She Travels....

Now that Christmas is over.....

2010-12-26T14:45:00.000-08:00

Its time to put the Christmas music away. At least until next November when I cheat an start listening to it on November 1st.

Some of the songs are registering over 400 plays in my iTunes. Yeah.

Its time for some new stuff. I went through some songs I already had and added some new ones. I keep a small playlist of my favorite favorite songs. The ones I can't go anywhere without. The 'just in case the song on the radio stinks' or 'they're playing Carrie Underwood again' backup plan.

So whats trending on my iPod/iPhone these days?

Really loving Ray Lamontagne and Brandon Flowers. I had no idea Brandon Flowers was the lead singer for the Killers. Explains why I can't get enough of the songs on his new album. Helps that he's hot too.

And that obscenity laced tribute to heartbreakers can be blamed on Cori. The clean version just wasn't good enough, I had to go all the way. I've changed a few words and its now a tribute to my college boyfriend.

Throw in some Glee and I'm a happy girl.

Change of address

2010-12-24T03:52:00.000-08:00

I've been contemplating this for a while. I love this blog but I cannot make any changes to the parts that I want to change.

So I moved. You can find me here:

Still traveling....

There is a Follow Me link on that blog as well. Everything you see comes from the Echo Park Digital paper pack found at Jessica Spragues' site.

Its the Neverending Story.....

2010-12-22T13:07:00.000-08:00

Rain. And lots of it. This are the days when I'm glad I don't work outside the home. I don't have to drive in it unless I absolutely have too. And who needs to grocery shop anyway? Healthy food is for fools!

I've got enough snack food in this house to last at least a week.

The forecast as of last Friday.

Sadly it didn't look like it was getting any better.

As of today there is sun in the forecast. I thought for a brief moment this morning that it was over. And then 20 minutes later it started raining again.

Looky there! I see more raindrops there. Its not over yet!

(to take a screen shot on your iPhone hold the Home button down and press the top button at the same time. I just think this function is cool.)

Christmas Break Day 1

2010-12-22T01:18:00.000-08:00

Recap

Watched Polar Express for the 1,00th time this week.

It still makes me tear up at the end and there is some small, teeny tiny part of me that still believes in Santa. There. I said it.

Its raining here. Thats rare for this time of the year. Usually I'm still in shorts and flip flops struggling with the fact that I really want to be wearing some cool sweater and jeans and sitting by the fire. I *could* light the fire but I'd need the air conditioning running and I'd still be wearing those shorts......

This is what the forecast has looked like for the past week.

Its going to rain until Wednesday. Possibly Thursday too. I love the rain except for one thing:

I have a restless 3 year old home with me for the next 2 weeks and this was NOT the weather I was hoping for. He needs sunshine and fresh air. Thats so not happening this week.

And the dog. Poor Rascal. This spoiled pug:

He doesn't like to get his paws wet. He's kind of a priss. So the whole going potty outside in the rain? Not happening. I've had to find covered areas for him and even then I have to go out with him and stand there while he does whatever it is he needs to do. His motto: If I have to be out here, so do you!

Nicholas thought it would be funny to lock us out once. Mental note: start carrying keys with me. That or I need to have about 20 spare keys made and stick them all over the place. Just in case.

By the end of the first day, we'd engaged in two battles of the wills and I'm pretty sure the 3 year old won. At some point while he was 'stamping my ticket' for the imaginary train this afternoon, he broke my printer. The one I print ALL of my invoices on. So tonight, when my poor husband came home from work, I shoved his child at him and went to work.

That printer that I rely on, my Canon Pixma i470 didn't want to work. I found all sorts of fun things stuck in the gears and rollers. Certain I removed everything (including a wood mounted stamp), I tried again and it still didn't work.

So at 10:15 pm, I headed out to Best Buy. They have holiday hours you know? I would rather think of them as the 24 hour pharmacy for electronics though. No seriously, they were open until 11 pm. I ran in, grabbed the cheapest Canon printer and ran out. All in the torrential rain.

So now I'm the proud owner of this upgraded model:

Thats right folks, your invoices will be printed on this shiny new bad boy. It was a good printer and it lasted one year. I pretty much ran that sucker into the ground though and I'm sure the shiny new one will be up to the task.

Family Photos

2010-12-21T00:44:00.000-08:00

I realized that we haven't had 'family' pictures taken since 2008. I take pictures of Nick all the time but there are none of the three of us.

I had to rectify that.

And then I saw my former boss post on Facebook that another girl we used to work with had a photography business and she had pictures done. They looked fabulous.

I've known Eva for several years. We worked at the same company for 5 years together. Crazy right? I still can't believe that this year was 4 years since the layoff.

Anyway, she has her own gig now so I scheduled a meeting with her. She did a fabulous job documenting our little family. Too bad Rascal wasn't in on the action. I think next time I'm bringing the pooch.

Just a few of my favorites.

And our Christmas card.

Thanks Eva!

Elf on the Shelf, Tree and other holiday musings

2010-12-19T00:24:00.000-08:00

Again, now that the holiday is pretty much over, I'm sharing it. Oh well. Better late than never right? (Its probably good to tell you now that my December Daily cover is done. The rest of it? Not so much.)

We did Elf on the Shelf last year but Nick didn't really get it. This year, he gets it.

We read the book to him and officially named our elf. Meet Ziggy.

Ziggy moves around from time to time, but not every night. He mainly keeps watch over the brand new (and very expensive) train that circles the bottom of the tree. Nick is very into trains. Like, he dreams about them. (When he's not dreaming about trash trucks.....) This train, he saw it at Costco and HAD to have it. My parents got it for him. But its one of those really good trains. Bryan knows all about it because he had one too and it takes a genius to set up.

Look, I can build a computer, fix a computer whatever. But I can't put this freaking train on the tracks and get it to run right. So I'm 'special'.

The actual set up of the train went like this.

First. Dig out the fake tree.

Start putting the sections together all the while adding bits of wood here and there to even it out. My dad is a bit of a perfectionist engineer and well..... anyone who knows engineeers can figure out the rest.

Getting there. We have to check the lights.

Ooooohhhhhhh. Ahhhhhhhh.

With a little help from his assistant they got it all figured out.

Another little adjustment on the other side.....

Finally, the train got set up. Oh yeah, the tree skirt is in the storage unit too so we used a red tablecloth. Pretty inventive eh?

And this is where he stayed all day.

and into the night.....

still there.....

And then we got up the next morning and did it all again. He roped Rascal into sitting there watching it with him. Rascal just wanted to know if he had food.

Kind of reminds me about their first Christmas together.....

Getting crafty

2010-12-17T00:17:00.000-08:00

I snuck in a few minutes to create some advent bags for the tree. We kind of buried the tree ornaments in our storage unit so its going to be a handmade Christmas.

I bought penny candy bags from Michaels and decorated them using the Echo Park Everybody Loves Christmas line.

Those cute little numbers? I made them using some number stamps and shrink plastic. Yeah. Shrinky Dinks. They made the perfect little numbers on the bags.

Lots of Stickles and cute 50 cent ribbon from Michaels.

Inside each one is an activity or toy. I bought some stuff from the $1 spot like stickers, candy necklaces, ornament kits (you know, so we could decorate the tree) and a few other odds and ends.

Christmas Crafts

2010-12-16T00:39:00.000-08:00

I really have so many to share that its going to take me til New Years!

I made a wreath.

