Pink Paislee Amber Road, Twilight, Mistletoe, and Cupid

I'm home, I'm doing laundry, I'm really far behind, but I have projects to share! :)

I'm sure you've seen bits and pieces, but I wanted to share my projects with the 4 new releases from Pink Paislee.

The first two layouts are made with the Amber Road line. You can take a peek at all the products in this line here.





My favorite piece of paper in this line is the Autumn Blossom paper.

I just think it's so darn pretty! I like cutting out the trees on this one.
I'm also a fan of the STAMPS in this line, particularly the border design. I used it at the bottom of the Punkin layout.

The next line is the Mistletoe line. All of the products in this line can be seen here.



The stamps in this line are fun too. I love the stars and I plan to use the airmail postage stamp for my Christmas cards this year. Love that.






The next line is the Twilight line, a fun name, don't you think? All of the products in this line can be seen here. I love this line because it's not cartoony, and the colors are more distressed and subtle. I really like the Bella Brads and the punchouts with this line.






Lastly is my layout for the booth with the Cupid line.




My favorite favorite piece of paper with this line is the Hearts Bloom piece.

I love the pink gingham on the B side, so delicious, but those flowers are just divine. AND they can be easily punched with my circle punches and I love that! I had a lot of fun with this line.

I do want to also point out a new found love for glitter alphas. I know they've been around but for some reason, glitter on my projects has not been my favorite thing. That said, I really really like the new Expressions alphas. I don't know if it's the font, or the fact that they are different sizes, but they are by far my favorite glitter alpha to work with. AND they are very versatile in that they work with all of the lines. I've also had fun with the swirls in the alpha package. They have been a fun accent.

Okay, that's it for my Pink Paislee projects for the booth at CHA! If you were there and got a photo of the Pink Paislee booth, link me up! This is the first CHA I've missed in a couple of years, and I am having withdrawals, lol!

I'll be back later with more projects, including layouts I'm already working on from my camping trip, yes, that's right, and of course my Studio Calico layouts for the August kit. August is TOMORROW. That means I'll have my Project 12 challenge posted soon too. eek!

Have a great day! Davinie

A Pink Paislee Piece of my Heart

(picture heavy post)
July was a busy month. We've been so busy at home, but it's also CHA time which means time to get booth samples to the ready.
I was assigned a few things from all the new Pink Paislee lines in the way of layouts. I was also assigned a mini album with the Cupid line and sent this fun 6x8 album made with an Accucut.
I started gathering photos a few different times. First I was going to do an album about Morgan's First Birthday. Then I was going to do an album about Sisterly Love and use photos of my two girls hugging on each other since Payton's birth. But in the end I decided to focus my energy on my sweet Payton Jayne. I don't make many mini albums, and so far, I don't have any that are all about her.
I didn't do as many projects as I usually do for Studio Calico this month, because I was 100% focused on this album for more time than I'd like to admit. But in the end, there is a huge piece of my heart on patterned paper in this little book, and I am SO glad I was tasked with it.
The design is simple. A few strips of paper and my staple, that darn Scallop Sentiment punch from Fiskars. I am seriously worried I'm going to have to replace it because I've worn it out! I also trimmed a few flowers by hand, and used Fiskars circle squeeze punches as well.
But in the end, it was all about the photos. And the journaling. I chose my photos first. Then I wrote out my journaling in Microsoft Word and printed out a sheet or so on cardstock. After that I put it together in the album. It worked out like an assembly line of sorts, but in the end.... I had a hard time sending it to Orlando! I know it'll get handled a lot there, as projects always do... but at least I have these photos, should I need to recreate it, right?

23 photos later and here it is:


The great thing about this book is that I used a lot of my favorite photos, many of which have also been used on a layout. I just love that they are all going to be together in one place. Payton will really get a flavor of what she was like at three.



Payton comes up to me all the time with some discarded item... a single shoe that's too small, a sock. She's always telling me, "we need to give that to Jackson", and we set them aside for him, even though he isn't likely to wear pink. I just wish my girl would be willing to hand over the bink. Seriously. Yes, I know how old she is. And no, she doesn't have it all the time. I only let her have it at bedtime, and the minute she's out I yank it out of her mouth if she hasn't spit it out already. She's just fiesty and I'm not ready to have that fight yet, lol. I don't see any 30 year old women walking around with a pacifier in their mouth, so I'm convinced she'll eventually grow out of it, lol. But I hate that it's in my house. Morgan never had one.


