A Blessing

I think we probably all have those in our lives that we feel are a blessing.  My niece Callie is one of the blessings in my life.  She had a rough start in life, born with a terrible illness.  But through the love of her family, a wonderful medical team, and lots of prayer, she is now a happy, healthy toddler.  So that's why I consider her to be a blessing.  I love using close-ups of her sweet, little face for my layouts.

This is one of my layouts using the September Kit from C'est Magnifique.  The ScrapBerry's paper is so yummy and dreamy and I found it perfect for pulling out some ink, stamps, paint and mist.  

Enjoy your Saturday!   I've found some time to paint so I'm in a happy place today.  :)

~~~Valerie

A Giveaway!

Just a really quick post today to let you know that the monthly Bits & Pieces Giveaway has been posted on the C'est Magnifique Kits Blog!  It's a great change to win the Bits & Pieces from Leslie's September Kit. 

And what I like BEST about this giveaway is that all you have to do is become a follower of the Blog, and enter your name.  That's it.  Not a lot of hoops to jump through.  I hope you'll stop by and enter your name.  Who knows, you could be the one to win this great collection of awesome items from the September kit and add-ons.  

~~~Valerie

Adored

I've not felt well all week, but I'm so excited for the long weekend.  It will be a busy one for us with lots of things planned, but I'm sure it will also be fun!  I just hope I can keep up and shake off this vertigo and nausea.

Just wanted to let you know that C'est Magnifique has revealed it's September Kit today.  It's called "Shabby Dreams" and that's the perfect name for it!  First I'll give you a look at the kit, then show you one of the layouts I created.

Here's a layout I created using a photo of my niece and sweet great-niece.  I think this is such a darling photo of them.

A little bit of hidden journaling........

Some Prima Chipboard and Bling circles

Manor House Flowers

Have a great weekend everyone!  ~~~Valerie

C'est Magnifique September Kit (yes, it will be September soon)

Today I have lots of photos that pretty much speak for themselves!   I'm excited to share a layout of my darling nieces, giving each other a big hug.  I just love this photo!  

I created this layout using the amazing kit C'est Magnifique has planned for September.  The paper will be the beautiful Scrapberry's (Russia) "Coloured Dreams" collection and  the "True Romance" line from KaiserCraft (Australia).  

September add-ons:

Head over to C'est Magnifique Kits blog for all the details!

Thanks for stopping by today.  ~~~Valerie

A Day to Remember

I found this photo of my granddaughter and her friend before a school dance, and it reminded me of how much I loved the dances several years ago when they didn't have dates!  Oh well, I suppose they have to grow up whether we want them to or not.  

I've used the beautiful Pion Designs paper in the August kit from C'est Magnifique.  I love that this line (and many others lately) has some beautiful cut-outs on the back side of one of the sheets of paper.  To me, that's like getting an extra package of embellishments!

Have a great day everyone!

~~~Valerie

August Sketch Challenges and New 7 Dots!

I's a beautiful sunny day in central Ohio.  I've spent some time outside with my furry friends (Kiefer and Chester), but have also carved out some time to scrap today.  

Speaking of scrapbooking, I wanted to let you know that Leslie has two of the new lines from 7 Dots in the C'est Magnifique store - Messy Head and 9th Wave (which will be in the October kit).  I can't wait to get my hands on both of them!

 

There's also a great selection of new Prima products in the store, including Stencils, Resist Canvas Sheets & Borders, Stamps, and Metal Pieces. 

I also wanted to let you know of two sketch challenges that I'm aware of, both lasting the entire month of August, so you have plenty of time to enter.  The first is the Blue Fern Studios sketch challenge, which I love!  Lots of good examples on the their blog, too.  

The second August challenge is the C'est Magnifique Kits challenge.  It's another great sketch by designer Michele Singh.  I love that she has incorporated the little bench that is in the August Kit. You don't need to be a kit subscriber to participate in the challenge, so no excuses for not giving it a go! 

I sure hope you will get a chance to participate in one or both challenges this month.

~~~Valerie

A Walk in the Park

The beautiful August Kit from C'est Magnifique, A Walk in the Park, is being revealed today.  I love working with paper from Pion Design, and this line is no exception. 

Here's a layout that I created using the kit and the add-ons.  

When I saw the paper with the image of a little brunette on a swing, 

my first thought was my niece, Macy, who loves to swing (more than anything!).  

If you're interested in getting one of these kits, head over to 

the C'est Magnifique Store.  

There are still a few of them remaining. 

