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9/29/15

Around Here


Around here we are starting to feel the beginnings of fall and we are in love.  Around here, Anna is tracked out of school so we are enjoying some time off from work and school.  Around here, I am redecorating and purging and reorganizing every single thing in our house - no room is safe.  Around here, I am making daily trips to Goodwill with loads of boxes and stuff that just takes up space.  Around here, I'm making everything white and clean.  Around here, we're searching for pretty sunsets and chasing light.  Around here, we are visiting family, making memories, and counting down the days until Thanksgiving!

9/28/15

Being Crafty in Minneapolis


These girls are just the best ever.  I had the best time hanging and creating with them in Minneapolis a few weeks ago.  Amanda knows how to throw one heck of a party and it was so fun to be in her Be Crafty studio.  


Look at that shelf....
It's even more gorgeous in person!  The room itself is amazing and is so full of vintage bowls, chairs and extras.




We used Maggie's Confetti collection to create a planner and I'll be sharing more of this pretty book soon, so stay tuned!




If you ever have a chance to go, I couldn't recommend it more.  The whole experience is amazing and being around crafty people who are obsessed with the same things you are (which makes you feel less crazy) is just plain awesome!



9/25/15

Studio Calico \\ Wink Wink Sneaks



I'm a little late to this party, but here are my sneaks for this month's kits at Studio Calico.  This month's kits are called Wink Wink and they are super fun and playful.  They pair saturated citrine tones with neutral colors for a surprising twist!  


I still have a few more projects in mind for these fun kits, and thankfully a few more days until reveal.  The months (and weeks) just seem to go by so quickly now that school is back in and everyone has a zillion things to do!! 






9/24/15

September Project Life Album - Part I


As the year has gone, I've worried each month about being able to try something fun and new with this project.  That was pretty much my main goal for starting this monthly albums this past January.  I was kind of tired with the normal 12x12 Project Life pages, but still wanted to document our days and our memories.  


I love creating mini albums, so it was pretty much an easy decision when it came to creating albums every month.  And every month I stress about the size and how to do something "new", and then every month I fall in love with a different sized/type of album.


This month, I chose to use a Travelers Notebook for our memory keeping.  I have a few of these pretties, but mainly have used them for lists, notes, etc.  I hadn't merged the two yet.  Now I am SO glad I did.


The Travelers Notebook is the perfect little "album" for creating a mini album.  The base pages are white and clean and are already bound together (and super score that you can create your own inserts and pages).


I'm over on the Studio Calico blog today sharing a look at our September in the Travelers Notebook.  This month is by far my favorite.  I love how compact and simple this album - how the photos take the center stage and really pop from those white pages.  


In this month's video, I talk about some of my different tips and tricks for working with the Travelers Notebook, so be sure to check it out!!  Thanks so much for letting me share these monthly albums with you!  As the year comes to a close, I'm just so grateful that I have these books and all of these memories recorded.


9/18/15

September in Photos


12/30
That toothless smile, though...
All heart eyes for this little lady.  She looks so grown up now with her front two teeth missing.  She has a smile and laugh that can light up the world.  

13/30
This is what our weekends look like these days.  Lots of soccer games and lots of soccer practice.  Both Anna and Drew love playing soccer together in our backyard or garage, but they are both so timid and reserved during an actual game.  There's lots of encouragement, pep talks and "bribes" of doughnuts during the game.  :)

14/30
A quick glimpse of our playroom walls.  Layer upon layer of drawing, painting, cards and crafts.  My two love to create - wonder who they get that from?  I love watching their skills develop and their pictures emerge onto paper.  We have lots and lots of dinosaurs and mermaids hanging around our walls (if you follow along with me, I'm sure you're not surprised)!

15/30
Pure silliness.  That's what this sweet boy is.  He's funny.  Like really funny.  Like sometimes I feel like I laugh a little too loud or too much at something he says or does.  What I wouldn't give to be a fly on his fraternity room wall in about 16 years.  He will be the life of the party, I'm sure.

16/30
Fresh flowers make me so happy.  Unfortunately, I have the brownest-thumb every known to man and can kill just about any live plant, so....I have to resort to picking up fresh cuts from the store and farmer's market.  One day I'm gonna grow something pretty in my yard.  Hoping my mother-in-law will show me the way (Hi Susan!!).


17/30
My labor of love this week.
Love working on my Project Life albums and this one takes the cake as the favorite so far this year! Can't wait to share more of this beauty next week!


9/17/15

Introducing Shine


Congrats Laura! You are the lucky winner of a Shine prize pack!!
i am super loving that roller stamp!!!! In gold on the black tags?! Plus the tall green alphabet. The colors are so perfectly Maggie and go so well with the season. Thanks!
Hello there!  I have a sneak peek of something so exciting to share with you all today!  My favorite designer, Maggie Holmes, is getting ready to release her next collection with Crate Paper and it is just divine!  The new collection, called Shine, is just that!  
It's shiny, it's pretty, it's bright and it's bold.  Maggie's collections are always my favorite and this one does not disappoint!  This trendy and vibrant collection features a bright mix of feminine florals, inspiring brush script phrases and bold geometric patterns with golden accent throughout. A stunning color palette of blush, lemon yellow, jade and teal bring to life the charm and excitement of the everyday. 

There are so many fun bits and pieces in this collection and I just can't wait to create with them!  Delightful icons of little trinkets and treasures including cameras, feathers, pinwheels, butterflies and typewriters add a touch of daily fun.

What's a release without a giveaway, right?  
All of Maggie's Design Team are sharing different photos of the new SHINE collection so be sure to visit the blogs of the other design team members: Amanda Rydell, Jessy Christopher and Kim Stewart. After you visit our blogs you can head to Maggie's blog and the Crate Paper blog for even more fun photos and to see each of the products in detail!!
Leave a comment here on this post and let me know what you are most excited about in this new Shine collection!  One winner drawn at random will receive a sampling of the new Maggie Holmes SHINE products! All winners will be drawn on Monday. You can enter on all of our blogs so be sure to visit each one for more chances to win! Good luck!

