Party Hat | Hybrid

I'm having so much fun doing hybrid projects for Krisi's Kreations! It was her birthday last week, and I created this with her Party Hat Template. What's not to love about curls and glitter on a birthday hat?

I haven't done much other experimenting with this template yet, but others are saying it would be a perfect little door-hanger if used upside-down. I've seen cones like that with candies at the holidays or with flowers for wedding decorations. So many possibilities!

Happy Birthday, Krisi!

It's Krisi's birthday, and she's celebrating with a blog freebie and a sale! First, check out her blog to download your free party hat template. (Only available today, so hurry! This item goes into her shop on Friday!)

The sale is also just through today, so head on over to Krisi's ScrapMatters store and pick up some discounted birthday treats!

PenScrappers Contest with free kit!

Head on over to PenScrappers to check out their June contest! You can download a free kit, then enter to win by creating a layout with the kit and uploading it. The free kit is Wild Hearts from Michelle Coleman, and it's great! The red/aqua combo seems to be really trendy right now.

I loved one of the word art elements, so I decided to do a new tumbler insert, using the Tumbler Template from Krisi's Kreations:

I'm not sure how the winner is selected, but there is an option to vote for layouts... if you want to vote for mine, here's the link to my page!

In search of: Pool Pictures

*** Thanks!! I've received some cute photos for this, so I'm off to scrap! ***

Friends, I'm looking for pictures that would make a great scrapbook page when paired with any of the word art elements pictured below:

I will be posting the finished page on a few different scrapbooking websites. If you aren't comfortable with your or your kids' photo being online, I completely respect that, and I could post it with faces blurred so no one is recognizable. You will get a high-resolution copy of the finished page that you can print out if you'd like. You can even pick the page size!

Interested? E-mail me at rjlrebo at gmail dot com with a link to the photos. I only need a few photos from one person, first come, first served... I'll update this post as soon as I have something. Thanks!

So Glad We're Friends | Michigan 2009

I've done lots of scrapping in the last couple of months, and probably won't post everything here on the blog, but I had to post this one. When I was creating this page, I literally could NOT stop smiling, remembering how great it was to spend a few days with my dear friend Sarah and her family last summer. What's not to love? We reminisced about our college years, we grilled at the beach, we just enjoyed our time together.

Journaling reads:

At the end of girls weekend, the Syswerdas allowed me to catch a ride with them to Michigan for the next part of my vacation. I spent three days at their house, enjoying some great summer fun! One day we packed up the kids and walked around Calvin’s campus, reminiscing about our college days and admiring the new physical education building. Of course, our trip could not have been complete without a picture of us by “the cheese.” Afterwards, we stopped for a treat at the Traverse Pie Company. Another day we all went to Holland Tunnel Park for a cookout and swimming, and Beth and Joe met us there. No trip to the beach is complete without a trip to Captain Sundae, so we stopped there on the way home. In between, I played play-doh with the girls, cuddled new baby Andrew and enjoyed every minute of the time catching up with my dear friend Sarah. I can’t help but smile when I think about our fun time together, and I can’t do that without wishing we could spend time together more often!


I picked the colors and elements in this page to complement the one that will be across from it, Meijer Garden, which I previously posted.

Extreme Makeover: Scrapbook Edition | Michigan, August 2009

This is the difference 6 months makes when it comes to digital scrapbooking experience. Below is the very first speed scrap page I ever completed, when I'd JUST started digital scrapbooking. I look at it now, and what I see is a page made using many of the techniques I used when I was paper scrapping. Some of my proportions are off, and I just don't love it anymore. For your entertainment:

Recently, I've been trying to actually finish the scrapbook pages for this particular trip, and decided the page about Grand Haven needed a different spin. I decided to drop the photo of the sign on the pier, and included an important photo that didn't make it into the first draft. I kept some of the same papers and elements, but switched things around a bit. This page was also a speed-scrap page:

Journaling:
This vacation just keeps getting better....
The next stop on my trip was Grand Haven, where my friend Joanna lives with her husband Rob, who is in the Coast Guard, and their two boys, Josiah and Tommy. Somehow, I managed to miss getting a photo with them, although we enjoyed two days catching up! (Aarrgh!!!)
It was an extraordinarily windy day, and we walked out to the beach to see the high surf. Later we had Pronto Pups on the boardwalk - a Grand Haven favorite - and went to an ice cream social at the Coast Guard Station, where Rob showed me a couple of the boats. After the kids went to bed, we went back downtown to see the musical fountain, which unfortunately we missed. We drove out by the lake again, and found it was now remarkably calm compared to earlier, and we walked out on the pier, enjoying the beautiful summer night.
Another highlight of my visit in Grand Haven was having lunch with my friend Heather at the Kirby House. Heather and I worked together at Baker and were even roommates for a year. We at some seriously tasty food, and I also got to meet her new son, Bear.

Another reason I wanted to makeover this layout is because it is going next to another page I'd completed somewhere along the line. To make the two pages more complementary, I used a different layout that included circles, I used some of the same papers, elements & alpha, and the journaling is opposite of the left page, creating some symmetry.

That last page is one I haven't posted here on the blog before, either. That page tells a really funny story, and I start giggling every time I think about it.

Journaling:
For lots of reasons, I know we’ll always be friends.
Beth & I met in our first year of college, and the rest is history! These photos are the proof of more great memories. After a fun day together, we sat side by side with our laptops to check our e-mail. And that’s when the fun really started.
Beth’s husband Jeff was across the room, and the poor guy just couldn’t figure out what on earth was so darn FUNNY ...because we just couldn’t stop laughing. We eventually let him in on the secret: we’d been sending each other instant messages. What a fun memory!!
I already can’t wait until next time.

