Two Weeks

Late Friday night, Justin came home.  He spent the last nine weeks in Virginia for training.  Now, he's home for about two weeks before deployment.  It might only be two weeks but he's home.  And we are so amazingly grateful.

Here are some photos of Justin and Charlotte when we met him at the airport.  

Charlotte had her hands wrapped around Justin's neck the entire time and couldn't stop just stroking his face or patting his back.  

At one point, while I had my head on my his shoulder, she pushed me off and gave me a pretty mean glare.  Aw, that's my girl.  :)

On Sunday, Justin and I attended a friend's wedding while Charlotte got to hang out with Pappy and Grammy.  It was smiles all weekend for our entire little family.

Justin, you are certainly loved.  :)

Words for Wednesday - Spork

I saw this on Elise Blaha Cripe's blog and thought it was worthy of sharing.  :)

Hope you're having an awesome Wednesday!  As always, thanks for stopping by!

Project Life - Weeks 7, 8, 9 and 10

It's amazing how easy it was for me to fall dreadfully behind with Project Life.  I actually did these layouts for Weeks 7, 8 and 9 months ago but never shared them on the blog.  

Week 7.  The highlights of this week were definitely Valentine's Day and our trip out to Cape Cod.  I was so amazingly busy making Valentines Day cards this year.  And despite the cold, Charlotte had a great time at the beach on Cape Cod.

Week 8. This week's highlights included finishing up swimming class at the Y and the Winter Festival in Newport, RI.  Charlotte just adored riding on the carousel.  That night after the Winter Festival, she kept asking for the horsy.  Once we realized that she meant the carousel we felt so bad that it was closed for the rest of the season that we bought her a Dora beach chair at Walmart that night.  :)

 

Week 9.   Charlotte got to spend so much time with Ellie this week.  From visiting the Buttonwood Zoo to celebrating Ellie's birthday party, it was certainly a sweet week of friendship and fun.

While flipping through my scrapbook, I also realized how amazingly fulfilling Project Life was.  So, with a new found resolution, I have decided to catch up with Project Life again.  This time, I'm going to go digital (see this tutorial by Jessica Sprague on how she does Project Life).  

This first layout definitely took a lot longer than I expected but I'm hoping the process will speed up once I get a hang of things.  We'll see how it goes.  Anyways, here is the digital Project Life layout for Week 10.  

Week 10.  Highlights included a play date with Ellie at Kidventures, a Sweet Pea Baby Shower for Laura and Christen, and going up to Boston to visit my dear, sweet friend Miya and her gorgeous family.

 

Now what week are we on now?  Week 29?  30?  Oh my...lots of catching up to do!!!

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Catching Up - Some More Digital Scrapbook Layouts

Just wanted to post some digital scrapbook layouts I've done that somehow never made it to the blog for one reason or another.  So enjoy!

1.  Playing with Daddy {a digital scrapbook layout}.  This layout is based on this beautiful sketch by Erin Shultz (Mid Week Mojo - Pearl #1) for Scrapbook Steals.  It was also the perfect excuse to play with some new digital products from Jenni Bowlin Studios.

Supplies:  Jenni Bowlin Studios (Classic Border Shapes, Mercantile Mix Paper Collection 2, Mercantile Mix Paper Collection 4, Rhinestone Buttons & Bows); Splendid Fiins (@ the office supplies 1, Sew Crafty - messy stitches vol 1, Knock Out - "wood grain" mask); Pink Paislee (Kraft Capers Paper Pack); Photoshop CS5; Sketch (Erin Shultz for Scrapbook Steals).

2.  Nashville {a digital scrapbook layout}.  This layout is an attempt to scrapbook our cross country drive last September.  I'm still not quite sure how I'm going to document our amazing trip cross country but here is a first attempt using some new products from Splendid Fiins.

Supplies:  Splendid Fiins (Kinda Sketchy, wishy washi - skies ae grey set 1, Sew Crafty - messy stitches vol 1; Photoshop CS5).

3.  Horsing Around {a digital scrapbook layout}.  And finally, this is a layout I made awhile back inspired by this amazing sketch by Misty Buck for Scrapbook Steals.  

Supplies:  Jenni Bowlin Studios (Tangerine Dream Collection, Printed Tickets Stars & Stats, Classic Label Papers ); Kitschy Digitals (Clotheslines); Queen of Quirk (Country Mouse Accent Pack; Photoshop CS5; Sketch (Misty Buck for Scrapbook Steals).

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Trinity Paper Arts and Xyron: Sincerely Collection

Trinity Paper Arts is a relatively new manufacturer in the scrapbooking world and I was so excited that Xyron is be teaming up with them to showcase some of their paper collections.  I received the Sincerely collection to play with - a love themed collection featuring lots to black and maroon tones.  I also fell in love with the quality of the paper - super thick and with a smooth finish - which made it perfect for a 3D project.  

I made this little 3D card and envelope box that fits six A2 sized notecards and envelopes.  

Using my Silhouette Cameo, I cut the box out of the e.e. poem paper using a file from Snapdragon Snippets (3D envelope box - design id #2454) which is available through the Silhouette Studio Store.  In order to fit an A2 sized envelope, I resized the file to 12.895" x 14.770" and rotated it by 45 degrees in order to fit onto the 12" x 12" mat.

The Trinity Paper Arts paper cut beautifully on my Silhouette Cameo!  I then embellished the front side of the box wish some of the border strips, decor stickers, and alpha stickers from the collection kit.  I also sprayed a bit of Mister Hueys white mist on the top half of the paper.

