A "new" challenge for me ...

I was blog surfing on Monday evening and came upon a blog I hadn't visited before - Rachel's

http://steelcityscraps.blogspot.com/

In a post from Sunday, September 21 she had issued a SCRAPLIFT ME challenge, inviting everyone to choose one of her layouts at Digital Candy

http://www.digitalcandy.ca/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=2241

When the page opened I was immediately drawn to a simple layout called buddies

http://www.digitalcandy.ca/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=26408&ppuser=2241

It seemed to match my simple approach to scrapping, yet would give me some challenge in pulling together a LO using materials that I had.

My first step was picking a photo - I wanted one that I hadn't done a personal, hand-done layout before (no sense in wasting time when I could be creating something for my scrapbook) I picked a photo of a beautiful white painted bridge over the swamp at Cypress Gardens in Monck's Corners, South Carolina. Mike and I had taken a guided boat tour through the swamp. Our guide told us that the bridge is the most photographed location in the garden by wedding photographers. It leads to a small island where many weddings take place! I can understand why ... when the water lilies are in full bloom, I am sure the swamp is gorgeous! (the lilies had barely begun to bloom when we were there, but it was still a beautiful place!)

The next step was a color palette. I collected lots of freebie kits from the August Color challenge at DSO -

http://www.digital-scrapbooking.org/boards/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=182

and I was sure that I would find the perfect green there! Actually, I used two background papers - the one on top had visibility set to 50% (it's the one with the blue mixed in)

CREDITS -

paper - Digimom (DigimomDesigns.com)

paper - Bunny (admin at DSO)

side papers - Melonie (DesignsbyMel.blogspot.com)

Beads - Bunny

ribbon - Kim B (KimBDesigns.blogspot.com)

Text - Lucinda handwriting (visibility set to 45%)

The title may appear to be an obvious reference to the photograph, but it also reminds me to think back with pleasure on the adventure we had during our vacation in the Spring! We found many places we would like to return to in order to spend a "little more time!" This is definitely one of them - poki definitely found "her happy place" here! In May, and sitting at her computer in September!

I've been collecting ...

On my recent "freebie hunts" I have been collecting a set called Seashore Splendor by two European ladies

http://tempusfug.blogspot.com/ and http://tempusfug.blogspot.com/

In order to get the next installment of the collection, I had to complete a challenge using the papers and elements I had already collected. Here are the two layouts I did!

The first layout is Mike flying his Pirate Kite on Crystal Beach on April 1, 2006 - our last trip to Galveston for my birthday ... Hurricane Ike has now changed this beach forever!

The second layout I did was of the Cape Hatteras Light Station. I spent several hours working on these layouts when I should have been in bed asleep! (It's really late!) but the next part of the kit has some awesome seashells and tropical fish, that I really want to collect! So ... here I am at the computer in the middle of the night - again!

I was inspired

Kim B posted a CU freebie this a.m. on her blog - with butterflies! You know how I like them, so I had to stop my daily "freebie hunt" and make a page using her overlay!

CREDITS:
background - charliesdigiscraps.blogspot.com - Blowin' in the Wind (DSO Sept Color challenge)

overlay - kimbsdesigns.blogspot.com - CU grabbag

rolled corner - bygavotte.canalblog.com (I'm loving this little element!)

ribbon - Kim B's posting gift for participating in DSO Sept Color Challenge

flower - jonigray.blogspot.com (I visit Joni almost everyday! :>) Sweet September (I think)

Julie & Joe's wedding album

I've been working for several weeks now, on a SECRET album which will be a Christmas present for my niece Julie and her husband Joe. (They are celebrating their 6th anniversary on Sept. 28 so this project is a long time coming. The album will be an 8 x 8, and I have about 30+ pages almost complete. This is one of my favorite photos that I have taken!

CREDITS - background DSO August Color Challenge - charliesdigiscraps.blogspot.com

bracket DSO August Color Challenge - jonigray.blogspot.com

font - Edwardian Script

New Photo in header

I decided to add a little interest to my header, so I put in a photo that I took at Lewis Ginter Botanic Gardens in Richmond, Virginia last May. Be looking for a change in photo regularly now.

By the way, if you are visiting my blog will you let me know, either by leaving a comment on the blog, or by sending me an e-mail. If I know you, yoiu know my e-mail address, so I won't publish it here!

PixelFairy Enchanted Autumn add-on

I created this layout using a freebie add-on kit from the Pixel Fairy for a contest - the prize is a complete Enchanting Autumn kit which I would love to have! This photo was taken in a Butterfly House in South Carolina in May, but this will soon be a common site around home - the native lantana has begun to bloom again in preparation for the Monarch migration (we live in the path of the migration!) which will appear soon ... can't wait to see them!

DSO September Color Challenge

I've been busy "collecting" again - including from the DSO September Color Challenge. I just love these rich colors, perfect for Fall - but Fall in Texas is "like no other!" and now with the rain we are getting from IKE, I guess we will be GREEN again, not your typical Fall colors. I was pondering what would be the perfect picture to use with this color palette, and then I remember the gorgeous moth that we saw in the butterfly exhibit at the Strong Museum in Rochester, New York last year while on vacation! I just had to use it!

CREDITS - Thanks to these generous designers for their shared work!

Background (Charlie charliesdigiscraps.blogspot.com) mat (SaniScraps - Indian Summer paper), mat (Sani Scraps - Indian Summer elements) flower (The Scrappin Cop - Cornucopia of Color Sept Blog Train)