Moments Captured by Candace

I Heart Faces… Oh so Silly!

2012-01-30T15:26:00.001-05:00

This Oh so Silly toddler is my granddaughter, Audrey. During this photo shoot, all of the lollipops were wrapped except one. This photo captures her joy when she finally found the one that was good for licking! =)

Head on over to I Heart Faces so catch all the wonderfully silly photos being posted this week!

Rock The Shot September Photo Challenge: Backlighting

2011-09-15T13:20:00.001-04:00

This is the first time I’ve entered a photo challenge at Rock the Shot but when I saw what the theme was, I knew I had to give it a try. I’ve spent a good amount of time lately trying to learn to get a decent backlit or sunflare shot and this is my favorite, so far. I found this interesting tree and asked Emma (my 13 year old) to climb up there. I snapped this shot to check the lighting and when I saw it on the camera… I fell in love! I tried several more shots but this one was still the winner.

www.rocktheshotforum.com

White

2011-08-30T11:08:00.001-04:00

It’s so embarrassing to say that I haven’t updated my blog in three months. Life just got in the way, again. I saw that this week’s challenge at I Heart Faces is “White”.- not black and white but white featured in a color photo. I just had to take the time to enter this photo of my brand new, precious as can be, grandson. Introducing, Gavin Scott…

See the other entries at .

Timeless Elegance and a Freebie

2011-05-24T19:42:00.001-04:00

I decided to try my hand at making a freebie quickpage with this absolutely gorgeous kit from KimB, available at scrapmatters.com .

Bonus Free Alpha with purchase!

On to my layout and freebie but first I’ll force you to have to look at some of my photos! LOL I’ve been working on a set of “old-time”, vintage inspired photos and I was happy to get a chance to scrap with one of these.

Our friend, Josalin…

My layout created with Timeless Elegance…

And Finally… a freebie for you!

Download Timeless Elegance quickpage here.

Boardwalk

2011-05-19T11:45:00.001-04:00

I haven’t had much time to blog about my scrapbooking lately but I adore this kit from By Becca and Designs by Helly so much that I had to make some time! This muted jewel tone color scheme is my absolute favorite and the elements are so fun & gorgeous, you’ll be tempted to fill every inch of your layout with them!

I’ve been looking for a kit to scrap these photos of Miles at Chuck E. Cheese with and this one was perfect.

Boardwalk goes on sale tomorrow at 9th and Bloom.

By the way, I have it from a reliable source ;) that if you sign up for Becca’s email today… you’ll get a fantastic freebie in your inbox tomorrow! Follow this link to subscribe to the By Becca Newsletter http://blogspot.us1.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=46e6f446dc4baafd741e02278&id=cca2cf069f

The best “bad” photos

2011-05-16T15:57:00.001-04:00

I was going through some photos and came across these. I know…technically not stellar at all! Grainy, blurry, out of focus, colors are whacked out but these could be my favorite photos I’ve taken in a while. I love every emotion these photos hold and every emotion they evoke in me. They just might be perfect.

Miles and Daddy, playing late one night.

Motherhood--- I Heart Faces

2011-05-09T08:21:00.001-04:00

The theme is Motherhood this week at I Heart Faces. I had a tough time deciding which photo to choose but this one came up the winner because of one thing… the beautiful little tear of joy that is sliding down my daughter’s cheek as she hold’s her newborn daughter.

See more motherhood photos at

Grey Line Unveils Three New Buses - WBOY-TV - WBOY.com

2011-05-06T14:54:00.000-04:00

I just had to post about this. Yes, that is my handsome husband, riding a magic carpet, on the side of a bus. We were invited to watch a commercial photoshoot by Seth's friend, Lisa Armstrong. Seth agreed to be in a few photos and pose as a "business man". Lo and behold... they chose his photo to use on the bus. I'm seriously amused with this whole situation! =)

Grey Line Unveils Three New Buses - WBOY-TV - WBOY.com

Emma...your step-dad may be challenging your seat as official model in the family! LOL

I Heart Faces ~ Soft and Sweet

2011-05-01T10:31:00.001-04:00

A soft and sweet photo of my grandbaby, Audrey. I love sleeping babies!

See other soft and sweet photos at .

I Heart Faces--- Pet Week

2011-04-25T10:11:00.001-04:00

“Blessed are those who have the love of an old dog.”

It’s Pet Week at I Heart Faces. This is our 13 year old yellow lab, Peacemaker’s Misty Autumn. Autumn…to us.

Autumn and I had a photoshoot during the last snowfall this year. I spent 20 minutes trying to get her to look at the camera but it never worked! There’s a sadness to this photo for me because my thought process was, “I’d better get some photos of Autumn, while we have the chance.” It breaks my heart to even type that. She’s really went downhill in the last several months. Her back legs won’t cooperate when she wants to walk. She’s starting to have accidents in the house and I know that mortifies her. I can’t even begin to figure out how to prepare the kids for Autumn’s inevitable passing. Why can’t our pets have a longer lifespan? =(

Head on over to to see other pet posts that probably aren’t as much of a downer as this one. Sorry.

Meet and Greet

2011-04-22T19:44:00.001-04:00

We had the pleasure of meeting several of Jack’s friends and some of their families, last night.

This is really a wonderful group of kids!

Family shots!

Miles had a good time catching up with (and showing off for) Miss Sarah!

I ended up having to put the camera away or I’d never have socialized with anyone! Unfortunately, I missed taking photos of Chloe and her friends… Samantha and Zoe (and their families).

We’re so glad that Jack & Chloe have such a great circle of friends.

Here’s my favorite pic of the night. Anyone that knows my dear husband, knows that he can be a little verbose! I snapped this photo of Seth in mid- “excited about music” conversation with some of the other parents. LOL

I Heart Faces--- Wind

2011-04-17T09:06:00.001-04:00

I haven’t entered an I Heart Faces challenge in a while but couldn’t pass up the chance when I heard the theme was “wind”. This photo was taken during a very windy photo shoot. Half of the time Emma’s face was covered by hair. You can see that she’s trying to hold it back in this photo. I’m pretty happy with it because I had visualized a look and feel that I wanted and … wow, it actually almost turned out that way! I still have several to edit from this shoot and then I think a new canvas will be needed! LOL

Head over to I Heart Faces to see more windy photos…

So Many Birthday Babies!

2011-04-09T12:14:00.001-04:00

I have a the great pleasure of photographing some absolutely beautiful babies in the last two weeks…and I mean really Adorable! I haven’t finished editing and culling through the literally hundreds of baby photos but here’s a quick peak at the fun we’ve been having.

The first birthday adventure was with my own sweet granddaughter, Audrey. To say it didn’t go well is quite the understatement! We could entitle this series, “It’s My Party—I Can Cry If I Want To! She really was not in the mood to get messy. Her Mommy tried to help her out but eventually Audrey said, “We are DONE with this”! It may not have went as planned but I treasure these photos.

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The very next day I got to spend some time with Gabe and it was is actual birthday! What a sweet boy he is and his mama is one of the nicest people I’ve met in a long time.

Before the cake smashing melee! Gabe’s mom is thinking of getting a canvas of the black and white photo….Gorgeous!

Let the fun begin…

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And next is Anthony. Talk about a handsome, happy little guy!

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Alex’s Turn! This adorable little redhead was all serious business about devouring his cake!

Beautiful blue eyes!