My sister has kids roughly the same age as mine, but Mr Kael is a Mr, and he's a rough and tumble moose of a boy, so my girls have a hard time adjusting sometimes, lol. But eventually they'll be mighty glad to have a great big boy on their side. Hopefully soon.

Let's pause for a moment and discuss Joe.

For the last four weeks, every week day at 10:30 we've been stopping by a daycare to pick up one of Morgan's preschool friends, and then dashing to the pool for lessons. Have my girls "passed" the two sessions they were signed up for? Nope, lol. But they are having a ton of fun and are learning to take care of themselves in the water, and that's the most important part.

Payton. Is three.

When you are three, you are... independent. Assertive. You question everything. You value your voice and you want it to be heard. And when you are unsure about something.... well, you often have a fit.

So even though we've been going to swimming lessons every day at 10:30 for four weeks, sometimes sweet Payton acted like it was her very first day at class, and wanted nothing to do with it.

BUT....

EVERY day we have left the pool with happy kids who had a BLAST learning how to swim.
I attribute that to their teachers. For Payton? I bow down to Joe.

Payton has two teachers. Joe, and Brittany. And when we are home and I ask her what was her favorite part of swimming lessons that day, PJ will tell me it was something she did with Brittany. But actions speak louder than words.

That girl is ALL about Joe.

There has been more than one occasion where Payton is clinging to me and I peel her off and hand her kicking and screaming into Joe's awaiting arms. I do this because of the magical powers this boy has. I would never subject her to the pool if I thought she was being traumatized by her experiences there (although when she was dunked the other day the evil glare and her refusal to get back in the pool for the rest of the lesson certainly spoke volumes, lol).

I hand her to Joe, this adorable young man, who is not old enough to be a daddy himself or have much experience with a screeching three year old girl, and I watch as he transforms my scared and unhappy little princess into a beautiful, smiling mermaid girl.

And he's cute!

And he's a BOY!

Just look at him!



These photos were taken today. I walked over to the other side of the pool and missed Payton jumping in, so he plucked her back out of the water and reenacted it for me. And I didn't even ask him to. SEE!?! Bestill my heart, young man!

I bow down to Joe. I have no idea what he says to her, but often he'll bring her over to the side of the pool and tell me she has something to say, and she'll dash out and run over to me to let me know she loves me, and then she'll dash back and jump in to his rippling biceps, lol. They're young biceps. But they ripple. lol

Now that swimming lessons are over, I'm tempted to drive over to the pool and pack him up in the back of the car and take him home! He's adorable, and he's a miracle worker! Seriously, the next time Payton has a fit, it's WWJD (What would JOE do!?).

Anyway.... I digress.....

I love this photo because it was one of those surprise photos on my camera. She was looking at her daddy here with this great big laughing smile. I wonder what they were talking about.

Ah yes. A tantrum, caught on camera. WWJD? lol On that day we were just trying to go on a family stroll while camping for the weekend. Can't we just go for a walk?

In the end, though, Payton is a sweet, vivacious, tenacious, independent, and loving girl. I just love her to bits. And I am so proud to have this little booklet to remind me how much she means to me and our family.

The End.

We are headed to the beach for more memories, and I'll be back on Wednesday of next week. I hope to have nice weather, lots of sand between my toes, and lots of photos and memories. We are really looking forward to the trip and it's supposed to be HOT for the Northern Oregon Coast. SO eXCITED!!!!!

I have other Pink Paislee layouts to share, so if I get my act together, you might magically be able to see them while I am away.

Have a great weekend! Davinie

Sneaks, Peeks, and a winner

EEK! This week is going too quickly for me!

First, so sorry that I'm behind with this, but the winner of the Project 12 Challenge for June is....

Kimber-Leigh said...

here's mine (after months of not participating :)!)

http://new-everymorning.blogspot.com/2009/07/project-12.html

Hooray! Get your address to me FAST, girlfriend! I am headed to the beach on Saturday and I want to try and get it in the mail NOW.

