Swaps!

I love swaps. Thats when you join a group of scrappers and everyone swaps their work. A hostess collects each person's piece of art and then mails one of each treasure to the participants! Needless to say this is addictive and can quickly become an obsession. Here are a few pics of the work I've done in some swaps -

This is a card I've made, for my card of the month swap hosted by Elaine, it's actually the only picture I've taken and kept of my cards. I gotta be more diligent about that!

To be in a swap is a great way for you to expand your talent. Seeing everyone elses pieces of art gives you such a rich palate to choose from when it comes to technique. I love getting a swap back and diving into it with gusto!

Now I must give very big props to my scrap sistah's - Carrie, Courtney, Elaine, Joy and Lisa. These ladies are ultimate swappers! Their talent is just incredible. Carrie and Lisa, and I don't think any of my other sistah's would argue, are the swappy divas! They have come up with the most wonderful swaps to join. I love these gals! I give hugs and much thanks to them for inspiration encouragement and love! Big smooches to you all!!

Progression

It amazes me how far I have come in my scrapbooking. I was looking through my albums and couldn't believe the difference in my first lay outs to my most recent ones. Style does evolve and mature, you lose your fear of is this right or wrong, you start to realize that there aren't any mistakes. That art is in the eye of the beholder. If you like it then it is just fine!

Here are some pictures of my lay outs -

This is Sophia back in 11/03. She was just 3 1/2. We were at a neighboring home complex where there was a pond and ducks, and I was photographing them for our Christmas card. This lay out was my 2nd or 3rd.

This is Santino at 16 mos. The lay out is probably my 9th or 10th, and already I can see the difference in my technique. I will say this, I am soooo spoiled now with my cricut and big shot! Those letters were all cut by hand, and I don't miss that at all.

Our home is one of the reasons for my blog title. This house is a little girls dream come true. My parents have a vacation home in Upstate New York, and houses like this were everywhere. I so wanted to live in one of them. We moved to California in 1989 and discovered a beautiful town with houses just like them, and I said "hook or by crook, we will have one of these homes" Sure enough, and it took YEARS, we do.

Now this one is one of my most favorite layouts! This is Santino and my granddaughter Gianna. It reminds me of Darla and Spanky and the Our Gang kids. I know, I know Darla is a curly cued brunette, but those adoring eyes gazing at Sonny, hmm.

This is my most recent layout that I did just for me. I have it displayed in a frame on my dining room table. I change them out as I do them. It is Santino and his good buddy Bruno, our English Bulldog. Here I can see the use of techniques I didn't even think of using in the begining. Stamping and then putting clear stickers over the stamping, paper tearing, inking.

I just love this venue of expression. It really is so freeing, and the subject matter couldn't get much better. All the wonderful people in my life who I love with all my heart, and my most prized and treasured possesions!