I used the Echo Park Wintertime papers because I'm not much into red and green. I think I might have been Jewish in a former life because I LOVE blue and silver. I mean LOVE.

Thanksgiving

2010-12-15T00:17:00.000-08:00

Now that Christmas is little more than a week away I figured I'd share Thanksgiving with you.

Maybe I'll have Christmas pictures posted around Valentines Day. Earlier if you're nice. ;)

The table:

Place Cards (Turkey idea was from Elle's blog and the name tag is from???? one of my many downloadable sites.)

My dad carving the turkey. I was sneaking in and stealing bits of crispy turkey skin.

My dad defending whats left of the crispy turkey skin.

Nick and Bryan coloring. I downloaded some Thanksgiving coloring and activity sheets and it kept him busy while we waited for dinner.

(Oh and if you see some odd things going on here, I'm working on updating the look of the blog. Its getting old. We'll see what I can come up with.)

Smelly Licky Maka.... wha?

2010-12-13T10:11:00.000-08:00

Mele Kalikimaka

Mele Kalikimaka is the thing to say
On a bright Hawaiian Christmas Day
That's the island greeting that we send to you
From the land where palm trees sway
Here we know that Christmas will be green and bright
The sun to shine by day and all the stars at night
Mele Kalikimaka is Hawaii's way
To say "Merry Christmas to you."

Mele Kalikimaka is the thing to say
On a bright Hawaiian Christmas Day
That's the island greeting that we send to you
From the land where palm trees sway
Here we know that Christmas will be green and bright
The sun to shine by day and all the stars at night
Mele Kalikimaka is Hawaii's way
To say "Merry Christmas to you."

So this boy.........

Is learning Christmas songs at school. He came home singing something that had the words 'Christmas' 'Hannukah' and 'Kwanzaa' in it. Not quite sure what song that is but I'm sure they're teaching them all about the holiday season.

On Wednesday he has another 'concert'. The Preschool 3 and 4 classes will regale us with holiday music just like they did for Halloween. This should be interesting......

My grandmother is teaching him the Mele Kalikimaka song because thats one of her favorites.

Nicks version goes something like this:

Smelly licky maka

So 'Smelly Licky Maka' to you!

Wish List

2010-12-10T22:04:00.000-08:00

Whats on it?

A couple of things. Nothing major.

This sweater at Old Navy. I got a 20% off coupon today in my email so I bought it for myself. I'm going to wrap it up and give it to myself for Christmas.

This coat at Old Navy

The Fuji Instax

The Gorilla Pod

A gift card to Barnes & Noble - because my Nook has a LOT of room for books. I'm going through them so quickly these days.

The new Slice Elite. I have the original but I want the better one. Mine works fine but I hear this one cuts faster and better. So its on my list.

This cup from Starbucks.

With maybe some accessories to go with it....

A domed lid:

Extra straws.

I'm sure there is more but these top the list.

What a great idea

2010-12-06T09:49:00.000-08:00

Since Nick started going to a 'real' school and not just a daycare, there have been multiple chances to fundraise and help out the school. The PSG (Parent Support Group) is SUPER active in everything the school does and I love seeing the money go back into the school and education. Because it is a small private school, you can see the fundraising dollars give back.

I've sold fresh apple pies. Sold wrapping paper. Filled bags for homeless kids for Christmas. Next week I'll work the Book Fair.

At the last PSG meeting they brought up the Box Tops for Education and said to start bringing in your box tops. In the past, I'd seen these on the boxes of products at the store but never done anything with them. I should have been clipping them all along. Lord knows I'd have about $100 saved up by now.

It just so happened that the same day as the meeting, I came home and went through my blog roll and came across this fantastic idea on Katie Watsons blog.

So I grabbed my just arrived in the store October Afternoon Schoolhouse papers and went to town on a plastic container.

I like Katies better because she always gets the vintage feel but mine will do just fine. And its hanging right next to the recycle bin at home. That way, I can clip the box top before recycling since almost everything they come on is cardboard or plastic.

Her blog has the full tutorial.

Retreat

2010-12-05T10:24:00.000-08:00

Finally, the last post on the retreat. I'm looking forward to going next year.

We stayed at the San Diego Scrap Inn. They have a new house this year. So much bigger and better.

The House:
The crop room. Seats 18. Eat with their own 8 foot table.

This was our corner.

The kitchen.

This is the laundry room!!! It had to be about 20 feet long. I'd give anything for that kind of storage.

The dining area.

The tool room.

The master bath.

The master bedroom. It slept 8. And look at the extra room.....

The view outside. The house was up on a hill so we have a view of the valley.

A few of 'the rowdy group'.

There is even more posted about the retreat on my friends Bea and Cori's blogs. Good times!

The rest of them

2010-12-04T09:43:00.000-08:00

All rolled into on last post. Just some random layouts I got done. I tried to use up some OLD stuff before I would let myself use any of the new stuff.

Vegas Double

2010-12-03T09:20:00.000-08:00

*gasp* a 12x12 DOUBLE page.

I never do these. But when I saw the layout by Susan Weinroth over at Studio Calico I knew I had the perfect way to scrap my Vegas Hipstamatics.

Normally I have them printed in 3x3 size but this time, I got 2x2. I'm sorry, but these mini pictures are too cute.

I used the Basic Grey Wander line (I think I might wallpaper my house with this line I love it so much.)

Just finishing up some stuff from the retreat and then look for some Christmas ideas. I've got an Advent calendar, December Daily and some other Home Decor!

Finally finished this up!

2010-12-02T09:10:00.000-08:00

In July, my mom and I went to Chicago for CHA. Because we had no car and nothing to do at night, I signed us up for a few classes.

I've seen the Punky Sprouts albums around and thought the concept was kind of neat. Its not chipboard, its not acrylic, its not canvas. Its a little bit of all of it. I like to try new things but I can't wrap my head around and all acrylic album. Or canvas. I just don't think in terms of an entire album made from this stuff.

So I thought these classes were perfect. One of them used a Punky Sprouts album with Bella Blvd's Summer line. I made a few changes and added some extras with the extra supplies we had.

How to....

2010-11-29T03:01:00.000-08:00

Just a quick tutorial. I had to test out a few techniques before I came up with one that would work for this.

Instead of stamping just one letter at a time on this layout, I lined up my letters and stamped the entire word. Kind of a time saver when you don't want to be applying one letter to the block, stamping, changing the letter, stamping etc.

I laid my stamps upside down (image side down) on my layout exactly how I wanted it to look.

Then I adhered my acrylic block to the adhesive backs. You can ink and stamp quickly.

Try this the next time you want to get this unique look on your layouts.

Progressive Layouts

2010-11-27T02:55:00.000-08:00

I saw Alyssa and Heidi do this for Couture Cardstock this year and I thought it was brilliant. One person starts the layout and another finishes it.

We all swapped last month. You can see more layouts HERE.

I swapped with Valerie. I sent her a layout (but didn't get a before picture) and she finished it up for me. Here is the finished product.

Then She sent me this:

And I finished it:

You can view more in my Gallery.

Stash to Treasure October Kit

2010-11-25T16:50:00.000-08:00

So, in October, I partnered with Alyssa McGrew to start up an online class site that sells optional kits to go along with the classes. You can either use your own 'stash' or purchase the kit to follow along.

I just happened to have enough of the Basic Grey Wander line to last me the rest of my scrapping days. Alyssa put together a totally awesome kit though.