To make sure that I could easily open and close the box to access the little notecards inside, I reached for my Xyron magnetic tape.  I strategically placed it on certain flaps to ensure a strong hold when the box is closed.  I seriously love Xyron's magnetic tape.  It's thin enough so that you can simply tear it and add it to projects with little to no bulk.  However, it's strong enough to ensure that my mini albums or 3D boxes can stay closed when I'm not using them.

I also added a little sticker from the collection sticker sheet right at the envelope flap to finish off the back of the box.

Finally, since three of the papers in the collection feature some gorgeous ledger/ lined designs, I cut down those sheets apart to create 6 perfectly adorable and simple A2 sized note cards.  With the addition of six premade envelopes from my stash I have the perfect little gift for someone special in my life.

Supplies:  Patterned Paper (Trinity Paper Arts); Letter Stickers and Embellishments (Trinity Paper Arts, Cosmo Cricket); Adhesives (Xyron Mega Runner, Xyron 5" Creative Station, Xyron Magnetic Tape); Acrylic Spray by Studio Calico; ; Craft Foam by Creatology; Digital File by Snapdragon Snippets; Silhouette Cameo.

Make sure to head over the Beth Kingston's blog to check out all the other amazing projects the Xyron Design Team has created for you this entire week!  

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Take 12 Project - July 12

In an unusually odd way, I'm relieved that this July 12 was so ridiculously mundane and kind of boring.  July 12 was on a Thursday.  I crafted in the morning.  Charlotte went to school.  I went to work.  We can home and just played and did our "thing" until bedtime.  With so much change and adjustment (and even just the anticipation of such turmoil) these past few months, it was relieving to feel a normal for just a little bit.

I went digital again for this month's layout.  I think I've been doing that these past few months because it's just easier at times and there isn't a huge mess to clean up afterwards. That's the beauty of digital scrapbooking!

Supplies:  Splendid Fiins (Kinda Sketchy Template, @ the office supplies 1, Evidence-date stamps, Knock Out - "clouds" mask, Knock Out - "wood grain" mask, very krafty-the ledgers); Design by Dani (Boy Crazy Complete Kit)

Make sure to head over to the Ella Publishing blog to check out some more inspiring layouts by the Take 12 team!!

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Thirty-One. Bring it On.

Well, today marks my 31st birthday.  I didn't blog about turning 30 last year.  I was in denial for a few months about that one.  But for 31, I have decided to face it straight on.  

Looking back at this past year, so much of my life has literally turned upside down.  I left my big firm attorney job.  We moved out of our dream home.  I traded credit agreements and mortgages for dirty diapers and sensory boxes.  But, while Justin and I struggled through growing pains in the process, the transition was worth it.  And now, in retrospect, I can look back at 30 and easily name thirty things that I am so amazingly proud of - both big and small.  From celebrating our fifth wedding anniversary to learning how to break down a Maryland blue crab, there is so much that happened this past year that only motivates and inspires me to be positive and optimistic as I turn 31.  Here's hoping that by the end of next year, I can end my list of 31 things I did at 31 still saying that I have no regrets. 

30 at Thirty {a digital scrapbook layout}

Supplies:  Splendid Fiins (Wishy Washy - At the Office, Sew Crafty - messy stitches vol 1); Design by Dani (Boy Crazy Complete Kit); Photoshop CS5

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Happy 4th of July!!

Happy Birthday, America!  I love the fourth of July.  It usually means a fun day filled with parades, BBQs, and fireworks.  Depending where in the world we're living, we celebrate on the beach, in the backyard, in the pool, or on the boat.  While the landscapes may change (or even the country that we're in), the meaning and celebration are always the same.


Here is a Happy 4th of July banner I recently made using my Silhouette Cameo and some super cute digital files from Pink Paislee.

I love all the little details in the banner, from the star embossed letters to the white faux stitching around each of the pennants!  Here are some close-ups.

Supplies:  Digital Files (Pink Paislee - Declaration); Cardstock (Core'dinations); Ribbon (American Crafts); Embellishments (Sassafrass Lass, Doodlebug); Embossing Folder (Paper Studio); Silhouette Cameo; Uni-Ball Signo Broad White Gel Pen; Adhesives (Xyron Creatopia, Xyron 2.5" Sticker Maker, Xyron Mega Runner, Glossy Accents).


As always, thanks for stopping by and have a fantastic fourth of July!!!

Some Projects using Samantha Walker Digital Products

Last month over at JessicaSprauge.com, I got to work with some of Samantha Walker's gorgeous new digital designs and cut files to create these two projects.


1.  Smith & Sperry {a digital scrapbook layout}.  I took this photo during our visit to Missouri for Justin's cousin's wedding.  It was right outside of an old, rural antique shop and all the Smith boys and Charlotte just happened to be wearing sperrys.  How adorable, right?

Digital Supplies (all available at JessicaSprague.com):  Samantha Walker (Blossom Paper Pack (pink and solids), Mega Masks Fancy Collection); Splendid Fiins (Sew Crafty - Messy Stitches Vol 1). 


2.  F is for Family {a mini album}.  Samantha Walker also makes these amazing cut files for your electronic die cutting machines.  I used her Varied Flap Wallet Book file to make this mini album for Charlotte.  To hold down the little flaps, I used some Xyron Magnetic Tape which is pretty thin and easy to tear.  So easy!

Supplies:  Digital Files (Samantha Walker, liv.EDesigns); Patterned Paper (My Mind's Eye); Letter Stickers (Making Memories, October Afternoon, Cosmo Cricket); Adhesives (Xyron Mega Runner; Xyron Magnetic Tape).  


As always, thanks for stopping by!