No Paperkins in Use Yet.

Crazy I know.  In my mind Paperkins were always in use when I first started scrapping.  I guess they didn't come around until my second or third year of scrapping.  Little did I know when I first started what lie ahead.  Oh Paperkins how I loved you.  

A couple of weeks ago Mandie posted some of her first layouts on her blog.  I thought I would copy her and share mine.  It seems I had it going on back then.  Not.  Frances Meyers' kits were the big rage when scrapping first hit the market.  I was all about owning it all.  Archiver's didn't exist.  I know!  Imagine that world.  Scary.  Deckle scissors were totally to die for.  Mrs. Grossman controlled the world of sticker sneezes.  It was the cave man days of scrapping and we all stunk and were full of bugs.  Sorry if I offended anyone.  That's reality. 

So for me first came Nick.  He is now 13.  This is him now:

And because he will rarely allow me to take photos of him.  Here's the only other current age photo in existence:

And now his first layout:

We will call this the controlled sticker sneeze.  I have long been a supporter of using up everything out of a package.  I guess it all started with Frances Meyers' heart stickers and die cuts.  I love that I was creatively balanced back then.  I still am.  It's funny to see all the similarities from the beginning to the end.  It seems I have always been a minimalist. 

You have to love when Fiskar's first came out with their "corrugator".  It made the waves more realistic and when you placed a sticker pail in the hands of the photo baby it even got more true to life.

I was way into stamping when I first started scrapping - even had a monkey stamp to go with the monkey suit.  I was into sewing, too, much to the dread of this little boy.  There wasn't a costume I didn't make.

This kid will need therapy some day all based on enforcement of wearing costumes.  What is more cute than sewing a snowman costume and bringing the costume clad kid to Proex for a professional photo shoot?  Nothing.  Everyone that day pinched his chubby cheeks - meaning face, not behind.  I would have stopped the butt pinching.  That is just not right.  According to this layout, I have now discovered computer journaling and brass stencils. 

More costumes.  More stamping,  More Frances Meyers. More placing "fake" items in the hands.  When you find something that works it seems you stick to it.  Yikes.

Let's fast forward.  This is the layout that I discovered you can use up many photos and make a layout look super cute.  I mean....you can never get too much Nick, right?  Maybe you can.  It kind of looks like the Octo-Mom birthed multiple Nicks.  Yikes.

Honestly, I don't cringe when I see these old layouts.  I don't even want to re-do them.  They are what they are.  I do; however, get a good laugh over my techniques.  But I wasn't alone.  That is what everyone was doing and like I said we all stunk.  the most important thing that happens when I look at these layouts is good memories and smiles remembering Nick as a little dude.  When shoving him in a costume was even attemptable.  It's not going to happen now.  The kid can wrestle me to the ground.

Later I will share Jake's first layouts.  Honestly, you will not want to miss his frog costume layout complete with giant lily pad.  It is creative genius!

Vacation

I'm officially on vacation. The stay at home kind, because that is how I roll. That sounds boring and it probably is, but I like traveling places as much as I like staying home. Nothing wrong with that, especially since it saves money and allows me to work on my ever expanding to do list.  So what am I doing?  Sitting on my behind.  HA HA....because that is how I roll.  Whatever.

Other than the to do list this is what is on my list of want to dos:

 

Go back to the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden.  Why?  Well, you can never see or take too many photos of the Cherry Spoon Bridge.  Right? I think not.  Plus the garden is so much more than the spoon.

Taste Izzy's Ice Cream.  Yeah...I know.  Here we go again about my self-imposed ice cream-free goal.  I am on month four and I have decided to change up my restrictions.  I can do that, because honestly I am that awesome.  Gag.  The new rules...I can have ice cream, but not every day and none at home.  If I am going to break the cream-free record I have going, it will be with the finest and not Kemp's.  Don't get me wrong.  I love Kemp's...it's the cows or so they say.  However, Izzy's took on Bobby Flay in a throwdown and won.  I need to try the winner...Hot Brown Sugar.

 

A few of my friends and I are thinking of going to rodeo.  Not to see the horses.  We are all about the cowboys.  Men in chaps and spurs almost beat out cabana boys.  Almost.  I also want to go to see if I can beat my last record of cow chip throwing.  It's a dirty job, but someone has to do it.  Eww.  I plan on making my friends participate in the stick pony race.  Who cares if it is for kids under ten.  We act ten at times.  That comment will get me in trouble.

Visit Larry Reid.  Don't you wish you could visit Larry?  Most people do.  Not. I have to get my Jeep fixed.  I am getting kind of wary of taking sharp right turns and having a gush of water soak my right foot.  I know...it sounds pretty wonderful, but a foot can take only so much pampering. 

There are other things on my list, like trips to Anchor Paper, Paper Source, Archiver's and the Scrapbook Shop.  Possibly a road trip to St. Cloud to see my cousin and shop at the super store of scrap supplies, Craft Direct.  Lord knows I already hold the Top Hoarders Award when it comes to scrap supplies, but I haven't filled up the garage yet.  Kidding.  It's already full.  ;o)

I need to add something creative I have done.  This is scraping the bottom of the barrel as I have done nothing paper-wise for a couple of weeks.  I made this for the 3rd of July pool party/get together.  Tried to pull off a Martha moment.  Fail.  But not an Epic Failure, which seems to be my nephew's new favorite saying.  Wouldn't you know....most people wanted blueberry.  Chopping and placing those strawberries was a pain in the as....butt.  Martha can bit mine, if I ever try something like this again. 

The result of making that dessert is that the 4th of July celebration the next day was dessert-less.  I was going to make my world famous Lemon Cream with Strawberries Trifle, but enough is enough.  No one should work this hard to put fat and calories into their body. That is for certain.

Enjoy your week.  Hopefully I will have something creative and papery to share next time.  I make no promises though.