Darcy Scraps

Here's my layout for Rhonna's lettering challenge. I painted the chipboard and doodled on it with a white pen. I had so much fun with these letters!

Wow! Thanks to everyone who posted about my doodling layout. It's so exciting to hear from other scrapbookers :)

Tonight I decided to take Rhonna's creativity challenge. Here is the layout I made based on her blue print.

Here it is! My first attempt at a layout with serious doodling. I shamelessly scraplifted this layout from the October issue of Scrapbooks Etc.

I have owned three large format paper trimmers in my dozen or so years as a scrapper. I bought the Fiskars first. Hated it! Never could cut a straight line with the darn thing. I was so happy when CM brought out their version. I tried it, but it really wasn't what I was looking for. Finally, I found a Carl rotary trimmer. Heaven! It is easy to use and finally I had perfect, straight cuts. Notice I said HAD. I just can't make smaller cuts straight with my Carl. Anything snaller than 3 inches is a challenge. Help! Do I need a new paper trimmer?

Today's Two Peas blogger challenge is to post a favorite fall recipe. Here is my Grandmother Hamilton's recipe for easy applesauce cake.

Prepare a boxed yellow cake mix according to package directions for two 8 or 9 inch layers and let cool slightly. Remove each layer from the cake pan and with a long serrated knife, divide the layer in half. Cover the bottom cake layer with applesauce. Stack the next layer on top and cover with applesauce. Proceed until cake is stacked with all four layers and cover the top with applesauce. This cake is wonderful served warm. Store in the refrigerator. The flavors meld and the cake is even better served cold on the second day!

In my last post, I wrote about the layouts I was making to donate to a lady with terminal cancer. I really wasn't certain how I wanted to put these together as I always start with photos when I am working on my own layouts. I recently purchased the book Cherish and decided to try working with it for these layouts. Holy cow! I love this book! I did a two page spread for each of the four seasons based on templates in the book. I am so pleased with how they came out. I can't wait to use these patterns for my own pages.

Today is DH's birthday. My parents are treating us to a birthday lunch. DH is all excited because he wants to show my Dad his new Sirius radio. I really didn't want to get this for him. He's so excited to be able to listen to the Cincinnati Bengals games. Yuck! I hate sports and sports talk radio. Maybe we can listen to the Martha Stewart channel? Anyway, I totally believe that people should get what they really want for their birthday so I bought it. Maybe I'll have more time to scrap as an NFL widow.

In other good news, DH heard from his sister-in-law over the weekend. She's expecting twins and her latest ultrasound revealed their gender. I am very excited to report she is expecting a boy and a girl! Since she already has two adorable boys, I predict little sister will be a tiny bit spoiled...especially by her Auntie Darcy ;)

This week's shopping list includes:

• Designing With Color


• New Halloween and Grateful goodies from KI


• Coluzzle templates for file folders and library cards


• Basic Grey Autumn rub ons


• Bazzill cardstock (it's on sale! I can't resist)

In other news, I was browsing posts on the message board over at Two Peas when I came upon a request to create pages to help a woman dying of cancer create scrapbooks for her young sons. I was near tears thinking of how difficult it would be to document my love for my children if I knew the end was near. There's so much to say, so much I'd want them to know about me and the things I want for them. So this weekend, I'll be making little boy layouts. They are a gift for a stranger who reminded me of just how good I have it. Thanks Lori. May heaven bless you.

Have you seen the special Slice of Life Scrapbooking publication from Simple Scrapbooks? I just love some of the ideas in it. I am all about scrapbooking how I actually live and not just events. I want to pass my books down through my family and have future generations actually be able to see what it was like to be me. How cool would it be to know this kind of stuff about my Gram or even my great grandmother?

Hanging up my Gone With the Wind and Les Miz posters has reminded me of things I hold dear. Having these on display makes me so happy I could cry. Even though adopting is way down the road for me, it is already on my mind to leave my daughter an explanation of the impact certain things have had on my life. I have some rough ideas for mini books inspired by these ideas.

First, I think it would be totally cool to have an album about the books I love and what they mean to me. I read quite a bit, but I would be very picky about the works I would include in this album. Orginally I pictured this as a paperbag book with lots of hidden journaling in the pockets (bag openings) but I think the book needs to be expandable so I may have to rethink the bag idea. Maybe I will have to create a second volume instead of adding pages.

Next, music has always played a big role in my life. I am thinking of a mini book with the lyrics to my favorite songs. Again I see a lot of hidden journaling explaining why the song has meaning to me. I think this would be a lot harder to narrow down than my book list. I'm also toying with the idea of including a mix CD in the album.

