Hand Stamped By Lacey

Ribbon Day - Magnolia Product Spotlight Sale

Hello stamping friends. 

We had a wonderful weekend at Universal Orlando with out friends. I am tired and my feet are sore, but it was well worth it. I will have to go over details about the trip later. We came home to Tropical Storm Beryl! I stayed up late watching the news to make sure that the storm came on shore without strengthening into a Hurricane - I didn't want to wake up to a surprise! So far we are fine - we still have internet and power and no damage. It's just wet and occasionally windy. The storm is moving slow so it will stay over us through Wednesday so there is a chance of flooding in some areas. That means there is still a slight chance of loosing power/internet. 

Anyway, today is a Holiday and I have my kids home so I don't want to spend too much time working today. Therefore let's get to business...

There is a new Weekly Candy over at the Stamp and Create Blog...

Shoot the Puck from Wags 'n Whiskers. You can enter the candy here.

The new Product Spotlight This week is: Magnolia Stamps

Up to 25% off through Midnight EST Sunday.

I love that many of the Magnolia stamps are great for scrapbook layouts as well as cards...

I made this fun layout using Gymnastics Tilda from the Winner Takes is All Collection. I've been looking for a stamp so I could scrapbook the Ribbon Day pictures of my kids from a few years ago.

The left side... 

The left side...

Ansley was 5 and Ryan was 3 in these pictures.

I used Cloud & Flag DooHickey, Banner Stamp from Magnolia,  By the Letters Lower and By the Letters Upper dies from My Favorite Things, Light Blue Ric Rac, and White Grosgrain Ribbon.

Tilda was embossed in black onto watercolor paper and watercolored with Twinkling H2Os.

The title was created with By the Letters Lower and By the Letters Uppercase dies from My favorite Things. I just brought these dies in and I am REALLY impressed with them. The glitter cardstock paper I used is VERY thick and some dies have a hard time cutting through them. But I had no problem with the MFT dies! These sets are prefect for scrapbook layouts!! Now I need to see if they have a numeric set!!

I wrote the date on the Magnolia Banner stamp.

This layout is also for the Happy Scrappers Challenge - Anything Goes (scrapbook layouts only).

Make a Wish - Kraftin' Kimmie stamps on sale

Hello stamping friends!!

I need to make this quick because we've had storms and it's messing with my internet service. 

This week's Product spotlight Sale at Stamp and Create is: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps

On sale 25% or more this week. 

The sale runs through Sunday at midnight EST. 

I made a layout to showcase one of the the fun Kraftin' Kimmie stamps on sale this week...

These are some pictures I took during Spring Break on our trip to Tennessee in March.

The left side... 

The right side... 

I used the fun Dandy Lion from Kraftin' Kimmie stamps...perfect for this layout... 

 

Magnolia Clouds & Flag, Doily Flowers, Heart Swirl DooHickey Dies.

 

Twine and Daisy ribbon

I'm entering this into the Happy Scrappers Challenge: Anything Goes (first scrapbook challenge)

Thanks for stopping by! Happy stamping!!

~Lacey

Live * Laugh * Love

Hello stamping friends!! Happy National Scrapbooking Day!! 

I love that there is a day just for scrapbooking!! :-) Every day should be a scrapbooking day, though!! If only I had the time! :-)

Last December I took the kids to the front of our neighborhood and took some photos for our Christmas cards. We live in a golf course community so the front of the neighborhood is filled with beautiful landscape. I took about 100 pictures. Not all came out, but many were really cute! Since I had all of these photos, I wanted to create a fun wall hanging for our family room. Since our family room is neutral colors with a little pop of of red, I grabbed some paper in neutral colors and created some fun collages...

Here they are staged in my craft room (they are in 12"x12" shadow box frame ready to hang)...

Live... 

Laugh...

Love...

I got the papers from my local AC Moore. 

I also used...Magnolia Romatic Lace DooHickey and SU Star punches...

Blooms, mini blooms, Magnolia Angel Wing DooHickey, and White Grosgrain ribbon...

Heart Swirl DooHickey and Me and My Big Ideas glitter chipboard alphabet stickers...

Magnolia Cuddly Siblings and doily

I'm so happy with how it turned out!

This is for the following challenges:

Midweek Magnolias: May Flowers

Just Magnolia: Pearls and Swirls

Totally Tilda: In Stitches (the ribbon is sewn onto each page)

Magnolia Stamp Lovers: Stitching

Thanks for stopping by!! Happy National Scrapbooking Day!!

~Lacey

High Hopes Challenge (Late): Animals

Hello stamping friends!!

So I mentioned that I'm a bit behind this week. We have 3 softball/T-Ball games, T-Ball practice, a carnival, and 2 birthday parties this week! I can't believe I'm saying this, but I can't wait until Monday!! LOL

Oh, by the way, the new Magnolia stamps are now in stock and shipping.

Well I finally finished my project for the High Hopes Animal Challenge! I know I'm 2 days late, but at least it's done, right?! I have another scrapbook layout...

 The left side...

The right side... 

On Spring Break we went to Kingsport, TN to visit my in-laws. While we were there, we went Zip Lining! The kids had a blast!! Even my mother-in-law went!!

The adorable Tree Swingin' Dragon was perfect for this layout... 

The papers are from My Mind's Eye (from my stash). I used the dragonfly, butterfly, Doily flower, and Spruce DooHickey from Magnolia...

 I used some hardware to create a zipline...

I created the scalloped border using 1" circle punches and tucked them under the pictures.

So what do you think?!

Thanks for stopping by! Happy stamping!

~Lacey

High Hopes Challenge: Purple Madness

Hello stamping friends!!

Today is the High Hopes Challenge.

Andrea is our hostess this week and her challenge is:

Purple Madness!! 

So, I thought I would do another scrapbook page from this year's Easter! I love when I get to scrapbook something within weeks of the event! It makes me feel productive! Ha!

The left side is filled with pictures from "Easter Eve" when we died easter eggs... 

And the right side is filled with pictures from Easter Morning hunting for eggs... 

I used the adorable Bunny Masterpiece embossed in black and watercolored with Twinkling H2Os... 

I cut out the image and added it to the layout with dimensionals.

The title was die cut using a cuttlebug set and added with dimensionals. I also used a Stampin' Up Punch to create the top border. The purple and pink glitter cardstock is from American Crafts.

The butterflies are a die cut from CC Designs along with some pearls.

And I used some flowers from my stash, purple ric rac ribbon, and staples.

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Stamping!

~Lacey

High Hopes Challenge: Anything High Hopes Goes

Hello stamping friends!! 