Thank you so much for playing along!

Okay, on to the next thing. I've seen everything in person and I still love looking at product online. Please go to the Pink Paislee blog and check out the last four posts. You'll see products and projects from the four new lines from Pink Paislee. Rebecca is doing giveaways so you need to post on each blog post for a chance to win. That's 4 chances! Today's post was about Cupid which I think is my favorite release this time around. I'll be able to share my projects this weekend, but you can see one of my layouts on the blog here. I was also assigned to do a mini album with this line for CHA, and 23 photos later, I have a treasure that I am so proud of. It's about Payton at Three. I'm crossing my fingers that it returns to Oregon in one piece, but at least I took photos of every page so I can recreate it later. Right?!

My CHA projects have made July a busy month( along with all those swimming lessons for the kiddos), but I also found some time to work on my Studio Calico layouts for the August kit. More peeks here:




Have a great Thursday! I'm about to watch So you Think you can Dance! It's the 100th episode and they are going to have favorite dances from the last 5 seasons as well as a number with Katie Holmes. I'm not embarassed to say I love this show! I so wish I could dance! lol

Hello and

Greetings from the tub!

I hope you are having a wonderful weekend! We've had a mellow weekend in these parts. Steve was on shift on Saturday so the girls and I settled in at home (well, except for the Cafe Vanilla Frappacino run to Starbucks, lol).

Steve brought in the mail this morning and I saw the latest Pottery Barn catalog. Immediately I fell in love with the quilt on the cover. I am SO ready to make one for my own bed. We have a California King mattress, because Steve's legs just don't end, lol, and I have the hardest time finding quilts or comforters that are big enough. I guess I'll have to make my own! What do you think? I can do this one:


It looks incredibly easy and would be a great way to utilize several different prints that you love. I am absolutely commiting myself to making one!

However.... I have already purchased fabric and have the pattern for curtains in my girls' room, and that hasn't happened either! To guilt myself into doing both I offered to make curtains for a friend who is sans sewing machine. I figure I'll feel too guilty having HER fabric in my house, so I'll get going on her project, which will then carry over into my own plans. A win win, right? Or is that a bit crazy? It sounds a little nutty saying it out loud, but I swear, this is the way that works for me.

Steve took the girls to his parent's house for the day so I could work on some assignments, and I'm almost finished. I need to get my Pink Paislee projects shipped to Florida in time for CHA.

However, I also managed to squeak in some Studio Calico time too. I do have a couple of sneaks to share. Pink Paislee will come later in the week.




What do you think? Davinie

I'm under a pile of scraps.....

but I wanted to check in. Besides being up to my neck in scrapbooking projects and assignments, we are having one of the busiest summers ever. Today marked the end of three out of four straight weeks of swimming lessons for the girls, every day. This may not seem like a big deal, but I don't normally leave the house every day, lol. I also have a bill paying job that, lucky for me, I guess, has required more of my time. So I have put my organizational methods and my to do list to the test this month. I'm happy to say.... that the kids have been having a blast, which I guess is the most important part. They really have.

At the beginning I was worried that the daily trips to the pool would become troublesome, but the girls have finally reached an age where they are able to somewhat take care of themselves and I'm no longer lugging anyone around, and it has made it so much easier. We have also been stopping by daycare and picking up one of Morgan's preschool friends to take with us, and that has been easier and more fun than I thought it would be too.

As long as I have granola bars to the ready after they get back in the car, everyone is a happy camper!

Payton is a bit scared at times, but I can see how empowered she is by working through it and acting brave. I'm so darn proud of her. Morgan is actually doing a bit of swimming, and that is totally awesome too.

It's been great!

Next weekend our family is taking a much needed vacation to the beach for a few days, which is one reason we wanted swimming lessons. The campground we go to also has a river running through it, so as they are getting older, swimming and safety skills are a must. I can't wait to go!

CHA is also around the corner so I have been knee deep in the new collections from Pink Paislee. I have seen peeks of the new lines leaked around the net, but the official reveal and sneak peek at the Pink Paislee site starts on the 20th. I have really enjoyed working with this release and some of the fun new products that have been created.

