Catching up on 2013

Whew! Life is still going on here in big, big ways, but I have managed to stop and scrap it at least a few times, recently. 

Inspired by this template with some paper and elements by Just Jaimee and Bella Gypsy's current Facebook freebie. 

I took these sepia toned photos of my daughter at the beach. That top one is my absolute favorite! I need it in a frame! Since the photos were sepia toned, I was at first, unsure of what colors to scrap the page in. I ended up using elements from a few different kits in the colors of her sunhat. It worked out perfectly, I think, and should tie in nicely with the color photos from that day if I decide to scrap them, too. 

Kit is Bella Gypsy's Besties with added freebies, no longer available. Sketch inspiration here. 

I took a short trip, recently, to my hometown to visit my best friend and some family. I love this photo strip of all of the children. It really does capture the chaos, like I said in my journaling, and is a great reminder of the time these adorable cousins spent together. 

Kit is Forest Friends. Inspiration from the My Memories Facebook page Sunday Speed Scrap. 

After the photo booth, we let the kids run around in the play area in the mall, or what my friend Jessica calls "the germ tree". HA! I thought it was the perfect fit for my much loved and used Forest Friends. I miss these kids already!

My Memories Workshop and layout inspiration

If you have been following me on this blog (or maybe on Pinterest) for any amount of time, then you have undoubtedly seen some really fun digital scrapbook pages I have created with My Memories Suite. 

Kit is Sweetness with added ice cream. Page inspiration from a Speed Scrap.

Right now, there is a really unique opportunity if you live anywhere near the Ohio area or are willing to travel, to go to a My Memories Workshop! You get a copy of the latest My Memories software free with your paid registration, so even if you are just starting out, this is perfect for you. It also sounds like a complete blast with a scheduled pajama party and 16 hours of kid-free scrapbooking time! The dates are June 21-23 and there is a discount code (it was still working a few days ago even though they said it ended the first) on the event page if you're interested. 

Kit is Cool Change with added stitching and string. Layout inspired by this template.

I finally finished up my 2011 book, just in time to order it with a huge Father's Day discount. I'm so excited to see these pages printed and get caught up with 2013.

I lost the template I was trying to recreate with this page. I thought I had it pinned, but I can't find it now and there is just way too much inspiration to sort through over there! The papers and elements on this layout are a hodgepodge of items from different designers, because I couldn't find just one kit that had all of the colors of my baby showers. I know there is some Bella Gypsy, Just Jaimee, and Megan Turnidge in there if you'd really like to try to hunt it down, though. 

Coupons, scrapbook page and where I've been

Wow, long time no see! How are you all? I would like to say that this is a foray back into regular blogging, but it probably isn't. Life is happening here, big time. We finally finished moving, after some really awful flooding that ended up destroying a lot of our possessions. It takes a lot longer, when instead of just moving boxes, you're sorting through them for water damage and throwing out photos of long passed relatives. 

Kit is Bella Gypsy's Basket Case bundle, Kitten embellishment is from The Cat's Meow.

I obviously haven't had much time to keep up with my hobbies lately, but I did get a really good coupon for a photo book that expires next month, so I'm making an effort to finish my 2011 book. I love these photos taken of Caroline in the hospital, but I was so uninspired on a page. I'm pretty happy with the way it finally came together..after about five attempts!  

Speaking of really good coupons, My Memories (the software I use to create all of my pages) has a great coupon for Memorial Day. Enter the code 15Mem5day for $5 off of a $15 purchase, and as always if you don't have My Memories and would like to try it out, my discount code is in the sidebar! 

Easter Round Up

So Easter was three days ago, sue me! Or don't, really, you'd get a minivan in great need of a detailing and two sewing machines. I'm rich, y'all. 

Layout made with Bella Gypsy's Basket Case Bundle

If there was a theme to my holiday this year, it was probably Pinterest. I saw tons of cute eggs colored with Sharpies, so I bought a package of the new Bic permanent markers to try it myself (They were less than half the cost of Sharpies, and wrote really well, and they didn't smudge after being in the refrigerator or the damp grass...I might be a convert!) I also pinned a couple cute banners and tried my hand at making one from this printable. It turned out nice, but just like my baby shower banner, I made it way too large. Maybe I'l find a better place to hang it next year in the new house. 

