Reaves, party of four

Project Life : Week 06

2012-02-14T07:23:00.000-05:00

Week 06 : February 6-12

Photos : Morgan with an old friend, Parker's cereal bowl (minus the raisins), a self-portrait, Mark and his little snuggler, toothbrushing buddies, a new Dora + Diego adventure, the beginning of a shower repair, his and hers hot cocoa, me and my little snuggler and a Valentine's art project with Morgan + Parker.

Other Bits : the top of my hairdye box, another funny quote from Morgan and toilet paper roll artwork.

Insert : A Day in the Life : Wednesday February 8 : blogged about here

Full spread without the insert :

Close-up of left side :

Love this photo of the kids feet on their little step stools in the bathroom. You should have seen me run to the kitchen like a crazy lady to get the camera and get a picture.

Close-up of right side :

These Studio Calico wood houses kill me. I will be sticking them everywhere! The 'take' is an old handdrawn outline alpha stamp set from Fontwerks, designed by Nisa Fiin.

Mark suspected our shower was leaking water beneath the drain and he was right. He ended up removing all of the tile and the floor last weekend to find some standing water. Looks pretty, huh? Ugh! This will be the second repair and third tile job in a year. :(

The right half of the right side includes photos of Morgan and Parker working on their toilet paper roll heart paintings. Morgan was so precise and loved the finished result. Parker loved smashing his roll and smearing the paint all around. :) I clipped a portion of the dried artwork to the 3x4 slots along with an M (actually, an upside down W) and P to each. Morgan also experimented with white paint on red paper and I cut two of those hearts out and added them to each photo. The 'love' and 'smile' are Silhouette cuts using the font Pacifico. I tried just rounding the very outside corners of this half of the layout to show that those 4 slots 'go together' :

I added the layout from our Day in the Life as this week's insert. This is the front :

And the back :

You can see details, close-ups and other notes of our Day in the Life here.

Fun (Enabling!) Stuff I found in the last week :

Love these Project Life journal cards at bananafishstudio. France's shop is full of all kinds of goodies!
My currently post a couple weeks ago was inspired by Tina's currents series on her blog. She is now selling currents journaling cards in her shop. What a fun (and easy) way to incorporate these little bits of daily life in your Project Life!
Studio Calico restocked a couple of stamp sets last week that are perfect for Project Life. I was lucky to get this Awesome set (that's now sold out) but the Epic set is fun too.
Designer Digitals Quarterly Sale is going on now through Tuesday night. I'm thinking about putting these 6x12 templates from Ali Edwards in my cart.

This week : in honor of Valentine's Day, I'm going with a theme. I made these 3x4 journaling cards on the Silhouette and splattered red watercolor paint on them. Each card is just a (roughly) 3x3 square with the words 'i love' (about 1" high) welded to the top. Again, the font is Pacifico

I plan on using all 8 in a row (on a Design A page protector), adding either a small Instagram photo or journaling. We'll see how it works out. This will be the first week I've had a theme or color scheme - kinda exciting!

I have linked up my Week 6 layout to Jessica's Project Life Tuesday post here.

If you are not familiar with Project Life, click here. All of my 2012 Project Life posts can be found here.

Products I used this week :

InLinkz.com

my less list : no 07

2012-02-12T21:58:00.001-05:00

Short list this week. I read this tweet from Aby Garvey this morning and loved how it related to my word. "Limit the number of projects you have going at once. The fewer projects you're managing at once, the more you'll get done." I should print this and hang it up. Love it.

No phone at the table during meals. I absolutely love my iPhone. Somedays maybe too much. ;) It is way too easy to get on it to check whatever. Email, Twitter, Pinterest. Even when (and probably especially when) it's just the kids and I, I want to fight the habit of playing on my phone while we are eating. By keeping the phone off the table during meals, I hope to eliminate that distraction of checking up on something that truly can wait. Pay attention to the people who are in front of me.
Drink more water. Winter is always a tough time for me to want to drink anything but coffee, hot cocoa and chai. I have no goal to drink X amount of ounces. Just more than I'm drinking now, which sadly isn't much.
Read Mindset for Moms. I got a free copy from Jamie Martin last week and after scanning through it tonight, it looks great! I read her book Steady Days last year and loved it. Especially the nice short chapters because I don't always have time to sit and read more than a couple pages at a time.

Documenting A Day in the Life : Wednesday, February 8, 2012

2012-02-10T15:29:00.000-05:00

I participated in Ali's A Day in the Life on Wednesday + today I put together a very simple page of mostly photos + words from our day. This is the front :

I loved the simplicity of last year's Week in the Life album, especially using the baseball card page protector + Ali's Week in the Life Journal Cards, so I based the layout for my Day in the Life the same way. I printed a few of the journal cards on cardstock for writing and also edited several to use as photo overlays. I chose 9 photos from our day (9 fit perfectly on an 8 1/2" x 11" piece of photo paper), sized them down to 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" in Photoshop Elements, and added a matching overlay to each photo. I filled the rest of the slots of the page protector with 'stuff' from our day plus a little journaling.

Above, the kraft WED (for Wednesday) card in the top left corner is a Silhouette cut I made. There is a similar one in the Silhouette shop but I thought I'd try to make my own. It was very simple! The white 8 is an old American Crafts Thicker.

The photos were looking a little bare so I added a 7 Gypsies sticker to each and wrote a smidge about the photo.

This is the back :

I left the WED card alone for the backside. I suppose that might bother some people, but it doesn't bother me. :) I attached a portion of the library's storytime calendar to the back with a Studio Calico arrow + 7 Gypsies sticker.

I used the mini fry box from Morgan's Happy Meal and trimmed it down to 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" to fit in a slot. I folded up the receipt and stapled it to a 'money spent' card and slipped it inside the fry box.

I will be adding this single page as an additional insert for Week 6 of Project Life. Also, I am linking up to Ali's A Day in the Life | The Documentation post. If you are looking for inspiration or ideas for recording your own day in the life, check out Ali's + the others blog post links.

Products used :

InLinkz.com

31 Dinners

2012-02-09T16:42:00.001-05:00

Part of my less list a couple weeks ago was to go through my Pinterest food boards, print recipes I wanted to try + write a list of dinner ideas for one full month. 31 dinner with no repeats. Even though I know I have to do it every week, I don't always enjoy planning meals and making a grocery list. I've learned it has to be an easy and quick process or I will put off doing it until an hour before it's time to shop. My list became a mix of very easy, homemade and semi-homemade dinners, plus I threw in a couple of pizza/takeout/restaurant options because, let's get real, I don't like to make dinner every night.

I wrote a similar list last fall and it worked wonderfully. But it needed a makeover. I love having a good mix of go-to recipes and have finally regained my interest in trying new ones too. Below is my master dinner list for February. Yes, there are 31 ideas (and 29 days) but I'm going to use this list every month until I feel the need to change it up again. Or when I'm feeling more motivated to replace those really easy meals with new healthier ones. As expected, the soups/chilis will be replaced with grilled meals + more fresh produce as the temperatures warm up.

Note : we Mark doesn't eat red meat, so you may notice the list is lacking those type of meals. Generally, I substitute ground turkey for things like burgers, tacos + sloppy joes. And, even if I haven't mentioned it, most meals include a veggie or other side dish. Also, I've linked back to the original recipe if I could find it on the internet. If you are really interested in something I haven't linked, I can email my recipe to you. :)

pasta

macaroni + cheese
spaghetti
lasagna rolls
peas + cheese tortellini
easy freezer dinner, usually a Birds Eye Garlic Chicken Voila
pistachio pesto
new - chicken, broccoli and fusilli in garlic cream sauce

chicken

cheesy chicken rolls (shredded chicken + mozzerella cheese inside crescent rolls with a sour cream based sauce on top - Morgan's favorite meal)
chicken parmesan
kielbasa + pierogies or noodles
teriyaki meatballs, noodles, fresh pineapple + rolls
chicken mug pie (this is really just a pot pie filling in a coffee mug, topped with a jumbo biscuit - easy!)
crockpot orange chicken + rice + Asian veggies

