My intentions were good…I purchased some Christmas themed and non-themed items, I picked out the perfect album, I made a list of all of the memories I wanted to capture, then I got started.

After a few weeks…I also got lazy.

Folks, I am a December Daily Slacker! Big time slacker! A hide the album under my craft desk type of slacker! A “I’ll finish this album next year” type of slacker!

I went through the trouble of premaking all of my pagers…like a good December Daily follower. Then it all went down hill!

What’s December Daily  you ask? Click HERE!

I even blogged about it!

I am like so many scrappers who get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holidays.  Recording my special holiday moments came dead last next to work projects, vacations, holiday events, and out-of-state travel.

But, but…BUT…this year things are going to be different. I am challenging myself (and you of course) to finish your 2014 December Daily Album by October 31st!

Yep, in 31 days!

Yes, you can do this! Unless of course you have already finished your album…good for you!

The steps for slackers is very simple:

1.) PRINT YOUR STINKIN’ PHOTOS! Seriously, go through all of your photos and only print the ones that you truly love and that tell the story of your holiday adventures or everyday moments. Remember, if it has been a while since you last worked on your DD album, some of those memories may not be so fresh. Focus on the truly important moments and don’t worry so much about all of the fine details.

2) PURGE AND ORGANIZE YOUR OLD SUPPLIES: Between 2014 to now I had forgotten about all of the supplies I purchased! I took some time to organize my stash and take inventory all of my goodies. There really isn’t a need to go out and buy new stuff…try to use what you have on hand.

3) MAKE A LIST OF YOUR STORIES: What are the most important stories you want to tell from December 2014? Make a list of those stories and prioritize them. You may want to capture special holiday events or simply everyday moments. It’s okay if you don’t remember everything. Just focus on the most special and important memories that are still fresh in your mind.

4) CREATE! This is the hard part…getting those DD layouts DONE! I have decided to work on 2-3 layouts per week in my DD album. If you don’t have time throughout the week, perhaps set aside a weekend to work exclusively on this album. Whatever you decide, just work on getting your DD album DONE by October 31st!

See, that isn’t so hard, right? You can totally do this!

DECEMBER DAILY FOR SLACKERS CHALLENGE!

I am hosting a December Daily for Slackers Challenge on the Victoria Marie Facebook Group. To play all you have to do is:

• Post a picture your completed DD layouts or album to the group photo album called DECEMBER DAILY FOR SLACKERS ALBUM on the Victoria Marie Facebook Group.
• Participants will be added to the drawing for a $25.00 virtual gift card to Studio Calico!
• All submissions must be posted no later than OCTOBER 31, 2015!
• You can submit photos of any December Daily Album, not just your 2014 album.
• The winner will be announced on November 1st!

Now, go find your December Daily album and let’s get started! Look for my December Daily for Slackers process videos on my YouTube channel!

Life is interesting. Everyday, every month, every year brings about new challenges, some expected, many unexpected. When I think about the story of my life, my experiences, my challenges, I often wonder what pieces of my life’s journey I will leave behind.

In my opinion, scrapbooking is a way to tell the story of our lives. Some choose only to include the happy moments, the joys, the ups, the good times. And while I think it is wonderful to remember the good, I think that is important to share the moments that leave an everlasting imprint on our lives. The moments that are hard, challenging, and sad.

The moments that make us truly human.

During the summer of 2014, my husband came out as transgender. The handsome, funny, smart, intelligent man I once knew felt trapped, living an existence that didn’t feel right. For years my husband struggled with gender identity; over compensating to muffle the deep yearning to be female. The time had come…the truth had to be set free.

I said goodbye to Bryan.

I said hello to Aubree.

The transition from male to female has been an education to say the least. Our new “normal” began quickly: wigs, dresses, makeup, shoes, a new name…a new existence. Some things remained the same while other things changed. This experience was both exciting and terrifying. I struggled for months trying to find the “perfect” words to describe what I felt about all of this. What was to be lost? What was to be gained?

During this time, Aubree and I sought counseling and began the work of adapting to this change. I played the role of emotional spouse and fiercely protective ally. In our most vulnerable moments, we questioned if our marriage would survive.

What would our lives look like as a divorced couple?

Where would we live? Would we be roommates?

We have a kid to consider. How would visitation look?

Millions of questions, thoughts, and worries flooded our heads until finally, one day while having yet another deep conversation about our future, we both raised the white flag and said, “No more.” We could not imagine a world or a scenario where we were not together.

