a little bit of me.

{Studio Calico's June Kit Revealed}

Studio Calico's June Kit - 35mm - is now available!  This is what I made with JUST THE MAIN 35mm KIT...

LOVED how warm & sunny the main kit was this month - perfect for this sunset pic from our vacay earlier in the month.

I also picked up Addons #1 Santa Monica, #3 Malibu, & #4 Venice Beach this month, as well as MORE SC Paper.  My general process when creating my SC kit projects is to look through everything when it arrives - being CAREFUL to keep it all seperate in case I'm needed to create a sneak page that month - then decide what colors or papers are calling my name - match them up with the pics and/or stories that jump out from recent weeks - resize photos and have them printed - and then scrap my MAIN ONLY page first (so that I can ensure it actually IS main only!).

THEN I MIX EVERYTHING (!!!) into one big pile of papers and embellies and letters and go for it with the rest of my projects.  SO that's probably why I'm not always sure where something on my page came from - regardless, JUNE was a fabulous month - so much so that I needed three of the addons.  ;)

Evan's first T-ball season is now over, but he had a blast playing this spring, and this page is about just that - we are so proud of the effort & enthusiasm he's had for sports this year.  :)

23 Months is another page for Noah's everymonth album.  Need to get the whole album out and figure out what month's I'm missing and then go back and scrap those!

Remember How Sweet is more pics from our vacay.  (even though it was short, we needed that vacay!  The title is word art that I created myself in silhouette studio.

How fabulous is the YOU ARE FABULOUS stamp in Addon #2 Newport?!  I didn't get that addon but was lucky enough to snap the stamp.  It's a good one.

My Thank You hexie card is made with the stamp set in Addon #3 Malibu.  The stamp set breaks apart so that you can use just the varying sized hexie outlines like i did here.

Hello!!!!!  this is my favorite stamp of the month (I think?!) - this month's stamps were the best compilation of stamps in a LONG TIME in my opinion.  Amazingly fab.  This Hello stamp comes from the set in Addon #1 Santa Monica.  The HEY GIRL is part of the 35mm main kit.

And that was June!

:)

{last day}

Yesterday marked the last day of the 4 year old preschool year for Ev.

We've come SO far from the first day of the year, perfecting our letter writing & sounds, learning to read a few words, adding numbers together, not freaking out over sand in our shoes (well not freaking out too much at least - he tells me when he wears sandals now "i dumped my shoes a bunch of times, momma"), making new friends, loving imaginative play, inventing playground games, telling jokes, and perfecting his patented 'silly ev' voice.  ;)

I look at this shot of both boys & can't believe I'm the mom of an almost-5 year old AND almost-2 year old...?!  We are in for a super-fun summer.  :)

Preschool Graduation was today and it was ADORABLE.  One of my favorite events by far.  And it wasn't too sad, since Evan will be returning to the same school next year for Kindy, a decision we are SO very thrilled about.  :)

I'm so proud of you, little E.

xoxo, Momma.

{Project LIFE: Week 14 & 15}

Doubling up in an effort to post more :)

Week 14 first... (the chevron kraft that i used in my title block here is an instant classic for me!)

...Week 14 was a busy one for us - Easter + Passover + a visit from Gramma & PaPa + a daytrip to Savannah.  (Sadly we also lost Eric's own Grandma this week - I'm still working on retrieving pics of her from my crashed PC to add a collage insert to this week...)

...We had egg dyeing, and practice egg hunts, and spring break.  :)

(I kind of love the 'hold it out and shoot' style pic at the top right above - taken right after Easter brunch...)

The right side of the week's spread has more from the week of spring break activities, a little bit of Passover, and also a few shots from our daytrip to Savannah.

The week's first insert is simply the Happy Easter card that my sister's cutie dog sent us.  :)  BECAUSE.I.LOVE.IT!

And then I have a trimmed down Design A protector as the second insert of the week.  It houses Easter basket details and pics on the front & Egghunt shots on the back.

I used a snippet from the kraft somewhere paper (the "georgia") to highlight my savannah pics, and also a stamp from the brand new Adventure Project Life set.

And then we had Week 15 >>> which i think may have been my first Project Life week minus an insert...!  hooray for that :)

...Week 15 involved a trip to South Fla for the funeral, and once back lots of the ordinary stuff we love like t-ball and soccer(!) - it also was the week that Evan and I got to create a little "canvas masterpiece" one-on-one with his art teacher.  The story on the "make art" card is all about that.

Lots of camera phone pics this week, and i love that.