I'm back today with the High Hopes Challenge.

This week's challenge is: Anything High Hopes Goes!!

That's right, as long as it has a High Hopes stamp, you can create any project for this challenge. 

One participant will win 1 Free High Hopes Stamp.

I wanted to scrapbook some of the picture I took from Spring Break and this was the perfect challenge...

Ryan wanted to climb a tree while we were we fishing one day. So I took some photos...while staying close below...to catch him! Haha!

The left side...

The right side...

The image is Cheeky Sean illustrated by Dustin Pike...

It was embossed in black onto watercolor paper and watercolored with Twinkling H2Os.

The journaling says:

While on Spring Break, we went to Tennessee to visit Nana & Papa. We had lots of fun and adventures. After 10 minutes of fishing one day, Ryan got bored. He decided he wanted to climb the weeping willow tree by the lake. It wasn't a big tree but it was filled with lots of tiny sharp branches.It was easier going up than coming down, but Mom caught him and helped him safely back to the ground.

The papers are from MME Eye Bloom & Grow from my stash. The tree is a sticker from an Echo Park kit from my stash. I also used some twine, Clouds die from CC Designs & Whimsy Stamps, liquid applique and Tab 1 die from Whimsy.

The title was die cut with an old cuttlebug set and corrugated card stock.

Not it's your turn! The challenge runs for one week ending on April 23rd. 

Thanks for stopping by! Happy stamping!

~Lacey 

High Hopes Challenge: A Recipe

Hello stamping friends!!

I'm going to make the chit chat quick because as I'm typing this I'm not feeling too great. I started getting achy then realized that I had a slight fever! Hopefully it's just because I'm run down from working so hard to get caught up from my trip. My husband was sick over Spring Break, but it was with a head cold and he did not have any fever or aches. 

On a good note, I found the software disk for my Canon Rebel camera so I can now download the pictures on my computer - which means I can get better photos since it's a much better camera!

Ok, so it's time for a new High Hopes Challenge. 

Kristine is our hostess this week she is cooking up a recipe!

Use 1 Ribbon, 2 Patterned Papper, and 3 Flowers

Remember you MUST use a High Hopes stamp to enter the challenge. 

Since I've been itching to do a scrapbook page lately, so I decided to do a layout using this recipe...

Here's a close up of each side.

The left side...

 The right side...

The image is Bunny Blooms (I'm out of stock, but you can find it here in the High Hopes' store). 

The image was embossed in black onto watercolor paper, watercolored with Twinkling H2Os, cut out, and attached with dimentionals...

The papers are from my stash (I think from Echo Park). I also used some twine, pearls, Pennant Banner Die from Whimsy Stamps and Numbers stamps from Magnolia.

The date was originally just stamped onto the paper. However, while writing this post, I realized that I had the wrong year!! So I had to great creative and cover it up somehow. I'm not sure I'm totally happy with it, but it's the best I can do with my error!

Here's a closer look at the banner made with glitter cardstock from American Crafts...

Now it's your turn! The challenge runs for 1 week. 

Thanks for stopping by! Happy stamping (and scrapping)!

~Lacey 

Go Big Orange

Hello stamping friends!!

Well I'm feeling much better - almost back to normal after that horrible cold. Just a little stuffy but most of my energy is back. But now Ansley is sick! She started with a cough earlier in the week but within a few days it started to get worse. On Friday I took her to the doctor and found out she has walking pneumonia!! Oh my! But after some antibiotics and breathing treatments, she's starting to feel much better. Actually, except for the cough, she never actually felt bad and was quite upset when she was told she couldn't play outside yesterday!! Wish I felt like that when I was sick! LOL

So it's been awhile since I was able to do a scrapbook page and I was getting the itch!! I've had these pictures since August and really wanted to get them scrapped. 

This was from the kid's first University of Tennessee football game back in August. 

The left side...

The Right side...

The stamped image is Football Bart from Whimsy Stamps. It was embossed in black and watercolored with Twinkling H2Os...

Since the football didn't fit within the nestability circle, I stamped it again and added it with dimensionals...

The title was created using my silhouette machine. Then I attached it to a scrap cardstock and run through my crimper. Then I removed it from the scrap and added to the layout with dimensionals...

I added some ribbon ruffled and sewed onto the layout...

It will eventually will go in the game room once we are done setting that up. For now, it's in my stamping room.

It feels good to have a scrapbook page done!!

Thanks for stopping by! Happy stamping!

~Lacey

Stamp and Create Product Spotlight Sale - Magnolia Stamps

Hello stamping friends!!

Well, I am still sick! Really?! I really hope this thing goes away soon. But I have to push through it since I have so much to do. In addition to the store, we are going out of town this weekend for my kid's first Tennessee Volunteer College Football game!! My husband is a huge UT fan (since he was raised in Tennessee) so this is something special that the kids will get to share with their daddy. 

Then the following weekend is Ansley's 9th birthday!! We have a lot to do to get ready for her birthday party. She wants a "Minute to Win it" challenge party theme. Do you watch that game show? She loves it. My husband promised her this party so he gets to deal with putting the games together. Oh, by the way, the day of her party is also the first soccer games for BOTH kids! So we will be at the field all morning, having a few girls over in the afternoon to go to the pool, then the party in the evening. After the party, a few of her girlfriends are staying over for a sleep over!! Lord give me strength!

Over the summer we wanted Ansley to continue to read. As soon as she keeps up with reading on a regular basis, she does fine. But if she skips a few weeks, she seems to loose focus and has a hard time with her comprehension. Therefore, we promised her a "prize" if she read 10 chapter books over the summer. She did it! She actually read 11 books (mostly Judy Moody and The Magic Tree series books). She chose that she wanted her room painted as her prize! Ok, fine with us - we only had the flat builder paint in her room so it needed some color. Well, in order to figure out what color to do, we also decided it was time for a new comforter. She had a huge mark on her old one from a marker!! So, instead of just painting her walls, we gave her a total bedroom makeover!! It's not done yet - we just have the final touches to finish up. We promised her it will be done in time for her birthday party on Sept 10th. 

Anyway, so while being sick, I was working on decorating her room. My husband did the painting and the labor, but I did the design. And let me tell you...I LOVE it!! I did a few craft projects in the room, too. So I will share pictures as soon as the room is finished. 

Ok, so now it's time for the new Product Spotlight Sale.

This week, all Magnolia Stamps are on sale 25% off. 

To showcase how the Winner Takes it All collection is perfect for scrapbook pages as well as cards, I decided to do a scrapbook layout from our 4th of July trip to Hammock Beach...

