a little bit of me.

{3.31}

the VERY last day of the month.

which always kind of makes me just a little bit sad, bc i know that it means the 2nd of the next month is pretty much here - and that =s another month older for mr. noahpants.  ;)

and so, i thought i'd just do a little round-up post on what is going on here - today, on march 31st...

...Noah FINALLLLLLY scored his FIRST TOOTH (his bottom left) - which i've been feeling for daaaaays - but it just managed to push its way through his little gumline.

...we're on DAY FOUR of rainy spring break 2011 with Ev.  He's a little bit peev'ed that the swim time at the Y that i promised him hasnt taken place yet.  Instead we've been doing every indoor activity we can think of.  We rode the train at the mall today.  Tuesday we went to the grocery store to buy ice cream and we rode the "car cart" - photo from my iphone (sidenote>>it's pretty sad when the car cart is a spring break highlight!)

...we've been playing lots of trains.  Noah usually gets to be "Percy".  Evan is the official train dictator.  ;)

...i am anxiously awaiting my Studio Calico MAY kit - it's going to be a total scrap FIESTA when it arrives, because I ordered all four addons - a FIRST for me.  ;)  May is awesome, you all!

...IN THE MEANTIME -- i have the MOST DELICIOUS assortment of new Pebbles papers (from this line!) spread out on my scrapdesk with the hopes that I'll be able to make something with it this weekend.  -- Desperately need to catch up Noah's every month scrapbook - I'm determined to have all 12 months done when he turns one!

...i tried to sneak N's 10 month photos in a bit early this month.  We wandered into the backyard (for the 2 minutes that it stopped raining) this afternoon while evan was still napping.  Unfortunately Noah really just wanted to eat leaves.  ;)  ha.

...Evan and i have read "Danny & the Dinosaur" 27 times since purchasing it yesterday on clearance.  I convinced him that he wanted it when i saw the illustrations.  Im almost tempted to go back and buy another copy so i can frame some of the pages in his room!?

...I have an almost-finished assortment of delicious (and VERY girly) quilt blocks spread out on the guest bed in my office - these are for a quilt for my verrrrry patient friend Katie - whose baby is now almost 6 months old - and still hasn't recieved her gift quilt from me.  oooooops.

...and I'm so excited for a lazy weekend at home this week.  yay.  ;)  let's hope for some sunshine!

{Noah's First Year Minibook}

I thought i'd take today to share this little album that i put together for a Fiskars article that went live on the Fiskars Crafts site last week...

When i planned out this minibook, I really wanted to create something that would "house" Noah's first year - at a glance - with a bit of journaling tucked in from all of the monthly posts that I do here on the blog.

So what i came up with was a SIMPLE concept for a book that would have a page for each month of Noah's first year - with one photo per page - and that photo would double as a "pocket" for a journaling tag that would have some of the details included from Noah's update for that month.

I love the way the book turned out - lots of aqua and lime green - and these CUTE little hearts (a new fave of mine) throughout.  Along with super-simple embellies made out of paper punches.

I used this favorite fabric paper on the cover - for a little extra somethin-something other than the normal patterned paper.  :)

The 'theme' of this project was SIMPLE and DO-ABLE.  :)  I wanted everyone to be able to easily do one of their own.  I'm so happy that I got it done for him (and me!) and now it can just be filled in for the remainder of the year.  It's definitely something that you can do in advance of your baby actually turning one.

You can see all the details & more instructions in the article that I wrote for Fiskars HERE - and I also wanted to mention that this will be my very last project for Fiskars Crafts. 

I have been a member of the Fiskars Design/Creative Team for a little over 4 years now, and with the recent release of a competitive tool by another company that I also work with - I unfortunately had to make a difficult decision and relenquish my spot on the Fiskars team.  I have LOVED every moment that I spent with this crafting giant of a company (!) - and am so thankful for the experience that they gave me and the projects that I accomplished as a part of their team.  ((And I just didn't want anyone to wonder why it disappeared from my sidebar!))

:)

{SC: Singing in the Rain Revealed}

It's getting rainy in here.  ;)

Studio Calico's April Kit - Singing in the Rain, is now live...  hurry!!!!

...and this is what i made with it.

9 Months - another page for Noah's every month album.  I have a few gaps in his book that need to be filled in asap - hope to get that done soooon!  The chevron stamp that i used with aqua zing on the cloud punch at the top is available in the Tap Dance Addon.  Loved that stamp - so many great uses (its a 4x6 background stamp).

Son-Shine - I used the flag stamps from the Moses Supposes addon to make my sun "rays".  Along with my FAVORITE new Mister Huey - Lemonade.