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Two of my little clients this week were not birthday babies but they sure were precious!

Tyler

Miss Briella

Ashton & Russell got married!

2011-03-26T10:48:00.001-04:00

On Saturday, I attended their wedding and snapped some pics for them. Ashton looked radiant!

What a good looking couple!

Ashton and her maid of honor (her sister, Jenna).

Bridesmaid and little sister, Tori.

Jenna with her daughter, Serenity.

Kim B moves to Scrap Matters!

2011-03-26T10:16:00.001-04:00

The talented Kim Broedelet has found a permanent home at scrapmatters.com! And her designs are on sale!

Photo Catch Up- Josalin

2011-03-26T09:40:00.001-04:00

This pretty girl with the fantastic blue eyes is our neighbor and one of Emma’s very best friends. I have the pleasure of spending lots of time with Miss Josalin. It’s a good thing I really enjoy her company!

Photo Catch Up- Emma Louise

2011-03-26T08:56:00.001-04:00

I haven’t posted a photo in forever, though I have started shooting some again. My confidence took a terrible hit when I finally upgraded my camera and got a sweet new lens---- and then I couldn’t take even one halfway decent photo with the new gear! I sent the lens back and I’m working daily to learn the ins and outs of my new Canon 60D.
I think I’ll start this update with some photos of my darling Emma. It will be good therapy because posting these photos will make me think about how much I adore this girl and then when I am trying to get her to clean her room later today… I won’t want to kill her as much!

Scrapbooking Catch Up

2011-03-15T20:01:00.001-04:00

In all honesty… there’s not too awful much to catch up on! I’ve been very busy stressing about my new camera problems, new lens problems and do-I-want-to-be-a-photographer problems to scrap much. (But that’s all for another post.)

Created with Snowkissed by Becca at 9th and Bloom

Created with Passions Blush by KimB at MScraps

Wanted:Hugs and kisses- Collab by Kimb Designs and Jen Reed Designs available at Scrapmatters

Created with Chikka-dea by KimB Designs at ScrapMatters

Created with Wedded Bliss by Digi Overdose and LiseteScrap

I really am going to try to update with some recent photos tomorrow and then try to get back into the swing of things!

Hearts- I Heart Faces Challenge

2011-02-07T12:27:00.005-05:00

Our instructions this week were, “Incorporate a heart (or multiple hearts) into your I Heart Faces entry this week. Remember that a human face must be clearly showing as well.” Well, I had planned to take some cute Valentine type photos of Miles this weekend but a three year old with a tummy bug does not make for good photos! Luckily, Miles was over the flu by today and the funniest thing happened on the way to Montessori…
I drove by this old warehouse building that I pass all the time and lo and behold, there were hearts spray painted on the door! I had never, ever noticed it before! Maybe they’ve been there forever and I just blocked them out or maybe someone just put them there? Of course, I had to stop and force Miles to pose (or what passes for posing with my camera hating boy)!

See more hearts at

Extreme Editing (or I’m bored and don’t want to clean house!)

2011-02-06T11:59:00.002-05:00

My little Miles is sleeping on the couch because the tummy flu bug has bitten him hard. Poor little guy! This would have been the perfect time to get some cleaning done but instead I decided to challenge myself to a little extreme editing session. I delved way back into my photos and pulled out a real clinker of Audrey as a newborn. It’s underexposed, grainy, Red, blotchy and could have just been pitched but after fiddling with it for a long while…I think I salvaged it pretty well! What do you think? I would list my steps for fixing it but it was a long, confusing process!

Emma in Black & White

2011-02-04T10:12:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, I gave myself a crash course in off-camera studio lighting. It’s always a pleasure to attempt to learn something new but I’m pretty sure my heart will be in photographing with natural light. Here are few dramatic black and whites of Miss Emma Lou.

Yep…she has on wings…don’t ask! =)

I have to tell you…this smile can just light up the room. Sometimes Emma completely overflows with happiness and I love to see it!

Miss Ashlyn Jayde

2011-02-02T10:22:00.001-05:00

I didn’t get a chance to post more of this little sweetie’s three month photos and that would be a crime because she is cute, cute, cute!

Love this in black and white!

My fav of the day!

Ashlyn’s grandma ordered this in a huge metallic black and white and I can’t get over how Fan-Tas-Tic it looks!

A few more…

Audrey in black and white

2011-01-29T16:01:00.001-05:00

and a few in color of my sweet grandbaby, looking out the window…

My Emma

2011-01-26T21:31:00.001-05:00

My poor Emma, my usually willing, ever-present model. Today she was not quite as willing to put up with my snapping away. This is what Emma wanted to be doing instead of letting me take her photo. (phone and IPod)

A little bribery worked to some extent so I’m going to post the shots I got . As you can see, I’ve got to work on not chopping her limbs off in photos but her limbs are just so darn long…they keep sneaking out of the frame! =)

Miles even jumped in a few shots…which is not very common!

Miles pelting me with a snowball during our big storm today!

A new canvas!

2011-01-25T18:49:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow I’m going to order a new gallery wrapped canvas from Canvas On Demand Pro and they have a great way to show you what your canvas will look like, the Canvasizer. Here are the ones I am considering for a 20x24” canvas…which would you pick?

Oh and wouldn’t this one of little Ashlyn look beautiful as a canvas!?

Innocent Wonder- I Heart Faces Challenge

2011-01-24T10:03:00.001-05:00

Innocent wonder? When I saw this week’s theme, I knew I had the perfect photo for it! This is Miss Ashlyn Jade who is all of ten pounds and three months old. When I was taking her photos, I quickly learned that Ashlyn is absolutely in love with her hands! She stares at them with….get ready for it….Innocent Wonder! =)

Join us at I Heart Faces for more Innocent Wonder.

Audrey’s Picture Day

2011-01-19T07:58:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, my oldest daughter wasn’t feeling well so I kept Audrey. Do you know what that means? Lots of time to take photos of the prettiest grandbaby in the world! Now Audrey is the smilingest baby your ever met but when I got my camera out… the smile pretty much evaporated. She often just looked at me like I was insane! Either way, I’m so in love with these photos and so in love with Miss Audrey!

More photos to follow soon!

More Emma Snow photos

2011-01-17T10:43:00.001-05:00

I did end up playing with a few more snowy Emma photos and here’s the outcome. Not perfect but I liked them!

I Heart Faces—Winter Wonderland

2011-01-17T10:31:00.001-05:00

I had the worst time finding a photo for this week’s challenge. I only got one real keeper from the photo shoot I did of Emma the other day and I’d already posted that all over my blog. My goal this year is to try to take current photos for the challenges so I’m going to have to use that one photo. I decided to re-edit and re-crop it, just to come up with something a little different. Here’s my Winter Wonderland photo!

I did try to salvage a few other photos from this day but I tell…shooting in the snow is hard! I may try again today if it’s not freezing! Here’s a link to the two runner-up photos for this challenge. http://candacesoon.blogspot.com/2011/01/more-emma-snow-photos.html

Join us at I heart faces to see all of the winter wonderland photos!

Snow photo playtime

2011-01-14T10:41:00.001-05:00

I had the brilliant idea that Emma should wear a flowing red dress with a red scarf and stand out in the snow…the wind blowing her hair, dress and scarf. Sounds good but it really didn’t work out. It was way too cold to catch this idea on film! Only one photo turned out half way decent so I didn’t have much to edit from this failed shoot…so I decided to play with this one pic and try some different actions on it. I haven’t played with actions in a while so it was fun!