Mexican - always awesome with Mexican/Spanish rice, chips + salsa/guacamole

tacos : soft or hard shell or new - crockpot cheddar beer chicken tacos
taco bowls
double bean burritos
enchiladas : turkey spinach or new – chicken enchiladas with sour cream sauce
loaded chicken nachos (tortilla chips, beans, rotisserie chicken, cheese, tomatoes, green onion topped with sour cream, guacamole and salsa)

soups + chilis - we love these with sourdough rolls, bread bowls from Panera or grilled cheese

rotisserie chicken chili
turkey chili + cornbread
chicken noodle soup
tomato soup + grilled cheese or new – tomato basil soup
crockpot baked potato soup

on a bun - these meals are usually accompanied with a side like raw veggies and/or sweet potato fries or chips

burgers : turkey, black bean or horseradish cheddar
hot dogs : turkey, chili or Chicago-style
sloppy turkey joes

breakfast

scrambled eggs + bagels
waffles or pancakes with sausage + fruit

other

pizza or new– homemade pizza dough
restaurant or takeout
restaurant or takeout

This is my weekly game plan. Each Thursday night, I sit down with my list and make a rough dinner menu for the following week. As I make a meal each night, I cross it off the list above, so I know it's 'off limits' until next month. I try to incorporate a mix of chicken/turkey, pasta, soups + sandwiches. I also take into account Mark's work schedule (if he knows ahead of time about how busy he'll be / how late he'll be working), as well as busy nights in general. I tend to save easier meals for the end of the week (when I seem to get bored/uninterested with cooking) and messy meals, like spaghetti, tend to go with bath night. :)

I also make note of leftovers that there will be. For instance, I buy a rotisserie chicken almost weekly and shred it to use on any recipe that requires pre-cooked chicken. Sometimes, most times, I don't need the whole chicken for said recipe so I plan to use it up in other ways. Maybe chicken quesadillas or chicken salad for lunches, or I'll find another recipe from the list that only needs a little chicken. I'm pretty good at not letting food go to waste, but I'm not always mindful of it. It's something I'm working on.

Then after I go shopping, I hang the week's dinner plan on my chalkboard. You can read more about how I made that here + how I revised it here.

This list has been a lifesaver for someone that always dreads making that weekly grocery list. Asking my family for dinner ideas often falls on deaf ears, so this was my next best solution. Now I hardly ever feel like I'm asking myself "didn't we just have that?"

If you have any meal planning tips or favorite dinner recipes, I'd LOVE to hear them below in the comments.

Project Life : Week 05

2012-02-06T17:19:00.000-05:00

Week 05 : January 30-February 5

Photos : playing puzzles with Morgan + Parker, a nice clean car post-oil change, Mark + Parker during breakfast Sunday, Morgan making her latest Letter of the Week craft, Parker's Jello face, playing with Grandma Goulding, plus pics from a date night with Mark.

Other Bits : a chai tea envelope, Patagonia tag from my new jacket, a mini version of my important dates print, a quote I referred to almost every day, Mark's facebook status + a personal note to myself about the rollercoaster of a week we had.

Insert : a photoless layout taken from this post + one of Morgan's coloring pages.

This was a bit of a rough week around here. Lots of emotions + crying. Lots of yelling + no's. Lots of meltdowns. Lots of hugs. It was one of those weeks that about midway through I wondered if I was going to have enough happy photos, stories and stuff to fill my layout for the week. Turns out I had more than enough of the good stuff and still made a little bit of room to write about the serious, not-so-good stuff (in a more private/concealed way). There are a lot more photos than words this week, but I think that's okay.

Click any of the photos below to enlarge. Left side with insert :

Close up of left side :

Close up of insert. A photoless layout. Sorry about the nasty glare. Text taken from last Friday's 'currently' blog post. Design inspired by this layout :

Extreme close-up. The 'currently' title block is a Silhouette cut.

Back of insert with right side :

Close up of insert. Apparently this is me. :)

Close up of right side is below. Inside the red stripe chevron bag (which, yes, fits perfectly into a 3x4 slot - I love these!) I wrote on a shipping tag a little bit about last week. Somewhat vaguely, I guess, to someone who didn't know exactly what was going on. In a nutshell, Morgan was very moody + sassy and I wasn't taking it well. I added it to the right side of the layout so it's still relatively easy to take out of the little baggie and read. But it's not out in the open either. I didn't want it to be a downer for the week, but I did feel the need to add it. Not because I wanted to say Morgan was being a big brat, but to write about my own hopes + wishes for dealing with it. With love + understanding + patience. It's not super personal or sappy, but I don't feel the need to share it here at this time :

I loved this facebook status of Mark's this week. And of course the responses from his uncles. ;)

Mark and I got to have a date night on Saturday - hibachi dinner, walking, chatting, visiting a bookstore quietly and without interruption, drinks + dessert. It was lovely! The 'love this' banner below was another Silhouette cut I made and layered on top of a monthly card from Erica Hernandez with some Instragrams from our evening. Then I cut it all in half, rounded the outside corners, and slipped it into two adjacent 3x4 slots :

This was a quote I read over + over last week. I typed it on a 4x6 canvas in Photoshop and just printed it on a piece of photo paper - leaving the 'tomorrow is a new day' line out so I could hand write it in after the print dried. I love how Elise Blaha has been doing this in her own Project Life :

And that's it for Week 05. I have two notes before I close for today. First, one of my new blog readers wrote to me last weekend and asked if I had a "subscribe by email" option. I hadn't, until now. If anyone else is interested, you'll find it in the right sidebar ( over there ---> ) between 'subscribe' and 'my most popular posts.'

Second, I am pretty excited that Ali Edwards is doing a Day in the Life on Wednesday, February 8th. Just like a Week in the Life, you can document it in any way you want. On your blog, as a scrapbook layout, as an insert in your Project Life album. I've already taken out a baseball card page protector and printed some of Ali's Week in the Life Journal Cards - the same cards I used last year. I plan on adding at least one double sided page protector as an insert to Week 6 of Project Life.

I am also linking up this weeks Project Life to The Mom Creative.

If you are not familiar with Project Life, click here. All of my 2012 Project Life posts can be found here.

Products I used this week :

InLinkz.com

my less list : no 06

2012-02-05T21:04:00.003-05:00

Research + find a new doctor. I realized last week I have not been to a regular, general practitioner doctor since I found out I was pregnant with Parker. 2 1/2 years ago. Since then, my old doctor stopping practicing + started focusing on research, which has left me doctor-less. Time to begin a relationship with a new physician and most importantly, for a complete physical. Done. Doctor found and I already scheduled an appointment for next month.
~~Work on purging the kids old toys + organizing what's left. Room by room. Bin by bin.~~ Finished. I collected a big box of toys that aren't used/loved like they once were and Mark put them up in the attic for now. Once spring rolls around, I may think about having a garage sale if I decide it's worth the work. And if we have enough to sell.
Make a master list of craft + DIY projects that I want to tackle. This may or may not include scrapbooking projects. I also like to know 'what's next.' The list is made. Now I just need to remember to refer to it when I'm looking for something new to work on.
Brainstorm photo ideas / opportunities for February's One Little Word prompt + how I can incorporate that into my minibook. I didn't get to this one this week. I have some ideas but didn't take any photos.
Rearrange the freezer. Every week seems to have its lame, not-fun to-do and this week, this is it. After shopping over the weekend and purchasing a large amount of freezer food, it is a mess + drives me nuts every time I open it. Must put like items together pronto. Done. I actually tackled this one first thing on Monday morning while my oatmeal was cooking on the stove. :)

currently

2012-02-03T23:04:00.000-05:00

time : 10:53pm
place : living room couch
wearing : jeans + Patagonia better sweater
drinking : hot cocoa + mint chocolate Bailey's
watching : Kristin playing with my nephews. I miss them!
reading : The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown is sitting on my nightstand. A very well-meaning little girl took the bookmark out the other day and I have yet to figure out where I left off. Hoping to sneak in a little more reading this weekend.
feeling : emotional + burnt-out
thinking : that our little family needs to go to Disneyland some day. Especially after reading about my friend Jenny's experience. Her heart + her positive attitude are so inspiring.
creating : Project Life journaling cards on the Silhouette for Valentine's Day/week. After reading Ali's post about her Week 4, I've got a theme up my sleeve.
hoping : for more calm + patience with Morgan. She has grown unusually sassy + defiant this week.
needing : sleep
wondering : what I should blog about. I'd love to know why you visit me, what keeps you coming back + what you'd like me to write about. What can I add to my list of ideas?

Inspired by Tina's currents series.

Pinterest to Reality : Project 02 : Important Dates print

2012-02-01T15:08:00.002-05:00

Now that the holidays are (far) behind us, I think it's about time to start working on the craft + DIY projects that I've been wanting to tackle. And most of them come from Pinterest (where else?). Last November I blogged my first Pinterest to Reality project - TV tokens for Morgan. Project #2, which was actually pinned in my home decor board, was inspired by this Dated Design Wall Art by Andrea Steed.

