Memories By Meredith

A New one!!!

2011-08-26T16:14:00.000-07:00

It has been months....MONTHS! I hadn't been missing it all too much since I've been busy growing a baby and all, but the past couple of weeks I had been feeling the itch. So, I had a minute today, and actually did a new layout. This is one of my Dad (known as G-Daddy) and my boy...who is now 2 1/2 years old! He was 4 months old in this picture. I just love this picture of the two of them together. Thanks for looking!

Let's hope it's not another 6 months or so before I get to do this again!

Maybe You're Wondering.....

2011-06-15T13:54:00.000-07:00

Maybe you're not. Either way, I have to apologize to my wonderful followers. I was so excited to have so many, and was having so much fun scrapbooking, and participating in other blogs, but then life just hit me. Hard. But, in a good way. I've been meaning to update this blog forever, but I'm taking a temporary hiatus from scrapbooking these days, and the reason is that I'm pregnant with baby #3!! This pregnancy has been super hard on me this time around. I'm not sure why, but it has. Life is starting to get back to normal somewhat now that I'm in the second trimester, so I hope that it won't be too far away when I will sit down at my scrapbooking table. Thanks to all of you who follow....and I hope you'll stay! :) Due date is December 3!!

Sigh

2011-03-31T14:26:00.001-07:00

Still no scrapping for me.

Actually, I did clean off my desk, and started a page, but it is just sitting there, unfinished. Maybe I should go work on that now...

But, I apologize for my lack of blogging about the wonderful world of scrapping. Forgive me?

Here's an oldie but goodie.

I was such a whimsical scrapper back then.

I need a Vacation after my Vacation!!

2011-03-22T14:18:00.000-07:00

I know that I'm not the only one that feels this way right? I had a great time on my vacation visiting my brother and sister, nieces and nephews. But, sickness struck my youngest once again, and have been battling a double ear infection/pink eye since I got back. So, needless to say, scrapbooking has been put on the back burner!

This is what I have to do right now:

I have to clear this space so I can scrapbook!!! In addition to illness, I came home to surprise guests in my house that had to come into town suddenly for a funeral. While I was glad to offer my spare room, some of the boxes in there also got moved into my office/scrap space. It is far from inspiration inducing.

So, that's what I've got going on....hope to be scrapping again by the end of the week!

Awesome giveaway!!

2011-03-05T07:39:00.000-08:00

I'm spreading the word about this awesome giveaway on Melissa's blog

Creating From the Heart

Check it out! Good luck everyone!

Flashback Friday...Again!

2011-03-04T14:07:00.000-08:00

This week has been CRAAAAZY busy for me. I haven't gotten in any time to scrap. I have a blogging job where I blog daily about various topics, and that has been keeping me busy as I plan on going on vacation soon, and am trying to pre-write a lot of blogs so I can truly take a vacation! Anyway, so I apologize that there were no new layouts from me. But, as promised, here is a layout I did back in 2007. It is one of my all time favorites! I hope to scrap tomorrow....

Have a great weekend!!

Flashback Friday

2011-02-25T11:35:00.000-08:00

So, I thought it'd be fun to feature some of my older layouts on Fridays. Mainly because I don't always have time to scrap everyday, and I have a lot in my portfolio that I would love to share with you all!! The only problem is that the photo quality is not as good. I have a lot better camera now. I should re-take pictures of my old layouts, but kind of too lazy at this point. :) I also thought that it's fun to see how our styles of scrapbooking change and evolve over time.

Anyway, today, I chose one of my favorites I did back in 2007. I was super obsessed with doodling back then. I mean, obsessed. I still doodle on most layouts. Once I started, I kind of just became hooked. this is a layout about all the nicknames my daughter had as a baby. If you click on the image, you can see a little more detail.

Thanks for stopping by!

Giveaway Winner!!!

2011-02-24T12:26:00.000-08:00

So I was thinking all week that my giveaway was tomorrow, the 24th. Ha! Well, today is the 24th, so I chose a winner using random.org. Here are the results:

#18!!

Danielle from www.piperloo.blogspot.com

CONGRATULATIONS!!

