Back to School -- Thank Goodness?

Sweet Dreams by Amber Shaw at Scrap Orchard

Whew ... just a few more days until school begins. In some ways I want summer to continue, yet I look forward to the kids heading back to school. Actually, they are upstairs quiet right now, so I change my mind. I don't want school to start. Part of me wants to rewind 14-16 years to the snuggle-y delicious days of babyhood. The days of playgroup and anticipation of which preschool we would attend. Now the realities of SAT tests, GPA, and possible colleges looms on my horizon. Do you think maybe I can go hide under my blankie???

I've had a few productive scrapping pages and have been happy with how the pages have turned out. It definitely helps to have great kits to inspire me.

Sweet Dreams by Fiddle Dee Dee at Scrap Orchard

First up is Amber Shaw's Sweet Dreams. It is sweet indeed. In fact, I think the little fuzzy bear and cute sheep gave me a bit of a cavity. New now to Scrap Orchard, Amber teamed up with the talented Cheryl of Fiddle Dee Dee and we have divine coordinating templates!! The blendy masks are perfect for big pictures or even blending your papers. The templates were soooo easy to use and I had a coordinated lush page in a fraction of the time it would normally take.

Layout by enjoyyourpix using
Sweet Dreams by Amber Shaw and template by Fiddle Dee Dee

Dream Big Designs New Discoveries

I loved the templates so much that I had another play with them and used New Discoveries from Dream Big Designs to scrap some old school pictures of my son's hero day when he was in second grade. Cheri's little light bulb was the perfect match for my pint sized Thomas Edison.

Dream Big Designs New Discoveries Graffiti

 










Don't forget the graffiti packs! I love how Cheri has the graffiti bits and pieces separate so I can customize my page and shadows. There is a bundle in the market for your shopping convenience. :)

Layout by enjoyyourpix using
Dream Big Designs New Discoveries Bundle and
Fiddle Dee Dee Sweet Dreams templates

Little Rad Trio's Run in Circles Template

If you missed the news earlier this summer, Little Rad Trio is now selling at Gingerscraps in addition to MScraps. It's been fun getting to know the new community. There sure is a lot going on there. One of these days, I'll get my act together and try their book club!

This week, Jennifer is releasing some new templates aptly named, Run in Circles. I love the look of circles on my pages, but I really have a hard time with circular pictures. These templates are a great solution. As I was looking through my pictures, I stumbled across this picture of my dog. My dogs are rarely out front so it was fun to grab this picture of my furry friend pondering the world outside our house. I used the lovely Afternoon with Grandma kit.

Layout by enjoyyourpix using
Little Rad Trio's Run in Circles templates and Afternoon with Grandma kit

That's it for now. I'm heading upstairs now to give "advice" to my daughter about what to wear to the freshman dance. By advice, I mean answering whatever question I am asked with my opinion and then being told why I'm wrong. I *know* I'm just a sounding board and it's her way of talking things through to reach her own decision, but man oh man, I am quickly understanding the semi-dazed look on my parents' face as I breezed in and out of the room during my high school years. Parenthood  truly is a marathon!

I guess I don't really want to rewind all those years and start over again. I think maybe just scrapping some more baby pictures and school pictures will be a nice way to reflect on their growth and how far they have come since those innocent, angelic baby days. With the first day of school just a few days from now, I think my dear sweet Golden Retriever shows it best. She's ready to walk into the sun, tail up, ready to meet the great big world. I pray my two not so babies go forth and conquer their new year. And while I'm at it, I'll say a prayer for all the other mommies out there. xoxo