SUMMER TIME IS HERE

haha My kids are out of school already for summer.. We have had a very unusually cool spring and our weather does not feel any where near summer yet.  Usually we are in the 80’s to low 90’s right now.  Today our high is forecasted to be only 73*   I'm not complaining I love the cooler weather.  Our summers are usually so long and HOT that this is really quite nice.  My husband whom loves the heat is complaining about it. 

Our garden is coming along nicely.   This is the first summer at this house and we weren't sure where to plant a garden.  Most of the yard that gets full sun is the front lawn.  I wanted to take out the front lawn but being renters we just cant do that.

So we put a small one in on the side of the drive way.  I was thrilled when I noticed the neighbors across the street had put one in the alley.  Talk about using what you have.

This pic was taken on 5/18

It don’t look like much now but it is growing… Because I took this picture on 5/25 with the cell and you can see a difference esp. in that zucchini.. that stuff grew an amazing amount in a couple of days.

 

So I've been busy outdoors with planting stuff.  I have 15 pumpkin plants that came up.. I hope they all live.  Three are in this area and the rest on the side of the house..

I have made two pages..

this one came to be, because my sister said oh look at my little family of 2 how sad.. we were all taking group photos on Easter.  I personally feel a family is a family no matter how many or how few.  No matter if it’s a Single mom or dad, a Blended family, or if its two moms or two dads.  Whatever you choose to live in, raise your kids in and be HAPPY in.  That to me is a Family.  So I did this page for her.  I loved the pic from the moment I took it.

 

Then My cousin Marie.. AKA Bettie scrapbook Gave me a pile of Teresa Collins papers in the welcome home collection.  I loved the page that had all the frames on it and was thinking how fun it would be to put pictures in the frames and place them as if they were on a wall.  I don’t know why but that Idea popped in to my head and I couldn’t get it out.  So this is what I came up with.

 

I dug out the most wall paper-ish looking Patterned Papers I could find. It came out sort of how I envisioned it.  I really was wanting to use more color but everything I tried I didn't like.  I guess I cant be brave and use color very often.   Oh but I did do a colorful page a bit back I Haven't shared..

 

I wish I could do every page like that. BRIGHT Grab you and whack you in the head colors. But sometimes it just doesn’t feel right when you try. I want to TRY this more often.. More color and with summer on its way I hope I can get more bright colors on to pages.

Right now I prefer the antique and distressed look along with the colors that are the same. Those more brownish colors are safe to me lol..

So lets try to think out side of our little box..I'm going to TRY more color not just color but BRIGHT colors..

Oh and the above was not for any challenges at SB.com as you know challenges keep me working on pages and this month the cosmo cricket challenge was to fussy cut.  http://www.scrapbook.com/forums/showtopic.php?tid/1557523/  Here is the link if you want to check it out.  There are a couple  more days to get things in.   I hand cut the flowers and strawberry.  SIGH cosmo is my very favorite paper line.. perhaps that’s why I don’t use the bright colors much seeing how they have nice vintage feeling colors.

 

 

anyways for those that read Hang in there Summer is Near and we all might be able to pull off some super bright pages.  We will be up to our ears in Zucchini in a month or so..and I will prob. blog how I like to cook them lol 

So look now, I'm not slacking!

I remembered to post yet another post on this poor little blog.  I had a wonderful Easter.  We went to my cousins house and almost the whole family was there.  It was so fun we had a Easter bonnet contest.  This was my entry.

I made this up on Earth day.  I used a old Pepsi box, A old dress that I had gotten bleach on at some point, a paper doily, rolled paper flowers, some pipe cleaners, and crape paper streamer.  The pearls were treasure that was found in my vintage jar of buttons!  The little bird was from dollar tree, as well as the chop sticks holding it on my head.  Beacons 3 in 1 advanced craft glue held it all together and I was really happy with how easy the glue was to use on this sort of project.

Here is a better view you can see the fun paper flowers.  I used Glimmer mist in Popsicle , pink bubble gum, and sunshine.  I then misted the entire thing with a clear coat from Tattered Angels that was called bubbles. 

 

This was really fun to make and I have a second one in my head that I want to make in the Steampunk style.    GOSH do I have a million ideas for other hats. 

