LBD: May Layouts 12x12

I've got some May Little Black Dress kit pages for yall! This month's kit is so fab I can't even talk about it. Let's just say if you enjoy Maggie Holmes' products, you'll love the Miss Maggie kit!

Here are the 12x12 layouts I made with it!

I did a quick recap of my 2012 travels. Was so blessed to visit so many great places, add a few more countries to my list AND to see my bestie Sarah!

The colors in the kit really evoked the idea of sunset and sun rays. Basically, the kit felt "sunny" to me! So both of these pages are sun inspired. It was most definitely because of that lovely ombre ribbon. Get me some more of that stuff stat!!

This last page is a memorial layout of my sunshine, Miss Maddie. It's a tribute page to her, as we lost our little angel two years ago. Still miss her a ton!

I loved this kit to bits but sadly just didn't have enough time to devote to it. But believe you me, I'm not done with it yet!

cheers & besos,

Best Friend

Hi bloggy friends, just wanted to share the last page for Urijah's album. We'll at least the last one I created (more to be featured here on the blog later).

But I just wanted to throw this one up real quick so that it's done and over with. It was very sad to make this page, which is about my sweet dog and my nephew.

She passed away 2 months ago and it's still very hard for me to think about her being gone.

She was my little angel and she died at the ripe old age of 14.

It was time.

But it doesn't make it any easier.

I didn't cry until I got to the journaling, which I thought was appropriate. Urijah loved Maddie so much.
She truly was my best furry friend and we went through a lot together, me and that dog. I'm so grateful she was a part of my life for so long. And I will be sad for a very long time. But this was a first step in my healing process.

Hug your fur baby for me if you have one. They are only part of our lives for too short a time.

xxbesos

Blog Post #100!!

In honor of pet week, as I've know decided this week has become, and in honor of my 100 blog post, I thought we'd take a walk together down memory lane. :) Shall we?

After I made those mini's I went back to look at some of the pages I've done of Maddie in the past. I've been scrapbooking her since the beginning, so it's super interesting to see how my style and general skills have evolved and changed. Also to see her "grow" up and get older. I didn't take many photos of her when she was younger. I think I might have been too young to have a camera yet, it was so long ago!

Oh those first pages...Can you tell that I started out with Creative Memories? That was way back in 1997 (if I did that math right) the same year I got Maddie.

What were the signatures of my style then? Apparently shaped photos, decorative scissors and hand lettering. The latter has a lasting place in my repertoire.

I stepped away from scrapping for awhile but got back to it in 2002, at least according to the dates on these layouts. Note to self: start dating the backs of layouts.

It seems that Maddie has been on this scrappy journey with me, for years and years now. Here's a page I did 6 years ago, almost to the day. Found out via 2Ps that this was created on or around May 24, 2004.

Back in the day I scrapped a lot on my bed, since I didn't have any space. Maddie sleeps on my bed. Vis a vis, she slept in the midst of my scrappy zone.

A few weeks later (6.29.2004), I came up with this layout. Love the color of that red! Also sad to note, I guess I had the intention of writing something to hide under the photo that is tagged "lift" but there's nothing there!! Such a bummer.

I remember I was feeling guilty about my stash at this point, which is why I chose these papers and stickers. I actually really like it though. Oh, and this is also around the time when I started getting into my now staple, 8x8 size.

Sad to say, the last layout I did of Maddie was in 2005, before the mini I created earlier this week. I got super fancy with the font work on this one. Not sure if you can really tell, but I shadowed Maddie in the background behind the journaling. Might have to try that again!

Thanks for coming with me on this jaunt down scrappy memory lane. It's been interesting to say the last. Anyone brave enough to share some of their earlier work as well? I'd love to see it! Happy scrapping :)

xxbesos

j.leija

Doggie Bag *Mini Book Monday*

Welcome to this week's installment of *Mini Book Monday* I'm so excited about not one, but two, mini's I made this weekend!

I came across the pet themed Basic Grey Max and Whisker's line by accident one day at Archiver's. It's such a beautiful line that can be used in the theme and outside of it. I initially purchased it without my pets in mind, but the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to create mini's honoring my favorite animals.

Measure of a Mutt

Today I'm going to share just one of the mini's, the one of my number one girl, Maddie. Maddie and I go way back. Think more than a decade. She's my baby, my sweet little angel and my best friend. I don't know what I'm ever going to do without her, and honestly, just thinking about it makes me emotional so I'll stop now.

I knew I wanted to create a mini of some of her latest photos and I wanted to include a lot of journaling and tidbits about my old girl. Somehow along the way, my punny self got the best of me and making a paper "doggie" bag book seemed like a good idea. And I. love. it. It was so easy to assemble and put together.

This features that lovely Basic Grey Max and Whisker's line. I love the line and it's vibrant offbeat colors. I couldn't afford all of it, so instead I choose a few versatile sheets -- stripes, grid, a floral -- only two actual theme patterned papers, the matching brads, and my splurge, the gorgeous bloomers.

The majority of the decor is journaling with a few brads and strips of patterned paper thrown in for good measure. And since the base is actual bags, I had handy little ready made pockets to include a few tags. That's where a few extra photos and some fun Maddie tidbits were included. I love the finished result!

Thanks for stopping by this *Mini Book Monday* Don't forget to leave a comment for the chance to be entered into the running for a fun *Mini* RAK! Happy Scrapping :)

xxbesos

j.leija