Stackaholic Challenge and a Happy Mailbox

Have I ever posted a scrapbook page on this blog?!?  I have been neglecting my first paper love: my scrapbooks.  I have a lot to catch up, and doing this Stack-a-holic template challenge over at DCWV finally got me in the groove again! Bout freakin time...

September layout challenge sketch

The hardest part was finding one single picture to put on a whole 12x12 page.  I never ever put just one picture, I usually cram as many in as possible.  I decided to showcase a picture of my darling puppy Meeko, from our Maine vacation...

I followed the sketch pretty super closely, I wanted to stay inside the lines :)  I used only papers from the DCWV Dots, Stripes, and Plaids stack. The little polka dot chipboard piece is even from a dots, stripes, and plaid embellishment collection that I had around... win.  I stamped the little fox from Lawn Fawn and colored it with color pencils, we always say our little guy looks like a baby fox awww.  The title says "dog days of Summer"

So I was so into this idea that I couldn't stop.  And you know I have a million more pictures of my puppy in Maine, so I made a second page along the same theme...

omg i heart my puppy like so much

 see what I mean? I need to get a lot of pictures on that damn page.  I repeated some of the rectangles and the same glittery black ribbon.  All the papers are also from the DCWV dots, stripes, and plaid paper stack.

the two pages side by side.

Changing Gears!...

I was so so so smiley when I checked the mail today to find a gooorrrgeeouuusss creation, made just for me, by my amazing crafty friend Kari.  She has so much talent, and such a big heart, she surprised me with this birthday card! I don't know how long I was "awwww"-ing, my husband didn't know what was going on.  Here's what she made me :)

lovely bday card from Kari!

I am definitely swooning over this.  It was so so nice to get this from her, it totally made my day! THANK YOU KARI!!!!

<3 Rachel w k