I also bought a cheap grapevine wreath from Michael's and embellished it with a whole bunch of stashed craft items. I used the Bic markers for this project too. The little foam eggs were on bamboo skewers, and I colored them brown to blend in with the wreath before weaving them through. You can kind of see up close, but I was really unsure of what kind of adhesive to use on the Styrofoam, so for me, this was a much better option. 

Another bunny from the Pinterest printable

What do you think? I'm excited to have some decorations I can use year after year, and for less than $12 with all of the supplies I had on hand! 

Small settings change and some more scrapbooking

I was hoping not to have to do this, but I have had to stop allowing anonymous comments. Sorry! I know that there were some genuine people using that feature to ask me questions about certain projects without creating an account (especially people who found me on Pinterest). On my last post I think I got about a dozen SPAM comments, all from anonymous users. And they're sneaky, too. They almost sound like they could be real comments, but then they say "Check out my blog" at the bottom and the links go to different scam sites. Ugh! Too much work! 

In other news, I have started packing! Not enough packing, mind you, but I have started. 

I have also, somewhat stupidly, invited people over for Easter. So I need to decorate. While packing. My husband made me feel better about this by telling me that we have two small children (and one not-so-small) and I really had to decorate anyway. Hmmm...I guess so.

Kit is Bella Gypsy's Besties with added freebies (no longer available) and staple. 

The owners over at the Cover to Cover Facebook Group posted a few old Speed Scraps for us to use. I followed one to make this page for my 2011 book that I am working on. I actually was cooking last night during the Sunday Speed Scrap, so I didn't participate. Then, when I got on my computer later, I saw a note that they would be doing prizes. I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little annoyed, I mean prizes on the one night in forever I don't participate?! Mostly I was sitting there staring at my husband and children saying, "Why do you have to eat?" Hahaha! 

Kit is On the Road by Kristin Aagard also used here. 

I also put together this page for my 2011 book. My poor boy was in such a state at that party, but I have to remember that I had his sister less than two weeks before his birthday. That's a lot to put on a four year old boy! My husband pointed out to me that my traffic light is upside down, so I will have to change that before I have this page printed. 

Kristin Aagard designed the kit I used for Gabe's page, and I am completely crushing on her Moving Day kit right now! I'd much rather scrap about packing than do the actual packing! Who's with me? 

What I'm doing when I should be packing

Some Megan Turnidge, some Bella Gypsy and some Just Jaimee. 

I participated in the Speed Scrap on the My Memories Facebook page on Sunday. Probably shouldn't have, but I am trying to maintain some kind of schedule with regards to my 2011 and 2013 scrapbooks. These are photos of Caroline's part of the bedroom she shares with her brother. I find it a little ironic that I'm scrapping these now, as I'm getting ready to put all of this stuff in place in our new home. 

Kit is Forest Friends by Mye De Leon, alpha is Bella Gypsy. 

Here is another page from my 2011 book. I had scrapped this photo already, but I felt the page was really lacking. I wanted to tell the story of why this iPhone photo is the first photo ever taken of Caroline. This version is much better, I think. I had originally planned on (and tried) scrapping this picture with a much different kit with a deer in it, but I felt the dark recovery room picture needed a kit that was a little darker too, so thankfully I had another cute little deer in my stash. (Funny, I always seem to scrap this kit with circles. What is it about these papers?)

Some Little Pillows & Some Big News

Let's just start this off by saying I am not pregnant. I think any time a married woman in her 30's has big news that's where we all jump to, but seriously...not me! I won't say never again, because the last time I was "done" having children God laughed at me and gave me Caroline less than a month after I made that decision. 

I made these little pillows from a clearance shower curtain I found at Target. Roughly four yards of adorable, kid friendly, stain resistant decorator weight cotton fabric for $9.98? Yes, please! 

I did a simple envelope back on the pillows so that they would be easy to take off and clean. It also really simplified my sewing as I was able to use the existing hem on the bottom of the shower curtain for the top part of the envelope. 

So, why am I making these cute little pillows (12 X 12 and 12 X 16)? We're moving! One of the things we were looking for in a new house was a playroom for the kids, and I'm happy to say that our new house allows for that. However, the layout of the house is such that the kids' playroom will be the first thing anyone sees when they come in our front door. Yuck! 

Trying to plan cute, functional decor for a kids' space that will make the first impression of my entire home? Um...hard! If anyone has any tips on that, I'm all ears!