Bath Time

I just completed another layout for a challenge at Let's Scrap. Here are the rules for this challenge
1. Use a Let's Scrap sketch
2. NO PATTERNED PAPER may be used
3. Use at least one quote with author's name
4. Use a die cut of some kind
5. You must include at least one homemade embellishment

At first I was stumped because I always use patterned paper and the thought of just using card stock had me rather worried but I finally got an idea. I decided to use pictures taken a few months ago of my Grandson Jacob having his bath . Here is the layout.



Here is a close up of the left side


and the right side



I was going to leave the white background alone but just had to put something on it so I used a round sponge and using blue ink sponged circles allover it. I also had a couple of packages of cute blue and green see through blubbles so added them everywhere. The swirl at the bottom was cut with my cricut using SCAL but I'm not sure where I got the file so that I can thank the person who designed it. I really liked the premade title because it has terry cloth on it.

I was to put a quote with the author on it but had a really hard time finding a quote that suited a baby having a bath. If I was normally going to write something it would have been Rub-a-dub-dub cute little guy in the tub or Rubber Ducky but didn't think that they would work for a quote. So I ask the great people in my yahoo groups to see if anyone had any idea's and of course they did. Several people sent me really cute quotes and poems and I finally decided to go with a poem and hope that it would be ok for the challenge. Thanks Mandi for the poem it suits the layout perfectly and thank you everyone else for your help also.

I have some new cards I made and another layout but I think that I will save them for another day. Take care all.

Update on my Grandson and Ride'em Cowboy Layout

First I wanted to let my Family, friends and followers know that my grandson Jacob finally had his surgery on Wednesday. He came through it with flying colors. That night and on Thursday he was in quite a bit of pain and very upset while they tried to find the right medication to give him. This was really hard for his parent and us to watch. When they are so young they don't understand what is going on and the fact that we couldn't pick him up made it even more difficult. Thankfully things were better in the evening. Although the next few days will continue to be hard for him the outcome will be will worth it. I want to thank everyone for their continued prayers.

Now on to my layout. This was another one done for a challenge at Let's Scrap. You had to use up some of your stash like brads, stickers, buttons etc. They had a list of what you needed to use and how many and you had to pick at least two different kinds. You were also to use your oldest paper, preferably 5 years old or more. Because I have only been scrapbooking for about a year and a half I couldn't go back that far but used some I bought when I took the pictures. I used up several brads and chipboard stickers and made the pockets and kerchief from fabric.

So here is the layout.





The pictures were taken last year when we went out to British Columbia to meet my Grandson Jacob who was born the week before. I have always wanted to go to the Calgary Stampede but we went in the wrong month for that. But not far from where Andrew, Katie and Jacob were living they were having a Rodeo. My husband Tom and I really enjoyed it. I still have pictures of the bull riding and barrel racing but they will have to wait for another day.

I hope you are all having a great day and thank you again for your prayers for Jacob.

Sweet Treat

Last August my husband and I went to his cousins for a wonderful family reunion weekend. I took will over 200 pictures so thought I should at least start doing some layouts of the good time we had.

This was for another challenge at Lets Scrap and the pictures are several of the relatives enjoying watermelon. So here is the layout, I hope you like it.

Prima's April Giveaway

Take a look at all the fantastic things you can win from Prima.



Celebrate April Showers with this colorful set of amazing Prima products. This month we are featuring a great assortment of Umbrella Line products, along with a few additional selections, to go with our "April Showers" theme. Just think of the possibilities for craft ideas using this line...Baby Showers, Wedding Showers, A Day at the Waterpark, Springtime, and, of course, jumping in big, ole puddles!
Selections shown above include:
The Umbrella paper line (now how fun is that? LOVE the walking crocodile)
Umbrella page pebbles (so fun for flower centers, or to mimic large drops of rain on your project)
Umbrella Chipboard shapes (each shape has a touch of sparkly glitter that looks like it's wet!)
Umbrella Essentials Flowers (Gorgeous patterned flowers that perfectly coordinate with our line)
Temple Leaves (AMAZING bendable leaves with a gorgeous lustered finish)
Winter Roses (each beautiful flower has crystal shavings for a sparkly effect)
Umbrella solid flowers (so simple to use! Just take out of package and adhere to page.)
Mini-bouquets (a positive after effect after rain is the blooming of beautiful flower bouquets!)
Love Story Red/Pink Flowers (just to spice up the page a bit! This product has the perfect shades of red and pink to match the Umbrella line.)