Here's her winning comment:

Danielle said...
I posted on my blog about your giveaway!!!!

http://piperloo.blogspot.com/

Thanx for the chance!
February 11, 2011 9:38 AM

Congrats Danielle!!! Please email me your address at meredithethington@gmail.com and I'll get your goodies in the mail right away!

You at 4 Months

2011-02-23T13:18:00.000-08:00

So, I've been DYING to get my hands on the Echo Park, Little Boy line. Just my style. Fun, bright colors. I love EP. Love them. They pretty much can't go wrong in my book. :)

So, Monday, it was a holiday, and I used it as an excuse to go to my local scrapbooking store that I love (in UT, there is pretty much one on every corner) without children. Talk about bliss. :) Grabbed some EP, and was on my way. I just got around to using it. Here's what I came up with:

I kind of used the idea for this one from a previous layout I did of my daughter a few years ago with her 8 month photo. Here's that layout:

I can't wait to do another layout with these papers. They are so fun. Maybe I should have bought more.....

2 days until giveaway!!!

Stylish Blogger Award!!!

2011-02-22T13:18:00.000-08:00

I had three of my followers nominate me for the Stylish Blogger Award!! Thanks to Danielle over at http://piperloo.blogspot.com/ and Traci over at Scraps of Whimsy and to Scrapality!! Three in one week? I must be doing something right! :)

So, I have to list 8 things about myself:

1: I have two kids, 4 and 2

2: I'm a Native Texan and proud of it!!

3: I love Diet Coke and Chocolate

4: I am Mormon

5: I have a cat named Val that I love/hate. :)

6: I am a professional blogger at www.families.com and www.familytree.com

7: I have 1 brother and 2 sisters

8: I speak Spanish

I am also supposed to nominate 8 stylish blogs I love. Here they are:

1. Basement Crafts

2. Trumpet Wives Club

3. Really? That Just Happened?

4. Grab the Scraps

5. Cupcakes for Chloe

6. Oh for Joy

7. Bren Scraps

8. Chris Scraps

These awards have definitely been going around lately, so if you already received this, then just feel double special! :) Hope you enjoy your award ladies! 3 more days until I choose my winner for my giveaway!!

Stay Cool

2011-02-19T15:11:00.000-08:00

I love summer photos because I love bright colors on pretty much every layout.

Summer in Georgia. Need I say more?

1 Week Until Giveaway!!!

2011-02-18T14:36:00.001-08:00

If you haven't entered my giveaway yet, you have one week from today before I choose the winner!! Don't forget to become a follower, leave a comment, and good luck!!

Me, Myself, and I

2011-02-15T14:52:00.000-08:00

I've said it before, but I'm learning how to scrap for little boys. It's sooo hard for me not to use flowers, and bling, and girly papers. I just love them so much. But, I'm learning how to scrap for a boy in a way that I love.

This layout was so fun. Mainly because I love these pictures! My son when he was just 6 months old sat in front of the mirror for about 20 minutes just pointing, laughing, and talking to himself. It was precious. I was cracked up by how amused he was at himself. Thanks for stopping by!

So Happy to have YOU

2011-02-13T15:55:00.001-08:00

Happy Sunday Scrappers!

I've had a good weekend so far. But, something was missing. My Sunday afternoon nap. Well, it just wasn't meant to be. My oldest kicked me out of my own bed because she wanted to nap with Daddy, and I just couldn't fall asleep downstairs in the basement...too cold. So, I decided to scrap instead.

This photo is of my daughter, who was almost 3 in this picture. You should be able to read the journaling (if you can read my writing) in the last picture.

Most of the stuff

here is from the Echo Park, Life is Good line. Hope all of you got some scrapping in over the weekend too!

Don't forget to scroll down to enter the giveaway!!

Cousins are WILDly Fun

2011-02-11T14:36:00.000-08:00

This layout was a lot of fun for me. It was a scraplift for a challenge over at Krissy Clark McKee's Blog. The challenge is to scraplift one of her layouts....this was the one I chose. Check out her blog here.

And, here's her beautiful original:

Big Imagination
by Krissyclarkmckee
Scrapbook.com

Don't forget to enter into my giveaway down below!!!

Giveaway!!!