I put this book together using a few different products than what comes in the kit. Everything is available in the store for this line.

I used Stickles on the cover because, well, its Vegas and nothing says Vegas like lots of glitter right?

I am a sucker for the Hipstamatic app on my iPhone so those were used in this album. I love their size and the way they look with these papers.

2010 Fall Retreat

2010-11-23T16:39:00.000-08:00

I just got back from a weekend retreat with 14 great people! I laughed so hard my stomach hurt and I ate until so much I know I gained 10 pounds. I'll do a recap of the house and retreat later because I need to start sharing what I got done!

First, my 2011 planner. I found a download online for the pages and printed them all out. You can get your own HERE. Make sure you email her pictures of the finished project when you're done! Mine is a work in progress but I have everything set up. Just need to put stickles and a few more things on the divider pages.

I'll be adding photos from each month to these so by the end of the year, I will have a record of what we did AND photos from important dates.

The Party

2010-11-16T21:58:00.000-08:00

I promised party pictures and here you go! I ran out of time and didn't get everything done that I wanted too, but I still got a lot done. Everyone was excited to see the stuff I DID get done.

Inside Decorations

Outside Decorations

Trick or Treating

The loot!

The Party

Pumpkin Carving

2010-11-16T21:40:00.000-08:00

Pumpkin Patch #3

2010-11-16T21:38:00.000-08:00

What can I say? We love the pumpkin patch!

We made a quick visit to the local mall lot to get the yearly How Tall This Fall shot. We do this every year and in my search for cool patches, I almost forgot this picture.

2007

2008

2009

2010

Side by side comparison.

And a few rides - because he loves these!

October Fun - Pumpkin Patch #2

2010-11-08T00:07:00.000-08:00

Because one pumpkin patch wasn't enough.

The school had a field trip to Tanaka Farms. Someone was a little too excited the night before and didn't get a good nights sleep. He was a bear the next day and of course, I volunteered to chaperone this little field trip.

So while trying to keep him under control, I didn't get a ton of photos.

Halloween Program

2010-11-06T23:58:00.000-07:00

So Nicks new school does programs. They learn songs and then a few times a year the parents are invited to come hear them sing.

We got to hear songs such as :

5 Little Pumpkins, This is Autumn and a few more. This is what he looked like through the entire program.

The grumpy mermaid standing next to him is Avery. His 'grilfriend'. She was mad because he wouldn't hold her hand.

October fun - Pumpkin Patch #1

2010-11-04T23:47:00.000-07:00

Yes, there are multiple patches so beware! Lots of pumpkin pictures coming.

We tried a new patch this year just for the fun of it.

He wanted to take every pumpkin home with him. So while he was carrying a new one to the cart, my dad and I were taking some back. We still ended up going home with 5 pumpkins. Two ended up getting carved and the other 3 were dip bowls for the party. More on that later.

Where does the time go?

2010-11-02T23:46:00.000-07:00

Otherwise known as 'they grow up so fast'.

Each year we take Nick to the same pumpkin patch and get his picture in front of the same thing. Its kind of a tradition now and if they ever do away with it, I don't know what we'll do!

I made a little collage through Picnik. Its quick and easy and FREE. You can do a lot to your photos without having to register and pay. I did register though so I have access to a few extras.

A little pumpkin

2010-10-26T01:28:00.000-07:00

Finally had a few days of dry weather. This rain - I love it. BUT, I'm not used to it. I'm used to 100 degree days in October. I'm used to buying a cute outfit for Nick to wear and then dressing him in shorts and a tshirt to go picking pumpkins. This year, he actually got to wear the outfit and he looked like a little man. I don't really like those words but he did look like a little adult. One mom asked me how old he was and when I said 3, she was shocked. 'I thought you were going to say 5 or something!' She says to me.

Nope! Only 3. He's tall for his age and he's not super skinny. He's not even 40 pounds yet but he looks solid. You should see his dad.

As soon as he saw the pumpkins, he took off. He looked like a bee hopping from pumpkin to pumpkin. Looking them over to find the perfect one.

Or twenty!

He kept going back for more. He loaded up our cart. When I said to him that we had enough he said 'no mama, we need more punkins!' as he ran past me with another one. My dad and I were carrying them back when he wasn't looking while Nick was adding more to the pile.

Oh well!

We ended up with 3 big ones and 3 small ones. We have two more trips to the pumpkin patch this week so I know we'll be getting a lot more!

In the middle of the madness, this crazy little boy sat for me. He actually posed for me. This is a first! I had to shoot quick because he spotted another good pumpkin and took off!

There was also a pony ride. We couldn't leave without riding the pony.

Rain rain go away....

2010-10-23T20:41:00.000-07:00

If the rain ever stops I might be able to get some decent photos of what I've been working on. I wanted to share them earlier but with the weather here lately I'm just not getting decent shots.

I love the rain, but I just need one day where I can get some pictures.

I do have a lot to share.

All Sorts of Sports

2010-10-22T10:08:00.000-07:00

Is what we signed Nick up for this fall. Its a 4 week program that spends one week teaching them about 4 of the major sports.

Soccer, Basketball, Football and Baseball.

The first week was soccer. At least I could help him out a little. The rest of them his dad's going to have to work on him with.

Party Invites

2010-10-20T10:06:00.000-07:00

I got a few hours to work on these in Vegas.

Vegas Recap

2010-10-18T10:06:00.000-07:00

A mixture of camera photos and Hipstamatic prints from the iPhone.

On the way...

We took Nick to the Strip the first night to show him all the lights. He thought it looked like Christmas. Yeah, Christmas with half naked women all over the place. He didn't seem to notice.

He did want to ride every tram we saw and see every show we passed. We finally pulled over and stopped to see the pirate show at Treasure Island.

Treasure Island is apparently now TI and the pirate show is a little PG 13 now. So much for that. Now they have these women called the Sirens of TI. They are scantily clad (ready to fall off rags) that take a pirate hostage and his crew come to rescue him.

The crew, still a bunch of nasty sailors are led by the most gorgeous man. Captain Mac. I wish I had a better lens because Mac was so much better up close and when he took his shirt off.......well I'd had to much to drink from my margarita by the yard and I was ready to jump into the smelly lake to get him. Nick usually notices the girls but this time, it was all about the pirates. Guns, smoke and action. Thats what he wanted. I'm very glad we were on the side with the male pirates and he couldn't see the 'grils'.

It was back to the timeshare to sleep off the margarita and dream of Captain Mac.

Saturday afternoon, we headed out to MGM Grand and the game. We ran into a little summer storm. Across the street from the timeshare, there was a pumpkin patch going up. They might have forgotten to secure the 20 foot in diameter pumpkin balloon. The winds (strong winds!) picked that sucker up and rolled it right out of there and onto Las Vegas Blvd.

I happened to catch its flight on my phone.

On to the game! With the winds, came rain. Hard rain. And lightning. I wasn't lucky enough to catch any of that. I didn't take my good camera to the game - too bulky for this. It gets crazy in there. I went armed with my iphone!

A quick stop at the M&M store to pick up some purple, silver and black M&M's for the game. Someone one up'd me this year and had custom M&M's printed that said 'Lets Go Kings'. The GM loved seeing the M&M love though. He thought that was a cool idea and wanted to know where we got our cool mixtures. I think he needs to get out more.

Game time!!

