A boy's life

As you know if you've browsed my scrapbooks or looked through my blog any number of times, I'm a huge fan of Echo Park. So, it should come as no surprise that I snatched up some of their latest collection, A Boy's Life.  Afterall, there are plenty of photos and stories about boys to be documented, in this household.  I loved the somewhat muted color palette, fun icons and clever word stickers that it included. 

The first page, features some cherished photos of my oldest son and one of his Dad around the same age, both riding in a car from my husband's childhood.  I love the fact that my in laws have saved so many toys from that time.  They provide my kids with great entertainment, of course, but also a glimpse into their Dad's life around similar ages as themselves.

Supplies used:  Echo Park A Boy's Life patterned papers:  Energetic, Hot Rod, Imagination, Magnetic, Charmer, Element and Alpha stickers

Here's a peek at the journaling:

I've seen (and pinned!) this circle idea several times and couldn't wait for the opportunity to try it on a scrapbook page.  The Boy's Life collection was perfect for this technique because there were so many great papers in this line that I wanted to use.  Using a multitude of small circles to incorporate all of these papers, was a fun way to highlight the collection, but still keep emphasis on the pictures and the story!

I put together a second page, as well.  This photo just makes me giggle!  I turned around one morning to find our youngest son staring back at me with this face exclaiming, "Look mommy, I have a moustache!".  Love that boy and his goofiness.  He really knows how to turn on the charm and make me smile (especially when he's up to no good!).

Supplies: all patterned paper and stickers, Echo Park A Boy's Life collection (Energetic, Imagination, Charmer, Elements stickers and Alpha stickers), Doodlebug boutique buttons and twine

I can't resist some fun little banner stickers, and thought the upper right corner of the page was calling for a little bit of decoration.

And a look at the journaling and title.  I really liked the font style of the letter stickers that went with this line.  They were great for a big, bold title.  I'm sure I'll find myself sneaking them into another project very soon.

That's all I've got for today.  I'll be back soon to share the progress I've made on my Project Life album.  I've been sticking with the monthly approach and I really love it!

Sometimes calm, always crazy

Never did I imagine that I would have so many little boys in my life.  I've got two of my own, of course, and am now up to four additional nephews!  Growing up with an older brother provided me with a good look of what was to come, with all of these boys, though!  And don't be fooled, despite my girly appearance, I love the chaos and craziness that comes along with all of these little guys (most of the time, anyways!). 

With that in mind, it's no surprise that I had these pictures on my mind, to scrapbook -- my boys with two of their cousins on Christmas day.  Love that they are smiley and perfectly posed in one, and conjuring up their silliest faces in the next.  That's a pretty accurate portrayal of them, if I don't say so myself!  I decided to use these pictures along with some of my favorite My Mind's Eye 'Lime Twist' collection items and the latest sketch, from the My Mind's Eye blog.  Here's a look at the sketch from Anam Stubbington (with the theme "YOU"):

And here is the page I put together:

Supplies used: MME Lime Twist, Fly a Kite "Spring" Zag paper (orange dot and chevron), MME Lime Twist, Fly a Kite "Everyday" Lines paper (blue/white star, diagonal stripe), Bazzill Cardstock, MME Lime Twist, Fly a Kite "Spring" and "Soar" Accessories sheet stickers, MME 12 days of Christmas trims (blue/white baker's twine), MME Lost and Found button collections - Rosy "Love" and Breeze "Boyish" buttons, Pink Paislee grid tape.

I really liked the photo and title placement from the sketch and used those as my starting off points.  I was particularly fond of the colors in the diagonal stripe paper and how well they seemed to scream "boy" and coordinate with the colors of the shirts they are all wearing.  I don't know if it's immediately obvious, but I designed each half of the page to coordinate with the mood of each picture.  Thus, the left hand side is linear, orderly and somewhat calm -- as are those sweet boys in the picture, while the right hand side of the page has lots of 'craziness' - skewed images, lots to look at and random little bits and pieces.

Here's a closer look at the title and journaling: 

And some of the sticker details in the top right corner:

 

This is certainly not your traditional Christmas page, but sometimes I think it's fun to highlight moments from an event on an entirely separate page.  Instead of having these darling photos get lost on a two page spread crammed with Christmas memories, I thought it would be fun to use them to document the relationship my boys have with their cousins. 

Thanks for taking a peek!

Fresh Goods

Just thought I'd pop on real quick and share a couple of pages I haven't had a chance to share on the blog, yet.  Both pages features the Fresh Goods line from Pebbles.  I absolutely LOVE the kraft color that is dominate in this collection.  Kraft is one of my favorite 'go-to' neutrals and I love how the colors of the patterned papers pop off of it.  The colorful chevron paper on this page, was definitely my favorite of the whole line!

Here's a closer peek at the journaling and those cute 'tape' looking stickers.  At first glance, I wondered how I would use these stickers, but I really had fun adding them here and there throughout the page.

Here's a look at the title and some misting I used on the background.  Those cute fabric brads are also part of the Fresh Goods line.

 

Below is the second page I created with this collection.  I used many of the same products from the first page, but flipped some of the papers to their 'B' sides.  Love the versatility of this collection and how easy it is to scrap with pictures of various different themes/subject matters.

I stamped the title with Technique Tuesday stamps from Ali Edwards - love those!  And added ribbon and sewn on buttons for interest.  Again, that darling floral fabric brad is part of the Fresh Goods line.

 

Again, just a quick one for tonight.  Thanks for stopping by!