Here’s the SOOC camera photo, not so great, huh?

And here’s my clean edit, cropped, with a nice pop. I’d say this would be my final image if I was going to have one printed.

Now it’s playtime, where I tried the some different effects. Bella Action by Pamela Topping

Jewel Action by Pamela Topping

Colorized Action by Pioneer Woman

Vintage Action by Pioneer Woman

Heartland by PW, I don’t think I’ve ever used this but it’s interesting looking.

Seventies by PW

Coffee and Cream by Coffee Shop

Chocolate Black and White by Coffee Shop, this is my go to B&W!

So, which edit do you like? I’d love to hear anyone’s opinions!

Smile at I Heart Faces

2011-01-11T10:12:00.001-05:00

Smiles are the theme of the I Heart Faces challenge this week so here’s my smiley entry. This was taken with my point and shoot when we were at Kennywood amusement park, this summer. The total glee on my husbands face, while he’s riding the little horsie… just cracks me up! I made one of my favorite scrapbook pages with this photo and you can check that out here Carousel.

Join us at I Heart Faces to see all of the smiley entries or to enter your own!

Absolute Best Face Photo of 2010

2011-01-02T21:41:00.001-05:00

This week, at I Heart Faces, our challenge is to find our “Absolute Best Face Photo of 2010”. Since I mostly photograph my children, I’m pretty partial to the faces in those photos but I do believe that this one is my very best of the year. Most of the time my 12 year old daughter (Emma) looks just like what she is… a tall, gangly, pretty, goofy, almost- teenager but every now and then I snap a photo of her that truly takes my breath away.

I’m proud of this photo and proud of the knowledge I’ve gained in the past year. I’ve learned to shoot in manual, how to occasionally compensate for the shortcomings of my camera (and there are quite a few), how to edit photos to bring out the natural beauty in them and many more things. In the coming year, I hope to improve my composition and my posing of people. I hope to get more photos that are in focus. =) And I hope to be able to decide if I want to continue photography as the most rewarding of hobbies or to turn my love for it into career that brings me joy!

Please join us at I Heart Faces to see more “Best Faces” of the year!

Pet Challenge at I Heart Faces

2010-12-13T09:13:00.001-05:00

This week I Heart Faces wants to see the furry faces in our lives. So here’s our little bunny, Moose, when we first brought him home. He’s a mini lop-earred bunny but his ears hadn’t lopped over yet in this photo. I love his disgruntled expression…like he just realized what he got himself into by joining our family!

Check out all the pet faces at I Heart Faces!

Miles on a snowy day

2010-12-10T12:38:00.001-05:00

A little collage of Miles on a snowy day. The crinkled up face is what he gives me if I ask him to let me see his eyes, of course!

Audrey at 7 months old

2010-12-10T08:22:00.001-05:00

Here are a few quick snapshots that I took of my granddaughter last night. Isn’t she sweet?! Hopefully we’ll get a chance to do some Christmas type portraits soon.

I Heart Faces Challenge…Self Portrait

2010-12-06T14:15:00.001-05:00

Well, not my favorite type of photo to take so I’m going with what I’ve got! I took this photo with my little point and shoot when I was feeling inspired to make a scrapbook page concerning my thoughts on almost turning the big 4-0. So here I am…39.5 years old, sans make-up…au naturel.

And here’s the page I made and my little thoughts!

Journaling reads: "Time has wings and it sure has flown, It seems like yesterday when I was turning 30. If I had know the wisdom I would gain in the next ten years, I would have surely embraced that birthday instead of fearing it. Now onto turning 40, I’m feeling fairly comfortable about it. These photos of me sans makeup show that I have changed. I see forehead wrinkles, bags under my eyes, crinkly crow’s feet and even an age spot. Who is that 40 year old lady looking back at me? I hope that she is a woman who is graceful with her aging and grateful for the knowledge and confidence that she’s earned. So here’s to turning 40...may the next decade be the wisest, most considerate, loving, “smilingest”, proudest, most romantic and all around best time of my life....so far!"

Join us at I Heart Faces to see other self portraits or to enter a challenge!

I ♥ Faces Challenge… Scenic B&W

2010-11-29T09:32:00.001-05:00

I haven’t entered a pic into an I ♥ Faces Photo Challenge in quite a while but I’m trying to throw one in there today. I actually don’t take photos of scenery very often, though I should because WV is an incredibly scenic, picturesque state.

Here’s one of the senior photos I took of the lovely Miss Brittany. The gorgeous scenery in the background is Pegasus Farm, one of my favorite places around.

Head on over to I Heart Faces to see more scenic B&Ws or to enter your own!

Bloggety, blog

2010-11-19T10:51:00.001-05:00

I haven’t had a spare minute to post anything lately so I’m stealing my chance now! First of all, I’m totally excited to be seeing the new Harry Potter movie later today! (Yes…I’m definitely a big geek.)

Scrapbooking update…I may be officially over my creative slump. I made two, count them…two whole layouts this week that I actually liked! Whoo hoo!

Created with the brand new kit, Magic Moments ... By Becca. Available here [ link ] at 9th and Bloom

Created with Hold My Hand from KimB and Ruth Melody Designs at Memory Scraps [ link ]

Now onto photos, honestly, I haven’t taken any photos since Halloween. Bad newbie photog! I can’t really improve like that but I’ve just been focusing on trying to scrap. I did edit a photo from Emma’s Purple Fiddle shoot.

And b&w…

Final Chapter of our summer Pittsburgh trip

2010-11-13T17:00:00.001-05:00

These photos are from the last day of our trip we took to Pittsburgh. By this point I was tired of carrying my big ol’ camera around and there was bad lighting in the Natural History Museum…so I didn’t take many photos and the ones that were taken, weren’t great. But, hey…I’m posting some anyway!

Miles was extremely excited about seeing the dinosaur “bones” but when we actually arrived in that section, he was pretty scared of them!

Daddy protecting Miles from the dinosaurs.

Miles, digging up some dino bones.

In the African Savannah, sort of.

After the Natural History Museum, we went to the Science Center… where I took NO pictures.

Then we went to check out this submarine. Pretty cool!

Love You, Chloe!

2010-11-13T11:54:00.001-05:00

Scrapbook page just to tell Chloe that she is loved!

Created with Always by KimB

Family---Home---Love

2010-11-13T11:49:00.001-05:00

Women who I love and miss...my grandmother, mom and aunts.
Created with Love Grows Here
By Becca at 9th and Bloom.

Be A Prince, Not a Frog

2010-11-13T11:13:00.001-05:00

Ten things to teach my son so that he will be a prince and not just another frog...
1. Say I love you, every day and mean it.
2. Admit when you are wrong. Then say you’re sorry.
3. Don’t be afraid to cry or be sad or be happy. Emotions are okay!
4. Anger is not the most important emotion.
5. Cooking, cleaning, and taking care of kids are things men can actually do as well as women.
6. You are worthy of respect and understanding and you must give those to others, as well.
7. It’s good to just listen. You don’t have to offer a solution all the time.
8. Be affectionate. Hugs go a long way to making the world a better place.
9. Be respectful. don't yell at people. Don't call them names.
10. Care...about yourself and those you love. Show it.

Created with several kits from By Becca @ 9th and Bloom.

