Doodle Challenge, Nick Jr. Style!

Wow, I can't believe I'm the last one to finish this challenge! I literally just finished this page 5 minutes ago, and I really like it. I've been dying to make a page honoring Eleana's big love for Yo Gabba Gabba!, and finally had the chance to do so thanks to this awesome challenge.

Sharon posted a link to the page we "scraplifted," though I think mine turned out less like the original than any of them. Sorry girls. I hope you like it!



I got a Bamboo Fun pen tablet for an early birthday/late anniversary gift, and used it to create all my doodles digitally. I think if you click on the image it'll get bigger so you can see it more. I included lyrics from Eleana's favorite Yo Gabba Gabba! songs, images of some of the characters, the show's logo, etc. At the bottom I stamped, "My name is Eleana, I like to dance." For those of you who haven't seen the show, periodically throughout the 30 minutes they show clips of children saying that phrase and doing dances.

The journaling was hand written also, and reads: If it's a weekday and 11:30, be sure we're watching Yo Gabba Gabba! Eleana knows all the songsa nd applies the lessons to every day life - if she bumps into us she sings the "sorry" song. She beat boxes along with Biz, learns new dances, and makes her funny face. She knows it all and loves each character dearly. Now, who wants to dance?

I loved this challenge Sha! Who's next?

Cropping at Paper to Page

Sorry to get this update in so late. The past few days have been lazy at best, if only partially productive. We're finally getting unpacked completely from vacation, and making messes everywhere with our lazy attitudes. But Saturday was a big highlight for me, I felt free and like myself again for the first time in a while.

So, as you know I had finally grown the balls to scrap at the local store. Which, other than chains like JoAnn's, is the only scrapbooking store in this area. Pitiful, huh. Evidently a lot of small scrapbooking businesses are going under. Thank goodness this one hasn't! I need it!

I love the store a lot. I was skeptical at first, but it really is nice. Nothing compares to the Dream yet, though.

Well, around 3pm I got a call from the owner to see if I was still coming due to the weather. She said snow. I said, "what snow?" and looked outside. Oh, that snow! It wasn't sticking, and it was warm enough that it was melting almost immediately so I planned on still going. After all, I've driven in far worse.

The crop went on as planned, with 5 less gals. So, it was only me and two other gals scrapping, plus the shop owner who was there doing homework. It was quiet, and we had a lot of room to spread out our stuff. There were only 2 cafeteria sized tables pushed together, and that was supposed to have accomodated 8 people! PSH.

I'm guessing now that every group I'll ever belong to will have 2 Nicoles. Yes, there was a Nicole there! She's really nice and is pregnant with her second child. I'm totally hooking up with her for a playdate some time soon.

Among all the chatter and getting to know each other I barely got anything done. The project I was working on had been giving me grief from day 1, but by george I finished it!




I still have to complete some V-day valentines for a swap I joined, as well as make 2 birthday cards and an anniversary card. Wish me luck!

Every Day Magic

So, if you're reading this and you don't know my whole story, you wouldn't know that my husband is in the military (Coast Guard, exactly). He is currently under way and has been for a long time. Not so long as a year or anything, thank goodness, but longer than we're used to at this point.

It has become almost a daily routine for me to take pictures both of Eleana and myself to send to Joe so he can have faces to put our kind words and thoughts to (Eleana's kind words and thoughts usually only consist of "da" and "ice cream" but she means well). Sometimes these photos are of us together, just doing day-to-day things, others are individual photos, more thought out.

I don't know how but I managed to snap a really sweet candid shot of myself and Eleana playing her new favorite game "pop the air out of Mommy's cheeks." This photo was Joe's favorite of all the ones I've sent him, and I quite love it too. I felt it was a special, tender moment that we haven't really captured of the two of us together yet...most of our photos appear so rehearsed.

I took the oppurtunity to showcase not only the moment between mother and daughter, but also use some fun new products from my Scrapologie subscription. Yes, I know I mention that a lot here. I can't help it! I love it so much. Best thing I've bought in years!




Everything I used in this layout besides the pen I wrote with and the glitter on the chipboard circles came from the September Scrapologie kit. Oh, and the two word stickers inside the metal rectangle at the top of the page, those were from my personal store (they say "happy experiment").

I used a couple of new techniques I've wanted to try for some time. First of all, the metal rectangle at the top, with the orange filling, actually has a paperclip attached to it. I tucked it behind the journalling block because it made the page bubble if I tried to put it on like a regular clip. the rectangle came as plain silver. I painted the center using the same paint I used on the chipboard circles (poppy paint by making memories) then attached the two word stickers.

Then, using UTEE (Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel) I made it look like a glass charm. You simply sprinkle the UTEE powder where you want it, heat it with a heat gun, then sprinkle some more for thickness. It melts to form a glass-like surface. Pretty spiffy. I've tried this technique before, but messed up royally last time.

I originally planned on keeping the two chipboard half hoops as a whole ring, but it wouldn't quite fit anywhere on the page, so I cut it in half to make two half hoops. This was after I painted it with the poppy paint. Then I sprayed adhesive onto the hoop and sprinkled glitter over top to make it shiny and magical.

Nothing else is really special, just your standard scrapbook stuff. I added some dots with the paint onto the smaller chipboard disc that reads "fun" (you can click the image for a bigger view I think). The black flourishes are Basic Gray rub-ons. Some of them were really big but I just cut them into smaller pieces so they'd fit where I wanted them. The title is stickers by Scenic Route, the round chipboard discs are also Scenic Route.

Hope you like it as much as I do! I can't wait for the next challenge, gals! I am SO ready!