Back to School

How has summer almost passed us by!?  August marks a whole new season of readjusting to bedtime routines and normal sleeping hours.  Just this past week, I have registered my boys for school and been looking at supply lists planning for the upcoming school year.

The challenge over at About A Boy is "Back to School".  Maybe you don't have school aged children. You can still play along with us using a photo from daycare, playgroup, playground, or even a newborn photo.  Just make sure it includes your boy!

The photo I chose to use is one of my boys when they started Intermediate school in February 2011.  We were living in Dunedin, New Zealand at the time.  Uniforms and Intermediate school was so new to us all.  Looking at this photo, my boys seem so little and its only been two years.  My how time flies.

We have always encouraged our boys to be individuals and to truly spread their wings and try new things.  I felt like this title fit for this photo of such new experiences.

I love to collect 6x6 paper pads.  I am not a card maker at all but I love to use those papers as backgrounds on my 12x12 layouts.  I find that the pattern is smaller and in turn isn't as overpowering as it might be on a 12x12 paper.  Just a tip!  :)

Be sure to stop by the About A Boy blog to check out the other designers work.  Loads of inspiration there!  Make sure you upload your layout so I can check them out and for a chance to win a prize!

Frosted Designs Blog Hop!

I am glad you have hopped over to my blog in the Frosted Designs July Blog Hop!  This is the third blog hop of Frosted Designs this summer.  I hope you have enjoyed it so far.  You should have come from Tamara's blog.  If you have joined us in the middle of the hop, make sure you start at the Frosted Designs blog.  There are great projects on each of the seven designer's blog's and chances to win prizes along the way.

We have two awesome sponsors for this blog hop.  The first is sponsor is Artful Delight.  

Our second sponsor is Words or Whatever.

There are prizes to be won from each of our sponsors!  Plus the prizes from individual designers.  

Here are the rules to the hop:

1.  You need to hop to every blog on the list.  

2.  Leave a comment on the Frosted Designs blog telling them you did.

3.  Complete a "Quote Project"and link it up to the inlinkz on the Frosted Designs blog on the blog hop post.  Your project must contain this quote in its entirety:

"It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all." 

Laura Ingalls Wilder

The hop begins July 26 and runs through July 31 11:59pm central standard time.  The winners will be announced on August 1 on the Frosted Designs blog.

For this hop, I have used the quote to make a canvas wall hanging.  I started by covering my canvas with dress pattern paper.  You could use tissue paper and achieve the same look.  I love the way it gives my canvas a texture as a base.  Next I used a couple colors of yellow paint and some white splatters.  I cut my flowers from patterned paper and added pearls to the centers.  Since the quote was a long one and I don't own a machine to cut out letters/sayings.....shocking I know!.......I used a few different styles of alphabet letters.  I really like the way it turned out.

If you have just stopped by my blog and not on the hop, you can start at the Frosted Designs blog to make sure you don't miss anything!  :)

In case you get lost along the way, here is the list of designers:

Debbie

Sandee

Katie

Joni

Tamra

YOU ARE HERE

Anita

Artful Delight
Words or Whatever
(please like their Facebook page)

Frosted Designs

Before you hop on over to Anita's blog to continue the hop, I have some blog candy for you.  I would love to send this to one of my followers.  After you've followed me, please let me know in the comments if you are a new follower or a faithful follower that's been with me for awhile.  Make sure to leave your email so I can contact you if you are my winner!  I may even add a couple other surprises along with what is shown.

Don't forget to link up your quote project on the Frosted Designs blog.  There are great prizes to be won there and along the way!  Thanks for stopping by!

Now on to Anita's blog!  

Enjoy the hop!

Ride for Revelo

"The Great Outdoors"  is the current challenge for Frosted Designs.  Lately, we have been doing mostly indoor things due to the extreme heat and humidity here in my part of the world.  I pulled out these photos from our trip to the States last summer.  And yes, I did take them while riding my bike!  Now that's a dedicated photographer!  Or crazy Mum.  :)

I used the first photo to make my layout because I really liked the way the Revelo jersey stood out against all the green of the trees and really showed it off.  First my layout and then the story behind it.  Crate paper DIY collection, Studio Calico wood veneer (stars and bicycles), a page from the dictionary (R is for "ride"), and my beloved Thickers make up this layout.

Just a couple close ups....

Now for the story behind the photos......

Revelo is my younger brother's business.  He takes used bicycle tires and makes belts, credit card holders, and other products from them.  He's pretty smart and creative if you ask me.  :)  Joel has been diagnosed with Lupus and sick for just almost two years.  He has always been active and loves to ride his bike with goals of riding in the Tour de France.  He is a stay at home dad to my two nephews (6 & 3) while his wife works full time.  The doctor visits, blood tests, trip to Mayo clinic, and many medications had left them with quite a medical bill.

