Happy 4th of July and a wee giveaway

It's the 3rd of July, my friends! Hopefully that means you have the day off and are already enjoying your holiday weekend.

We are mixing things up this year. I'm the Registrar at the girls' preschool, so felt compelled to jump in the float we will have at the Redmond parade. The kids get to throw candy and are really excited about it. Then we are off to a BBQ with pool time. A low key day.

I wanted to share a layout I did for my recent article at True North Parenting. Somewhat similar to my Project 12 challenge, I simply highlighted our day with some of my favorite pics. I used the American flag as a backdrop for this layout. Easily done!



Speaking of which, if you are sticking around the house this weekend and looking for a creative push, please check out my Project 12 challenge for June. Lovely prize, eh? I decided to go with that one because I'll be teaching a fabric album class at my LSS in August sometime, I think. I can't wait to share what I've been up to!

Before I go I thought it would be fun to do a little holiday giveaway. A few months ago Denise won my project 12 challenge and a wonderful Upper Crest punch from Fiskars. Unfortunately, at prize shipping time, I could not locate that darn punch ANYWHERE. I had to get her another one.

As luck would have it, the punch has resurfaced, and is ready to make it's place in somebody's home, as I already have one and use it every month. Do you have one? Would you like to add one to your collection? If so, just leave me a comment on this post about your weekend plans. Let's keep it to my US friends this time, okay? I love my international friends but the post office does not love me, lol.

I'll leave the comments open through Sunday and choose a winner bright and early Monday morning. Then I can ship your punch after we are done with swimming lessons.

Sound good?! Have a great weekend! Davinie

Project 12 challenge - June

Brace yourself....
It's JULY.

Can you believe it? I feel like every month my post says the same thing but every month is going by too fast, and these challenges are making me more and more aware how fast my life is getting away from me! lol

June saw the end of the school year and the beginning of the summer time. There were a lot of photo opportunities and I look forward to choosing a few of my favorites to highlight my month. Did anything exciting happen at your house? I hope you got nice weather, at least! It took a while for the sun to come out and I'm happy to report that it's finally here for good.

As always, the rules are simple.
1. Scrap your month. I am working on a layout for June 2009. I'm highlighting my month. I'm using Jenni Bowlin calendar cards because I have them for the whole year and thought it would be fun to unify my 2009 scrapbook by using the same thing to document each month. But you don't have to! All you have to do is make a layout about what you've been doing in a single month and link it to this post.
2. The due date is the 20th of the month. It certainly gives ME plenty of time to procrastinate on my own layout.
3. On the 21st I'll draw a name from those who participated and linked to this thread, and give a little prize. I hope I can entice you to play along this month with the following prize:





How about Prima's Donna Downey Canvas fabric album?

If you'd like to check out what's been given away the last 5 months, just click on the Project 12 label at the bottom of this post.

Don't forge to link your layouts to this thread! This is the only place I check for participants when it comes to drawing names.

Thanks for playing along and have a great day! Davinie

Taking a Moment for Cosmo Love

For no reason whatsoever, whatsoever, no reason at all, I thought I would share some projects made with some of my favorite product in the entire scrappy planet. I needed to share this with you today. Oh no, I cannot wait until tomorrow to share the love and adoration for this product. I had to do it today. I just can't wait another moment.

I've had a long standing love affair with Cosmo Cricket. You might know this about me. I've said it before and I'll say it again. I love Cosmo Cricket. I have since the beginning, and like all true love affairs, my love has grown with each season, or shall I say, each release. It's like they continually knock on my door and ask me what I need, and then just go out and make it for me. I just love that about them.

I wanted to share a few projects I have made recently with my favorite new lines.

This first one is Early Bird. Oh my heavens how the Early Bird speaks to me. How many 12x12 sheets will I need to wallpaper 2200 square feet? There is a chance I will find out and let you know. I really dig this line.

The chipboard shapes work perfectly with the patterned paper, and of course, my cute kiddo is quite complimentary as well, don't you think?



This next one caters to the outdoor girl in me. I thought I had died and gone to heaven when I first saw Mr Campy. After all, I can often be referred to as.... Mrs Campy, lol. We certainly love to take the trailer out and enjoy the outdoors in these parts (and I am fine as long as there is a nearby shower and I can wash my hands, lol).
Snorkel caters to the Day Use Area girl in me. Taking the kids to the lake, to swimming lessons, to the beach, even through the hose in the backyard. All manners of outdoor water play, or even INDOOR bathtub play, can be represented with this line, Snorkel.



The funky chipboard shapes with this line are perfect for layers and dimension.




This last layout is for my Girl Friday, I mean, Morgan. I am SO excited to get this line in fabric. And I see there are two colorways to choose from. This is perfect! I have rather expensive shades in my girls' room that are a blue color that doesn't always go with the girly pink we'd like to use, but this line is able to put it all together in a way that just makes my heart darn happy. Look for coordinating bedspreads this winter after the fabric becomes available. Oh yes.

I made a really quick and easy gift for my hubby on Father's Day using the tags from the Early Bird line. He ate the whole jar of cookies inside a couple of days and I guess we are lucky he didn't eat the tags too! He LOVED this gift becuase of the thought behind it. It doesn't take a lot to make people happy sometimes. Speaking of which, I guess the girls and I had better get to work refilling that jar.

I recently did a tutorial on Tussie Mussie's using the Early Bird line and posted photos here, and here.

My hubby helped me do a tutorial on Magnetic Canvases and I found a fun way to use Cosmo Cricket blackboard and the Jack's World shapes by making them into magnets. Check out that project here.

I also made this cute treasure of a mini album about Morgan with the Dutch Girl line and posted that with Cosmo love here last year. I just loved that line.

Will my love for Cosmo ever end? I think not.

Have a great week, my friends. And hold on to your hats. July, is TOMORROW. And that means the weekend and fireworks will be here before you know it.

Davinie

Studio Calico - JULY!!!

The July kit is up at Studio Calico! Did you get what you were after? Again, I got the whole kit and caboodle. I saw a balloon stamp and an add-on was catered to a zoo trip, and with both on my calendar, I couldn't hardly say NO?!

I wanted to share what I did this month. This first layout is by far my favorite. I dig, dig, DIG this color palette.



I did a layout last year with similar clouds, so I wanted to make sure these were different. I had to have clouds though, because if this awesome photo, and the balloon stamp, so to change them a little, I inked the edges but more importantly, I machine stitched a grid pattern. I really love the texture and dimension it gave.
The Sassafras flower made the perfect sun. I love the yellow chipboard. And of course, I had to add a balloon. I'm also very obsessed with the scallop sentiment punch from Fiskars, which I have mentioned before, so of course I had to use that too.




I liked the "today" sentiment in the Little Yellow Bicycle sentiment stickers, so I wanted to use that as one of my titles. I loved this Lily Bee paper as the base, and those flowers from the MM Great Escape paper were perfect together. I then used some circle punches from Fiskars for my flowers, and added some MM flowers and my trusty Heidi Swapp edge distressing tool for some texture.




When I first made this layout I was worried it was a bit too plain. I did work it out with my favorite punch to get the edges to the blue Scenic Route paper, though, and snipped some of the KI border stickers in half to use at the top. But the thing I love about this layout are the photos. Oh my word, I have a beautiful family. And Morgan looks like such a diva all wrapped up in that pink scarf with her 3D shades.

The fun part about this layout is how I did the title. If you've seen the movie, bottle caps and safety pins were some great symbolism, so while watching the movie even, I KNEW I was going to make one and use it for the title. And it just so happens I had this unopened package of charms from Making Memories that's about 6 years old that had a little safety pin. Perfect!

It would have been obvious to use the balloon stamp on this layout as well, but because I went 8.5x11 and used a 4x6 photo, combined with the title piece, it just didn't fit anywhere that made sense to me.