If it just looks like a bunch of numbers to you, well, you're right! It's actually rows of some very important dates for our family. Row 1 is Mark's birthday. Row 2 is mine. Row 3 is our anniversary. Row 4 is Morgan's birthday and Row 5 is Parker's birthday. I absolutely love the graphic look of this print.

Andrea has a great tutorial about how she made her wall art in the post above (she actually used her Silhouette!) and she also has a link to create your own and have a poster printed through Zazzle. Very cool, and easy! Since I have a decent amount of Photoshop knowledge, I took the DIY approach. Here's a very simplified version of how I did it :

In Photoshop (I'm using PSE 9), create a new canvas to the size you want your print to be. I knew I wanted mine to be 8x10 and I was going to frame it in an 11x14 frame with mat.

Using the text tool, I started typing out the dates, with no spaces in between. I didn't worry about the font, the font size or colors here. I just wanted to get all of the dates on the canvas first, and then increase the sizes to fit the space. After lots of experimenting, the font I used is Modern No. 20. For 5 lines/rows of text on a 8x10, the font size ended up being 120pt and the leading (the spacing between each line) is 105pt. Then, center your text box, vertically + horizontally.

Next, I played with the colors. I wanted to be able to distinguish, at a glance, the different dates on the print. You could do this 100 different ways but I ended up going with black for my and Mark's birthdates, red for our anniversary, and white for the kids birthdates. Very neutral - but that's just how we roll here. I highlighted each line of numbers that I wanted to change and chose a new color from the palette in the toolbar above.

Last, I choose a background color. Perhaps this should've been the first step? Again, this is just how I did it, but I used the paint bucket to fill the background with color. I chose 25% gray. Not too light, but dark enough for the white numbers to pop. Plus, 95% of the walls in our house are a shade of gray so it seemed to be a good match. :)

Now the fun part. Printing it out! I used our Epson Photo Stylus R2880 inkjet printer, but of course it would be just as easy (though not as instantly gratifying) to send it off to have a photo service print it. If you want to try this at home, I love Epson's Ultra Premium Glossy Photo Paper. It turned out so crisp + clear. Love it.

Patiently wait for it to dry, frame it + stare at your handiwork.

Right now I'm going to keep it on a shelf in our living room until I can find a permanent home for it. Mark + I really want to do something with this sad bare (and huge) wall below. Perhaps some sort of photo + art collage? Or a super graphic? Hmm...

One other idea that I thought of while designing our print is that you don't have to have kids to make this! If you are married, with no kids (or you just want a special print to hang in your bedroom), you could do your and your spouse's birthdates, the date you met, the date you were engaged + the date you got married. 5 rows of dates. Whatever dates are important to you. There are so many ways to customize it.

So, how about you? Have you made anything fun lately after being inspired by something you've found on Pinterest? Please feel free to share in the comments below - I'd love to read about it (and pin it myself!)

5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

2012-01-31T19:31:00.000-05:00

I had to share this story + video of Parker today. Sadly, I haven't done this in a while, so I think our families will enjoy this. I was shocked when it happened and asked Mark to grab the video camera while we were eating dinner to see if Parker would do it again. And he did. Here's a little background :

On Sunday afternoon, I made some Jello and I told Morgan if she ate all of her dinner, she could have a cup of it for dessert. Well, she is a very slow eater. Mark and I were done eating, so I went to the fridge and got a couple Jello's for us, thinking maybe she'd pick up the pace if she saw us eating them. At first, she got a little upset and thought there were only 2 and we were going to eat them both. "No," I said "I made 4, one for each of us. You can have one when you are finished, ok?" She was okay with that and then counted around the table, pointing at each of us "1, 2, 3, 4" and then Parker continued :

It's obviously not clear counting, but we knew what he meant. At 19 months old, his grunting has only recently turned into recognizable words this month. Hahahaha, what a cutie pie! Bedhead, messy face and all.

Project Life : Week 04

2012-01-30T15:00:00.000-05:00

Week 04 : January 23-29

Photos : Parker practicing drinking from a cup, packages ready to go to the post office, Morgan's boo-boo, sneaky Parker getting into the clementines, my handmade gift from Sue, his + hers lunches, and a very cold + snowy Morgan.

Other Bits : I ordered my Link with Love keytag (insert is not the keytag, but the graphic from the website), a Timbits box, the library's storytime calendar, a business card from one of our favorite restaurants, the tag from a clementines bag + the card Sue wrote with my iPhone cover.

Insert : winter scene artwork Morgan + Parker made at storytime.

Click any of the photos below to enlarge. Left side with insert :

Close-up of left side :

My favorite quote of the week from Morgan :

Close-up of insert. Their drawings were 6x9 so I trimmed them down just a 1/2" and slipped them in an 8 1/2" x 11" page protector and cut the excess off the top. I've been cutting off about half of the left margin on these American Crafts page protectors so they match the Design A pages. Then I repunch the binder holes with my crop-a-dile :

Back of insert + right side :

Close-up of Parkers work. The "P" (as well as the "M" on the other side) are old Heidi Swapp chipboard letters that I attached to the outside of the page protector :

Close-up of right side :

Morgan fell and scraped her knee on our way to storytime this week. I attached the photo to the library's January calendar :

You can pull out 'the story' tab and I wrote on a journaling card about how she got her boo-boo. This is the front :

And the back :

I love these foldable 4x6 journaling cards! I used one this week to write down all of the words that Parker has started saying this month :

Inside of the card. I alternated fine + thick pens to distinguish between the words. Can you see my mistake? Oh well, I just went with it :

We went out to dinner to one of our favorite restaurants last weekend. I added some decorative tape to the business card to make a long tab and slipped it behind the journaling card.

I have linked up my Week 4 of Project Life at The Mom Creative.

If you are not familiar with Project Life, click here. All of my 2012 Project Life posts can be found here.

Products I used this week :

InLinkz.com

my less list : no 05

2012-01-29T18:47:00.000-05:00

~~Take the bag of clothes I purged last week to Salvation Army.~~ Easy. Done. Even had a simple conversation with Morgan about what we were doing there and she seemed to like the idea. :)
Find a solution + make a plan to resolve Parker's night wakings. This falls under the 'less crappy sleep' category. Funny how I wrote this 'to-do' last week and he slept really well Saturday night. Maybe he knows... :) Update : Parker actually slept really well all week, so no 'plan' was made. For now, I will leave this item unchecked until I know for sure it is not an ongoing issue.
~~Go through my box of scrap scrapbook paper. Time permitting, cut some of it down to 3x4 and 4x6 to use in Project Life album.~~ Completely done. Simple enough and now I have a big stack of equal sized scraps to use for Project Life, since this will be the main, if not only, album I plan on completing this year. These sizes are also perfect for using in minibooks + cards. Good decision.
~~Make a~~ ~~29 dinners list for February. This includes browsing my foodie Pinterest boards (meals + more and fun treats) and printing out recipes I want to try.~~ Finished. I tend to put stuff like this off (and I did) but it feels so good to have it done. Meal planning + grocery list making tend to be my least favorite 'chores' each week and this makes it 100 times easier. I may plan to share my master list of meals, and how I use it, soon in a blog post.
~~Pull old papers out of the filing cabinet + destroy/recycle. Collect necessary tax forms and see what is missing before filing taxes next month.~~ Done. And much quicker than I thought. I think it was because of the major paper purge I did last year. It seriously only took 15 minutes.

Project Life : what I've learned during my first month

2012-01-27T14:23:00.001-05:00

As a Project Life newbie, I really didn't know what to expect as far as how much this album and this project was going to mean to me. Almost fours weeks down, and wow, I love it! I know everyone's experience is different (especially if you are like me and new to this system) but I have really enjoyed it and it is simpler than I thought it was going to be. As I've lurked around on the message boards + galleries on the internet, I know there are people out there that are having the opposite feelings. I know I did several weeks ago, before I even got started. They are overwhelmed, they have too many photos, not enough photos, too many photos of one child versus the others, they hate their handwriting, their printer broke, they can't keep up, and on and on. I know we are not all in the same boat, but I wanted to share with you how I, a 30-something stay-at-home mom to 2 under 4 who is brand-new to the Project Life format, am making this work, and loving it. Sorry to the veterans out there that may find this redundant, but if you are having a rough time maybe this will give someone out there a little extra push to keep going or change it up a bit. This is what's working for me :

TIP #1 : STAY ORGANIZED : One of my favorite words, ha! Seriously though, the things that have helped me get my weekly layouts completed within a few days of the weeks end are :

1. Having a planner to keep all of my notes in. I'm using a MyBook Planner that was sent to me as a thank you from Big Picture Classes and I love the format. Each week is on one page with plenty of lines to jot down notes each day. I also like that it has the number of the week at the top.