Sharing is caring

2010-10-13T11:18:00.000-07:00

And I have a lot to share. Just not right now.

Back from Vegas and I do have a few pictures to share with you.

Got a little time to scrap in the timeshare. One of the many things about Timeshares that I love.

Saw a hockey game. Saw a bunch of old friends I haven't seen all summer.

Debuted a second site with classes and instruction for customers.

Went to the home opener for the Kings and met DB Sweeney. I'm in love with Mr. Sweeney. I can meet celebrities and I act like a normal person, but there are a few that just make me spazz out. Mr. Sweeney is one of those. I almost pee'd my pants when he flashed me that lopsided smile. *sigh* And in that spazzy moment, I completely forget that my iphone has a camera function so no picture.

I also have a few more crafty things to share with everyone. I'm buried in Halloween supplies but I'm just about done. So now its time to decorate the house with everything I've made and then pull out the Christmas stuff to begin working on cards and more decorations.

Now that life has somewhat settled down, I will post more.

In less than a month, I leave for a 4 day retreat in San Diego that has been a year in the making. Looking forward to hanging with Cori, Lisa and Bea.

Looking forward to this episode from Glee.

She's traveling {again}

2010-09-27T12:46:00.000-07:00

When I started this blog, my husband and I were travelers. We went everywhere. All over the US and Canada and even Europe.

I still love Europe and it will always be my favorite place.

Now, with Mr. Fussy Pants in tow, we don't travel as much and they are easy trips. He's getting better and we figure the more he goes with us, the better he'll be in a few years.

This is just a quick trip to Las Vegas to see my boys play. Its an annual tradition for us. A bunch of diehard fans make the trip by car, bus an plane to see the two teams play every year and its always a LOT of fun. Even though its a preseason game, the atmosphere is always that of a playoff game.

See last years post. And 2007. Yes, that was the REAL Neil Diamond. And that stein of beer IS the same size as my son.

One of these days, we're taking him to Germany to eat in the REAL Hofbrauhaus. He's going to be a true German baby!

So this year.....

Its more quiet. We stay off the strip at a timeshare - the family friendly way to do Vegas. We'll take Nick to the Strip to see the lights because he'll think it Christmas. The M&M store and to see the lions before the game at MGM.

The fans usually line up along the food court, just outside the entrance to the arena and chant things as players and Avs fans walk by.

Just to see how much fun we have:

Photos from 2009

I am hoping to get some crafty time in during the 5 days we'll be gone so look for some fun stuff when I get back - or during the week!

Winners!

2010-09-26T12:22:00.000-07:00

Thank you ALL for stopping by last week and leaving comments. For those of you who don't, make sure you leave some love each week for the DT on their blogs and in the Gallery. We all love a little praise now and then.

So who won???
Sundays Winner($10.00 in Stash Cash) : #3 Melanie said...

I can't wait to see the new blog!

Tuesdays Winners : #19 Laurie $10.00 in Stash Cash)
I really love the chicago layout! That building paper is super cute!

#15 : Chrisd (One month subscription to the new Blog)

Great project especially with such limited time in your life!The hop is wonderful and the ideas so helpful.

Fridays Winner: #7 Denise ($10.00 in Stash Cash)
Oh my goodness, I LOVE your masks!!! I love G45's Halloween paper. Fabulous choice!!!!!

Email me at bmw (at) gmail (dot) com to claim your prize!

Last creative post of the week and last chance to win.....

2010-09-24T19:23:00.000-07:00

Last chance to win! Post a comment on this post for another chance at some Stash Cash!

Just a few more projects today. My focus is now Halloween so for the next few weeks you'll see Halloween ideas posted here. My son is totally in love with Halloween. When we walk through the store, he wants to stop at look at the decoration section.

This year, we decided to invite everyone over for dinner that night and let them help Nick celebrate the day. Last year we had a few people over (grandparents mostly) and he LOVED showing off his costume and the candy he collected. We only hit a few houses because he didn't have the concept down. When people answered the door he just walked right in. They all thought it was funny.

This year he knows what to do. He's going to be Buzz Lightyear and save the Galaxy from the evil Emperer Zurg (Rascal).

Back to the party. I bought a few magazines at the bookstore that had a ton of ideas for baking, decorating and more. I'm now making a Halloween idea book (more on that next week). I'm putting all of the ideas in there that I really like. I'm including Fall/Thanksgiving ideas too. I'll be putting a Christmas one together too.

The first thing I did was make a long list of things I wanted to accomplish. I used my iPhone to keep track of ideas as they came to or I saw them. I'll work on everything as the month goes by so that I have a box full of fun when the party day arrives!

First - Invites!

I LOVED Martha Stewarts mask invites from last season. I have some Echo Park papers picked out for this one. And that Drippy Goo punch (can't find that? I can special order any Martha punch for you. Drop me an email.)

My invites will be made from the Echo Park paper while the Masks will be a combination of Echo Park and Graphic 45 Halloween in Wonderland.

I downloaded the template for the mask on MarthaStewart.com and started cutting. I used black cardstock for a template.

First, cut the template out of paper and trace it onto black cardstock. The cardstock acts as a support for the mask AND it hides the ugly end of the stick. Just sandwich the bamboo skewer between the papers.

Next, cut out items from the paper. I used various small characters from the playing card paper.

To decorate, I used clear glimmer mist (These are available from every mist company. Tattered Angels, Shimmerz, Maya Road etc). Just to give it a little shimmer. I painted with the new paints from Shimmerz and Smooch.

Final result?

Some really cute masks for the guests. These will not be mailed with the invites but will be on display for guests to choose from when they arrive.

For the men, spiderweb mustaches.

Next week look for pictures of invites and the guys mustaches!
ETA: Just saw that Echo Park is hosting a Halloween contest. Click HERE for details.

Finally posting something creative

2010-09-21T14:35:00.000-07:00

Somewhere in the last few posts I mentioned that with the business and a very active 3 year old, I don't get to scrap as much as I'd like. But I set aside one day a month and thats MY day. I take off for 12 hours and spend time with friends. I usually talk more than I scrap. I was actually productive this month!

Just a few of the things I got done: (please excuse the funny lighting on these. our weather is has been off for this time of year and we've had a marine layer every day)

Summer Mini (started) I used a combination of papers from Echo Park, October Afternoon and Little Yellow Bicycle.

My favorite part of the LYP line was the 10 Things I love about summer pocket and tabs. We are sold out of it in the store and since this is a seasonal release we cannot order anymore. HOWEVER, this is one of those things that you can easily recreate with papers and any kind of sticker number! Some ideas for cute pockets are the Maya Road Kraft envelopes. We just stocked up on those because we know you love them!

And some layouts. This is based on a sketch by Julie Bonner:

Based on a Sketch from Sketch Inspiration:

A baby frame made for a friend (We don't sell this line from My Minds Eye but I couldn't resist a few pieces from it)

OC Fair using Hipstamatic prints and some Studio Calico exclusive papers. I added one of those Maya Road kraft envelopes to this layout to hold all of the ride tickets we had left.

Lastly, a layout from my Chicago trip this Summer. Mom and I stopped by the Bean on our quick city tour. I was fascinated with this and wish there was one in NYC.

Here is your next chance to win. I'm giving away a $10.00 Stash Cash certificate AND one free month to our new Subscription Blog.

Leave a comment on this post for a chance at one of these. Make sure you hop to the next blog for more chances to win!