 

There were loads of great hats to chose from.  Here we all are in the line up  I really loved the little girl who wanted a unicorn hat it was so cute.  I loved the bunny ears and all the fun designs of the hats. 

I ended up winning with my hat.  Which was really fun and exciting.

 

The family get together was so fun.   I got a decent family picture. 

Though,  my there were two cameras taking photos and we all looked at different ones lol

This next picture I can not wait to scrap!  My sweet Niece with her ‘stache necklace and my little hat is just too cute!

Speaking of Scrapbooking… I have a few pages to share.

 

I did a page for the Cosmo cricket challenge over at scrapbook.com.. I'm planty there if you want to say HI I used loads of glimmer mist  and have been really into crape paper streamers.. as you who follow know.. The twist was to use two different alphas in your title.  

I've really been rocking the challenges to get some pages done.  I hate when I don’t make pages so I love throwing myself into challenges over at Scrapbook.com

this one was for the Technique Challenge – April  Use stamping masking and stitching on your page..

 

For a while my son loved to make this face in every photo… his MySpace face.  I think we all ended up doing it at least once for a photo.

 

Ok and the last page I have to share today.. I have had this bo bunny paper laying around for a while.  It was very intimidating and I tried many times to use it.  I finally used it with a photo of my youngest holding a worm from the garden.

 

 scrap on good friends….

 

I believe in myself… I WILL update again.  Hopefully I can keep rocking out the layouts as well..

Determined to fix this…

Ahh as we all know I slack..so forget about why… we all know why.  But I want to keep my blog I truly do..

I've been trying really hard to keep working on pages.  When I'm not making pages I feel sad inside. 

The thought to quit making pages came to mind not long ago.  I just don’t have money for supplies.  I have run through many of my hoarded papers.  In fact the luxury of buying anything is quite far fetched at this point.  I mean really if I have 20 bucks I need to buy groceries. 

I have gotten quite creative in my pages lately.  Using less than desirable papers.  The backs of Christmas papers that can pass for non Christmas papers.   I went to the Thrift store and bought a lovely hymn book.. Now I may be going to hell for this but I have been using the pages from it on many of my layouts.  I love music note paper and it was .25 for the book.  Here is one on my tattoo page.  I try to find the song title that sort of goes with the feeling of the page which is kind of fun.

I made this cute little Easter plaque for my sister.  I had bought a cheesy romance novel (.25)  with lovely yellowing of the pages.  I know its not the best thing to tear up books but really it was a no great loss…. some no  name author and a really bad romance novel. But look at that great flower.  Thankfully my LSS has a die cut room and I was able to cut out a bunch of shapes with the die cuts. 

 

A second Easter plaque I made for my mother.  See the music paper… I also cut out the birdcage and eggs form vintage book page I found online.  Luckily I bought a very large ink refill kit on eBay a while back. I can print all sorts of fun stuff to use on my pages.  Like the vintage post cards.

Here is a Easter page the BG paper is actually a Christmas paper.  this was for a button challenge over at Scrapbook.com you had to use at least 35 buttons or go crazy for 75  I made that little button tree which held 45 but decided to keep adding and go for the 75.  

This was the last time my kids were dressed nice for Easter. Since then my husband lost his “good” job and my life has gone down hill ever since. But we try to keep the good.  

My kids really didn’t like the new stuff anyway.  The much more preferred to have candy and hunt eggs anyways.  So the past couple years that is all we have focused on.  Making the fun family memories… that once they are adults they wont really care or remember if we were poor.  They got candy and colored eggs to hunt anyway.

 

So I will close this entry with the great HOPE of updating yet again ..and it not being MONTHS away .  I know that this week we will be coloring eggs… I would like to share that process with you as well.  Think of all fun pages the photos of egg coloring will make.  

Keep creating it’s good for the heart and soul XOXO

NO apologies…

It has already been established.. I'm a total slacker with this blog.. I love the idea of a blog but really Facebook sort of does it all for me. 

Really the holidays stress me out.  I get over whelmed and drawn out too thin.  

So many things have changed.  I moved across town.. I am now in a older home.. No longer in a small 2 bd apt.  which is really exciting.  I have a HUGE yard.. My Teen has his OWN room.. But moving was stressful.. so much work involved with it.  I had been in my apt for 8 years.  That’s a long time and we had a lot of crap.  I moved in here just before Thanksgiving. It was so hard to go to my moms house everyday and cook knowing I had so much to do at home.  We are still living in boxes.  We had Christmas in our own home for the first time.  That apt was far too small for a tree and what not so this year the kids woke up to their own tree that Santa brought gifts to. 