Let's Go Outside - Is just a couple quick snapshots of the boys from last weekend that i loved.  The title was cut from kraft cardstock with my silhouette machine.  And there's a bit of Mister Huey in Bonnie Blue along with Mister Huey in Calico White spritzed on the tag behind my journaling.

If you're picking up this kit -- Make sure that you grab a little extra of the super CUTE studio calico exclusive print paper HERE, and also a pack of More Color HERE (it will make your kit last even longer!).

:)

{I've Got Sneaks!!!}

ETA (again!) -- One More Reveal Day Sneak....  wooohooo :)  happy reveal day SC peeps!  Which add-on are you going to try to snag today?!  ;)

and pssst - just realized that my very FAVORITE bumpy road border punch is back in stock in the shop - love this little guy!!! :)

****************

to celebrate the Gators WIN & advancement to the elite eight - i thought i'd go ahead and post my Studio  Calico Sneak Peeks tonite!  wooohooo ;)  & Go Gators!

Singing in the Rain is the name of the SC April Kit - So cute, right?!

...the flag stamps that are in add on #3 - Moses Supposes- also doubled as sun rays for me.  Along with a little Apricot and Mustard Zing!.  :)  Loved the hints of aqua in add on #3, too!

...I used Leaf Zing! on the starburst in the sneak above.

...Powder Blue Zing! used on the cute little cloud above.

All of the chipboard in the main ended up being perfect for covering & embossing with Zing!  Such a super-simple process and you've created your own little glossy custom embellie.

Yes, Chipboard + Zing! officially now ranks as my favorite new little technique.  ;)

(only a few days till reveal!!!  yay.)

ETA: This little Zing! Colorwheel that I created as a reference tool for myself - and to make selecting Zing! while I'm scrapping a bit easier...

Almost the complete collection of Zing! Opaques pictured here (I think I may have left butter, out - oops!)...

1 - Rouge, 2 - Grapefruit, 3 - Apricot, 4 - Mustard, 5 - Leaf, 6 - Cricket, 7 - Powder, 8 - Aqua, 9 - Wave, 10 - Denim, 11 - Lavendar, 12 - Blush, 13 - Brown Sugar, 14 - Chestnut, 15 - Charcoal, 16 - Black

And the 5 that I LOOOVED with this kit:

...Apricot, Mustard, Powder, Leaf, and Aqua.

:)

{The Weekend}

...was spent watching basketball, enjoying ice cream cones, and playing outside.

I'm so so SO excited that we've hit springtime in florida.  i adore this time of year.  :)

(digi photo frame found here!)

...and i picked some give-a-way winners, too!  posts updated below.  Email me if i picked you!

hope you all had a great weekend also.

:)

{March Madness}

We've got full-blown basketball love going on in our house this weekend.  :)

(i put this on facebook last night but thought that it needed to live on the blog, too!)

Eric picked up these headbands when he was in Gainesville for a game earlier in the season.  And the only way that we could convince Evan to wear his last night at gator game time was to let him have his basketball lollie left over from valentines!

i kind of love the way noah is looking at us like we're all nutso.  ;)

Happy Basketball Watching Everyone... & Go GATORS!!!!

ps - i'm leaving both of my giveaways below open through the weekend - so be sure to comment if you haven't already.

{American Crafts Blog Hop!}

ETA: WINNER INFO (comments now closed - thanks everyone!) >>>

I feel lucky for little finger prints today, I love how they seem to be everywhere and r a little reminder of my biggest blessings

Posted by: Stephanie Buice | March 17, 2011 at 11:41 AM

(SO very VERY true Stephanie!!!)

******************

Hippity Hoppity...  Happy St Patty's Day & Welcome to my little stop on the American Crafts Blog Hop!

My boys were sweet enough to indulge me in some St Patty's day photos last week...

...because really, how could I possibly pass up the opportunity to make my baby sport holiday head-wear & a sparkle bow tie?!  ;)

...& Evan is a huge fan of these boots that I let him pick out at Target a few weeks back.  I kinda love them too.  ;)

And since Noah's been getting a lot of the scrapbook attention lately - I decided to use Ev's spunky little pics to create my blog hop layout today - with a St Patty's Day theme of sorts.

My Blog Hop Page uses my favorite new AC line - Campy Trails.  >>> This line is not just for the camping enthusiasts out there - as proven by the fact that i definitely DO NOT camp and still absolutley ADORE this line.  :) 

Its more of just the great mix of warm colors - brown, orange and lime green - along with supercute embellies and accents.  PERFECT for all of the scrapbooking boy mommas out there!