Speaking of the movie UP, if you did see it and are looking for some fun activities for your kids this summer, I found this site with some fun projects for kids:

UP Printables


You might recall that I went to the zoo, Payton's very first trip, and accidentally left my camera battery charging at my mama's house. So I bought a disposable camera and hoped for the best. The quality wasn't good, but I did get a few photos that told the story of our adventures that day, and I guess you can't ask for anything more than that. I got photo booth strip photos too, but didn't have enough time to do a layout with those yet. I love these train photos with Payton. She LOVED this part of the day so I'm glad these photos turned out.





This is the layout I was working on when I did my stitching tutorial. We were at the Balloon Festival in Bend and my kids just *had* to have a balloon pet. Silly Lilly was wonderful with them, very entertaining, and I'm glad I got her photo for this layout. I hear she does kid parties so I may have to look her up someday....

And that's it! No cards or project this month. I really wanted to do one of the minis but just plain ran out of time.

Have a great day! Davinie

Hand Stitching Tutorial

Okay, world.
I did it. I made a video.
Have you ever wanted to hand stitch on a project but didn't know where to begin?
Or do you already hand stitch but want to see how someone else does it?
I am Davinie, and I'm a left handed paper crafter, lol.
Watch me stitch:

Hand Stitching Tutorial from greg foster on Vimeo.

lol.
I posted this today on the Studio Calico blog as well. I thought it would be much easier to make a video than to try and have someone take photos of me in "action".

Enjoy! Don't make fun of me! And, my burning question....

Have you been saying my name correctly? :)

Davinie

Scrapbook and Cards and Studio Calico sneaks.

Is the summer over yet? 'Cause the kids are already driving me up the wall and it's not even July. Methinks too much fun and sun equals too much cranky at this house.

Next week begins the first of two sessions of swimming lessons, which means I'll be driving to the pool every day except the weekends for a month. I'm not really looking forward to it but I hope the kids enjoy themselves. Then we'll be home for the afternoon cranky. yay!

Scrappily, I hope you have already made your way over to the Scrapbook and Cards Today site and downloaded the summer issue, which went live today. I haven't received my complimentary copy in the mail yet and wish I lived close enough to pick up a free issue. As I've said a bazillion times, I canNOT believe this magazine is free. It is such a great resource for products and inspiration.
.... and you might see on page 6 that I had a cover option! So fun! I've never had a cover option with a stock photo before, and it was a BOY. I was really excited to have the opportunity to come up with something. The cover they chose was the perfect choice, though. Kim rocked those clouds and that sunshine. Such a cute idea.

Before I go I did want to share a few more sneaks of the July kit from Studio Calico. I wish I had more time to play more, because I actually have several more ideas right now, but I have to move down the to do list. It's quite long right now, and with summertime, the time is slipping away.

Be sure to check back here and the Studio Calico blog tomorrow though. I'm going to be posting a fun tutorial which will offer another sneak to the kit as well. It's a VIDEO. ACK!





Have a great day! Davinie

Weekend Recap

On Tuesday, we decided to dust off the trailer and take it camping for the weekend. From Wednesday-Friday before we left, Steve and the girls practically moved in. The three of them were happy as clams, content to simply sit inside and wait for the week to go by.

On Friday I slapped on my "I LOVE CAMPING" face, out of love for the three, and away we went. We didn't have reservations, but decided to try out Wickiup Reservoir, hoping to find a good place for the girls to catch a fish.

Payton kept wanting a photo taken of her and Cooper.

Cooper was depressed because he was on a leash, but still happy to be along for the ride.


Both nights we made smores. Me, I'm not a fan, but Steve and the kids sure loved putting together the ingredients. Payton's preferred smore was a chocolate on a graham cracker, unmelted. Um. Okay.

The highlight of our whole weekend, however, was this:

(Please oh, Please don't judge Steve too harshly on his outfit. The fact that he's wearing crew socks instead of knee socks is a huge improvement. Really.)

Steve thought this trip would be a great opportunity to get Morgan going on her bike. He thought it would be easier to start on Payton's, so he took off her training wheels and Morgan took it to the edge of camp.

This is where the magic happened. See him holding her hood? That's all he did. She did three passes through camp with him holding on to her hood, and then suddenly, click, the switch flipped and she totally rode that bike all on her own. You could have heard my squeal across the lake, I swear. I did not in a million years think she was going to catch on so quickly! We live on a dirt road so we were feeling a little bit guilty about our girls and their bike riding abilities. Not anymore! Bike rider, in da house!

She was sosososo proud of herself. The most adorable thing is that after a while, she spent more time making sure I was watching than actually paying attention to what she was doing. I couldn't have been more excited for her.

Saturday we went for a little jaunt down to the water.


The kids fished for a millisecond and then spent the rest of the morning digging in the sand. Morgan even wrote her name, which was super cute.





After lunch we drove down the road to an old gravel pit that has become a small lake. We did that because on the drive up we were stopped at some road construction and ended up behind a Forest Service rig that was headed to this area to stock the pond. Since we knew for sure there would be a couple of fish to catch, we thought we'd give it a try.

And it worked! Morgan caught one and Payton caught two. All of them swallowed the hook and couldn't be saved, so we brought them home for Steve to take to work and eat. Rainbow trout, they are. The kids had a blast!



Sunday morning it got cold and started to rain, so we buttoned up and came home. But everyone had a great time. Even me, lol.

With that, I'll leave you with a picture of the girls in front of the trailer this weekend:



(it's a little green because it's reflecting our outdoor carpet).

And check out this photo in the same spot in April of 2008:


I guess they have changed!

Have a great night! Davinie

Project 12 challenge winner - May

Starr said...

Enjoying this challengen & using my JB calendar cards. Always forget to link my LO before the deadline but remembered this time so here's my May LO:
http://www.studiocalico.com/forums/galleries/show/11749

2:25 AM

Congratulations m'dear! Thanks for playing along! I'm sending you an email for your digits.

Father's Day in a pinch, and with a tablespoon

Just a quick post today. I'm gearing up to head out of town for the weekend on a little camping trip. It was spur of the moment idea and now we are rearing to go.

I needed to bring Steve's Father's Day present with us so I was up late last night finishing things up.

Ever since we read the book "Who Stole the Cookie from the Cookie Jar" and we find out it was daddy, my kids always tease Steve and he goes out of his way to leave 1 cookie at the bottom of the jar, no matter what. I thought it would be fun to give him his own cookie jar for Father's Day.

I've had these big tags from 7Gypsies since 2004 at least and also took an opportunity to add some Cosmo Early Bird to my kitchen decor. More of that to come!



To add even more fun, I called his mama and got the recipe for one of his favorite cookies as a kid. They are called Flying Saucers. I wasn't sure what I was going to think after reading the ingredients, but the girls and I *may* have licked a couple of spoons and had a cookie or so after they were baked, and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed them.

Here's the recipe:

Flying Saucers

Makes 32 3-4 inch cookies

1 cup shortening
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs well beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
2 cups quick rolled oats
2 cups wheaties
1 cup coconuts or nuts
m&m's (just add until it looks colorful)

Cream shortening, add sugars and gradually beat in eggs. Stir flour, baking powder, soda, and salt together and stir into creamed mixture, and then add vanilla, cereals, coconut or nuts, and m&m's.

Drop dough by spoonfulls (large ice cream scoops) onto greased cookie sheet. Mash flat so that dough is about 3/8 inch thick. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.


Have a great day! And now we're off! Wish us luck! Morgan REALLY needs to catch a fish, lol

Davinie

Late Night Studio Calico sneaks....

I'm up late and I've got a coupla Studio Calico sneaks. I'm headed out of town tomorrow to go camping with the fam so I'm in a rush.