I have this little breakfast nook in my home that I have a vision for.  I want to make it my scrap area!!   My vision though can’t seem to come together.

I need a table and some sort of shelves.

 

ALSO something I did not know about old homes.. We have a seriously difficult moisture problem.  The walls are Cinderblock and while its nice and toasty inside the cold of the outside causes condensation on the walls that are outside walls.  We have learned quickly to keep airflow which is kind of hard when I’m cold and do not want a fan blowing.  I learned the hard way about the mold.. Nothing can be up against the walls.. I had a box of scrap stuff and my huge rolling tote up against the wall.  BAD idea.  The smaller totes were able o go in to the washer.. The large roller Not so much. 

Not a pretty sight   there was some paper that had to be thrown out, I have put the tote outside I don’t know if I can even clean it seeing how its black and bleach would ruin it anyways. 

So I haven't had much time to create lately I've been battling mold, stress, and depression.   Those are my reasons for neglecting this poor blog.  Perhaps I will once again find the time.  I have to keep busy; and keep the depression I fight with daily at bay.

I feel better when I create, I feel better when I shop, I feel better when I have some awesome finds.. Like buttons!

TWO awesome jars of vintage buttons.  I also have this really cool pink tray thingy to put them in.

Yes I love me some vintage buttons <3

and I will close with the only page I've made since my last post

This is for the Cosmo Cricket Challenge over at Scrapbook.com 

Halloween is always so fun to scrap.

I wanted to post his page up for http://www.paperissues.blogspot.com/ I looked at all the other lovely projects and would like to post mine as well.  I swear I am always blown away by the talent some people have.

Michaels craft store had this awesome line of paper this year called 

Recollections RAVENHEAD MANOR it is just awesome and actually goes well with the My minds eye Haunted line.  I was all over these two lines this year.  I also saw a sweet layout at scrapbook.com  by Penny lane..it is here  

http://www.scrapbook.com/galleries/527639/view/2945105/-1/1.html  I really loved how she used the little banner and totally knew I had to do it with crape paper.  Thank you so much PennyLane for an awesome Idea…

This photo was a bit blurry as it was my old camera nearing the end of its life.  But I was so in love with it, and it was a moment that really could not have been recreated. 

So any way Thank you for looking

I am such a slacker!

I swear I am the biggest blog slacker in the world!   So I will try yet again to update this poor thing like normal humans do.

 

so here it is 2 days before Halloween.  I have made many projects and pages but have not posted them and I feel it should be done right now.

 

I always scrap last years photos this year.. if that makes since..

so here we have Scott with his booty from Halloween night..

Melanie and Tiff carving pumpkins.. I love the haunted line from My minds eye.  It has a awesome paper bag feel and color  to it.

This is Bud Bud last year.  He is so funny he loves to go door to door and look inside peoples homes.

Markies big bar from Halloween night

 

I have this odd way of making many little hanger things.. Luckily my sister is more than happy to snap them up for her apt.

as you can see I love crape paper.  It gives such a fun touch and if you are careful you can use glimmer mist on it to add sparkle.

Up next is a fun sugar skull I made.  Looking back I know I could have done better but at the time I was not home so I had to make due with what I had in my scrap bag.

 

so yet again I promise to keep up my blog..  Perhaps it will be easier now that my hubby has a new job.  I also hope to be moving from this apt soon.  Keep your fingers crossed we need more room.

Back into the swing of things!

My computer hard drive crashed.  It was a dark day in the Baccus House hold.  It took a week to get the computer fixed and I lost all of my links and favorites.. :(  I'm slowly getting back to my normal on-line routine.

 

Today is Mothers day and I would LOVE to wish all the Moms that visit a very warm holiday.  I know today will be the best for all of you.

The past few weeks I made quite a few pages that I will share with you..

This past weekend was full of fun.  We had a BBQ at the park with my SIL it was just a perfect day.  Nothing beats being outside and cooking over an open flame.  :)

 

So that's about it for today I'm going to enjoy the rest of my Mothers day and DO NOTHING :)