Random Photos

2010-11-08T15:09:00.001-05:00

I have oodles of photos that I’d like to get the time to edit and post…but I never do! Here’s a batch that I did find the time to play with.

Another one of Emma’s Fall Photos

Audrey with her daddy, when she was 2 months old.

Miles…caught daydreaming.

Our Miss Chloebug… I think I love the cropped one.

I thought Emma looks too “angry” in this one but she likes it so I posted it ! LOL

Chloe’s Horseback Riding Lesson

2010-11-04T13:42:00.001-04:00

The very first thing we did when we got to NC , last week, was to go to watch Chloe’s horseback riding lesson. She’s been taking lessons for a few years and I was really impressed with her horse skills. We’re so proud of you, Chloebug!

Chloe and her riding instructor, who was so nice… she even let Miles have a turn on a horse!

	Getting ready.
	Love those pretty blue eyes!


Taking care of Pinto after the lesson, with Dad.	Hoof cleaning


Emma, enjoying the sunshine.	Miles showing off some kung-fu moves!


Miles’ turn.	I think he was trying to wave but got nervous.


Steph, leading Miles around.

Chargers Win!

2010-11-01T20:59:00.001-04:00

On Saturday, we got to see Jack play in the first game of his playoffs. It was the Chargers against the Cowboys.


Suiting up	Jack is #75


Warm ups

	Dad watching the game.
	Stephanie is a wonderful mom and is so involved in the kid’s activities.

	Touchdown…Chargers are on the way to a win!
	Miles joining Jack for the victory speech.

	Coach Mike Queen, congratulating his team.



	Jack is looking tired!

	Jack gets a hug from the Coach.

	Proud dad and mom, talking to the coach.


Emma was so excited for Jack!


A quick congratulatory hug from his little sister.	Time to head home.


	Exultant and exhausted, Jack falls asleep on Chloe.

Happy Halloween 2010

2010-11-01T15:53:00.001-04:00

Well, we had an awesome trip down to NC to see Jack, Chloe and Stephanie. It was busy, busy, busy though and I think we spent half of the time eating! Yum!

I decided to post these pics from our trip first. Here’s Miles as Harry Potter, Jackson as a Police Officer, Emma as Hermione and Chloe as a 1920’s gangster…

Jack’s costume was so funny. I couldn’t even look at him without laughing!

Emma as Hermione from Harry Potter and I have to say…she was the perfect Hermione!

Chloe was stylin’ as a gangster. She looked so cool!

Miles was NOT in the mood to have his picture taken. In fact, the whole process made him cry!

“Harry Potter”…sitting on his owl.

I adore this one. What a sweet little Harry Potter, holding his owl. I couldn’t decide if I liked it better in color or black and white.

Jack’s friend, Tommy, was a skater zombie.

Jorgie and Sara
were a mommy and daughter witch. How cute!

A group photo, but we’re missing Stephanie because she was taking the photo.

This weekend’s creativity….hhhmmmmm?

2010-10-25T13:35:00.001-04:00

I should have spent a weekend on Fall cleaning (is that a real thing?) but instead, I mostly played with my camera, computer and Photoshop!

Here’s the outcome…

Audrey's 6 months scrapbook page…

Created with Who Gives a Hoot by Vonnie's Digiworld and Digi Overdose at Scrappity Doo Dah
http://www.scrappity-doo-dah.com/store/product.php?productid=5492&cat=0&page=1

I don’t know what possessed me to want to create a scrapbook page using photos of me without makeup and talking about how it feels to be turning the big 4-0 but here it is…

Journaling reads: "Time has wings and it sure has flown, It seems like yesterday when I was turning 30. If I had know the wisdom I would gain in the next ten years, I would have surely embraced that birthday instead of fearing it. Now onto turning 40, I’m feeling fairly comfortable about it. These photos of me sans makeup show that I have changed. I see forehead wrinkles, bags under my eyes, crinkly crowsfeet and even an age spot. Who is that 40 year old lady looking back at me? I hope that she is a woman who is graceful with her aging and grateful for the knowledge and confidence that she’s earned. So here’s to turning 40...may the next decade be the wisest, most considerate, loving, “smilingest”, proudest, most romantic and all around best time of my life....so far!"

Created for the Battle of the Creative Teams at DSA with recolored pieces of kits from By Becca.

Here are the other two LOs that I’ve done for the BOTCT in the last two weeks.

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We made another trip to the Purple Fiddle in Thomas, WV on Saturday. That restaurant and town are just chocked full of good places to take photos! I didn’t get too many keepers that day because of my current photographic issues (focus, exposure, etc) but here is one I liked of Emma.

And two more …

What would I do if I didn’t have my own little willing model in house? LOL

Sneak Peak for Cheryl

2010-10-22T09:01:00.001-04:00

Here’s a quick sneak peak of the photos I did for Cheryl to use on her upcoming CD. She needed pics of her, her duet partner (Jim), and some train themed photos. Cheryl’s a beautiful lady with stunning coloring so she was a joy to photograph!

Carnegie Museum of Art

2010-10-07T08:21:00.001-04:00

On to another portion of our summer trip to Pittsburgh! We made a very brief foray in the Carnegie Museum of Art . It’s adjacent to the Natural History Museum (which is the museum the kids where interested in!). So we only checked out the Hall of Architecture. I’m glad we took the time to do that because the 140 plaster casts of architectural masterpieces from the past were incredibly gorgeous. They made me want to travel the world and see the real things! Speaking of traveling, Seth and I are planning an overnight getaway to Pittsburgh, sans kiddos…. so that we can tour the whole art museum and we’ll also go through the Natural History museum once more. This time I should be able to read some of the information provided and tour the museum slowly, actually learning things as I go along!

	Miles staring up at the architectural wonders.

	He was actually checking out this beautiful angel wing.

Lastly, this is a photo of the kids taken when they started dancing the Hall of Sculpture. Emma informed me that she really needed a house that looks just like this!

Miles Many Faces

2010-10-04T14:22:00.001-04:00

I was practicing with some new setting on my camera and to my surprise, Miles didn’t mind helping me out! In fact, he gave me a whole series of faces showing his take on different emotions.

I think we could label this one
fairly normal or happy!

Miles rendition of “stubborn”. This is a face that comes incredibly naturally to my boy. He was certainly born with opinions and has always been able to let them be known!

	A face that says, “YES! Victory is mine!”
		Possibly his scary face!

Shock and surprise!
Miles’ new word is “shocked”, which he can’t really pronounce because he still says all hard C sounds as a T. He informed me that he was shocked that I got him Cars flip flops at Wal-Mart.

Beautiful Bubbly Baby scrapbook page

2010-10-01T10:26:00.001-04:00

Hi all! Here’s a scrapbook page that I whipped up with the photo I posted yesterday and a KimB kit. I love using ultra girly colors and elements when making a layout about my sweet granddaughter.

Created with the DSO Bosom Buddies Pick Your Bits Collab, Elements and Papers by Kim B.
http://digital-scrapbooking.org/shop/bosom-buddies-elements-p-3434.html?zenid=c27b82d9ec1677d3db16485087df378c
http://digital-scrapbooking.org/shop/bosom-buddies-papers-p-3432.html?zenid=c27b82d9ec1677d3db16485087df378c

Bubbles and baby cuteness!