These pages remind me of the reason I first started scrapbooking, which is to preserve memories of fun times with people I care about. I live far away from these friends, and it's wonderful to have photos to be reminded of the times we've been fortunate to be together.

New Creative Team!

I'm so excited to announce that I've been selected to CT for Krisi's Kreations! I've only just recently begun to dabble in hybrid projects, but since they've been so fun, I decided to try out for Krisi's team - and I got a spot! Definitely look for more hybrid projects in this space!

In the meantime, you can check out Krisi's blog and her store at ScrapMatters!

I wish I could bottle this feeling | December 2009 ... and free Word Art

I guess I was feeling a little introspective when I did this layout. It was for a speed scrap. I've used this photo several times, because it's one of my favorite photos of myself, and the word art I created for it pretty much sums up how I feel about this photo now.

(Credits: Apples and Almonds by Summer Driggs (papers,) What's Cookin' by Dreams Fulfilled (red ribbon,) Treehouse Fun by ScrapMuss Designs (twine string,) Kiwi by Shabby Princess (stamp,) Pioneer Woman (Photo Actions,) Photo by LeAnn Scacco)

I redesigned the word art a bit to put all the pieces together, and made it into two versions, either of which can be easily recolored. The two fonts are Cambria and CK Becky. First, the words all together:

The second version separates the words that are in the different fonts, so you could layer them with different colors or shades:

To use this word art, click on each image to view it full-size, then right click and "save as" or simply click and drag to your desktop. Permission is given to use this word art for your own personal use ONLY. Commercial use or use for profit is specifically not allowed. If you have any questions about acceptable use, please contact me.

Featured on the Stolen Moments Blog!

Remember the ABC book I posted about last week?

Today, I was so excited to see the entire book (so far!) featured on the designer's blog! The templates used to create this album go on sale today, and Amber over at Stolen Moments featured my book along with her product announcement!! Go check it out!!

Amber also sells pre-made blogwear and custom blog designs, and she's giving away a custom design to one lucky winner. Since this blog could still use some sprucing up, I'm definitely entering to win!

You can enter, too, and the info is right there in the same blog post as my book project. (See, now you have to look!)

Hybrid Project | Thank You Card

More hybrid fun! This is a thank you card for someone that I'm pretty sure doesn't read this blog, but just in case, I'll set it to post after it's been given away!

I used a real button and ribbon in place of the digital button, and ended up leaving off the butterfly, and using a stamp pad to give the word box a subtle border instead of layering it on a contrasting paper square.

CREDITS:
Because I'm A Woman by the ScrapMatters Design Team
MiaMia by HK Designs
Fonts: Pea Smashtastic in a Hurry, Love Ya Like a Sister
Template: Created by Julie (ScrapMatters It’s In the Cards 5/27)

Scrapping BFF's | January 2009 and May 2010

If anyone is to get credit for my start in digital scrapbooking, it's Sarah. Yep, this addiction is ALL her fault! And for that, among about a million other resons, I love her like crazy.

On Sunday night we were both online,and contemplating another speed scrap, where a bunch of people chat online, somebody provides instructions for building a layout, and you use them to create a page. So, there we were, both at our computers about 1500 miles part, and chatting together about whether or not to scrap, based on the first of the instructions: "Today I want to learn something about you, so that's what I want your SS page to be about...YOU. Take some time now to pick what you want to focus on about yourself & get some journaling written."

So I had the brilliant idea that instead of scrapping about ourselves, we should each scrap a page about each other, and we should use the same photo. Sarah immediately agreed, and we started building our pages. We kept all the details secret from each other until we posted our final layouts to reveal what we'd created. What's really fun about this is that while our pages turned out very differently, many of our sentiments were the same. For both of us, it was the journaling that took the longest to get "just right."

I think this was the most fun I've ever had doing a speed scrap. A few hours of online time with my BFF, sharing a hobby we love, and celebrating ALL the wonderful things that make our friendship a mutual blessing!

MY PAGE

August 2010

Journaling reads:
You are my best friend, my BFF, the first person I call in gladness or tears. We talk about our hopes, our joys, our fears & our faith. In the next breath, it’s great sales, cute shoes & Queen of Scrap. You are my encourager & shoulder to cry on. You always listen & thoughtfully respond, affirming good decisions, & gently pointing me in the right direction when I’ve lost focus. You love me just as I am, yet always spur me on to be better. BFF, I am so VERY thankful God blessed my life with you. You make me a better person, & most importantly YOU MAKE ME SMILE.

SARAH'S PAGE

Journaling reads:
A friendship like this doesn’t come along every day. I always knew we had something special, but as each year passes I’m more and more grateful for the blessing of you in my life. We’ve shared a college apartment, a Disneyland vacation, and all those Thursday nights watching Friends and ER. We’ve lived in the very same room and on opposite sides of the country. We’ve danced our hearts out at the Bresa del Rio and at the weddings of so many we love. You’re the first one I call when I have a few spare minutes in the car to chat, the first one I email when I’m thinking of buying an outfit or pair of shoes and need a second opinion, and the first one I turn to when I need a listening ear to talk out life’s curveballs. Life has changed so much since we met thirteen years ago, and neither of us has ended up exactly where we expected. But through the highs and the lows, the boyfriends and breakups, the changes in clothing sizes and family sizes and the rest of life’s little surprises, one thing still holds true: this amazing, one-of-a-kind sisterhood of ours. Rooted in faith, bound in love, and thanks to unlimited talk time on our cell phones. You are one wonderful woman, Rebecca, and I’m so very, very thankful to call you my friend.