What are you CRaVing?

Dear 2000 Honda Civic,
You have been a wonderful first car for me. You have never really given me any problems (except for that muffler) and you were always really good on gas mileage. You've been comfortable and reliable, and my trusty steed from my teens through mid-twenties. Thank you for always being there for me, however it's time we parted, as I have my eye on something new. Really, it's not you. It's me. Don't be sad, because I'll always remember the great times we've had together.


Dear 2009 Honda CR-V,
It was love at first sight. Can't wait to go exploring in class and style! But, as aforementioned above, you have big shoes to fill. Can't wait to see what lies ahead!


Dear Papa Bear,
Happy 59th Birthday! Thank you for a wonderful meal at Na Brasa - we had a great time and, might I add, we're a damn good looking group! Love you mucho!

The BIG Reveal

So here it is, everyone! This is Angelo's scrapbook. For those that don't know, Angelo is my boss' son. She contracted me to do a book of his first year. I must say, it was a labor of love. I enjoyed every minute of compiling this book (even though I dwelled on some pages) and am honored that she let me into her life to scrapbook something so personal for her. So please take a look at what I've been up to for the past several months:

For those new to blogging, you can click on the images to enlarge them to show more detail.

Disclaimer: some of the two page layouts are vertical. I have no idea why. I think it's because they are too wide for the blog space provided. So tilt your head if you want to see them correctly until I post them on Facebook :)

Angelo's First Day!


The cute little animals on the page is actual a sample of the wallpaper in Angelo's nursery.

The next three pictures are the same page, just different views. It's interactive, my speciality :)

The Artisan shape opens as such...

...to reveal a booklet of pictures of Angelo with his family members!

(Another head tilter, sorry!) Check out the fireworks, I'd be afraid, too!

Hey y'all....come check out mah crib 'cuz I'm a P.I.M.P.

This page was so hard for me to make, being that I'm a Pittsburgh sports fan, but what's done is done. All my Steelers people out there - please forgive me!

...and this is what that page looks like when you open it:

(At least all this head tilting is good stretching/exercise!) This is the first time Angelo was on a swing. I left a journaling spot for Katie to write something about the day.

A quick "one-pager" Katie LOVES to take pictures with her camera. So I, of course, called this page "Digital Uploads" to mark her pasttime.

And a close up of the layout...

This is why I think Katie is great....who else do you know that dresses their son up like a PIZZA for Halloween! I think this is my favorite page, it certainly took the longest to create!

And here's a close up of the pizza man I drew. I <3 Gamsol mineral spirits, my shading would be HORRIBLE without it!

(Another head tilter....anybody have any idea why this is happening?) Angelo's Baptism. A very special day, so I made this page extra special by hand sewing all those circles. Yes. Hand sewn. If you don't believe me, double click and view the detail. Still don't believe me? Rip the book open and see the back of the page -- go ahead -- I TRIPLE DOG DARE YOU! :)

Just a fun page of Tom (Katie's husband) feeding Angelo. I was bored [and hungry] one night, so I decided to see how well I could free hand burgers, milkshakes and french fries. Gotta love those CutterBee Precision scissors!

Hooray for Baby's First Chistmas!

The page opens up on the red liner to reveal this:

And the page to the right of Angelo by himself opens to reveal this!:

Who doesn't love BATHTIME?! Especially when it's with your adorably cute cousin, Isabella!

Pool parties are always fun, espcially when they are in your backyard...and you have a faux-hawk.

And here we are....Angelo's First Birthday. How quickly they grow!

In the above picture, the blue is actually the background of a layout that is hidden underneath. Image this page opening like French doors in the middle outwards, this is what you see underneath:

The very last page of the book is a hidden letter that Katie wrote to Angelo about pregnancy and how much she LOVES being a mommy. I didn't have a folder that I liked, so I made one myself! I love Basic Grey and eyelets. Layered onto of the folder with the letter is a Close To My Heart stamp envelope thingy. I put coordinating paper on the back so that it matched. A great way to recycle, and an easy way to make a professional looking pocket!

Post a comment if you want to know of any of the paper/products used.


Thank you so much for looking, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I have enjoyed creating this very special book.