More Pages...

Well, these are old layouts but I've never posted them so I thought I'd give you some more eye candy today (there's A LOT of them!)...

These are mostly self-explanatory layouts...you can click on them to see a bigger version.

Kit - A Touch of Winter by Erica Zane

Kit - Connect by the Scrap Matters Design Team

Template - Fabulously Negative v4 by WM[Squared] Designs

Kit - Harvest Happiness by Jady Day Studio

Alpha - Rustic Chic Alpha by Jady Day Studio

Date Bits - EZ Date Bits v1 by Erica Zane

Kit - Just One More Story by Graham Like the Cracker and Chelle's Creations

Metal Alpha & stitches - Sleep Tight by Jennifer Barrette

Round Alpha - Rustic Chic Alpha (recoloured) by Jady Day Studio

Metal Date Bits - Metal Date Bits by Stolen Moments

This is a double page layout. The photos were just so cute and this kit just so perfect that I had to do both pages. The first will be the left side and the second, the right side.

Kit - Pumpkin Spice by Jennifer Barrette

Leaf scatters - Magic Autumn by BL Design

Frame - Harvest Happiness by Jady Day Studio

Date swirl - Perfect Date Monthly Date Swirls by Jennifer Barrette

Kit - Pumpkin Spice by Jennifer Barrette

Leaf scatters - Magic Autumn by BL Design

Raffia bow - Early for Autumn by Thalaris

Template by Liz (Tuesday Template Challenge)

This next page was for the Extreme Makeover Challenge so I will show you the page I was remaking, as well.

This was the original:

Kit - Wynken, Blynken and Nod by Stolen Moments and Scraps by Jenn

This is the redo:

Kit - True Blessings by LDrag Designs

Precious WA - So Big! by Man in the Moon Designs

Clipping Mask - So This is Love by Sahlin Studios

I don't like the title on this one so I think I'll have to rework it!

Kit - The Three R's by Threeology

This one was also for an Extreme Makeover Challenge and I LOVE LOVE LOVE the redo!!

The original:

Kit - Christmas Morning Train parts by Sweet as Mel, Random Inspirations by Monica, Latte'Dah Designs and Kim's Scrappin'

This is the redo - can you even tell it's the same?

Kit - Season of Giving by Sahlin Studios

Word Bits - Season of Giving Snipettes by Sahlin Studios

Date Element - Simply Dated v.8 by WM[Squared] Designs

Template - temp blends sampler by Jenn Lindsey

Kit - Modish (some recoloured) by GeniaBeana Scraps

Alpha - Modish Acrylic Alpha by GeniaBeana Scraps

Flower buds (recoloured) - Easter Morning by Stolen Moments and Man in the Moon Designs

Leaf - Sweet 'n Blue by Elo Designs

Stones - Ohe Matelot by Cjournet13

Template - Fine Waves Template by A'nyi

Kit - Coastal Getaway by the Scrap Matters Design Team

Alpha - Vintage Summer Bonus Alpha by WM[Squared] Designs

Template by Happy Scrap Girl

Kit - Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow by Plum Dumpling Designs

That's all for now! I'm currently working on my 2011 calendar and it's taking me WAY too long! Hopefully I'll finish it soon so I can print it!

Until next time...

Some Layouts...

(The link to my family blog is in the post below this!)

I'm going to post the 10 layouts I did on Digital Scrapbooking Day (well, weekend most places :) ). ScrapMatters had a Scrap-A-Thon and I managed to get 5 of the 10 challenges done and I did 5 speed scraps, as well. I must say, after doing that in just over 2 days, I was a little burned out. I barely touched my computer the whole next day!! I was really happy with how most of them turned out...here they are...

First the speed scrap pages:

Kit - Pumpkin Spice by Jennifer Barrette

Frames - Sweet 'n blue by Elo Designs

Corn - Magic Autumn by BL Designs

Small green sprig - Early for Autumn by Thalaris

Alpha - Rustic Chic Alpha by Jady Day Studios

Kit - Sleep Tight by Jennifer Barrette

Scallop Frame (recoloured) - So Big! by Man in the Moon Designs

Ricrac - Planes, Trains and Automobiles by Scrappin' Serenity

Alpha - Modish Acrylic Alpha by geniaBeana Scraps

Kit - Many Thanks by the ScrapMatters Design Team

Date Element - Pinned and Dated by Stolen Moments

Kit - Perfect Moments by Erica Zane

Bib (recoloured) - So Big! by Man in the Moon Designs

Fork & Spoon (recoloured) - Cookie Monster by Jenasis Designs

Date Elements - Pinned and Dated by Stolen Moments

Template - Wonky Grid Template by Melody (WM[Squared] CT)

This one was a little difficult because it was the last speed scrap of the weekend (one Friday, two Saturday and two Sunday). Also, we had to work the number 12 or the word twelve into the page...so I came up with this slightly cheesy title!

