Pumpkin Patch

I know it is spring, but I have been busy finishing up my album from last year and am currently working with my pictures from the fall (see my leaves layout here).

Using the Happy Harvest line from Doodlebug Designs I made this layout using pictures from our afternoon at the pumpkin patch.

This layout is much more my style (unlike this one) - different patterned papers and layering. And I especially love the title - a design I purchased several years ago from Silhouette, a great font.

We had an incredible afternoon at the pumpkin patch - the girls played on the playground and climbed on the straw bales, we visited the barn and watched the animals, we walked into the muddy pumpkin patch and discovered several interesting varieties of pumpkins and squash, and we ended the afternoon by picking out small pumpkins to take home. Perfect family time on a beautiful day in fall.

Spring is Coming.....

The days are longer, the sun is shining, the snow has vanished, and the daffodils that I had forgotten I planted in the fall are blooming (not sure why they are so short?)

It is so nice to come home from work and there still be some sunshine left in the day. I have been making the most of it, sitting down with a cup of tea and a little bit of crochet.

I hope you are enjoying the spring weather. Have a lovely weekend.

Leaves

This layout is a huge departure from my usual style:

Look at all those photos on one page! And there are only two patterned papers, few embellishments, and very little layering!

Not my typical page at all.

I was originally going to do a double layout with these pictures but that did not work out well so in a moment of 'let's see how this looks' I arranged all the photos in a grid on one page and absolutely loved the result.

The paper and embellishments that I used are from the Happy Harvest line by Doodlebug Design.

A very different layout, but one I love so much. Just goes to show that doing something different every so often can surprise you.

What about you - are you dedicated to your scrapbooking style or do you change things up every once in a while?

Love You (My Wishes for Bridget)

Good Morning! I hope everyone had a lovely Easter weekend. Ours was a good mix of down time relaxing at home, and time spent visiting with family.

Today there is another sketch challenge happening over at The Memory Nest. And there is a little twist as well - to use one of the phrases for a title or in your journalling.

For my layout I used only one photo and included several blocks of patterned paper.

Here is a closer look:

I love that I was able to use so many different patterned papers - very much my cup of tea - and that the photo still takes center stage. The paper and embellishments on this page are from the Sweet Girl line by Echo Park.

As for the phrases included in the challenge, many of them are what I wish for my little girl so I used them as my journalling. My journalling reads: "Live your dream. Follow your heart. Enjoy the little things. Laugh out loud. Make a wish. Be your best self. Dream big. Believe in miracles. Sing in the rain. These are the things I wish for you, my sweet Bridget. You are such an amazing little girl and I love you with my whole heart. Love Mommy"

This was such an inspirational sketch, something that could really be interpreted a number of ways so I am very excited to see what the other ladies on the Design Team came up with. Be sure to stop by The Memory Nest to see their work.

Three Things

Three things that have made me smile this week:

Birthday flowers from Steve and the girls.

A new crochet book and doing a little bit of simple crochet.

Succulents. Such unusual and beautiful plants.

What is making you smile this week?

My Yarn Stash

My current stash of yarn fits in one bin. In fact, the bin is only about half full.

This one bin is a far cry from a few years ago when I had three bins of yarn and I needed to sit on the lids in order for them to close.

I have been working quite diligently to whittle down my stash....trying to make things with what I have. My hobby, after all, is to crochet, not to simply collect yarn.

Now don’t get me wrong, a stash can be very handy – some place to turn when you need a small amount of a certain color to finish up a project, or an odd ball to use for making a small gift – but three bins stuffed to the gills seemed like a lot to me.

I am finding it a fun challenge to use what I have on hand for projects. 

And between you and me, I am determined to make the most of my stash so that when I go to the local yarn sale this summer I can indulge in a few (maybe more) guilt-free yarn purchases.

Working from my stash and planning to add to it...that is where I am at.

What about you? How big is your yarn stash? Is it shrinking or ever- expanding?

Three Things

Three things that are making me smile this week:

The snow has melted. The yard is wet and muddy but at least it is not white. I can hardly wait to look outside and see green.  

My new tea cup and saucer. Steve bought me two of these sets when he was in the UK and I adore them. How I wish there was a local shop that sold Cath Kidson. 

Fabric - pulled out of the cupboard and ready for some small sewing/craft projects.

What is making you smile this week?

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

This is the current challenge over at The Memory Nest:

 

And it had me incredibly stumped for what to do. The sketch itself is out of my comfort zone as it is, and then to have to do something I have not done before...well, suffice to say I thought long and hard about what to design for this challenge.

In the end, the solution came to me one evening while I was packing the girls' school lunches. I have made banana chocolate chip muffins for my family for years, so often that it has become a given that there will be a muffin in everyone's lunch bag every day. Why not scrap the recipe for these muffins I thought? I have never scrapped a recipe before, and have been trying to include more pages of 'everyday life' in my albums, so this was the perfect idea. 

Once I had the topic of my page figured out, the sketch worked out perfectly and I was able to shrink it down a bit to fit my personal style.

I did have trouble with embellishments on this page as I did not have anything really baking themed in my stash. But with all the different patterned papers, and the one embossed paper, it seems okay, maybe a little plain, but it is a recipe page so best to stay clear and focused on the recipe.

This was one challenge that really got me thinking, really pushed me creatively, and I really liked that. Thanks to Kellie for issuing such a great challenge!

Be sure to hop on over to The Memory Nest to see what the other ladies on the Design Team created....

Crochet Bunting

I have so many works-in-progress at the moment and so many ideas and plans rattling around my creative mind tempting me to start yet another project. Which I guess is not a bad thing - I can only shudder when I think about how dull it would be if I had no more crafty ideas, nothing on my creative to-do list. Yes, best to have several projects on the go....

That all being said, I did manage to complete one project this past weekend: nothing huge, just some fun, whimsical crochet bunting to hang on the barn board in our living room.

I used my leftover yarn from the Garden Patch Granny Afghan and my Granny Cushion, though much fewer colors as my stash of these yarns is dwindling.

Cheerful and cozy, don't you think?

Once I hung the bunting, Steve commented to me that perhaps that we have enough crochet stuff in the living room using this yarn. He does have a point - between the blanket, the pillow, and now the bunting - there is a lot of these colors...but they are so pretty together. I did pack the remaining yarn (and there is not much) away in my yarn bin for another time....but that in no way means that I do not already have a few ideas of what to make next.