Hope your August gets off to a good start!

~~~Valerie

A Little Sweetness

Hi all.  I have a "sweet" layout that I'd like to share today.  This darling little guy is my adorable nephew, Keegan.  Oh my, isn't he just about the sweetest thing you've ever seen?  He's a big boy now (or at least he thinks so) at the young age of almost 2.  I love looking back at infant photos.  

I created this layout with the August kit from C'est Magnifique, along with items from the add-ons.  Here are a couple of close-ups. I seem to be addicted to Inka Gold right now and you will see that I've used it numerous ways on my layout.  It's not in the kit, but just something that I love to use to add to the look of embellishments.  Here I have used a little Old Silver colored Inka Gold on my flower.

 I also used some Inka Gold on this piece of Blue Fern Studios chipboard after I inked it green ink.  

And here I've once again used it on the edges of the flowers.  

Do you have something special that you like to use on your layouts?

This kit from C'est Magnifique will be revealed on July 30th.

~~~Valerie

Wonderful and Amazing

I just realized today that I still have a layout using the July Kit from C'est Magnifique Kits that I haven't yet shown you.  This kit has been one of my favorites.  I think it's because there are 2 completely different lines of paper in the kit.  I loved them both by themselves and combined.  

I wanted to use this photo of my nephew, Trevor, since I thought it would work well with the UHK paper in the kit.  I love this photo and it's totally spontaneous (which makes for the best photos in my opinion).  Trevor is such a special guy and I'm so glad I get to be his aunt.  He is truly 'wonderful and amazing'.  

Today Ce'st Mangifique Kits posted a look at what's coming up in the August Kit on their blog.  I've been working with the kit and the colors are amazing.  Here's the paper that will be in the kit:

It's from Pion Design, a Swedish Manufacturer.   The colors are so soft and sweet.  You can see all the details HERE on the blog.

I hope your week is off to a good start.  As part of my 'downsizing' project, I spent a lot of time this weekend getting ready for an upcoming garage sale with some fellow scrappers.  I can't believe how much stuff I am able to part with!  It sure feels good. 

~~~Valerie

Happiness

Hi all.  I hope your weekend was a great one.  My husband and I enjoyed our 4-day weekend to both relax and catch up on a few things.  Plus, we made our first venture to Ikea, a 2 hour drive in torrential rain, only to find out they didn't have what we wanted in stock.  It was packed, too.  One of the sales associates told us that they had a record-setting weekend (holiday, everyone off work, and it has rained all weekend).  Now we'll have to wait about 5 weeks before we get back there, because our summer weekends are pretty much all filled.  Oh well, we will eventually get the bookcases we've been wanting to put in the office.

Today I wanted to share a layout that I created using several pieces of Blue Fern Studios Chipboard.  This is my niece, Makenzie, walking UP the sliding board instead of sliding down.  I remember as a child how much fun it was to go up.

 A few close-ups:

This layout was created using the July Sketch at Blue Fern Studios.  Head over to the blog to get all the details.  You have the entire month of July to enter.

Happy 4th of July and a Look Back

I remember referring to today as Independence Day, but it seems to be most commonly referred to as "the 4th of July" by everyone.  Where we live, the City puts on a huge fireworks display (Red, White and Boom) the night before the 4th.  It's attracts a big crowd, is typically really hot, and we choose to stay home.   But it's still a great day of celebration when we grill, have our first corn on the cob of the season, and eat some watermelon!

Our neighborhood had a little parade last weekend, and it reminded both my husband and I of when our granddaughter was much younger and we decorated her bicycle and American Girl doll so she could ride in the parade.  

Here's a look back 7 years ago to 4th of July, 2006.  If you've been scrapping for a long time, you might remember this line of paper and accessories from Elsie Flannigan.  I created this layout of Eryn and her bicycle, all decorated for the parade.  Although my style has changed a lot since then, I still love looking at old layouts and the memories they bring back.  Things sure have changed since then......she is driving a car now!  
 

"Got the Girl, Got the Bike, and There She Goes!" 

Circa 2006

 

Enjoy your holiday, everyone!  

I hope you have Friday off and can have a long weekend.  

~~~Valerie

Sketch Challenge!

Hi all.  C'est Magnifique Kits has posted their July Sketch Challenge.  You can find all the details on their blog.  Here is the sketch we're using this month:

And here's a layout I created using the sketch and July Kit from C'est Magnifique Kits.  The photo is my niece, Callie, and was taken last month at her second birthday party.  I'm not sure what she is doing here, but I think she was giving her mom a kiss!

I hope you'll stop by the C'est Magnifique Kits blog and enter our sketch challenge.  You have the entire month of July to create a layout and upload it to the blog!

Hope you have plans for a wonderful 4th of July Celebration!!