This is what I made with some of my Campy Trails goodies and a couple of the St Patty's Day inspired pics that I took of Evan last weekend...

St Pattys Day with a twist.  ;)  Plus, I mixed & matched the new AC lines a bit & squeezed a strip of this gorgeous paper from the new AC Hello Sunshine line onto the bottom of the page.

I'm kind of smitten with the new Large Flair buttons that AC came out with, with this release.  They remind me when I used to make my own "flair" style buttons in elementary school.  :)

So that's my page, and this is what I'm giving away...

woohoo!  :)  just leave me a comment and tell me what you feel lucky for today.  I'll leave this give-a-way open through the weekend.

Layout Supplies:

Cardstock - American Crafts

Patterned Paper (all by American Crafts) - Sweetwater Cabin, Gossamer, Salmon Cove, Elk Creek Trail

Chipboard Alphabet Thickers (American Crafts)

Embellishment - Button Style large Flair (American Crafts)

Mist - Mister Huey's White, Maya Road Irridescent Pearl Mist

*********

Now be sure to hop on over to the next stop & visit my friend Suzy Plantamura's Blog!

:)

{Stubby Pencil Studio Give-A-Way!}

ETA - WINNER INFO (comments now closed - thanks everyone!) >>>

Crafting with my niece and nephew is a great way for us to bond. The special moments and laughter during arts and crafts time with their "not-so-artsy-but-tries-to-be" auntie are memories I hold dear in my heart. My favorite thing to do is trace an outline of our hands, note the date, and watch how their hands grow each month. I can't wait to do this with smencils!!! I'm a huge fan of eco-friendly products and just became a fan of Stubby Pencil Studio. Arts & crafts time is going to be much more fun with these cool products.

Posted by: Julie

(ENJOY Julie!!!)

***************

I was recently introduced to the cutest little eco-friendly website for crafty kids (& mommas!) >>> Stubby Pencil Studio!

This family-run small business stocks a whole range of "green" art supplies, toys, books, and more.  The owner, Kate, was sweet enough to send Evan and I a few products to "test" out.  ;)  And I'm so glad that she did, bc I've now discovered what I'll be gifting all of ev's friends with for upcoming birthdays!

My favorite from our artsy little box of goodies were the vibrant colored baby pencils.  ((we all know that i'm a sucker for color!))

We've been working on writing letters and writing evan's name here at home - and these pencils were perfect for me to first draw the letters of his name, and then have him trace over them with various other colors.  And when that was done we drew some of evan's current favorite coloring subject matter -- "Spaceships & Bugs"!

Evan's favorite was the super-cute little package of crayon rocks.  Perfect for him to hold, and totally fun bc he kept telling me that "it's a rock, momma!".  ;)  Plus they're made from non-toxic soy wax.  BONUS!

We also spent some time painting during our artsy-crafty afternoon using these preschool watercolors along with our little table-top easel.  I love that the brush that came with this set is more of a REAL paint brush than the flimsy ones that kids inevitably get accustomed to.

And finally we broke out these beeswax crayons to draw some more "spaceships" with ;) - i was SO impressed by how incredibly colorful and smooth these crayons were to color with. 

Kate was kind enough to not leave baby Noah out of the mix - and sent him the cutest little wooden clicking fish toy (made by plan toys).  We LOVE wooden toys in our house.  Noah loved it too - as proven by the fact that it went straight into his mouth.  ;)

and now to the give-a-way part...  woohoo!  :)

Kate put together this AMAZING give-a-way for one of my blog readers... an eco-friendly Easter Basket...

Filled with: Felt Flower Garden Basket: 6x9 Ecojot Sketchbook, E-color-gy Washable markers, Set of 10 Smencils, Soy Crayons, Mary's Softdough Rainbow Tub, Softdough Tool set, Yummy Earth Organic Lollipops, Color 'n Kids Garden Pals cards, Double Pencil Sharpener. Spring Top Pencil, Color Blackboard chalk, and more… (Approx value $100).

....JUST LEAVE ME A COMMENT and tell me either what your favorite crafty activity is to do with your kids OR what your favorite product is from Stubby Pencil Studio - and you'll be entered to win.

You can grab extra chances at winning by following Stubby Pencil Studio on Twitter HERE - or by tweeting yourself about this give-a-way - or by "liking" Stubby Pencil Studio on facebook HERE.  Just leave me a comment for each ;)

I'll leave the give-a-way open until Friday night - good luck & happy crafting with your kiddos!  :)

{Scrappy Stripes - A New Quilt!}

((so much fun to be able to write a quilty blog post today!))

