birthday cards

Every year I tell myself I am just going to buy the birthday cards. And every year I just can't bring myself to do it. And now with doing so much "digital" scrapbooking and really just trying to not get too far behind on my blog, I find a bit of a creative outlet making the cards. Just wish I had more time to do it.

throw

When I decided to make Ava a quilt for her bed I fell in love with Moda's Simplicity line. There were just too many fabrics to choose one so I bought several charm packs to play with and figure out something I liked. Problem was, nothing was coming to me. In the end I chose two fabrics and worked with that.

With Christmas approaching I decided that she needed something a little warmer for the winter months that she could us in addition to her quilt. I got those charm packs out again and decided to cut them up and us different squares and rectangles and see how big I could get it. I like it so much and wanted it bigger that I went in search for more charm packs. Thank goodness for ebay!

And now I LOVE this quilt. I wish it was her regular quilt. It is so pretty and colorful....but not quite a twin size, just shy...thus, a throw. I guess sometimes our initial instinct is the right one. I just need to learn to listen to that a little more.

(Oh and of course my quilting girl in Utah did a fantastic job on it. I just send it to her and she surprises me. I have loved everything she has done for me. She is that good.)

getting 2001 done

Are these pages starting to look the same? Even if they do...too bad. I'm getting them done. And after having a digital camera for several years now it is just down right painful to go back and try to make some kind of sense of the 8 pictures I have of Christmas (half of which are blurry). I figure as long as I document things, they will be loved and cherished. At least that is what I tell myself.

I am determined to fill in some of the holes in my old scrapbooks. I need to get going on my blog books...

Black Apple Doll

My friends in my old ward in Washington made these dolls. They actually made a lot of these dolls with the pattern from the Martha Stewart website. I wanted to do one. I was going to do one for Ava's birthday...that came and went. But I HAD to get at least one done for Christmas. And that is what I've done. ONE. But all from scraps. The only thing I had to buy was brown felt. Not bad.


Maybe I'll have time to get one more done before the 25th. Hopefully.

It sure would be easier if I just did it like the pattern said, but of course I had to add sleeves, change the angle of the arms, lengthen the dress, embroider the face and add pig tails. No wonder I've only gotten one done. I do love her though. Hopefully Ava will too.

same, yet different

Why haven't I been doing this all along? I am desperately trying to get Christian's first year done. This is something that has REALLY helped. Something I will for sure be doing in the future. Mass production...yet not. Love it!

Pacific Beach

I guess I should say I'm really good at copying. But isn't that what scrapbooking is all about? This started as one of Lisa's spreads...but it didn't end up that way. I guess that is what I love so much about the creative process of scrapbooking, even when you copy...it turns out to be your own.

This was one of those pages that I didn't want to do. The pictures were so drab and dreary. But once I saw Lisa's spread, I immediately thought of these pictures. Thanks again Lisa for getting me to document something that would have been pushed aside.

I'm so grateful for my creative friends and for blogs so that even though I am far away I can benefit from their creativity. Thanks for sharing.

slow and steady

I figure that is how I'll win the race, slow and steady. This was one of those "I don't like these pictures" that turned out way better once the page was done. I am really having to think out of the box to do all these old 8 1/2 x 11 pages. I'll be glad when they are done. I'm afraid that isn't going to be soon enough.

(The colors are so messed up. My blue isn't nearly so bright.)