2010-09-30T15:34:00.001-04:00

We haven’t had much of a chance to take Audrey’s five month photos lately. She’s been sick on and off and I’ve been busy or the weather hasn’t been right. So I suggested that we do a few bubble bath baby pics. We filled the tub with tons of bubbles and plopped Audrey in. She was pretty amazed and mostly had an astonished look on her face in every photo. We did get this one good one though. Isn’t she adorable?


Here’s a different crop on this.	And in black and white.

Family Photos…Pittsburgh Trip…Children’s Museum

2010-09-28T15:10:00.001-04:00

As previously posted, our family took a trip to Pittsburgh in July. We visited the Zoo, Children's Museum, Natural History Museum and Science Center. A good time was had by all and we can’t wait to do it again. Follow this link to check out the Zoo photos that I’ve already posted.

So, it’s officially taking me weeks to get the photos from this trip posted and many of them didn’t come out perfectly but I’m glad to have them to help relive the memories. Today I’m adding a few photos that were taken at the Children’s Museum.

The museum’s temporary exhibit was about Curious George, which Seth and I are big fans of. It was cool!

The kids loved the Gravity Room! The room and most of the things in it are tilted at a 25° angle to the floor, creating a sensory illusion. Your brain receives conflicting messages here. It can’t decide if it’s you or the items in the room that are not standing straight.

Unfortunately, I could only set foot in this room for about the ten seconds it took me to take this photo! This room caused total motion sickness for me!

	The family, playing around in the Smart Car, in the Garage area.

	Chloe, enjoying some arts and crafts in the Curiosity Lab.


Next we headed to the Water Play area. It was a big hit, even with the older kids. I love the expression on Jack’s face here. He is totally “into” playing with those toys!	Drying off with the hand dryers.


I love this photo of Miles exploring the dryers.

Hopefully, very soon I’ll post the rest of the pics from this awesome trip. We’ve still got the Natural History Musuem photos, with tons of dinosaur bones!

Walk In Splendor

2010-09-24T08:17:00.002-04:00

Created with “Walk In Splendor by Becca, available here at 9th and Bloom.
Just look at the description that my friend, Jenn, wrote for this kit!
“A gust of wind blows by, swirling copper, scarlet, russet and gold into a dizzying dance of blazing color. Nearby, a bonfire burns, leaves crackling, while the laughter of children rings out in the crisp afternoon air. Autumn is here in all of her glory- the crowning of the year, when pale spring yellows and summer greens give way to the rich jewel tones of fall. It is a time for hayrides, apple picking, bright days and cold nights. A time to gather with family and friends. A time to marvel at the beauty – and the bounty- of nature. Walk in Splendor will help you capture these treasured memories forever. “
I asked her if she could just describe everything to me from now on. Life would poetic and beautiful!
Anyway, this kit is gorgeous and I loved working with it. I got Gallery Stand Outs at DST for both of my "Walk In Splendor” layouts!
Here’s the second.

It’s titled, “Imagine” after the John Lennon song. Perfect title for Miss Emma, as you could totally say that she’s a dreamer. And that’s just the way I like her!

If you follow this link to Becca's Blog, you can snag this absolutley divine cluster frame freebie. (Made by the uber talented Holly!) http://blog.bybeccadesigns.com/

Autumn Skies

2010-09-22T08:11:00.001-04:00

Just a quick post to show this layout I did with one of Emma’s new Fall photos.

I used the kit Autumn Skies, by DigiOverdose. Coming soon to Scrappity Doo Dah.

pensive to ethereal

2010-09-21T15:57:00.001-04:00

Whenever I start to get worried about when and if I will ever get the hang of this photography stuff… I just spend some time taking photos of my kids. There’s no stress about screwing up someone else’s photo shoot and I always end up with some photos that I adore! Maybe because my kids are pretty darn cute or maybe because I’m proud to have captured their uniqueness and beauty, even if the photo is a little technically flawed.

I captured this small smile from my boy at the county fair and then this pensive gaze that so often fits his mood.

Now on to a full blown “Emma style” photo shoot!

Smirk

2010-09-20T14:03:00.001-04:00

When I heard that the theme this week at I Heart Faces is Smirking... I thought for sure I'd use a good smirking photo of my dear husband. He's quite the smirker, let me tell ya! But in the end, I had to go with this mischievous smirky smile that Miles was giving me here. I think he's up to no good!

Check out I Heart Faces to see a whole lot of smirking going on!

What a surprise!

2010-09-19T18:59:00.000-04:00

I just found out that I am the featured community member on I Heart Faces for the week! What a shock and a big honor! To top it all off, they complimented my photography and my scrapbooking, to boot! If you get a chance, check out I Heart Faces. It's a warm and welcoming community and I've learned so much there in the short time since I've joined! http://iheartfaces.ning.com/profiles/blogs/ihf-featured-member-meet

I just finished a layout with an upcoming kit from By Becca and oh how I wish I could post it already. It's the first Fall kit I've worked with for the year and it's absolutely delicious! I'll be sure to post it first thing on Friday, when the kit is released.

Here's a layout I made for Brittany and her family. I couldn't resist scrapping the senior pics I did for her.

Created with KimB's Colour Challenge posting gift and matching freebie from Chaos Lounge.

Fix it Friday---Talon and his Truck

2010-09-17T10:07:00.001-04:00

I decided to take a few quick minutes and do Fix-It-Friday on I Heart faces. Today we’ll be using a photo by Angie Arthur. The photo was exposed for Talon’s face which left the sky completely underexposed. The challenge was to do something about that sky! I thought I’d go a little dramatic on this one.

Steps:

Level adjustment, up saturation, layer sunset over original pic.

Erase sunset from parts that I don’t want it on. But I left some on the truck and ground for atmosphere.

Saturate a bit again, sharpen for web and done!

Before:

After:

Join us at I Heart Faces for fix-it-friday fun!

Brittany’s Senior Photos

2010-09-13T08:27:00.001-04:00

Well, now that I’ve had two cups of coffee and a donut… let’s see if I can get caught up on blogging here! (That’s right, I said a donut… I’ve fallen so far off the “healthy eating” wagon that I can’t even see the wagon right now. LOL)

Last week I had the distinct pleasure of taking the senior photos of Ms. Brittany. She was joy to work with plus incredibly photogenic… so that obviously helps! Her attitude was wonderful even when we were dragging her through the river, backwoods trails and into an overgrown field. On to the pics!

Probably my fav of the day!

A collage of Brittany and the infamous Gold Chair.

Let me tell you about this old Gold Chair. I saw it in a junk shop and thought it would look awesome in my office and fantastic in photos. I get this huge thing back to the studio and it won’t even fit up the steps to my office. So it sat downstairs by the front door, waiting for it’s chance to go on a photoshoot. And boy, did it get it’s chance with Brittany. The pathetic part is that I threw my back and neck out carrying this thing into the field. Well, carrying might not be the correct word. We were losing the sunlight so I basically threw this chair on my head and RAN through the 3 foot tall grass to find a good spot for it!

Here are a few outtakes of that in case you aren’t getting a clear mental picture.

Back to Brittany…

And one more…

Miles visits the Purple Fiddle

2010-09-07T14:44:00.002-04:00

Yesterday we traveled to Thomas to watch Seth and JB Tenney play at the Purple Fiddle. I just knew that I was bringing my trusty camera along because that place is chock full of wonderful quirky furniture and fun photo props. As you can see by Miles' expression in this first photo... as usual, he was not sharing my excitement about all of the picture taking.

