Friday, December 30, 2011

Holden's 3rd birthday

My little man turned 3 on the 28th.  I can't believe he's 3 - where does the time go?!  The little boy next door has a trike that Holden just loves so for his birthday we got him one of his own.  He so far has done really well with it and even "parks" it in the garage at night.  Children are silly little creatures aren't they? :)  Here is a picture of him and his sister enjoying ice cream cake.




Every since I could remember we had a Carvel's ice cream parlor in one of the many shopping centers in Vienna, VA.  It is LONG gone by now but I remember going with my grandmother to pick up birthday cakes and/or the random ice cream cone.  Now we get them at our local grocery store and when Holden turned two we introduced him to my little family tradition.

Here is a picture of the big boy on his bike.  He's SO happy!  I have a feeling this is what he will be doing ALL weekend!  LOL!

Brooklyn Flea SC kit

Hi,
After a few months of drooling over the monthly kit club @ Studio Calico I decided it was time to add my name to the ever growing list of subscribers.  My first month (November) was the Brooklyn Flea kit and I just loved the back side of this Pebbles paper plus the 12x12 Bee's Knee's from Echo Park's Country Drive.  I had the 6x6 paper pack so I grabbed two photos of my little Zoe who had just turned one and created this. 


This (I think) is one of my best layouts I've ever done but I'm also one of those paper crafts that the magazines for some reason just don't dig.  it's OK though - when she's older she's going to love it!  and really that's all that matters. 

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

DD Day 6


This page is only a 6x12 (my fave of all the PL protectors) so the stuff off to the right is for Day 7 (which was the 70th anniversary of Pearl Harbor - this will be shown in another post).  I used G45's Christmas line from last year as well as Bella Blvd letters and some Mister Huey Custard mist.  I placed the letters onto the page and misted over them.  Then I peeled them off and sewed the word to the page.  This picture was taken one morning when I took Zoe downstairs before getting Holden ready.  She had never seen just the tree on by it's self and her eyes were as lit as the tree.  So beautiful! I took a quick pic without the flash and even though its a little blurry because she was so excited she kept moving it still came out perfect for me :) 

DD Day 5


Using the Websters "Black Friday" package I made day 5 to document the awesome view I had from my bedroom window @ night.  This is only our 2nd year in Deer Mountain and last year Zoe was just born so sleep deprived momma didn't notice all of our neighbors Christmas lights sparkling in the dark.  This is my first using Webster and I always thought it wasn't my thing.  I think I'm wrong because I have done two layouts (actual layouts) and just loved both.  I will be posting those layouts soon. 

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Just a few cards...

Here are 3 cards that I whipped up for a DT call that ended earlier this month.  I just love the new My Minds Eye Lost and Found two collections.  I love to cut things out and any of these collections (and any thing from Websters) are just perfect for the "fussy" cutter.  Just something fun and a good size to fit into my Project Life pages.  I love making stuff that has a  multipurpose :)

Merry Belated Christmas!

Wow - this month has totally gotten away from me!  While I continued to craft (I will be posting 3 cards later tonight) I spent time with my hubby and kids which equals a very neglected blog :(  This time of year is always a bit nuts.  It starts in Nov with my daughter and DH birthdays then Thanksgiving is shoved in the middle of that, then you've got Christmas and before you know it my baby boy is three!!!!  THREE!  When did that happen?!  Holden will be three tomorrow and he is just so smart and so handsome but it makes me so sad because now I'm wondering where the time went. 

I will post a birthday picture on Thursday of my not so little guy.  I guess he will always be little to me. 

Besides the 3 cards I mentioned above I will be a posting fiend this week.  I also have 3 layouts that I'm super happy with! (why is that - we should love everything we do but there are just some that stand out) and then I have whats left of my DD.  Which is a lot.  I have been working on it and still loving it I just haven't shared (how rude of me ;) 



Anywho 2012 is also shaping up to be one fun filled year.  I will be joining Ms. Ali Edwards for my very first "One little word"  and that word for me this new year is FORWARD.  I also signed up for another awesome class hosted by  Big Picture Classes  Move More, Eat Well.  Add some challenges and DT calls into the mix and all you need is cake...uh I mean an apple...and you have a party! 

So Merry belated Christmas to all and have a safe happy new year!!!  Go check out BPC and sign up for some fun!  (No I don't get paid to say that.  I really just love BPC! :)
xoxo
-M

Monday, December 12, 2011

Major Back Log....

