Future Merge?

I haven't completely made up my mind, but I'm thinking of merging this with my family blog, since I obviously don't use this one as much. I may redo the whole thing. Dunno! Anyway....I realize it has been SIX months since I blogged on here, but I really have done some more scrapbooking, and I plan to share some pages soon. In the meantime, I plan to do some things with Creating Keepsakes and Big Picture Scrapbooking this summer. Check out the links on this page. Okay...hope you are enjoying your summer, and I'll be back soon!

Overwhelming Hobby

If you've ever seen this episode of "I Love Lucy," then you can relate to the dilemma of many scrapbookers I know. I love this episode so much , I have a Christmas ornament on our tree of this scene.

I read an interesting analogy on Stacy Julien's blog about scrapbooking and this "I Love Lucy" scene. Scrapbooking seems like such a wonderful and fun way to preserve our families' memories, but at some point we realize that the conveyor belt of memories isn't going to slow down. And even with our best intentions of staying "caught up," many of us end of saying like Lucy, "I think we're fighting a losing game." I've spoken with many women who say they haven't scrapbooked for a long time because they feel so overwhelmed.
As many of you know, I became a consultant for Memory Works. Recently, they released a wonderful program designed to take the stress out of scrapbooking. Check out the video below.

Simple Stories by MemoryWorks from Amber Crowell on Vimeo.

"Simple Stories IS the new way to scrapbook! The Simple Stories system is a simple scrapbook process that allows you to get back to the basics of scrapbooking, focusing on your memories and photos. It allows you to let go of unrealistic expectations, free yourself from creative pressure, rid yourself of self-imposed guilt…it will make you fall in love with your hobby all over again!"
Check it out for yourself HERE. If you are interested, comment or E-mail me with your order. Happy Scrapbooking!

Layouts from the Beach and the Swamp

The photos of this spread don't do these layouts justice. I love the patterened paper, which came from the Tahiti Beach stack from DCWV. The glittery chipboard letters were a steal for only $1 per pack at Big Lots. Photos taken at Hunting Island, SC with my Canon XSI.

On the layout spread below, I chose to go with a simple cardstock design, using minimal embellishments (stickers). I wanted the focus to be on the photos, which were taken with my Olympus point and shoot at Phinezy Swamp in Augusta, GA.

A daring layout

New layout share! Here's a simple one.

The border on the side (with circles) was cut from my Silhouette SD and placed on top of a strip of patterened paper. The journaling on the red card reads: "I will dare to just do what I do..be just what I am..And dance whenever I want to. Quote by Beverly Williams." The photo was taken with my Canon XSi at Enterprise Mills in Augusta. Don't you love Matthew's pose? Actually, he wasn't posing, he was just reaching back to scratch his head...and I just went with it. Know what I love about this layout? I love all the WHITE! Who would've thunk it?

ZOO Layouts

Yes, I have completely neglected this blog. Sorry is all I can say. Hopefully a couple of new layouts will help make up for it! Check out these cool zoo layouts! I LOVE the patterened paper, which came from a Diecuts With a View Stack called "Safari Chic." Let me know what you think!

Both pages hold pictures taken at Riverbanks Zoo, Columbia. Photos taken with my Canon 55-250 mm lens (camera...Canon xsi).

Tater Tot Crop

Just wanted to post something real quick...since I know I'm so behind in my blogging. In August, our monthly crop had a theme. It was called the Tater Tot Crop--idea courtesy of Key Lime Crops--and of course, everything was potato related. FUN STUFF! We had a baked potato bar for dinner, along with some drinks and desserts. We had potato trivia and a potato contest. Every time a scrapbooker finished a page, a body part was added to Mr. Potato Head. Whoever finished him won door prizes for the entire table. Below are some photos from the night.

Winners: Melissa Best and Lauri McLaughlin finished together!

Finally....

I've got some more pages done to share. My scrapbooking time seems to come less and less frequently, but I'll take what I can get. Right?
Below are the pages I started and have finished since the last crop.

One thing you'll notice on these is a lack of journaling. When I don't want it on the front, I'll frequently hand write my journaling on a piece of paper and stick it to the back. That way, it's still there, but just not in view for everyone.

A couple of things I like about this layout above: The 3 photos on the top are actually just two photos. There was a photo of both boys together, and I cut it in half so they'd be facing each other from their respective layout sides. I also used a cropped photo for my title "River Blast."