2011-02-10T14:09:00.000-08:00

I've been so happy with all the followers I've gotten lately. I hope you all will stick around. I am doing my first giveaway, and hopefully, it will be one of many to come! I want to continue to get more followers, so that is my goal by this giveaway. I recently won a giveaway off of another blog, and that inspired me to do one of my own. We all know I have plenty of stuff to share. Up for grabs will be a random assortment of some of my scrapbooking supplies. I am even going to include papers too that I have, and some embellishments and alphabets. You know, just random cuteness.

So, to get entered into the giveaway:

1. You must be a follower

2. Leave a comment on this post

For additional entries:

1. Become my follower on twitter, then come back and leave another comment letting me know you did so

2. Share this blog post on your blog, then leave another comment to let me know.

I will choose the winner two weeks from today, so Feb. 24th using random.org.

Good luck to everyone out there!! :)

To Read, Is to Dream

2011-02-08T15:06:00.000-08:00

This layout was so fun. My daughter was 3 in this picture. She had received a big stack of books from her Grandpa. Her Grandma (my mother in law) had just passed away 2 months earlier, and he discovered all these children's books she had been saving for when her grandkids came to visit. He knew my daughter was obsessed with books, even though she can't even read yet. So, when we opened the package, she immediately grabbed one and started "reading". This was the picture I snapped.

Check back later this week for my very first giveaway!!

Got My Goodies

2011-02-07T15:24:00.000-08:00

Today, I spent my nap time (meaning my kids' nap time) working on my blogs. I'm trying to streamline things a little and make it more user friendly. I'm debating whether or not to pay someone to re-design my blog for me. Hmmm...any thoughts? If you've paid someone to update your blog look, leave me a comment with their info. I am interested, but not sure I want to spend the money on that.

So, since I was working on that, I didn't get to scrap today. You'll have to wait for a new layout from me until tomorrow. Cause, I'm a little done being in my dungeon. :) Which is actually a pretty decent office/scrap room, but it's in the basement, and if I'm in here too long, I get a little crazy. I got home from the gym this morning and saw a package on my door step. YAY! My goodies from the blog giveaway came. Here's a pic of what I got.

A lot of good stuff there huh? Can't wait to use it all up!

It's inspired me to do a giveaway. I'm thinking later this week....so stay tuned!

Girls Can Drive Fire Trucks too....

2011-02-05T15:07:00.000-08:00

I love doing a girly layout about something not-so-girly. Like, my daughter pretending to drive a fire truck. Multi-Photo layouts are always a challenge to me. I love doing single photo layouts, but I almost like just as much, trying to fit as many pics onto a page and make them look cute. It can easily look jumbled, or messy, or like you don't even have any paper to show because there are so many pics! It's a challenge that I can only do when I'm in a certain mood. The kind of mood where you have plenty of time, and can play around with it a ton before finally placing things where they make you happy.

This layout was fun. The journaling reads, "At her friend, Lincoln's b-day party, they visited a fire station. Avery was not afraid to sit on the front after the loud sirens went off. So many of the kids were scared. You never know, one day she might just grow up and decide that she wants....

TO DRIVE A FIRE TRUCK (the title)

The bling I used below was actually cell phone bling that I cut up to make a frame

LOOOVE this picture of her sticking out her tongue. My fav.

I'm so excited to have so many followers. I'm also on twitter now. I write about lots of stuff for my blogging job over at www.families.com. Current topics I blog about are Scrapbooking, LDS, Preschoolers, Babies, and Pregnancy. Would love for you to follow me on twitter too!! Thanks for looking.

I won something!!

2011-02-03T16:44:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Betty over at the Grab the Scraps blog, I've won my very first blog giveaway ever. Can I say how much that made my day? I've never won anything. I'll post a pic of my goodies when they arrive. Thanks again Betty!! Make your way over there and check out her awesome blog!

Cousins & Giggles Make Life Sweet

2011-02-01T14:41:00.001-08:00

I love girly layouts. I do. It's how I really started the modern style of scrapbooking, and it is what comes most naturally to me. So scrapping this girly layout of my daughter and niece just made me happy.

This took forever....

2011-01-30T16:37:00.001-08:00

I really hate it when a layout just takes forever. This was one of those. Sometimes they just go together so quick and easy, and sometimes my creative juices need a long time to work. I am happy with the end result though thank goodness. There is nothing worse than thinking you could have done better.