We were going to walk through the fire. We were going to FIGHT for our marriage.

And so we did.

Today, we celebrate 7 years of marriage. And to think that we almost didn’t make it gives this particular anniversary more meaning. We have come so far and continue to have a long journey ahead of us.

We are stronger than ever.

And we are holding on.

Scrapbooking has been my therapy through out this process and without it, I do not think I would have been able to express my feelings. I have learned that it’s okay to be transparent with myself through this art form. I want to leave behind my life’s story…the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Here’s what I used for this layout:

• Gray and white card stock from my stash
• Title “Brush Script HT” cut from Silhouette Cameo
• Frames – Maggie Holmes (Crate Paper)
• Ephemera – Maggie Holmes (Crate Paper)
• Gold Puffy Stickers – Craft Market (Crate Paper)
• Chip board die cuts – Maggie Holmes “Open Book” (Crate Paper)
• Patterned Paper – “On Trend” by My Mind’s Eye
• Gold Mist – Heidi Swapp Color Shine

And here’s the process video! Happy scrappin’!

If someone would have told me that I would be guest designer for a scrapbooking kit club, I would have looked at them like they were crazy! I consider myself to be an everyday scrapper. I hold scrapbook designers right up there with Mother Teresa and the Dalai Lama!

(Teach me your ways!!!!)

I have certainly grown in my scrapbooking abilities, enough to get noticed by others…which is awesome! I thought I would celebrate my super cool accomplishment by making this layout.

I used the September 2015 Captured kit along with a piece of textured white card stock from my stash.

The kit came with a piece of black crepe paper that I ruffled on the side of my photos.  I further embellished the crepe paper by threading a strand of sequin with silver thread. I used an exclusive Clique Kit digit die cut, “Love This”, to add additional dimension to the layout.

The kit included papers and embellishments from the Cocoa Vanilla Hello Lovely collection. One of the papers included several cut aparts which I layered on the side of the layout. I added an exclusive flare that was given to me by the wonderful folks at Clique Kits which also served as the inspiration for my title. The title features a die cut “hello” and gray puffy font stickers from  Evalicious. I added the Kal Barteski pink font by Thickers from my stash.  I finished the layout with a few butterfly die cuts from Cocoa Vanilla and black mist from Heidi Swapp.

It took me less than 20 minutes to put this layout together! I love the overall relaxed look and I am so happy with the finished product! And I am glad to be a part of the Clique!

Check out the process video for this layout!

Happy scrappin’!

Confession: I am a scrappy shopaholic. There. I said it.

I might call what I have an addiction. There is nothing like the thrill of shopping for scrappy goodies! I can spend two hours in my favorite hobby stores and even longer looking at amazing product online. I love receiving box after box of goodies from UPS. I rush home to play with my latest purchase, pinning over all my new product and thinking of the creative possibilities.

I make deals with myself: “Okay Vicki, if you buy this stuff, then you will need to pull back next month” or “Use the Visa card and pay off your purchase later…no big deal” (with interest). I tell myself that (insert my favorite scrappy designer) is using the latest and greatest. I want what she is using! So I buy, and I buy, and I buy. It feels so good! It feels so right! It’s a high really, an adrenaline rush as I watch all of my loot pile up in my shopping cart (real or virtual). I love the experience…it’s such a rush! When I am into something, I’m ALL in…and I want it ALL. Not just one pack of Thickers…ALL THE THICKERS!!

Utopia! Scrapbook utopia!

Of course, like all addictions, my high comes down and I start to realize the damage. In 2015, I estimate that I have spent more than $4500.00 in scrapbooking supplies ALONE! Maybe you should read that again…$4500.00! At first, I was in denial but once I started looking at my spending habits, I had to face a hard truth – my scrappy spending is out of control. And to make matters worse, I have a TON of stuff in my scrappy stash that I haven’t touched in months AND a stack of scrapbooking kits that are collecting dust under my scrap desk. When I came to this realization, guilt set in.

I hate that feeling.

So, as Dr. Phil says (with a heavy Texas accent), “You can’t change what you don’t acknowledge.” Truer words have never been spoken. This girl has to make some changes and end my scrappy gluttony. It’s time that I fall in love again with my stash and begin using my hoard and limiting my shopping to only the essentials.

I need a plan.

Starting October 1, 2015 I am initiating a 6-month spending freeze. In reality, I am not an “all or nothing” type of person so I plan to be flexible.