Stash Blog
Alyssa
Susan
Valerie
Lady Grace
Erica (you are here)
Heidi

Blog Hop time!

2010-09-19T18:39:00.000-07:00

I love Blog Hop weeks because it forces me to be creative and to post my ideas on the blog. I'm usually so busy running the store that I don't get a lot of creative time.

I do set aside at least one day each month where I leave everything at home and scrap!

I have a few projects to share this week but first....

A little something we have up our sleeve!

Alyssa and I think alike. Thats one of the reasons she's in charge of the store blog, contests etc. She approached me about an idea she had brewing and it was something I'd had on the back burner for most of the year.

I like selling kits but the kit process is pretty intense. Planning, obtaining products, kitting, selling etc. Its a pretty huge deal but I know our customers like them. I wanted to make these more available to you on a regular basis but at the same time, I didn't want to turn the store into a Kit store.

This led to instructions and other issues with kits. How do you instruct you on the cool part of the kit - the techniques.

We developed (by we I mean Alyssa) a separate blog that will house our kit instructions. These will be available to you via a PDF file when you purchase the kits. In addition to the printed instructions, we will be offering you a place to go and actually see the videos and get step by step instructions on HOW TO do something in the kit. When you purchase a kit, you will automatically get access to the blog for a period of time.

Now, if you don't want to buy the kit but you want access to the blog and everything it has to offer then this will be available to you on a subscription basis.

This is just a teaser! I will reveal more about this later this week along with sneaks of the first kit AND give away a few subscriptions!

If you haven't checked out the other blogs in the Stash Hop, make sure you do. We're all giving away prizes and gift certificates (Stash Cash) this week!

Erica (you are here)
Heidi
Stash Blog
Alyssa
Susan
Valerie
LG

Lets start the prizes! Leave a comment on this post for a chance to win $10.00 in Stash Cash! Winners will be announced at the end of the Hop!

Cleaning out my room

2010-09-10T22:58:00.001-07:00

This was LONG overdue and the purging process has been healing.

I just kept accumulating and never using. I kept moving from one room to a bigger room.

No more. I'm downsizing. Working on some new storage space ideas that I'll review in a little while. For now, pictures of the empty desk that I designed and my dad built. Its all made from the laminate closet pieces at Lowe's or Home Depot.

First Day of School

2010-09-09T17:03:00.000-07:00

Technically he's still in daycare at Tutor Time but he did move to the next room.

We stopped into Ms. Corinne's room this morning to say one last goodbye and then headed down to Ms. Marlo's room.

There were a few tears but I'm sure he's going to love being with the big kids now.

Rewards

2010-09-07T17:02:00.000-07:00

Remember this post? Where I said we were rewarding him with a ride on the real train?

Well, we went. We took the Surfliner down to Solana Beach and back.

He was mesmerized the entire time and he never let go of the safety instructions. In fact, we accidently walked off the train with a set. Whoops!

Since there are limited trains on the weekends, we had a few hours to kill. Brunch in a little hole in the wall place followed by a quick dip in the ocean. Well, someone didn't want to get his feet wet so *I* played in the water a little.

Crafty time

2010-08-27T00:17:00.000-07:00

I stole some crafty time last week and this is what I came up with.

This is based on the Pencil Lines Sketch for last week. I flipped the sketch.

Taking a couple of classes this month

2010-08-25T23:18:00.000-07:00

I signed up for a few classes this month.

My fave? Elise Blaha's Mini class. I'm always at a loss when it comes to mini's so I thought Iwould get her perspective on them. I've always admired her way of putting one together. I've got a trip to Las Vegas planned in late September and I plan on taking a mini with me to work on and fill while we're there. Its just me and the boy along with my parents. So I'm trying to think of things we can do while we're there. Maybe M&M World?

I took Celine Navarro's World Cup Class back in July and well, I failed after the first week. I completed one layout.

I need to download everything and get working on this. I'm making time to scrap at least once a week now. I have too. I can't work all week long and not play a little. Even if its just a few hours here and there.

You should see the stack of sketches I have with photos waiting to be scrapped.

Short and sweet update

2010-08-22T23:02:00.000-07:00

This boy.....

is POTTY TRAINED!

He's been trained for a couple of weeks now but he wouldn't wear big boy underwear. We started the potty training journey about 6 months ago and its been an uphill battle. I finally just let it go when everyone kept telling me that boys just DON'T potty train until they're 4. Okay fine. I won't push it. And then one day, he magically started using those pull ups we've been stocking for almost a year. But he wouldn't wear the underwear. Not even when I bought him Thomas the Train underwear. Or Cars. Or monsters.

We have a garage full of toys to bribe him. You know what it took? Telling him that if he wore big boy underwear that we'd take him on the Train. Like, the REAL train. Not the kiddie rides at the mall or the fair. The REAL train. Like the one that 'blows smoke' and goes 'woo-woo'. (His words, not mine).

But then he came down with a cold and ear infection two days before the BIG trip. So we postponed it for another week.

We're all proud of this 3 year old! Now the only fights we have are over the character on his undies!

OC Fair

2010-08-20T01:31:00.000-07:00

Last year, Nick wasn't old enough to go on many of the rides. This year, he could ride pretty much everything.

We just got him a ticket pass and turned him lose. In between rides, we stuffed him full of fair food.

I'm such an upstanding parent.

And because its just how this family works, Nick 'won' a goldfish playing one of the games. Its a family tradition. (Cue Hank Williams....) My mom won them. I won them and now Nick wins them. And these are hearty fish. They don't die. (Unless someone *coughcoughdadcoughcough* steps on them when they jump out of their temporary bowl.)

So 'Orange' was added to the tank with the other two fish. Pete and No Name. We have a small, medium and large goldfish now.

The Happiest Place on Earth

2010-08-18T01:24:00.000-07:00

Even with a few tantrums thrown in.

I bought the So Cal pass this summer and we took Nick a couple of times. The final pass was the day of his Birthday. I made it last the entire week.

{3}

2010-08-16T01:13:00.000-07:00

This seems like the age where he turns into a little boy. He's not a baby anymore and he's really not a toddler.

It feels like he's been this 30 year old trapped in a 3 year olds body for a while. He's not normal. He drives me to drink most days (Smirnoff Ices are my new friend) and I'm almost 100% grey in front. I'm not sure how ling it will be before it all just falls out.

He's smart - and he knows it.

He's cute - and he knows it.

He's a booger - and he knows it.

He likes to test everyone and everything. We fight daily over things like picking up toys. I can't tell you how many trash bags full of toys I have in the garage. He refuses to pick them up so I 'throw them away'. He usually picks them up with I pull out a fresh trash bag but there are times when he refuses.

He throws massive tantrums. I'm waiting for his head to spin around and pea soup to fly from his mouth. I have to leave the room or else I'll laugh. Or cry. Depends on the day.

He's in daycare ALL day now because he needs the interaction. Spending the entire day with him usually exhausts me. And he knows it. He wears down my resolve until I just let him eat the entire bag of chee-tos with that chocolate candy, topped off with hidden soda.

He refuses to wear big boy underwear. He has to wear pull ups but he hasn't had an accident in over 3 weeks. But they're 'scary' so he continues to wear pull ups. We're lowering ourselves to bribery at this point and I think all its going to take is a ride on the Amtrak. He's been talking about trains since he could form words. He's seen the train in action and he's asked us to go on it.