Kit - Into the Night by Stolen Moments

String (recoloured) - Dandelion Wishes by Jennifer Barrette

Template - Thursday Challenge by Trixie's Scrap Star Carrin

Photograph by Lilyfield Photography

Now for the Scrap-A-Thon Challenges:

This challenge was to ask a question and scrap the answers. There needed to be at least three answers so it could be one question to three different people or three (or more) questions to one person. I had a little conversation with Xander about school!

Kit - A Time to Learn by Stolen Moments

Template - Building Blocks v1 by Chelle's Creations

This challenge was to use the "cut out" technique. This is where you cut shapes out of a top paper to reveal the paper underneath.

Kit - Dandelion Wishes by Jennifer Barrette

Alpha - Fun and Frosty by Cinnamon Designs

Word Art - Perfect Moments by Erica Zane

Template - Fabulously Negative v6 by WM[Squared] Designs

This challenge was a colour challenge. You were given a colour palette and had to pick shades of the colours to use in your layout. The palette was a brown/cream/green/burgundy palette.

Kit - Fun and Frosty by Cinnamon Designs

Alpha - A Touch of Winter by Erica Zane

Red ornament - Christmas Essentials by The Maltese Scrapper

This challenge was a double scraplift. Basically, you find two layouts you like and combine elements of both of them (plus your own interpretation) to create your own layout. If you're interested I lifted Sweet as Sugar by slurpeegirl13 - inspired by the colours and band of paper - and Happiness is... by Strange.Bird - inspired by the line of little photos- to get this page:

White paper - Fun and Frosty by Cinnamon Designs

Navy paper - Just One More Story by Chelle's Creations

Photo Mask - Mask Collection 1 - WaterColors by LawTeeDa Designs

Word strip - Une Chanson Douce by Pitchouk82

Ribbon and clouds - Rose de Mai by Manue Designs

Photograph by Lilyfield Photography

My favourite challenge (and the last of the 5) is an extreme makeover challenge. In this one, you were to take a layout from your first 6 months of digi-scrapping and redo it. One photo had to stay the same. Most of my first pages were for my Mexico scrap book, which is already printed so I didn't want to touch them. If I did, I knew I'd want to redo the whole book as my skills have improved SO MUCH since then! However, I realized that, in my annual books for the boys, they would have some pages from Mexico as that is a big event in a 2 year old's life! So, I redid this one for Xander's annual book (I didn't keep track of credits back then because I figured I'd never post them...just do this one book then quit! Yeah.):

I came up with this:

Kit - Tropical Sunshine by LDrag Designs and Siamese Studio

Template - Fabulously Negative v6 by WM[Squared] Designs

It was a fun weekend and I love the pages I came up with!

Until next time...

Changes Around Here...

I've decided to make a few changes around here. I'm going to be splitting up my blogs. This will now be my scrapping blog (which, by the way, I have A LOT of layouts to post...maybe tomorrow) and I created a new blog Life With The Berkans for my family photos/stories. So, if you're interested in one or the other or both, be sure to bookmark them. I just posted my first post at the new blog and you can find it here. I'll be back with some new layouts tomorrow (I think!).

Until next time...

This Little Piggy

Hi there! It has been a long time but the days have been crazy busy with painting, birthday parties and the rest of life. I'm also trying to get my blogs organized. I want to leave this blog as my scrapping blog and start a new one as my family blog. I started one but I'm trying to get it pretty and stuff so I'm not sure when I'll get to posting there...hopefully soon because I have a ton of photos to share (and a lot of LOs)!

Anyway, this week, Scraps of Ellay has a new collab out. It's an adorable kit with KnittenJen Designs called This Little Piggy, which you can pick up right now at STS. I had a lot of fun working with this cute little thing and here is what I came up with:

Here is the full preview of this wonderful kit...

Hopefully I will be back soon with some photos for you on one blog or another because I have some really adorable ones!

Until next time...

Thankful!

Today (and all days) I am thankful (in no particular order)...

for my husband

for my kids

for my childhood

for family in general

for my house

for turkey

for friends

for our church

for our wonderful world

for sunshine

for rain

for babies that sleep

for flowers

for raspberries

for creativity

...and above all...for the God who has created it all and made all these things possible.

O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever. Ps 30:12b

Until next time...

So There Was School...

Yesterday was a strange day. Just thought I'd share our little school adventures!