2. Using a page planner for each weekly layout. I love both Marcy Penner's (she made them for every page protector design!) + Robyn Meierotto's. I write my notes in pencil + I don't have any rhyme or reason as to where certain pictures go. I just use these page planners to keep track of how many 4x6 and/or 3x4 slots I have left to fill. I don't figure out where they will go in the album until I'm putting it all together.

3. Having a place to store my extra bits + ephemera. I keep my album on a shelf close to my scrap space, open to the current week with a page planner on top. Below the album are narrow slots where I keep the box top + bottom from the big pack of Design A page protectors. In one I keep my ephemera :

I've kept stuff in there from past weeks, just in case I need a filler later, but I will definitely have to stay on top of regularly purging it. In the other, I keep a stack of page planners, this printable 100 Bits of Life page from The Mom Creative, Liz's template for printing on 3x4 journaling cards and printouts of some other downloads I've gotten online this month :

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

4. I was beginning to acquire a lot of digital templates, journaling cards and other downloads that were Project Life related. Before they got too out of control, I started making some folders on my computer so I could find what I needed quickly (and hopefully not forget I had it in the first place!). I'll be sharing the contents below.

5. Something else I did after reading about it on the Studio Calico Project Life message board, was to put all of my page protectors (except the Design A ones that are already in my Project Life album) in one scrapbook/binder. Brilliant, right? I had been keeping mine upright in a basket between some thick chipboard to keep it from bending. This was not the best way to store it, or the easiest way to see what I had. Putting all of my page protectors in an empty scrapbook that I already had took all of 10 minutes and now I love that I can just open it up and quickly find the size or style protector I am looking for - which I expect to happen almost weekly if I am adding an additional page or insert. And clearly, I shouldn't need anymore for a while - except I do plan on getting the Design G page protectors when they are back in stock. :)

TIP #2 : DON'T WORRY :

1. My One Little Word this year is 'less' and part of that meant less worrying about what other people are doing. I adore message boards + online galleries + blogs as much as the next scrapbooker but I quickly learned that when the amount of time I spend looking at other people's work exceeds the time I'm spending on working on my own stuff - that's not good. Now, I have a handful of blogs I read regularly and when I'm in the mood for more, I either search Pinterest (keywords : Project Life) or Twitter (#projectlife). Becky Higgins is great about sharing her finds on Facebook and Twitter and her creative team is a fantastic source of inspiration too.

2. I won't always have an equal number of photos and stories for Morgan + Parker each week. Some weeks are going to be bigger/more memorable for one of them or the other. What I am going to strive for is overall balance throughout the year/album and make sure I am telling the big stories, as well as those little everyday, I-probably-would-have-forgotten-that-moment-next week-if-I-didn't-write-it-down stories.

3. Work on my album when I can, even if it's just 15 minutes at a time. As these first few weeks have gone by, I find myself working in spurts, on the current week. My weeks are Monday-Sunday and so far, I've been loosely filling in the page planner on Friday evenings so I have a good idea of what to expect for the weekend. "Who is missing from this week?" is usually the big question. In one sitting I might note the file number of the photos I want to print, or journal on a few cards, or print photos and lay them out to dry, or rearrange the photos + cards on the page protector. A little work goes a long way and what I've learned is I usually don't want to stop once I get going! :) That shouldn't be a surprise. Then when it's finished, I love looking at it + reading all the notes. Then that turns in to looking back at the past weeks again. So fun!

4. I've decided not to take the 'photo-a-day' approach. Instead, I am choosing the best photos, stories + everyday moments that round out our week. On that note, I hope to include longer stories and/or inserts each week, but I'm not going to force it either. And I need to find ways of getting ME in the pictures too. That's never easy, but I'm working on it.

5. I'm working on not being overly concerned about matching colors / patterns / themes. I actually really like the hodge podge look of my album so far and I think that will lead to less stress about how it looks (or should look) in the end.

6. Be inspired by the stories people are telling, not necessarily the products or creative techniques they are using. On a similar note, I really loved this quote from Ali Edwards first Creative Lifts newsletter : "It's easy to spend your "practice" time researching, reading, looking at images online, getting lost in other people's work and inspiration, etc. While I think there's definitely some value in that process, for me the real value is in actually doing/making/writing/photographing/etc. Don't spend all your practice time watching other people's practice." If that isn't spot-on for me right now, I don't know what is. If you'd like to subscribe to her (free) weekly newsletter, sign up here. It's fantastic!

OTHER STUFF :

If you are doing Project Life and have done any internet searches lately, you have probably noticed how many designers + scrapbookers are making journaling cards and other Project Life goodies. And many of them are FREE! This list is just a portion of what is out there, but what I have decided to add to my own stash, on top of the Turquoise Core Kit :

Ali Edwards Small Journal Card Overlays - I actually already had these but moved them over to my Project Life folder on my computer so I would remember to use them. They are a little smaller than the 3x4 slot but I think the prompts she used are perfect for this project. I chose my favorite cards and added them to an 8 1/2" x 11" sheet in Photoshop so I could easily print them out as I need them. 6 cards fit well on one page.
Cathy Zielske's Days of the Week printables (free and so cute!)
Erica Hernandez Action 2012 Free Kit on Two Peas : I really love the calendar cards + the 3x4 journaling cards that you could easily use in the portrait or landscape direction. She also included a simple one-page printable that, when folded down, turns into a small book that fits perfectly in the 3x4 slot!
Miss Tiina Live Free : Love Life printables (free!) : adorable prompts + colorful filler cards.
The Lilypad Customizable Journaling Cards : I loved the list prompts. Had to have them!
One Little Bird Check-It Journaling Cards on Oscraps : Already had these too. They are customizable too but I love kraft - it's a great neutral!
Paislee Press Round About Now month stamps : I got these when Liz introduced them last year. So versatile! I'm using these for Project Life and my One Little Word mini.
8x8 Instagram Template from Persnickety Prints : fits 9 2"x2" Instagram (square) photos that you can print on an 8x8 page, at home or through Persnickety Prints. I love the little 2x2 size - perfect for adding a small photo to a 3x4 journaling card.
Liz at Paislee Press made these (free) 4x6 photo collage templates so you can very easily print several photos on one 4x6.
Ali Edwards One Little Week download is a .png to add to a photo or use the .studio file to cut it out on a Silhouette (I'm going to do this very soon!)

Phew, okay, last but not least, if you are looking for an online community to stroll around, Becky has a (free) classroom at Big Picture Classes and Studio Calico has a Project Life message board + gallery. Lisa Truesdell (gluestickgirl) has a free year-long (and amazing) class at Two Peas that just started a couple weeks ago called 2012 : Captured. She has had so many great Project Life tips both in this class and on her blog! Also, Jessica from The Mom Creative has been doing a Project Life feature on Tuesdays where you can link your previous week's layout. Last I checked, this past Tuesday had over 120 links! So even if you aren't looking to link up your own project, it is undoubtedly chock full of inspiration + ideas.

So newbies, how are YOU doing this first month? Anything you've learned about the process? Or yourself? Is Project Life better or worse than you expected? Veterans, feel free to chime in with your own tips! I would love to hear them!

If you are not familiar with Project Life, click here. All of my 2012 Project Life posts can be found here.

Sold Out!

2012-01-27T00:11:00.001-05:00

Just a quick shop update. The 20 Questions albums are sold out! Once I am able to process + ship the current orders, I will restock the shop with more red, pink + blue albums. Hopefully around the same time I will be able to get my hands on the green + black albums too.

If you placed an order prior to Monday January 23, your album will be going out in Friday's mail. The rest will follow shortly after. Thank you!!!

Project Life : Week 03

2012-01-26T13:32:00.002-05:00

Week 03 : January 16-22

Photos : Morgan + Parker drawing together, working hard on restocking the Etsy shop, iPhone screenshots of the weather + texting with Mark, crafting with mom + Kristin, Mark's view of the Detroit skyline, my 'kini girl + muscle man, sledding + the coolest birthday party ever!

Other Bits : my Target shopping list on the back of an envelope, the tag + receipt from some new boots I bought on sale, Morgan's drawing of Brobee from Yo Gabba Gabba + an envelope clipping of Mickey Mouse.