I'm also finishing up Steve's Father's Day gift so we can bring it with us and surprise him Sunday morning. I'll have another post tomorrow to share that project. Right now.... it's not finished yet!

Speaking of Steve, he got yet another wild hair and registered for another half marathon. This one is next weekend in Sunriver. It's on paved bike paths this time, so it'll be fun to take the kids and cheer him on yet again. I can't wait to see if he beats his first time or not. My guess is that he totally will! When he was a student working on his fire and paramedic degrees, he was a student of and lived at the Sunriver Fire Department, and Sunriver is also where he was first hired once he got his degree. He's actually really excited to run around his old stomping grounds.

Payton told me to get in my car and drive away today. And then she said she wasn't friends with anyone, and named everyone she knew, declaring their lack in friendship with each name she uttered. She was mad at me because I wouldn't give her a lollipop. I guess this is just the beginning so I am taking it in stride.

Morgan is crying a lot. I'm guessing it's those 5 year old hormones. But dang she is testing her limits. It's interesting how the brain develops. This does stop at some point, doesn't it?

I guess that's it. I have got to finish that project so I'll leave you with some sneakage.

Have a great day! Or night, as the case may be! :)

Project 12 May and my Running Man

Well, school is out and I'm already pulling my hair out, lol. I actually heard Bend, Oregon mentioned on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, so now my neck of the woods is famous, lol. It was a piece on extreme weather. We've been having some amazing hail/thunderstorms here, and it's rained almost every day for the last few weeks. I am DONE with rain. The girls are ready to play in the pool!

I have to share a couple of photos I took of Steve on Sunday. Time got away from me and the girls and I were so late! I was so worried we were going to miss him at the finish but we were there 10-15 minutes before he crossed the finish line. I couldn't have been more proud of him! The atmosphere there was awesome, and there were so many different shapes and sizes of people running that race. It was actually quite inspiring.

He ran the race in 1:49:56 which is an awesome time. If he had known the course prior to the race I'm sure he could have gone even faster. He said he learned a lot at this race and hopes to run another one soon, maybe as soon as two weeks away. And except for bleeding nipples (now he knows what breastfeeding a newborn baby can be like, lol) he is feeling great.

They ran the race in three heats and because this was his first race, he was in the third heat. His advice to anyone wanting to do something like this is to get as close to the front as you can get. He was "clogged" a few times in the race, stuck behind someone on narrow paths, and it was literally like cars and passing lanes to get around a slower runner. But now he knows!



I'm so darn proud of him! They gave them Jamba juice as a post race drink. And for some crazy reason, people who run for 13.1 miles straight are also able to drink beer, because there was a beer garden too. I just have a hard time comprehending that one. I think I'd barf!

At dinner tonight he started talking about these plans he has for us on the second week of September. At first I thought he came up with some sort of 9th anniversary getaway, but oh no. Apparently there's some half-marathon he wants to run.... with ME. Help me. I don't think I can go that far. And I don't think I have the time to train for it either. And, and... (yes, I need more excuses). He's so much faster than me! I don't think he'd enjoy running at my pace, lol.

It's because of weekend races and tap recitals and my father-in-laws surprise birthday party and the end of school and, and, and, that I am WAY behind, yet again (I know I sound like a broken record), but I did manage to finish my May layout for my Project 12 challenge and have that to share.

I had some fun with this one and made a cute flower to go with that cute Penny Lane paper from My Mind's Eye.



Let's see.... in May we had mud, we got cats, Morgan went to a ranch and saw donkeys and rode a pony, we met my mom's new dog, and my dad was visiting. Do you see that Studio Calico box in the second small photo? My dad was visiting from Washington, and Morgan got a wild hair and made him at LEAST 15 birthday drawings. And then she had to roll each of them individually. And then she put them in the box. And then she wrapped the box. And then he had to open the box and then open each individual drawing/message. This process began at around 7:30 and it was at least 9:00 before his "gift" was received and opened. I needed to include it because it was totally her idea, and she did such a great job on each of her "cards". See?! Studio Calico boxes are multi-purpose, lol. My cats have a temporary bed in one of them right now. In fact, it might even be the one in that photo, lol.

Have a great day! I have a lot of projects on my list this week, and we've decided to take out the trailer for the first time this summer, so I have even less time to do them than I thought.

Father's Day project - gotta get on it!

I'm also starting a new weekly post on Friday's that involves your kids. Be sure to check back for that! :)

And don't forget! You have through the 20th to get your layouts linked to this thread for the May Project 12 challenge. I'm going to give you until 8pm PST on the 21st as an extension, as I won't be here! You've got the weekend!

Davinie

weekend babble

It's a big weekend at my house!

This afternoon we are off to watch my neice perform "Good Ship Lollipop" in her tap recital. Excited and bummed at the same time, because I really wanted Morgan to do it but she was very anxious about performing in front of an audience so I withdrew her from tap back in April.

She'll do soccer in the fall instead, lol.

I still had to buy the costume. Anyone need a $60 costume? ack.

Tomorrow is an even bigger day. Steve is running his very first half-marathon. It's called the dirty half. He'll be running in terrain with hills and valleys. I am SO proud of him. He's been training a lot and has been totally fine, but he came home from work today with a belly full of butterflies. He's a bit nervous because he doesn't know what to expect. Completely understandable! So think of him tomorrow morning. His goal is to finish, not to win. A good goal for your first try. His race starts at 8:20am. They limited it to 800 entrants so they are encouraging carpooling as there isn't a lot of parking, so the girls and I will show up a little before 10 and hope to find a place to park and a spot to stand so we can cheer for him at the finish line.

After the race is done, we are hosting a surprise party for my father-in-law. He turns 70 next week but will be out of town. We're breaking out the beer cooler, so anticipate a fun afternoon, as long as it isn't RAINING. Good grief. I live in the high desert and we have been having intense thunderstorms and torrential downpours just about every day for the last week and a half. This is very abnormal for our area and I would like for it to just STOP already. So wish us luck. We don't really have seating for 30-40 people, and kids, should they all show up.

I did want to share my layout for the latest edition of True North Parenting magazine today, though. My article was focused on scrapbooking those 4th of July pics. If you are like me, you take a couple hundred, as it's a long day, and at least at my house, full of activiity. I did a two page layout highlighting the big events of the day. 7 photos! We usually do the pet parade in the morning, then head to Sunriver for the Fireman's picnic. Air Life lands in the middle of the festivities, which is very cool. They also have kid games, and then we head somewhere for a barbecue and fireworks. It's a long and fun day!

You can read that article here.



As you can see, I replicated an American flag in the design of this layout. I also did this on a layout in the July issue of Creating Keepsakes. I can't share it yet, but it was more shabby and very Betsy Ross, with hand stitching and ribbon for stripes.

True North did have a fun article on crafty projects for your kids. Check those out here. The underwater scene project reminds me of Eric Carle and the book Mister Seahorse. I'm a huge Eric Carle fan but somehow missed this book until we checked it out recently at our local library. My kids loved it so much we'll have to go out and buy that one. It would be fun to do the craft project and read the book too.

Another project in that kid craft article was the fireworks painting, which would be a great piece of artwork to decorate for the 4th. I did a similar project with my kids last year, you can see it here, and you can also see my project in the July issue of BHG.

It was a great month for me and my favorite magazines! BHG also has a very very very special layout to me that a certain step parent knows nothing about, and I am SO excited to send it to her as a surprise. It has my favorite photo of the two of them on their wedding day, and it got a big 'ole page of the magazine all to itself. SO excited about that.

Have a great Saturday! In the next edition of "Days of our Chickens" (omg, Lisa, I laugh every day because of that), I'll tell you about our coop..... and... Prince Lafawnda. I didn't realize how much of a resource I would be for raising chickens, so I'll do my best to do my duty and keep you edumacated. :)

A great perk for those interested in Studio Calico kits and add-ons!