Also on a musical note I am thinking of layouts on the musicals I love. You've probably guessed that Les Miz tops my list. In college, I minored in theatre performance and I performed a number of musical numbers. I know a ton of Broadway songs! In fact, I sing just about all the time when I am at home. My little dogs are a great audience :) I remember the first time I babysat my god son, he was just a few weeks old. I was holding him and singing. I remember thinking how happy I was to share the music with him. This one would be the hardest to narrow down. I can think of dozens of songs I sing often. I'll have to create some sort of criteria for this one.

I'm still sniffling, but it hasn't kept me down. I can feel my energy coming back and I feel like I'm riding a wave of energy all over again. It's exciting!

I made a lot of progress on my scrap room over the weekend. I got the Les Miz poster up and I finally have my work table just the way I want it. I still have a lot of kits (some page kits from swaps and some from monthly clubs) and a ton of pattern paper to organize, but over all I am very happy with the space. At last!

I wasn't expecting to shop much over the weekend. After my splurge on the two QK alphas, I was planning to show some restraint. Still, I went into my favorite LSS just to see if the new Autumn Leaves stamps had arrived. Lo and behold they had them all! I got two Rhonna sets and now I am kicking myself for not getting Tia's Love is for the Birds set. I also found a lot to like in the new Fancy Pants line, especially the rub ons.


Somehow I also got the Black Moon party invites finished Friday night too. I had to revise the plan slightly as the glittered moon and star didn't look right under the vellum. Still, I am really pleased with them. Wish the photo had come out better!

It's a soggy day, overcast and grey. From my overly air conditioned office I look out the window and it makes perfect sense that I have a cold. It looks so cold and nasty outside...and then I have to remind myself it is 90 degrees even though the sun is not shining. But my throat is red and sore, my eyes are burning and I have chills...it should be cold and nasty outside and I should be at home, curled up with a blanket and hot tea. But I am not. I am at work plugging away in the vain hope I can be ready for our new server to be installed tomorrow. I am going to throw something at the next person who whines "What do you mean our network will be down all day?". Or maybe I should just try to infect them with my evil germs?

Strangely I did get a little scrap stuff done last night. I punched all the QK shapes I need to make the Black Moon invitations. DH and I are hosting the party with another couple and we are all getting together after work on Friday to put the finishing touches on the invites. I'll post a picture soon, but since it's on my mind I'll go ahead and describe it for you. The card is a 6x6 black cardstock panel. Each corner is punched with a trumpet flower corner/slot punch. These slots hold the vellum text portion of the invite. Under the vellum are three vellum clouds (embossed with curls) with a crescent moon and star in fine silver glitter. The very top of the invite is adorned with a large silver ribbon. I hope it will show up well in the photos. I think I'll do all the glitter work tonight just to be on the safe side.

Just when I thought this wave of energy would see me through my scrap room organization kick...I have been knocked on my butt by a summer cold. About dinner time yesterday I started to feel feverish. By nine o'clock I was burning up. Today my throat is killing me. DH has promised soup with dinner to soothe it. Poor guy...it's over 90 degrees outside and we're having hot soup. I feel like I could sleep for a week. Who gets sick in the summertime?

I could not believe my luck this weekend. Not only to find Quickutz 25% off but in my favorite store where I had $100 in loyalty rewards saved up! I went back Satuday night and they were sold out of the Daisy alphabet, but they special ordered it for me and gave me the discount. I totally indulged myself but what a great deal!

Yesterday I worked some more on getting my scrap room just the way I want it. I bought three of the white laminate cubes with shelves at Target and put nearly all of my wood mounted stamps on the shelves. I'll confess I was storing them on makeshift shelves made from Club Scrap pizza boxes. This is so much better! I did leave them on 12x12 cardboard trays so I can pull out each category and see all of my stamps at once. Each tray is labeled too.

Best of all I framed my Gone With The Wind poster and DH hung it for me. Now I am hoping to make room to hang my Les Miz poster as well. Getting the GWTW framed and up made my whole day. It's something I've wanted to do for a long time. Now the room finally feels like it's coming together!

Woo Hoo! I hadn't planned any big purchases this week. I went to my favorite LSS to pick up a few supplies for invitations to the Balck Moon party. They were having a 25% off sale and I have $100 in loyalty rewards saved up! So I picked up a few bottles of Primas and some new Karen Foster pirate stuff. And then it hit me...Quickutz were included in the sale!!! They have just restocked on alphabets too :) I got the Lucy set I've been wanting forever and I am seriously thinking of going back tonight to see if they have a Daisy alphabet too. This is absolutely my best score in months.