Blog vs Website

I've decided to take my blog public.  After blogging for over a year privately it finally feels right.  I set up a website but haven't figured out how to keep it just for my friends and family, so this seemed the easiest and the safest.  Now that I'm scrapbooking on a regular basis (after a year of just looking at my supplies and moaning) I wanted a place to share my creations.  My new year's resolution to JUST DO IT was the turning point, plus getting active with my online scrapboooking groups and friends. 

So ... without further ado, here's some of layouts from the last 3 months.

My first one was a challenge on my favorite Yahoo group.  It was fairly simple (which is my style) and actually seemed doable!  (Thanks Nancy and Debi for your inspiration and encouragement!)  The challenge was monochromanic, which I thought would be easy.  By the time I finished I was pretty tired of green and vowing to never use it again!!!   It's the first time I've ever used a sketch I did like how it turned out.

That's my "itty bitty kitty" Bailey.  Every time I go to take a picture of a layout she's right there, insisting she should be in the picture too!  Guess you could call her my "partner" since she loves reviewing my layouts - which is challenging when I'm in the middle of my creation process and she jumps up ON my work table!  The only drawback is she LOVES adhesive (my tape runners, scotch tape, masking tape) and I have to keep them all in ziplock bags!  I figure that's easier then trying to find a 12 step program for her! lol

Here's a closer look at the left page:

Brainerd, MN is where my grandparent's lived, my 3 older brothers grew up, my oldest brother raised his family and my parent's retired.  (I often look back and wonder what would my life have been like if I'd lived there or moved to after high school.)  It's a lovely town in northern Minnesota and nothing like the depiction in the movie Fargo!

Since I love adding maps to my layouts, I included one of the entire state of Minnesota with a little red indicator to show exactly where Brainerd is.  The other pictures are I love the welcoming sign you see when you enter the city, the bell tower at our family church and a shot of downtown.  This one has a bear, stamding on his hands, totem pole.  Definitely not your usual totem pole!

Right page:

I included 2 landmarks: the water tower and a restaurant my Mom worked at over 50 years ago, plus a picture of one of the many beautiful lakes you see all around the area.  Minnesota is known as the state of 10,000 lakes after all!

So, this has been exhausting and I'm going to go finish the layout I started yesterday!




Moore to come!   For those you don't know, that's my last name!  Thanks for looking and I'll be back soon with more layouts!

Karen