Studio Calico subscribers will now get an advanced opportunity to purchase new add-on kits each month. Beginning with July's kit, subscribers will be able to purchase their add-ons and shop items 12 hours in advance of reveal (12:00 noon on the 27th). Some add-ons will also be held in reserve and posted for sale at 12:00am for the traditional reveal.

Not a subscriber? Email waitinglist@studiocalico.com now to preorder your subscription!

My little red hen(ry)

You might remember a couple months back when we went to the feed store and picked up a couple of baby chicks.

Payton picked a little fluffy white chick and immediately named her Flowerbelle. Morgan picked this little black chick and insisted she was Princess. And I went for the chicken looking chick, a little red and gold thing and called her Henny Penny.



Watching them grow has been interesting. They were so cute in the beginning, and then they turned into this:



Oh yes, that would be Princess. Not so princessy, is she? Not that I want to judge, lol.

That photo was taken April 13. It's now more than a month later, so I wanted to share their current faces.

First is that little ball of puff that is Flowerbelle. She's the smallest of the three, and the only one that will really let the kids hold her. She's also the most submissive.



Then there's Henny Penny, the only traditional chicken looking chick of the three. Huge feet. Pretty coloring.


Gah. Do you see that ugly little devil in the background? That's Princess! You can't quite see it in this pic, but princess has this strange looking comb growing up top that has a hole in it. It's like a caribiner, just waiting for a leash or something.


The only redeeming quality about Princess is that when the sun shines on her black feathers, you can see some irridescent blues and purples which is fun. Otherwise... egads!

The cute little chicken coop is still getting some last minute touches, so I'm not ready to share it yet. But what's great about these three is that I go out every morning and open the door, and they just roam the yard, eating bugs. They always stay together, which is another plus, and it's fun to peek out in the yard and see them toodling around together. The only downside is that last week we had a harsh thunderstorm, and Steve ran outside to get them out of the weather. Lightning was flashing and hail was pelting down, so they literally jumped into his arms when he ran out there, and he just tossed them into his shop really quick and shut the door.

Now that he's done that they seem to think they own the place, so it's not uncommon to see Cooper, our yellow lab, sitting outside the door because they've booted him out of his napping spot. Me no likey chicken poop in the shop so we need to find a way to keep them out of there, lol.

I was all satisfied with our motley crew, until the other day, when I heard a suspicious noise, and walked outside to find this:




It turns out my sweet Henny Penny is actually HENRY Penny. dang.

Now we aren't sure what to do. We've heard you shouldn't eat fertilized eggs. We aren't worried about babies because once they start laying we'll be collecting every day, and if we are out of town or something and don't get the egg right away, we won't eat it, so I'm not worried about making scrambled eggs and hatching little chicks. And right now Henry isn't aggressive, so I'm not worried about that either.

Still trying to decide what to do. That said, Steve is still convinced that Princess is actually... Prince, so we are waiting to see if s/he starts crowing soon too. The only downside to that one being it's Morgan's chicken. But seriously. Look at that chicken, lol.


::sigh::

How to make a Tussie Mussie - Part 2, embellishing

After you have made the cone for your Tussie Mussie, it's time to embellish it and fill it up.

I didn't take a photo of it, but the very first thing you need to do is punch a hole in the upper back of your tussie mussie. You then slip both ends of your ribbon through, so that there is a loop hanging out the backside of your cone shape, and tie a bow with your ribbon. This creates a hanger for this project, and puts a great big bow in the front which is a nice accent.


To cover up the edges of the cone I made a pleat of sorts.


This is what the first fold looks like.


And here is what it looks like from the side.


After folding it to the left, fold it to the right so that the pleat sticks out.



Do this several more times until you have gone the length of your paper. If you need to increase the length, simply trim additional paper to the width you need, and tuck the end behind one of the pleats.

After the length was complete, I attached it to the top of my cone shape.



Filling the cone was easy. I simply trimmed several strips at 1/4 inch in width, and folded them accordion style.


The cone is filled with flowers and a bird.



The pleated flower was made using Emily's flower tutorial here.



For my other flowers, I simply trimmed floral shapes from Cosmo's Farmer's Market paper. I then attached all of the flowers to pipe cleaners.

I attached a pipe cleaner to the chipboard bird as well, and then arranged all of them in my cone, with the accordion flower to the back.

And voila! Super cute spring/summer Tussie Mussie that works perfectly on doorknob.





Have a great day! Davinie

How to make a Tussie Mussie - Part 1

I posted this tutorial on the Studio Calico blog, but wanted to share it here too.


This Tussie Mussie tutorial is picture heavy, so I've split it into two posts.

In their current form, tussie mussies rose to popularity during the reign of Queen Victoria , from 1837 onwards, at which time the tussie-mussie became a popular fashion accessory . Typically, tussie-mussies include floral symbolism from the language of flowers , and therefore may be used to send a message to the recipient.

(from Wikipedia)

Usually they are made using real flowers, a nosegay is another term for them, but we crafters like to try everything using paper.

There are many different ways of making tussie mussies, but I wanted to give you a little pictorial on how I created mine, as it is difficult to explain.

This is my ode to Cosmo. I love the Early Bird line from Cosmo Cricket like I haven't loved a paper line before, lol.

Step 1.

Trim a 12x12 piece of cardstock in half, diagonally.

Step 2. Lay it out as pictured below, with the point facing away from you.




Step 3. It didn't occur to me until just now, but most of you will do the opposite of what I'm doing right here. I'm a lefty, so I folded from the left side.

You are going to take the bottom left corner and roll it over and up to the top, like this:



You want the bottom to close in tight, and for the top of your paper to meet the top of the triangle in the back of the cone. Once it has done so, adhere.


Step 4.

After you have adhered that side, take the paper on the right side and wrap it around the front of your cone. It should meet up on the back side of the cone in the same way as the front. Adhere it in the back.



You now have the base of your cone. Part 2, embellishing.

A little Pink Paislee lovin'

Happy Thursday! We've had thunderstorms and rain for the past couple of days, and I'm tired of it! I live in the high desert. I'm not used to rain!

Anyway, the cooler temperatures have been nice, especially at night. The other day we did get a hot burst, so of course, out came the subject for my current Pink Paislee layout:



Ah, sundresses. My kids just love them! In fact, I think Payton is wearing Morgan's in this photo. They are close enough to the same size that in some of their clothes, they are able to trade them. Well, at least Payton is able to wear Morgan's anyway. It makes it easy, and more difficult sometimes to get them dressed, lol.

Check out the PP blog today for the products used on that layout. I guess it's no secret I'm in love with the scallops. I told you I was! I used pop dots on the polka dot strip just like I did with my layout yesterday. It was a great way to hide the edge of my chipboard fluorish.

Have a great day!

Davinie

Cardalicious 23, a layout, and a bummer

So I drove to Portland with the girls to visit my mama and go to the zoo. Steve was off with the boys for a weekend of fishing, so it was the perfect time to head go Grandma's house. We woke to a beautiful day on Saturday morning, so we dressed, I lathered the girls in sunscreen, and we headed down the road. I was really excited because the last time we went to the zoo was 2006 when my dad remarried. Payton was just an infant so has no memory of a zoo. We've been other places with animals to look at, but not a real zoo.

Because of this, boy was I excited to take my camera. I was even more excited when I got a peek at the next kit from Studio Calico and one of the add-ons. PERFECT.

I should have known I would be doomed, lol.

First we get out of the car, load the double stroller, and I notice that I have a flat tire. So we unload the stroller, condense a few things, and trek down to the entrance to rent one. I was bummed because I thought I had been so smart and had saved myself $7 by remembering to pack my own stroller. Dang.

Once we finally get situated and before we even get through the gate, Payton shows me that she's getting a blister. So then I dash to the gift shop and have to talk the guy behind the counter into giving me one of the bandaids from their first aid kit, because for some silly reason, they don't sell bandaids there.

