Laura Vegas

here's the other layouts i did yesterday. four layouts in 24 hours … funny how they can go so fast when you don't overthink them! lol!

i had to scrap this story about ariana from about a month ago. it has to be one of the funniest things she's ever said to me … in the 3 years or so she's been around. danni sent me a little package yesterday that had some fun KI memories stuff in it. the rubon title and pattern paper seemed fun … so i just went with them. i won't tell you how long it took me to get my journaling all formatted to fit around those MM fabric tags. lol!

i really didn't think i could scrap these photos of the girls from halloween on the same layout … since there is so many different colors and stuff going on. but it seemed to work, right? used some older SEI papers and accents that i've had forever. alyssa had to point out that i used a "mad" photo of sarah … i told her to keep quiet so that sarah wouldn't notice and make a stink. i really just pulled out some 4×6's i had printed. so yes, i had a better photo … but not in front of me and ready to go. still a cute pic!

and another simple layout … using kind of the same design from the "swim" layout earlier this week. when something works … don't be afraid to use it over and over. lol! while i was digging for the halloween papers i found these boy papers and accents from SEI too. i always did think that blue velvet paper was pretty cool. just a few of the last photos i had of james before he moved. that one of him and ady cracks me up … the look he's giving her and the girls dirty flip-flop that they always seemed to find and wear around the house. lol! i couldn't decided on where to add the journaling on this one … so i took the easy way out and did a quick sentence by hand.

i usually tend to scrap better when i have a deadline or assignment of some sort. and i havn't had anything for a while. but i seem to have been scrapping a lot lately … which is nice. i just went back over my blog for january and february and did a super rough count. 2 projects, 13 cards, and 19 layouts. not too shabby!

i know i said i had some insightful-looking-back-on-my-blog-type-post coming … but i’m lazy to do it today. so thought i’d share one of my layouts i made today. i have a few more … but didn’t get them photographed in the few minutes of sunshine we have actually seen today. you all come here for the layouts anyways, right? lol!

this layout was totally inspired by robyn … although i can’t find a link to the layout i was inspired by. i saw it on one of the ads at the top of the 2peas site … and i sketched the design really quick on a scratch piece of paper. but i havn’t been able to find the layout since … so i’m not sure how close i am to her original design. used some creative cafe papers and die cuts … some making memories glitter chipboard accents and buttons … and some magic mesh. i think i pulled out the magic mesh because i read this post yesterday … gotta love the super old product. although i am truely a fan of the magic mesh no matter how old it is! lol!

and the girls … alison and michaela! i miss seeing them. now that the girls are at different schools we don’t run into them that much … especially since soccer is over right now. these were some pics i took of them last november … so cute!

that’s it for now. i actually ended up with no daycare kids today … and for some reason i’m more tired than if i had kids running around all day. maybe it’s because i ended up running around all day! lol! staples for report covers, blockbuster to exchange movies, the bank, old navy for the heck of it … and then home for laundry, dishwasher, and frantic scrapping before the girls got home! one of these days i’m going to just veg on the couch all day and watch movies! yeah, right!

i was cleaning out some photos yesterday and realized how many extras i had laying around. i’m not one that expects myself to scrap every photo i have … i don’t even want too. and yet i have a lot of photos that i’d love to get down on pages somewhere. so i did some simple, easy layouts.

pics of the girls and amanda swimming at grammie’s house last summer. this was right after alyssa had got back from hawaii … which explains the matching swimsuits. a few months ago i had gotten some fun pattern papers from creative imaginations in a goodie box from a layout i had in scrapbook trends … and they were perfect for these pictures. i cut the circles out of a sheet of pattern paper. although the girls pointed out to me today that there was no waves, beach, sand, or sea around … but it’s all good.

i always wanted to do something with these photos … because they crack me up! lol! yes, we are all total dorks around here! and i’m not the least bit embarrased by these. lol! it’s a look i give often! i used some daisy bucket pattern papers on here. i love the texture of their papers … so different. i was actually on their monthly kit design team right before they started putting out their own products … so i had never seen these until recently. anyways … the "zany" office tag i found while digging for something else (my usual random method) … and it worked. the clear flowers are making memories … and i added some fabric paint to them. the centers on the flowers are the puffy accents from heidi swapp. and the font on here … check out where i got it from by visiting wendy’s blog! 