So I'm lowering myself to bribery hoping that he realizes he's a 'big boy' and needs to wear big boy underwear.

To celebrate {3}, we took him to Zoomar's. After a bit of an issue with the date, we got it booked and his friends from school came. All girls. Not one other boy unless you count his cousin Bodhi who is only 1. All girls. Should I be worried about that?

Chicago in 30 pictures or less....

2010-08-13T11:38:00.000-07:00

Its about time I got around to posting something here. Since I haven't had much time to be crafty I'll post some pictures from Chicago. I was there for CHA so I only had one day to really get out and see the city.

Here's my friend from Therm-o-web Adhesives. He's a Blackhawks fan and he told me in January they would win the Cup. So while testing out their adhesives, we had a good-natured brawl over who's hockey team was the best.....

Guess who won?

Last time I was in Chicago, I was here by myself. This time my mom went with me so I had someone to sightsee with. We pretty much agree. Chicago is a lot like New York - but cleaner. Newer actually. But New York is still #1 on my list.

We did the trolley tour around the city. You can pretty much hop off/hop on at any of the 15 stops. Pretty cool. Our only stop was Navy Pier.

Where we took one of the coolest boat rides. 55 knots out on Lake Michigan and then into the river that runs through the city.

I even got to use my Clipa on the boat. The floor was wet and I had valuable stuff in this bag. So we hung it from the back of the seat in front of us. If you don't have one of these yet, you need to get one! Run to the store and buy one!

We did NOT go on the massive Ferris Wheel or the AeroBalloon rides.

Our tilted view from the boat. I was trying to hold on as we bounced along the Lake and get some pictures of the skyline.

Then it was into the city for the other half of the tour.

Trump Tower

Sears Tower (Now Willis Tower - whats up with that?)

The Corn Cob Buildings - yes those are cars parked there

The Wave - this was designed by a female architect.

I think this was the Chicago Sun Times building. Can't remember, but its cool either way.

And this was probably my favorite part. My mom had read something about 'The Bean' so we had to find it. Its in Millenium Park right where the tour started so we walked over there to check it out.

I'm sorry, but how cool is this? It reflects the entire city line. I came home with a sample of some new Basic Grey papers. There is a paper in the Wander line that is perfect for this. Look for that in my gallery in the coming weeks.

Can you find us?

And just like that, it was time to go home. Until next summer Chi-Town.

Off to Chicago

2010-07-25T21:43:00.000-07:00

But I did get some crafty time in a couple of weeks ago. It was short and sweet so I didn't bother trying to come up with my own stuff.

I copied. Yeah, I did it. I don't care. I have a stack of photos that need to go in books and with everything going on, I just don't have the time to sit back and think through a layout.

But I'm planning on some time in August when I get back.

The CA Snowman is based on a sketch from the site. Lady Grace gave us this one and thats my take on it. The rest are copies from other places like Studio Calico.

I leave for Chicago early tomorrow morning. The laptop, Flip camera, DSLR, iPhone and iPod are all charged for the trip. So is Mr. Nook. have I mentioned that I'm reading again. I used to go through books like they were magazines. And then I started this business and have a kid. My reading just went out the window. But I have a renewed passion for it.

No piles of books everywhere. No expensive trips to Barnes & Noble. No ripped covers because some little person got their grubby mitts on my book.

I got the basic WiFi model. With a cute cover.

Loving this song. Not sure where I heard it but I used Shazam on my iPhone to tag it and then buy it.

Happy Birthday Mr. Man!

2010-07-21T12:29:00.000-07:00

3 Years ago, I wandered into the hospital to have my scheduled c-section. I was nervous, scared, excited. HE was finally going to get here.

HE being the name of the alien I'd wandered about for 9 long months.

We didn't have a name. I had a list prepared because I knew once I saw him he would look like one of those names.

He ended up looking like a Nicholas.

I broke out in hives from the c-section and spent 4 agonizing days in the hospital doing my best to get outta there! Too bad insurance COVERED 4 full days. 5 even if I wanted to stay.

I was eager to get home to MY bed, MY house and MY stuff.

So we brought him home to meet Rascal. He cried and Rascal barked.

And that was the start of 3 crazy years! My life will never be the same. I don't get to eat a hot meal most nights because I'm usually taking care of his plate (you know, the one stuck to the wall where he threw it) or cleaning spots off my already stained clothes (because the last round of chee-tos cheese didn't come off in the wash) or wiping finger prints off some surface in the house.

Now, we're potty training so its diapers all over the place and fights over big boy underwear.

He's so independent. Sometimes I think he's a 30 year old in a 3 year olds body.

He is tall.

He is athletic.

He makes me laugh.

He makes me cry.

He makes me want to drink on a regular basis.

He can be sweet one moment and a total devil the next. (The worst part is, he knows it.)

He is a ladies man!

June Crop

2010-07-19T02:33:00.000-07:00

My usual monthly crop was cancelled in June. That would make more than 2 months since I'd actually sat down and made something. I couldn't live with myself so I planned a day with my friend Lisa.

I packed up everything I have (scary right?) and drove out to her house for 2 days of uninterupted scrap time. I got some layouts and cards done. A lot of cards actually. I tried to use up every inch of that Echo Park paper. I came close!

You can see all of the details of the layouts in my July Gallery.

NHL Draft 2026

2010-07-17T02:14:00.000-07:00

So, in June, we went to the NHL Draft.

Both fun and boring. Fun because you got to see what was going on. Who was talking to who, deals being made etc. I have some pictures somewhere that I need to find and post.

We knew it was going to be long and boring so we didn't take Nick.

He responded with this......

Yeah, he's ready to play. He ran around with his helmet on. I almost signed him up for the Junior Kings but he needs to wait about 5 more years.

I did sign him up for the USA Hockey program. They can find a program for him around here. Unfortunately, they are all associated with the Ducks. So I might find myself driving up to LA to get the Kings program. As a parent, I cannot enroll my son in a Ducks program. I just can't. I want a strong hockey player not a brute or crybaby.

Hate birthdays

2010-07-15T02:09:00.000-07:00

I do. After 21 I just kind of felt like that was the last milestone. 25 hit me hard because I was a quarter of a century old. Wow!

I got lower insurance rates at 25.

Then 30 hit.

This year I turned 33. Two more years to 35. 35. Thats almost 40. I'm not ready to embrace that yet.

But I finally embraced celebrating my birthday. Nick helped decorate my cake this year. This is my favorite cake. Chocolate cinnamon with homemade frosting. I could just eat a bowl of this stuff and skip the cake.

So Nick wanted to help decorate. Can you see the evidence of cake testing on his face?

There's the frosting blob that covers up the finger hole where he licked the frosting.

And the snail. He's obsessed with snails. He walks around saying that snails 'love him'. I have no idea where he got it so don't ask. And every cake needs a snail right?

I think he was going for a flower on this one. MIght have had some help.

Getting crafty with the Slice

2010-07-13T01:50:00.000-07:00

I saw this at the Winter CHA show in Anaheim. Making Memories released fusible web making it possible to cut fabric with the Slice.

I have some friends expecting so I thought I'd come up with some cute onesies for them.

Dino

Moon (I need to get some yellow fabric and cut a star)

BOSS - every baby needs one of these

I'm working on some other designs. I've ordered the fusible web in bulk and I've been at the fabric stores shopping...

