Evan

This is our friend Evan. Who I used to have to call my CTMH sister Debbie's son, Evan so John would know who I was talking about. Now it's just Evan. When I say Debbie, John asks, Who? So I tell him, you know, Evan's MOM!!!

This was the graduation picture, graduation announcement and Thank You card we recieved from Evan. Now that I've finally gotten vacay pics done, I could move on! And this layout proves that you CAN use flowered papers on a boy layout so long as you do it with a light hand. I used the pop of red since his school colors are red and black. I thought the now retired Silhouette papers would be perfect. I also found some old MM black and white buttons and used them up on the layout.

Pileated Woodpecker

This big guy is having a field day eating the red "berries' from the magnolia tree blooms. He was making such a racket I had to go get the camera and take a few shots. Pileated woodpeckers are in decline because of loss of habitat. They are about 4 times the size of a standard red-headed woodpecker. We have at least two pair that hang out around our house.

The End

This was probably the hardest part of our vacation. James G. Dunton was John's cousin who was killed in Vietnam in 1959. James was one of the first casualties, and thus, his name is on the very first panel. So many brave men had their names placed on this Wall after him. Too many.

And this is the last of the vacation layouts I'll be sharing.

It's Magic

I have one thing to say. If you want to spice up your scrapbook pages, you owe it to yourself to buy the new Magic book! Every technique I try, I fall in love with. And I wonder why I didn't think of some of these ideas years ago! Talk about your light bulb moments!

This uses a simple 3 x 12 piece of cardstock that is scored and folded. Then you attach matching cs and papers and your pictures. Keep it closed with a simple ribbon. (And yes, I cut my page protector so you can open it!) And you've got 5 more pictures on a page than you would have ordinarily! I also made another Pinwheel like on the CardPatterns post as an element on the page.

Pinwheel

Another great sketch at http://www.cardpatterns.com/ this week! I saw a new technique the other day and wanted to try it. This is called a Pinwheel. I used the new CTMH Olivia paper pack, along with The Present and Timeless stamp sets. There is some Smooch Accent Ink on the flower which is also pop-dotted. Brads are CTMH Designer Brads.

Jefferson Memorial

This is gonna go down as another all-time favorite layout. The more I use the new larger Flip Flaps, the more I love them. Makes the pages so much more cohesive when all of the pictures are on the same page. At least that's what I think!

We bought a copy of the Declaration of Independence while we were in DC, so that is what I used for the mat on the main pages. Most of it is behind the statue of Mr. Jefferson and the signatures are behind the two pics of me.

I found some more buttons in my stash, so they too have been incorporated. This uses the layout Magic Act from the new CTMH Magic book that is available for purchase TODAY! And yes, the stitching is real!

Xcellent!

This layout is of the different pics John took when he went on his "Xcellent Adventure" while I was Conventioning. I found some old chipboard buttons and re-covered them in Passages scraps to match and am using up yet more of my hoarded stash! I know. Big shock! There's also some CTMH designer brads.