This is of my son sleeping at 4 months old. Journaling reads, "You were never a good sleeper, so seeing you sleep so sweetly took my breath away. I love you my sweet boy. xoxo"

This color combo was inspired by his nursery and bedding. Lots of brown, yellow, green, and blue.

Growing Our Family Year by Year

2011-01-28T15:07:00.000-08:00

It is so rare that my family all gets together. We live in Utah, Georgia, Arizona, and Pennsylvania. So, to get all of my siblings together, with their kids and my parents was a special treat. It's amazing how the family keeps growing every year. This was a very special memory that I wanted to use some of my favorite papers. My Bella Blvd stuff was perfect. What do you think?

Another great giveaway

2011-01-27T10:55:00.000-08:00

Secretly, I hope I win, but thought I'd spread the word to all of you too!

I am dying for these Echo Park papers. Their Little Boy Collection is up for grabs in this giveaway. They are soooo cute. Go here to enter.

A Family is Forever

2011-01-25T16:48:00.000-08:00

I didn't want to crop these photos too much for fear of cropping out the beautiful flowers in them. So, I came up with a solution. I think it works nicely.

I find that I like things a little off centered too. I had the b&w pp going down smack dab in the center and it seemed too boring, so I had to change it up. This is the end result.

These are pictures of my little family, and the place where we were married 8 1/2 years ago. Thanks for looking!!

Weekend Scrapping

2011-01-22T17:25:00.000-08:00

Scrapbooking on the weekend can either be wonderful, or crazy. I've had both.

This weekend was kind of crazy. Hubby was in a bad mood, the kids woke up from naps in the middle of scrapping. Aaah. Such is life.

But, I managed to finish this one up, and am happy to have gotten one done over the weekend. Maybe I can sneak in some more tomorrow. Thanks for looking!

This involves some:
Echo Park-A Walk in the Park
Love Elsie-Roxie
Non-Alpha Stickers-Stampin Up

Picking a Title

2011-01-21T14:17:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I have a hard time picking a title for a layout. This was one of those times. But, my kids look extra squeezable in this photo...so I chose that. :)

Making Fabric Flowers

2011-01-21T13:17:00.001-08:00

For a tutorial on how to make the cute fabric flowers on the headband you see in my sidebar, go here.

They will make a great addition to any scrapbook page too!

Sleepy But Happy Boy

2011-01-19T15:36:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to learn how to do boy layouts. They are so hard for me after scrapping for a girl for years. But, I am super happy with how this one turned out. Go here to see some of the products I used.

Kissed By A Butterfly

2011-01-18T16:38:00.000-08:00

Do you ever have those pages that when you think you know what you are going to do, they go in an entirely different direction?

Then, you're not sure if you like it all that much?

Well, this is one of those. It's growing on me though.

Giveaway: Silhouette SD Machine

2011-01-17T21:10:00.000-08:00

There is an awesome giveaway going on at All Things Thrifty Blog. You really should check it out here. C'mon scrappers....the possibilities ARE endless with this thing. Go and enter today!

My Header

2011-01-16T18:05:00.000-08:00

I scrapped my header and took a picture of it. What do you think? Do you want one?

I could scrap one for you for $10, and send you a digital pic. Just a thought....

Families.com Week In Review

2011-01-15T16:16:00.000-08:00

Here are the articles I wrote over at Families.com this week full of ideas and scrappy stuff:

Letters for Your Kid's Room- An altered project to make wall letters for your nursery or any room!

Scrapbook a Funeral?

Weekly Challenge

Tips for Speedy Scrapbooking

I would love for you to check them out!! In the future, I'll be posting links to them here as I write them. Let me know what you think.

Christmas is over, so let's scrap!!

2011-01-13T13:56:00.000-08:00

The Great Easter Egg Hunt

Go here if you want to hear more about using ribbons on your layout!

My latest Loves....

2010-11-12T15:30:00.000-08:00

Back in Time....

2010-11-01T13:03:00.000-07:00

Scrapping some really old ones of my now, 4 year old!! Time flies.