So hop on over to Prima to see what you have to do to win this fabulous prize.

I'm So Excited I Won A Prize

In the group Lets Scrap they have prizes for their challenges. Anyone who puts in a layout for one of the challenges gets there name put in for a draw. If you do a two page layout you get your name in twice. My name was drawn for the challenge I did the "In My Easter Bonnet" layout for. The prize I won was the Basic Grey Lime Rickey Collection Pack, complete with all the paper line and a sheet of card stock stickers. I am so excited, I've never won anything like that before. I really like that they do the prizes by draws rather than for the best layout because then everyone has a chance at it whether you're just new to scrapbooking or been doing it for years.

I've been busy today trying to work on a couple of layouts for the challenges this week but can't decide exactly what I want to do with them yet. One of the challenges is using up a bunch of your embellishments and older papers. So I'm trying to pick pictures that I can do that with. It should be fun to do.

My grandson Jacob, is spending the night with us while his Mom and Dad have a much deserved night out. He has been a perfect angel but he sure keeps you busy now that he can crawl. He moves faster then I can, that's for sure. We have two Jack Russel dogs that are about 8 1/2 years old and they aren't to sure about him yet now that he can get at them. One of them kept running around the couch to keep away from Jacob but it wouldn't take long for him to catch up to him again. I had to make sure I had the house baby proofed before he got here because he likes to play with cords and get into the dog food lol.

It has been really nice having him here. His surgery has been rescheduled for Wednesday so hopefully it will go through this time. Will I guess this grandma better get to bed as I'm sure the little one will be up early wanting to play.

In My Easter Bonnet

I have been having so much fun over at Lets Scrap doing their challenges. I am getting the hang of using sketches to do my layouts and I'm finding that it's not taking me near as long to finish them. In the last week I have done 3 two page layouts and it would have taken me at least a month to have done that before. I also like how friendly everyone is and all the positive comments they make about everyones layouts.

The group have 3 types of things going on each week. On Monday they have a question of the week for us all to give input to. On Wednesday they have a sketch challenge. The sketches are usually 2 page sketches which is part of the reason I really like the group because its hard to find 2 pagers. If you only like to do one page then you can use just one side of the sketch. Then on Fridays they do a design team challenge. In this challenge one of the design team gives you rules to follow in doing your layout and you can use any sketch in the group folder to follow. I made the layout "In My Easter Bonnet" for last weeks design team challenge.

Here is my layout








Some of the things we were to follow for the challenge were to use a vintage photo, use 3 patterned papers, have homemade details or some souvenir or special embellishment, and use some of your favorite colors.

The pictures are of me at Easter when I was little, I think that alone makes them heritage lol. I used 4 patterned papers which were from my stash so I don't know what the brand names are but they all seemed to go together will and the bunny paper worked will for an Easter layout. Although purple isn't a color I would pick to wear it seems to be a color I gravitate to when buying scrapbooking paper. I tend to have a lot of it. I also love the shade of green I used. Lastly I made the flowers out of different size circles using the papers I used in the layout and then put a button in for the centre.

At first I wasn't that pleased with the layout as it just seemed to plain but it has grown on me. I hope you like it.

Surgery Cancelled

Just wanted to update my family, friends and followers. Jacob's surgery has been cancelled again. No reason given this time and no idea when it will be rescheduled. Hopefully we will find out more soon.

Jacob's First Easter

My Grandson Jacob and his Mom Katie flew out to British Columbia for a two week vacation with his Nana and Papa (Katie's parents). This is Jacob's second trip by plane. He was born in B.C. but moved to our little town in Ontario when he was a month old. They had a fantastic visit and were there for his first Easter. I wanted to scrap his Easter picture taken while he was away and also ones I took when he returned and got his gifts from us. The sketch from a Lets Scrap challenge was perfect for the pictures. Here is the sketch




and here is my layout





I was really pleased with how it turned out. The paper and rub ons were from my stash and the eggs I cut using my Cricut and SCAL. Jacob is wearing to different bunny ears because he received a pair from both sets of Grandparents.

Will I better get moving I have another layout I'm trying to do for a Lets Scrap challenge. It's giving me a bit of trouble so not sure if I will get it done in time for the deadline but going to give it a try.

I hope you are having a fantastic day.

My First Layout Done With a Sketch

I recently joined the Let's Scrap Group which you can find here The group has chalenges using sketches that you use to do your layouts or cards. I have never used a sketch before but thought I would give it a try. Here is what this weeks sketch looks like

Here is my take on the sketch.





