Five on Friday - NSD prequel

Tomorrow is National Scrapbook Day and I have several things to share, so I thought I'd start a day early and split up what would be a long blog post as part of my Friday "every once in a while" fives.

1.  Studio Calico wants to be YOUR NSD destination.  We have challenges, chats, make n takes, and inspiration galore.  The post of events has gone live, so be sure to check the Studio Calico blog for what's happening this weekend.  Kimberly and I have a stitching challenge and I also have a make n take to inspire you (especially if you still need something for Mother's Day). 

2.  TwoPeas wants you to shop shop shop this weekend and has a lot of fun deals going on:
     Free Gift with Purchase
     Offers over $25 will receive a free 6x6 paper pad (ooh.  Maybe they'll be on of the new Crate Paper lines).
     Free shipping for orders over $30.  Use code NSD511 at checkout.
     An extra 10% off sale and clearance items.

If nothing else, stock up on basics like kraft cardstock and adhesive.  I had to race to Walmart the other day because I was OUT of glue dots.  Out out out.

3.  Crate Paper is having a great big giveaway tomorrow, and I am so honored to have created a really fun project for it.  Here's a peek:

(Featuring the Neighborhood line)

It's going to be a sweet prize and my project includes a tutorial so I hope you'll check it out.

4.  I will have something fun to share from Scrapbook and Cards tomorrow as well.  Some fun things are in the future for my Canadian friends so I can't wait to share! 

5.  That's it for scrappity!  Tomorrow morning I'm running in a 5k that supports a sweet little girl in her battle against leukemia, and then tomorrow afternoon I'm headed to town to take Morgan to a slumber party and take Payton to Red Robin and then to the movies for a mama / daughter date.  The plan is to see Rio.  Dad is working and will be home Sunday morning. 

Not much crafting will be had, but I'll be blogging! 

Have a great night and a wonderful weekend!  As I said, be sure to check back here for NSD fun!  Davinie

It's Friday

(Studio Calico blog hop in the last post).

Payton had her Spring Tea yesterday.  I've gone to Spring teas every year the last three years and this was my fourth.  It was the same things... a program, a flower in a vase, a print, a self-portrait, but this one was more special than the rest. 

It's the last one.

No more preschool Spring teas after this.

Is it odd to break out into tears during a school wide singalong of "you are my sunshine?"  Because after they sang the song with sign language, sang "You are my Mommy" and "You are my Daddy" versions, and then the parents were asked to chime in on one last run through, my waterproof mascara almost gave out. 

And then her teacher asked if she could skip Kindergarten and spend another year at preschool, and I wanted to go home and make a baby right then just to drag it out.  heeee. 

Oh my. 

I'm just wondering if this feeling is totally normal?  We are done having kids.  If I had another one there would be more than a 6 year gap!  I can't do that!  We are trying to renovate!  We don't have a bedroom for any more babies!  I don't want to be an old lady before the kids are in public school.  Right?  I just want to know if these feelings are totally normal.  Tell me it is.  :)

Of course *my* kid had the best self-portrait in the class.  Every mama thinks that about their kid, right?  And look at Payton.  She drew herself with the former class pet rat Marshmallow on her shoulder (Marshmallow, may he rest in peace). 

Even Daddy was able to come to this tea.  He came last year too which was wonderful.  I'm so glad he was there to share this with me one last time. 

::sigh:: 

OH.  A couple of things.  What do you do when you have a recycled bottle decorated with washable paint as a faux vase?  I have had 3 of these and they have never lasted, because inevitably, a small child decides to use it as a REAL vase and the artwork washes off.

You use....  are you ready?  Wait for it, wait for it.....  SUPER SEAL.  Voila!  For Pete's Sake!  A miracle!

We used to sell Super Seal at Studio Calico, but I don't know where you can find it now.  If you have it, though, I found another great use for it.  Preserve kiddo projects!  I am so happy to have figured this out before this gift was damaged.  It's an aerosol protectant sealant spray.  I hope it lasts a long long time.  We still have paper face daffodils here and there around the house. 

And what do you think of Payton's dress?  I got my order from Zulily and am totally happy with the quality of the goods.  This dress has a curdoroy feel to it.  Just love it.  I'm still a weeee bit obsessed with the site.  I think I've ordered 3 times since that first order?  Earlier this week I bought something for ME even.  Board shorts to cover up my lily white tush in the hot summer sun.  heee.  $13.99!  I think there are some great deals and it's nice to have something besides Old Navy and the Children's Place, and Target, and JC Penney, etc., so if you are like me and have limited places to shop, OR are like me and love to browse from home, check out Zulily.  They have daily deals. 

