Trust a Witch

It's that time of year...Halloween is near. The season of the Witch. They have been persecuted and misunderstood throughout the centuries, yet they strive on. They were the village Doctors, the counselors, the shamans, the teachers. They were important parts of community life, offering help and healing to anyone in need.

This time of the year they seem to be everywhere, only to fade into the shadows the rest of the year. But, they're always here, even in this day and age, working, learning, teaching, healing.

I hope you all have a safe and Happy Halloween!

This layout was created with the Mummy-sh {Bundle}, a collab from Aimee Harrison Designs Studio, ADB Designs, Mad Genius Designs, and The Urban Fairy.

Autumn...again and again, Autumn

Honestly, I would be happy with Autumn year round. I'm sure I've said that before, haven't I?

Autumns here in the Silicon Valley area are very different from the Autumns in Ohio, where I grew up. In Ohio we had the leaves, the colors, the cooler weather, the frost....ahhhh!! I love all of it! Here, we have a tiny bit of colorful leaves, but we do have weather changes...the hot dry days of Summer give way to cooler days, with clouds and occasional rain. The cooler nights start first, then, before we know it, there's light rain, washing off the dust that has been sitting around since July.

I love it. After 13 years here, I'm learning the seasonal patterns, and falling in love with them. The migratory songbirds started showing up here a few weeks ago. White Crowned Sparrows spend the winter here in the trees and bushes beside our patio. Their cheery song and striking head stripes are always a delight to me, even when they wake me up at the crack of dawn after only two or three hours of sleep. I can't help it, I'm a bird girl.

13 years. Yup. October 9th was our 13th anniversary...yet another reason why I love Autumn.

I've been drooling over the Project 365 kits from Digilicious Designs. When I saw the October edition, I fell in love!!! Luckily my longtime friend, Jaymie, sent me some Ohio leaf love with her adorable sons!

What's your favorite season??

Family is everywhere

I've been living here in California for 13 years as of September 27th. While I love it here, my very best girlfriends are still back in Ohio. Occasionally I get to missin' them something awful, and when I do, I digiscrap pictures of them and their families.

With Fall in full swing for most folks in the Northern Hemisphere, my thoughts turn to leaves, cool air, and bonfires with those girlfriends. Since they're not here, and we can't make that happen, I got to work. A couple of weeks ago, my friend Renita posted this photo from several years ago on Facebook. It's her and her two oldest kids, looking great. I fell in love with it! When this kit came along, I knew it was a perfect match!

When this kit came along, I knew it was a perfect match! The kit is a collaboration between Aimee Harrison and ScrappyCocoa and it's called Autumn Sunset. The warm fall colors really speak to me, and that touch of plum just put it over the top!

Now I'm not missing them all quite so badly!

November Beauty

I don't know how many times I can say that this time of the year really is my favorite. Is anyone counting?? November 2nd was my 37th birthday, then on Nov 8th one of my best girlfriends, Ashley, had her birthday.


I met Ashley when I went to a bead store in San Juan Bautista, she and her mother were the owners. She had such an infectious laugh that I ended up spending a lot of time there. We became fast friends. That was about  years ago or so. Almost a year ago she decided to close the bead shop and move up closer to San Francisco with her boyfriend. We used to be able to have some great hangout time around my bead table here at home. But now, the distance and her work schedule make that difficult. When we do get together, we have such a great time! She's one of the sweetest women I have ever met, and I'm so happy to have her in my life.

Both of these layouts were created using the kit November's Topaz by Aimee Harrison Design Studio. The kit really captures the glow of November's birthstone. Warm golden yellow and bronze with hints of brown and cream. It's available over at the Digital Scrapbooking Studio

Ashley's smile really lights things up. She has a way of making the air around her just glow with sweetness!

Autumn Blessings

I have to say...I miss Autumn in Southern Ohio. The trees...the leaves...the final harvest in the fields...and the Autumn rains. I can smell it just typing those words. On, bonfires, I can't forget those. That crackle, the woodsmoke, and watching the embers glow after the fire dies down. There's nothing like it, at least not in this part of California.

Being so Autumn sick, I've been immersing  myself in Autumn creativeness. It's one way to shake the blues!

Both of these pages were created with the kit Autumn Blessings, a collaboration between Linda Cumberland and Julie Cohen from The Digital Scrapbooking Studio

I hope you're all enjoying Autumn!
Blessings.
Peace.
Joy

Fall Goodies at The Studio

As of a couple of weeks ago I am now a member of the Creative Team over at The Digital Scrapbooking Studio. Part of my duties as a CT member is to create with new products from designers at The Studio. With Fall being in full sing now, both of the kits I am featuring today are Fall themed. :)

First off, I created a couple of layouts with the beautiful Autumn Grove Bundle from Digilicious Designs. The subtle colors of this kit really spoke to me. It has a very vintage feel to it, but in a modern kind of way. Does that make sense?? Anyway. First off is my niece Milora and one of my favorite pictures of her.

Isn't she a cutie? Her mom (my sister in law) made her little outfit for her. I thought it was perfect for the modern vintage feel of the kit. Up next, one of my best girlfriends and her little boy. He's now two years old, and I've been holding on to these photos for a while now. They're just so precious.

 

I think the kit worked perfectly for a more masculine theme as well. This yummy brown paper really pulled me in. It's so simple, but the color is just divine!   

Up next, a really fun and funky kit, Autumnal from Ruby Lane Designs. I'm a huge fan of the rich jewel tones in this kit, they remind me of autumn in southern Ohio. Ruby Lane will be a guest designer over at The Studio in November, so check back for links to her beautiful creations! 

Another page featuring the lovely Milora! That smile is infectious, isn't it?

This LO features a vintage picture of Maude Fealey. She was an actress in early silent films and also in "talkies", she starred in nearly every movie directed by Cecil B. DeMille. On top of that she had a somewhat successful career as a playwright and stage actress. Her beauty is, to me, quite captivating. 

 

So, what are you working on for Fall?