Wednesday, August 31, 2011

his favorite pjs…

I was looking through a box of "older" photos and came across these 3 pictures of my little Seth. The photos are from December 2006.  I think I must have been playing around with photo editing and printed three of the exact same photo...so I thought I'd use them all on one layout!

pjs_layout1

I don’t think there was a special occasion for the photos (this is WHY I need to be better about writing things down).  But the thing that struck me as I looked at these pictures is the pajamas he is wearing.  Those polyester blue pajamas.  He wore them home from the hospital after his eye surgery when he was really little – they were HUGE on him.  He loved them and wore them until he was too big for them, then passed them down to Zachary, who wore them until they were worn out completely!

pjs_layout

I used lots of Cosmo Cricket Social Club products on this page…the journaling blocks are my favorite – since I am a fan of hand-written journaling.

pjs_layout2

I guess it’s good we got a LOT of use out of those pajamas…when you consider how much we actually PAID for them – remember, they came home with us from the hospital – it’s good the boys wore them until they were worn out! :o)

supplies2

Social Club Kit

Social Club Buttons

Social Club Chipboard

Social Club Stickers

Social Club Elements (journaling blocks)

Jazz Paper

Cocktail Paper

Manhattan Paper

Thursday, August 25, 2011

and they’re off…

The house is pretty quiet now – except for poor little Zach who is already super bored with all of his siblings off at school!  Meagan was the first to leave – before it was even very light this morning:

blog_firstday_meagan

I’m still having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that she started HIGH SCHOOL today!  I was able to drive her and it was fun watching her as she went from super calm at the house to a little bit giddy as we pulled into the school parking lot.  She was glad to see one of her best friends pull in right behind us too – she was out of the van and onto the sidewalk before I could even think about getting teary!  It’s Freshman orientation day today – so no upperclassmen were at the school…I think it’s a genius plan to get these 9th graders started.  She has play practice right after school today, so I won’t see her until this evening – I can’t wait to get the full report…well, at least however much a 14 year old will tell her mom.

And here’s my calm, cool, and collected 6th grader:

blog_firstday_josh

I honestly don’t think he was one bit nervous.  We didn’t go to back-to-school night for him because he wanted to go on a scout bike ride last night.  I was worried that he’d regret his decision and wish he had gone to meet his teacher – but he didn’t.  He is our only bus rider this year…so we snapped this quick picture and he left in one direction while I headed the opposite direction with this cute 2nd grader:

blog_firstday_seth

Seth was the most nervous of the three kids, I am sure of it.  He had a hard time going to sleep last night – and you can tell by the way he is wringing his hands in the photos that he was anxious.  Our new neighborhood is very close to the elementary school, so Seth will be able to walk to school this year.  Today I walked with him – but as soon as we got to the front door, he was like “Okay Mom, you don’t have to walk with me to my classroom.”  I did anyway. ;)

And this cute little almost-kindergartener walked with us too – because he had his testing/evaluation appointment at 9:00 this morning.

blog_firstday_zach

I’m fairly certain he’ll be in the afternoon session of kindergarten this year, but we won’t know for sure until all of the testing has been completed.  He was the VERY first child to have an appointment (thanks to a last name that starts with “A”), and they will be testing for the next week.  He’ll have back to school night next Thursday night and his first day will be next Friday.  He’s planning on lots of “buddy time” with mommy over the next week – I am too!

I can’t wait until this afternoon so I can hear all about their big day! :o)


And speaking of being “off” – I’m ready to send off this fun kit to one of my lucky blog readers. 

countrydrive

The random winner is:

image

Comment #5 was left by:

Pamk said...

I probably have pics of picnics and my kiddos playing in the park that this line would work I have so many pics to scrap.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011 7:48:00 PM

Pam, I am sending you an e-mail right now!

…and I am off to do something FUN with my little buddy! :o)

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

one last hurrah…

…well, sort of.  Summer break is officially over in a matter of hours!

