30 Days of Gratitude - Day One

My good friend, Melissa, posted about joining in on a gratitude campaign for November 2012.  She is one of the most kind and inspiring people I know so I thought I'd join in.

My hope is to choose a photo each day and journal a bit about what I'm thankful for.  At the end of the month, I plan to put all the photos together in a Project Life format for our family scrapbook.

So for day one, I'm so amazingly thankful that our family is together.  Ben should still be in my belly.  And Justin should be on deployment.  But because of preterm labor, Ben is here.  And because Ben got extremely sick while in the NICU, Justin came home.  Nothing is as we planned it but we are all safe and healthy and home now.  Finally.  And I am so grateful.  Only a few more days before Justin leaves again so I might be thankful for togetherness for a few more days.

To create the journaling section to my photo, I slightly modified a digital brush (Noted) by Splendiid Fiins in Photoshop.  I think I'll try to use it throughout the month.

Are you planning to join in?  How will you be grateful this month?

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Favorite Photos of May 2012

I can't believe that it already November and I haven't updated my Favorite Photo posts since April!  So I will try to catch up with these over the next couple of weeks.  So, without further ado, here are my twelve favorite photos from May 2012!

Look at that face and that outfit?!  Just wait until she gives me that same look at 16.  :)

Charlotte and Alex giving each other goodbye hugs on her last day of school. 

Charlotte and Justin hanging out behind Bowmen's Wharf in Newport, RI during one of our last weekends on the east coast. 

Proud naval officers and their little girls.

This photo just makes me smile.  The Smith men and Charlotte getting ready for our New England feast of crabs and lobsters during our last night in Rhode Island. 

Charlotte and Pappy dancing the night away at Cousin Colleen's wedding just outside of St. Louis., MO.

 

Smith and Sperry.

Charlotte with her rolling backpack on our very last flight before finally getting back to San Diego.

Charlotte anxiously watching Justin get ready to soak cousin Dan.

Charlotte hanging out on Pappy's boat in Coronado.

At the airport before Justin flew to Virginia for nine weeks of training.

Charlotte at Cousin Thai's graduation.  This was one of our first "events" without Daddy. This would be the first of many.

It's crazy to be posting these photos showing our move from Rhode Island to California just weeks before we prepare to move one more time to Hawaii.  Fingers crossed that I can catch up with these posts very soon before the end of November!

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Happy Halloween!

Hope everyone has a fun and SAFE Halloween.  Charlotte is dressing up as a monkey ballerina and Ben has a cute little pumpkin sleeper his big sister picked out.  Photos to come.

And just because what is a post without some sort of crafty project, here's a Halloween card made with some digital goodness from Designs by Dani.

Supplies:  Digital Elements from Design by Dani, DIY Foam Tape, Photoshop CS5.

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Xyron and Little Yellow Bicycle Blog Hop

It's time for another Xyron blog hop and this week, Xyron is partnering up with Little Yellow Bicycle!  I cannot even begin to tell you how fabulous it was to work with LYB and their new fall line, Acorn Hollow.  I loved how the collection worked really well for masculine pages, the thickness of their 6x6 paper pad, the adorable embellishments, and the whimsical leaves throughout the collection.  My favorite embellishments in the collection were the Paper Crafting Kit, Canvas Covered Chipboard Album, and Clear Cuts.  But everything was just so fun to play with!

Given the fall and Thanksgiving theme of the collection, I was inspired to make a family mini album.  I used the LYB Canvas Covered Chipboard Album as my foundation.

Xyron products made putting this mini album a breeze!  Can you say Creatopia?!?!!  I was able to apply edge to edge adhesive on the 6x6 paper and cover the chipboard pages in literally a few minutes!  The Xyron 5" Creative Station and Xyron 1.5" Sticker Maker also instantly transform chipboard pieces, die cuts, and transparencies into perfect stickers to embellish my album pages.  Here are all the pages:

Be sure to visit the Xyron blog to check out some more fantastic projects and for a chance to win the ENTIRE Acorn Hollow collection!!  As always, thanks for stopping by!