Ooh.  Another great place to shop?  Down East Basics.  I'm sorry, but my small children took any mammary my glands possessed, so I was really excited to get the Spring catalog with some swimming suit options that actually looked like my body type.  I got this top.  I also got this dress, because it's super cute! 

Anyway.....  believe it or not, but with the arctic winds and occasional hailstorm during this Oregon spring, the Fiero clan is headed to the hills to camp our lives away.  Lucky for me, I have a trailer with a generator, so I may or may not be inside it, heater on, music blaring (or maybe it'll just be kids yelling), and a fruity beverage in hand.  All weekend.  Hopefully the sun comes out so I can kick the kids out though.  ha! 

Note to self:  You have two children, but one of them spends a lot of time at this place called school.  Get some photos of Morgan this weekend. 

Enjoy your day!  Davinie

Babble

I'm a wee bit obsessed with barns, and have been wanting a print for my living room, but just haven't stumbled upon what I was looking for until I came across this print while pinning the other day.  Oh my word, I am in heaven with this woman's work.  I am going to have to think long and hard about what to purchase and may or may not purchase more than one print.  I think these are just heavenly.  Mystical and serene, a touch of whimsy, a bit country.  LOVE.  Love the birds on the wire.  Love the post processing.  I'm a huge fan.  I hope I can get it in super size because 11x17 will not be big enough!  :)

When I was in Portland for CKC a few weeks ago, a trip to Ikea was also on the list ( in addition to Pier 1, and the dreaded Chuck. E. Cheese.  bleck).  While there I purchased a 4x4 Expedit in white for my living room.  I chose white because it really brightened up the place.  The plan is to open up our kitchen/ living area upstairs to one big common room, and I want my kitchen to have white cabinets and granite countertops, so they will all match.  I didn't care for the baskets at Ikea, so I'm going to keep shopping, maybe at Target, but think I made the right move, getting the shelving.  I had a heck of a time fitting the packages in my car, though.  Good thing I have an SUV!  And I had to laugh when KP got in the car and said, "I thought it smelled like Ikea in here".   ha!

Other than some home improvements we've got going on at the house, it's been work, work, work.  Oh, we did surprise the girls with a great big trampoline for our backyard last weekend, and they practically moved in.  I can already tell that it was worth the purchase.  It's going to be such a great addition to the backyard for the summertime.  I don't foresee a lot of "I'm bored!" comments now that we have this! 

This weekend we are going camping for the first time in 2011 (well, except the night we had to sleep in our trailer when the power went out for 26 hours, anyway).  We are going to load up our 4wheeler and head to the hills with friends.  I've never camped like this before, but I'm sure my girls will love it.  It's actually nice to get away from the house for a while, so I'm actually looking forward to it.  Something must have happened to me this year because in years past, while I'm always glad to go, I also have a bit of dread when we camp.  Not this time though.  Maybe it's because I see the girls losing their baby faces, and want to make sure they have a lot of fun family experiences to cherish, times when electronics and distractions like the television don't interfere.  That might be it.

I'll be back before I go, though.  Sneaks are this week and I've already been playing with my Studio Calico May Kit.  I also have some Crate Paper to share. 

Davinie

Five on Friday

I'm actually posting today.  No foolin'.  I've got a mixed bag of things to update and relate, so let's see if i can keep it at five, lol.

1.  Cardmaps!  Your enthusiasm is contagious.  I'm so happy you are excited about this publication.  It's card sketches, but the whole issue is so inspiring you'll feel like making layouts and altered projects with it too.  The winner of the Cardmaps publication is:

Carole Stirrat said...
Darling card and your grid of trims is genious, love it!!
8:16 AM

Congratulations Carole!  Email me at cooperdees (at) yahoo.com and I'll get you that issue plus a few goodies from me.  :)

You can pick up that issue of Cardmaps and download the Spring issue of Scrapbook and Cards Today here if you are still interested in checking it out. 

I did want to share one of my projects from the Spring issue on this post.  I used a bunch of Studio Calico goodies on this one:

 
 
 Hand cut butterflies.  Basket weaving.  Flowers.  ::sigh::  It just feels like spring. 

Speaking of SCT, I hope you've been landing on their blog this week to enter for prizes.  They are giving a prize away today that I'm really curious about.  It's called a Picture Keeper.  Have a jump drive sized photo storage is VERY appealing to me.  You can comment on the blog for one chance, and you can get a second chance at one of those via their Facebook page.  good luck!
 
2.  Studio Calico.  The newsletter went out last night, but just wanted to send and FYI that
Documentary is on it's final sale.  50% off and when it's gone, it's gone.  You can never have too many label stickers and journaling cards, can you?