Insert : front side is from our morning of sledding on Sunday. The back contains the invitation and a few photos from a birthday party we went to the same day.

Click any of the photos below to enlarge. Left side with insert :

Close-up of left side :

I love these page protectors that you can just slip extra photos into. I presume some weeks are just going to require adding more photos + stories. Close-up of insert :

The labels are from Martha Stewart / Avery (available at Staples). On the edge, I used my file tab punch to make a tab and stapled it on the page protector (a la Elise Blaha) to record the date :

Insert + right side :

The birthday party was at a gymnastics center. So much fun! Many kids, including ours, were crying when it was time to leave. Close-up :

Close-up of right side :

I cut up the envelope that we got in the mail about joining the Disney Movie Club. Thought it would be cool to see in future years what Mickey Mouse looked like in 2012 + how he has evolved. He has already changed so much since his debut in the 1920's.

Mark took a picture of his view from the top of the Dime Building in Detroit and texted it to me. He is working on a big project for Chrysler there - very exciting! He had a very busy week at work + I had to include it in this weeks spread :

Yeah, now I'm caught up!

If you are not familiar with Project Life, click here. All of my 2012 Project Life posts can be found here.

Products I used this week :

InLinkz.com

Project Life : Week 02

2012-01-25T14:30:00.000-05:00

Week 02 : January 09-15

Photos : playing Legos with Morgan + Parker, a happy hour sangria, my little princess + biggest helper, a fluke surprise from my big boy, the best way to end a weekend, unloading a car full of groceries, my favorite chili and Mark's visit to the Auto Show.

Other Bits : the chili recipe, Morgan's favorite cereal, a leftover card from my One Little Word mini, and a receipt from our trip to the library.

Insert : on the front, a sweet note from Grandma + Grandpa Goulding (sent along with Morgan's lost, and then found, noo-noo). On the back, this layout with a minor change. I used a different background paper. I thought the polka dot was too busy.

Click any of the photos below to enlarge. Left side with insert :

Close-up of left side :

Close-up of insert :

I taped on this little journaling card and wrote about how we are always looking for Morgan's lost noo-noo. Thought we lost it for good before Christmas when we were at Grandma + Grandpa's house but Grandma found it and mailed it back to Morgan! Yeah!

Insert with right side :

Close-up of insert (you can read it better here) :

Close-up of right side :

The 'yummy' card with the photo of my favorite turkey chili is actually one of the foldable 4x6 journaling cards that comes with the Project Life core kit :

And inside I wrote the recipe. There are a lot of ingredients, but the steps are simple so I jammed it all on that little card as best I could :

A few weeks ago, my mom let me borrow her Silhouette and I made a ton of die-cuts after reading Lisa's awesome tutorial. It is so easy + I am seriously addicted. I filled several sheets of gray + kraft cardstock with basic words + sayings and filled a small basket to dig through so I can add a couple each week. For this week, I used the 'yummy' script, kraft arrow, 'she said' + 'so cool' word bubble.

I love love love this album already. I love having a place to record all of the words Parker is spurting out all of a sudden. A place to slip in pictures of Morgan + her 20 costume changes a day. And the things she is saying. Wow. Did you see the photo above of her helping me unload the dishwasher? She wanted to put the silverware away and said "Helping is an important part of being a family." Oh sweet girl, you are only 3! She blows my mind every single day.

I hope to post Week 3 tomorrow and then share a mega post full of links + thoughts from the past 4 weeks. Any questions? Shoot me a note in the comments below.

If you are not familiar with Project Life, click here. All of my 2012 Project Life posts can be found here.

Products I used this week :

InLinkz.com

Project Life : Week 01

2012-01-24T15:09:00.000-05:00

Ahh, here we go! My very first week of Project Life!

First, a little story. I've actually had the guts of this first week done for a couple weeks, except for having the photos printed. Our new printer has 8 cartridges (!) which includes a matte black for regular printing and a photo black for printing photos. The cartridges are interchangeable, depending on what you are printing. Well, apparently changing the cartridges back and forth wastes quite a bit of ink when it recharges and when I put our photo black cartridge back in to print my pictures, it said it was too low to use. There was still ink in the cartridge, but it wouldn't print. Serious bummer. So, not only am I stocked up on ink, but now I'm just going to leave the photo black cartridge in the printer until I bleed it dry and use our old printer for regular printing. Lesson learned. I'm sure it is the first of many in this journey. :)

Week 01 : January 01-08

Photos : running through the streamers in the kids area at IKEA, mini cupcakes from Grandma Frahm, my new favorite breakfast, lots of running around the house, a trip to the Secretary of State, a coffee + donut visit with a good friend, putting the Christmas decorations away + a lazy Sunday morning.

Other bits : a tweet from the Project Life goddess herself - Becky Higgins(!), a clip from an email from my dad, a Potbelly bag, the envelope from a birthday party invitation and a weather screenshot.

Insert : a drawing Morgan made on her easel. I folded it to fit in the page protector, but unfolded, it is a picture of her family (the four of us) in front of the house. She drew blue squiggles around it for our Christmas lights and a tree inside. LOVE the handwritten 'Mommy' + LOVE the heart! I'm using some 8.5" x 11" American Crafts page protectors that I already have, but I'm not crazy about the huge margin where the holes are punched. So I just trimmed off about half (so it would match the Project Life page protectors) and repunched new holes with my Crop-a-dile.

Click any of the photos below to enlarge. Left side with insert :

Close-up of left side :

Close-up of insert :

Insert and right side :

Close-up of right side :

I've included links below of most of the supplies I used. Like I've mentioned before, I am working to use up a lot of my stash - old patterned paper, stickers, alpha letters, labels - and some of it may be discontinued. So, if you have a question about what something is, feel free to ask in the comments.

Now that we are in Week 4 of Project Life, I thought I'd share what I've learned as a newbie so far (in a separate post) probably at the end of the week / weekend. First I want to get through sharing these first 3 weeks. Thanks, as always, for looking!

If you are not familiar with Project Life, click here. All of my 2012 Project Life posts can be found here.

Products I used this week :

InLinkz.com

my less list : no 04

2012-01-22T21:22:00.000-05:00

Cut back on pop. I have 2 cans left in the fridge which I may or may not drink, but I will not be putting anymore in the fridge + I will not buy anymore. It's silly how I crave one (and I don't drink more than one a day), but then it gives me such a stomachache. Time to just stop drinking it and start filling my belly with more water. Check plus. Both cans are gone and I didn't finish either one of them due to said tummy ache. Blech.
Backup my computer. Not sure this has anything to do with 'less' - maybe less stress? :) It's been a couple months since I've backed everything up. Maybe this will be a reminder for you to do the same, especially if you have a lot of digital photos or scrapbooking files that you don't want to lose. Done. It took a couple hours, but it's an easy thing to let run in the background while I'm doing other things.
~~Do a closet purge and make a wish list of what I'd like to replace the unwanted/unworn items with.~~ Complete. Taking the bag of clothes I don't want/need anymore is on my less list #5.
Participate in physical activity for 30 minutes at least 3 times this week. Work my way back into working out. The hardest part for me is just starting. Unsure if I succeeded at this or not. Does vacuuming count? Yes? Then yes, I passed. :)

I realized that these lists don't really mean much if I'm not letting you know my progress. I've gone back through the last 3 weeks and updated what I finished and what I didn't. I hope to continue to do that as I write my weekly lists, so it will keep me motivated + it will remind me of what I struggled with and need to work hard(er) on.

Each week I am going to write a short list, no more than 5 items long, of simple tasks that I want to complete during that week. Small things, not huge projects, that I can easily do in the span of 7 days. Things that will keep me focused + help me keep my eyes open to the big picture. You can read more about my One Little Word, less, why I chose it + how I'm documenting it in 2012 here. You can read all of my less lists here.

This week : I have 17 albums to assemble + ship out (wow, thank you!) + the blog will be very Project Life heavy. I'm hoping to get caught up (on here) with weeks 1-3, plus a post about what I've learned so far during my first month as a Project Life newbie. What I do know for sure is that I love it! Be back soon.

20 Questions : A Birthday Interview Album for Kids : Second Edition

2012-01-19T20:42:00.002-05:00

The second edition of my 20 Questions albums are now available in the shop.

As I've mentioned before, I took into consideration a lot of the suggestions and requests from interested customers to modify this newest batch of albums. What's different? Mostly just the album colors. The original album I was selling was black and only black. Now I am offering pink, blue + red. Those are in the shop now. In February, I will be adding green and the original black to the mix.