On July 4th, we went to the "real grass" putting green at the hotel's golf course for a little putt putt golf. One of our friends and his daughter joined us as well.  

I die cut the letters using a sizzix alphabet die set, then I ran it through a Fiscars Crimper for a corregated look. I'm not sure if it shows up in the pictures well, though.

I also embossed some white cardstock using a Cuttlebug folder to create a huge golfball.

I cut up the score-card and added it to the bottom of the layout.

I used Golf Tilda - perfect for this layout!! 

 

I have a hard time taking great photos of my layouts. They always look so much better in real life, but what can you do?!

Thanks for stopping by!! Happy stamping!

~Lacey

Wags 'n Whiskers Challenge - Outdoor Fun

Hello stamping friends!!

I hope you all are having a great week so far. I can't believe the first week of school is almost done! We have a busy weekend planned with some fun activities with friends. So not much relaxing will be happening this weekend. But it's all good. 

Today is a new Wags 'n Whiskers Challenge. I'm your hostess this week and my challenge is:
Outdoor Fun

Let's see your creation using some sort of Outdoor Fun activity.

You don't have to use a Wags 'n Whiskers stamp, but if you do, you will be entered into a 2nd drawing for a free WnW digital stamp.

For my project, I decided to create another scrapbook page (figure I have enough cards and I'm really behind in scrapbooking)... 

I actually made this over the summer, but held onto it for this challenge. This is a layout about our Father's Day trip to the Baseball park!! We have minor league baseball here in Jacksonville. It's much more low-key than a Major League game, but we still had a great time.

The left side... 

The right side... 

The paper is an old Stampin' Up set. I thought the stripes reminded me of a baseball uniform.

A close up of the stamped image...

I used Home Run embossed in black, watercolored with Twinkling H2Os, cut out, and attached with dimensionals.

The sun was cut using a free Silhouette image, cut out in cardstock, then I stitched some embossing thread along the edges. I'll be honest that it was a total fluke that each ray of the sun had the stitching in the same places!! I was sure that I would end up with some odd stitch, but it all worked out!

I created a tag-like journaling on the computer. It lists the purchases of the day resembling one of the those credit card commercials..."tickets, $x, parking $x, Popcorn, $x, Father's Day at the park...Priceless..."

The title was first cut with the silhouette. then I tacked them to a scrap piece of cardstock and ran it through my Fiscars Crimper. I removed the title from the cardstock and attached it to the layout using dimensionals.

I really like how this turned out!! It was a really great day at the ballpark, too!!

Now it's your turn. Let's see your Outdoor Fun Projects!! The challenge is open for 2 weeks.

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Stamping!

~Lacey

Build-a-Friend - Wags 'n Whiskers Challenge: Buttons and Bows

Hello stamping friends!

Well, it's been a much crazier week that it was supposed to have been. As I mentioned earlier, Ansley is at Horse Riding Camp this week. The ranch is about 25 min away so it's an almost hour drive round trip to get her there at 8am then again at 2pm to pick her up. So that's almost 2 hours a day just to get her to and from camp. So much for thinking it would be nice to have her in camp this week thinking I would get a lot accomplished! Plus we had eye doctor appointments for me, Ansley, and Ryan on Wednesday and a birthday party last night.

Of course, I had to go hang out yesterday to get some pictures of her riding....

I took most of the pictures on my Canon Rebel with zoom lens. But that camera is not compatible with my computer so I have to use my husband's computer to download them from the camera. That means it takes a little longer to download the pictures since I have to wait until his computer is available. However, I did take a picture using my little camera so that I could something right away. 

On the picture above, Ansley is riding a horse named "Dolly". The blond horse to the left is "Sonic". Ansley and her friend brought their horses over to the gate so Ryan could see them.

He looks thrilled doesn't he?! Can't even put down his DSi game!! LOL Actually that was after he got to pet them...

Ryan loves Mario and Sonic video games so he was excited to me a real "Sonic"! :-)

Ok, now it's time for the Wags 'n Whiskers Challenge.

This week we are hosted by Tammy Louise and her challenge is: Buttons and Bows

One random participant will win a free Wags 'n Whiskers Rubber Stamp.

Now you don't need to use a Wags 'n Whiskers stamp on your card to enter the challenge, but if you do, you will be entered into a 2nd drawing for a free WnW Digital Stamp.

For my project today, I decided to make another scrapbook page...

 While we were at Hammock Beach Resort on 4th of July weekend, they had a kids activity called "Build-a-friend". It's the same concept as Build-a-Bear, but on a lesser scale.

The kids picked out an animal, stuffed it, and gave it some love adding a little angel to watch over it. They gave them a "birth certificate" and they got to color a little T-shirt for it. It was a fun activity for them.

The papers are from my stash. Plus I used some Vintage Buttons, White Silk Ribbon, and pearls. The image is Wags 'n Whiskers Best Friends Forever.

The left side... 

The Right Side... 

 

Here's a closeup of the image and the kids with their birth certificate... 

 D

Did you notice that even the image has buttons (on her dress) and a bow (in her hair)! :-)

Now it's your turn!! Let's see your take on the buttons and bows challenge. 

The challenge will be open for 2 weeks.

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Stamping!

~Lacey

Surf's Up - High Hopes: Fun in the Sun (week 2)

Hello stamping friends.

This was supposed to have posted this morning, but I guess I had the wrong time scheduled. Anyway...

Have you seen the fun tutorial over on the High Hopes blog? Kristine is amazing and I love her fun Pop-Up Card Tutorial. 

This is the 2nd week of the High Hopes' Fun in the Sun Challenge. So I thought I would make a scrapbook page from our 4th of July Trip to Hammock Beach.

I loosely used sketch 259 over at Scrapbook Challenges...

 

The weather was beautiful while we were in Hammock Beach so Scott and the kids tried a little boogie-boarding. Ansley had a bad wipe out so she wanted to play in the sand by the time I managed to get the camera out. But Ryan sure had a great time.

The left side... 

I used Chenell (one of the Scrapbook Challenges DT)'s idea with the "waves". 

The right side...

The title and water swirl were created with my Silhouette machine. I added some wave border punches along the waves.

The adorable image is Surfer Dude Dudley by High Hopes...

I paper-pieced the surfboard and Dudley's swim trunks and added some Crystal Effects on the surfboard... 

You can also see the shimmer on the image which is the heat embossing (I usually heat emboss my images instead of stamping them - I love the puffy look and feel from the embossing).

I tucked in the journaling behind the photo of Ryan... 

Here's a close up of the journaling... 

I hate my handwriting, but I guess it would be nice for my kids to look back on these pages when they are grown to see something handwritten by me!