Zing has been restocked too.  That darn Studio Calico and their enabling.  I used to emboss prior to scrapbooking and all the hype is inspiring me to break out my heating tool.  I'm all for white and clear to add dimension, I think.  I have the clear but white was sold out the last time I peeked.  hmmm.....

Epiphany Crafts and the WRMK Sew Easy tool.  Hard to find?  It's in the Supply section. 

Lastly, remember, if you are a subscriber at Studio Calico or have recently placed an order, you have till the 3rd to add to your cart for the flat rate shipping fee, and then the kits are on their way. :)

3.  Sketchbook 3 starts Monday!  I had a lot of fun with my layout.  I still can't believe KP asked me to be part of this class, especially when I go down the list of contributors.  Wow.  I hope you'll check out this inspiring class!  Here's a sneak peek of my work.  You'll only see the whole thing if you take the class:

 
 
 
 















For some reason, the straight stitch head on my Sew Easy tool has disappeared.  Luckily, I hand stitch anyway, so I took care of it freehand.  My stitches aren't perfectly spaced, but I'm not perfect either, so we are happy together.  lol.  That said, that tool would have made this layout come together much faster than what I did instead.  Also?  Note to self:  don't use a piercing tool and attempt to make straight lines while working on a layout and watching Black Swan On Demand.  Holy WOW.  That was not what I was expecting.  Did I mention Steve was on shift so I was downstairs watching it by myself at about 11pm?  Oh dear.

4.  Got Spring Fever???? 

If you check out the Crate Paper blog today you will see some fun Spring inspired projects.  You'll also have a chance to leave a comment and win some new product.  If you don't have the new Crate you are missing out, so jet on over there and leave your digits.  :)  I didn't have time to create a project for this hop, but will have something springy to post this weekend so be sure to check back. 

5. Lastly, it's number 5.  She's 5.  I have a 5 year old.  My youngest.....  is five.  It is almost too much to fathom, lol. 

She's almost finished with preschool, and then it will be public school and Kindergarten in the fall.  No more preschool playdates.  No more Mrs Rau and Mrs Wilber and the weather person and the pet feeder and the hungry caterpillar and Marshmallow the Rat.  She was antsy the night before and didn't sleep well, so woke up on her birthday morning with a room filled with balloons and her mama whispering the birthday song in her ear.  When her eye's opened I asked her how she felt and she responded with "taller".  So we had to get out the chart and sure enough, she may be taller at 5 than Morgan was at 5.  WAH. 

I'm terrible about uploading videos on YouTube, but I did find a couple:

Reading @2 - actually, she had this book memorized, and if dad had started at the beginning, she would have been able to tell the whole story:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8xT9gLKFTc

Payton's 2nd birthday.  This video slays me because of Morgan crying and throwing a fit.  Payton does that NOW.  It's comforting to know she'll eventually grow out of it because Morgan certainly has:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWfAYf4SvFY&NR=1


What do you get for a 5 year old girl on her birthday?  For some silly reason, she decided she wanted this:

Baby. All Gone.  Commit me now.  This baby spends all day saying "I'm thirsty", "I'm hungy", "I love bananas" and it just drives me nuts, but what cracks me up is that it also drives Payton nuts.  HA!  Now she knows what it feels like for Mom's to be harassed all day for snacks!  She'll stop mid-meal and say she's done with her, and then grabs her by the leg, drags her to her room, wraps her up and leaves her there.  oh my.  I can't wait for this kid to have kids of her own someday.  heeeeeee.  SWEET revenge.  love her.

I did ask her what she wanted to name her baby and she looked at me like I was crazy and said, a bit sarcastically, "um, Baby All Gone".  uh.  Okay.  :)

I hope you have a great day!  It's the first which means a new month for Project 12, and I'll be back with the new challenge in just a bit. 

Davinie

Weekend Recap and some Studio Calico sneaks

Last week was filled with the flu here, the flu there, and topped with some hacking coughs, but as the weekend reached our house, we appear to be on the mend.  Luckily, Mama never got any of it.  I am SOOO happy about that.  Having the flu is the worst.  Especially since we are officially on Spring Break now.

Next weekend I will be taking the girls to Portland with me.  They'll do the zoo, etc., while I'm teaching and working the Studio Calico booth at CKC Portland.  Will you be in the area?  I've checked out the class lists and the CKC's are consistently improving with better and better classes.  I'll be teaching a 2 page layout using misting techniques.  The general design and technique ideas for this layout were mine so I'm excited to teach this particular class.

Pre-registration is now closed but you can get the schedule and info about this event here. 