;)

The quilt that i blogged a peek of HERE, is finally finished.  yay!  When I was on my quilting streak before Noah was born, I was truly convinced that I would still have plenty of time to sew and quilt after he arrived.

haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

I'm seriously thrilled that I had the chance to get just this one project done in the 9 months since he's been born.  ;)

And I'm calling it "Scrappy Stripes".

It was 100% inspired by this quilt here.  I love looking at Flickr for quilting inspo! 

I wanted a project to use a bit of my long-hoarded Flea Market Fancy stash on, and this was the perfect opportunity.  I just cut wonky & chunky strips of various prints that i liked and arranged with strips of white cotton in between, and seamed it all together.  The wonkier the better.

In fact - it's so "wonky" that one side of the quilt is longer than the opposite.  oops!  but that's totally ok.  Noah told me he doesn't mind. ;)

All of the baby quilts (with the exception of the every month "if it's a boy quilt") that I crafted while I was pregnant and waiting for Noah were made to match his gender neutral nursery - since we didn't actually know that he was a HE.  And so this one was made especially for him.

My goal was to get it done before he was crawling - so that he could use it as a little playmat on the floor - but we quickly jumped into scoot/crawl mode this week - so I guess I'll just have to play on it myself while he scoots all over the place around me.  ;)

As previously mentioned - the fabrics are mainly from Denyse Schmidt's Flea Market Fancy line along with her Katie Jump Rope line (both out of print) with a few other favorite polka dots and other prints thrown in.  They were all in my stash already.

The actual quilting was free motion stippling with white thread.

The backing is super-easy -- almost all Kona white cotton with one big scrappy stripe running through the middle.

The binding is mainly an Amy Butler grey colored solid that I had leftover from this quilt - mixed with a few other prints used in the quilt - for a truly scrappy looking binding to match the theme of the quilt.  :)

I attempted to get Mr N to model his new quilt, but all he really wanted to do was crawl away...

...until i tackled him for .2 seconds to snap this:

:)

(he's picked up SO much speed in just a matter of days!)

Be sure to check back to the blog tomorrow - i have a SUPER FUN giveaway planned that you won't want to miss!!!

{At 9 Months...}

Our monthly photo shoot with the onesie, bear, and sign was quite the challenge this month.

I had forgotten how much (MORE) work is involved on my part once a baby goes "mobile".  ;)  (or maybe i had just blocked it out?!)

We did manage to get all of our monthly photos taken for the 9 month mark, and I have to say that I'm now slightly in denial that my baby is just a quarter year away from one - that's totally incomprehensible to me?!

And so, at 9 months, Noah...

...weighs 19 lbs.

...wears all 6-12 mos clothes, and still sleeps in his 9 mos carters sleepers.

...eats 3x's a day.  His favorite foods are sweet potatoes, squash, pears, bananas, apple sauce, and cauliflower.  He also LOVES his puffs (but only the sweet potato flavor - dont try to sneak anything else in!).

...wakes anytime between 7am and 7:45 am (with a 5am-ish feeding still) and goes to bed at 7:30ish.  He's fallen into a nap routine of about and hour and a half in the morning and then another 45 mins to an hr in the afternoon.  ((and STILL naps in the swing!))

...LOVES to be outside while evan plays in the yard.  His new favorite activity is the blue push car that we have.  we strap him in and take turns pushing him around the driveway and sidewalk.

...still uses both the exersaucer and the jumparoo ALOT.  especially now that it's a "safe" place to put him.

...LOVES his nursery rhymes dvd.  and watches is almost every morning.  this sucker is seriously one of our best baby "tricks" (evan loved it too!).

...has finally given up his swaddle wrap at bedtime.  (and we moved his crib down a bit)

...is toothless.  i feel like we need to start a betting "pool" on when he'll finally get his first tooth.  ;)

...enjoys a brief book now and then.  His favorites are "In My Nest" and "In My Den" - he really adores the built in finger puppets.  ;)

...nurses 4 or 5 times a day.

...looks at us and LAUGHS when we call his name to get his attention when he's about to get into something he shouldn't!

...wants you to "help" him stand up if you are sitting anywhere near him on the floor.

...enjoys "eating" magazines.  and anything else he can fit in his mouth.  ;)

...is called "sweetpea" and "noahpants" by us right now.

...has a ton of hair that i'm desperately trying to hold off on cutting (it's SOOOO straight!).

...and is still the biggest flirt ever.  I love that.  ;)

...

...we love you sweet boy.  xoxo.  :)