July 2020 CKCB Layout #15

Do you ever scrapbook photos that aren't great just because they tell a story?  I like perfectly staged photos for my layouts but I also love to tell a story.  This layout tells a story.  My photos aren't great because I took them at night of my computer screen.  You see, my husband had just left for a one year tour in South Korea compliments of the US Army.  We chose not to go with him because Garret wanted to be able to have his Senior year of high school with his friends.  We were happy to be able to oblige him because he had already moved once during high school and it was hard on him.  I had no intentions of living in Korea at any rate. 

(Note:  thanks to Master Forger Julene for sharing this on our Facebook Community)

So, this layout got a little complicated.  The background patterned paper had a quote on it in three places and I really wanted to use it as part of my title.  So, I cut out an artisanal label but got it wrong the first time.  I recut it and got it right, but now had a hole in my layout that was hard to cover since it was at the very top.  If you click on the photo of my layout, you'll see where I covered it with a piece of the patterned paper.  It doesn't quite match up, but it still works.  The blue background covers up the rest of the hole.  During my husband's tour in Korea, we had lots of visits via Skype. 

I used the leaf stamp from my kit and fussy cut them to use behind my photos and title block.  I used one of the cut apart cards from my kit as a title block and I FINALLY found a place for that vellum envelope that has been in multiple kits over the years!! 

This is another week almost gone.  School will be starting in about 6 weeks here.  Of course, I always homeschool so quarantine school doesn't affect my kiddos, other than group outings.  I hope your Thursday is a great day!  I'll see you tomorrow!

July 2020 CKCB Kit-Challenge #2

This month, Master Forger Clair has taken over the reins at the blog and has given us a beautiful kit to curate as well as a couple of challenges to play with.  I was tasked with Challenge #2:

You can choose to take this literally, and scrapbook about the 'adventures' you have had in your own back yards; or you can take it a little more loosely and talk about the local adventures that you've in your local area. While we're not able to travel as widely as we normally can, it's nice to focus on the fun to be found closer to home.

I actually did two layouts for this challenge.  The first one is just so so but meets the challenge in a more direct way.  I scrapped some photos of my family making S'mores in our backyard.  It's a two page layout that features lots of product from my Color Add-On Kit as well as some neutrals. 

One of my goals this month is to use up those large block letters from my kit.  They've actually appeared in several CKCB kits over the past couple of years.  There was only one letter of each and I hate that!  LOL!  I chose a grid design for this two page layout. 

If you came to my blog from the CKCB, then the above layout is not the one that you viewed for this challenge.  I did a second layout which I truly love.  I played with my stencils, inks, spray, paints, etc and created a layout of my youngest child "tolerating" a photo session in our backyard.  This poor girl has sat still and posed for me as I learned how to use the manual functions on my Nikon DSLR. 

Lots of details added to this layout.  I even broke out my sewing machine.  I decided I hated that lower right corner of my layout, so I tore off that corner and added a scrap of the neutral patterned paper from a previous layout and I used my sewing machine to tack it down fully.  Then I decided it needed a line in the upper left hand corner as well.  LOL!! 

You can see my gel medium and stencil work a little bit more in this photo. 

The extra line of stitching that I added.  ;) 

So, this brings me count from my July kit up to ELEVEN layouts!  Thank you for stopping by my blog today!  I hope that this beautiful Saturday finds you well rested and ready to take on next week!! 

These babies LOVE their daddy…

Welcome to this week’s Mamarazzi Monday!

(Pat isn’t saying “ew no kisses, I promise…)

(daddy says “stop taking pictures” more often than the kids)

“Smile, daddy!” Here, I’ll help you out, daddy since you are incapable of smiling it seems. LOL

Are you part of the Mamarazzi??? If so, join us for Mamarazzi Monday’s here.

A trip down memory lane…..

I know…bad blogger.  I’ve been busy, as usual.  But for your viewing pleasure….
My dh’s Senior picture….(sssshhh this will probably get me into big trouble…LOL)


OK, out of fairness….here’s MY Senior picture

Oh and by the way, DAD …I still have that class ring you said I’d lose in 6 months.  :P~~~~
My Senior Prom….

My High School Graduation….

Christmas 1990

(YIKES on the hair)
July 1992 (only a few weeks after we were married)

OK…that was fun. 

Piazza dei Miracoli- 2 Museums

We went through two museums pretty quick, the Sinopie Museum and the Opera Museum.  I didn’t take any pictures in the first one as it was mostly just the reliefs.  (and a little boring I might add).  The Opera Museum, I did take a few pictures.  It had lots of things to look at.
Wooden model of the Miracle Square



Then we looked at some various items in the museum, although not as thoroughly as I would have liked because we had to rush off to meet our tour for the Tower!!!  I didn’t want to miss that for anything!






Model of the Baptistery






And we rushed out to make it on time to the Tower tour we had tickets for!  There was so much more to look at and I had wanted to look more slowly so I could tell ya’ll more about the items I took photos of! 

Piazza dei Miracoli

Our final full day in Pisa, we chose to spend the morning looking around Pisa itself.  Off to the Piazza dei Miracoli we went.  Of course, what is the one thing that most tourists think of when the subject of visiting Pisa comes up?  The Torre of course!

Emily being Emily decided to take off and pose in front of the tower all by herself….yikes!!!  Can you see her????? 

We took a few pictures before heading off to buy tickets to climb the tower and do the other things in Miracle’s Square. 

Ever want to crop someone OUT of a picture?  LOL.  It was SO crowded there. 
And nothing like vacation pictures to make you go on a crash diet.  Eye roll…(I lost 4lbs during this week we were in Italy)

I had the wrong lens with me so Garret was unable to get all of us and all of the tower from where he was standing. 
After buying our tickets, we visited the Cathedral first. We weren’t able to  climb the tower until later. 
Isn’t this tiled ceiling beautiful?

Oh wow….Is this not  gorgeous?  These pictures don’t begin to do it justice!







A close up of the above picture.

To the left of the above~


As you can see there’s some serious eye candy in this cathedral….Loved taking pictures.  I wish that I had time to take a class so I can really learn my camera’s settings.



 










We didn’t visit the Baptistery.  We only bought tickets for 5 of the 6 things available to visit at the Piazza dei Miracoli:  The Tower, The Cathedral, Monumental Cemetary, and 2 museums.  Here’s a photo of the Batistery.



Next post will be the Monumental Cemetery.