I love these vintage movie seats and the green ottoman!

Miles, having a small rest after I’d exhausted him with my picture taking!

Miles sitting still for a few seconds

I almost didn’t edit this pic because the focus is off but there’s something about it that I love. Maybe it’s the just the cool textures of the steps and wall. I’m not sure which I like better…the color or b&w version.

A few more and then I’ll quit…I promise!

Some of Seth. I love the one of Seth smiling at Miles. He was actually performing “Miles Moves” right then, which is a song he wrote for our litte boy.

Miles, the Pirate Treasure Hunter

2010-09-01T14:22:00.001-04:00

Here's new LO from me and let me tell you, when Miles saw that he had a pirate's eye patch on in this pic...he was stoked!

U R my Treasure was created with DSO's PickUrBits Nautical Nights by Kim B.

I Heart Faces--- Photojournalism

2010-08-31T21:52:00.001-04:00

haven't played along with I Heart Faces in a while so I thought I'd jump in on this one. The theme is Photojournalism ---Using an image (or images) to tell a story. We can enter a collage of up to five photos, if we'd like. I took these photos of Miles coloring this weekend. The story they tell is of his intense focus and determination. Coloring that picture was Serious business for him!

Edited to add... One day I am going to treasure these photos because of the "little" kid way he is gripping that crayon. He just can't figure out the correct hold yet.

Head over to I Heart Faces to see the other entries!

Final Dakota pics!

2010-08-26T11:45:00.003-04:00

I finally finished editing the remainder of Dakota's senior photos. She is such a doll and I had a good time working with her.

Audrey at Four Months Old

2010-08-25T14:59:00.001-04:00

Well, the four month photo shoot for Audrey didn't go as well as last month. She was a little sick and I was in hurry to go shoot Dakota's senior pics. We did get this one good photo though. Then Audrey's Grandpa Ian dropped by and I got a few shots of them together.

Here's the layout I made using Audrey's four month pic. I love this kit. It's called Fading Summer by Becca and the colors are gorgeous!

Journaling reads: Audrey, at four months old, you are just a bundle of joy. Your sweet personality is only matched my how incredibly adorable you are. It’s true that we haven’t officially come up with my “grandma” name yet but just know that this grandma-nana-mamaw-amma-mimi-grandmother loves you with all of her heart,

Created with Fading Summer By Becca at 9th and Bloom. Template Fusion freebie from 9th and Bloom

More Dakota pics

2010-08-24T14:57:00.002-04:00

I've finally edited most of Dakota's senior photos. Here's another sampling.

Dakota's Photos

2010-08-23T11:45:00.000-04:00

I had the pleasure of taking photos of my daughter's friend yesterday. She's adorable and was very cooperative...I'm not used to that level of cooperation with my own kids! I'm just going to post a little sneak peak of these because Dakota hasn't seen them all yet. What do you think?

Carousel

2010-08-20T15:20:00.001-04:00

I've been wanting to scrap these photos of Miles and Daddy on the merry-go-round for a while. They were taken when we went to Kennywood in June. I love these pics because they both look so happy and the one of Seth on the little pastel horsie CRACKS me up. Miles took the big horse and left the little one for Daddy.

Created with Merry A Round by Kim B at Digi Scrap Obsession

I had to mute the colors a bit in these photos to get them to blend well with the colors in the kit so here are two of the more colorful originals.

Princesses, Big Hair and Potty Training

2010-08-18T10:13:00.000-04:00

Here are my recent scrapbooking layouts, on a wide variety of subjects!

Princess Chloe and Princess Emma

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My Eighties Big Hair Days

Journaling reads:

My Life, 1989

My Friends

Reading

Boys

Freedom

Possiblities

Learning

Aquanet, obviously!

Created with Ever After By Becca at 9th & Bloom

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Miles and the infamous "Jealousy Photo", taken shortly after Audrey's birth.

Created with Lady Bug Garden by Vonnie's Digiworld, Doodle Me This by Chris Greiser and Joy Alpha by Pixiemama, all part of the Chickadee August Grab Bag at Scrappity Doo Dah

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Miles lovin' Audrey when she was a few days old.

Created with Lady Bug Garden by Vonnie's Digiworld

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Potty Training Time!

Journaling reads:

Miles, you first started potty training before you turned two years old. You completely got the hang of it right away. Unfortunately, you then decided that you had “been there, done that” and quit! We were back to diapers for the next six months, until YOU decided that it was time. You quickly became very anti-underwear during your refusing to potty train phase. Once you got back into the game, you would only wear character underwear, backwards. That’s right...backwards. The pictures are on the butt and you wanted to see the pictures so you wear them backwards! You are so quirky and I love you very much!

Created with Potty Time by Vonnie's Digiworld and Dani Moy Designs

The return of Old Whitey

2010-08-17T09:26:00.001-04:00

When I first knew my husband, a decade ago...Old Whitey was the guitar he used. I loved the sound it produced...it really cut through and captured me. Over the years, he's added other guitars and Old Whitey was put on the back burner. Just lately, Seth spruced him up and has started to play him a bit. This clip is of the guitar solo from "Free To Be Me", by Seth.

Miles' Dance Moves

2010-08-15T19:57:00.000-04:00

Just to state the obvious here....Miles loves music and he can totally get down! It's actually hilarious and awesome at the same time. He gets so overcome with the music...he just doesn't know what to do. He dances, hugs, spins, rolls...whatever it takes to get that feeling out there. This video is of Miles dancing to ZEN at a gig this weekend.

Nice Accolade and Two Princesses

2010-08-09T14:52:00.000-04:00

Hi all! Yesterday I made a page of Emma and her friends performing in their Old Brick Playhouse play. I used the kit, Ephemeral Soul from By Becca, which is one my all time favorite kits. Imagine my surprise when my layout was selected by the Gallery Standouts Blog. http://gallerystandouts.com/view.php/article/8068/finger-pointing-august-8 That's a first for me and I was so thrilled!

Very soon, I'll be doing some layouts with a princess theme because Becca is almost finished with a gorgeous kit called "Ever After". So, of course, I had Chloe and Emma dress as princesses for a photo shoot. (And they even Wanted to do it!!) Here's a sneak peak of our Princess Emma and Princess Chloe photos. Aren't they lovely?

One hobby at a time?

2010-08-02T10:11:00.001-04:00

I realized that I haven't posted any scrapbook pages in a while. Actually, I haven't posted any for the entire summer! So this is going to be a HUGE post. It seems like I can only focus on one hobby at a time. It's either photography or scrapbooking...not both. If I could get my act together, my two hobbies should be....organizing my house and working out! I guess that's wishful thinking though.

Anyway, here are some recent scrapbook pages. I've only been averaging about one a week, which is much less than I used to do.

I've made several for Audrey's book.

Audrey at three months old.

Created with Kim B's Picnic Promenade -Elements and Prints and Plains

Audrey at birth.

Audrey at two months old.

Audrey and Aunt Emma

Audrey at one week old.

And a few other pages...

Jack at the beach in 2003.

Seth and I, in 2003. Quote reads, "I dropped a tear in the ocean, and whenever

they find it I'll stop loving you, only then."

Emma and Chloe

A couple of Emma...

The big kids at Great Wolf Lodge, during our Christmas vacation.

Whew...I think I'm finally caught up. I'm going to try to stay on top of this from now on.