Okay. Bandaid. Check.

We finally proceed through the gate, and I decide that now is the time to get the camera ready. I break her out, dust her off, and go to set the ISO, etc., and realize. Nada. No power. And that's when I remember that I had taken my battery out to charge the night before at my mama's house. And that it was still there. Across town.

BIG. BUMMER.

By this time it was about 900 degrees and the kids just wanted to see some stinkin' animals, lol, but I asked them to pause yet again and dashed back to the gift shop and bought a disposable camera. My mama bought one too, so let's just cross our fingers that the 54 pictures we took were chosen well, and that lighting and exposure worked to capture our day perfectly. okay? Okay?

I did pay $5 for the photo booth with the girls, and while we had fun, those pictures are really over exposed and I worry you won't be able to see our faces in 5 years when the photo fades even more.

BUT.

We had a great time. The girls really did have a blast, and my mama had a blast. I did too. And in the end, that's the most important part. If my camera had been working, I'd probably have 3-500 photos of the day, which means I would have been behind the camera instead of in the moment, which is where I should be.

That said, I'm dropping off the cameras today and am still crossing my fingers that at least one photo turned out well. :)

I do have a couple of scrappy things to share with you today.

First is my card for Cardalicious 23. I'm going to do better about sharing these here. The challenge was to use two flowers, ribbon, and the color blue. This is what I came up with:



You might notice the May kit from Studio Calico for this card, except for the ribbon. I have been having a new love affair with that scalloped SC paper. The reason I had this kit out and was able to use it for this card was because I was also busy on this layout:






Oh my word. My Payton turned three and declared that "the free of us were free" now. It was so cute. I knew I wanted to do a layout about it, using those Sassafras chipboard numbers. But I also REALLY wanted the number three card from the October Afternoon Cherry Hill Wild cards. Lucky for me, Jill had an extra three and sent it to me. Thank you so much Jill!

I loved incorporating as many threes as I could on this layout, including the third class rubon from Maya Road, even though we are first class all the way, baby, lol. I also used pop dots for my yellow scallop at the top, because I've become obsessed with pop dots lately. I did it again on another layout I did for Pink Paislee that I am going to share with you tomorrow. Pop dots. And scallops. It's a common theme.

I'm glad I got that memory documented.

The question of the day at SC the other day was about journaling and record keeping. I have kept a journal since I was 8 years old, but for some reason, the jacket is dusty and not much has been written since the early days of Payton in 2006. True, since then I have been scrapbooking more and more, but there are things you write in a journal that you don't document on a layout. thoughts and personal feelings. It's something that has been missing in my life lately, so time consuming though it may be, and unorganized though I may be, I'm determined to get out my journal and start writing more. Scrapbooking isn't going to go away, but I also need to pour my heart out in other ways as well. Know what I mean?

Have a great day! Davinie

ETA: Don't forget about the Pinwheel challenge I posted on the Studio Calico blog! Only a few days left for your chance at an Effervescence punch!

Project 12 challenge - May

I can't believe it's June! Is it really June? I feel like I need a few more days before it's actually June!

Welcome to the June edition of the Project 12 challenge! I can't wait to sift through my May photos to recap the month. Let's not bring up how I left my camera battery at my mama's house when we went to the zoo and how I had to purchase a disposable camera. Let's just pray that the 27 photo opportunities I chose are in focus and have enough lighting, lol. The girls and I did do a photo booth which was fun, even if all of *those* photos were overexposed. Good grief. In the end, we had a wonderful time, the girls and my mama loved the experience, and that's what it was all about. Right?

I want to take a moment to thank all of the girls who have been playing along with me this year. It has been fun and I have been very inspired by you all! Stick it out through December, okay?

The rules for this challenge are simple. Recap your month on a layout. I am going to be working on May 2009, but you don't have to. Any month will do. If you are someone like me and takes 500 photos of a single event, you can't possible scrap them all. Use this challenge as an opportunity to put some of your favorites on a page.

Just link your layouts to this thread. You have until the 20th. Shortly thereafter (I PROMISE) I'll draw a name from those who participated, and send a little prize. What shall it be? How about.......


A Kaiser Craft wood Victorian Tag Album, and
some Claudine Hellmuth Landscape Green paint? The landscape green is my favorite color to use and I've already gone through more than one tub.

Think of the summer possibilities!

I hope you'll play along! Have a great day! Davinie

It's off to the Zoo I go!

And I'm outta here! The girls and I are headed to the Zoo to see my mama and go to the Zoo. You have yourself a wonderful weekend!

Feeling like scrapping? Head over to the Studio Calico blog. I just posted a tutorial on making pinwheels and issued a challenge! I hope you'll play along!

Davinie :)

Studio Calico June

Heaven, I'm in Heaven,
And my heart beats so that I can hardly speak;
And I seem to find the happiness I seek
When we're out together dancing, cheek to cheek.

That's how I feel about the June kit from Studio Calico! Say hello to Soda Fountain:



It's officially up for grabs, so dash on over there and get your hands on it!

Cosmo Cricket Early Bird? CHECK.
Collage Press Sweet Shoppe? CHECK.
October Afternoon Cherry Hill? CHECK.
Pink Paislee? CHECK.

Fabulous SC exclusives which include the best paper to date and a fabulous new alpha? CHECK.

This kit has it all. I hope you will check it out! Here's what I did this month:






I was most attracted to the Cosmo Cricket Farmers Market paper from the Early Bird collection. I trimmed out several blooms to use on my projects. With this layout I layered the smaller flowers on pop dots and used the BG half pearls to add dimension and detail.




I couldn't wait to use this photo of Payton! She looks very Mudilicious, doesn't she?! She had so much fun that day, and has been covered in mud a few times since.




In honor of Studio Calico and their second anniversary, I also made a two pager. Payton was dressed up in one of Morgan's old Christmas dresses and was thinking she looked mighty fine, which she did. As soon as I saw the frames I knew I wanted to use them on this layout with the Collage Press and these photos. I also dug out my Noah stamps for the stamping on this one.


I had a LoT of fun with this layout. I'm going to share how I made the pinwheels in another photos, with pictures. I love that little pinwheel stamp too. I'll also share how I did the edges to this layout. Payton was SO ready for warm weather. I had to get a photo of her in the getup she showed up in when we were out on the back deck.



I had a lot of fun with my Ode to Cosmo and this little Tussie Mussie. I'll show you how to make it later this week. It looks super cute hanging up at my house right now! For my big flower in the back I followed Emily's tutorial on the Studio Calico blog here.



I saw that cute little Cosmo chipboard teacup and had to use it for my layout about Morgan's recent Spring Tea. I used the new alphas on this one. I stamped them on white cardstock and lightly inked over it before trimming the words out.


Lastly, of course i had to do a couple of cards.

I have said it before, but the kit is still out on my desk and I'm still working with it. I'll have more projects to share with you later this week. I actually bought 2 extra orders of "more paper". I LOVE that Early Bird.

Have a wonderful day!

For my Project 12 girls

Oh my goodness! I just realized I haven't posted the winner of my Project 12 challenge this month!

Zorina said...

http://www.studiocalico.com/forums/galleries/show/10700



http://www.studiocalico.com/forums/galleries/show/10701

here are 2 of mine for APRIL.
TFL!

6:20 PM

Zorina, woot! This is your month, girlfriend! Thank you so much for playing along! Chatterbox goodies are on the way.

:)

A new challenge will be issued June 1! What should I give away this time? hmmmm :)

A fun little thing.

I certainly hope you are making a mad dash to your nearest Best Buy for this little gem today:



This would be New in Town, starring a couple of my favorites, Renee Zellweger and Harry Connick Jr. Now I haven't been to the movies to see it, but I did get mixed reviews, and either way, I'll be off for my own copy. Why? Well, in case you didn't know, there's a little bit of fun with scrapbooking on this movie.

