Pumpkin Album COMPLETE!

TAADAA!!!  Here is my completed Vala's Pumpkin Patch album.  I was so excited to put this little gem together.  I covered the album early in the fall in preparation for one of our favorite annual fall traditions of multiple trips to our STELLAR local pumpkin patch.  This is a My Monster Creations pumpkin album.  So, without further ado...HERE IT IS!!!

 Front cover which includes an acrylic cover.

Inside front cover and front side of the first Tim Holtz Grungeboard sheet (cut to fit) that I added in between each page of the original book.  This was to allow for more pictures and keep sakes.  I was able to fit a total of 31 or 32 wallet sized pictures in this perfect little book!  Love the texture of the metal circle clip, burlap, felt leaves, and a Tim Holtz Journaling ticket.

Flip side of the first grunge and second page of the actual book.  The little tree was cut with my Cricut.

Back side of page two of the actual book and the front of the second grunge board page.  Little pumpkins cut out with my Cricut.

Flip side of second grunge page and page three of the book. Another metal circle clip to hold some of the keepsakes of our season pass and a copy of the map/brochure for the 2010 season.  Love sliding journal tags and an extra picture behind other photo mats...

Back side of page three of the book and front of the third piece of grunge.  The cute little pony was cut using my Cricut.

Back side of the third piece of grunge and the final page of the actual book. 

The back cover of the book.











I am so pleased with this little book!  It's the perfect supplement to the numerous 2 page layouts that I made of this years pumpkin patch experience.  It was very fun to create and I will cherish it forever!  I hope you guys like it!  If you swing over to My Monster Creations, please let Amy know that Shelly sent you.  

I hope you are all finding time to love, create, and laugh! 

~Shelly

Welcome 2011

Hello my friends! 

The plan; to post some of my crafty creations very soon.  I finished up my Pumpkin Patch mini album and it turned out SO CUTE!  Then of course I had to make an equally adorable mini album for our Christmas pictures, this particular mini album isn't very mini at all.  I can't wait to show that as well...and a few other little projects I've been obsessing over.  Have any of you gotten into toilet paper roll mini albums?  They're addictive!  I've made THREE in the past couple of weeks.  Two of which I didn't take a single picture of, DOH!  They were gifts.  The third is also a gift to one of my scrapping buddies who's birthday was January 1st.  It is however still in my possession (until we crop this Friday) so I will try to remember to take some pictures before then...

Here's to a terrific 2011 to all of us!  Be sure to focus some energy on loving, creating, and laughing.

Peace and love to you all!
~shelly 

Holidays

Hello beautiful happy people!  It has been a while, the holiday season is busy busy for us all, yeah?  We have been busy spending even more time with family and friends.  I say it that way because I make a conscious effort to spend time with my family and friends all year long.  What a blessing that time ALWAYS is!  I don't believe I will ever find myself regretting that life choice.  I have been taking stock of some personal goals.  Many I have accomplished, some are still a work in progress, and a few I have...failed.  I sure am glad that this life we are blessed to live is a dynamic fluid course so that I can adjust and continue towards the positive movements in my self and my life.  This way it isn't necessary for me to focus on the failures or the accomplishments for that matter.  I can simply acknowledge either and both, breathe, shuffle the goal(s), and keep moving forward (insert that cheesy but sweet Michael W Smith-Place In This World to my life "score").  Hehe, sometimes I crack myself up because for me I  will quote a certain bad-for-you snack's old school yet perfect marketing slogan... "It ain't easy bein cheesy".

So this holiday season is moving swiftly, time just seems to be flying by!  Most of my external gifts have been taken care of, my holiday picture cards have been made, stuffed, and stamped to go out in the mail today, my halls are decked, baking of our family favorites has begun, and our holiday plans are set.  I'm looking forward to having all of my children here with us for the holidays!   In addition to time with my people, I have been able to score some quality crafting time which I will be posting about sometime in the near future either here or on my original crafting site, or even both.  ;)

This one's going to stay short and sweet.  I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season!

Peace and love,
~shelly

Feeling it? All 39 years...

Hi guys!  Shelly here with a warm hello.  This past weekend went by fast!  I was able to scrapbook Friday night with a couple of good friends at one of our LSS, good times and home made food.   I also managed to score some NEW friends while cropping!  I LOVE when that happens... creative friend gatherer, that's me!  Saturday was my 39th birthday I spent the early part of my day with Super Tuper and Beauty Princess then I drove almost 3 hours to spend the night with Chuckles.  His fraternity had their annual Parents Night, good birthday fun was had.  The Hubster spent the weekend (and the next several days from dawn til dark) on top of his brothers house helping re-roof.  EEK! 