...I also loved using the Design D Protector for the first time as a whole page base.

That "Good Stuff" stamp will be getting alot of use in my album, no doubt.  ;)

And that was Week 14 & 15.

:)

Products Used on Weeks 14 & 15:

InLinkz.com

{Maggie Holmes Design Photography Workshops - Blog Blitz!}

I'm super-excited to be participating in this blog hop today & sharing a chance to win a seat in one of my very favorite photographers online workshops - Maggie Holmes!

Maggie Holmes has been a professional photographer for 7 years and has created two online workshops in which she gives you all of her tried and true secrets, sharing tips and tricks with you. She shares her knowledge in a format that is candid and easy to understand.

I was able to sit in on her Advanced Photography Workshop last Fall - and through the direction and inspiration that she offered, ended up taking some of very favorite photos to date!

Info on the next two workshops that Maggie is offering can be found HERE.  These are the last two workshops that she will offer in 2012 - and space is limited (to ensure that you'll recieve the personal attention from Maggie that will help you grow as a photographer!)

Photography 101: July 9th - August 18th, 2012
Advanced Photography: August 20th - September 29th, 2012

This is the first time ever that Maggie is offering an earlybird discount of $50 off -- This discount will not be offered again and is only valid until May 31st!

Maggie will be giving away a seat in each of her Workshops - you can enter by leaving a comment on her blog - HERE.  **Winners will be drawn at random, and if you have already purchased a workshop, your registration fee will be refunded.  Will not apply for purchases made for previous classes.**

She's also planning on selecting a "surprise" winner for a seat in her Photography 101 Workshop from among the comments left along her blog hop - so be sure to leave me a comment here to be entered for that!

Then hop on over to Dawn or Davinie's blogs to leave them a comment & increase your chances of winning!

Good Luck!

:)

{Project LIFE: Week 13}

I spent some quality time on Mother's Day catching up on crafty projects - Project Life included.  :)

I have Week 13 to share today...

Week 13 was the week before Evan's spring break, with lots of easter prep and activities... :)

Eric was out of town for biz - so I included his boarding pass stub & also a screen shot of him chatting with Evan on facetime on my iPhone...

We took Noah to see his very first movie - The Lorax - I found the image online and used it as a 4x6 for the week's spread, stitching a ticket stub to the edge.

Insert #1 is just a cut down Design D - trimmed to just the 4x6 portrait oriented - with a pic of Ev in his Easter parade hat on the front, and a little collage from his school festivities on the back...

Insert #2 is trimmed down Design A - I added text to these pics (from a beach night over the weekend) in lieu of extra journaling or a journaling card.  I'm finding as I go that sometimes it's just easier for me to add what I'm thinking about the pic as I process it and prepare it for printing (I print everything at Costco) >> and really, I can use all the timesavers that I can manage.  ;)

I had a blank 4x6 slot on the backside of the insert and took advantage by adding in a little scrappy card with lots of "favorites" right now.

And that was Week 13!

:)

Products Used on Week 13:

InLinkz.com

{Birds & Bikes - the Quilt}

This is the quilt that single-handedly stalled my "quilting-life" per say.  ;)

(along with a now almost 2 year old, but then newborn baby!)

...I started piecing the blocks for this quilt before Noah was born.  It's modeled after one of my favorite quilts - the sunshine squares quilt that I made to coordinate with Noah's nursery. 

I made it for one of my closest friends - her little girl was born about 4 months after Noah was - and she loved Noah's sunshine squares, and wanted something similar - and had decorated her baby's nursery with a pink & green & aqua color scheme + cutie PBK birdie bedding --> and thus "Birds & Bikes" was born.

...The backing is just pieced chunks of fabric - including the pink Heather Ross bikes that I adore (long ago out of print!).

I'm not exactly sure what happened, but it somehow took me a year and a half to complete.  ha.  And so I dropped it off at her house - a little bit late(!) - last month.

Hoping she still enjoys it and it can "stretch" it's lifespan into a toddler quilt of some kind.

;)

{mother's day 2012}

the clock is ticking, but i couldn't let today pass without posting a new favorite photo of the boys and I (taken by eric this past week).  I am (without a doubt)...

xoxo, my sweetpeas.  i love you both & your "cheeeeee-se" smiles.

and Happy Mother's Day to my own amazing mom and all of the other fabulous women (who are moms) in my life.  You all are a constant daily source of invaluable inspiration & support to me.  & I don't know where I'd be without it.  xo.