I will be limited to the following:

1. I can continue my scrapbook kit subscription but I can only buy one (1) main kit – no add ons, no stamps, no extras. Period.
2. I can purchase consumables: adhesives, page protectors, pens, etc.
3. My monthly scrappy expenses cannot exceed more than $45.00 (to include the cost of my kit and consumables). Any extra money that is left can be put toward the follow month’s budget or saved for crops and retreats.

With that being said, I am going to spend some time getting ready for my freeze. The first thing I plan to do is take inventory of all of my scrappy goodies. I am very excited to pour through my stash – I am sure there are things that I haven’t seen in months! Next, I am going to organize my stash by making kits. My goal is to use up EVERYTHING in my stash (or close to it). Eventually, I would like to get to a point that if I bring a scrappy item into the house, another scrappy item must go (use it or donate). Lastly, I am going to re-organize my scrappy space for maximum efficiency. I need to be able to see my stash in order to use it.

To be honest, this is something that I’ve wanted to do for a while. I think it is fun to challenge myself to use my stash in new and creative ways…to get the max value out of my purchases and to trim my spending. Ultimately, scrapbooking isn’t just about the product. Memory keeping doesn’t require special products or devices.

I need to focus more on storytelling and less on spending.

I will be posting updates on my spending freeze on the Victoria Marie FB Group, here on my blog, and on my YouTube channel. If you have started a spending freeze, tell us about it in the comments section!

Here’s to scrappy savings!

I love being a part of the “clique”…the Clique Kits that is! As I mentioned here, I am the September 2015 Guest designer for the Clique Kits scrapbooking club. And here is my first submission for the Clique Kit Blog!

When I received the Captured Kit, I couldn’t wait to make a layout! This kit included papers and embellishments from Cocoa Vanilla and Seven Paper.

About this layout…

Without a doubt, I love being a mom! It is the most important role I have and I cherish every moment that I have with my little munchkin. Recently my family and I went on a short family vacation to Austin, TX – a quick getaway from our normal routine. This picture was taken while we were enjoying a wonderful breakfast buffet at the Embassy Suites Arboretum.

After a full day of activities, we later settled into our hotel room. I decided to look at the pictures that I took that day and stopped at this photo. There are some days when I cannot believe that my little sprite is becoming such a lovely big girl. It seemed like only yesterday that I was holding her in my arms; she was ever so tiny. Now, she is a full fledge kindergartener, full of spunk and energy. I don’t care how big she gets…she will always be my baby! I am so glad that I took a moment to stop and take it all in.

Life goes by so fast.

I decided to create a layered look for both the base of the layout and the around the photo. For the base, I used three patterned papers, Lucky Dip and Flower Patch from the Hello Lovely collection by Cocoa Vanilla, and Baxter by Sever Paper. I mounted my photo on a glassine bag (which contained some of my Clique Kit goodies) and layer a fun assortment of die cuts, stickers, and tags from the Hello Lovely collection by Cocoa Vanilla and the Cienna collection by Elle’s Studio around my photo. I adhered all of this on the black corrugated paper from Fancy Pants Designs.

I used the exclusive Clique Kit pocket card as a space for my journaling and for my title, and the Gray Woodgran Alphas from Evalicious for the subtitle.

I added a doily that came with the packaging from my kit, along with exclusive Clique kit flare, sequins, and bit of silver thread and twine that I grabbed from my stash. I really love to create free flowing layout designs that are fun and have a lot of movement.

Another memory…Captured!

Check out the Clique Kits blog where I am being featured!

Also, check out the process video for this layout on my YouTube Channel!

I am so thrilled to announce that I have been invited to be one of the guest designers for Clique Kit, a scrapbooking kit club! For the month of September, Clique kit will feature a couple of my layouts using their Captured Kit.

This kit is so pretty – lots of pink, black, polka dots, stripes, and florals!

This kit features: (info from Clique Kit.com)

It is not surprising that this kit is sold out!

Thank you to the wonderful Clique Kit Team for selecting me to be the guest designer for September 2015! Be sure to check them out at http://www.cliquekits.com. Look for two process videos featuring layouts from this kit and links to the Clique Kit Blog!

As I mentioned here I am member of The Crafty Maven Getaway, a new YouTube channel that was started by my scrappy friend Hannah Lemieux. Hannah’s vision was to create a channel where scrappers could find inspiration, particularly aimed at former Two Peas in a Bucket subscribers. Our channel continues to grow which is really exciting!

A new video is posted daily (click here for more info) and today is my day to post a video. I am teaming up with my scrappy friend Sarah Branch Swann. She is a fellow YouTuber and oh so very talented!