So? Is that what you are thinking? So what?

Well, some friends and I were contacted by Lions Gate and are going to have some of our work in the Bonus Features of this film. How cool is that?! Most of the layouts from the Studio Calico crew, if not all of them, were from the February kit, Fortune Cookie.

I haven't seen what it is going to look like. I hope they showcase modern scrapbooking in a favorable light, unlike the sticker sneeze that is apparently in the movie.

Either way, it was a very cool opportunity, and my sister, who's daughter's photo was in one of my layouts requested, is over the moon to have an "international superstar" in her household, lol. So it's very cool.

The feature is called: The Folk Art of Scrapbooking. Interesting. I can't wait to check it out! I'll be back with a review.

Have a great day! Davinie

Craft Sightings, my new purse, and some sneaks. That's it.

Have you seen this? The Making Memories Slice is coming out with embossing tips. Doesn't that sound fun! I'm going to have to get some and check that out. I had no idea that little machine could do so much!

I've decided to get a pattern and learn how to make these.

And these! I really really really need to get this pattern and make a couple of these before Morgan is too big.

I have just recently discovered but have become instantly obsessed with her. She hosts a DIY show called Embellish This! too. In. Love.

Next I wanted to share my new purse. I was eyeing this really cute diaper bag that one of the preschool moms was toting around while at a recent field trip. She later came up to me and mentioned that she had noticed my love for fabric bags, and wanted to know if I'd like her to make me one. I said YES. I loved the shape of her bag but didn't need a diaper bag anymore. I also loved the fabric. So, she did a little alteration and made me this:


It's about 1/3 of the size of her bag. Isn't it divine!? It matches Cosmo's Early Bird line so well, doesn't it? Just imagine it in this for fabric. YUM. (Julie Comstock, if ever you needed a hint as to which line you should turn to fabric next, let this be the hint, lol.)

Here's a blurry shot of the inside. Four pockets. And a clasp. Love the butterflies!


This fabric is Moda. Wonderland Collection, I think.

Anyway, shoot me an email if you love this design and want your own bag. She's very reasonable and you can basically choose any fabric you want.

Before I move on, though, let's take another look at that purse photo:



Any thoughts on how I'm going to get tape runner goop off my unfinished french doors? My artist, my love, my sweet Morgan, made her mark and we aren't sure how to get it off without leaving a stain, so that we can then... stain. hmm. At least this is my scrapbook room, which is generally a mess anyway, lol.

Before I go I did want to leave you with a couple more sneaks. I have had a lot of fun with this kit, and while my cohorts have been vocal as well, I do believe it is *I* who have the most love for this kit. Really.

I have made 5 layouts, including a two pager, 2 cards, and a little somethin' somethin'. I still have the kit out and am busy working away, but Scarlet needs to get images loaded in the slide show BEFORE reveal time, lol, so the rest will be shared later.



I hope you had a wonderful Memorial Weekend with your families! Steve had Saturday and Sunday off, which isn't the norm, so we had a lot of fun just being together. Today the girls spent quality time at the park, and we drove the streets of Redmond, where they tried to do their best to count the flags. I forgot to bring my camera with me, but there is just nothing like the streets of Redmond on Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, and Veteran's Day. The streets are literally lined and lined and lined with flag after American Flag. It's really quite amazing to drive through. I'll have to remember to take a photo sometime to share it with you.

Enjoy your week! Davinie

Project 12 deadline, the view from the puddle, and a couple of sneaks.

Today is the 20th! Today is the deadline! Get out those dusty products and do a monthly recap. Be sure to link your layout to the thread here.

It got warm here over the weekend, so we were busy doing yardwork. The kids found some dirt, and then a bucket. Chaos ensued. Check it out:





Okay, so at first I frowned upon this idea. But then I noticed something. 1. They were in old swimming suits. 2. It was a hot day. But #3 was the most important. They were in that mud for about an hour and a half and I never heard a single argument. They are 3 and 5 year old girls, so to go that long without a tiff is a downright miracle, so I put up with the mess. Look at them! They had so much fun. They said they were brown bears which is why they are growling and are covered solid with muck. lol
Some of my earliest memories were snippets from when I was 3, so I am hoping that fun things like this day are the things they remember.

I know you are here for the sneaks, and I have a couple of them for you. I am having so much fun with this kit. It couldn't have come at a better time. And that alpha stamp in the Cherry Pop add-on? I've used it on 2 of the 3 layouts I have finished already. I am in love with it. It's so versatile! It's an alpha outline, which means you can decide what color you want it to be, by stamping it on cardstock, patterned paper, or coloring the alphas in. The size and font are also ideal. I thought I was going to love the button stamps from the May kit the most, but these alphas are now at the top of my list. So if you can only afford one add-on this month, that would be it. That said, I do believe the stamps alone will end up in the shop in the coming months.



Have a great Wednesday! I do hope your fingers are sore from all the voting on AI last night. For KRIS. Right?

Reality Check

Last night after we went to bed Payton kept waking up, needing her mama.
I had just tucked her in again and headed into the kitchen for a sip of water when I smelled smoke.
I live outside of town and am always smelling smoke. Neighbors burning their fields, having a late night bonfire, using a woodstove.
I noticed the smoke but wasn't really worried about it.
As I walked around the corner, though, I noticed flashing lights through the window curtains, so went to check it out.
There were fire trucks and firemen everywhere. At my neighbors house.
And their house was smoking heavily.
We live on 2 acres and are surrounded by trees, so our next door neighbor isn't right next to us, and this neighbor is more across the way then next door.
I went and woke up Steve. He wasn't on shift yesterday but hasn't been feeling 100% so was out hard.
We went to the window to look, and just about that time they must have cut into the roof, because all of a sudden huge flames shot out into the sky.
I started bawlin' right then because I was so scared for that poor family. I felt like everyone was probably safe, but how scary, and sad, to have your safe place, your home, a totally unsafe place.
We wanted to see if there was anything we could do for the family, ie., take their dogs for the night, etc., so we tossed on jackets and walked down there.
It turns out they were gone for family night and had returned to smoke. Apparently the fire had been smoldering inside for a long time before it became apparent outside. This morning, while the shell of the house is still standing, it's just a shell. It's a total loss.
I went home after checking on the family but couldn't sleep, so I grabbed my camera. All I had on it was my 50mm 1.8 lens, so this isn't a closeup, but I had to document the experience.



I feel so bad for this family!
It did get me thinking, this fire. People joke all the time about what we'd grab if our house goes up in flames, but really, what would you grab? You'd grab your kids. And then if it was still safe, you'd make sure your furbabies were out. But you really wouldn't risk your life for your scrapbooks, your camera, your fancy TV. You wouldn't.
Just thinking about losing all those things, though, got me thinking about being more proactive with those things that are most precious to me, my photos. I have an external harddrive, but what good would that be if my home was gone?
I have CD's of photos in our safe downstairs, but even that isn't totally fool proof.
To me, the best thing to do is online photo storage.
Picasa is free. And it will automatically check your computer for photos. It has a great photo album for organizing your photos as well.
Scrapbook Pictures is also free. You can also order wonderful prints from them in a variety of different sizes, which is good.
I currently use Picasa after some good reviews from the girls at Studio Calico. And today I'm motivated to make sure that everything is up to date, that my photo CD's are in fact in that safe, along with my video camera tapes, birth certificates, passport, mortgage documents, etc. etc.
It's just so scary, the idea of losing everything. Even with mortgage insurance.
Anyway, it was a crazy way to welcome my weekend. An eye opener for sure. I'm a little worried about the girls, because they worry about smoke detectors and fire all the time and are always asking if I'll keep them safe from a fire. To have it so close to home worries me a little, with regards to nightmares, but I have already talked to them about how the family was lucky because all of the people and their animals are safe, and that you can always go buy a new toy, but you can't replace a sister.
To distract ourselves, the girls and I are off to the nursery this morning for petunia's, because it's finally starting to warm up and I think the summer flowers can handle the night air. Not much else is planned for this weekend, except for a barbecue with the inlaws tomorrow.
Before I go I did want to point you towards a BPS class I just signed up for. Jenni Bowlin is hosting a class called Re-purpose, Re-think, Re-invent. It's about "learning how the past can open the door to a new creative lifestyle". I'm really excited to open myself up to more creativity, and as I've always loved junk and antiques as well, I"m excited to merge the two. I hope you'll check it out! It's a 12 week class that starts in July.