Thanks for looking at my scrapbook pages!

Zoo Trip

2010-07-29T13:10:00.003-04:00

A few weeks ago, we took a family mini-vacay to Pittsburgh. We hit the Zoo, Children's Museum, Natural History Museum and Science Center. It was a whirlwind of fun but definitely too much to fit into two days. Besides a few grouchy kid episodes, the only negative spot was that we found a dead bird in our hotel room! Yuck! My kids thought it was hilarious when I told the hotel manager that it was "unacceptable" to have a dead bird in our room (because it's a phrase I often use with them, "That behavior is unacceptable"!) The hotel gave us coupons for two free nights but how much help is that, when I'd rather not stay there again?

Anywhoo....here are some zoo photos!

There were no pandas but we found some bamboo so.... meet Panda Jack and Panda Chloe!

Miles making a superb "monkey" face.

Dad, admiring Miles' monkey face.

Exploring the fake termite mound.

Next we headed to the Aquarium.

Okay, in all honesty, I added the shark that's staring back at Miss Chloe but it looks so cool!

Miles was NOT a fan of the sharks

The Brothers M

2010-07-24T11:34:00.001-04:00

I don't have much time to post but I wanted to share these pics of our Maynard Brothers. I don't know if you can tell but Miles absolutely adores his big brother. In fact, the only reason he sat still for these pics is because he was "copying" Jackson!
One more thing of note, I really need to work on my photography skills. My photoshop skills are coming right along but the actual picture taking....hhhmmm, not so much. I've been a little down about that but one thing did cheer me up. My pictures had been turning out kind of flat looking, no contrast and the colors were off. I thought is was just me but I finally discovered that my camera got switched to the "natural" color setting which is NOT what I want. Maybe I can get back on track now.

Our boys playing in the yard...dirt, sweat, grass and all!

I just have to say...how handsome can you get! (About as handsome as Jack...and that's it!)

Look at those big brown eyes!

I love their big, happy smiles in this pic. I shouldn't even share this because it's gross in a way that these boys love but....it may look like Miles is giving me a thumbs up sign but in actuality, he has a boogie on his thumb and is showing it to me and cracking up! Gotta love Boys!

Audrey and Emma

2010-07-17T21:01:00.000-04:00

I just had to add these pics in their own post. During the party, "Aunt Emma" (it seems funny to type that!) helped to take care of Audrey. She sang her to sleep and then promptly dozed off herself. Holding a warm, sleepy baby can do that to you!

Audrey is at such an adorable age. She is usually cheerful and loves to interact with everyone. She truly is precious and Emma loves her a Bunch!

Chloe's Tenth Birthday

2010-07-17T20:48:00.000-04:00

We celebrated Chloe's tenth Birthday today...that's right, the big double digits! It's hard to believe.

Daddy and Chloe baked and decorated her cake.

Chloe received almost everything on her Birthday wish list and she got money from Grandma and Grandpa, so she can buy the last few things she wanted.

This is Miles' idea of proper party attire and behavior!

Audrey is Three Months Old

2010-07-05T21:42:00.001-04:00

The prettiest little granddaughter in the world is now 3 months old. It's such a joy to take pictures of Audrey because she's an incredibly happy baby. She is truly the definition of "lovable"!

Miles 3rd Birthday

2010-07-04T10:10:00.000-04:00

I can't believe that my little baby boy turned 3 a few days ago. Here's a scrapbook page I made to look back on his very first "birth" day.

We threw a small party with mostly family but Miles had a total blast. In fact, he told me that he would like to have another birthday right away!

Miles' Cars themed birthday cake.

Miles tore through his presents at top speed!

He really loved the Cars bike that LJ, Jess and Ian got for him.

A few other pics:

Our version of four generations, with Rhonda standing in for my Mom.

Jess and happy Audrey

I love this pic of our nephew, Matt.

Itty-bitty babies at I Heart Faces

2010-06-14T08:54:00.000-04:00

This week at I Heart Faces they are celebrating itty-bitty babies...anywhere from babies still in mom's belly... to newborns... to little babies who still aren't taking their first steps. They are even allowing baby animals. Of course, I have my own very photogenic 2 month old granddaughter to take pics of but this photo is of her "friend", Anthony. Isn't he a handsome little man?

Follow the link above to see all of the baby cuteness at I Heart Faces!

Play.....literally

2010-06-07T11:01:00.001-04:00

This week's theme at I heart Faces is "Play". Of course that can be taken so many ways. I chose this photo of Emma and Miles "playing" music. I'm also happy because I carved out a few minutes for me to "play" with this I Heart Faces challenge... I haven't been able to do that for several weeks!

Check out I Heart faces to enter or see all of the Playful entries!

Theatrical Emma

2010-05-27T10:46:00.001-04:00

Emma and her friends were in the play, Robin Hood: The Tale of Allan A'Dale at the Old Brick Playhouse, here in our little town. They all did a wonderful job! I think that having constructive hobbies is incredibly important for tweens and teenagers. So far, Emma is happy to be dedicated and involved and that makes me so proud of her!

Emma in her pickpocket costume.

Emma and her friend, Josalin.

Ephemeral Soul

2010-05-21T12:26:00.000-04:00

These two pages were created with the fantastic new kit Ephemeral Soul, By Becca and Designs by Helly. Available here at Scrapmatters. This is the first time I have worked with an "Altered Art" style kit and I love it! It really drove me to be expressive and creative. In fact, I made two introspective pages about myself...and that rarely happens!

This first LO is about something that is on my mind far too much... Food! More precisely, my unhealthy love/hate relationship with food. It's a daily battle to remind myself to eat when I'm hungry and then stop. Hopefully, one day, I will learn the lesson that food is not a replacement for sleep, good humor, companionship or anything that I tend to try to turn it into!

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This next page is just about the fact that I am very resilient. I can pick up the pieces...when I need to!

Beach Emma 2005

2010-05-21T12:10:00.005-04:00

This week, Jenni at Chaos Lounge released a kit called "Pelican Bay", inspired by a holiday she took to Greece. Hence...I want to be Jenni when I grow up! Available here at ESS.
This kit is really stunning and I had a blast creating this LO with it.

Rock-a-bye Baby

2010-05-13T08:13:00.000-04:00

I've been tossing around the idea of making an entire scrapbook of Nursery Rhyme inspired layouts. Here's one to start it off! Though,I have to say, Rock-a-bye Baby is not one of my favorite nursery rhymes. Who lets a baby fall out of a treetop, for Pete's sake! (Just kidding, I know that nursery rhymes were probably political commentary and that this song was most likely about overthrowing some British King.) Anyway, I like the lyrics to this modified version of the song.

Rock-a-bye baby, in the treetop

When the wind blows, the cradle will rock

When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall

And down will come baby, cradle and all

Baby is drowsing, cozy and fair

Mother sits near, in her rocking chair

Forward and back, the cradle she swings

And though baby sleeps, she hears what she sings

From the high rooftops, down to the sea

No one's as dear, as baby to me

Wee little fingers, eyes wide and bright

Now sound asleep, until morning light.

Here's my sweet grandbaby in "Rock-a-bye Baby".

Created with Mother Nature {Earth} by Scrapper's Delights. I got Gallery Stand Out at DST for this page!