9/16/15

Instax-Love


My entire family is a little obsessed with these cute little cameras and these cute little photos.  There's just something about the immediate gratification of actually taking a photo and then holding it in your hands.  It's too easy in this day and age to take a photo and just keep it on your phone or computer.  Polaroids are back because we all love something tangible.  We all love watching the film as the picture magically appears.  


Over the years, I've managed to pick up several of these cameras, as well as the Instax printer.  They are all a little different, but pretty much do the exact same thing - print Instax photos.  I started with the basic Instax Mini 8 camera (shown on the right above).  There's really not much to this one - it's the basic point and click Instax.  This one is perfect for my kids to play around with.  It's hit or miss with the photos, but that's the fun part of Polaroids, I think.  I've found that outdoor photos turn out much better than indoor photos.  Vibrant and colorful photos also look better printed than white-washed out photos.

I picked up the middle Fuji Instax Mini 90 Neo Classic because it gives you a little more control over settings and modes.  It's easier to handle and easier to carry around in my bag.  I've played with the settings some, but for the most part, the resulting images seem pretty similar to the Instax Mini 8.  The party and macro settings are pretty cool, and I love the ease of shooting with this one.  It's not as cumbersome as the Mini 8.

The Instax printer was a complete and utter splurge before my trip to Barcelona last summer.  I was curious as to how it worked and what the images would look like.  I love that I'm able to print photos from my phone.  It's cool to pull out at a party or get together and let other's print their photos as well.  It's cute, it's fun, but it pretty much does the exact same thing as the other two cameras. 


As you can see, these photos span quite a number of years.  The majority of our Instax photos are kept in a little luggage box.  My kids love to dump them out and and look through all of the photos.  I have a zillion scrapbooks and mini albums, but these photos are probably the most "looked at" pictures in our house.  Go figure.


Incorporating these photos into my projects is always super fun!  I usually add the photos that I've taken during trips and vacations into little mini albums, or slip them into a pocket/envelope in my Project Life books.   This teeny tiny WRMK Instax album is super cute and is a fun place to store the photos.  My travelers notebook is another awesome place where I add in my Instax photos. 


What about you?
Do you have one of these cute little cameras or printers?  How do you use your Instax photos?

9/14/15

AEB: Pregnancy and Baby Album


Oh baby.  Oh baby!
I'm so excited to share this sweet mini album with you!  When Seven Paper asked if I would like to work with their Clara collection, I threw my hands in the air with excitement.  Creating a pregnancy and baby album for Anna has been on my long list of to-do's for quite some time.  She has normal "fill in the blank" baby album, but I really wanted to document my pregnancy and her birth in a sweet little book.  

The Clara collection is just perfect for recording those precious memories!  And as you can see above, I altered the process a little and created a sewn mini album rather than using the Clara Handbook.  


9/11/15

September in Photos


4/30
Sometimes I find myself inside too much.  It's easy to get caught up in the everyday craziness at home - laundry, meals, work, projects - and forget about all of the amazing adventures right outside of our door.  Drew and I decided to play hookie one afternoon and snuck off down to the nature park. It was pretty hot, but walking through the trails gave us some shade.  Love spending time with my little adventurer.  Note to self: go outside more.

5/30
Saturday thunderstorms call for an extra cup of coffee.  I like my coffee super hot and black - no cream or sugar ever since I started Whole30 in January (which has now kind of adapted to "Whole-life" since I love it so much).  And random, but I kind of love blurry photos (this one I made blurry on purpose).

6/30
My sweet girl talking to her dolls.  She's not much on playing with her toys alone, so when I hear her playing in her room solo, I run to grab my camera.  She's never been much into the typical "girl" toys - barbies, princesses, Calico Critters, etc.  Books and legos (and playing with her brother) are her favorites.  You can't really go wrong with any of the three.

7/30
We had one of those weekends that feels so full, but not full enough.  We were here and there, running errands, cleaning and all of that other "stuff", but we needed to get out and laugh and connect.  So while Scott worked, I piled the kids in the car for some ice cream and playing at the park.  It was just the three of us there and we played car races on the slide.  This little lady laughed her head off at my commentary (which was pretty funny, btw) and her laugh just put us all where we needed to be.  Together + laughing = the best Monday ever.


8/30
I'm trying to take more time out to do what I love.  Being a momma and working takes up a large majority of my time, so it's easy to "forget" about myself.  I'm not much on shopping or going out, but I do love good books - especially photography books.  This book, Capture the Moment, by Sarah Wilkerson, is my new favorite.  The photos themselves are pure eye candy and the "assignments" are well structured and are explained very well.  Taking photos has always been a passion of mine, but lately, it's come back in full force.  I love recording our days with my iPhone, but playing with my "big" camera takes the cake.  


9/30
This little guy sneaks in right next to me almost every single night.  Some nights I wake up and he's there, and other night he climbs right over me to snuggle in (so I definitely know he's there).  He's a snuggler and wants to be as close to me as possible.  I love his cuddles, but man, could I use a full night sleep.  

10/30
Taking a mid-day "bake" break with my sweet boy.  He loves to cook and help in the kitchen.  Not sure how we ended up with marshmallows here, but we did...  
He's going to make someone an awesome husband one day (that is if I ever let him grow up).

11/30
To some, this is just a messy box full of random art supplies.  For me, it melts my heart.
The kids were drawing this morning and when I looked up, I saw Anna had written "Anna loves drew" on the side of the box.  There's nothing better than that in the world.