Have a great day! Davinie

Sneaky

Happy Thursday Morning!
Anyone else surprised that Danny went home? It would have been ideal to have Danny and Kris in the finals, but we all know screechy is going to win. Won't that be the album to get, lol.
The sneaks went up at Studio Calico last night, so I wanted to show you mine. I've said it before, but this June kit, called Soda Fountain, is delicious! I purchased all three add-ons. I couldn't say no to Cosmo Cricket's Early Bird, October Afternoon, and some new Collage Press.



I'll have more sneaks later this week. I already have 2 layouts completed and that's a record for me at this time of the month!

Have a great Thursday! Davinie

My Project 12 and some Pink Paislee

We've gone and lost our minds at this house. We have.
A couple of weeks ago we were doing our family jog, a 3 mile loop we run when Steve is home. He pushes the girls in the double stroller, and I let the dog pull me, lol.
We were running along and passed by a house for sale with a Garage Sale sign in the yard. Out front was a riding lawn mower. We've been looking to get another one because our current mower is having some issues. It also didn't have a bagger and I was tired of the cut grass in the yard.
We stopped. Steve took a look. We jogged home..
And then Steve got in his truck, drove back over there with some cash, and bought the darn thing.
While he was there he claimed something else. Something for "free".
On Mother's Day he got the call. They were ready and needed picking up.
Meet Oliver. And Coco.


I'll let you know these little sweeties are lucky cats, they really are. Morgan insisted the entire first day that her orange cat be called "Sleeping Beauty". Payton then settled on "Belle" for her cat. But then I reminded Morgan that the orange cat was actually a boy. Maybe we could call him "Prince"? My sister recommended "Simba" from the Lion King? But no. This cat was not a lion. So I wracked and wracked my brain for some sort of cartoon with a male character that she might like so that I wouldn't be forever calling "Here Sleeping Beauty, come here Sleeping Beauty" to this poor boy. I then remembered a cartoon from years and years ago about an orange cat named Oliver. Lucky me. She changed it.
And then we encouraged Payton to change her kitty's name, because to allow her to keep a princess name and not Morgan would have been a headache I can do without. Her kitty is a little girl, and on her own she decided that Coco would be a cute name. I love it!
So Oliver and Coco it is.
Young?
YES. I freaked out a little when we went to pick them up. I hadn't seen them at all, but the guy said they were ready to go. This wasn't the first litter he'd had either, so I assumed it wasn't random and that he knew what he was talking about. But these kittens are babies, BABIES. And what did I do? Steve was on shift and I had surprised the kids with them, so I just loaded the car and took them home. lol
I'm pretty sure they are 6 weeks.
We've already been in touch with a vet, and they are doing just fine. We keep them in a big dog crate in our mud room at night. A litter box and food bowl fits inside so they are happy as little clams. I need to do that to keep track of them, and to help Cooper get used to them without worrying.
Anyway...
I just realized what a whackadoodle farm we have here. I told Steve we now had to get 4 things, but then I realized... we have
1 dog
2 cats
3 chicks
4 crazy Fiero's and
5 cows
Can you say layout? lol

Suffice it to say... enough is enough!

I am excited to share the super swank chicken coop Steve has built. He just needs to finish a bit of siding.

Anyway, that is the craziness at my house. Chicks, kittens, and two very emotional girls. Oh, and Spring. And POLLEN. So they are a bit cranky too. I don't suffer from allergies, but it's hurting the rest of the fam.

So that's that on that.

I did want to share a couple of projects. First is my layout for my May 4 blog post at the Pink Paislee blog:




I also made this layout about one of Morgan's color days at school:


I had a lot of fun with stitching on that one. And little bits of paper. It was fun to use some scraps.

Lastly I wanted to share my April layout with you, for my Project 12 challenge:



I used leftover bits from my Garment District kit from Studio Calico. The only thing I added were the journaling spots from Elle's Studio.

Do you like those fun journaling spots?

If so, head on over to the Studio Calico blog. The sneak night giveaway just happens to include these same journaling spots!

Have a great day! :)

Now tell me.... Adam, Danny, or Kris?

Happy Mother's Day!

Steve is on shift today, so I'm home with my babies, but that's what being a mother is all about, right?

While I love my mama and hope she too is having a wonderful day, I can't help but be thankful also to my own sweet girls, who made me a mama as well.

I'm not a patient person, so when Steve and I decided we were ready to be parents, I wanted to be pregnant NOW. I didn't want a Christmas baby because I thought that would mean too many holidays together, so we decided to start trying when we knew it would be a January baby. And what do you know? We got pregnant the first try, lucky us. Chucks Sunset Inn, a little beach house we rented in Rockaway Beach on the Oregon Coast, will always hold a special place in our hearts, (wink wink). lol

Nowadays I would say that January is still too close to Christmas, but I wouldn't trade my baby girl for anything in the world:


Now my baby is five and will be in Kindergarten in the fall. But I still remember the day of her birth like it was yesterday. I hope I always do.

Because Morgan is a January baby, I'm a February baby, and Steve's a March baby, when Morgan was about 18 months old, we decided it was time to try for an April baby. As luck would have it, we became pregnant the first try yet again (no Sunset Inn this time, lol). And because I needed to be reminded that I'm not always in control, Miss Payton Jayne decided to come on her own terms, and made her entrance into our family on March 30. I've shared that photo here.

We lost one little angel after Payton, and felt like it was God's way of letting us know that our family was indeed, complete.

I wouldn't trade one grey hair for what being a mother to these two little girls has given me. Ever since I was a little girl, the one thing I was sure of in my life is that I wanted to be a mother. Thanks to them, I got my wish. It really has been a dream come true, temper tantrums, whining, and all.

So while I want to give my mom a hug for being the best mom she knew how to be, I also want to take today to give my girls a hug too. They are my everything. And I need to thank my hubby too, for working so hard so that I can be home with them.



Artwork! I love artwork. Morgan is such a beautiful artist so I always look forward to her drawings. And now she's writing words! And with a little help from Dad, Miss PJ created her own artwork. She is just now getting interested in art, so it's been fun to see her skills grow. Apparently she wants to build snowmen in the springtime, lol.


I also got the necklace I have been coveting, from the Vintage Pearl. I love having something with both of their names on it.

I hope you have a blessed Mother's Day! Hug your mama, and your babies close.

:)

Mother's Day card inspiration

I am so swamped this week with work and other projects! ACK!
My sister and I took our kids to get photos done last week, and they just got back, so I am in a mad dash to get an 8x10 and a card in the mail to my mama. I am hoping that if I put it in the mail today it'll get to Portland on Saturday. Crossing my fingers anyway!
I'm so glad I had some Mother's Day cards in my card stash to use. I am sending mom this one:


Worldwin Cardstock with hybrid elements from Shabby Miss Jenn's digi shop.

I also have this one from a card challenge I did at Studio Calico last year.



And this last one is going to Steve's mom. A version of this was published in Paper Crafts last year.


This last card was made for my mama last year for Mother's Day. I created it for my article in True North Parenting. You can also follow that link for instructions on creating your own.