:)

{at 23 Months...}

Just one month away from TWO.

 

WOW.

:)

And so, At 23 Months Noah...

...weighs in at 24.5 lbs.  Teeny Tiny Him!

...wants to do anything, everything, and MORE than Evan does.  It's scary how much he sees and then tries to mimic.

..."announces" which sesame street character is on his diaper at every diaper change (Pampers baby dry brand!).  Saying elmo, big bird, and ernie with clarity.

...Shouts out "BAY-BEEEEE" about any child 3 or under (doesn't obviously matter that they are older than him!) that we see while out - OR any "baby" spotted on packaging/posters in a store.  OR any mention of a "baby".

...is obsessed with popcorn.  This started as a diversionary tactic during Ev's tee-ball games, and Noah's has now come to discover that Target sells popcorn.  And it's not a bad $1.29 to spend to keep him sitting nicely in the cart for a solid 45 minutes...  (just sayin').

...says "ROARRRRRR" anytime he sees a dinosaur.  Or when he puts on his dino rainboots (which are very loved, and often worn in and around the house - or to pick up Ev from preschool).

...loves playing trains with Evan - which is nice because it's made Evan play trains more than he has in a long while.

...still tells me "pop pop pop" while poking his belly (in reference to bubbles!).

...Is not interested in the slightest in Daddy putting him to bed at night if I am home.  He will COME AND FIND me and insist that I put him to bed.  And his cuteness is persuasive.  :)

...loves to find Evan's abandoned lego minifigures and play with them as quietly and sneakily as possible until I discover what he's up to, at which point he will bring them to me handing them up and saying "momma" (as if he just found them and knows that they are not for him).

...LOVES both the beach AND capri suns.  Announces "bea-ch" as we drive along A1A and can spot the beach down each through street.  And Capri Suns have proven to be much easier for him to hold and drink than juice boxes - he thinks they're gold.

 

...And is super-silly and funny ALL.THE.TIME.  Especially when he has an audience.  ;)

xoxo.

{Project LIFE: Week 12}

More Project Life to add to the blog history tonight...  Here we go - this was Week 12:

The "hello" diecut that I've been using (alot - i know!) on both scrap projects and my project life spreads, is available at the silhouette online store (it's included in a set of four circle type designs).

My little "photog-er" story from my NSD scrapbook challenge page comes from this week...

This week was lots of little bits and pieces - baseball for Evan, March Madness, beach afternoons, and Spring flower planting.  I know I've said it before, but I truly LOVE that these everyday type moments have a home in my PL album.

The insert this week is a cut down Style D (available in this mega-pack) - I love that while I was photographing scrap projects in my front living room (great light there!) I inadvertantly caught the Kids AND the Poodle (midair!) all waiting at the door excited that Daddy had just pulled in.

The back of the insert has scenes from meeting the easter bunny (version 1 - as we'd end up treking out to meet bunny 2.0 again the next week), early egg hunting, and a beach afternoon.

And that was Week 12!  :)

Now just to catch up on printing last week & this week's pics...!

Products Used on Week 12:

InLinkz.com

{National Scrapbook Day - The Blog Hop!}

ETA: Winner Info!!!  Congrats Kimberly - please email me your mailing address!

The light in all of your layouts is more than just the bright colors you use, but the love behind your photos! Always a fan!

Posted by: Kimberly L.C. | May 05, 2012 at 09:51 PM

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

Hippity Hop, Happy NSD 2012!

Studio Calico is sponsoring lots of National Scrapbook Day fun this year.  Starting with a blog hop - and even MORE inspiration from the May 35mm Main Kit - this was created entirely with the 35mm Main Kit (except for a few veneer birds I couldn't resist throwing on at the last minute!)...

This was without a doubt one of my favorite "main" kits in a long time.  The Hexies had me at hello.  :)

And since 35mm is sold out, we're giving away one of it's addon friends!!!  Just comment here on my post for a chance to win the "Brownie AddOn" from May.

Then, be sure to hop on back to the SC blog & link to all the other stops on the hop.  ;)

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

I'm also hosting a NSD challenge at Studio Calico - use 5 or more photos on a page.  Here's my take on my challenge...

...One of my favorite little snaps (& story) of Ev from last month.  And my new favorite chevron paper.  ;)

If you decide to take on the challenge be sure to post it in the SC Gallery and then link your gallery post up to the SC Challenge Blog Post Here for a chance to win a prize from SC!

Happy Scrapping.  ;)

Products Used on Projects here:

InLinkz.com