A year and some months ago I downloaded PSE (photoshop elements) determent to find out if doing digital scrapbooking was as fun as Valerie told me it was. And, man, was it ever. I’ve been making a lot of layouts over these months and have had so much fun.

my two very first LO’s, to the left a quick page – to the right using a template. click image for credits!

Lately I’ve also started making cards and gifts as well; what most scrap bookers call hybrid scrapping. And that has been more fun and giving (and time consuming) than I ever thought possible.

click images for credits

This week I received my new 8×8 albums in the mail and I’ve started to print out some of the layouts I did last fall to put into them; one album for us, one for places and one for family & friends. I’m so happy for the memories I have preserved (some I have forgot ever making). I’m learning new stuff about PSE every month and many of the older layouts make that clear with their lack proper shadowing and other things I didn’t know how to do back then. A few of them are really not my best work (to put it mildly), but I have decided to keep them as they are (more or less – I’m adding a bit of shadow on most and removing some of the more heavy shadows on a few). The layouts themselves tell a story about my way as a scrapper and I want to keep that intact too.

I’m now, sadly, out of photo paper – but can’t wait to print out the rest of it!!

mini albums to my favorite twins

Right now I’m also working on a few gift for some very special girls (have been working on and off on this for the last month took me some time to get the rings and things for them….), I’m now ALMOST finished and I’m so happy with how they turned out. Hoping the girls will love them too!!

I’m going to bed now, only have one more mini album shot more to show you; the dangling one Loving this one! And, by the way, all photos are SOOC (straight out of camera). I usually only edit photos when I’m going to use them in a layout or print them or make gifts…… I used a hight set ISO and lots of ugly indoor lights to capture these beauties :p

Looooving the view of all the papers; some thin, some thick (the thick one have images on both sides).

Last week MT got an invitation to came to church and receive a gift. So this Sunday he went to church with a smile on his face. As usual we came to church a bit late, and we found our place at the back. MT was surprised to see a lot of other children there and happy to hear the gospel kid from our neighboring village being there and singing as part of the service. The pastor told the story of Jesus for us using a photos that he put together like a puzzle. As he told and placed the pictures another picture was made in the middle. Off Christ stretching his arms out, inviting us to him. I loved it. What a great way to tell the whole story and keeping the children’s attention all the way through it!

MT is a bit shy, and he told me that I had to come with him when he should receive his gift from the congregation. I told him that was okay, but that he also could go by him self if he chose to when we got to that part of the service. And so he did. My kid can’t sit still, so he had already wandered around in the church room anyway. And he had found that a few of his friends were there too.

He was so happy when he got his advent calendar, he completely forgot to say thank you, but hopefully his smile said it all. I stood in the back taking a few photos and I love how they captured some of the joyfulness of the children, even though it is long distance…..

When we got back home, MT went to play on the computer. He love his Glubble

I started to make the gift for my uncle that celebrated his birthday yesterday. It took me some time, but I had fun and the final result wasn’t too bad. Next time I hopefully have some more time to get all the details in place, but we were already late when we left the house so I had to wrap it up and go.

We had a great time with family, my mom and dad, my uncle and aunt and two of their children and the girlfriend of their youngest. It was nice to get to know her a bit as well and MT thought she was so funny and liked that she had time to talk to him.

My uncle is my fathers brother and they had some project they talked about at the end of the evening. I’m collecting a few photos to make a scrap book page about them – and I loved how this one turned out:

So that was our Sunday. A good day! Now it’s Monday and I have plenty on my plate; so see you later!!