I had such a great schedule planned for Dec.  Yeah...the execution was something to be desired.  I put a little too much on my plate this year (can't blame a girl for trying) so I took a little longer than I wanted to getting my "JOY" decoration done.  I finally finished it last night.    I even like it better than my boo :)

This is what I started with.  I was going to do "JOY" in all the same letters but when I got to the craft store they were all out of  O's.  So I had to get even more creative than I was planning to.  I grabbed this big one and decided I would figure out something.  I grabbed some white paint and started my project. 



I love the new Nordic collection from Basic Grey and at a stamp convention back in Sept I picked up one of Darcies ornament kits and some twill.  I added some distress inks to the fun and this is what I ended up with.  Enjoy! :)   

I also got day 2 done in Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of Christmas.  I've been following his awesome tags but not copying them.  Unfortunately I only got to day 2 - this was the one I had to defer to 2012.  My DD has really just taken over everything and I'm totally OK with it, happy even.  I'm having a blast with my DD and PL so it's all good :)  
Here is day 2:
I used Cosmo Cricket silver rub-ons, broken china and iced spruce for the back ground color, a little water, clear snowflakes from Imaginisce and Echo Park paper snow flake brad. 

Check back later for more DD pages.  I hope to "catch up" in the next day or two.  :)

Sunday, December 11, 2011

DD Day 4

Project Life protector & grid cards

Echo Park Seasons Greetings - decorations & ornament swag stickers

SC DD kit (#4 coaster, American Crafts green and red glitter stripe paper)

Jillibean Soup apple cider labels

DD Day 3

Project Life protector & grid cards

Cosmo Cricket (paper, ribbon, rub-ons, chipboard letters)

Doodlebug black letters in loopy loop

American Crafts Amy Tan thickers

felt JOY (unknown)

SC DD kit (Hambly Studios paper, Authentique her sticker, Echo Park brad, bottom part of chipboard calendar)

Designer Digitals Ali Edwards DD (date transparency)

A very late wreath post...

Hi everyone,
I am very very late with this.  I posted months ago that I like to make my own wreaths and showed you my new Halloween wreath :)  Since then I've put up one for Fall and one for Christmas.  I hope to do a winter/new years one but who can say....it's a bit nuts right now.


I did this one last year and I snapped this picture right before I took it down and put the one below up.  Funny thing is I let my dear hubby put this up and realized that it's upside down. haha oh well.  he still gets an A for effort.  
This one I did last year as well but the white flower got a bit squished.  I should have fluffed it before taking the picture.  Enjoy :)

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Back of the title page for my DD

Project Life protector


SC DD kit (chipboard calendar, light green twine, red ribbon, Jenni Bowlin Santa)

Bling accessories from Close to My Heart (crystal gem button and crystal/pearl stick pin)

Close to my heart brown/cream stripe ribbon

Cosmo Cricket "Dear Santa" rub-on

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

DD Day 2

Day two
Today was my son's first advent calendar.  He is starting to understand all the joys and wonders of the season so I decided it was time for his first advent calendar.  When I was a child my grandmother would get these for me filed with little chocolate treats.  I've seen a bunch of posts were other mothers are against the whole chocolate part but I don't give a whole lot of sweets (unless you count fruit) so I figure for 24 nights a small piece of chocolate is not going to hurt. 

This day my husband came off of orders and brought me a new Starbucks mug!  Oh and one of their chocolate muffins.  He's so awesome! 


Project Life protector & grid cards

Chatterbox paper (green)

Cosmo Cricket (for you sticker)

Red Velvet paper (unknown)

SC DD kit (#2 coaster, Jenni Bowlin paper, light green twine)

Sew Easy - We R Memories

DD day 1


For my first December day my son (who loves cows) always looks forward to seeing them on our way to work/sitters but today he also realized that there are lots of colored and/or white lights everywhere and now every time he gets in the car he asks "more lights?"

Project Life protector

Paper Smooches stamps - cow

Lawn Fawn stamps - lights

Doodlebug alpha in simply sweet (assort colors) 

SC DD kit (Teresa Collins, Jenni Bowlin, Hambly Studios overlay, SC Mister Huey's Holly Berry)

Designer Digital Ali Edwards DD (date transparency)

Sunday, December 4, 2011

My DD title page

Originally I had the 25 on chipboard but then cut it down to fit the original binder that was part of the kit.  I loved the look of Ali's cover and wanted to do something similar so I got a thing of white flock and went to town.  I ended up flocking it over and over again because it just wasn't coming out how I had it in my head and then I started to lose the coolness of this font so I whipped out the white paint and outlined the numbers.  It still wasn't looking exactly the way I wanted it which lead me to the icicle stickles.  This is when I really switched gears to do the 12x12 PL and now my chipboard was only 6x8.  I decided to grab the holly berry spray and a white piece of Bazzill.  I also grabbed my washi sliver tape from A Muse Studio's, some glitter glass by Melissa Frances and you can't do Ali's DD without her awesome Technique Tuesday December stamps (I highly suggest becoming a member)

Once I finish any project I put it up on my mantel and take a step back.  When I did this for this page I realized I was PL was the perfect fit for me and that I'm on the right track!  Stay tuned for 25 more layouts :)   

My Project Life review....