As I mentioned, while there my kiddos will get to go to the zoo.  Because it's Spring Break of course I want them to have fun, but a little project Morgan was working on tonight inspired me to try and make this an educational experience too.  She was making an alphabet book and drawing photos of different zoo animals.  I'm hoping to maybe send the girls with little pens and notebooks to draw pictures while there, or take "notes" on things while there, or maybe send them to the park with some questions to answer later, like "what was your favorite animal" or "did you see the baby elephant", things like that.  I might actually take something from the homeschool curriculum conveniently located on the Zoo website and go from there.  They will be going mostly for fun, but it never hurts to stretch your brain a bit while you are at it. 

One night next weekend we are headed to Chuck E Cheese.  Ugh.  Help me.  My mom actually lives just down the street from one and the girls always want to go when we are in town.  Actually, last year at this same time we tried to go, but the line was too long so we went somewhere else.  The kids have never let us forget it.  So, with Payton's 5th birthday next week, I figured I could suffer through it.  (I can't believe my baby will be five....  but that's a whine for another day).  I did find some coupons on the Chuck E Cheese website, so pizza's and tokens for all that "fun" won't cost as much as it could.  That's good.  I'm sure Payton will be thrilled.  And i'll live.  :)  I'm just glad we don't have one in Central Oregon.  heee.

Speaking of the girls, I just learned about a cool website that sends out daily deals for kids clothes.  It's called Zulily.  Maybe I have been living under a rock, but either way, it was new to me, and the other day the daily email prompted me to buy a couple of super cute spring dresses for my girls for $15.99 each.  Not too shabby!  I got these two:

I got the pink one for Morgan.

And hopefully the purple-ish bow sways Payton to love this one, because I do!  :)  It's never warm enough in these parts for Easter dresses + Easter egg hunts, but they need some new dresses, so with this great deal, I got them a couple anyway.  They can wear jeans underneath.  ;)

Anyway, check out Zulily and sign up for daily deals here.  You get a daily email that shows a few different manufacturers of kids clothes, accessories, even mama clothes too, and if you see something you like you click through and can view the products available from that brand.  Apparently things go fast, though, and the emails are sent out at 6am EST (but don't fear.  I bought these two dresses at 2pm PST and got the sizes I wanted).

These days I've got a lot of things on my mind and my plate, with Girl Scouts, Preschool registration (I only have a few months left as Registrar.  Woot!), PTC events, WORK, trying to WORK OUT, that I've been preoccupied and out of sorts.  I feel like I've been that way since January.  I'm hoping that taking a few things off my plate will help restore order and a bit of sanity, but until then.....  Studio Calico April sneaks are in order.  ha!  I could never give up crafting! 

I bought two add-ons this month, Make 'em Laugh (#2), and Moses Supposes (#3).  I just recently had to purchase more Ziploc 2.5 gallon bags to house kits as I am having a hard time parting with my stash, so 2 add-ons is my max lately, although I love it all.

The papers from this first sneak were from the main and I should have gotten more.  I really liked the peach and how the green pulled from those music notes.  I had a hard time cutting into that one (but I had to.  It matched my fleece!  :)  ). 

This one has some precious photos of my baby girl.  It's a 2pager too.

I have more projects to share but wanted to get some sneaks about before the deadline this month, an amazing feat these days.

I hope you have a wonderful day!  Working on your Project 12 layout?  You have about a week left.  :)

Davinie

P.S.  Happy Birthday to my hubby.  We are finally back to the same age.  Those few weeks between February and March are pure torture for me.  Payton keeps asking how I can possibly be older if he's taller than me.  She also marvels that we were in our mama's belly's at the same. time.  Steve, I hope 2011 brings you nothing but happiness, because when you are happy, I am happy, and when I am happy, you are happy.  LOVE YOU BABE.

Sunday Random (or Five on Friday, as that's how long it took me to write this post)

What's up?  Where has Davinie gone?
Pre-Registration for Preschool next fall (I'm the Registrar and my time isn't up until Payton "graduates" from preschool in June).

Work.  I work part time.  In health insurance.  As much as I'd love to blog and pin and craft all day, it just isn't in the current cards.

Assignments.  Holy toledo.  I've actually been crafting more than you've seen.  I've just been unable to share it at this time.  I am truly grateful for every request I've received lately, though.  I just need extra hands and more hours in the day.  Anyone willing to share?  Donate?