Surf's Up, dude...

There's still one week to play along with the Fun in the Sun Challenge.

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Stamping!

~Lacey

10 Years and Many Blessings

Hello stamping friends!!

In honor of our 10th Anniversary last week, I wanted to make something special for our family. I decided to create a special 'scrapbook page" that we can hang on the wall in shadowbox frames showing the past 10 years that Scott and I have been together. We got pregnant only 6 months after we were married (I was 30 and the clock was ticking...lol) so you will see that each year after our wedding photo we have a "family". 

And here is the past 10 years of my life all in one layout...

The left side... 

The right side... 

A little cluster of flowers (no stamping on this layout)... 

And detail photos:

Our wedding in 2001

 

 

And this was taken a few weeks ago in Tennessee...

I love how Scott looks almost identical in each photo!! I, on the other hand, went through some weight gain (and loss, then gain again) and multiple different shades of red hair and different hair styles!! 

Thanks for stopping by!! Happy stamping!

~Lacey

 

Wags 'n Whiskers Challenge 57: Summertime

Hello stamping friends!! 

I'm sorry this post is late. Last night was my anniversary and I also had friends over for a group vacation planning meeting until 11pm. Then this morning we woke up and went to straight to the beach with 3 other families. I just got home, took a shower, then remember that I didn't finish my post!!

Anyway, it's time for another Wags 'n Whiskers Challenge.

This week's challenge is hosted by Angelique and her challenge is:

Summertime!!

Let's see some fun summery, sunny, water-related, sweaty fun!!

You don't have to use a Wags 'n Whiskers image for the challenge, but if you do, you will be entered into a 2nd drawing for a free WnW digital stamp.

Instead of a card, I created a scrapbook layout from pictures of WnW co-owner Nikki's visit to our house last week...

The layout is a variation of Scrapbook Challenges #258

The left side... 

I created a pull-out journal tag that hides behind the picture of me and Nikki... 

The right side...

The papers are some old SU I found in my stash. The water swirls is a sizzix die. "Fun" was created with Thickers. "in the" was diecut from my silhouette machine. And "Sun" was diecut from a Sizzix alphabet die.

I used WnW Chillin' Out for my image...

the image is embossed in black, watercolored with twinkling H2Os, paperpieced umbrella, cut out and attached with dimensionals.

Here's the journaling...

Now it's your turn!! Let's see your summertime projects!! The challenge is open for 2 weeks. 

Thanks for stopping by! Happy stamping!

~Lacey

Wags 'n Whiskers Princess Digi Blog Hop & Release

Hello stamping friends!! Are you ready to hop?!

Today is the Wags 'n Whiskers Princess Digital Stamp Blog Hop and Release!! The stamps will be available at 7amEST/12noonGMT today. 

You should have arrived from Vicky. If not you, might want to start at the top at the Wags 'n Whiskers Blog. Why? Because there is candy along the way. To be entered into the candy, you will need to leave a comment on the correct blogs. You won't know which ones they are so you might as well leave a comment at each stop!

Instead of a card, I wanted to show how these stamps can be easily incorporated into scrapbook layouts. I love finding just the right image for pictures of my kids. And these were practically made for each other...

How cute is that?! Not just my daughter Ansley at 2 years old, but how well the image fits these pictures. 

I showcased Dress up Millie earlier this week on a card. If you missed it, you can see it here. 

I had a hard time taking pictures. The papers are really a deep dark blue. The pictures all seem to wash out the colors. It was later in the day when I took the pictures and I think I had the light on - which would give a yellow tint to pictures. I may try to take better pictures and swap them out. 

I had the idea of the lace-up look from a layout in the latest Creating Keepsake Magazine. The sample layout was an Egg Hunt with spring colors and I love how she laced the ribbon through the pages.

Now, how cute is my little chunk monster?! These pictures were taken after Ansley's 2nd birthday party. I bought her this princess dress up set for her birthday and it was too small for her!! Her little tummy was not so little at the time!! But what do you expect? She was 9 pounds 2 ounces when she was born!

I miss her little curls!

 

Now it's time to hop on over to Angelique...

Products used:

Paper (from my stash, not sure who it's from), crown, corners, pearls, ribbon, date frame.

A very Magical Monday (Mermaids and Fairy Princesses)

Hello stamping friends!!

Sorry this is late, I didn't realize that I forgot to schedule this...

I hope you had a wonderful weekend. I had a great time with my kids. My husband and his friends had a great time, too and I'm so glad that they are still able to get together every year. 

Today I have a few things to share. 

First off is the Magical Monday Challenge - which happens to be a sneak peek of the new Wags 'n Whiskers Digital stamp release on Friday. 

The Magical Monday Challenge is: White Plus One Color

Of course, you must use a "Magical" character on your card (such as a fairy, angel, mermaid or dragon)

We are being sponsored by Wags 'n Whiskers this week! Make sure to check out our release and blog hop on friday. More sneak peeks will be shared on Wednesday and Thursday as well. 

Here's my card...

This is the new "Dress up Millie" digital stamp from Wags 'n Whiskers. Isn't she so adorable? I love her dress-up fairy wings and looks like she has gotten into the Queen's shoe closet! 

I used pearls, lace, crown, flower, and the polkadot paper is from Echo Park "A Walk in the Park" collection.

The sketch is from A Spoonful of Sugar this week.

I'm also entering this in:

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge: Embossing

Die Cut Dreams Challenge: Princess Birthday

Lexi's Creations: Spots and/or stripes

Stamps R Us: Going Digital

The Ribbon Real: Photo inspiration, plus flowers and ribbon/bakers twine (I hope lace counts as ribbon)

Stamp and Create Challenge: Charms or Crowns

Stamp Something Challenge: Anything Goes (Blog Hop)

Wags 'n Whiskers Challenge: Circles

Next up is a layout I created for the Stamp and Create Product Spotlight this week which is: Mermaids (excluding Sweet Pea Stamps).

Through Sunday night, all mermaids will be on sale 25% off (excluding Sweet Pea Stamps).

Here's my layout...

I used the adorable Arianna from Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps. She was perfect for some pictures I needed to scrap of Ansley as a baby (22 months).

The left side...

The right side...

I used some Organza ribbon to create a fun ruffle border. And I punched out a bunch of glitter cardstock (American Crafts) to create fun "bubbles". I chose darker colors of the glitter CS so they would stamp our more against the soft polkadots in the background.

Anrianna was embossed in black and watercolored using Twinkling H2Os.

The blue and pink letters were die cut using cuttlebug dies (for "my") and Sizzix dies (for "mermaid"). "Little" was created using Thickers chipboard letters.