Have a great Thursday! I'll be back soon with my April Project 12 layout. :) To see details on this challenge, please go here.

Davinie

NSD - Stitching Challenge

Happy National Scrapbooking Day!

If you are participating in my stitching challenge, please link your layouts here! Don't forget what you can win:



Please link your layout, card, altered item here! The only requirement is that it has a bit of stitching on it.

Have a great National Scrapbooking Day! Scrap a lot for me, okay?! I have a houseful of extra kids... I'm going to have to live vicariously through all of you! :)

Davinie

Project 12 Challenge - April

Ugh. My sister went to Vegas and rather than inviting me to join her in Sin City, instead she asked me to watch her kids, lol. Right now I have 4 kids 5 and under, and one of them is an overly rambunctious escape artist named Kael. Locking doors isn't enough for that kid. The eyes in the back of my head are aching from all the monitoring, lol.

Sabrina, I hope you are having fun! Please don't bring home the Swine Flu! good grief.

As it is, shockingly, already May, it's time to post the next monthly challenge in my Project 12 challenge. We've already made it through three months, and for those of you who have been playing along, you have a place in my heart, you really do. I love being inspired by you all!

Check out the following posts. In each post is my layout and the previous challenge, and in the comments section you'll be able to search out the layouts done. You can also see what I've been giving away for prizes!

The March challenge and my layout.

The February Challenge and my layout.

The Official Project 12 challenge post. and my January layout

If you are interested in playing along, please post your layout for the month on this post. On the 20th I'll close the challenge and draw a winner from those who participate.

Want to know what you are playing for this month? How about this:


These are the Chatterbox Fabulous Die Cut shapes. It is a huge package of shapes and they worked perfectly with the May kit from Studio Calico.

Sound good? Be sure to link your layouts on this thread by the 20th. I'll be back soon with my layout. I really promise this time! :)

Have a great weekend!

Don't forget to check out the NSD challenges at Studio Calico either! The challenges have been posted and with National Scrapbooking Day tomorrow, you have a wee bit of time left to create something to enter for a prize. There are all sorts of prizes being offered! I'll have my NSD challenge thread posted tomorrow morning. Remember, you do NOT have to be a Studio Calico subscriber or use Studio Calico kit products. AND if you are saavy and are able to combine more than one challenge on your layout, be sure to link it to both challenges for two chances to win!

Davinie

Studio Calico May

Did you get your hands on the kit? The May kit from Studio Calico went up for sale on Monday night! I hope you were able to pick it up.

Here's what I came up with this month. I have to say, time and creativity were hard to find, but I did manage 4 layouts along with a partially finished fabric album.


This layout was a lift of bbrod's Play 24/7. I flipped it upside down for this layout.




I couldn't tell you where the design idea for this layout came from. What I can say is that I loved the paper with my photos, but the Heidi Swapp sticker alphas weren't going to stand out on the blue background so I decided to split the paper. I like how you turned out!

I'm also noticing that I used a lot of rounded corners this month. I guess you can say they were inspired by the exclusive SC papers this month. I had a lot of fun trimming out the half scallops on that paper, and found the rounded edges of those scallops inspiring in my designs.





This layout just makes me happy. I loved the Cosmo Cricket Snorkel paper with the scallops that I trimmed out, yet again, and I had fun with that bright yellow stitching. The scallop punch I used is the scallop sentiment from Fiskars. I thought Apron Lace was my favorite punch, but I use this quite a bit. It's much easier to use a border punch than deco scissors!



This layout was inspired by the little acrylic girl. I don't document words of wisdom for my kids enough, so I wanted to make sure I got a few things noted on a layout, in my handwriting.

I used to write in a journal all the time. I have been doing so since I was 8, and I still have that journal. But ever since Payton was born and scrapbooking has taken over my life, I've stopped writing in a special notebook like I used to. And I often feel like I'm not putting my thoughts and feelings into my work enough to make up for that. So I decided to write some things down, but I've also decided it's time to get back to the journal. I really enjoy looking back at journals from several years ago to see what I thought about things. The most interesting is when I look back at high school journals. You couldn't pay me enough to go back to those days, and when I read those journals, there are often times when I wish that my 33 year old self, yes, 33, was there with that 16 year old girl, so that I could remind her that she is stronger and bigger than that, and that once she is out of high school and living her life, she'll never even see that boy, etc., again. I needed her, lol.

Anyway, I didn't treat the girl with anything. I was going to leave her plain but decided she needed to stand out a bit, so I sponged some Colorbox ink over the top and then sealed her with Super Seal. That's some amazing stuff!

Lastly is a little piece of my heart. I'm not near finished, my album is going to be 20 pages and I received it only a few days before the reveal of the May kit, but I did manage to put a few pages together.

I have always wanted to do an album about my babies, comparing them month to month during their first year. I thought this moment and this album was a perfect opportunity to do that. We are on picture overload with this post, so I'll share the inside pages and some details later this week. However, I did write up a tutorial for Studio Calico, and you can check that out here.


The title for this album used to don the titles of layouts long ago and there was a time it was so overused that it went out of "style", but I thought it was the perfect phrase to use for the subject of my album. I can't imagine my life without my girls and I do think they are heaven sent.... except when they acting like little devils anyway.

:)

Have a great day!

P.S. Don't forget the NSD challenges at Studio Calico! And remember: you have to link your layouts on my blog on my May 2nd post.

I'll also be posting my April Project 12 challenge May 1st. Be sure to check back for that!

Davinie :)

Studio Calico reveal tonight!

Happy Monday!

Tonight's the night if you are interested in purchasing the May kit or add-ons from Studio Calico.



As always, there's a great reveal night giveaway on the SC blog too. It's photoshop actions from our own Maggie Holmes! Check out that post here.

Don't forget the NSD challenges either. You can see the blog post here with updated designer links. Speaking of NSD challenges, I love seeing that you are participating in my challenge, and I know it's confusing, but please remember to link your layouts on my May 2 post. May 2nd is National Scrapbooking Day, and that's the day we will be officially hosting our challenges. I LOVE what I've seen so far, so feel free to share it with me now, but make sure to link your work a second time on that May 2 post.

Speaking of which, you do NOT have to be a Studio Calico subscriber to play along. You can work with any product your heart desires. These prizes are available to anyone who loves to craft! I hope you will all play along.

I wanted to leave you with another glimpse at the cover to my fabric album. It has been a LOT of work, but I am really, REALLY loving it. I'm so happy to have it to share with my family.


Have a great Monday! Davinie

In honor of NSD May 2, a challenge!

Happy Saturday morning to you!

As you may know, May 2 is NSD, National Scrapbooking Day! In honor of that special crafting day, we at Studio Calico are offering challenges and chances to win all sorts of prizes, including add-ons, gift certificates, and even a 6 month subscription to Studio Calico!

To play along, visit each of the Studio Calico designer's blogs. I have them all listed on my sidebar here. Simply play along with the challenge they are hosting, post your layout in the Studio Calico gallery, and link it to their challenge thread which will be posted on May 2.

Are you ready for my challenge? My challenge is this: Simply hand stitch. Hand stitch somewhere on your layout. You can make a card, make an altered project, or a layout. It doesn't matter. But it must have hand stitching somewhere.

On May 2 I'll make a post here where you can link your layouts. But don't forget to link them from the SC gallery! They need to be posted there for your chance to win. And don't worry about having to use a Studio Calico kit. That's not necessary. You just need to create something new, post it in the gallery, and link it to this blog.

Want to see what you are playing for on this blog? How about some Chiffon!



If you didn't get a chance to pick up this add-on with your Garment District kit in March, this is your opportunity! This was one of my favorite kits ever, so I am very excited to have a chance to share some of it with you.

Get to work! And don't forget to link your layout on May 2. You have a week!

Have a great day! Davinie