Girl Scouts.  In case you live under a rock (or are outside the US), this is the time to buy cookies.  My little Daisy has kept me quite busy.  Yes, I've been that mom sitting at the table outside the grocery story, toothless blond cutie in tow, selling cookies.  Buy some from a Girl Scout.  The money goes back to the troop and allows girls to do a lot of great things.  One things on our agenda is to spend the night at the Zoo.  I hope that one pans out because I WANT TO GO.  :)


With that, here's some Friday random.
1.  This winter I was asked my Fancy Pants Designs to be their first Guest Blogger.  Of course I said yes.  Fancy Pants was one of my original loves in the scrapbook industry.  I was also quite anxious to get my hands on some of their CHAW11 release.  Now. 
I was sent the "It's the Little Things" line, with all it's fun embellies and fresh, new color palette, as well as their new Brag Book.
You can check out my projects here.
A note on the Brag Books:

 




















There's a lot of hype regarding the upcoming Smash Books from EK Success.  I was at CHA.  I handled them.  I am one of those people who thinks you need at least 2, with all the embellies.  ;)  But I also adore the Brag Books from Fancy Pants.

The Smash books are more "alternative".  They are a fun place to jot thoughts or inspiration.  But I wouldn't necessarily use them to document the lives of my little girls the way I plan to do with my Brag Book (and I'm REALLY excited for Payton's birthday so I can get started on hers). 

What I'm saying is that you need both for different reasons.
As for the Smash Books, the word is they are shipping in April and as mentioned before, Studio Calico bought just about everything for the shop (and maybe upcoming kits).  I hear you'll need to be fast though.  It is so hard to determine popularity, and while I know the quantities purchased at CHA seemed to be great at the time, the hype from this books has me wondering how fast things will sell out. 

2.  The calls have been posted for the summer issue of Scrapbook and Cards Today.  If you'd like a chance to have your work posted in this high quality, inspiring magazine, check them out here.  I've mentioned this before, but working with Catherine and the team at SCT has been a dream, so if you haven't worked with them before (and even if you have), take a chance and submit to this call.  It looks like the deadline is April 5. 


3.  Have you seen the latest catalog for Pier 1 Imports?  I think I dog eared every page.  As I've mentioned, we are busy renovating, and I'm now tackling the kitchen/dining/living room area.  I decided to paint some walls in my kitchen blue and just about everything in this catalog compliments that idea.  We are hoping to bust some walls down and create a big kitchen island, so my living room, dining area, and kitchen all need to work together.  I am sooo inspired.

4.  Speaking of renovation and inspiration, I recently subscribed to Country Living.  I wanted to find inspiration for decor with antiques, etc., as well as ideas for our home and changes that we need to make.  Imagine my delight when my first issue arrived on my doorstep, and I didn't have to look past the bonus cover to confirm that the subscription was totally worth it.  Say hello to my future mud room:

I am a huge fan of an apron sink, so loved this right away. The fact that I could tuck this unit into the exact same spot in my single car garage turned mud room is like the skies parting and the sun coming out.  I adore everything about this.  We will need plumbing for a sink, but had plans to get that done anyway (because for pete's sake, a mud room, especially a huge one like ours, NEEDS a sink).  I am so excited to actually visualize something that will actually work in my home.  It's so pretty! 

This will go adjacent to that bench that my mother has actually volunteered to make for me.  How cool is she!  I'm so excited, because it finally feels like I have a direction with regards to my crooked house.  ::sigh::  I am so glad I finally took the plunge on that magazine and am now wanting to check out back issues for other things I may have missed.  It has craft projects in it too!  The girls and I are going to be busy with eggs and nests soon.

5.  Speaking of eggs, for number 5, I wanted to share one more thing we are up to, because my list isn't long enough? 

Meet Crystal, Zena, Sunshine, and the almost elusive Ringpop.  They will soon be joining Betty and Flowerbelle in the coop outside. 

Please let them all be girls.  Please.

Urban chicken farming is becoming more and more popular, and while this early stage is just gross because they are, well, dirty birds, farm fresh, organic, free range, natural eggs are very appealing.  It is also TONS of fun for the kiddos.  I'll probably start popping in to report on the chickadees and their antics, should you be interested.  I actually have several stories from our first set that I need to share too.  Holy fowl.  They certainly keep us entertained.

Since I'm turning into a Martha and have plans to make use of our great big garden, we'll be getting cows after Easter for butchering this fall, and now I have eggs, it looks like all I need to do is perfect the art of making cheese and we may never need to leave the house.  My car is a gas guzzler anyway, and since we live a couple miles from everything and I get probably 12 mpg in town, it's too expensive to go anywhere anyway, lol.

Have a great weekend!  Davinie

Five on Friday

1.  So....  last week we had a snow storm that unexpectedly brought about 8 inches of heavy, wet snow in the space of a few hours.  I worked in the office that day, so I was up, showered, and out of the house around 6:30am, got my Starbucks and my pumpkin scone, and was sitting in the office when I heard Morgan's school had closed, there were busses in the ditch (with no kids on them, thankfully), and later, that my house didn't have power.

