WOW!!!

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Drawing is fun! This is attempt #1 of lesson #3, and I am very pleased with it!!!

Drawing Lesson #2

So this is my first attempt at lesson #2, which introduced shading, very scary for me!!!

Oh Scrappy Christmas Tree...

So I'm living in France and the idea is to move back to America, but of course I am really homesick, especially at this time of year. I can't buy a bunch of Christmas stuff, because we will already have to send way too much stuff over there when we move, and it is EXPENSIVE!!! So what to do??? Borrow my mother-in-laws artificial tree and make my own little ornaments/decorations out of what I have on hand...my SLICE machine, cardboard from my mom's Christmas package to us, some figgy pudding paper, my crop-a-dile, eyelets, and some ribbon, including the strange metallic ribbon that is part of the Webster's pages hollywood vogue line! Hey, looks like Tinsel to me!!! And yes of course I brought all my scrapbook supplies with me to France!!!! Living without them for this year is really just out of the question. So without further ado, the close-ups:

Keepsake ornament.

Chapter 28 and an ATC swap with a new penpal!!!

This is from Angela from America, currently residing in England!

And this is Aurelien and I at the Buttes de Chaumont near our apartment in our early days last year...

Chapter 27

These are some more photos from that fun trip! I was really struck in those early days of us getting back together by how amazing Aurelien is with kids. It really touched my heart and made me fall even more in love with him. I knew that if we ever had kids, he would be my dream daddy for them!!!!!

Chapter 26

Our very first weekend away!!!

Thanksgiving in Paris placecards

These were really fun to make!!!

Chapter 25

Apologies ahead of time if this layout is too graphic for your taste, but it was really from my heart.

Chapter 24

Aurélien, totally a bachelor for many years, thought of so many cute little special touches to make me feel at home in our apartment. It was so sweet!

Chapter 23

And Voila! We were wondrously reunited after 12 years apart in September of 2009, in Paris, France.

Chapter 22

Waiting for me to come to Paris, and reunite after 12 years.

Chapter 21

Fast forward 12 years...

Chapter 20

Something Different! My first portraits!!!

I'm taking an online workshop by an artist named Willowing. It is called, "Art, Heart, and Healing". This is my latest portrait, my second attempt.


This is my best portrait ever, pre-workshop!!!

And this is my first portrait, the actual assignment for the class, which is an art journal page-self-portrait. I'm really excited because I never thought I could learn how to make something so cute!!! Willowing explains it in a way that I can really understand!!! I'm kind of feeling like doing this nonstop now!!!

Chapter 18 & 19

This was the most devastating heartbreak of my life...

Chapter 17

The beginning of the end...

Chapter 16

Chapter 15

Chapter 14

My niece helped with this one too! (Ithink she chose the stamped quote)

Chapter 13

This was a beautiful summer day in Oregon. My 7-year old niece helped me pick out the embellishments, I think she did a great job!!! And the paper is from Webster's Pages, one of my favorite paper companies!!!

Chapter 12

These are my thoughts and Aurélien's thoughts and words on the magic of that day.

Chapter 11

This was one of our really special places, Oneonta Gorge.

Challenge for Let's Get Shabby Blog challenge

The theme is music papers, bars, or notes...which I love to put into my projects anyway!!! I love this blog, they always have the prettiest challenges and projects: http://www.letsgetshabby.blogspot.com/

Chapter 10

Another Waterfall adventure with my nature boy!

Chapter 9

Some really beautiful memories here, wandering the woods and waterfalls of my lovely green Oregon with my wild-hearted boy by my side. Utterly perfect communion. My perfect companion.

chapter 8

The last week before I left New York.

Chapter 7

This was a really romantic date that I never forgot!!!

Some more photos from significant events in 1997

Scenes in New York City, circa 1997.

Chapter 4

These are images from the beginning of our relationship.

Chapter 3

Here I am, in 1997!!! His little cousin took these photos before we went out.

Chapter 2

More pictures of how he looked when we met.

The beginning of our love story

I'm back! I had a vacation in St. Palais, France, then I got married to my true love on July 26, then we went to St. Tropez, France for our honeymoon, then I went home to Portland, Oregon, USA for 10 days to visit family and bring back as much of my art studio as I could cram into my luggage. And now I'm ready to settle down in wedded bliss!

I am scrapbooking the story of my husband and I, starting from our beginnings, in 1997. Many more layouts to come!!!

Grafitti in Paris!

This was a fun picture!

Sightseeing in Paris!

Les Puces

I really wanted to go here, to the world's biggest flea market, St. Ouen's in Paris.

Super cute layout!!!

I am so happy about this layout! I managed to scrap totally in my style even with the little tiny amount of supplies I have here in France!!!!! Yay! I felt so proud!!! I miss my art studio in the USA so badly it hurts sometimes!!!!!!! But hopefully I will be back there with my new husband within a year!!!