This layout is for the Scrap and Stamp Saturday Challenge: use up your stash

I'm also entering this in the Craft you Passion Challenge: Cutie Patooties

Ok, now it's your turn to play along with the Magical Monday Challenge and to check out the mermaid sale at Stamp and Create. 

Remember, on Wednesday and Thursday the Wags 'n Whiskers DT will be sharing more sneak peeks of the newest release. Then at 12:01amEST, the blog hop and release will begin.

If you haven't already, help share the blog hop banner on your blog for a chance to win the full digi release. You can find more details here. 

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Stamping!

~Lacey

High Hopes Blog Hop and Release!!

It's Blog Hop time!!! Are you ready?

Today is the Blog Hop to celebrate the newest High Hopes Release. 

The stamps are NOW AVAILABLE!! Of course, I have them at Stamp and Create as well. Although, depending on when you read this, I may still be in the process of adding them to the store.

You should have arrived from Sirpa's blog.

If not, start at the top at the High Hopes Challenge Blog to follow the hop. You won't want to miss any stop since there is candy along the way!! But you won't know where and the only way to win the candy is to leave a comment on the correct blogs!

For my project today, I am using one of the new Dustin Pike Dragons. This was supposed to be my Sneak Peek Day 2 project, but I didn't finish it in time so I posted the Candy Wrapper tutorial instead. 

I decided to make a scrapbook page today (it's been a long time)...

High Hopes stamps are the PERFECT images to add to scrapbook layouts. And this adorable "Firefighter Dragon" was the perfect image for this layout! The image is also great for birthday cards. Also being released this week is a coordinating sentiment called Go Ahead... which says "Go ahead...Light those candles...I dare you!" How fun is that? 

The pictures were taken at a Mom's Group tour of our local Fire Station quite a few years ago (2006). 

The sketch is from Scrapbook Challenge Sketch 244 which I turned into a two-page layout.

I'm also entering this in the Scrap and Stamp Saturday Challenge - Scrap a Silly Moment.

I used some old K&Company DP, new Whimsy Banner Dies, and Mini Black Pom Pom Ribbon.

The left side...

The right side... 

Sorry about the glare on Ansley's cheek :-(

Click on the pictures for a larger view.

And here's a closer shot of Dudley Firefighter Dragon and Ryan (2 years old) who managed to find some water and did what all "active" 2 year old boys would do...jump in it and get wet!!

Your next stop on the hop is the fabulous Kristine!!

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Stamping!

~Lacey

Fire Ball Dragon - Fundraiser for Luke

 

I'm so excited and honored that the super talented artist Dustin Pike(one of the artists for High Hopes Rubber stamps) has donated these awesome Dragon digital stamps to the Pray for Luke Fundraiser!!

I've always been in love with Dustin's dragons. So I was thrilled when he agreed to create some for Luke! Luke loves Star Wars, Super Heros, plays soccer and violin.

For those of you who aren't familiar with Luke, he was my son's best friend when we lived in the Jacksonville, Florida area. On New Year's Eve, Luke suffered a 30 minute seizure caused from Spinal Meningitis. Luke has been in the hospital since New Year's Eve and he has a LONG road of recovery ahead of him.

Luke still has encephalitis (swelling on the brain), he can not sit up on his own, walk, or talk.

On Sunday March 6th, Luke will be transferred to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota for additional treatment.

I am selling these Digital stamps to help raise money for Luke's medical and travel expenses.

You can read Luke's complete story on his Blog here.

He was on the local news on wednesday night which you can see here.

Last year Luke was able to play the violin for the former First Lady Mrs. Bush during a fundraiser in Jacksonville...

(Luke is the small blonde in the front)

And yesterday, Luke received a surprise visit from former President George W Bush!!...

How awesome is that?

President Bush was at the Hospital for a Fundraiser and was able to visit 3 patients!

I had to use one of these adorable dragons right away!!

 

I created this double layout using the team pictures from Ryan's soccer team this year. Yes, "Daddy" is coach. 

I use the Fireball Dragon! Isn't he cute?!

 

The DP is retired Stampin' Up!

You can purchase the stamps here.

It felt so great to scrap again!! I really miss it! But I just don't have too much time to create lately with our move next week. Hopefully once we move I can find the time again.

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Stamping!

~Lacey

A gift for Luke and family

This weekend, I went to Jacksonville to look for houses and got the chance to visit my friend Brandi and sweet Luke in the hospital. If you haven't been by for awhile, I posted about Luke here. 

I have a Card Drive going for Luke for encouragement as well as for his birthday on February 16th. Some cards have started arriving. I have taken some pictures and will post those very soon. 

The most recent update on Luke's blog explains the most recent change and plans for treatment. They will be going to Minnesota to Mayo Rochester for additional treatments. You can read about it here...

http://www.prayforluke.com/journal/2011/2/2/waiting.html

I was so happy to be able to see Luke and Brandi. I was VERY encouraged about his progress after seeing him in person. He has gotten some of his speech back and was able to communicate more than I expected. In fact, he recognized a picture of my kids and said "Ansley, Ryan", then he said "I love her" pointing at Ansley :-) He's definitely all BOY!! LOL

They have a LONG road of therapy ahead of them, but I have confidence that the Lord WILL give him 100% healing over time.

Friends are trying to set up a fund for them to help pay for medical expenses. As soon as I have more information about accepting donations, I will let you know. 

In the mean time, I made something for Brandi and Luke and gave it to them while I was there...

These pictures were taken before the Holidays last year. Luke is the older boy (on the left in the family pictures) and the boy in the hat on the left. I'll be honest, these aren't the "best" smiles from Luke - he's usually all smiles- he must have been in a "serious" mood during this photo shoot! And I want to just eat up his little brother Abram! Abram is really shy, but always let me hold him when we lived across the street. Not sure if he would remember me now though since we've been gone for 18 months.

Anyway, I made the scrapbook page with the intentions to hang on the wall in a shadowbox frame. Brandi can either hang it in her house, to put it in Luke's Hospital/Rehab room. 

The only decorative element I added is a cluster of ivory flowers and pearls.

Here is a photo of the page in the frame (it was hard to photograph without getting a glare from the glass)...

The title came from something Brandi wrote on Luke's Blog about being a "family unit".

And since it's hard to photograph a photograph, here is a better picture of the largest family shot...

Aren't they the most gorgeous family?! 

There are a lot more pictures of Luke in the hospital and with his doctors on their blog...

http://www.prayforluke.com/our-special-pictures/

Scrap and Stamp Saturday - a sketch by me

Hello stamping and scrapping friends!