More Cards featuring Xyron,Globecraft Memories, and the September Counterfeit Kit

I just wanted to share a few cards I made with the last bits of my September Counterfeit Kit and some leftover pieces from the the Decor Style #9 set by Globecraft Memories & Piccolo.  See this blog post to see other card featuring Xyron and Globecraft Memories.   

1.  Welcome Baby Card.  I seriously love everything Lawn Fawn and their stamps work perfectly either colored with copics or paper pieced.  The frame behind the "welcome" sentiment is a piece of book board from the Piccolo Decor Style #9 set covered with patterned paper using my Xyron 2.5" Sticker Maker.

Supplies:  Patterned Paper (Studio Calico, Crate Paper); Stamps (Lawn Fawn); Frame by Globecraft Memories; Adhesive (Xyron 1.5" Create a Sticker, Xyron 2.5" Create a Sticker, Xyron Mega Runner); We R Memory Keepers Heart Attack.

2.  Thank You Card.  I have A LOT of thank you cards to send out so I've been trying to find every excuse to make some more.  This was also my first time playing with this new banner wafer thin die from Simon Says Stamps.  Um...LOVE!

Supplies:  Stamps (Lawn Fawn, Paper Smooches); Frame by Globecraft Memories; Adhesive (Xyron 1.5" Create a Sticker, Xyron Mega Runner, DIY Foam Tape made with Xyron 5" Creative Station); EK Success Punch; Martha Stewart Crafts Embossing Powder.

3.  The Rest...  Here are some more cards I made only with papers and embellishments from my September Counterfeit Kit.  I literally just wanted to use up the rest of my kit!  Adhesives are, of course, from Xyron.  If you don't have at least a Xyron 1.5" Sticker Maker, you need to get one.  Like right now.

4.  Happy Birthday Card.  And I made this Happy Birthday card ages ago and it wasn't from the Counterfeit Kit, but since we're talking about cards and I am trying to get everything posted, here's another one for you.  :)

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Xyron and Teresa Collins Blog Hop

It's time for another Xyron blog hop and this week Xyron has partnered up with Teresa Collins Design!!!  I got to play with the gorgeous Tell Your Story Collection..

This collection is stunning!  The paper is super thick, has the most stunning patterns, and the oranges and teals will just make you gasp.  Seriously gorgeous.  Like I want to hoard it gorgeous.

Here is the layout that I made with the collection with a photo of Charlotte and Justin on the teacups ride at Disneyland.

Supplies:  Patterned Paper (Teresa Collins Designs - Tell Your Story); Stickers (Teresa Collins Designs - Tell Your Story); Chipboard Butterflies (Studio Calico); Buttons (Crate Paper); Letter Stickers (Teresa Collins Designs, American Crafts); Adhesives (Xyron 1.5" Sticker Maker; Xyron 5" Creative Station; Xyron Creatopia; Xyron Mega Runner; Glossy Accents).

A number of the patterned papers in the collection kit feature these beautiful flowers with either a soft text or ledger printed in the background.  I used the floral with the text as my main background paper and cut a piece of the ledger floral as my journaling spot.  Here is a close up.

The lanterns hanging over the teacups also mimic hexagon shapes.  So to replicate that, I adhered a number of the hexagon stickers from the collection along the top of the layout using some DIY foam squares.

And finally, I added some chipboard butterflies and word stickers from the collection kit throughout the layout to finish it off.

May I also add that some of the papers in this collection are PERFECT for Project Life!!  

Make sure to head over to Beth Kingston's blog to see what the Xyron Design Team has been making all week with these gorgeous Teresa Collins Designs papers!  As always, thanks for stopping by!

Big Picture Class Giveaway Winner!!

And the winner for a spot in the Big Picture Class taught by Tracey Clark, Picture Color, is...

Melissa D.September 17, 2012 7:16 AM

You are an amazing woman Van! It is no wonder that your sweet baby boy is as strong as he is. Blessings to your sweet family and welcome the world baby Ben!

Congratulations, Melissa!!!!  I'll message you with the prize details!