It's a bonanza.

This one is "meh." A noble attempt. It's another one where I'm keeping the box blank to put something in it when I know who I'm giving it to.


Simple: a copy, but I really like this one.


Hey, look! My own designs finally! These, and many other cards, were made from a matching paper pack I bought recently.


I turned these sideways ones the right way but it didn't come out like that...

I love this one. Copied, but I came up with my own color scheme. I sent it to my friend who just had a baby.


I like this one a lot. I'm finally starting to be able to either design some things myself, or adapt other designs a little more skillfully- I think this one is more adapted than my own.


These ones are meh. Pretty, but they look a bit amateur. I copied a stamped card and I think stamps would look better but alas, I will not be buying stamps right now. Or any time soon.


William's Father's Day card. My own design again. I like this one. I used stickers for the letters.


Multi-purpose


I want a Cricut.

Blue floral somewhat smeared greetings.

Scrapbook pages

These are some of my more favorite pages I've done. They are not in order of when I made them, but just trust me; I've improved.

Many of these are copied ideas as well. I use a lot of Creative Memories supplies b/c...

I have a bit of a philosophy. Now I love all the cutesy, elaborate scrapbook pages you see in magazines and whatnot. They are really cute. But I have some problems with them, which is why I don't really do that, and I might simplify even more as time goes by:

The point of scrapbooking, to me, is to archive pictures. You could just put them in albums but I enjoy papercrafting so I think scrapbooking is fun. I think in the future, well I hope, that kids and grandkids will enjoy thinking, "my mom (or grandmom) made this by hand!"

I like fun papers and creativity and such. But I also want these pictures to last, and I believe Creative Memories products are the best for that. A lot of the other stuff out there is not made to last, and I think these elaborate pages people make will fall apart and yellow and wither.

Plus, people get so elaborate and I think all the rivets and metal and stickers and 3D stuff will damage the pictures around them or on the opposite pages. Not to mention the glues.

I also think it's silly to make an elaborate page with only one picture on it. Maybe for special occasions but for the most part, I want to fit as many pictures as possible on one page. I mean I understand, b/c they are fun to make, and cute. But still. That's why I like card making - you can use all the elaborate 3D stuff you want b/c it's just a card, not important that it lasts, really.

Plus, and this goes for card-making too: there is SO MUCH stuff to buy out there- it gets ridiculous. It can get so expensive. Isn't scrapboooking supposed to be with SCRAPS? You can buy rivets and stacks of little circle pieces of paper to use and scraps of material- weird. Expensive. Silly. But really cute, I'll admit.

Usually, no one cares but you, that's the big secret about your scrapbook pages. Oh well.

It's also important to me to include info about the picture. Not usually cheesy cutesy quotes, for me, but where the picture was taken, when, who's in it. B/c you know you're always looking through mom's boxes of pictures asking her "who is this?" and "how old was I?"