Christmas with Urijah

I scrapped! I just couldn't take not scrapping anymore. I started these pages last night at 10:00 pm. 

Last week, I pulled out my Christmas box. I went through it all, rediscovering some of the great products I had, getting ideas and inspiration for this year's Christmas card. But I ended up with a pile of patterned paper scraps and odds and ends on my desk. Which was really helpful with this week's Studio Calico challenge.

As soon as I saw that it was a puzzle challenge, I knew I wanted to make a star. I pieced this one together tucking one leg under the photo and one over a corner that didn't have much in it. I love how it's all tucked in there nicely, the way Urijah is tucked into my brother's lap. And I love that the stars point and frame the two of them.

This page ended up being super hodge podge, as I pulled a ton of different designers and lines together. I like scrapping like that. I'll have to start doing more non-kit scrapping!

This next page was almost entirely done using last year's Studio Calico/Ali Edwards December Daily kit. I still really love that kit. And yes, I'm even ashamed to admit that I haven't used as much of it as I would have liked. But I'm doing it now, right! That has to count for something?!

I also used last week's Studio Calico Sunday Sketch for this photo of Urijah opening up his presents. I changed it up a lot, to make it work with my photo, but the basics are all still there.

Can I just say, I love a red and green color combo. Most of the time I'm trying to not let this combo look to Christmasy. But now, as I'm making these pages, I get to go all out!

I also love how they look in my book side by side. It just makes me happy =)

Oh, and in case you're wondering. I did not use last year's kit as a December Daily album. It's my Christmas album that I plan to keep adding to over the years.

What about you? Did you buy any December Daily or Christmas kits? Do you plan to DD or just use the stuff? I'd love to hear!

I pre-ordered both (yes I know I'm obsessed!) the Studio Calico and Kelly Purkey kits. I cannot wait for  them to get here. I already have plans for my KP kit. Still working on what I'm doing with SC's. Stay tuned, we'll find out together!

cheers & besos,

If only you knew...

Soooo I'm really bad at blogging.

But a big fan of sharing!

The blog will go on, even with all of my little hiatuses.

But I have been scrapbooking! And I'm happy to share a page today :)

It features some truly beautiful product, the Crate Paper Random line. I LOVE this line!

It's just so pretty. It's the colors that do it, they're so vibrant and rich.

I'm calling this a hybrid page. But not because I printed the journaling.

It's a travel page, using photos from my day touring the Forbidden Palace. And part of the journaling is about that day...

But I couldn't stop looking at this cheeky grin on my face, and thinking if only you knew what was coming for you, when this whole Mountbatten adventure was over.

If only you knew...

"Look at you, with your silly grin and wantonly carefree attitude.

If only you knew...

If only you knew you were about to embark on some heavy times. Some very low points and then extreme hard times.

If only you knew you were about to lose a very important person in your life, so slowly and so wretchedly to cancer.

If only you knew you'd slip so far down into sadness and darkness that it was hard to think of the world as anything but gray and black.

If only you knew you'd try endlessly and fruitlessly to find work, a job, a career, a purpose.

If only you knew you'd become an Aunt and the world would burst forth anew.

If only you knew the low times don't last forever, if you have the willpower to make things changes.

If only you knew you'd get a job that would start you on your dream career, the one that let's you travel.

If only you knew that with time and patience and a little help from God, that any situation, however low or bad can somehow become your ideal, your dream."

xxbesos