convert a color photo to black and white by using the level & saturation options...aka, knobs to turn up the lightness or make the shadows darker, etc... Fun stuff!

I also am learning how to 'flatten' jpeg files and save them to different pixel dimensions so they don't take up so much space when they are uploaded to the web (like a blog) or emailed... Man, do they fly faster now! Who knew? Certainly not me!!

Gee, this is fun stuff!

OK, back to 'life outside my computer'! We had a whopper of a storm today... snow, etc. All day long! The snow did not stick, turned to rain, but, that means ice tomorrow.. Yuck.

I bought the kids and I our Halloween costumes! Tee hee! Yep! Bought.. and Yep! I have a costume, too! This year, if the weather is clear, we are going to drive over to a historic hotel about an hour away that is putting on a haunted house, trick or treat, and all the bells and whistles... This will be our first Halloween Haunted House! I hope we are ready for this... the kids and me, that is.. I do not like scary things... but, the kids are getting big, and I am so tired of trick or treating downtown in the freezing cold! The hotel at least will be indoors...the entire 2nd floor is devoted to trick or treating, and it's historic, which means it lends itself to all sorts of 'great' Halloween decor!

On the Slow Cooker Movement: Dick cooked tonight! Slow cooked on the stove 'Dick's Beans'. Now, keep in mind he is a cowboy.. not your typical beans.. his beans must have meat.. This was a chuck roast with beans stew type of dinner... and cowboy biscuits! Yum... A big hit..

I'm going to waddle off to bed! It's very cozy in our house right now.. even though it is about 30 degrees outside (at 9pm!)...

Soccer Coaches - DigiScrap Style!

A tribute to Jake's Soccer Coaches

So, soccer has come and gone! THAT was a fast six weeks! This was the first year I had Sami & Jake on separate teams... so Jake could be 'the big boy' for once... Man, talk about logistics! For you 'active' mom's out there that have more than 2 kids with separate activities... my hat is off to you!!!

So, the layout above is my first Digital Scrapbook Page... Uh Huh.. That's right... Digital! I am taking an online class from THE DigiQueen Jessica Sprague herself! How about that??? It is so darn cool! We are in the first week and have 3 more to go... I am so darn excited! I use Photoshop Elements 3 - and have had it for a few years now but could not figure 'stuff' out on my own.. other than quick photo fixes and organizing and printing my photos. So, I bit the bullet... and well, look!!!

Now for all my paper and ink girly & boy friends - don't fret!!! This is just another one of my tools! I am so excited and I will probably be one of those 'hybrid' scrappers... Manipulate w/ computer, and ink, embellies, and dimensions...

Oh.. and yes, I did see the typo in the journaling on the digipage... I'll have to 'deal' with that later!

I might need a new computer though! Oh, Santa Baby!!!!