Two Months of Projects!!!

I literally have been very absent!  I've been working on a variety of projects through November, December and the first part of January.  On top of that Larry's Uncle went to be with the Lord on Jan. 1st.  Rough start to the New Year for our family.

Just one more little item, I'll be once again changing my blog name in the next week!  The current one is just too long.  I've decided on 'A Rancher's Scrapbook'.

November and December were taken up with four mini albums as presents for family members.

I finished the Basic Grey Calendar for Larry's office at our Oilfield Business.  This was may favorite page in the calendar!  Love love that wonderful man I call my soul mate and husband!

Then on to scrap a couple of layouts with a patriotic theme.  All those from Texas or visitors to our state recognize this statue on I-45 of Sam Houston: Governor of Tennessee, General of Texas Army who defeated Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto, Republic of Texas First President, served Tennessee as a US Representative and served Texas as an US Senator.  These photos were taken by my daughter in 1995 when the visitor center was being built.

The next layout is a photo taken on the 200th Anniversary of our nation.  I was in Maine for five weeks with my grandmother.  Mom being a beautiful seamstress decided to make a period costume which would match her Appaloosa.  Exactly what was going on in our neighborhood, I am not really sure.

My last layout is my cover page for my Project Life Album.  No the colors don't nessacarily go together but they do for me and what I wanted to convey which is subjects near and dear to my heart:  Family and Family Heritage, our Ranch and History (Texas Courthouses & Discovering where Family lived )! Yes, I found Santa locked in the Limestone County Courthouse on Christmas Day!  Whoops....did Santa finish his rounds and decide to rest here before returning to the North Pole? This month is catch up time for Project Life!!!  Hope you'll read the journaling and maybe it will be a little clearer why the photos are a mix mash of topics.

I am also entering the above layout in the Elle's Studio January 15th Challenge to do a multi photograph layout!

Until next time!  

Intelligent

What fun this week's sketch is over at Nuts About Sketches!  It's week #264 with an excellent sketch!

I rotated the sketch and kept the elements using mostly Studio Calico to once again do a layout with Zuby as the focus.  I am also wondering, 'Is vellum coming back in?'  I hope so.  The Studio Calico paper and vellum along with the Simple Stories Burlap paper came in my January Paper Bakery Scrapbooking Kit.  I used the vellum for the circle element in my layout.  Everything else came out of my stash.  Fun sketch....oh yeah, I already wrote that!

My daughter took this photo Summer '09.  I probably have written about how intelligent Zuby is. One of the first things I remember learning about horses is to look at their eyes.  They will always without fail tell you exactly how the horse is feeling at that moment.  You quickly get an idea of his intelligence and character.  I can tell from the base of his ear that they are pricked forward and he's wondering why with interest what Lynn is doing.  At the same time it didn't take him long to become bored with the black box going 'click.'  Having him born in my arms I can immediately read what his mood is and what is interesting him at the time.  And how quickly he will find it either boring or continue his interest.  Lynn took some other photos this day which I will scrap soon. They show it didn't take him long to find much more interesting things to occupy that constantly moving mind of his.

I hope you enjoy this week's sketch and will take a peek at the amazing work the design team came up with!

Until next time!

Texas Wildflowers

I'm just wild about flowers.  I love flowers!  I am head over heals over is my Great State's wildflowers and roses as my favorites!  Lady Bird Johnson was instrumental in providing Texans awareness of just how special our wildflowers are.  Much has been done to preserve their beauty across our state for the incredible spring we get to enjoy each year.  It's a right of passage to have your children sitting among the bluebonnets and a photo taken.  We are having an early spring and I can not wait until two weeks from now as the bluebonnets start to show their beauty to the world along with the Painted Brush and a host of others.

I did this layout using Nuts About Sketches #223!  I used Basic Grey Sweet Threads and loved the results.   Taken along the county road our ranch is located on I really enjoyed taking these photos in 2009!

One last photo from a email blast I get from a Houston Talk show host.  Sorry not our ranch!  We have our ranch entrance up but the details are not yet finished on it!

I hope y'all consider a trip to Texas in mid-March to see the glory we enjoy each year in our beautiful wildflowers!  I have a bad case of spring fever right now with the early spring we are having and the need to see my state turn absolutely gorgeous!

Family & Friends

I love loved Nuts About Sketches #238 and Nuts About Sketches # 241!

#238

#241

Shawn will let the design team use one or both sides of a double page sketch as our example to submit!  I really like that.  For the layouts below I decided I wanted them side by side in my wedding album.  A different take on using two sketches.  At the time I posted the layout to be used on the website I needed to get with Mom and my brothers to make sure I had the names right for my journaling.  Especially since my younger brother, Doug's girlfriend was in one of the photos.  I did this as we gather Thanksgiving.

I loved loved working with this sketch!  I had never seen an element like the top (diamond on it's side)!  I was intrigued and so happy with my results!  Awesome sketch Shawn!

I chose the left side to work with to complete my altered double page spread!  Shawn just produces the most awesome sketches!  Be sure to come join us on our creative journey at Nuts About Sketches!

I also have to give a great big shout out once again to Basic Grey for the Cappella line as it is THE PERFECT LINE to use for my great-grandmother's wedding dress I was so blessed to be able to wear!