Paul's Baptism

Hambly overlay and an assortment of rub-ons made for a very fast page. Gotta love overlays!

Fire thrower

I do believe this is one of my most fav photos from our trip. When I had it blown up I was amazed at the detail - no flash photography and the guy was a ways away - so for a brief moment I guess I was very still and caught the moment. Double click on the layout and check out his hands. Love the motion - shutter speed was just right.

Anyways, used fancy pants paper (Vivid) Mambly overlays (corner flourishes) some very cool oh so Hawaiian ribbon, SEI epoxy stickers (Madera Island) ...I have used these on many pages, gold pebbles and the new...(oh wow these are sooo beautiful) Prima essentials 4 Angelique flowers. Yeah Prima!

Yeah 8X10's - so much fun!

Outdoor Lifestyles

Another fun overlay - kept it simple. David and I love this photo of us on the rocky shores of Oahu watching the raging ocean - amazing power, sounds, smells and the feel of ocean mist on your face. Spectacular! And an incredible testimony to my Lord's power. Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Rev 19:6

Creative Imaginations overlay, BG archaic 'timeworn', Hot off the Press Chocolate Flowers - love em. And JSI's famous gel pens - white. Double click on the layout for a closer look.

Blessings!

Julie

The Good Life? Another magazine overlay.

Another overlay - don't forget to check out the military overlay of Mark below.

Lots of journalling. Feeling verbose I guess (or perhaps this is pms or premenopause - yikes), but felt I needed to journal about what I was feeling is The Good Life lest anyone come to the conclusion that because this picture is from our recent trip, that the Good Life has to involve expensive trips. It doesn't. All the money in the world will not make you happy or give you The Good Life. The Good life is about hope and joy even when life throws you curve balls that are too hard to dodge. Everyone can have The Good Life - it has nothing to do with luck or money or things. It is more our attitude - how we see the things that happen in our lives - the good the bad and the ugly.

Right now is a good time in our lives - no question. And I am so enjoying it - every moment of it. It was a long time coming. The kids are grown - almost, although they still need us, and my going back to work has given us the opportunity to travel. I feel blessed! (two years ago when I was working full time plus and totally overwhelmed with the learning curve of returning to a professional job after 15 years away from it, I would have said THIS is the most stressful time in my life - but I hung in there - gained many grey hairs and got back in the swing of things). Now we are reaping the blessings from that.
The time of 24/7 investment in our children is winding down and we have time, finally, for each other. It almost feel like we are rediscovering each other after 25 years of working on everything but ourselves. Kids, David's careers, mortgage, food budgets, payments, school curriculums...all that stuff that felt like it would never end is easing - but it was still The Good Life! I wouldn't change a thing. And having Christ at the center of it all made it all very wonderful - He carried us through many trials.
So here we are today and as I type David is on a long telephone conversation with our son far away from us about significant career changes and another son just phoned earlier to say he would be on the highway at 3am heading to a new job in Wpg at 7am - and he hasn't packed. So the worries continue - they are different worries. You know there is something very satisfying about tucking your wee ones into bed at 8pm - safe and sound! Miss those days as tiring as they were. This is The Good Life too. And with Jesus, the BEST is yet to come!

Just my thoughts today as I contemplate what The Good Life really is. :) I used the new My Minds Eye paper 29th st Market - great colours, the BG archive line - Creative Imaginations overlays, some flowers and pebbles and ribbon. The journalling took twice as long as the page. I guess that now makes up for all the pages I never journal on!! haha - I am off the hook for at least three months!

One more overlay I am working on - my desk is a mess of all the new stuff from JSI - just spread it all out and I am oohing and awing over it - time to put it away so I have a place to work.

Blessings!

Julie
BTW - for those who didn't know. I sing in an adult choir and tonight we had our spring concert. It went very well although not a great turnout unfortunately....but after several rehearsals this week and singing for two hours tonight, I am very tired (no voice left) off to bed! I forgot my camera - so no photos of us. One day I will scrapbook some of my old photos from concerts years past. Life is busy but it really is The Good Life!