I know a few of you are waiting for an update on my doctor's appointment so here it is....

I have a spot on my Uterus that is "undefined" with a recommendation to "monitor it closely and come back for another MRI in 3 months". Then there was a growth on the cyst on my right ovary. Therefore, I am scheduled for a hysterectomy on Tuesday to remove my uterus and right ovary. They will biopsy the ovary during surgery. If it is cancerous, they will remove the left ovary. If it turns out to be another cysts or something benign, they will remove the left ovary as well. If I can keep my left ovary, it should prevent me from going into early menopause. The surgery is supposed to be laproscopic and I should be back and working in a few days. In fact, I should be released the same day. However, my mom is coming down from Georgia just in case. 

Therefore, orders will ship out either Thursday or Friday (my mom and husband will help with orders). 

I'm not expecting anything major coming out of the surgery, but I'm glad that I will finally be done with this once and for all!! 

Ok, so now it's time for the Scrap and Stamp Saturday Challenge.

This week's challenge is a sketch by me!!

I took the sketch from the layout I did here.

Here's my new take on the layout...

The right side follows the sketch. I just added a few extra picture on the otherside which sort of flips the sketch.

The left side...

The right side...

The stamped image is Snowman's Cup of Love by High Hopes Rubber Stamps.

Now it's your turn!! Let's see your take on my sketch! Remember, you now have 2 weeks to enter the challenge. We also have the Fall/Sports Activity Challenge open for another week.

Thanks for stopping by! Happy stamping and scrapping!!

~Lacey

Scrap and Stamp Saturday - Fall or Sports

Well, I'm running late and have to run (we are heading to the pumpkin patch with this year's costumes and we need to carve the pumpkin :-).

Today is a new Scrap and Stamp Saturday Challenge. This week's challenge is:

Fall or Sports Activity.

Just remember you must use at least one stamp on your layout.

Here is my layout... 

These pictures are from when Ryan was 2 and Ansley was 4. You can see their costume pictures from that year here and here.

The sketch is from Scrapbook Challenge sketch 224 (slightly altered)

The left side... 

Right side... 

 

Thanks for stopping by! Happy stamping!

~Lacey

Scrap and Stamp Saturday - Stitching: "A New Tradition"

Hello stamping and scrapping friends!

Yesterday was Ryan's birthday party!! Monday is his actually birthday, but we had his party last night. It was a lot of fun. Pictures (or another layout) will follow soon!! :-)

Today is time for a new Scrap and Stamp Saturday Challenge. This week's challenge is: Stitching

That can be: faux stitching, add stitched ribbon, hand stitching, machine stitching, etc...

We are sponsored this week by... 

Here's my layout...

This is Ansley's first Pumpkin Patch photo shoot!! Isn't she so sweet?! 

Look at those cheeks!! 

The sketch is from Scrapbook Challenges Sketch 222

The left side...

You should be able to click on the pictures for a larger view.

The photo in the bottom left side was taken by my sister. I love that she took this picture of me taking the picture of Ansley! Of course that was a little thinner version of me :-(

The right side...

For the stamping portion of the challenge, I used Hannah from Wags 'n Whiskers.  

She actually reminds me of Ansley!

Now it's your turn!! Let's see your scrapbook layout using some sort of stitching. Just remember that you must use at least one stamp.

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Stamping!

~Lacey

Scrap and Stamp Saturday - Sketch: Butterfly World

So did you have fun on the Wags 'n Whiskers blog hop yesterday? It's still open if you missed it!! 

Today it's time for another Scrap and Stamp Saturday Challenge. 

The challenge this week is a sketch...

I'll be honest, I was REALLY intimidated by this sketch at first. But then I figured out a great way to showcase a lot of photos and turned it into a double layout. 

We are sponsored this week by: Inktegrity

Here's my layout...

The left side sticks to the sketch pretty well except I moved the title section up. The right side is a flip of the sketch.

The papers are an older My Mind's Eye (MME). The stamp I used is one of the new Wags 'n Whiskers Fairies named "Laila".

The left side... 

The right side... 

Tip:

To get the pictures on the bottom layer, I attached 3 pictures side-by-side onto scrap cardstock. Then I hand drew the wave and cut it out with my scissors. I turned that layer over and drew it the wave onto the green layer then cut that out. So the green layer is an exact opposite of the photo layer.

Here's a close up of the gorgeous Laila... 

The journaling is hidden on a tag... 

This layout is also for the Scrapbook color challenge SBVC135 at SCS (Fall 1 color scheme)

Now it's your turn! We have changed the rules of the challenges and they are now open for 2 weeks! That gives you more time to play. 

We will continue to have a new challenge each week, but you have 2 weeks to play along. Basically that means we will have 2 challenges open at all times.

Also, I have blog candy on my blog...come check it out here.

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Stamping!

~Lacey

High Hopes Challenge - Halloween

Hello stamping friends!!

So my Monday was a typical busy monday. It is usually a crazy day and yesterday was no exception. Lots of new items over at the store to keep my busy!!

But I am excited that I was able to create another scrapbook layout for the High Hopes Challenge this week. Now, don't get me wrong, I love making cards. But the images from this past release are PERFECT for scrapbook layouts so I HAD to use them.

I hope you aren't tired of seeing my kids over the years for their Halloween pictures. We go to a pumpkin patch each year. And since I have two kids and I used to take both costume outfits and regular clothes, that means....I have TON of pumpkin patch pictures that need to be scrapped!!

This week's challenge is: Halloween.

Now, you must use a High Hopes image for our challenges. We just had a great Halloween release. However, if you are not able to get ahold of any image that can be used for Halloween, then just make a "Fall" card instead. 

This challenge is a perfect time for another Halloween layout for me!  

*Sigh* Ryan was so cute in these pictures. He was a horse while Ansley was a "Princess riding a Unicorn". You can see her layout here.

The left side... 

Do you see Ansley in her Princess dress in the middle picture?

Look how "busy" Ryan was sorting through the mini pumpkins!! And I love the picture on the left with him looking intently at the sign!!

The right side using "Angel Bear Jumping out of Pumpkin"... 

Don't you just want to eat him up?! Those are the most kissable cheeks!! 

The middle picture was posed. But the rest of the pictures were taken while Ryan was just playing with the pumpkins (which is why his bandana is not on right). But those pictures actually came out better than the posed pictures....hmm...or was it because he wouldn't sit for the posed pictures? Yeah, I think that's what happened!! LOL

The sketch is from Pencil Lines sketch 207. I love these types of layouts that can hold multiple large photos and be turned into a double layout.