This past summer my family took a bike ride specifically to be Riding for Revelo.  Ride for Revelo was a bike riding event to help raise money for those bills.  Bike riders in Las Vegas (where Joel lived before moving recently to Colorado) and other parts of the country all rode on a particular Saturday to show their support for Joel.  Personally, I hadn't ridden a bike in ages but I rode 10 miles along with my husband, three boys, my older brother, his wife and my niece.  It felt quite emotional and good to be riding for Joel.

Joel and his beautiful family two years ago.  

I love this picture of Joel.  This is the essence of him....biking, Revelo, spiky hair, loving life at its best.

From this......to this.....

You can check out Joel's Revelo Etsy shop here or find him on Facebook.  Joel is still a stay at home dad taking care of his two boys while living with Lupus.  Some days are better than others but he is definitely a hero in my book.  

Stop on by the Frosted Designs blog for more outdoor inspiration.  We would love for you to play along with "The Great Outdoors" challenge.  Make sure you link up your project so I can check them out and for a chance to win a great prize.  Stay cool....or warm....depending on where you live....but enjoy that great outdoors of ours!  

Hot Summer Days

Days like we have been having here in Illinois call for outside water play.  It sure has been hot and humid here!  My boys are always up for some water play and I'm there to capture the fun with my camera.

The mid-month challenge at About A Boy is "Catch the Waves".  The requirements are simple.....water!  Anything with water goes.  Sprinklers, pools, ocean, slip n slide.....or a good old fashioned two liter bottle filled with water.  That was my boys weapon of choice!

Give your brother a chance to douse you with water and he will!  Gleefully too.  I love the look on Aden's face as he dumps water on Ian.

Now for a few close ups.....

I used a mix of Basic Grey's "Hey Boy" and "Hey You" for this layout.

Come on over and beat the heat with the "Catch the Waves" challenge at About A Boy.  Make sure you link up your project for a chance to win a prize!

Twine, Ribbon, or Washi Tape

Washi tape seems to be the huge scrapbooking rage right now.  I will admit that I am a collector of these cute tapes.  My poor twine has sat neglected as I love the looks of these bright and fun colored tapes which I have to make myself use.  I love them and if I use them I might actually run out!

Frosted Designs is jumping on this trend with a "Twine, Ribbon, or Washi Tape" challenge this time around.  To play along with this challenge you must use TWO of these items.  Any way, any combination.  Make sure you stop by the Frosted Designs blog for inspiration.  The designers there have some amazing projects!

I decided to dip into my washi tape and twine stash.  After all, I bought them because I love them, right?  I took a little cardboard box (found at Michael's or Hobby Lobby, probably Walmart too) and covered it with double sided tape.  I wanted to make sure that the tape would stick to my box.

I picked out several of my favorite teal/aqua and grey tapes.  My beloved and much hoarded tapes.  :)  I just kept alternating the tapes until the whole box was covered.  I used the plain teal tape to cover the inside of the box and the lid.

I wrapped the side of the lid with double sided tape as well.  Then just kept wrapping the twine around until all of it was covered.

For the top of the box, I have used a pretty sugar dusted flower and a small leftover bit of a pearl swirl along with a sticker word "cherish".  Now I have a pretty box that can be for a special someone or sit on my desk.

I hope you will play along with us at Frosted Designs for this challenge.  Dig in your stash and see what you can come up with.  Make sure you link up your project for the chance to win a fantastic prize.  And I mean FANTASTIC!!  The prize for this challenge is an online class with Donna Downey.  It is a $65 value!!!  I am sure hoping that us DT can enter.  ;)

Red, White, and Blue

As the birthday of our nation is just a few days away, the girls over at About A Boy are challenging us to use "Red, White, and Blue" along with your boy for this challenge.  We typically think of these colors especially around Memorial day and 4th of July but they can be used for any occasion.

I chose this photo of my youngest Aden.  He is such a crack up!  Totally Mr. Personality as I call him from time to time.  I had recently taken my three boys to visit my parents in Iowa for a week.  On our trip back, Aden was talking about what each of the position of the boys in the family meant.  Like the oldest.....and the middle......and then the baby.  I can't remember what he said about the other two boys but what he said about the baby just cracked me up!  "and the baby is always the favorite".  I knew that quote would be perfect for this photo of Aden.

Since my title was so long, I mixed and matched my letters even using some old game tiles for the "baby".  I love the way it turned out with small letters, the tiles, and thickers.  I've also mixed my reds and blues from Basic Grey and Teresa Collins and a bit of Studio Calico thrown in too.

No better time to pull out that Red, White, and Blue than with 4th of July this week.  Make sure you link up your project to the About A Boy blog.  I'd love to check them out!  Happy 4th to my American friends!

~Make today a beautiful one~