Hubster looks good in Yellow

Do any of you find yourself reflecting on or around your birthday?  Since I was too busy this weekend today was spent contemplating the years that have gone by, it makes me FEEL so much. 
I am grateful to be so blessed with all that is my today.
Amused to have experienced SO many great times with so many great people... girls nights, weddings, birthdays, family reunions, holiday parties, night clubs, belly laughs, shenanigans, poker, slumber parties, high school dating, cruising, travel... so many moments worth remembering, talking about, and laughing all over again. 
Love- my family.
Baffled by some of my larger life choices, some relationships, education, career... Are there things you would do differently?
My heart swells with both sadness and ridiculous levels of happiness while remembering the very foundation of my life, my parents.  
I am wistful thinking of the what ifs, missed opportunities, self doubt, wrong choices, which I DO realize all made me who I am today and all that jazz but yeah...wistful.
As I reminisce about me as a child this is where I go feelings wise; fortunate not of the wealthy variety but of the loved and part of a village variety, liberated by being told I can do anything I chose to do...not that I have...but that's totally my bad, devoted much of that village is prevalent in my life such as aunts, uncles, brother, sisters, cousins, family friends...etc, impatient with myself, I wonder exactly when introspection came into my consciousness?  I tend to act or speak now and think later kind of person.  Why wasn't I more self aware, more forward thinking, more honest with myself?
I am profoundly amazed at the friendships I have made and maintained for significant lengths of time with such phenomenal people.  Truly amazed...consistently.
I feel alive this time of year.  Brisk air, vibrant colors, all around fall-ness...I am moved!
Where there is family there are traditions and expectations, roles to maintain,  a feeling of camaraderie, to belong, one of many, those from whence I came, kind of vibe, and I dig it.
I have been in a transition period this year so there is an ever present vulnerable/slippery slope which seemingly walks hand in hand with any abstruse life turn-about.  This may be the root of the wistfulness...
There is hope above all else.  With abstruse- vulnerable- turn-about- slippery- slope-iness comes great opportunity for personal growth.  The possibility of finding a truth that is the basis of what you are to do, to be, to set free... Last feeling I care to share for today is proud to be seeking the truth of it all.  What's your true happiness, your to do, to be, to set free?
Peace and Love,
~shelly

A couple Cosmo Cricket Earth Love single page layouts.

I started a "hybrid" family and friends We R Memory Keepers Album that these particular layouts are going into.  Just wanted to share a couple of pages that I made last week.  I LOVE Cosmo Cricket's Earth Love line.  I bought a packet at Archivers and am SO glad that I did, the palette is beautiful.  I apologize for the picture quality or lack there of... my daylight hours are spent dancing to Super Tuper's tune so no time for layout photography, AND my camera's not back from being fixed so yeah using my Evo camera, you get the idea from they whack-a-do photo's though, right?  

This is one of my many soul sisters, who is a (happily) displaced; city, high heel wearing, diva-ish girl whom now lives a (I kid you not), cans her own vegetables, makes her own jam, ever heard of home made red pickles? me either but yeah...yum, back woods, country (although well decorated) bumpkin, kind of life.  She let me wear her hot pink mud boots out to see her beautiful horses in the...what's that word?..um pasture.  I was so happy to be there with her because as the tag envelope slot says...birds of a feather flock together.  And so we do even though she tried to get me to hold a live chicken...seriously.  Sadly I did not get a picture of either of us looking at the camera.  Yet I couldn't NOT put them in the book... that would be tragic!

This one is of the Hubster's family and is especially touching as we lost his beautiful Grandma "Lou" this past year.  What an inspiration their (Grandma Lou & Grandpa O) love story is...

This was the first time Super Tuper to the Rescue met his great grandparents.  We drove up north to the Duluth area where The Hubster's parents, grandparents, etc all reside.  Needless to say they just couldn't get enough of our little angel faced baby boy and super toddler in the making.


Check back tomorrow I'm going to try to post my first layout that includes some cuts from the Imagine!  Woot woot!

Peace and love,
~shelly 

End of year Intentions for Stumblina...

Hi all, Shelly here with a quick little end of the year intentions check for me...  I can not believe how fast 2010 has gone by, it's almost OCTOBER!  That's insane, I think back to the beginning of this year and I feel both a sense of accomplishment (being a SAHM is NOT easy, and I feel like I'm close to rocking that out!  sorta.)  It's also not easy to transition from being a successful, professional, working mother, to a "domestic", stumble through the most mundane chores, SAHM and wife.  And stumble oh yes I do, over and over...that's me Stumblina.  I also feel like I'm finally, nine months later (since losing my job), starting to hit a stride with all of this domestic, mommy, baking, clean out my linen closets?, journey.  Having said that it is time to set some short and long term goals.  SO, lets here is a snippet of what I am moving towards; before the end of this year.  Above all of my regular to-do things, these are supplemental to-do's that I have either failed at previously or never really attempted...  Shall we list it?  Yes we shall in no particular order....