Our inspiration for this week was this sketch by Shimelle Laine:

http://www.shimelle.com

Here’s my take:

This layout features a picture of my mom, brother, niece, and nephew. We celebrated my brother’s 50th birthday with dinner at Texas Roadhouse. He is a lover of steak! I love spending time with my family – this is not something that we do as often as we should.

By the way, his name is Love. Yep, L-O-V-E. It was the 60s…my mom was young!

(And he is the BEST big brother EVER!)

What I used:

• Pattern Paper – “Making Waves” by Fancy Pants
• Pattern Paper – “On the Dot” by Kaitlin Sheaffer  (for Scraptastic Kit Club, exclusive)
• Scraptastic exclusive: acrylics, velum die cuts, cut a parts, enamel dots, blue glitter font stickers, gold glitter arrow, and tabs
• Doilies by The Paper Studio (Hobby Lobby)
• Die Cuts: Simple Stories “So Fancy”, Shimelle, Simple Stories Chipboard “So Fancy”
• Heidi Swapp Color Shine – Navy
• Heidi Swapp Roller Date Stamp
• Journaling Pen – Staedtler Triplus Fineliner

Check me out on The Crafty Maven Getaway YouTube or on the Victoria Marie YouTube channel HERE.

Thanks for watching!!!

I love shopping for scrappy stuff! At this point in my life, I think I buy more scrappy goodies than I do clothes, shoes, and makeup! This past week I purchased items from Target, Tuesday Morning, and Scrapbook.com. I got some awesome deals, not to mention, I purchased a TON of Thickers.

I am obsessed…OBSESSED I tell you, with Thickers!!!

I can’t get enough.

Scrapbook.com was having an awesome sale on Thickers and other items. I couldn’t resist! I purchased 20 PACKS of Thickers along with chipboard sticker sheets and clips!

At Target, I couldn’t pass up this cute little tote…from the Dollar Spot! Only $3.00!!!!! I bought three of these sweet totes to store small embellishments and scrappy tools.

I am obsessed with planning…always have been! I found this gorgeous planner at Target (to keep up with my scrappy projects) and these awesome jumbo clips, sticky notes, and jumbo paperclips to match. Cute!!

At Tuesday Morning, I found a bunch of Maggie Holmes and American Crafts goodies! Be sure to check with your local Tuesday Morning for information about new shipment dates. Finding awesome goodies is dependent upon store location and shipment variety. I think I struck gold on this trip!

To see all of these goodies in detail, check out my most recent haul video:

Happy scrappin’!

Notice a fresh new look? I am so proud to introduce my very first Victoria Marie Logo! This is one step toward branding my hobby, that is quickly turning into a part-time career for me! I told myself that if I reached a certain number of YouTube subscribers and Facebook followers, I would consider branding my craft and work toward monetizing my scrappy efforts.

Well, that day has arrived!

I have a long way to go, but purchasing a  logo was part of the first steps. I looked for months before I found Indie Grace (Joell Norberg) on Etsy. I wanted something soft  with brush script, very light, nothing too cutesy. Joell is amazingly talented! I now consider myself a long-term customer!

I have updated my Facebook group, blog, and YouTube channel to reflect my new branding. I also made some changes to the style of my blog as well.

A special thank you to all of those who have supported me! I am so proud to be a part of such a wonderful community of creative people.

You are my tribe!

Each week on the Victoria Marie Facebook Group, I feature a Weekly Sketch Challenge. This challenge is designed to get the creative juices flowing and to encourage scrappers to get layouts DONE!

Who doesn’t love a sketch!

Here’s this week’s sketch challenge:

Sketch Credit: Allison Davis Sketchbook Challenge

I challenge you to think outside of the box a bit, especially if you are not a fan of two-page layouts and give this sketch a try. See what you can do with this and post your finished layout to the group page.

Tips:

• Don’t like traditional two-page layouts? Incorporate a pocket page (any size or orientation) as a part of your spread. (Look for a Scrapbooking for Mortals tutorial about using pocket pages for two-page layouts…coming this week!)
• Two-page layouts give you the opportunity to expand your story, use more photos and memorabilia, and to add extended journaling. Two-page layouts are also great for scrapping events, holidays, birthdays, trips/vacations, and much more!
• Creating two-page layouts allows you use up more of your stash!

You have all week to play along so take your time. Be sure to join the Victoria Marie FB Group and post your sketch challenge layout! We can’t wait to see what you create!