The papers are MME Bloom and Grow (yes, again!!). I also used some basic grey buttons, and May Arts check ribbon. The stamped leaves are an old retired SU set. 

Angel Bear was embossed in black and watercolored with Twinkling H2Os... 

Now it's your turn!! Let's see your Halloween or Fall projects!

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Stamping!

~Lacey

Scrap and Stamp Saturday - "Open" Challenge!

Hello stamping friends! I hope you have a wonderful weekend planned. 

We have a busy weekend with errands, a birthday party, and tutoring. I am going to have to make a trip to the post office as well to finish shipping out my orders. And, of course, there is the normal weekend chores. 

Also, Wags 'n Whiskers is having a release next friday with the sneak peeks officially starting on Wednesday, but I will have an early peek on Monday - so I have a lot of stamping to do to get ready for the release. 

But now it's time for a Scrap and Stamp Saturday Challenge. This week it's an easy one...

Open Challenge!! Anything goes!! 

There is NO excuse not to play along!! But, as usual, you must still use at least 1 stamp on your layout to be entered into the sponsor's prize. And it must be a scrapbook layout or mini album - no cards, please.

This week we are being sponsored by: 

Here is my layout...

I used one of the new Greeting Farm Miss Anya Lounge stamps that were released yesterday. Ansley LOVES the Miss Anya collections so I had to break one out for this special layout!!

When Ansley lost her front teeth, she lost them one at a time over a 5 month period. So the other 3 teeth started to come in before she lost the last one. So this was the only time I could get the true "toothless grin".

The sketch is from Scrapbook Challenges Sketch 219 which I added a 3rd photo.

The paper is MME Bloom and Grow. I stamped on the top right and bottom left corners with "On the Edge" stamp Stampology, then added a Prima swirl.

Miss Anya Lounge (one of 3 images in the set) was embossed in black and watercolored with Twinkling H2Os...

Miss Anya is wearing an outfit like Ansley would actually wear!

I added a chipboard star from my stash (can't remember who it's from, but I've had it for ages)... 

 
It's stamped with On the Edge stamp along with SU sanded background. 

Now it's your turn!! Let's see your open and free layout!! It's a great week to try out our challenges!!

Thanks for stopping by! Happy stamping!! 

~Lacey

Scrap and Stamp Saturday Challenge: Embossing

Hello stamping friends!!

Well I think the black cloud that was hanging over my head the past week is finally going away! After my PC broke, my store website went down twice, my wireless went down for a short time, and my car broke, I've had two good days with no major issues! I think I'm on the mend!! LOL 

But I am looking forward to the weekend!! By the time this posts, I am hoping to still be asleep in my comfy bed having wonderful dreams!! *Sigh* I love to sleep in!! And since my husband was out of town for 3 days and is now home...I have earned the right to sleep in this week! That makes it even better!!

So, now it's time for another Scrap and Stamp Saturday Challenge!! I am really impressed that I made 3 layouts this week! I am really starting to get faster with scrapping and it is so much fun going through the kids old photos!! 

This week's challenge is: Embossing!!

That can be heat or dry embossing. 

DT Paola created an awesome tutorial on creating custom dry embossed embellishments to add to a layout (or card for that matter). So make sure to check it out on the challenge blog!

We are sponsored this week by Sassy Studio Designs. Wow! They have some fun digital stamps. 

They offered to send us a digi to use on our layout. I had a hard time choosing since they have so many sassy and fun stamps! But, considering I mainly scrap my kids, I needed to choose one of the more conservative digis (if you know what I mean)! But that wasn't a problem...they have an adorable line of Princesses, too! And I found one perfect for a layout...

Now, I would normally have used "heat embossing" for my choice in embossing, but since I used a digital stamp and not a rubber stamp, I had to add a dry embossed element to stay with the embossing theme. 

This stamp is called Little Honey's - Princess Aurora Honey 

These pictures are from our first time having a Character Meal with the Disney Princesses at Walt Disney World. These pictures were taken in 2005 when Ryan was about 6 months and Ansley was 2 1/2 years old. Oh so she was excited to meet the Princesses! And Sleeping Beauty was her favorite one for a long time. 

Of course, living only 3 hours away from Disney World, we have gone to Disney often since then and have had Character meals almost every time. Although, I think we may be growing out of that phase.

The sketch is from Sketchy Thursday this week. 

 
 The left side...

 

Sorry for the glare on the photos. It's hard to photograph photos! Especially when it's pouring rain and dark outside!

The right side...

 

Can you see the smile on Ansley's face in the top right photo? She was soooo excited to meet Sleeping Beauty!! That smile is genuine pure joy!!

The papers are MME "Paris & Co". I used a cuttlebug swirl embossing folder on the burgundy strip, Tim Holtz Adage Tickets, Crown charm, Jewel Brads, Silver Spacer, Prima Swirl, Thickers Glitter chipboard stickers, and lace.

Now it's your turn! Let's see your layout using some embossing! Just remember, you must use at least one stamp on your layout to be entered into the drawing from the sponsor.

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Stamping!

~Lacey

 
 
 

 

High Hopes Challenge- In the Country

Hello stamping friends!! Welcome back! 

So, my woes continue...the store website went down AGAIN yesterday! The server did an upgrade that interrupted service for about an hour. Then afterward I received a couple people email me saying they couldn't log in to place an order. Very frustrating. 

To make it all worse, I wanted to do a layout for today's challenge and sent the photos to the wrong printer. THEN I left my credit card at one of the stores!!

Needless to say, my day didn't go as planned! And today I am heading back to Miami to help my take my neighbor to her radiation treatment. So keep us in your prayers for a safe drive and healing for her!

Ok, it's time for another High Hopes Challenge. This week's challenge is hosted by Sirpa and her challenge is: In the Country

One lucky participant will win a High Hopes stamp (see challenge post for details). But you must use a High Hopes stamp to qualify for the prize drawing.

Here's my take on the challenge...

I am sorry about the poor photos. As part of my computer woes, my camera is not compatible with my laptop so I have to download pictures to my husband's computer, safe it on a thumb drive, then transfer it to mine. Anyway, I didn't finish my layout until it was too dark so I had to take it with a flash. And I can't take a picture tomorrow with natural light since my husband will be at work (with his computer) by the time there is enough light for a good photo. I will try to edit this post when I get a better photo.

The sketch is from Sketch 218 from Scrapbook Challenges.

Anyway, this is the left side...

 

Isn't that the most adorable picture of Ryan to the right?

And the right side...

And look at my beautiful Princess!! 