When I left the office around lunch time, I picked up coffee for Steve on the way home, because the power had gone out about 8am and I knew the kids were outside playing in snow, so I figured they might need coffee and hot chocolate to warm up.

At about 2:30 we all got tired of being without electricity.  I'm a girl who likes silence, but I had no idea how comforting the hum of electricity was.  Silence with no electricity is an uncomfortable silence.  I didn't like it.  After pondering ideas of things to do, I decided.....  "HEY!  Let's make a tutorial for Studio Calico!"  And out came the video camera.

I had planned to do a hand stitching tutorial with the WRMK Sew Easy tool already, so it worked out pefectly.

Things to note:

1.  How do you tell your husband to ZOOM OUT without coming across as a nag?  That is something I need help with.  heeeee.

2.  I am easily distracted.  So when I have one kid snaking my m&m's and the other throwing snowballs at the window, a mama can lose focus on what she was talking about.  Yes, we are having a snow ball.  pffft.

3.  When we bought our video camera, we had a new baby, and we paid @$900 for it.  So, even though it's now 7 years later and things are much improved, I am a girl with a hubby who doesn't want to purchase a new one, even though Flip camera's are at Costco for $129.  I'm still working on him.  That said....  the video on the camera looks fine.  It also looked fine in my video program.  But somehow the transfer to YouTube looks terrible, and for that I apologize.  You didn't really want a clear, close up look at that hangnail, did you?  No, probably not.

4.  My hubby was filming me, and I was talking about hand stitching.  Awkward. 

5.  I think the fact that Payton ended up eating all my m&m's deserves it's own bullet point. 

With that, here's a video tutorial on the WRMK Sew Easy tool, as well as some hand stitching.
 
Please let me know if you need something clarified, have a question about my technique, etc., or would like future tutorials, zoomed out, and in clear form.  I'm all ears.




In general, I am only going to post craft related videos and tutorials on this account, so if you want to click the link at YouTube and follow me you will get a notification email when a new video is posted.  I don't know how often that will be but, you know, just in case....  :)

2.  Speaking of crafting, today is the 25th.  That means you have 3 more days until Project 12 layouts are due.  If you are still wanting to play along, this month you need to link your layouts to this post. 

I had to break out my creative thinking cap, because I didn't take a lot of photos in January.  I was up to my neck in crafting and prepping my life for CHA, so as I looked through my digital files, all I was coming up with were layouts and closeups, lol.  The bright star to my month, though, happened to be my baby girl, who turned 7. 

With just two big events to summarize the crazy month, I modified the sketch a bit to use fewer photos:

Kelly was nice enough to share some photos taken with her camera at CHA, which worked perfectly to highlight that experience.  The two themes were so different that I was worried about what the design would look like, so to make it fun, I carried Payton across the layout and put her on the right, carrying forward the birthday theme.

 

This photo cracks me up.  Daily, all year long, my girls like to ask "how many days until my birthday", so that thought comes to me immediately as I look at this photo and her wearing her sister's birthday hat.  Her birthday is in March.  Not much longer!  Only 33 days, PJ!  :)

I took out a photo so I wanted to fill it with something fun.  Recognize these frames, and most of the other products, for that matter?  Yes, it's a previous kit from Studio Calico.  Baker's Dozen, to be exact.  I bought extras that month but haven't had a chance to use it all yet.  That's a blessing and a curse!  It means I have a backlog of stash, but it also means I get to play with Scenic Route, which I haven't seen in a while.

I had a lot of fun with this layout and really like how it turned out.  I like the changes Becky made for the sketch, and I'm doing something different with my titles this time too, taking more creative liberties each month.

3.  In two days, it'll be time to head to Studio Calico if you want to purchase March goodies.  April posted March prices and shop items on this thread.   In an effort to get the latest and greatest we are cutting it close with some goodies from Cosmo Cricket, etc., so watch that thread to see what we are able to get our hands on.  I am also in line for some of the goodies that are new to the shop.

4.  Tomorrow is the anniversary of my birth, lol.   I'm not really looking forward to it.  When I turned 30 I was 8 months pregnant with Payton.  Steve took me to dinner and I came home with heartburn.  heee.  On my 33rd birthday I broke my driver's side mirror on my way to work.  That means 7 years of bad luck.  Guess what day it'll be when that runs out?  oy.  So, there's a wee bit of dread in what tomorrow brings.  I'm just not ready yet.  When I was at my yearly physical my doctor told me that at the advanced maternal age of 35 they like to start weaning women off birth control pills, which led me to think "YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME".  This is something I would expect to hear from my mother.  I'm just not ready to be hearing this type of talk directed at me.  A great big ugh.