Admire Mother Nature

2010-05-10T15:10:00.000-04:00

Ahhh, dandelions! Miles thinks these are one of Mother Nature's finer creations. This photo captures him trying to think of a good wish to make before he blows the dandelion fluff off.

Created with Mother Nature {Earth} by Scrapper's Delights. This kit is really fantastic. I love the natural elements and the whimsical ones too!

Audrey is One Month Old

2010-05-07T16:07:00.000-04:00

I made this LO to celebrate the fact that my sweet granddaughter was one month old yesterday!

Created with Farmers Market: KimB Designs at DSO here http://digital-scrapbooking.org/shop...ts-p-3050.html

Fix-it Friday

2010-05-07T11:02:00.000-04:00

Today's FIF photo was submitted by Leticia from Blessed With Five Boys. I'm supposed to be getting ready for work but I couldn't resist playing with this pic for a long while!

Original...

My many edits...

Basic edit

A soft faded edit...

And of course, a black and white...

And one more...I was trying to practice adding a texture and erasing from the image. I doubt that this is the right texture for this photo but it was a good one to practice on.

Follow this link

to see many other edits to enter your own edits!

Emma and Dr.Cullen

2010-05-04T07:17:00.001-04:00

In April 2010, Emma got to meet Peter Facinelli, the actor who plays Dr.Carlisle Cullen in the Twilight movie series. Having a photo taken with him was very expensive but for a good cause. He was raising money for a childhood cancer charity. Peter called Emma adorable!

Created Digi Overdose's Higgledy Piggledy Transparencies {CU}

As Time Goes By - The Alpha

And Bella's Dream - The Kit

International Scrapbooking Day Sales!

2010-05-01T09:20:00.000-04:00

International Scrapbooking Day is May 2, but the great deals have already started flowing... Let me show you a few of my favs!

Becca also has a fabulous iNSD Grab Bag full of four brand new, never released products that is only available until May 5 before it will be broken up and sold in pieces. Right now its just $4.00.

Follow this link Becca's Store to see all

Here's my LO using pieces of the grab bag!

KimB has a HUGE sale! Everything is a steal at these prices, even her CU is on sale!

And last but not least, Jenni from Chaos Lounge has her entire store on sale at 45% off- some items even more than that!

You Bring Joy

2010-04-28T12:33:00.001-04:00

These photos were taken of Emma at her 12th Birthday party. I'm sure I'll do another layout highlighting the fun that she and her friends had bowling but this one just focuses on my Emma. I cannot even begin to tell you how much I love this girl. Her heart is pure gold and she has the biggest capacity to love. She truly brings me joy and I need to strive to remember to tell her that. Even when her room is a complete mess, even when I won't let her wear something that she wants to wear, even when she's being overly emotional and all puberty-ish (that's a word! LOL) .... She brings me joy and I love her!

Created with Blue Eyes by Red Ivy Designs. Available here http://www.scrappity-doo-dah.com/store/product.php?productid=4126&cat=0&page=1at Scrappity Doo Dah

Blue Eyes

2010-04-27T20:55:00.000-04:00

When I saw that this kit by Red Ivy Designs was call "Blue Eyes"...I just knew I had to make a layout of our very own Miss Blue Eyes. I really enjoyed working with this kit. It's beautiful and has a light, elegant feel to it.

Created with Blue Eyes by Red Ivy Designs. Available here http://www.scrappity-doo-dah.com/store/product.php?productid=4126&cat=0&page=1 at Scrappity Doo Dah

Two fantastic kits released!

2010-04-26T13:13:00.002-04:00

Two fantastic kits are being released today. Let's start with Chaos Lounge. Jenni is releasing Memories and Dreams at Enchanted Studio Scraps. http://www.enchantedstudioscraps.com/xcart/product.php?productid=2867

Here's my layout featuring my wonderful husband, myself and the lyrics to the song, "Evergreen".

Sometimes love will bloom in the springtime

Then like flowers in summer it will grow

And then fade away in the winter

When the cold winds begin to blow

But when it’s evergreen, evergreen

It will last through the summer and winter too

When love is evergreen, evergreen

Like my love for you

So hold my hand and tell me

You’ll be mine through laughter or through tears

Then let the whole world see, our love will be

Evergreen through all the years

Secondly, I've recenlty joined the CT of KimB and her kits are such a pleasure to work with! Here's her Sisterhood Bundle being released at DigiScrap Obsession. http://digital-scrapbooking.org/shop/sisterhood-bundle-p-3041.html?zenid=874fbc50803a9c1a31e8c07523a6ade5

And my layout of Miles and Emma...

Bee Happy

2010-04-25T19:42:00.002-04:00

My happy Emma. I was using this photo for the I Heart Faces smile theme and decided to make a scrapbook page with it. I think this kit, Bee Happy, was a perfect choice to use with this cheerful pic!

Created with Bee Happy -By Scrapper's Delights.

Smiles

2010-04-25T19:19:00.003-04:00

What a happy theme at I Heart Faces this week. Each photo has to have a face and a smile.

This photo is of my birthday girl. Today is Emma's 12th Birthday! Look at that smile!

Use the link above to see all of the "smile" entries or to submit your own!
Or follow this link http://candacesoon.blogspot.com/2010/04/bee-happy.html to see the scrapbook page I made using this photo.

Pretty Maids All In A Row

2010-04-23T10:58:00.000-04:00

My daughters and granddaughter...pretty maids all in a row.

I have to tell you... this page nearly killed my Photoshop. I had so MANY layers going that it just shut off. Every tiny flower was lovingly placed on this layout of my beautiful girls...making this one of my all time favorites!

Everything is from By Becca's Silver Bells and Cockleshells. Available here http://scrapmatters.com/shop/product.php?productid=4464&cat=0&page=1 at ScrapMatters.

Collage

2010-04-19T11:19:00.001-04:00

This week's theme at I Heart Faces is "Collage". I don't have much experience with making collages and it was harder than I thought it would be! I had a difficult time lining things up correctly. These are photos of my precious new granddaughter. Enjoy the cuteness!

Visit all I heart Faces at the link above to see all of the collage entries!

Sweet As Honey

2010-04-19T09:13:00.001-04:00

I am loving this new layout made with Bee Happy by Scrappers Delight! It's titled "Sweet as Honey" and our little Audrey is surely that!

Fix-it Friday-

2010-04-16T15:31:00.000-04:00

I thought I wouldn't have time for fix-it Friday this week (I'm very busy spoiling my new granddaughter!) But then I saw that this weeks photo is from Debbie (50centlove) and she has always left me kind comments...so I really wanted to participate. Anyway, isn't her daughter a beautiful girl!?

The original...

My basic edit...

With a texture...

Check out

to see all of the wonderful edits of this photo!

Two of my girls.

2010-04-13T07:17:00.000-04:00

Journaling reads: Chloebug, You are almost ten and turning into the most beautiful little young lady.You constantly amaze me with your quick wit and your quirky sense of humor! I can’t wait for summertime, so we will get to spend some more time with you!

I'm not usually good with bright colors but I ended up liking this layout. When I saw the "70's" feel of this kit, I thought a vintage 70's effect on the photos would look cool.

Journaling reads: My wonderful, complicated Emma. I know that it’s so hard being your age. You worry about friends and your social life, while I am busy worrying about your grades and attitude! Just know that I love you with all of my heart, even when we don’t see eye to eye!

Created with That's Darling by AliSarah. Available at Enchanted Studio Scraps