I was planning on taking the kids to the “big city” for a matinee and a fun lunch out – but life had other plans – Meagan’s early morning cross country practice took almost 4 hours instead of the normal 2ish, Josh had afternoon football practice instead of evening practice since it’s back-to-school night, and I was running the bike back and forth to the bike shop so it would be ready for Josh’s ride tonight with the scouts (yep – we had it in the shop last week, but Brad discovered on Saturday that it wasn't completely fixed…he found this out while he was out on a 30+ mile bike ride with the big kids –yikes!).  So, my plans were changed – and we ended up at Dairy Keen for lunch instead. 

dk4vintage

I don’t think the kids cared at all that we didn’t travel to Provo for the afternoon – especially since they were blissfully unaware of my aforementioned plans.

dairykeen1

They were just happy to go out and get something yummy for lunch – and to celebrate the last day of summer vacation!

dk2_vintage

It’s been a crazy summer for us – no big vacations or trips (unless you count our early summer stint at Primary Children’s Hospital)…yet it’s flown by.  The kids have entertained each other every single day.  They’ve made new friends in our new neighborhood.  We’ve taken little day trips here and there – but nothing that required too much preparation or planning.

And now here we are, only 13 hours away from starting a brand new school year.  I can’t believe my oldest will be starting high school tomorrow.  HIGH SCHOOL.  Crazy!  And my baby will be starting kindergarten this year.  All four kids will be in school every single day – I’m kind of glad kindergarten is only 1/2 days so I can have 9 months to transition myself into this next phase of my life. ;)

We have a busy evening ahead…and hopefully some early bedtimes.

I wonder who has more butterflies –

these cute kids or their mom…

(don’t answer that!) :o)

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

sweet memories…

Guess what?  Echo Park is teaming up with another great company this week!  This time it’s an adhesive company – Tombow!  I bet you’ve seen their adhesives at your local store…and you may have even used their products before – they’ve been around for a while.  Do you know why?  Because their adhesive works!  That’s why!

created this layout using the Tombo Mono Adhesive Roller and the Tombow 3D Foam Tabs.

My very sweet and very talented friend, Lori, took our family photos a few weeks ago – this is one of my favorites!

out_for_publication

 

The patterned papers are all attached to the textured cardstock with the mono adhesive – and just for fun…to test the strength of the glue…I picked up my layout and actually SHOOK it after everything was attached.  Guess what – NOTHING fell off.  yay!  Sometimes adhesive works fine as long as the layout is just sitting in a sheet protector, but this adhesive worked even when I was shaking it around!

(Did you notice I used more of that great twine from The Twinery on this layout too?  Honeydew and Blossom.  Love the colors!)

family_photo_detail1

And it’s no secret that I’m a fan of foam tabs/squares/adhesive.  These tabs are a bit “softer” than some of the other tabs I’ve used in the past.  I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing – just an observation.  I did, however, LOVE the fact that the paper backing was EASY to remove.  Some brands have paper backing that is really really really hard to get off…so that is a BIG plus for sure!  I used the foam tabs to pop up the “sweet memories” tag, the “happy” sticker, and the birds and hearts. :)

family_photo_detail2

If you’re looking for a new adhesive to use, give Tombow a try! 

And while you’re here, I have to mention this great line by Echo Park – it’s called Country Drive

countrydriveIsn’t it fun?  I know I sound like a broken record when it comes to these paper kits, but truly, I love it!  Do you like it?  Would you like to have a kit for yourself?  Echo Park sent me an extra kit to share with one of my blog readers!  If you’d like to win a set, leave me a comment telling me what YOU would scrapbook with this line – would it be a family photo, maybe a summer picnic, or photos of your kids playing in the grass…leave me a comment (be sure to leave your e-mail address so I can contact you if you win…and please note that I can only ship to US mailing addresses) and I’ll choose a winner on Thursday morning! 

Good luck! :o)

supplies2

Country Drive 12x12 Kit by Echo Park

Daisy Fields Paper

Clover Meadow Paper

Country Drive Journaling Cards

Country Drive Elements Sticker Sheet

Country Drive Alphabet Stickers

Country Drive Border Strips

Tombow Foam Tabs

Tombow Mono Adhesive (it’s refillable too!)