5.  With that, I'm out.  After the kiddlets are in bed hubby and I are going to maybe rent a movie.  The Academy Awards are on Sunday night so I'm hoping to see something nominated.  Is Black Swan available On Demand?  hmmmmm.

Five for Friday

How are you friends and blog readers?!  I hope everything is going well in your world.  I missed my 5 last week but am back on track and ready to carry on. 

1.  One of the things I've been doing lately is obsessing over Pinterest.  One of the reasons I like it better than my tumblr account is that you can use different "boards" to sort the things that interest you.  I had to share what I stumbled across last night.  I have been pinning a little of this and a little of that, and I literally gasped when I saw all of my favorite things lumped together on one post.  It came from the House of Turquoise blog. I should have known.  I love that blog and it was only a matter of time before she posted about something I wouldn't be able to live without:

I swear if Steve wasn't working today I'd have him down at Lowe's picking up wood and Benjamin Moore Wythe blue paint right now.  I am so excited.

We have a mud room downstairs which we use most often to get in and out of the house.  It used to be a single car garage, so it's a huge space for a washer and dryer.  Just as described, what a functional, pretty piece to decorate it.  I MUST have the magazine rack and the little knobs for my purse too.  I don't see much that I would change (although I think I will do baskets underneath for shoes rather than the drawers).  Good thing I have a handy husband!  I'm putting him to work asap.  :)


2.  Another thing I have been doing lately (but not often enough, having been sick) is continued training for my upcoming 10k and later the half marathon.  As I've said, I have done 5K races before, but these longer distances are new to me.  Oh my, I hope I can make it.  My birthday is coming up and I will be really disappointed with myself if I don't follow through with this goal.  Any playlist recommendations?  I ran for an hour on the treadmill today, because of the icky weather, and I. got. bored.  And when I get bored, I want to get off.  Steve has this uncanny ability to just zone out when he's running.  He runs his half marathons without headphones.  Not moi.  I need a distraction, or the entire time my head is beating to the drum of my footprints, saying,  "get.  off.  this. is. dumb. get. off. get. off" over and over.  oy.

3.  On another note, today is February 18, which means you have 10 more days to submit a layout for the first Project 12 challenge of 2011.  I have noticed many new faces to this challenge which has me very excited and looking forward to the challenge this year so much more.  THANK YOU!  (and if you are still curious, check out the Project 12 page at the top of my blog, or click on the Project 12 button on my sidebar).

4.  Crafty related, there was some buzz on the message board at Studio Calico, so I wanted to share a little bit about a company that was new to me.  They are called Epiphany Crafts, and involve some of the same faces that were involved with Li'l Davis back in the day.

At CHA I was obsessed with their booth and their button making tools.  Basically it's a punch, etc., for making your own acrylic buttons.  They have different shapes and sizes and I am very excited to get some of them in my hot little hands.  Make my own buttons?  Any color, pattern I want?  Forever?  SOLD.

Here's what one of the button makers looks like:

Here's the how to on creating your own button:

I know that April loved them too and we may or may not have plans to include them in the future kit (the acrylic buttons, anyway.  I think.).  So you'll have to keep your eyes peeled the punches and various button sizes / shapes in the Studio Calico store. 

5.  Lastly, speaking of Studio Calico, check out the layout I made for the product spotlight blog post highlighting the new State Fair line:

I used my Sew Easy tool in abundance!  Check out the blog next week too.  I created a tutorial on how to use it.

And with that I'll leave you.  It's family fun night at Morgan's school tonight.  We are watching Toy Story 3.  And eating pizza.  And popcorn.  The kids have been looking forward to it all week!

Have a great day!  Davinie

Five on Friday

1.  CHA was a blast!  I was sick as a dog going into the trip but decided to go for it anyway, and while I didn't have my voice the entire trip (I still don't have it) I had the best time.  It was great to spend time with the Studio Calico crew, bowling at Lucky Strike for Nik's 29th birthday (wink, wink), walking the floor and kit shopping, working those orders in the booth, eating at Lawry's and the ESPN Zone during a Laker game.....  memories to cherish!  Seeing Catherine and Becky and having dinner in a converted fire station with the SCT crew was loads of fun too (I had some delicious crab cakes and my signature Arnold Palmer). 

On our last night as a group we even took one of KP's famous jumping photos:

Greg was standing there holding a few cameras and several purses, and while April was back at the hotel with baby Claire, her mama joined us for bowling and a few jumps.  (l-r, Vee, Emily, Kelly, KP, me, Lisa, Nik, and Joy, April's mom).