As i scanned the blogs one day I kept seeing a consistent theme from all the bloggers posting their project life pages.  What I noticed right away was that they were putting items in their pages that traditional scrapbookers don't really scrapbook (but always wanted to).  I thought that was cool but not enough to sell me. 

I'm a die hard traditional scrapbooker.  So seeing something like this makes me skeptical.  When I end up in the skeptical zone I scrutinize, I scoff and think no way - it's not for me!

Keep in mind that I'm behind - I know, aren't we all, but I'm REALLY behind.  My son's book is only up to his first birthday, he will be 3 this month.  My daughter who just turned 1 doesn't even have a first year book like my son does. UGH behind! 

For some reason about two months ago I guess I had seen enough and thou still being really skeptical for some reason I ordered it off of Amazon anyway.  When it arrived I looked through it but my lack of excitement made me stick it under my desk, and there it sat until a week ago. 

My verdict...

I don't like PL. 


I love it.

I wonder what my issue was and why I didn't just trust the genius behind PL - Ms. Becky Higgins with being able to do what I needed to do in WAY less time.  The thing that sold me?  I am able to capture my memories, jot down all the crazy stuff my 3 year old says and 1 year old does and still use all my traditional sb supplies.  In fact is so much less stressful! 

You aren't staring at a huge piece of paper.  Each page has a bunch of different pockets so it's like doing a bunch of mini sb layouts on one page.  It all works together, you can journal (which was a big issue for me) AND you can get the 6x6 paper packs that not only save space but are 1/4 of the price of the big packs!!!!  

With that being said I am doing my DD (see earlier post) with PL and loving every page! 

Thursday, December 1, 2011

December is a busy month & Moxie Fab World's Championing Award Medallions Challenge

Hi everyone,
December is setting out to be one crazy month!  And I'm not talking the regular shopping, decorating, baking etc etc crazy.  I'm talking about taking on WAY too many projects for one's sanity ;)  SO just what am I up too?  Well besides my A Muse Studio "business" (see my other blog @ http://www.itsallveryamusing.blogspot.com/) I have decided to do Tim Holtz's12 days of tags AND Ali Edwards' December Daily/25 days book.  I am also working on my home decor and just like the BOO for Halloween I've got a JOY for Christmas coming this way too.  Yes I know I'm nuts, but in a fun way I guess.  So without further ado... Here is my first tag in my TH "collection".  I will be adding this in with my 25 days so at least it goes hand in hand.  Since this little guy also has a rosette I am adding it to the Moxie Fab World  challenge just for fun.  Yes I know I said no more challenges but this just happened to fall within the challenge guidelines so why not toss my hat into the ring...

I wanted to something along the lines of sugar plum fairy and even though I find this a bit cutesy for me I think it came out pretty well.  All the stamps are from A Muse Studio, the tags (Tim Holtz) and the glass glitter (Melisa Frances) I purchased from Simon Says Stamp.  I used Versa Mark for the back ground stamps then took two of Tim's limited edition colors - Seedless Preserves (fall) and Festive Berries (winter) and swirled them on to each corner.  I then took antique linen and covered the entire tag to give it a more grunge look.  I then took my Martha Stewart scoring board (can't paper craft without this tool!) and made the rosette from MMBI Christmas kit paper pack.  I once I scored the 1.5 inch strip I balled it up then flattened it out, ran over it with more antique linen and then attempted to fold it.  There are some rips and a few parts that didn't want to fold up but that's just all part of the "look".  I grabbed my nesting circles from spellbinders for the center, gave that an antique linen treatment and then stamped in black my sentiment.  I stamped out our little ginger bread couple, cut them out and gave them some antique linen treatment.  To color them I used a white gel pen for the "icing" and my awesome copics for the buttons and eyes.  I also stamped out 3 gum drops, ran them through the seedless preserves and then used icicle stickles and glitter glass to give them the look of sugar.  Because I felt it needed more bling I used the same stickles and glitter around the circle.  Grabbed some ribbon out of my stash for the green bow and used A Muse Studios' twine (dragged that through antique linen as well - can you tell it's one of my favorite colors) for the ribbon on the top. 


Whew!  What a post!  I think that's the longest one I've done so far.  Well only 11 more to go as well as my DD (daily December) book and Joy decor to post.  It's going to be one crafty month!  I will do my best to post almost every day.  Thanks everyone :)