A few new ones

2010-10-19T16:20:00.001-07:00

Halloween Spirit

2010-10-13T16:19:00.000-07:00

The latest and Greatest

2010-10-11T14:39:00.001-07:00

The altered project is from my fall decorating. Enjoy!

Proud Mama

2010-09-29T12:52:00.000-07:00

More Layouts!

2010-09-24T16:41:00.000-07:00

Three More

2010-09-20T13:02:00.000-07:00

Three of my latest!

Happy Scrapping!

2010-09-17T06:52:00.001-07:00

I have been so happy, and busy scrapbooking lately. My husband knows how to make me happy. Last night he took the kids for an hour and a half and let me scrap until it was their bedtime. What a man! Here are the layouts I did:

As usual, the pictures don't do them justice, but I love these two little layouts I did. Di I mention that I spent $45 like it was nothing in a scrapbooking store this week? That's the dangerous thing about living in UT. They are everywhere and have all the latest and newest and cutest stuff! This is from the Echo Park line. I'm in love with it. Can you tell?

Love At Home

2010-09-16T17:55:00.000-07:00

I'm on a roll....

2010-09-11T06:48:00.001-07:00

Not the greatest pic as usual, but I had a lot of fun with this one. The journaling says, "Again, trying to get a cute pic of the two kids together but they both seemed Unenthused!"

A quickie

2010-09-09T14:07:00.000-07:00

I love when a layout just flows right out of me and it is quick and simple. 45 minutes or less is always a plus. This was one of those layouts. I love it. As always, wish the picture turned out better....

It says:
We tried so hard to get a cute picture of the two kids together. This one just makes me laugh! Kyle is screaming and Avery is....Laughing Hysterically!! You two crack. me. up.

Kyle was less than a month old in this picture. Poor little guy.

Weekend scrapbooking

2010-09-07T07:17:00.000-07:00

Weekend scrapping is the BEST because I can totally focus and work hard while my husband entertains the kids.

Here are my creations this weekend:

And, a double layout that I could not get a good picture of. Oh how I wish I had a good 12x12 scanner....

Organization

2010-09-04T08:27:00.001-07:00

I bought something amazing with my birthday money. I have been coveting this for a while. A LOOOONG while. I have taken about a year's hiatus from scrapbooking, and I'm back. I'm BAAAACK! I'm so happy.

I bought myself something wonderful from the beloved IKEA. But, first, you have to see my before pictures of why I was never scrapbooking these days.

I had no organization, and being the Virgo that I am, I had to be organized to be able to sit down and create something!! Here is the disaster.

Here is the after:

Can you hear angels singing? I can!!

So, I finally got everything organized and finalized last night. And, got up at 6:30 am with one thing on my mind. Scrapping! I snuck downstairs before everyone woke up and created this in my wonderful new space.

It's a page about when Kyle was just home from the hospital and how he fit right in to our family.

Isms-Great Idea for Mother's Day

2010-03-10T13:35:00.000-08:00

I had this idea, and here it is....

This is a fabulous way to display all those cute and funny things that your kids say. Would be a great gift for Grandma, Daddy, or anyone that loves your child (almost) as much as you! Or keep it for yourself to hang in your child's room. Basically, it is a 12x12 layout all about your child surrounded with the cute, funny, or just precious things that make them who they are! Otherwise known as an -ism. The one pictured here is one I did of my niece named Hazel, so thus it is titled: Hazel-isms.

All you have to do is send me a list of words, quotes, or stories that make them who they are. On this example, I have a prayer she once said, a song she made up on the fly, and tons of funny things that she has been caught saying to her Mom. I will write it all out in a fun creative way, creating an original piece for you to keep. Depending on what those quotes may say, or some of their favorite things, I will add embellishments that will enhance this original piece of art.
I can do the 12x12 in different colors, but looks best in white.

$25 unframed, $35 framed

Sleepy Heads

2010-03-07T13:01:00.000-08:00

I love this one of my husband and daughter napping together.....so cute! I really love bright colors with black and white....probably my favorite type of look.

Back in the Saddle Again

2009-05-22T04:33:00.000-07:00

So, I really stopped pursuing my dream to get paid to do what I love...Scrapbook! But, I've been inspired again. I'm ready to do this, but I just have to stick with it.