I find time to craft

2010-07-11T01:44:00.000-07:00

Even if it is at the last minute. I wrapped some handmade fathers day presents the night before. My new favorite wrapping paper is Kraft paper. It goes with everything!

I got my roll at the Container Store. I think I paid $4 for this huge roll. I'll be wrapping presents in it for a while. And did you see the woodgrain one? Must. Get.

I had to dress up the kraft paper though. I love using it on my layouts because the neutral color brings out the colors of the patterned paper and embellishments.

I used Graphic 45's Perfect Gentleman line to wrap these gifts.

And some October Afternoon for these.

Forgive the ugly background. I was up late doing this so I just snapped pictures of them before going to bed. No fancy stuff here!

Tech Baby

2010-07-10T01:43:00.001-07:00

I'm getting him started early.....

No more techie girl.....

2010-07-06T22:26:00.000-07:00

I've hung up my techie girl hate (for now). Its back to filling orders, taking orders from a three year old and trying to enjoy a little summer with the family.

Its been a busy three months. Crazy in fact. I've tried to find times to get together with friends to scrap and fly kites with Nick.

Here's a quick recap.

We:

Went to see the Kings battle the Cansucks in the first round of the playoffs. My Kings weren't able to pull it off. But I saw playoff hockey for the first time in a long time. Lets hope this is a regular thing.

Went to Bodhi's first Birthday

Sawyers Birthday and Bens Birthday

Planted a garden

Flew a kite

Ate popsicles

Cleaned the backyard for summer (disclaimer: he LOVES to clean. I can't stop him so please don't call CPS on me.)

Played in the sandbox

Raised butterflies

Blew Bubbles

Tortured Rascal

Ate Yogurt

Blew more bubbles

And the summer is just getting started. I've got a hundred pictures just perfect for my summer mini. I'll need to narrow that down this week.

From techie girl to scrapper

2010-06-28T20:39:00.000-07:00

Almost 4 years ago, I got my 90 day notice at Capital One Auto. I worked in the IT department. I made the decision there to make the switch from techie girl to creative girl.

I had thought about opening my own scrapbook store for a while and when an announcement went out on some message boards I belonged too saying that a local online store was for sale, I jumped at the chance.

Unfortunately, while trying to investigate and get paperwork together, I lost out. Two other women purchased the online store which left me at a crossroads.

I could either:

start my own store or look for a job.

And then I found out I was pregnant. Technically unemployed and pregnant doesn't look so hot on a resume.

So I jumped right in. I got my license and tax id. I did everything. I went from techie girl to business owner overnight. (And you know what? I'm so glad I got my own store because its mine. I started from scratch and built this place.)

I bought a shopping cart and hired a web designer.

I bought product and 'hired' a design team.

I was no longer techie girl. I pay Michelle for that! What a relief to be able to create instead of fix things.

So when I started getting reports of Norton saying my site was unsafe, I went into Techie Girl mode again. I pulled out the IT hat and went to work. Side by side with Michelle.

She's awesome by the way so if you ever need anything done.....

We finally pinpoint the problem with the help of Norton and now we need to fix it. Don't worry, the site itself is safe. Stupid Norton doesn't like Google Analytics.

So I had to reconfigure my Google Analytics and remove it from the Gallery page. In the process, poor Michelle learns there is a recent upgrade for the gallery software and she installs it for me.

What we didn't realize was that this upgrade would pretty much erase any setting I had in place before.

The new software is amazing though. SO much easier to configure - if you can find everything you need.

So, a week later and everything has been backed up, restored, cleaned and configured. But we're still working on the configure part.

Techie Girl needs a refresher course!

I feel like one of my end users calling in with a problem. I feel like I know nothing. So Michelle and I are working together at night to resolve the issues with the new gallery.

Banned users, images not showing up and other small issues.

So for a while, I'm Techie Girl again.

Are you a winner?

2010-06-18T08:03:00.001-07:00

You need to check out this post to see if you are. I still have 2 unclaimed Stash Cash Certificates from the Blog Hop.

Currently......

2010-06-18T07:52:00.000-07:00

Listening my scrappy playlist on iTunes

Eating a homemade egg mc muffiin from the clean eating menu.

Drinking OJ. The one day a week I let myself drink it.

Wearing My pug pajamas.

Reading New York by Edward Rutherford

Feeling rushed. I have a meeting at 10 and I'm procrastinating. Should be working on updating spreadsheets, not my blog.

Wanting to crawl back into bed. June gloom is in full effect here and it makes me want to scrap or sleep all day.

Needing about 3 more hours in a day. Don't all mothers?

Thinking about crossing a few things off my To Do list

Enjoying the fact that I have 8 more hours to get everything done before I pick Nick up at school for the weekend.

Wondering if I'll be able to get everything finished for Fathers Day BEFORE Fathers Day.

Scrapping with some new papers

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner....

2010-06-11T14:24:00.000-07:00

And the winners ARE.....

#11 Scrappy Gifts said...

Fun Blog Hop! Love everyone's creations.
diva2129 at yahoo dot com

#15 Erika M. said...

Cool - I adore blog hops!

#28 Melanie said...

I would love to win!!!

Send an email to admin (at) yourscrapbookstash (dot) com to claim your Stash Cash!

One more idea from the Echo Park papers. I love this line. Look for more from me using this. Right now, I love this line and the October Afternoon Fly A Kite line.

I made a quick Summer banner for my sons class at school. I'm always doing crafty things for them. I use my Slice all the time to make little activities for them. Nothing special but 2 and 3 year olds love it so the teachers love it.

The Summer banner:

That cute center of the sun sticker is Martha Stewart Micro Beads. I'm in love with these thanks to this girl.

Trash to Treasure.... Eww to New....

2010-06-11T14:02:00.000-07:00

Whatever you want to call it. I went trash digging this week. Well, not really. It was in our recycle bin. And this idea is definitely not new but its been on my To Do list for a while!

I pulled out the package for the Ghiradelli Chocolate squares. (Love these!)

I needed a cute wrapping idea for a Birthday Gift this month and I used it as a template.

First, I carefully pulled it apart. Its going to rip and have some sticky parts so just be careful in the next step.

Next, flatten it out the best you can. It won't be perfect but it doesn't need to be. This package is slightly larger than the 12x12 paper. Its about 10x12.5 when its flattened out. Don't worry. When you are ready to glue it, that extra 1/2 inch won't matter!

Lay it down over your paper and trace around it loosely. Again, don't worry about being perfect. You're going to fold it up.

Once its traced, cut it with your trimmer. Use a scoring knife or a craft knife to score and cut the folds marked on the bag.

You can then fold it up the same way as the original bag using that as inspiration.

Glue the tabs on the bottom and the one tab on the side and decorate! I'll be adding a special tag later and attaching it using the Bakers Twine. You can also use ribbon to tie it shut. The umbrella is a sticker from the Echo Park paper line, Sweet Summertime and so is the paper I made the bag from.

Try this with some packaging you have laying around.

Don't forget you can leave a comment on the post below for a chance to win one of 3 Gift Certificates this week. I'll be drawing three winners tomorrow (Saturday). Then visit the rest of the Design Teams Blogs to post a comment there. You have 21 total chances to win!