Honeydew Bakers Twine

Blossom Bakers Twine

 

P.S. If you are local and you’re looking for someone to take your family photos, check out Lori’s blog HERE! She did a great job with our big family (19 of us all together) – everyone was pleased with the photos!    :o)

Thursday, August 18, 2011

slip & slide…

Happy Thursday!  I am so excited to be participating in The Twinery’s 1st Anniversary Celebration blog hop

Anniversary_Blog_Button

with Echo Park Papers today! 

echo_park

If you came here by way of  Jessica Diedrich’s blog, you are on the right track. If not, make sure you start at the beginning over at The Twinery's blog because there are terrific prizes for those who complete the hop by commenting on each blog. Here’s a peek at the prizes you could win:

The Twinery is giving away the 'Ultimate Color Sampler Pack'

0000

Echo Park is giving away Three of their newest collections!!

A Victoria Gardens Kit

An Apothecary Emporium Kit

AND

A Happy Days Kit!!

EP_Prizes

You'll have two days to enjoy this hop, so relax and have fun!  Be sure to hop to each of the participating blogs and check out the projects using baker's twine from The Twinery and the fabulously creative designer papers from Echo Park.

When was asked to participate, I was thrilled – I love love love using baker’s twine on my layouts – especially combining twine with Echo Park Papers – the colors and designs are perfect for adding twine.  When I received my package of bakers twine from The Twinery I was so impressed with the beautiful vivid colors – it’s all just so pretty! 

I  thought the mandarin, lemondrop, honeydew, and caribbean were absolutely perfect matches for the colors in the SPLASH collection – so that’s what I used!

 slip_and_slide_

I incorporated the twine on my layout it lots of ways…here are the details:

1.  I added twine to this little journaling card.  I simply punched holes in each end and stitched the colors right over the lines.  I wrote my journaling first, because I was afraid I’d get black ink on the twine if I did it after.

slip_and_slide_detail1

2.  I added twine to this little banner in the corner.  It’s hard to tell from the photo, but I actually glued a length of twine on the back and one on the front, so the banner is sandwiched between the two strands.  I used foam adhesive to attach the banner and then added buttons to the top.

slip_and_slide_detail2

3.  I stitched all the way around my layout with the lemondrop twine.  I used a paper piercer to make holes every 1/4” and then used a quilting needle to sew a running stitch around the edges of the white cardstock.

slip_and_slide_detail3

slip_and_slide_detail6

4.  I like to use bakers twine to define the separate strips of patterned paper – I added the honeydew below the orange strip on the top…

slip_and_slide_detail4

…and I used the caribbean along the top of the fish border strip.

slip_and_slide_detail5

5.  Finally, I wrapped all four colors around this block.  I tied a double knot and slipped a large red button underneath – I think it just “ties” it all together, lol.

slip_and_slide_detail7

I'm so glad you stopped by! I hope I've inspired you to give baker's twine a try.  Please make sure you leave a comment on my blog because everyone who leaves a comment on each of the blogs will have a chance to win those terrific prizes I mentioned above!  The deadline for commenting is 11:59pm EST, Friday, August 19th. Prize winners will be announced on Saturday, August 20th on The Twinery blog.

Your next stop on the hop is Jenny Suchin's blog.

Thanks for hopping by!

But WAIT!  Before you go, there’s one more thing…I want to host a giveaway of my own in addition to the blog hop giveaway!  It just so happens that I have an Echo Park SPLASH kit to give away to one of my blog readers! 

Splash Kit Giveaway!!

So…when you leave your comment here, be sure to tell me your favorite way to cool off on a hot summer day.  Also, please be sure to leave your e-mail address so I can contact you if you win!  I’ll choose a winner Monday morning.  Good luck! :o)

supplies2

Splash Alpha Stickers

Splash Borders

Splash Journaling Paper

Splash Diagonal Stripes Paper

Splash Big Waves Paper

Splash Big Dots Paper

Splash Big Stripes Paper

Splash Whales Paper

mandarin bakers twine

lemondrop bakers twine

honeydew bakers  twine

caribbean bakers twine

foam adhesive tabs

Garden Variety Buttons

Paper Piercer Tool

Border Punch

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

four wheeling fun (times four)…

I created this layout to share on the Pebbles blog yesterday for “Mix & Match Monday.”

four_wheel_layout2

The photos are from a few years ago – the day we purchased the “little” four wheelers for the kids to ride.

four_wheel_layout_detail12

We have since purchased some bigger four wheelers for them (and us) to ride on…and we just love riding together as a family!

four_wheel_layout_detail22

And speaking of FUN…I am so excited to be able to continue on for another year with the Pebbles Inc. Design Team

pebbles_designteam6

The official announcement went up yesterday and I am thrilled to be working with so many wonderful designers.  The last year has been amazing – Lynn is an incredibly organized (and super sweet) design team leader – and the products are so much fun to work with!  You can read the announcement – and see links to all of the design team members – here!