I've been busy staring at my latest Studio Calico kit too, so look forward to sneak peeks from that. I'll have peeks to share tomorrow.

As we head into the weekend, however, I wanted to share my layout for my Project 12 challenge. I mixed things up a bit this time. I wanted to use more photos, as we had a busy June, and I wanted to include some more detailed journaling.

Supplies:
Cosmo Cricket Early Bird
Zva Creative jewels
Martha Stewart butterfly punch
Jenni Bowlin calendar cards

I just love some of these photos. That top one of Payton at the pool is the perfect photo of her in her first weeks. She wasn't really sure. And Morgan had a blast with her schoolmates in her class, so I'm glad to have that recorded.

Steve ran two half-marathons and will be doing his third in a few short weeks. He's amazing!

And we had fun with the cousins, hosted a couple of barbecues, and went camping, where we took off Morgan's training wheels and she headed off into the sunset on two wheels, for good! In fact, Steve was a little disappointed, lol. He only had to hold on to her for one or two passes before she had it under control on her own. We were all shocked by how quickly she got the hang of it.

I can't believe how fast this layout came together. Really. The hardest and most time consuming part is choosing the photos! I challenge you to do it yourself!

Details on how you can participate in the Project 12 challenge are here. Remember... a Canvas album by Donna Downey is up for grabs. AND you have through Monday the 20th to do a layout! Just remember to link it here.

Have a great night! Davinie

Want Collage Press?

Tonight is Sneak Night at Studio Calico! Be sure to pop by the Studio Calico blog and leave a comment here. You could win either Sweet Shoppe or Knave of Hearts. Yum!

See you tonight!

Clarify

I just wanted to clarify something first. Based on some of the comments I think there is a misunderstanding with some of the things I said.

First and most important, I know I have value. And I do not base my value on the scrapbooking industry. However, while I do make layouts for myself and my family, if I submit them for publication, then obviously the scrapbooking industry can also be a "job". When I referred to value, I am referring to my job in the industry. It has value.

As far as my publications, I don't normally share that. I did so in that post as more of a response to some of the criteria from my potential employer, and how I have met or exceeded that expectation. I was a little bitter when I got to that sentence. But thank you for the congrats!

That's it. I do want to tell you how much I appreciate your support! If you don't have an account in blogger, I can't respond to your comments to let you know personally, but I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Renewed

Yesterday stunk.
I reallreallyreally reallreallyreally reallreallyreally wanted this job and didn't get it.
I was totally bummed!
And then I realized it wasn't the right path for me.
The quote from yesterday's post is from a Dr Seuss book that I got when I graduated from college. Oh, the Places You'll Go.
If you don't have it, you need to get, it, and if you have kids, you need to give it to them when they graduate from high school.
It's all about choosing your path and your way to success, but it also says that sometimes the paths you choose are not right path, and you won't get what you want.
That's what happened to me yesterday.
I have thought this was my path for the longest time, and for the second year in a row, I put myself out there, trying to get my foot down this path.
But it's not the path for me, because frankly.....
"He's just not that into you".
And saying that makes me LAUGH. OUT LOUD.
Oh my word.
I am so that girl.
I went after that guy in high school, after that guy.
And he was NOT interested.
And I cried, and I was hurt, but eventually, I got over it.
And then I went to my 10 year high school reunion,
and saw that that guy ended up doing with his life
And I thanked my lucky stars
that he never said yes.
Because we were SO not meant to be.
This isn't the same because this "guy" is still the hot guy, I think we'd make a great couple
but in the end
it's just not right.
Someday I'll truly understand why.
But in the meantime.....
yesterday I had 5 layouts and projects picked up and an assignment from an awesome magazine for 4 cards,
so I am now wondering.....
what the heck am I complaining about?
I have value.
I'm not the only one that thinks my work is beautiful.
And that's cool.

Have a great weekend! I'm still up to my armpits, not quite up to my neck anymore, in projects. I hope to share them soon!

I also want to say THANK YOU SO MUCH for your kind words to me and for fun stories about seeing-eye dogs in relation to my post about my mama and her new friend, Phoebe. I'm so glad you get it! YES, if you ever have a chance to get a "reject", DO IT! They are the best best pets!