Wendy http://captureeachmoment.blogspot.com/

Carrie http://scrapblog.sydkad.com/

April http://yourscrapbookstash.blogspot.com/

Alyssa http://www.alyssasscraps.blogspot.com/

Liz http://thescrappiest.blogspot.com/

Lady Grace http://scrappinworld.blogspot.com/

Welcome to the Stash Dash

2010-06-06T22:52:00.000-07:00

Or Blog Hop if you want to call it that!

This week long visit to our blogs is a way to thank the current Design Team for their amazing work for the past 6 months.

In case you didn't know, we're looking for the next 6 Stash Girls. You can read more about that HERE and HERE.

Each one of us is giving away 3 - $10 Gift Certificates to the store. Stash Cash.

To win, leave a comment on this post. I will draw three winners on Saturday 6/12/10.

If you visit each of the blogs this week and leave a comment, you have 21 chances to win!

Stop by the other girls blogs to see what they have planned for the week!

Wendy

April (Since April does not have her own blog, she is using the Stash Blog)

More Hipstamatic

2010-06-02T00:22:00.000-07:00

Feeding the ducks at a local pond this time. I'm getting better at composing and picking the lens/film combo.

Gardening

2010-06-01T00:20:00.000-07:00

Spring hit and we decided it was time to teach Nick how to raise a little veggie garden.

He planted cucumbers, watermelons, peppers and zucchinis. He has to water them every day and sometimes we over water them. But thats okay!

Things are starting to pop up!

Hey, do you still scrapbook?

2010-05-31T23:54:00.000-07:00

Why yes! I do!

Baby book for a friend. Used Teresa Collins new Bebe Boy line and a 7 Gypsies album.

Some layouts.

Used a sketch by Liz on this one. Lily Bee papers.

A card inspired by Davinie....

Of Chucks and Trucks

And cool 2 year olds.....

Getting dirty dying eggs.

Legoland memories.

Summer PSA

2010-05-30T23:46:00.000-07:00

Nicholas here with a PSA regarding your skin during the summer.

Always wear your Summer Scream.

No more monkeys jumpin' on da bed!

2010-05-29T23:13:00.000-07:00

One of Nicks favorite nursery rhymes right now....

And one of his favorite things to do.

My little monkey

And no, this shiner isn't from jumping on the bed. He got this in a fight with the table at dinner one night. We went out with some friends and he got a bit fussy. Started thrashing around and BOOM! A big, fat goose egg on the corner of his eye. This was a few days later when the blood started draining.

No do-overs

2010-05-28T23:07:00.000-07:00

One of the things about the Hipstamatic app is that you have to compose your shots. There aren't a lot of do-overs. The app takes a minute to 'process' or 'develop' the shot. And its hard to compose. You're looking through a fake lens on the screen of the iPhone.

And then trying to chose which lens and film to use. Thats another blog post. I'm finding I like certain films best. Like the Pistil and Blanko. The Jimmy Lens is another favorite. I need to go through all of my lenses and films and do the same shot over and over using each one so I can print out a sampler.

Lens: Helga Viking
Film: Blanko
Flash: Off

These were taken on one of the first warm afternoons we've had. Warm enough to actually sit outside after school and blow bubbles.

Easter Morning

2010-05-27T23:41:00.000-07:00

This year, he 'got it'. We talked about the Easter Bunny and how he hides the eggs. We talked about him finding the eggs and that there would be treats.

All we needed to do was tell him there was candy hidden and he figured the rest out on his own.

The Easter Basket

Candy!

Egg Hunt

I'm a Hipsta

2010-05-26T22:58:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I'm addicted to this stupid Hipstamatic. I've pretty much left the SLR at home and used this as my little point and shoot.

The normal camera on the iPhone is decent too.

Took Nick to a birthday party. In fact, he's had a party to go to almost every weekend lately. Seems every kid in his class is turning 3. In less than 2 months, he'll be three. Guess I should pick a theme and start planning. Parties don't plan themselves do they?

Ben's Birthday

(Bouncy House thing - every party has one and Nick refuses to go near it.)

(Cake!)

(Thats Ben)

(You'd think, by looking at this picture, that someone was well behaved.....)

(He carried those balloons around most of the afternoon. You never heard me ask where my kid was.....)

(Time for the pinata. The girls had better swings than the boys!)

(CANDY!!)

(This kid just exudes cool.)

Easter flashback

2010-05-25T23:32:00.000-07:00

So, I realized I never finished with Easter. Someone 'kindly' reminded me.

So here ya go!

More Egg Dying at Gioia's house.

This is serious business in this family.

And its not just for the kids anymore!

A little bit of playing with the new puppy - Rex. Nick named him T-Rex. He was going through a dinosaur phase at the time.
Back to the eggs.

Been playing around....

2010-05-24T22:27:00.000-07:00

And some for me.

And thats what you do when you're sick. Lots of rest and iPhone apps.

I love my Hipstamatic though. What a great concept!

Just a few pictures from the first week.

(Buying more film and lenses for the Hipstamatic)

(Taking pictures to scrap)

(Lazy dog in his new bed)

(Bodhi on his first birthday. Nicks cousin)

I have SO much more to share.

Happy Anniversary

2010-04-29T00:59:00.000-07:00

8 years. 8 LONG years. (Inside joke.)

12 years if you count the dating. 12 LONG years.

So not to overshadow my last post, because I'm still giddy over it but here are some pictures from the wedding. The sad thing is, I have nothing digital so it was all scanned. Yuck. I'm really not that color. The originals are pretty nice though!

So, on April 27th, 2002 we did the deed.

8 years ago. Really? It seems like only yesterday that I was paranoid over getting the reception hall on the same day we could book the church. And will the food be okay? What about colors? I loved the royal blue/silver combo with some stars maybe? Good luck finding ANYTHING at the time. Of course, wherever I go to day, I see that color combo with a big shooting star or group of stars. 8 years later.....

We were married at Rancho Capistrano.

My parents...

And because its my mothers favorite picture.....

In those 8 years, we've bought a house

Had a baby

Traveled the world

Changed jobs

Started my business

Experienced life together.

I know life throws challenges at us and I know we'll weather the storm. Because who else would put up with me for 8 (12) years?

I've got a new toy....

2010-04-27T22:55:00.000-07:00

To keep me busy this summer.

The Crackberry broke this week. Well, its been dying a slow death. But it lasted 21 months which is apparently longer than Crackberry's should last. The roller ball usually dies within 6 months and needs to be replaced. Or the battery dies. Or the screen dies.

I've heard any number of common Crackberry deaths but mine, she lasted. For almost 2 years.

So when the pins on the charger bent, I took her in to get fixed. With it being so close to the contract renewal, they said I could buy a new one for just $99. It was going to be more than that to fix her.

So.... I made the tough decision to trade her in. Upgrade to the newest model.

And then the salesman (clever kid) slyly points out the iPhone. I can't afford that, I say to myself. See, I can't even look at something like this. I need to have it. I want it. I dream about it. I upgraded to a Mac desktop last year and its been the most amazing transition. I love everything Apple and I want it. I'm like that creepy thing in Lord of the Rings saying 'my pressshhhhussss'.

And thats when he dropped the bomb on me. I could get an iPhone for $99. I almost punched him in the face for messing with me. You don't mess with me when it comes to shiny electronics. He had some 'splainin' to do.

See, the new Crackberry was $199 with a $100 mail in rebate. The iPhone was $399 with an INSTANT rebate of $300. Really? No, really? Thats it? And all I have to do is sign up for another 2 years of service? Aw shucks.

So, baby.....

You had me at hello.