and what the heck is this … a two page layout?!?! something i never do anymore. and i couldn’t even figure out how to photograph it ok … add in the terrible, dark weather we had today … and this is the best i could do. these photos were from a family get-together at my brother and sister-in-laws house last summer. not great pics … but fun ones of the girls being tossed in the pool. my brother and joe used to toss these girls super high up … i have an awesome photo of them from about 4-5 years ago that i should really try and scan in … it’s hilarious! but the girls are bigger and heavier now … so they don’t get quite as much air as they used to! lol! for the record … me and my sister-in-law were there … but apparently we stayed out of the camera’s way.

these were also pattern papers from creative imaginations. then i pulled out my "summer/spring" box of supplies … and literally just started pulling stuff out. that palm tree on the second page … it’s some sort of embossing template. i must have gotten it in a goodie box … because i don’t know the first thing about embossing. lol! the ribbons, charms, and tags are making memories. and i also used some stickers … yeah, stickers! i know i should add some journaling … but i’m not sure where. so for now, it’s ok as is.

i had fun doing these just for fun. no worrying about making them perfect … or using just the right products. using pictures i had laying around … and actually trimming them up and making them fit. still has the look of my photo collages that i love … but done all by hand instead of in photoshop. lol! hopefully i can get to some more in the next few days.

i also spent some time reading through my blog last night. i found some funny and interesting things … so i’ll share those next post. until then! 

i love accomplishing stuff on the weekend … but sometimes i think i get carried away and do too much. and then i tend to pay for it the next day. lol!

this was yesterday:

• did the grocery shopping … we were out of everything. mad because i left the case of water on the bottom of the cart in the parking lot!
• mailed off a layout at the post office … love when there is no line.
• got jamba juice for sarah and starbucks for me … her treat for going grocery shopping with me!
• joe umpired his first high school baseball game … he has to do the first one for free, then he starts getting paid good money for it. already has 3 scheduled in one week.
• made a trip to costco … stocked up on huge amounts of meat and EVOO!
• stopped at michaels to kill some time … was picking up alyssa and they were running a little late. browsed the embroidery floss section … 4 for $1.00 … have to have it for all my buttons.
• joe cleaned all the bathrooms and did the floors and rugs … he has been really good about doing the floors since it takes too much out of me.
• washed, dried, folded, and put away 3 loads of laundry … unusual for me since i seem to forget halfway through that i’m even doing laundry.
• made dinner … bbq tri-tip, rice, and green beans … nothing fancy or involved.
• we finally put all the christmas stuff back up in the attic. we have a detatched garage … so it’s not like we even go into the garage for much … so we tend to forget about stuff that’s there. made a huge difference … 2 artificial trees and 7 boxes of lights and decorations.
• the girls went over to amanda’s after dinner for a bit to play.
• i ran back to the grocery store … while in the garage i noticed our water softener was totally empty … so i picked up 5 40-pound bags of salt.
• stopped by target … made a return and stocked up on some soda (finally!!!) and some cleaning stuff.

and then this morning:

• joe left for a golf tournament with my brother … i think it’s in town here, so hopefully it won’t be so long.
• the girls went to sunday school with my parents.
• i ran to wal-mart (my least favorite place to go) to stock up on more soda, juice, and sunny delight. the girls used to drink tons of this and then just stopped. a few weeks ago i picked up a bottle and they downed it … and wal-mart is definately cheaper on this stuff.
• went to blockbuster to exchange movies … we do the monthly pass, so we get 2 movies at a time. we get our money’s worth on that pass … i would say on average we get 6 movies a week … so about 24 a month. definately worth it.
• stopped at old navy to pick up a few basic t-shirts. i’m hopeing these are better shirts … last years plain t-shirt was made of this weird material. it would fit good when you put in on … and then it would start to stretch in wierd places and look terrible half-way through the day. i’m not the only one that had the problem … so i know it wasn’t just me.

and now i’m back home. and it’s only noon. so all of that was done in the last 24 hours. we’re headed out later to take sarah to some softball clinic thing … alyssa says she’s bringing her country report to work on. she’s determined to get that thing written … since it’s due at the end of the week. and it has to be typed up. i think i’ll bring some of my tax stuff to work on while we sit there and watch sarah … maybe count up the meals i served last year. fun stuff i tell you!