Thanks to all of you who have been interested in this little memory book. I never could have imagined it would be as popular as it is! I certainly treasure the ones I've made for Morgan + Parker and have enjoyed passing on the love.

As for me, I'm really looking forward to the weekend. It's been a super busy week here in this house. Mark has been working his tail off for a work deadline tomorrow + we've missed him a lot. I am joining my mom and sister for a little crafty day on Saturday and it couldn't have come at a better time. I can't wait to jam on my Project Life layouts and get in gear to post everything I've completed so far, next week. We'll have a family day on Sunday which includes a birthday party at a gymnastics center. The kids are going to LOVE it!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Shop Update : 20 Questions albums

2012-01-19T00:28:00.001-05:00

Late night here, but I'm very excited to let all of you who have been waiting for the new 20 Questions albums know that I will be listing them in the shop - tonight - January 19th!

More info and better photos coming Thursday afternoon. Until then, going to catch some zzz's.

Good night!

Project Life : Week 02 : weekend fun

2012-01-18T14:40:00.002-05:00

While I was putting together my Week 2 layouts for Project Life yesterday, I knew I had way too many photos from last Sunday and I couldn't pick just one. We had gotten snow overnight and Morgan was over-the-moon excited about going to play in it. So Daddy took them out + Mommy stayed in the nice warm house, taking photos. ;) Yes, I do think I've become a wimp about the cold as I've gotten older. I made this digi layout to add as an insert :

click to enlarge + read the journaling

Supplies :
Template : Paislee Press Blueprints No. 01
Paper : Paislee Press Photobooth Kit
January circle accent : Paislee Press Round About Now
Weekend handdrawn word : freebie from Ali Edwards

I hope this will hold you over for a little bit as I'm busting my bootie on shop stuff. :) Update coming very soon!

my less list : no 03

2012-01-15T23:24:00.000-05:00

Go through my magazine pile. It's not huge, just a small stack that has been sitting around since last fall. Right now, I don't subscribe to any magazines + I'm pretty okay with that. I only got through a few magazines + catalogs. I probably have 4-5 more to look at but I left them out in the living room to read + browse through during relaxing evenings.
~~Make shower glass door cleaner.~~ Done, and it works awesome!
Peruse my Pinterest boards + make a list of activities to do with the kids. I'd like to get back into a 'school' groove with Morgan. We kind of slipped out of our routine between Thanksgiving + Christmas and I'd like to dedicate certain days + times to pure Morgan + Mommy time. ~~The girl just loves to learn.~~ We have lots of activities to choose from. Getting back into the flow is the next step.
~~Shred the box of papers that have been sitting in the mudroom for way.too.long. A little bit a night shouldn't be too hard.~~ This sucked. But it's done. I am adding 'shred unnecessary paperwork + receipts' to my monthly things to do list.
~~Work on keeping the kitchen counter clear. It's cleaned off now - even the space I tend to make my paper piles at. Let's hope I can keep it that way.~~ I did well with this one this week. Although I always seem to keep my Project Life planner + our camera on the counter, it did stayed clear for the most part. No more stacks of paper/mail/ads/paintings that sit there for more than a day.

Each week I am going to write a short list, no more than 5 items long, of simple tasks that I want to complete during that week. Small things, not huge projects, that I can easily do in the span of 7 days. Things that will keep me focused + help me keep my eyes open to the big picture. You can read more about my One Little Word, less, why I chose it + how I'm documenting it in 2012 here.

I apologize for being so quiet here but I've been in a groove getting the 20 Questions albums ready to list in the shop this week. Yeah, this week! Blogging will probably continue to be weak until I get these little books prepped + ready to go. I will post here, as well as do a shop update when I have a firm release date.

I've also been hard at work on my Project Life layouts. Two weeks down and I am doing well and staying caught up. It is a learning process, that's for sure, but it's so fun! I do plan to share my weekly layouts, but probably not until next week at the earliest.

Have a wonderful week!

One Little Word : LESS : January

2012-01-12T10:05:00.000-05:00

Since I'm taking Ali's class for the second time around, this year I thought it'd be cool to change up the way I document my One Little Word. I'm going the minibook route and now after completing January's prompt, not only is this going to be super fun, but also very easy.

First, I added a chipboard cover to my album. The ones I am selling in the shop have Hambly Clearly Heavy Overlay covers, which are nice + thick and perfectly fine for a minibook cover. But I want to use my overlays as pages inside the mini, so I cut down the covers from a 4x8 Studio Calico Journal Kit to 4x6 - the size of my book. I love that woodgrain pattern! I left it naked - because I like the light gray color + well, my word is less you know. :)

On the front I used aqua + white bakers twine to attach a blank Stampin Up tag. On the tag I adhered a '20' (Amy Tangerine for American Crafts) + handwrote 'twelve' below on a 7 Gypsies naked label sticker. Below that - 'my year of less' - simple enough.

You can see my pre-class assignment (the transparency overlay) here, but this is how it looks in the book.

Below is my interpretation of the January assignment. The prompt included taking a self portrait, plus filling out the printables that Ali designed and provided to the class. Statements we would complete like writing out the definition of our word, synonyms, why we chose our word, where we want it to take us in 2012 + a quote using our word. This was one of my favorite prompts from last year. I picked + chose what I wanted to include in my book for this month + filled in the first 6 pages. Here is what I came up with.

My self-portrait :

The January Twenty Twelve circle is from Paislee Press. The text on the right side of the page above was taken from this blog post. All of the printed text was done on Becky Higgins Project Life grid journaling cards. I told you I love these things. I used Liz's template for running these cards through the printer. I will be getting lots of use out of that. Lots! The font I used is American Typewriter.

Above, I embossed the back of the calendar stamped tag (included with the minibook) + added another less quote. The aqua alpha stickers are Cosmo Cricket Tiny Type.

And a couple of my favorite quotes I've found so far. The journaling card on the right can be found here. The yellow alpha stickers (on the file tab which is included with the mini) are Authentique Blissful Petite Type Square. I think I will be adding a lot of quotes randomly throughout my book during the year. I'm very inspired by others words of wisdom. I've had lots of 'ah-ha' moments already. Questions? Just ask in the comments below. :)

So, would you like one of these minibooks? Maybe to document your One Little Word or another little project you have planned this year? My new blogging, crafty, delicious cupcake making, super inspiring friend Jenny is giving one away. You can check out her newest post (which is a great tutorial for making your own polaroid magnets!) here to enter. And if you are here from Jenny's blog, hello + welcome! I would love if you said Hi below. :)

The Completed December Daily 2011 Album

2012-01-09T15:58:00.000-05:00

My December Daily album for 2011 is officially done! About two months earlier than last year. Not bad, not bad at all.

All of my full size (6x8) photos were printed at Persnickety Prints and I highly recommend them! My prints turned out so crisp and clear - especially the text or overlays on the photos (which was my biggest concern). If you don't print at home, especially for a big photo-centric project like this, you might want to try them out.

Now, the album in its entirety. You can click on any image to make it larger + read the journaling. I hope you are comfy.

You can read about how I made my cover + foundation pages here.

Inside the envelope is the photo that Focal Point took of the kids with Santa :

I added a little note on the back about each of their reactions to the big guy :

Loved this Desiderata poem that Tara Whitney shared here.
Had to add it to my album as well.

Once again, I asked the guys at the tree lot for our price tag to add to my album. Once again I got a few funny looks. Yeah, sorry dude, it's just for my scrapbook. :)

Morgan draws a lot! Using her artwork on the back of my full page photos was a great filler.

On this day, I added an envelope to slip the Christmas card we sent out this year.

The left side (above) is a printout from TV Guide's website of the special holiday shows that would be on TV in December. I checked off the ones I wanted to remember to watch and/or record on the DVR.

Part of our morning at the Henry Ford was a station for the kids to write a letter to Santa and put it in the mailbox. Morgan's is above (with a little spelling help from Mommy).

This page protector is a business card holder for a full size binder. I cut off the top 4 sections, repunched the holes and folded it in half to fit inside my album. Inside I slipped in clothing tags and receipts from our day of errand running. The bottom right section is filled with star punchouts - inspired by all of the fun confetti pages I've seen around. :)

On this day, I wrote a little about our nightly Christmas book opening and reading. On the left side I included a list of the books we wrapped. You can read more about that here.

I LOVED Shimelle's manifesto she wrote at the beginning of December + again,
had to include that (and credit her) in my album.