I'll leave you with a couple of photos of my girls, when we were camping. Aren't they quite the "hoodie homegirls"? That's right people. They have my back. Even if it's.... piggy back. ha!

small.

...... except when they don't.
Becuase, sometimes, they won't.

I'm afraid that some times
you'll play lonely games too.
Games you can't win
'cause you'll play against you.



My friends, I am done feeling small today. I was feeling a bit small but then remembered that while I am very sensitive, I am also a big girl, an independent girl, a very STRONG girl, and that's all there is to it.




Please check out my Project 12 challenge here. A Donna Downey Fabric Album, people!

I am up to my neck in CHA projects and other deadlines. I can't wait to share what I've been up to! I'm writing my first REAL article!


Take care! I'm off to move mountains! Davinie

Meet Phoebe

Happy Wednesday. Maybe Thursday.

Have I ever told you about my Mama?

My dear Mama, is legally blind. She has an eye disease called Retinitis Pigmentosa, which is basically the detioration of the retina. My mom is one of the lucky ones, because her vision is deteriorating from the outside in. Some people with this disease start losing their sight in patches, sometimes directly in front, so they can't see what they are looking at.

If you met my mom, you might not even know that she has probably 10 percent or less of her vision. She looks you right in the eye, and she barrels her way through everything.

My mom lives in Portland, Oregon, because she needed to be in a city with a good bus system so that she can get around town unassisted. Since moving there, she has become *obsessed* with paddling. Paddling is rowing with oars on dragonboats. My mama has been all over the world on the US team for paddling competitions. This year she's headed to Prague. It's really been amazing to watch her grow with her confidence and this sport.

That said, in recent years, we've noticed that her vision has deteriorated more. In recent months she's had more than one close encounter with a car, because she simply didn't see it. She walks with a cane, but she's still very dependent on her sight to get her around town, so it's important that she has something else to help her get where she wants to go.

It's time for a dog.

She got on a list with a charity foundation that provides seeing-eye dogs for disabled people. She took some tests and then went to Michigan for a month when her name was called so that she could get paired with a dog. The first few weeks were spent just doing testing. They needed to measure her gait and mannerisms so that they could pair her with just the right dog, because not any dog will do.

Until they met Mom didn't even know what type of dog she was going to get. Labs are popular seeing-eye dogs. So are German Shepards. As the owner of a lab, I was hoping for one of those, but a German Shepard also sounded good because she lives alone, so maybe having one would also offer protection from the boogie man.

After breakfast one morning, she was told to go to her room. It was time to meet her dog. After a minute someone came to her room and told her that her dog's name was Phoebe, and that in a few minutes, they'd be back and she'd need to call Phoebe into her room so they could meet.
I can't imagine what it must have felt like at that point. My mom had been on this list to get a dog for a few months, and had been in Michigan for a few weeks, just waiting for this moment. She must have been climbing the walls!

When the time finally, finally came, my mama said "Phoebe?" and in walked her guide. Was it a lab? Was it a German Shepard?

No.

It was a black, standard poodle. A black standard Poodle named Phoebe. You see, my mom is also hearing impaired. She does hear, but she wears hearing aids and needs assistance in that area. Poodles are very, very smart dogs, and do great with both hearing and sight impaired people.

(Picture from my mama)

The two of them stayed in Michigan for another couple of weeks, learning from each other. My mom had to let go and trust a dog to know the way. It must be hard to do that. I can't imagine doing that, letting go and trusting a puppy. Because that's what Phoebe is. A puppy.

They finally came home in April, and in May I took my girls to Portland to meet Phoebe and go to the zoo. I must admit, I was leery, and a little sad. I see these working dogs and I always think they look so sad just laying there, forced to walk slowly with someone disabled, not free to run around and play. But I'm here to tell you I do NOT feel that way anymore, and you shouldn't either.

My girls met Phoebe when her working collar was off. When her working collar is off, she is free to be a puppy. And she totally was. She played with her toys, caused mischief with my kids, and was a general pain in the neck, which all puppies are. I was SO happy to see it.

In the end, I think seeing-eye dogs are the most amazing animals on the planet. No wonder the list for "rejects" is so long. The minute that work harness is on Phoebe, it's like a light is switched, and she is absolutely in work mode, out to get my mama where she needs to be, as safely as possible. Watching for cracks in the road, cars and green lights. She even knows to walk around a puddle so my mama doesn't get her feet wet. It is really quite amazing.