also … a funny thing from last night. i was cleaning out some of my cards i’ve made over the years … i had some super old cards that were really nothing special. i tossed some aside to give to a friend of mine … and a few i actually just tossed in the garbage. the girls were getting ready for bed and wandered over to my computer area. next thing you know they’re digging cards out of my garbage can … and some old photos i had tossed in there. they actually told me "you have the best garbage ever"!!! then they wandered off with my crazy old cards … and i hear sarah tell alyssa "hey, we should submit these and see if we can get them in a magazine"! so i explained that you cannot take someone else’s work and claim it as your own. lol! plus, i told her that i had probably already submitted them at some point … and apparently they were no good. lol! i have some crazy girls!

i know i said i had something to share today … but it didn’t go up, so i’ll have to wait on that. but i did make a few cards today … so will those work? lol!

leftover scraps from yesterdays layout. except the green cardstock is really a brighter shade than it looks here. and these were flowers i stamped yesterday specifically to make a card … they just "accidently" ended up on my layout yesterday.

and just an fyi for anyone that is curious … all these cards are 5.75 x 5.75 in size. occasionally i will make a rectangle shaped card … but for the most part i tend to stick with the square size. i’m just more comfortable with it … like a mini layout. and i get the 6×6 envelopes … so i learned a long time ago that your card needs to be slightly smaller than 6×6 to fit into the envelope.

a few quick baby cards … using some leftover pieces of the "animal crackers" collection from making memories. i am getting all the mileage i can out of each sheet of paper. lol!

the colors on this one look off a bit too … but i’m being too lazy to retake it.

and thanks for all the comments you have all been leaving … i love reading them and totally appreciate it. if i haven’t gotten back to anyone … it’s probably because i havn’t been getting the automatic emails for every comment. not sure why. and it’s so much more work to respond without that. lol! but please know that i love keeping in touch with everyone. 

i know, i’ve been a pathetic excuse for a blogger this week. lol! back tonight with a layout. i did this for the weekly challenge on the KI blog. actually, i was really challenged by danni … who created the challenge. i promised her i would play along!

the challenge was to create a layout about love … whether it was someone you love, something you love, or something you love about someone. this layout was an accident right from the start … nothing on here was planned at all. i would be looking for one thing … and come across something entirely different and just toss it on there. i didn’t even have a photo or theme in mind … i just started the page. i was digging through some older photos i already had printed … and came across this one of sarah. i have always loved this photo … just shows so much of her personality. truth be told … i think i have scrapped this photo about 4 times. lol! so why not one more time? the flower stamps are hero arts, buttons are doodlebug, chipboard letters are heidi swapp … and everything else is KI memories.

and a super quick random update list. this is the abbreviated version … just the facts without all the rambling. lol!

• i havn’t had any soda in 3 days … not by choice, but because we don’t have any i like. soda is my "coffee" in the morning … so that sucks.
• girls didn’t have school last monday. girls don’t have school tomorrow. girls don’t have school next monday. girls are on conference schedule the following week … meaning half days all week. what gives?
• had a new daycare kid yesterday. not sure where that is going … i’m not sure they even know what kind of schedule they need yet. so we’ll see.
• alyssa had major homework this week. big time. and tons this weekend.
• i watched dedication the other night … was not a fan of it. i do like mandy moore though. i picked up i could never be your woman last night … the preview looked pretty funny.
• joe and the girls got me no reservations for my valentines present. we got the girls valentine frog webkinz.

that’s all i got for you. sad, right? i don’t blog for 4 days … and that’s the best i can do. lol! i do have something to share in the morning … so just add that one to this one and then it’ll seem like more!

ok, i found a few layouts i can share! i got to play with a few of the new making memories CHA releases a few months back for some different projects. one of the ones i loved as soon as i opened it up was the "animal crackers" baby collections … they are just the cutest.

i have a layout that i really want to share using the "jack" boy collection … but i'm not positive if i can share it or not (can i tell you how paranoid i am about breaking any rules. lol!). so i made this layout of nikolas last night … because i just had to show you this stuff. love that die-cut star paper … the polka-dots on the top paper are shiny. love the journaling sheets … you just tear them out of the little notebook. the ribbons and trims are gorgeous (although i just noticed the orange gingham is actually from the girl collection!). the epoxy buttons are adorable. and the little pebble stickers are just too cute. and i can't even believe there are more fun embellishments that i havn't seen yet … felt shapes, velvet brads, printed stars and flowers, chipboard, buttons. and such fun colors! i'm all over this collection! and let me also say … i'm glad i have babies around here to take photos of and scrap. so much easier than getting my own baby just to use this stuff! lol!