I wrote briefly about my adventures in baking while trying to occupy Morgan + Parker here.
Had to include that in the album! :)

The card on the left side is from my sister and her family. This was my twin nephews first
Christmas and I included one of their photos in behind the card.

See, more coloring / artwork on the left.

Inside the envelopes are notes I made about things I love about Morgan + Parker right now.
Just some fun everyday type stuff.

The left side (above) is the note that Morgan left with Santa's milk, cookies + carrots. :)

I admittedly did not take very many pictures on Christmas Day. We did set up the tripod + timer to get this photo of my family before they all left at the end of the night.

Are you still with me? Are you still awake? High five to you if you are. If you have any questions - fire away in the comments. And as always, thank you for looking + reading!

my less list : no 02

2012-01-08T21:30:00.000-05:00

~~Clean, organize + replenish Morgan's art box that she plays with when we 'scrapbook' together.~~ ~~It is a mess and could use some fresh supplies + activities.~~ It is cleaned out and organized now with a few new activities. I want to come up with a new box/system - hopefully by spring.
~~Weigh + measure myself so I have a starting point for my health + fitness goals.~~ Done. It was not fun at all, but now I know where I'm starting at and can track my progress.
~~Weed through my Google Reader subscriptions. Too many redundant blogs that don't fit my needs/interests anymore.~~ Haha - this is done, I guess. In the process of deleting some subscriptions, I added some too. I just need to be mindful of the sites that don't interest me anymore.
Set an evening alarm on my iPhone to keep myself from staying up so late. Need more restful sleep. FAIL. I set the alarm, but I didn't pay attention to it. Deciding to get more sleep the week before I was trying to restock my Etsy shop was not the best idea. I will try again soon when the busy-ness subsides.
~~Complete my January One Little Word assignment.~~ Done - you can see it here.

the weekend ahead

2012-01-06T18:33:00.001-05:00

reading : The No-Brainer Wardrobe + Ali's new 52 Creative Lifts newsletter (sign up for her weekly emails here)
photographing : my completed December Daily album
sharing : a bottle of wine with my man
developing : a plan of attack for assembling Version 2.0 of the 20 Questions albums (Yes, they will be ready again soon!)
contemplating : a trip to IKEA
planning : my first layout/week for Project Life
watching : a Detroit Lions playoff game - woah!
writing : my less list for week 2
loving : the cuddles, the kisses, the lack of plans, the possibilities.

Happy Friday + weekend to you!

my less list : no 01

2012-01-04T20:00:00.000-05:00

I learned last year that one of the best ways for me to keep my One Little Word on my mind is to write a list of what I want to get out of my word. You can read more about my word less, why I chose it + how I'm documenting it in 2012 here.

I have decided that each week I am going to write a short list, no more than 5 items long, of simple tasks that I want to complete during that week. Small things, not huge projects, that I can easily do in the span of 7 days. Things that will keep me focused + help me keep my eyes open to the big picture.

This is my less list for week one: edited to a typed list so I can share links :)

~~Purge old makeup, clean makeup brushes + fill new bag with fresh supplies.~~ Done - easy + fun!
~~Add important dates to new paper calendar.~~ Done.
~~Choose a new bite to tackle.~~ Done. I had a hard time choosing just one, so I'm trying to work on both getting more sleep + drinking more water.
~~Finish organizing scrapbook supplies.~~ Done. I love keep my craft space organized + finding containers from around the house to use. Though, I did find some fun metal bins + small felt baskets in the Target Dollar Spot that I couldn't pass up. ;)
Breathe. You don't have to start every project this week. Always a work in progress + a good reminder.

I think this little list might be fun to add to my mini book every once in a while during the year.

I also painted my word on a small black 4"x4" canvas I bought at Michaels. It's sitting on a shelf in my scrapbook room as a daily reminder of what I want for myself the next 12 months.

What are you doing to keep your word on your mind? Have you purchased jewelry featuring your word? Made artwork? Just keeping up with Ali's prompts? (I know it's only January!) :) Please share in the comments!

P.S. Thank you for all of the Project Life love yesterday. It doesn't get much better than seeing your name + scrapbook pages on Becky Higgins blog. Feeling pretty flattered to be a part of that long list of inspiration! ;)

Project Life 2012 : my title page, goals + products I'm using

2012-01-02T16:55:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I finally started to tackle the project of making my Project Life title page. The fact is, I was stalling. I was stuck. I had found so many great ideas, and blogs, and galleries, that I got a little overwhelmed (okay, a lot overwhelmed) with making my own. It seems simple enough, just slipping in a few photos and cards + calling it a day. But for whatever reason I just couldn't get started. So, I just sat down and did it. Finishing my December Daily can wait. Cleaning up the mess on my work table can wait. So this is what I came up with.

A couple weeks ago Becky did a blog post on title page ideas (which I promptly examined each and every one) and at the end there were a few freebies from Cathy Zielske to make a 6x12 page. How fun, right? So on top of my regular 12x12 page (which I'll show you below), I created this :

I printed just the journaling spot portion of Cathy's template and printed it on patterned paper. I cut it out by hand and adhered it to the die cut paper by Studio Calico. For the journaling card below, I temporarily attached a grid card to some printer paper and printed out the 'our life, one week at a time...", folded it in half around the right edge of the page and zig-zag stitched it in place.

Because I had enough supplies to make a second page, I made a matching 'volume 02' sheet for the second album. Here is how it looks as you open the album :

I have some of Becky's 6x12 page protectors coming, so (I'm guessing) the left margin will line up much nicer than these American Crafts page protectors. I just slipped it in for photo purposes. :)

And here is my full title page :

As a Project Life newbie, I hope it doesn't take me as long (or cause such mass destruction on my work table) to do my weekly layouts.

I'm sure I will get into a groove as the weeks go by. One thing I have already learned is to not overthink it. This is supposed to be fun + simple! Something I have done to cut down on a little of the prep work is I have my date cards + scrapbook dividers inserted into the album and January's cards are also stamped with the weekly dates.

My goal is to do my weeks Monday - Sunday (except for this first week, which will be Sunday - Sunday), edit + print my photos at home on Monday, work on my layout Monday/Tuesday, and then blog it Tuesday/Wednesday.

Below is a list of the big stuff - the supplies + products I am using for my Project Life album. All of the other extras are just goodies in my stash and I can share what they are as I use them or am asked about it. I am very much looking forward to using up all of those random half-used alphabet stickers and rub-on's, especially the numbers.

Project Life supplies : Turquoise Core Kit, Design A Big Pack + 6x12 page protectors, Dividers + an extra pack of grid journaling cards (Project Life or not - these journaling cards are so fun to use!)
Album : I already had an empty 12 x 12 We R Memory Keepers Linen Album in Hazelnut and purchased a second (because it seems most of the ladies that I follow who did Project Life last year needed more than one album per year, and because I want them to match.) :)
Printer : Epson Photo Stylus R2880
Camera : Nikon D60 + my iPhone
Photo Editing Program : Photoshop Elements 9. Version 10 is available (with a free 30-day trial) here at Adobe's website.
Other fun must-haves (for me) : We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper (the 1/4" radius seems to match the rounded corner on the cards in the core kit), Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher, a date stamp (found at an office supply store) + an inkpad, and lots of pens + Sharpies. This list could go on + on, so I will stop now. But these are the biggies.

Phew. I am just so excited about this project. If I haven't covered something or you have a question, please feel free to ask in the comments. Thank you for looking + reading!

One Little Word 2012 : Less

2011-12-29T23:42:00.000-05:00

My word for 2012 is less.

It came to me last month, in the midst of the holiday hustle + bustle, the planning, the list-making, the gift-buying. I wasn't necessarily craving less. I was trying to figure out how to get by without having more, more, more.

Then I started to see art + prints pop up on Pinterest. The less is more variety. Plus this. This. And this. And this. And then I bought this print. And that's when less started to stick.

In 2012, I want to live with less.
Less worrying about what other people are doing.
Less obsessing over things I cannot control.
Less nit-picking + criticizing.
Less crazy running around.
Less pressure on myself.
Less yes.