I decided to use the sketch to do a layout of my grandson, Jacob's first year. I didn't put a picture on the first page of the layout because I am saving that spot for a picture from his first birthday which is on May 7th. We may have to postpone his birthday party as he is sceduled for surgery on Wednesday and may not be recovered enough to have his party.

If you would like to read more about his surgery look at the post I made before this one.

My Grandson is Scheduled For Surgery

My Grandson, Jacob, will turn a year old on May 7th. He is scheduled to have surgery on Wednesday and I must admit it has me a bit stressed.

Jacob was born with Craniosynostosis. Normally a baby's skull is made up of several bones and they meet at what are called sutures. Sutures allow a growing baby's brain to expand. The four sutures come together at the fontanel, or "soft spot" in a baby's head. Eventually the sutures stop growing, and the cranial bones fuse.

Sometimes a suture is fused too early, however, preventing a growing child's brain from expanding. This condition can cause the brain to grow more rapidly in another area of the skull. The result is an abnormally shaped skull. The type of Craniosynostosis that Jacob has is called Metopic. This means the sutures from the top of his head down the middle of his forehead to his nose fused before he was born.
As Jacob's head grows the bones in his forehead are unable to move to allow for the growth causing his forehead to become more and more triangular shaped. This has not caused Jacob any problems yet. He is progressing just as he should and is a very happy little boy. He loves to crawl and can pull himself up in his crib or at a table. But if the problem isn't corrected it would not only leave him with a facial deformity but could cause brain damage.

We have known about the problem since he was two weeks old but he had to wait until he was at least 8 months old to have the surgery done. Unfortunately, the surgery has been postponed twice already which is quite stressful on his parents and us. This Wednesday he is once more scheduled to have the surgery and we are really hoping it will be done then.

The surgery requires a neurosurgeon to cut the skin from ear to ear over his head and peal it back. Then he will remove the bone and a plastic surgeon will then reform the bone and it will be put back in using screws to attach it and he will be sewn back up. He will probably require a blood transfusion and will stay at least one night in the ICU. He will then go to the ward and remain in hospital from 3-5 days. His face will bruise and swell a great deal and for a couple of days he won't be able to see out of his eyes due to the swelling. It will take about 3 months for him to reach a full recovery.

I would appreciate your thoughts and prayers for Jacob not only for his surgery to happen as scheduled but also that he will make a full recovery.




Read more: Craniosynostosis - baby, symptoms, average, Definition, Description, Demographics, Causes and symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment, Prognosis, Prevention http://www.healthofchildren.com/C/Craniosynostosis.html#ixzz0kqYfb2HT

A Very Special Memory

You have to love Graphics 45 paper for scrapping your special memories. I actually did this layout a couple of months ago in a class at my Local Scrapbook Store, Memory Lane. I collect old world Santa's and my original plan was to use pictures that were taken this past Christmas with me standing with my collection. But I decided to use some much older pictures and I would like to share the story behind them.

As long as I can remember we put 3 non traditional items on our Christmas tree. They were an Indian doll, small panda bear and a cupie doll along with a more traditional Santa. I believe the first 3 items may have been won at a fair and put away to give to me at Christmas when I was quite young. The cupie doll disappeared years ago but when I got married I took with me the other 3 items.

I continued to put them on our tree. Anyone who saw them, including my husband, thought they were rather silly items for a Christmas tree but to me they were precious. Sadly, about 10 years ago, we had a flood in our basement and the items were ruined. I must admitted I shed a few tears when I had to throw them out. Each Christmas I think about them as I decorate my tree.

I have had a box of negatives that I got from my Mom about 30 years ago. I never really did anything with them as it was fairly expensive to send them away and have prints made. A couple of months ago I borrowed a negative reader and quite enjoyed scanning them. A lot of the pictures I have never seen before so it was exciting getting to see them.

I was looking at some of the Christmas ones I got developed and low and behold there were 3 pictures taken around 1959 when I would have been 4. I am holding the very dolls I just told you about. I must admit there were a few more tears shed when I saw them.

There were only 3 kids at that point , my brother Jim and 2 more sisters Debbie and Cathy would come later. But I still love the pictures taken of my Mom, Dad, sister's Ardell and Rose and myself. I decided they would be perfect for the layout I did in class. I have shared the layouts with my special friends in my Scrapbooking groups but thought some of my blog followers and my family might enjoy seeing them. Oh and by the way, I'm the really cute one in the picture LOL