i also have a few layouts with the "ella" girl collection … but once again, not totally sure if i can share those. lol! so i did this super quick layout last night. i don't love this layout … but i do love the photos and the products. lol! i actually only had a few paper scraps from this collection left over … so the only new thing on here is the flower die-cut paper. but isn't it cute? everything else is MM, just older stuff. and the photos of haley … this was when she first started walking. seems so long ago now.

these next 2 layouts are using the new "passport" travel collection. just gorgeous papers … and i love that they're coming out with some new well-worn tags (the canvas and chipboard tags). i always loved those things. when it comes to travel … i have pretty much NO photos. so i asked a few friends to help me out. these are some photos that the amazingly talented heather took on her vacation to the bahama's last year … and i totally thank her for letting me use them!

and for this one … i once again asked my good friend kori if i could use her photos from her trip to napa last year. i used these for another layout i did last year too. lol! are you wondering what the "aa" means on the bottom? when i got the products for this … i only got a third of the alphabet sheets … so i couldn't spell much using only a-g (it was like playing scrabble. lol!). i'm not sure if the "n" and the "p" got added on to spell "napa" … or if they just took them off. but the only photo i had was this one … so just use your imagination!

go check out the MM blog for some fun photos and videos from CHA. i'm very intriqued with the new die-cutting tool "the slice" that they're coming out with. i also spotted some pics from the booth over HERE … you might even see the above travel pages hanging in the booth (wink, wink)!

as for other cool stuff that i can't wait to get my hands on? i'm sure there is plenty (although, i am much more selective these days) … i have to take the time to go and check it all out. but off the top of my head? creative cafe of course! scenic route always has some fun stuff. american crafts has such fun colorful stuff. and how about some crate paper. ok … that was just off the top of my head!

thanks for letting me share! and let me know about anything other cute, new stuff you find … share with me what YOU have to have! because maybe I will have to have it too! lol!

i’m still waiting for the go-ahead to show some of the new release stuff. but in the meantime … i figured i can share a few things that i did with the MM 5th avenue collection that was released at memory trends late last year. this collection is just hitting stores now … i’m anxious to get some of the blue/green collection since i haven’t seen it yet.

you might have seen this one … it was showcased in the MM newsletter that went out last week.

i know this one was shown on the MM blog a while back.

and this one. i did this (along with some others) for a certain assignment … so i’m still anxious to see if it ends up where i think it’s supposed to end up. lol! that’s all i’ll say … because i don’t want to jinx myself. but i was super excited to see it in the idea gallery of the "2008 master catalog" … so how cool is that!

more later!

i hear this comment about nikolas every day, over and over … "just how cute is he!". and it’s so true!

those big, bright eyes … that huge, toothless smile … and that head full of hair! took these pictures of him on friday. the entire time, haley kept trying to smack my lens cover on the camera. lol! i would be sitting there looking through the lens … composing my shot and waiting for nikolas to smile. then "smack" … i see the lens cover coming right at me. crazy girl!

the boy is sitting up too … really good. he was totally involved in chewing on this little stuffed animal while i took some pics. goes straight for the tag … just like all the other toys. why do babies love the tags so much.

i also realized that this poor little cutie doesn’t have a page in my scrapbooks yet. how can this be … he’s been here for over 4 months now. lol! i just printed out these pics … so they will be on a layout come tonight. using some brand spankin new products that i can’t wait to show you! 

in other exciting news … i spend the day taking my cpr & first aid refresher classes. the entire day … like 8 1/2 hours … plus a 30 minute drive to and from the class site. last time i took them was 2 years ago. i remember sitting there, waiting for the class to start … and this lady sits down next to me without even looking at me. turns out it was one of the other daycare ladies that lives down the street. kind of crazy … since we never see or talk to each other. so then today i pull up right behind another car … trying to get there on time. turns out … it was her again! i guess it makes sense … that our cards would be expiring at the same time and all (and the class is only offered once a month). but i still thought that was funny. nice to have someone to chat with during the day. not fun to have to sit next to 2 young girls that chatted the ENTIRE 8 1/2 hours of the class … i’m not even joking when i say i was "this" close to whacking someone across the head. and you know there is always one person that has to be a smart-a$$ and think they’re funny. well "derek" … you were annoying as heck too! lol! good news is … i passed with flying colors … and i have all the new cpr and first aid rules in my head and ready to use.

