Back to school

 I can't believe we are already at mid-term. 
 Feels like school just started, especially when you get to attend a back-to-school-themed fall retreat.
 I had a lot of fun putting together an outfit for our school photo.

I'm mostly caught up with my 2026 album, so I'm going back to working on my daughter's Girl Scout photos.  I'll do a photo dump of those pages soon, but in the meantime I want to know how you pack for a weekend scrap event.  I managed to get out the door with a single small bag and a rolling drawer tower.

This is what left the house with me on Thursday afternoon.

A Creative Memories weekend tote, trimmer bag, and the drawers.

I did do a swap out Friday night when I ran out of photos for 2026.  My pre-planning consists of matching photos with page kits, which got packed in the bag along with my album, black/white/ nuetral cardstock, cutting mat, and tabletop lights.  (Probably should have taken a photo of the inside of the bag)

As for the drawer system, I keep the top two drawers the same for every crop and at home.

Adhesives- all types in the first drawer, and pens and mini ink pads in the second.

The bottom four drawers get changed out depending on the project.  This past retreat, I loaded in embellishment boxes sorted by color/ theme ( I use the Iris 4x6 and 5x7 photo boxes), CM border maker system, and assorted cartridges, stickers, punches, and border punches.

Not on this trip but have made an appearance in the drawers.

Stickles/ puff paint, paint, stamps, spritiz, and embroidery floss.

I like not bringing so much that I waste time searching or don't have space to create.

Bonus is living  15 minutes away from the retreat location.  This year I made trips home nightly to have dinner with the family, as we were continuing to plan and prep for my son's Eagle Court of Honor this past Sunday.

Thanks for stopping by

Lasting Memories #823- Layers

 November is here with new challenges at Lasting Memories, hosted by Lisa. 
Fall brings cooler temperatures and layers to keep you warm.
 Layer lots of elements in your layout.

My paper already had a layered look before I added my embellishments, which I also layered.

Here are some close-ups of my layers

Thanks for stopping by, and make sure to join us at Lasting Memories

Satisfying Circles- LM#821

Maureen at Lasting Memories has challenged us to use shapes this month.

This week, we must use at least three circles.

I'm using the Creative Memories October virtual crop sketch#2 for my inspiration.

I used Simple Stories "Love and Adore" to document my Mother's Day scones.

My husband made sourdough blueberry lemon scones and tea, which we eat in the garden.

If you look closely at the script on the paper, it alternates between Love and Be Mine.  Even though this paper seems to be made for Valentine's Day, I think it is perfect for my layout.  I didn't follow the sketch exactly.

 I substituted a dolly for one of the circles and used a much smaller third circle than in the sketch.  I also used straight strips instead of a chain of circles.  I tried a floral punched border, but it got lost in the script background. 

Thanks for stopping by, and make sure to join us at Lasting Memories

Rad Rectangles-LM#820

 

Maureen at Lasting Memories has challenged us to use shapes this month.

For this week, we are to use three or more rectangles.

I used the sketch from Sketch-N-Scrap#333.  It works perfectly with the Lasting Memories challenge to use rectangles.  I used 3 large rectangles and could have had two more if I didn't cut the vertical ones at the bottom.

I also replaced one of the photos with a journal area as I only have the one basket shot

Thanks for stopping by, and please join us at Lasting Memories

Lasting Memories #819 Triangles

 

 Maureen at Lasting Memories has challenged us to use shapes this month.

For this week, we are to use three or more triangles.

This layout is similar to LM#818 except that I flipped some of the photo locations and the title journal box.  I used the same sketch from a CM idea book for both variations.  I love how versatile a sketch can be.  As for the challenge, I went small and subtle with three triangle pennants.   

 

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you share your triangles with us at Lasting Memories

Off on an adventure

I'm heading out on an adventure this weekend. 

 My husband and I will be staying in Klamath Falls, Oregon

Can't wait to share those adventures with you in a future layout; till then, here's a sneak peek of this Sunday's Lasting Memories challenge.

 

Gimme a high Five -Lasting Memories #818

 

This month, Wendy is our hostess and will be challenging us to have fun with number play.
 For the current challenge, use the following:

5- photos

5 - stars

5- word title

5 - embellishments

I used a little more than five stars with the border, 

although I do have 5 single stars scattered in the embellishment clusters.

I fussy-cut around the cast-offs of leftover stars.

The title was cut from the graduation program; I do have one in my son's school album too.

Thanks for stopping by to take a peek, and make sure to share your creation at Lasting Memories.