Start and maintain a healthier lifestyle.
  * Action plan-dust off my yoga and 30 day shred video's (Jillian Michaels is NO joke) AND my treadmill, eat an occasional raw vegetable along side my junk food (baby steps people), drink some water (yes I can sadly admit that I rarely drink water), get outside and walk with "Super Tuper to Da Rescue" I LOVE fall, get more rest, meditate at least once a week.  This is not an all inclusive list because my level of unhealthy is wide and encompassing of many area's of my life...  As always I appreciate any suggestions you may have so please, comment or email away lovecreatelaugh@gmail.com

Survive the holidays on a budget.
  * Action plan-iron out a reasonable budget with the hubster.  Wish me luck people!  This man I love is not gifted at gift giving and doesn't comprehend my level of holiday insanity.  I love to bake, decorate the whole house inside and out, entertain, and give give give.  In other words, "The Hubster" and I are polar opposites on yet another front.  I know they say opposites attract, and I can get behind that 100% because he's MY hubba hubba man.  However, what says you people about opposites peacefully living together?  I have never heard of or experienced THAT particular nirvana, have you?!  Rambling... moving on...

Send out hand made cards for Christmas WITH a picture!  This sounds simple but for me is not...  The hand making cards has been done by me successfully (pre-Super Tuper days) so it's feasible in my head.  Having the foresight to have pictures either taken or take my own and order an appropriate # to be included with enough time to actually include them in a mailing to arrive before that actual holiday was very much above my "past tense" capabilities...this year I CAN DO IT!
  * Action plan- figure out what I want the picture to be and schedule it to either be taken or to take myself.   All of us?, Super Tuper alone or with Chuckles and Beauty Princess?  With the pain in the couch dent dogs or without?  It's all too much to consider right now.
  * Start making Christmas cards, my list is extensive! Starting soon, I'll post pictures.
  * Update and type my list in a label-printable format.  I'm sure there is a word for label-printable format which I can not currently think of...  Humph.  Should I add expand my vocabulary to my end of year to do list?  Actually it's already on another "things I'm working on improving" list.  Can items be double listed?  They can...should they?  Can't say. 

Send out hand made invitations to "Super Tuper's" 3rd Birthday Party.  See above picture organizational issues in Christmas cards...same goes.  Super Tuper's birthday is mid January so I have yet to get to invitations made and mailed in an appropriate time frame because I'm generally still reeling from the holidays well into mid January...and so, drop said birthday ball...sad but true!  (last years invite was *hanging head in shame* sent via a mass text message-true story)  This year is going to be different because some aspects of Jan 2011 festivities will be well in hand prior to ringing in the new year... (fingers crossed)  The way my rambling goes in my head... have moved into a list of other 2011 festivities that require my attention sooner than later...panic.  (pause to play in a pillow and blanket tent built by one very Super Tuper and make a HUGE batch of cheesy potato soup).  All better...action plan up in the air for the moment.

I would like to find a way to give back to our community this year.  Many years ago I did volunteer work.  It was incredibly rewarding and something I have been missing in my life for entirely too long.
  * Action plan-research some options.

Regular blog post.  This process is very therapeutic for me and so it is a designated part of my self improvement movement that I am again stumbling through.  Stumblina.  Yes I do stumble...ALL. THE. TIME.
  * Action plan; post more frequently.  Possibly draw up a schedule?  I have commitment issues so a schedule makes me cringe a little bit.  Odd...I am.

This is just the beginning of this list but wanted to pose the question to all of you... what is on your to do list for the end of 2010?  Care to share?  Incidentally, I also want to make it known to the Universe, or whatever that this is my intention.  I've heard making these intentions known is a good thing.  So, there it is!

Peace and love to you!
~shelly

Pumpkin Patch Album

Hey there!  Shelly here, this is a My Monster Creations pumpkin album that I'm working on for my pumpkin patch pictures I'll be taking VERY soon!  Fall is my favorite time of year for so many reasons, brisk fall air, Chili, sweatshirts and warm fuzzy socks, football watching with "the Hubster" (fantasy football domination), beautiful warm colors every where as fall in the midwest is spectacular, pumpkin muffins, and one very popular local attraction is now open for business, Vala's Pumpkin Patch.  I'm super excited this year, since I'm recently enlisted in the SAHM army of love it made sense to get a season pass... yay!  Me and "Super Tuper to da rescue" have big plans of circling this place regularly.  Some of my up coming photo-ops...there is a seemingly endless map of family oriented attractions, pony rides, fun hay-rack tractor rides to one of the abundant pumpkin patches to search for our very own "perfect pumpkin", delicious home baked goods, and carmel apples that keep people coming back year after year!  SO, in anticipation of my Canon getting a work out... I have proactively started on this little pumpkin gem to supplement "Super Tuper to da rescue's" normal 12x12 yearly CM strap bound album, and several pages in the "friends and family" We are Memory Keepers three ring hybrid album that is an ongoing venture...  Just sayin!  These pics will be EVERY where!  

