Busy

I know it's been a little quiet around here lately.

It may seem quiet, but trust me when I say that it actually has been anything but quiet here.

The fact is, I've been busy. Which is better than the alternative. I don't do well with quiet and boring. And trust me, it is never quiet or boring here. :)

In the midst of our busy schedule, keeping up with the boys, school, church, housework, ironing, grocery shopping, football practice, picking up toys, cleaning some more, guitar lessons, playing, etc., I've been trying to get this order finished up. It needs to be mailed off next Friday. Getting close to being finished, but I'll admit it's moving slower than I had planned.

Doesn't it always work that way? Oh well....I'll get there. Quickly. Deadlines are good for me.

Really.

The little red desk (and the rest of my craft area) has been a complete disaster.
And it's making me nuts. But I keep reminding myself that I thrive on chaos, that I will finish and clean up soon....and then start another project. :)

But anyway...here is another mini-book.

A kindergarten book for a cute little boy named Brady.
I went with a vintagey look for this one.

A little Crate Paper mixed with some October Afternoon.

Wish I could see the completely finished project....you know, when the photos are added.
Brady is really a super cute kid, and will make this album way better. :)

The only thing I like better than buying school supplies is making school-themed books. :)

And I can't wait until I can show you all of this one. Don't want to spoil the surprise.

But I can't help but give a little peek...

Is it just me, or that little blue bird the picture of happiness?

She's from Basic Grey's "Olivia" collection, and I think she's pretty fab.

Kinda dig that pink leopard flower too....more to come. :)

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like.....

...Christmas. :)
Not really. In fact, I get annoyed when I go into stores and see Christmas stuff everywhere when it's only October. I prefer to soak up as much Fall as humanly possible.

I will admit, however, that I was thankful to find so many great Christmas papers and embellishments out ready to be bought when I was getting ready to make these cards.

My sweet hubs leaked my papercrafting secret to some of the ladies at church. :) Just kidding....I am totally fine with them knowing what I do. As I've said before, I've missed it. A lot. And I was thrilled when the women's minister at our church asked me to lead our women's group in making some Christmas cards next month. It will go along with the Operation Christmas Child (www.samaritanspurse.org) shoebox stuffing event we are doing that day. It's something I am passionate about, something our family participates in each year. If you've never heard about it, please visit their website. And getting the opportunity to make Christmas cards with these ladies is just icing on the cake. :) So anyway....cards. Christmas cards. Had to have these samples ready to show tomorrow. Happy to report I got them finished up during Hunter's nap time. No last minute stressing necessary.

I think Frosty here might be my favorite. Something about those eyes..... ;)

One that is a little more formal....don't usually do a lot of stamping or embossing....out of my comfort zone. I've done a lot of "out of my comfort zone" here lately....makes embossing seem like no big deal. :)

I did one similar to this one when I worked at Recollections. Love those little triangle trees. :)

And how fun it was getting to use some Stickles again. The papers I used for all the cards were a mix of some Basic Grey, Fancy Pants (shocking, I know;)), and My Mind's Eye. All their new holiday lines. Gotta check 'em out.

Now, go pick a pumpkin or make some cider or something. Enjoy the Fall. Christmas will be here soon enough. :)

"B" is for Boy...

...and in this case, a boy named Beckham. :)

This is the first of five minibooks I'm working on for a customer.

Being a mom of three boys, it's no secret that I LOVE scrapping boy stuff.

Things have come a very long way in the scrapbooking world when it comes to papers and embellishments and boys....long gone are the days of trains and cars as the only boy-themed items out there. Thank goodness. :)

For this book I used Bo Bunny's arrow book and Fancy Pants' Rough and Tough paper line. One of my very favorites from last year that I'm not sure I'll ever get tired of. It's fun and funky and perfect for scrapping boys of just about any age.

In this case, a super-cute two-year-old named Beckham. :)

I added some 5x9 inch chipboard pages in between the arrow pages, making sure they don't show when the book is closed. Lots of buttons, some hemp wound around a few pages and tied through some buttons, and it's all good. :)

Now I've got to get busy on some Christmas card samples that are due on Tuesday.

Forever the procrastinator. *sigh*