Militaria

I love this page - it looks so much better in real life - come see it in the store! Colours are way better in real.
These magazine overlays from Creative IMAGINATIONS came in to JSI about three weeks ago. I had to grab the military one - just because I knew somewhere in my archive of military photos of Mark, there would be one that would work. And there was. However the overlay was decidedly American so after lightening the left side of the 8x10 cropped photo, so the words would show up, I added Canadian DART and the DART logo. Getting the logo was a bit time consuming but time flies when I work in Photoshop. hehe I got the logo off another photo of Mark. First searched the Canadian Forces site for a nice clean one that would not need any fixing up - but do you think they have their DART logo on any of their sites?? No - so I cut this off Marks shoulder from another photo - love that magic wand tool - fixed it up - finicky - and put it and the words directly on the photos where they would line up with the overlay words. Printed the photo and viola! It now has a Canadian presence.
The background paper is new BG - my favorite 'boxer' skinny jeans. To add some military green and a little red I cut two strips from the new Fancy Pants transparencies that came in yesterday afternoon- these colourful strips are perfect for adding that one more colour to a page. Then I rummaged through my stuff and found this military guy from "Memories in Uniform" We still have these in the store...are Laura and I the only ones using military stuff???? And my friend Jo-Ann in Alberta whose husband is serving in Afghanistan right now. Pray for Jo-Ann and her husband. They will be separated for six months. Thinking about you Jo-Ann! Let me know how things are going.


Stay tuned! I have two more overlays I am working on.

Blessings to you all,

Julie

Family Life!

Another fun layout using the overlays ...Just Scrap It is sold out of all but the "GO magazine for active men" .. but more have been ordered and are on their way! Or make an 8X10 of your favorite guy.

Journalling reads..." The family that PLAYS together, STAYS together. That’s for sure – and we are a family that loves to play…whether it is just horsing around, card games or board games we do like to spend time together. Everyone knows how to play bridge – not hard to get a foursome going in our house!

This photo was take in July 2005. I am scrapbooking it July 2007. I love how the boys are having fun, Allison is laughing at them and Harold is amused but doesn’t want to be part of anything physical today. Melina can always capture the emotion, the joy, the happiness in our family pictures.

I love my kids! They are terrific – every one of them! Each so special in there own unique way! Our FAMILY LIFE is really wonderful!"

Thanks for looking,
Julie

More pages...

More of the Creative Imaginations overlays...

Journaling reads... Our TEEN girl ! …the sweetest TEEN in the world

Yah, I can see you on the front of a magazine – not a glamour magazine because you are too real for that stuff. You are not out to be something you are not or to impress the world. You are just you and perfect the way God made you.

And yes you have the perfect smile – not from whitened or flawlessly straight teeth, but a perfect smile because it is seen in your eyes – the window to the soul. Your smile reveals the real, pure, sweet, honest, chaste, quiet you!

First date jitters? What’s that? No issue there.

Shopaholic? Well you did go through an American Eagleaholic phase. Is it over? …saving for University now!

Beautiful lashes instantly?
I think we are getting through that phase now too. Your gorgeous sparkling blue eyes are shining through again.

WOMEN Magazine! There are very few pictures of me because I am behind the camera all the time and even fewer good pictures of me. But David caught me with our point and shoot Olympus ...very relaxed one evening in Mexico!

Journaling reads ....are you ready for this?

Desperate housewife?
You bet!

Desperate for a husband who takes me to a five star resort on the Mayan Riviera where I relax after a day of lounging on the beach.

Wouldn’t that give any girl a million dollar smile? ……Ohhh yes!

And no clones!
I want him all to myself!

Ha ha...having sooo much fun on my first day off to myself in 2 weeks!

Julie