For this any many other reasons I am glad that I found My Monster Creations because these awesome board books are excellent for these supplemental little "event or destination" books I have a zoo one and now this Vala's book.  AND these MMC albums are easy peasy to make as gifts for others!  Do I sound like a commercial?  Haha.  The pumpkin is appx 7 1/4 x 8 1/4 it comes with four MDF pages and one acrylic cover.  Because of the large quantity of pictures I plan on taking, I added some additional pages in between the MDF with some Tim Hotlz Grunge board that I cut to shape and either covered with paper, painted, or used some Tim Holtz distress ink.  I am going to print my pictures at either 3x5 or wallet size in order to get as many as possible in the book.  I'm also planning to add some groovy little envelopes for some journal tags, extra pictures, and keepsakes from the patch.  And of course I'll be using my Cricut Expression and Imagine to create the perfect die cut embellies, I'm certain there will be some bling; stickles and i-rock style, and can you say burlap (oh yeah) to finish it all off...  I'll be posting pictures of the finished book sometime late fall or early winter so keep your eyes peeled for that! 

I hope you like my little book thus far and if you happen to jump over to My Monster Creations let Amy know that Shelly sent you! 

Feel free to click on the images to enlarge them.

Front cover, click to enlarge so you can see the acrylic

Pg 1 (inside of cover) grunge board pg 2

The striped paper (above right) and green paint (below) is on the first page of Tim Holtz Grunge board with a ribbon pull tab stapled on.

Grunge board green paint pg 3, pumpkin paper pg 4

pg 5 Orange w black spider paper, pg 6 grunge diamond pattern, pg 7-distress inked

reversed side of grunge (not shown is the polka dot pattern the grunge came as, I distress inked it a couple different colors and stapled the orange ribbon pull tab) pg 8-large polka dot paper shown behind the grunge board

Pg 9 Diamond patterned, pg 10 orange painted grunge board

Above-pg 11 (not shown)which is the back page of grunge board it is covered in green background with orange, purple, green, white, and black bats paper. Pg 12 is the purple star patterned paper shown behind the grunge board above right.  I sure hope this is all making sense...

Back cover of book.

So there are 12 pages inside the book in addition to the front and back covers-14 total.  If I'm not explaining this well feel free to email or comment with any questions. 

Materials used;

*Adirondack Acrylic Paint Dabber-Lettuce (I think) Halloween-ey green (see book, page 3 grunge board also painted with this dauber) I also used an orange dauber and Tim Holtz distress inks, and black cat eye to distress and edge the grunge.  The daubers come in a three pack at Michaels with a 40% off coupon, ROCK STAR!  I love my daubers.  You can't really tell but the edges of all the MDF pages are painted with the green paint as well, super cute.

*Front cover letters (Vala's Pumpkin Patch, white) are Basic Grey Ambrosia Alphabet stickers.

*Front cover numbers (2010, purple) are Echo Park Happy Halloween Alpha Stickers

* I used two different paper packs because I wanted this to be pumpkin patch-ish and not so much the halloween/ trick or treating themed.  SO, I picked coordinating pages from My Minds Eye-Blackbird collection and Little Yellow Bicycle-Booville collection.  I adore both of these collections and I also have a Basic Grey line the alpha's came from, I made a little Basic Grey circle chip board book which came as a kit from a booth at a Scrapbook Expo that only sold Basic Grey.  I'm sooo set for my halloween projects this year!  

* Random ribbon and raffia from my stash. 

Ok this is a VERY long post.  However, I have one last tidbit... I would like to thank the lovely TraciVee from www.neverfullpricescrapbooking.blogspot.com for the Tim Holtz Grunge board (among many other awesome prizes) which I was LUCKY enough to have won from a recent give away!  I was SO excited and have to admit I have never used grunge board before and I am now a huge fan.  I also used some of the ribbon I received from Traci, the zig zag orange and green.  So, again thank you so much Traci!

And with that; until next time...here's hoping we all have a healthy dose of love, some creative time, and laughter filled days.

Peace and love to all of my crafty friends...

~shelly