Title Help!

     Happy Easter everyone!  I hope you had a good day celebrating this special time with family and friends.
     I completed this layout earlier in the month for a use your scraps challenge, that I ultimately missed due to our camera breaking :-(  It's currently out for repair and the estimate is 4-6 weeks.  I'm taking pictures from my phone so please bear with the quality for awhile.
    I like the way the layout came out, but I could use some help with the title.   I was thinking something along the lines of skee-ball or play-ball since it was M's first time seeing the boardwalk games, but I just can't come up with a placement idea, or design, I like.  Any suggestions?
      I also kept on a roll with my love of glitter.  I felt the page needed some items of interest, but not necessarily more layering embellishments.  I just outlined some of the flowers to add pop, but not too much.  I didn't know if you could see it in the full picture so I grabbed an up close of one section.
      I think when I go to the show next month I need to buy more glitter colors and I'm really loving the pop it adds to my papers.  I'd love to hear what your favorite glitter companies and colors are...Drop me a comment!

Killing Kennedy Review

     I don't usually read anything history related, but I loved this!  The writing was simple enough to be interesting, but not so simple it was boring. 
     I enjoyed getting to know all the main players and the "extras."  I actually looked up the tour Jackie gave of the Whitehouse on youtube, after that section of the book.  I don't really know what I expected, but WOW did she sound like a stepford wife!  Maybe the movie was based on her???
     I have to say that I unfortunately don't think America, as it stands today, would react the same way as 1963 if something so tragic happened to any of the recent Presidents. I think it would be more - oh so sad and move on :-(
     If nothing else the book has made me want to read more on the topic. Oh, and I loved the little surprise at the end too about the reporter.

Glitter Part Two

I was finally able to get the second part of my glitter tutorial edited and up on you tube.  Personally, I prefer the heat and stick powder, but I think the option in this second video is a great idea for beginners since it requires so little investment in new supplies.  I also use it in places that I could get my Versa Mark stamp pad.  Give it a watch and let me know what you think!

Glitter Tutorial - Part One

     I recently made two scrapbook pages using glitter, and each page used a different technique. A few friends asked me to do a tutorial on how I did each one, and I was more than happy to comply.  Below is part one.  This requires more tools that part two, but is very simple.  I'll try to get part two up tomorrow.  I'd also love to hear what you use glitter on.

 

The Perfect Hope (Inn BoonsBoro Trilogy #3) Review

Gosh am I striking out on the book front lately!  This is the third book in a row that I've read and been underwhelmed with.  I really enjoyed the first book in the series, and liked the second one well enough, but the third fell flat.
   For starters I was really looking forward to seeing what happened with the ghost Lizzy, but WOW did it get weird.  When the ghost started appearing in physical form to people and the ghost of her lover invaded Ryder....just to much for me.  I read plenty of para-normal things, but this was just so out of place for this genre of book.  The three main girlfriends actually planned time to sit and hang out with the ghost...yup...lost me!
     I also didn't feel the chemistry between Hope and Ryder the way I did between say Beckett and Clare or Owen and Avery. You knew they were going to get together going into it, but I don't think the author did a good job making it believable.  
   I've heard some good things about her others series so I will give them a try since I liked books one and two, but up next is a genre switch for me hoping I break this dislike rut.
   What are you reading lately?  Leave me a comment...I'd love to hear.  

Forever Book Review

   If you've been following my blog you've seen my review of the first two books in this series.  The recap: loved the first - didn't care for the second.  I went into the third hoping the author was going to redeem the trilogy and tie up all the loose ends in the third...no suck luck :-( 
     For me, the book moved way to slow for the fact that, just like in the second, nothing really happened until the very end.  By the time something did happen I was so over the main characters that I couldn't dig up enough emotion to care what finally happened to them.
    We also got very little closure on the Isabel and Cole scene too.  It seemed like both characters grew up in the third book and became real people, but then Cole's actions at the very very end made him seem like the same self-centered jerk all over again.
    I also may be over critical on this point again, but I also really didn't like the red font.  Other than going with the dust jacket I don't really see the point of changing the color and straining your eyes for so long.
   Long and short...read the first and skip the other two. 