While visiting, I had to get some photos of the two of them together. My mama joked about how dogs and their humans start to look alike, and all of the sudden she whipped out this black wig and tossed it on. She's so kooky. Of coure I had to take a zillion photos, and then I had to put them on a layout. I took a about a zillion photos of this layout and had the hardest time getting the focus and colors right, but I hope you get the idea.

Supplies:
Cosmo Cricket Ever After and Li'l Man paper, chipboard
Studio Calico kit

Does my mama's blouse give anything away about our plans earlier in the day? hahahah.

I hope you read this post and I hope it helps you understand about the blind and their disabilities. I hope you understand seeing-eye dogs. Now please... if you see one with their harness on, do as the sign says, and try not to pet it. It's often a puppy who really needs to focus on her job, and petting the pup distracts her and confuses her about what she's really supposed to be doing. But as soon as that harness is off, all bets are off to. :)

Have a great day! Davinie

Edited to add:
I just got word that a really great online store is closing. Please stop by Scrap Supply for all of your online scrappy needs. She's having a great sale and hoping to go out with a bang. :)

Upper Crest, anyone?

Random chose #35 and that's:




julie.schellin said...

I'd love that punch - thanks for the chance to win! Our weekend plans include cooking out, parade, fireworks and loads of family time.

5:53 AM

Thank you for playing along, ladies! I hope you all had a great weekend, and for those with rain, I hope it cleared up on Sunday at least!

Have a great day! Davinie

Am I the only one?

who gets a cold in the middle of the summer?

I had a blast on the 4th. A day of fun. And then I woke up Sunday morning with a stuffy nose and a headache. In the summer. In 90 degree weather! I hate that! I guess it's better now than later in the month.

I hope YOU had a wonderful 4th of July! My kids threw candy in the parade, I was only pelted a couple of times, and had a great time. They saved their favorite pieces for later, though. I had to promise them that they wouldn't have to throw allll of the candy.

I actually didn't take a ton of photos this weekend, and it was nice. I've found that lately when I'm doing layouts, I'll have 300 photos from a single event but then only use a couple to summarize everything. So this weekend I tried to take photos of certain moments, but to make sure to spend most of my time enjoying them all. It worked and it was a lot more fun and less stressful. Stressful in getting the smile or worrying about my camera getting damaged, because I"m a klutz, lol.

Here's what I did get:

It was so hot. Waiting was torture. Luckily, Grandma and Grandpa hooked the girls up with a couple of umbrellas which spared their fair hair and light skin from the heat of the sun.

The bustling metropolis that is Redmond, Oregon, was represented with this parade. woot!

Grandma and Grandpa drove from Bend to watch the parade just so that they could wave to the girls. That was really sweet. Afterwards we went out to lunch before they headed to their next gathering.

Once we got to our afternoon destination, this is what Morgan looked like for the rest of the day:

Does she look prepared for water events? Is she safe? She is wearing a life jacket, a floatie, goggles, and the way the straps are pulling them down, I think it's safe to say her ears would also add a bit of buoyancy as well. ha!


My friend made fun of us in all our matching Old Navy tee's, but I just smile and wave. That was $20 to shirt the four of us. You can't argue with that! You'll notice Payton with her fake smile, and Morgan is sporting one of her more frequent late-afternoon-i-am-wiped-out-and-tired-of-posing looks. But it's us. And look! There I am!

Now this, is a beauty. This is the best fireworks photo I've ever taken, lol. I read somewhere to set your ISO at 100. I would never have done that, normally. And while I should have been using a tripod, I totally wasn't! I'm happy with how this one turned out.

Lastly, I wanted to share a layout I made for the Pink Paislee blog with some 2008 photos. It was the Saturday sketch which is great for those summer/4th of July photos. You'll notice that the above photo is much improved over what I managed to get last year, lol.


P.S. If you check out this post, you'll get a wee peek at the 4 new lines from Pink Paislee that are debuting in Orlando at the end of the month. Woot!

Have a great day! Davinie

P.S.S. Be right back with that punch winner. :)