This summer, I go the calendar from the school division listing all the days off etc. for the year. Dutifully, I marked them on my calendar. Other than stat holidays, the first day off would be October 1. OK. That'll be a good break. So, I'm planning things to do...I have to paint my bedroom so I'll work on that...then, because our bedroom will be totally covered in plastic and drop cloths, we'll have a camp out in the living room with the boys...this sounds like a good idea. I tell the kids and it's all planned. Then Thursday comes. Xander gets home from school and tells me teacher says tomorrow's library day...really? I ask him, are you sure she didn't say next school day? Nope. He insists it's tomorrow. Well, I wanted to call the school, anyway, so I thought I'd just check into it. Sure enough, I talk to the secretary...the division messed up...we have October 8th off, not October 1st! Good thing I called! Then comes Friday...we're ready for school and waiting for the bus... I thought I saw Xander's bus go by but there are several that drive by our house every morning and he insisted it wasn't so OK. Time passes and the bus is ten minutes late...that shouldn't be - the weather's fine. So I call dispatch. She puts me on hold to find out what's up. The bus driver forgot to stop! I'm not upset...it's kinda amusing (though I was hoping not too hard on Xander). She says he'll be by in a couple minutes...10 minutes later - he's late for school by now - I call to see where the bus is. He's five minutes out, still. So much for a couple minutes...I may as well drive him to school now...the regular doors will be locked and he'll have to go in a different door and go to the office etc. So, I drive him...Evan is in heaven, getting to go to school...and throws a fit when I make him put back the toy and leave - poor boy...he's really kinda jealous! But, Xander got to school fine and all was good...we'll chalk that up to another adventure! Just thought I'd share :).

I did get some painting done - well, priming actually...tomorrow will be painting the main colour! I'm so excited! Off to bed now!

Until next time...

Some other pages (Mom that picture is in here)...

OK, I keep saying I'll do more posts and that I was going to schedule this but by the time I got to posting my last post, I'd forgotten. It's late and I should go but I'm going to put this up. Things have been busy, getting used to the new kindergarten routine and care groups starting back up and FaithBuilders (kids club at church) starting again...we have to find the new groove. It's so weird how it feels like I have so much less time with school on. I guess it's just because I now have times that I HAVE to be home, otherwise, I'll miss Xander's bus. Xander is having fun at school and learning lots so that is awesome!

My exciting scrapping news is that I'm now a ScrapMatters Girl!! A new forum I've been hanging out at, ScrapMatters, has a team of us that encourage people with compliments on their work, police the gallery and things like that. We get "paid" with scrapping stuff and the amazing inspiration we get from looking at everybody's work. I've learned so much and gotten so many ideas already and am loving the fun chatter we get to have in our forums!

Out house renos are finally coming along, too. The roof was re-shingled Friday and the deck is well -formed...it just needs the top! The roofers came Thursday to prep - drop off shingles, put them where they'd need them, get the ladders set up etc. But, it only took them Friday (and not even all of it) to do the actual shingling. It was very impressive. I thought we'd be without the satellite dish for a couple days but it turned out to be more like a couple hours! We were very pleased and we really like the new shingles. Now, I'm just super excited for the deck to be done!

Here are some other pages I've done recently.

This picture was for a photo challenge to try to emphasize the eyes. I really like how the photo turned out! The layout might be a little girlie but I just loved the cute little flowers!

Kit - Forget-Me-Not by Andilynn Designs

This was for a ScrapMatters Girl speed scrap (or chat and scrap later :) ). I love how it turned out!

Kit - True Blessings by LDrag Designs

Brown, Green & Music papers, sparkles - Into the Night by Stolen Moments

Template - Scraps by Number B.L.O.C.K.E.D. by Stolen Moments

This was a kit I won and I love the colours. I simply adore this photo of Rene and Jonathan!

Kit - Modish by geniaBeana Scraps

Template by Connie Prince Digital Scrapbook Designs

OK Mom - this is it...the photo I was telling you about. I totally LOVE this photo of Xander at the beach! I didn't even do very much editing on it - just a little lightening!

Kit - Vintage Summer by WM[Sqaured] Designs

Background Paper - Wynken, Blynken & Nod by Stolen Moments and Scraps by Jenn

Alpha - Modish Acrylic Alpha by geniaBeana Scraps

Date Element - Simply Dated v8 by WM[Squared] Designs

OK - so now you're sort of up to date. I may type more in a bit and we have some fabulous family photos that I will post at some point in time! I am actually thinking of starting up a second blog for all my photos and talking and just leaving this as a scrap blog to post kits and pages on...I haven't decided for sure but we'll see how that goes!

Until next time...