 

supplies27

Happy Go Lucky Delight (751086)
New Addition Girl Perfect (751058)
New Addition Girl Sweet Moments (751056)
New Addition Boy Special Delivery (751066)
New Addition Boy Brand New (751070)
New Addition Boy Chocolate Brown Candy Dots (744236)
New Addition Boy Chips (744116)
Cats & Dogs Buddy ABC Stickers (732013)
Twitterpated Word Stickers (732002)
Twitterpated Rub Ons (735000)
Chocolate Brown Ribbon (744027)

Other supplies used:
Cardstock (American Crafts)
Pen (American Crafts)

Friday, August 12, 2011

lucky us…

Last week was “In Stitches” week on the Pebbles Blog.  My assignment was to simply use stitching (either machine or hand) on a project.  If you know me, you know this was the easiest assignment I’ve ever had -  because I stitch on EVERYTHING!

Since I had yet to use any of the product from the Mr.& Mrs. line, I decided to mix it up with some miscellaneous pink items from other Pebbles lines.  Here’s the result:

out_for_publication

I found a handful of pictures of the two of us – there weren’t many…but I’m glad I’ve occasionally handed my camera over to one of the kids so we at least have this many pics of the two of us together.

waslucky_us_layout_detail5

I cut lots of squares the same size as the photos and stitched around all of them with pink thread.

wsalucky_us_layout_detail1

I added some stitching over the chipboard letters too (just for fun...they were already sticky on the back)

wsalucky_us_layout_detail2

I played around with some of the layered stickers, removing layers that had colors that didn’t match

wsalucky_us_layout_detail3

And I cut some of them apart as well.

wsalucky_us_layout_detail4

You can see my layout (here) on the Pebbles Inc.blog – along with lots of other fun ideas for adding stitches to your projects. :o)

supplies2

The Mr. & Mrs. Wedding Dress
The Mr. & Mrs. Tulle
The Mr. & Mrs. Tuxedo
The Mr. & Mrs. Rings
The Mr. & Mrs. Wedding Veil
The Mr. & Mrs. Phrases Dimensional Stickers
The Mrs. & Mrs. Pearl Candy Dot Flourishes
The Mrs. & Mrs. Rose Brads
New Addition Girl 12” Border Stickers
New Addition Girl Icon Dimensional Stickers
New Addition Girl Epoxy Brads (747006)
Floral Lane Dimensional Phrases Stickers
Floral Lane Dimensional Icon Stickers
Vanilla Forest Thickers 

Scallop Border Punch (Stampin' Up!)

Monday, August 08, 2011

seriously…

…because apparently, ENOUGH is simply NOT ENOUGH.

zach_cast1_bw

I guess we couldn’t have a “normal” (healthy) August either.

zach_cast2_bw

He had to add a fractured pinky to his list…

After we left the after hours clinic on Friday night, Zach declared this to be “The Worst Summer Ever.”

I agree.

poor kid…

Friday, August 05, 2011

fabrique friday…

It’s Friday again already and I have a fun little Slice Fabrique project to share with you today.

dinoshirt1

You can find this cute little dinosaur on the Playtime design card.

dinoshirt2

I stitched him onto a simple white t-shirt…his tail is on the back of the shirt so it looks like he’s walking around to the front.

dinoshirt4

If you have little ones you’ll want to check out the Playtime design card made for the Slice Fabrique.  It contains lots of cute images…perfect for adding a little personalization to your fabric projects…like a plain white t-shirt.

Remember to check out the Slice Fabrique page on Facebook as well as the Slice Fabrique Website & Blog for lots of useful tips, and fun project ideas!