The papers are MME Bloom and Grow (LOVE those papers and I still have a TON of them left), a MS punch, Prima swirls (cut in half to use on both sides), Pom Pom Ribbon, Thickers Glitter chipboard stickers, Calendar tag, and Black Silk Ribbon with Bow Easy.

I used the adorable Harvest Mice by Laurie Furnell. It was embossed in black and watercolored with Twinkling H2Os..

Now it's your turn!! Let see your "Country" card, layout, or project!! Make sure to link to the challenge post to be entered into the drawing for the free stamp!!

I'll back back tomorrow with my ABC Christmas Challenge project!

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Stamping!

~Lacey
 
 

Scrap and Stamp Saturday Challenge: Numbers

Hello stamping friends!! I hope you are having a lovely weekend so far! I sure am ready for the weekend to begin!!

As if loosing my PC on Wednesday and my website's server for the store went down on Thursday for 4 hours, friday night the internet connection went down for the laptops as well!! After 30 minutes on tech support, it was an easy fix - I'm just tired of so many different non-related computer issues 3 days in a row!!

And on top of that, my son came home on friday asking what my teacher said when she called to tell me that Ryan bit another boy at school!! Well the teacher didn't call, so I don't know if she will call later or if she thinks she handled it at school already! What I got from Ryan (who was very remorseful) was that a boy in his class is always bothering him and he kept touching Ryan today and tickling him. So Ryan bit his finger when he tried to touch Ryan again! Then is sounds like he went to the Principle's office!! Great! Again, I am only going by this from his side of the story since I haven't received a call or a note yet! 

Ryan says this boy is always getting into trouble so I can only hope that Ryan was pushed past a point of reason instead of just a malicious bite! But we have told Ryan that he will write a note to his teacher and the boy apologizing.

So do you see why I'm ready for this week to be over?! Ug!!

Therefore, let's move on!!

It's time for another Scrap and Stamp Saturday Challenge!!

This week's challenge is to use: Numbers. 

Easy enough for me to do!

Our sponsor this week is The Cutting Cafe. 

Here is my double layout...

 

This is Ansley's first day of 3rd grade!! What a big girl!!
The left side... 

 

The sketch for the left side is from Creative Scrappers Sketch #121 this week. 

The right side...

 

The sketch for the Right side is from Scrapbook Challenge Sketch 217.

I used some Basic Grey Olivia 12x12 paper including some of the die cut stickers and embellishments, PTI Butterfly stamp set (some butterflies are cut out added buttons and added with dimentionals), some punches, "Ansley" personal stamp (I bought at a craft fair when she was just an infant - before I ever knew about the stamping and scrapbooking world!!), lace, Prima Swirls, and Thickers chipboard letters.

The stamped image is Apple Emma by CC Designs...

 
The image is embossed in black and watercolored with Twinkling H2Os.

I did a lot more layers on this layout with the embellishments than I normally so, and I think it turned out ok. Sometimes I love the look, but can never achieve it on my own.

Ok, not it's your turn!! Just remember that you must use at least one stamp on your layout to be entered into the drawing for the sponsor's prize. 

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Stamping!!

~Lacey 
 
 

Scrap and Stamp Saturday Challenge: Sketch & My Magic Steed Part 2

If you are here looking for the High Hopes Challenge- we have moved the challenges to Tuesdays now!! You still have another day to enter the current challenge!

Hello stamping friends!! Did you see the first part of my layout yesterday? If not, check it out here (or I will show both of the sides together at the end of the post.

It's time for the next Scrap and Stamp Saturday challenge. This week we have a sketch!! I love working with sketches! 

We're being sponsored this week by Digital Delights. The gave us a digi to play with so I used this adorable knight!!

Now the sketch is actually flipped. I used the original sketch on the left side that was posted yesterday. 

Here's the cute knight...

And some close ups of Ansley as a "Princess riding a unicorn" for Halloween when she was 4 years old...

 
Here are both pages together... 

I love how flipping the sketch on the left side allowed it to easily be a double page layout. 

In case you can't see it, the whole title says "My Magic Steed". And if you missed the post yesterday, the image on the left side is Magical Friends from Wags 'n Whiskers Rubber stamps.

Now it's your turn! Lets see your layout using our sketch this week. Just remember that you must use at least one stamp on your layout to be entered into the drawing from the sponsor.

Since Delightful Challenge is having a fall color challenge combined with ribbon, I am entering in the challenge as well using their adorable knight!

We have a busy day today with Ansley's birthday party!! It should be fun!!

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Stamping and Scrappin'

~Lacey

Wags 'n Whiskers Challenge: Fall Colors & layout part 1

Welcome back stamping friends!!

So today is my little girl's birthday!! Ansley is 8 years old today! My how time flies! I can still vividly remember holding her in my arms and rocking her to sleep!

Since she was born before I was introduced to digital cameras, I had to scan some of her newborn pictures to share.

Here we are the day she came home from the Hospital (4 days old - I had a c-section so they kept me in the hospital for a few days). Look at all that hair on her!...

 
Do you think I look a little tired?! LOL

Here is the picture they took in the hospital...

 
She was a big baby at 9 pounds and 2 ounces! Look at those cheeks!!

Ok, so I have more pictures of Ansley to share with you today. For the Wags 'n Whiskers Challenge this week, I am the hostess and my challenge is:

Fall or Autumn colors!!

So I decided to scrap a layout from Halloween when Ansley was 4 years old. Each year I take the kids to a pumpkin patch to take pictures of them in Halloween costumes. This is part 1 of my layout. I will share part 2 tomorrow with the Scrap and Stamp Saturday Challenge...

"My Magic Steed" (the rest of the title is on page 2). Ansley picked out the cutest costume that year! She wanted to be a unicorn! This was the only thing we could find. The front half is a stuffed animal that she holds up with "reins". The unicorn's back legs are actually Ansley's legs...she steps into the costume like wearing a pair of pants! Under her dress are overall straps that hold the costume into place (you can see the white straps under her dress on the left photo. So Ansley was "A Princess riding a Unicorn" for Halloween that year!!

And what better stamp to pair with these pictures than Wags 'n Whiskers "Magical Friends"...

Here's a close up of the pictures (sorry about the glare on the right photo)...

The papers are MME Bloom and Grow.

Check back tomorrow to see the other pictures of this layout including details about the sketch.

Now it's your turn!! Let's see your Fall Colors!! This challenge will be open until September 16th at 12:00noon EST/5:00pm GMT.

Ansley is having some of her girlfriends over for some dancing, singing, crafting, and swimming on Saturday!! Should be a good time!

I am entering this into the Flutterby Wednesday Challenge: Pink (I hope I have enough pink on here to qualify).

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Stamping!   

~Lacey