It was so nice to spend time with people you only know from an avatar.  I can't wait to do it again.

2.  If you are sick and heading out of town anyway though, should you decide to go for an herbal supplement and try Airborne, my advice to you would be to please drop the tablet in a glass of water for one minute so it dissolves, and then drink, per the package directions.  Don't look at what appears to be a large vitamin C chewable, pop it in your mouth while sitting at the gate for your plane, basically foam at the mouth, and then try to covertly spit the dang thing into one of the 10 napkins you thankfully picked up while at Starbucks when you bought your latte and maple almond scone.  I'm just sayin'........

3.  While I was gone my hubby cleaned the house, scrubbed out a few closets, and read some articles regarding a few child raising issues we are having.  Where else can I go so he can do that again?  heeee.

4.  As for product, the hit of the show was definitely Smash.  You won't be missing much if you head here in the next few months.  We were obsessed with this booth and not much missed a checkmark on the order form.  I also liked the Crate lines, of course, the new Sassafras basics line,  Pink Paislee Junkue Drawer, the new OA, and some of the new Basic Grey lines too. 

5.  The only other thing I wanted to mention today was to make sure to check out my February 1 post for Project 12.  If you are new to Project 12, or anxious to start your 2011 year in review album, now is the time! 

Have a great weekend!  Still trying to get better and get organized.  I need to travel more often so it isn't such a big deal to get back into the routine.  Back soon.  Davinie

Fiver for Friday

I've decided to jump on the Friday Fives.  It gives me a place to talk about the scrappy and family random.  :)

1.  I'm feeling more confident with my goal to run a half marathon this year.  I was touched by the comments left to me, and the support of my hubby (he's going to train with me and run one too).  I was a little overwhemed by 13.1 miles, so figured the easiest way to keep focused, was to start small.  I already  run a 5k to exercise, so I needed something a bit longer than that to work towards.  My plan is to run the Grin and Bear it 10k in March.  This will work great, because the half marathon I've chosen is at the end of May.  It's the inaugural Happy Girls Half.  Looks like a great course!  (ooh, and there's a sterling silver necklace for your medal at the end.  And a schwag bag.  And handsome pacers.  Sweet!)  There's also a little girls 1.5k which I think is a GREAT way to include my kids as I'll need them to ride bikes to train with me sometimes.  1.5k might be too far for Payton though. 

2. Okay, I'm going to talk more about this when I share my Project 12 layout for the month, but suffice it to say, I'm fairly obsessed with the Pink Paislee Parisian Anthology Album Refill packs.  They flew off the shelves at Studio Calico but you can still pick them up at 2peas.

Here's the deal.  Down the road, I don't want to have to look in this album for 2011, that album, and that other special album over there.  I fear if I spread myself out too thin I'll never be organized enough to remember what I did where.  And there *will* come a time when I won't be able to look at a photo and note age, location, etc.  So I put it alllll in one place.  I have one album.  It has my Project 12 layout in it for the beginning of the month.  Then any layouts I've done with photos taken that month go next, and then the next Project 12 layout marks the beginning of the next month.

These protectors?  They offer the pefect opportunity to include memorabilia that didn't get on a layout, like the button we got a Disneyland marking our very first visit, or the program from Payton's recent ballet recital.  And it's all together.  I scrap both 8.5 x 11 and 12x12 and I keep them all in the same place.  I can't think of a better way to carry on with that style than these fun little page protectors for different tidbits, notes, thoughts. 

I'll share more about my album and other page protectors to use in that Project 12 post.  But I'm excited about my albums this year! 

3.  Let's see....  number 3.  Oh, I really want to know what the new release for Crate Paper is going to be.  4 lines!  Have you seen the wee sneak?  Looks delicious!  I'm going to be working with it for CHA but I haven't seen a peek of it yet.  It's torture, I tell ya.  But I'm excited. 
4.  I just had to share how we practiced Morgan's spelling words for the week.  Chocolate syrup on a cookie sheet entertained the kiddlets for a good 20 minutes (even though it was a bugger to get out of Payton's white.  shirt.  WHY mama?  Why?  Next time she needs to go topless).

And of course their faces became pretty itchy during the process, hence the puppy dog noses (imagine that  :) ).

5. Last thing, I couldn't leave ya without a Studio Calico sneak!  I had a LOT of fun with this layout.  Can't wait to share the whole thing.  (This one was made with Lollipop, #4). 

Happy Friday!  I'm going to be doing these more often!  Enjoy your weekend and stay warm and dry!

Davinie