Full circle ...

This is a digi layout I have done for HMITM #142.  The challenge was to use "School" themed papers, incorporate a real pencil on your page as an embellishment, 1-3 photos that are school related, use something you would find on a school supply list and include journaling & numbers on your page.

I've been doing the school albums pages for both Christopher and Rachel as digital so thought I should keep this style going so I am able to add this layout in with the rest.  The photo is one taken last year on the first day of school.  Rachel was heading off to senior school in her new shirt with red trim which signifies the senior years while Christopher ventured into Year 5 in primary school.  I couldn't help but recall Rachel starting at our present school in Year 5 and that we as a family had now come full circle.  It even transpired that Christopher would end up in the same classroom, sitting in roughly the same position within the class that his sister did six years previously.  I wonder where those years went.

Flowers and Feminine wiles ...

When I saw the first challenge for this month on Scrap the Boys  I was really stumped as to how to go about this. The challenge was a relatively simple one from Susan ... I don’t know about you but I know I really struggle to put flowers on a boy page so the first challenge for August is to scrap a layout using flowers …to make it a little easier I will allow this one to be of you and your boy/s… Or if you can’t come at flowers …scrap about their feminine sides… or if you are feeling very clever… use both criteria.

 I use flowers a lot on my boy layouts - it's something I don't think looks out of place on a masculine page as long as it is subtle or in the right context. I wanted to be able to use both the flowers and the feminine side criteria but couldn't think of a single set of pictures I have left unscrapped that fitted the bill. My favourite funny "girly" layout is this one I scrapped some time  ago so I really had to put my thinking cap on to find photos I could use.

Eventually I gave up trying to locate photos of embarrassing dress ups, makeup sessions, high heel adventures and concentrated on the everyday and some of the things Christopher does that show the softer side of his personality - his love of cooking being one.  And this is what I came up with ... Baking Gingerbread Men at Christmas.  I used paper that was festive in feel but not over the top "Christmas" and teamed it with the more traditional red trimming and flowers that gave an impression of poinsettia's. 

The second challenge this month was to use ribbon on your boys layout.  I'm afraid I really ran this to the wire time wise so opted for the simple approach of using ribbon in strips to highlight the set of pictures. 

 

Getting 'Stuck' into my scrapping ...

Friday night is my main scrapping night - I shut myself in my craft room, have the Friday night crime series show on TV and scrap away.  What wonderful therapy. Last night I again concentrated on a couple of sketch challenges - this time for Stuck Sketches. 

This one is for their July 1st sketch.  I am desperately trying to reduce my stash and use up some of my very large pile of patterned paper and embellishment stash - man I could open a store with the amount of stuff I have !  I'm also trying to do layouts using my box of  one-off - yet to be scrapped photos.  This one is a cute photo of Rachel after we had been to the school fete - she had been to the face-painting tent and been done up as a pussy cat just like Sox, our cat of the time.

This one is for the July 15th sketch - again using bits and pieces and old photos.  Gosh I still remember how Rachel would crash in the car on the way home from school, totally zonked after a heavy day in the infants department and there would be my baby, sleeping right along side of her - seems like only yesterday.

Just Scrapping my Boy ...

Continuing on my theme of getting a few layouts done through challenges, I ventured over to Scrap the Boys to participate in the first of their July challenges.  This is a really great site that is now back after having a bit of a break.  It offers wonderful inspiration for boys pages.

The first challenge was to use a portrait shot and record some vital statistics of your 'boy' right now.  Loved how they asked us to included some quirky facts as well - everything about Chris is quirky lol !!  and I managed to use one of those school wallet sized school portrait photos - you know the ones - in packets, in drawers all over the house!  multiplying each year like mice - lol.

The second was to use stamps somewhere on your layout.  Mine are in the title and journaling card.

A challenging time ...

Here's a few layouts I have been working on over the last week or so - all for various challenges.

This one is for the monthly sketch challenge over on Scrap the Girls

One for Scraplets

One of Peta on SFS.

Showing a birthday cake over at Scrap Boutique

Challenge #137 over on How Much Is Too Much

Sketch challenge over at Forever Always