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