I've decided to open my own shop on Etsy. Please check it out!! Follow this link to see my shop.

It's a work in progress meaning that it's going to take me a little while to make enough layouts to actually have some product to show, but I'm excited. I've got the bug again, and we all know I have enough materials!!

Happy Scrapping!

Heaven

2008-08-15T15:37:00.000-07:00

Look what I got for my b-day. I LOVE it!!

Scraplifting at its best....

2008-06-27T11:29:00.000-07:00

So I fell in love with this girls' layout found here
and had to scraplift it (aka...copy it) So here is my version, and I think it turned out great!

When you're lacking in your own creativity, why not be inspired by someone else's?

Lucky Break

2008-06-24T07:45:00.000-07:00

So the town I live in is full of garage sales....LOVE THEM!!

It is always my secret wish that I will happen upon a garage sale where they are selling scrapbooking stuff. Well, my Mom found one last week, and called me up to go. It had sprinkled a little that morning on all their stuff, so some of the papers were really wet. These two older sisters that lived together are moving to FL and are avid scrappers, and boy did they have a lot of stuff. I basically grabbed 3 boxes of papers and embellishments (knowing I couldn't possibly go through it all right there) and made them an offer. $15 for all 3 boxes. After a little haggling, they agreed.

So, I took them home and started going through the stash. Whew...it was a lot of work, and I threw away a lot of wet papers. Some were really cute too!! But, when all was said and done, I realized that I had hit the mother load, and gotten a FABULOUS deal.

I estimated that I got about 1000 sheets of 12x12 papers. 300 of which are solid colored cardstock which I totally needed!! Here's a pic of just the paper I got:It was like Christmas going through those boxes. I am one happy girl! Now I just need more space to scrap.

Camera Woes

2008-05-30T04:17:00.000-07:00

So I woke up at 6am to my precious little one's cries, and couldn't fall back asleep because I was thinking of what to post on my blog and ways to get scrapbooking supplies....That's a confession of a true addict!

Yesterday, I scrapped with a long-time friend, Claire. She and I have been getting together lately to help inspire each other. It seems that it's easier to scrapbook with someone else. At least it is lately. When I sit at home by myself, I see all the "more important" things to do. Is there such a thing? :)

Anyway, so I'm going to upload 2 of my 4 layouts from yesterday. The other 2 I'm not too crazy about, but I loved how these turned out. The problem is, I'm not crazy with how the digital pics turned out. Oh, how I wish I had a 12x12 scanner. I'm annoyed because I can't get good pictures anymore of my layouts with my digi camera. I think it's the weird lighting in my house because in Philly, I could get great pictures. But, hopefully people will still get the idea until I can update my equipment in like 10 years.

Going out on a Limb

2008-05-29T18:04:00.000-07:00

I love to scrapbook and have been toying with the idea for about a year of how I can still be a great stay at home Mom and make money doing what I love. So here I am. I am starting this blog to share my scrapbook pages, and hopefully have others enjoy what I create as much as I do. My dream would be to own my own scrapbook store someday, but an equally fantastic dream would be for people to pay for me to scrapbook for them!! Hopefully this blog will help me realize at least part of that dream and continue doing what I love.

Custom Made Scrapbooks

2008-05-28T13:47:00.000-07:00

ABOUT

2008-05-28T13:41:00.000-07:00

I have been scrapbooking for about 11 years. I fell in love with it all over again 4 years ago when my daughter was born and I started a more modern style of scrapbooking. I love bright colors, black and white, and scrapping pictures of my kids. I currently am a blogger for a wonderful website www.families.com where I write about topics such as Preschool, LDS Families, Pregnancy, and Baby. I also write about Scrapping your Family Tree at www.familytree.com. Writing and blogging has become my second hobby.

I have been married for 8 years and have a wonderful husband who is very supportive of any new endeavor I want to pursue. I have two beautiful children who you will see a lot on my scrapbook pages. They are 4 and 2 and keep me very very busy, and a little crazy.

I have a BA in Psychology which I use now for over-analyzing people and myself. I am thrilled to have some followers on my blog, and hope to grow it over time as I do the thing I love most...scrapbook.