Spring has arrived...finally!

Yesterday was the first day of spring and what a perfect first day of spring it was! The sun was shining and it was warm enough to have the doors and windows open...and who could possibly ask for more!

It's been a lazy weekend for me in that I haven't left the house since I came home from work on Friday afternoon. But, it hasn't all been spent basking in the laziness of watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer and scrapbooking lol. Nope, I actually spent all day yesterday with my 2 year old grandson...and if you're familiar with 2 year olds then you know there's not a lot of laziness involved in their care.
Today I've managed to get several loads of laundry taken care of and as a result you can actually see the hamper in my bathroom again haha.
 And amid the babysitting, Buffy and laundry, I did manage to finish a couple of scrapbook layouts that I want to share.

This first layout is my 2nd son's girlfriend and her daughter. Danielle has been a blessing in mine and my families lives and I am so thankful for her. She is beautiful inside and out and even more important is the fact that she loves my son. Also mustn't forget that she brought a granddaughter into our lives who is just as beautiful as her Mama.

I took some acrylic paint in a dark metallic pink and used a sponge brush to create a little color across the light pink cardstock I used as the base for my layout.

I like taking photos of my layouts rather than
scanning them but sometimes it's difficult to get them
cropped perfectly.
I used a Bazzill jewel template to create the swirl using
Ranger liquid pearls.

The gold glittered lettering is Thickers that I've had for
several years...I wasn't sure that they would work on this
layout but I am not disappointed.
The small letter stickers came in an assorted pack that
I picked up from Hobby Lobby where the Snap pocket page
products are located.
The pennants were punched and sewn on.

I used the texture paste and a stencil to create the hexagons
in the background. I mixed some pink paint with the texture paste
itself to lend color and dimension to the layout. Once the texture paste
was dry I used Perfect Pearls powder to add a little shimmer to the
hexagons.
The rainbow/clouds were cut from a piece of one of the patterned papers I
used. I added some diamond stickles to the clouds, again for sparkle
and dimension.

Flowers were created using a couple of flower punches,
some diamond Stickles and a few brads in coordinating
colors.

I tend to gravitate toward distressing my papers as
witnessed again with this layout...lots of edge distressing
and inking.

The stickers used throughout this layout were from different collections and
I'm not sure of the manufacturers.

And the second layout I want to show you today has a little different subject matter and I hope that no one is offended...I do apologize in advance, just in case.

Remember that you can click on the individual pictures and see a little more detail :)
This is one of those layouts that the photo just won't do justice to...it's frustrating but not unexpected.

Lots going on in this layout as well...more edge distressing
and sewing...also the hinges which look better in person. I
was only able to find hinges in brass so I used Tim Holtz
alcohol ink to add some color and tone down the brass.
The large snowflake has been in my stash for years and I
believe it is a Paper Studio product.

                         

This is a view of the layout opened to reveal several more
photos hidden in a pocket behind the original front
photo. 

The snowflakes to the right of the main photo were punched
with a Martha Stewart snowflake punch. I used the same
embossing powders on these as with the title. I then used
popdots to raise them from the page, adding dimension to the layout.

For the "snowbanks" I created underneath the photo and title
I used a combination of the Stampendous aged teal powder
and Stampendous shaved ice flakes. I heated the powder until
it was almost completely melted and then dropped some flakes
down onto the area and zapped them with the heat gun. This
is certainly *not* a precise feat due to the fact that the flakes
are extremely light and try to fly away in all directions. Just drop
down a few more than you want because some will get away and I
wasn't able to find a way around it. It takes a few seconds for the
heat gun to grab the flakes and begin the melting process and it's
in those seconds that you will lose some stray flakes. It was well
worth the effort though because it looks absolutely gorgeous
in person and I wish you all could see it. GO. BUY. THIS. POWDER.
Seriously, lol. I found it on Ebay for around $7 and it was money
well spent. I may go buy another just in case lol. 

I used Ranger Holographic embossing powder on the white letters
of the title. I don't think the true color comes through in the photos. For the
"o" I used Stampendous aged teal embossing powder. I can't even
begin to express how in love I am with this embossing powder. I
would highly recommend it to every scrapbooker, stamper and crafter.
It's absolutely stunning!
Across the edges of the "snow banks" I used liquid applique to
create a snow effect. You just put a thin line of applique and use the
heat gun on it until it just starts to bubble. You can see on the left
side of this photo that I kept the heat gun on this area just a second
or two too long (it's got a teensy area that looks toasted)
I also used the liquid applique to create dots of snow along the left side
of the main photo.

I know I tend to ramble on with my descriptions of the layouts and I realize it can seem monotonous but I try to give as much detail as possible in case someone
happens along and wonders about the details.

I'm so thankful that after all these years I haven't lost my love of scrapbooking. Sometimes I may go weeks without creating anything but my love for the hobby has never wavered.
I only hope that I can play a part in motivating and inspiring others :)

Thank you for coming by and don't forget to come back soon!

Rhonda