so, like i mentioned … CHA starts tomorrow. for those not in the know (or not a scrapper, like all my family. lol!) … it’s a big craft & hobby tradeshow where all the manufacturers announce their new product releases. it’s been so fun watching the sneek peeks … and the good stuff coming out. and i have a few things i can share with you once it starts up … so make sure to check back here tomorrow!

first, a layout i did this afternoon. made faster by the fact that i had printed these photos ages ago … and just never got around to using them.

the "good" photo on the top … i have that framed as a 18×24 hanging in the playroom. the bottom photos are normally ones that i would delete. but i'm glad i kept them … i just find them funny. in both of them, i was taking photos of alyssa … and sarah had to come and make her way into the shot. she's goofy like that! making memories pattern paper, flowers, brads, chipboard accents … lil davis chipboard letters … and hero art jounaling stamp.

and here's some random stuff about the kids … just like i promised.

• alyssa. in the midst of working on her country report … she got singapore. she's so good about keeping on track and getting parts of it done everyday. i don't even have to ask her. she told me today that she's going to sketch out her project part of the report … so that i can help her with it. have i ever told you how much i hate doing school projects? i'm crafty … but not when it comes to school stuff. she has tons of homework on top of this report … 6th grade is hard stuff. luckily, it comes super easy to her … so even though it's a lot she doesn't have to work to hard to get it done.
• sarah. just started softball this week … under 10's this year which should make for a much more exciting game to watch. we'll see how practices and all go. right now joe can take her … but once he starts umpiring for the high schools i'm going to have to start packing up kids to take her. she did get her animal report done last week … and did good on her presentation. she's got a huge field trip coming up that she's really excited about … pioneer days. where they go and experience what it was like to go to school in the old days … including dressing in the clothes. think "little house on the prarie".
• amanda. she's doing softball for the first time this year … has her first meeting tonight. she actually asked me "what is a "practice"" today. lol! she also joined awana and choir with the girls … which is the kids night at the church. she loves it. and she appreciates that "grammie" is willing to drive her there with the girls too!
• haley. the girlie is crazy lately … but i mean that as "crazy-funny". love this age … 15 months. still having her moments of sticking close to me … but also playing more on her own too. runs all over the place. loves any stuffed animal she sees and has to have it … even if it's one of sarah's that she likes to bring down here each morning. got off the bottle this past week … and doing good on her sippy cup … except when she decides to toss it on the floor and then we can't find it.
• nikolas. such a cutie at 7 months! he's working on the sitting still. but he's officially a crawler … and makes his way all over the place. he even crawls after me now when i walk away. he can get into sitting position from crawling … just has to work on staying up. lol! he has been a little of a stinker lately when i feed him his food … as soon as i put the spoon in his mouth he likes to blow it back out … splattering food all over me. he makes the most noise when he sits in the exercauser … bounces like crazy in that thing and babbles away.
• ariana. that girl is hilarious! she comes up with the craziest comments. when it's time to walk to school to get the kids … she asks me "why do we have so many babies here" .. because she knows she has to walk and can't catch a free ride in the stroller. she'll tell me that haley has to stay away from her because "i have to learn to play by myself more". lol! and she gives me these looks all the time … and tells me "laura, don't be funny"!

that's our main kids. i have a few straglers that love to stop by every now and then … but this is our group on most days. we have a new kid coming next week … a 15 month old just like haley. hopefully, they'll all mess together nicely!

off to make the most fabulous dinner. i havn't eaten all day just waiting for it. chicken drumsticks and thighs … roasted with EVOO, lemons, olives, and tons of garlic … and then tasty gravy added to it. rice made with onions and chicken stock … super good. i think i'll toss in some broccoli and fresh green beans roasted with EVOO and seasoning. and some fresh bread that i'll drizzle with EVOO and toast under the broiler … and then rub garlic on it. omg … i can hardly wait! and all this will take me 40 minutes!