Bath and Body Works Vs. Perfume

     I always like the name brand perfume, but thought $60 per bottle - Yikes!  I then went and bought Bath and Body Works thinking the $10 or $12 products were saving me money.  After they discontinued my favorite scents, yet again,  I gave it some thought.  Was I really saving any money??

Lost Sock Video

Just a quick organization tip so you don't have any more lost socks...at least for the little ones in your home.

Anniversary Page

At the end of February I did a page from our first family vacation. The first day also happened to be our sixth anniversary so this page is the 2nd of that pair.  My parents entertained M while we took a few hours to have an adult meal, and by adult I mean...was still hot and didn't involved any spit up...haha.  I'm not very good at ensuring I'm in the pictures so here's a rare one of me! 

Since I've been trying to use some new techniques I used a tucked away tag for my journalling. I think for having so many pictures (something also not normal for me) it was the perfect way to include a little note for M. 

Up next in my scrapbook life is some pictures of Pop using two new things for me.  Stay tuned.

Linger Book Reveiew

     After really enjoying Shiver (you can see my review here) I decided to continue on with the trilogy.  The second book was Linger, and I didn't enjoy this nearly as much as the first.  It was pretty much a whole lot of nothing to get to the plot (which you knew in the first ten minutes anyway) during the last 3 pages. 
     I continued to like Sam and feel indifferent about Grace.  I did however really dislike the turn the book took with her parents.  They go from the carefree, never home types to grounding her, taking about her cell phone and forbidding her to see Sam every again.  It came across very contrived. 
     I did however like the introduction of Isabel and Cole's point of view, but the conflict with them went nowhere and really left you hanging.  Don't get me wrong, I know an author has to leave loose ends to get you to read the next book, but for me this wasn't loose ends...it was more of get you involved with the characters and then completely drop you.  I really hope to see this resolved in book three.
     I also disliked the green type.  I'm using it here to stay with the theme, but I found it hard to read in more than small doses.  I will read book three only to see if something gets resolved, but I have to say I don't really have high hopes at this point for liking it.

First March Challenge

     I enjoyed the challenge I did last month with the About A Boy Scrapbook Challenge Blog so much that I've decided to try to keep up with them.  They do challenges twice a month on the 1st and 15th.  
    The challenge for the 1st was Hoarders.  You were to make your page(s) using items you've had for at least a year.  Given how many supplies I have I figured this wouldn't be very hard. 
    The first page of my layout is using a pre-made page from Ez Laser Designs.  I purchased this when I was still pregnant...Michael is now 30 months old!  It's very hard to tell, but the background paper is a subtly shimmering shades of aqua.  It looks very much like lapping waves.  

     
     To complete the two pages I used some wave paper that I've had for so long I can't remember when it's from.  Michael loved the beach for his first time (as all the smiles indicate), and it thankfully worn him out.  He was a very bad napper in his first year of life, and this trip was really the first time he willingly went down.  

Hope you enjoyed going to the beach with us!  Stay tuned to see what I complete next.

Shiver Book Review

     I recently finished reading Shiver (the Wolves of Mercy Falls #1) by Maggie Stiefvater, and have to say I'm pleasantly surprised. I didn't have high expectations since it was a teen drama book, but wanted something light to fill my lunch break.  This was perfect.
     I would imagine this is what Twilight would have been if about Jacob and Bella rather than Bella and Edward.  I rather liked the main male character Sam as you really can feel that he wants to be a better person, and tries to do what's right. 
     I did feel about Grace the same way as I do about Bella though...ugh!  Sam wants to be a better person...to learn...to do the right thing.  Grace only wants Sam.  I'd really like to see a teen heroine that can stand on her own two feet, and have a boyfriend!
I'm interested to see where the series goes though as this really could have ended with just this book.  I'll keep you posted on my thoughts about Linger and Forever, and I'd love to hear what you're reading right now.