Plus some of the simpler, goal-oriented less :
Less junk : physical clutter, crappy processed food, chemicals. I want to continue tackling my 52 Bites as well as a decluttering plan that I read about here, and declutter at least one room/area in the house each month. The kitchen, bathrooms, kids bedrooms, clothes + shoes, everything. No, our house isn't cluttered, but I think there is always room for improvement if there are things lying around that we don't love and/or don't use. I'd also like to incorporate a few homemade natural cleaning products into our household.
Less flab : When I stopped nursing Parker last spring, I've lost and gained the same ten (or so) pounds a few times over. Annoying. Yeah, sorry, I know 10 pounds isn't mindboggling. I don't care so much about the number on the scale but I do want to tone up. I want to feel healthy + confident in my skin again. This will be a tough one since I loathe working out. I'd rather do almost anything than exercise. I'll need to get moving in other ways.
Less brain-numbing activity : 99% of the time, mine comes from the internet. I adore the inspiration immensely but I find I need to limit it when I know I could be doing something productive + inspiring for myself + my family. A cut on the Google Reader subscriptions will be a must. And then there's the whole social network thing. But that's a story for another day. Tara Whitney's Thinning the Herd blog post really spoke to me last summer and I'm adding it here for others to read (and as a reminder to myself to read it again). It's a little long, but it's thoughtful, and good. And as you can see by the comments, she is not alone.

And with less, usually comes more. For me, I hope that is more confidence, more relaxation + sleep, more kindness + love, more deep breaths, more patience + calm, more intention. (I love that word, Jenny!)

Above is my pre-class assignment. I printed the 4x6 opening page that Ali created on transparency instead of cardstock and adhered American Crafts Thickers to it. I punched two holes on the side and slipped it into the bookrings on my minibook.

I'm loving the size of this book. It will be a fun change of pace from the full size album from this year. I'm especially excited to fill it with my favorite quotes and inspirational sayings like the ones above from Pinterest. Can't wait to see how fat it gets! I plan on doing monthly blog updates through 2012, just as I did this year with my word focus, on my prompts and how I'm adding in extras to my mini.

I'm really looking forward to the official beginning of class on Sunday. And to seeing where less takes me in 2012. I can already hear a recurring mantra in my head : "Do you really need (to do) this, Nicole? If you aren't familiar with One Little Word, or you are interested in signing up for the class, you can read more about it here.

Happy New Year everyone! We are going to lay low tomorrow night + have a quiet evening at home. I'm going to try to talk Mark into a late (after-the-kids-are-in-bed) takeout dinner + wine. And maybe a good movie. See you in 2012!!

new in the shop : 2012 One Little Word minibooks

2011-12-28T16:10:00.000-05:00

For 2012 I decided to document my One Little Word in a mini book instead of a full-size album. They are now listed in my shop + I will be back later this week to share my One Little Word, my pre-class assignment, and my plans to fill it up next year.

There are so many ways you could use this mini. It's not exclusive to One Little Word - that's just how I'm using mine. Maybe you want to keep track of your goals or resolutions in 2012. Maybe you want a small pre-made book to add photos + journaling too. Lots + lots of options. You can read about the contents + details here.

One Little Word is a concept + class developed by Ali Edwards. You can read more about the 2012 class here + Ali's word here. (Check out the comments for other word ideas if you are struggling to come up with yours)

reflecting + a crafty brain dump

2011-12-26T22:56:00.000-05:00

My goodness. I knew last weekend was going to fly. I'm still thinking about it and what a wonderful Christmas we had here. We really really did + I hope you and your family did too. While I wrap my head around all the good things that are going on at home, here is a little blog brain dump :

I did not fall off the December Daily wagon with just three days to go. In fact, this afternoon I ordered all of my digital pages / photos from Persnickety Prints. For the sake of saving time (and I have good intentions of completing + photographing the album in full within the next couple weeks), I'm not going to blog those last few pages. If history repeats itself, I should have the photos within the week. They are SO fast + the quality is amazing. Really, try them out if you haven't already! This will be my last photo order for a while since we now have a new printer at home, but I know I will go straight back to them if I need large batches of photos printed in the future.

Other things going on around here : the family room is now an official playroom. Morgan + Parker were spoiled rotten by Santa and their grandparents. That is going to be quite a project getting it organized again, but you know me, I love a good organizing project.

Ali Edwards One Little Word class starts on January 1st and I'm eager to start. Have you signed up yet? My project + experience with the 2011 class is currently being featured on the Inside Access page at Big Picture Classes. If you are a member, just log in and you can read more when you click on 'my account.' I will officially share my 2012 word soon. Instead of a full size album, I'm going to go the minibook route this year. I will also have a limited number available in the shop by the end of the week. It is full of fun colors, patterns and a few embellies - just right for (but not specific to) documenting your One Little Word. I'm excited to show them to you!

Speaking of the shop, I've been getting a lot of emails asking if and when I will be making the 20 Questions albums again. The answer is yes. And soon. All I can say right now is some time in January. Version 2.0 will feature the same content, the same 20 questions, but more album colors (not just black). I will share the details of their availability as soon as I know. Thank you to those of you who have expressed interest in me continuing to make these little memory books. If you too are interested, watch the shop updates and send me an Etsy convo to be added to the waiting list. Those people will be the first to know when they are available.

Other scrappy fun I want to tackle this week include preparing to start Project Life on Sunday. I have a title page to make and I want to set up a little station at my desk so I can whip up these weekly layouts easily. I've been hanging out at the Big Picture Classes Project Life message board, as well as Studio Calico's. I'll take all the ideas + encouragment I can get!

Ok, I think that's it for now. Time to rest my eyes and my brain. What kind of creative fun do you have planned for 2012? Are you taking any classes or participating in any other projects?

12.22.11

2011-12-22T20:30:00.000-05:00

Simple layout today. The photo is actually from the beginning of the month but I did not want to miss out on telling this short story.

click to enlarge + read journaling

I'm only blogging the main photos each day for my December Daily album. I will be putting the whole thing together, with ephemera and extra photos/stories, after Christmas.

12.21.11

2011-12-21T22:23:00.002-05:00

It was just an ordinary day around here. I loved Ali's journaling from Monday, so I decided to follow suit and do something similar today :

click to enlarge + read journaling

I might add this collage of Morgan decorating her giant gingerbread man too. Too cute in her Cinderella dress!

The 'capturing the moments of life' and 'one day in our life' elements are from Ali Edwards Yesterday and Today class at Big Picture Classes.

I'm only blogging the main photos each day for my December Daily album. I will be putting the whole thing together, with ephemera and extra photos/stories, after Christmas.

12.20.11

2011-12-20T20:30:00.000-05:00

Short and sweet today.

click to enlarge + read journaling

Got in a little funk today (with only 5 days to go!) but I'm over it already. Anyone else find themselves getting worn out with this project before it's over? I'm pluggin' away though. This finished album is so worth it.

I'm only blogging the main photos each day for my December Daily album. I will be putting the whole thing together, with ephemera and extra photos/stories, after Christmas.

12.16.11

2011-12-20T15:40:00.000-05:00

Ah, Friday. So much fun. I actually have a bunch of other Instagram photos and a little story to tell about how long it takes to bake something when both kids are around / awake. It is a process and in the middle of it all I was kind of chuckling to myself at all of the interruptions. That will all be a page insert for Friday. Anyways, on to the party :

click to enlarge + read journaling

This photo above will be the main page (the right side). The collage below will be the left side.

click to enlarge + read journaling

Can't even tell you how much fun we had!

I'm only blogging the main photos each day for my December Daily album. I will be putting the whole thing together, with ephemera and extra photos/stories, after Christmas.

12.19.11

2011-12-19T22:17:00.000-05:00

I love journaling prompts, and this one from Tina sparked mine today :

click to enlarge + read journaling

I'm only blogging the main photos each day for my December Daily album. I will be putting the whole thing together, with ephemera and extra photos/stories, after Christmas.

12.18.11

2011-12-19T21:39:00.000-05:00

click to enlarge + read journaling

I'm only blogging the main photos each day for my December Daily album. I will be putting the whole thing together, with ephemera and extra photos/stories, after Christmas.

12.17.11

2011-12-19T21:35:00.000-05:00

I haven't forgotten about Friday. I'm waiting for some photos from Mark's holiday party (which was an absolute blast! I haven't had that much fun in a long time. You know it was a good party when your feet are still sore from dancing, three days later.) So next is Saturday :

click to enlarge + read journaling

I'm only blogging the main photos each day for my December Daily album. I will be putting the whole thing together, with ephemera and extra photos/stories, after Christmas.

12.15.11

2011-12-15T21:50:00.000-05:00

click to enlarge and read journaling

Simply Magical wordart from Deena Rutter's Jolly Holiday kit.

I'm only blogging the main photos each day for my December Daily album. I will be putting the whole thing together, with ephemera and extra photos/stories, after Christmas.

In related news : I'm delighted with how thick my album is getting and I don't even have any of these main pages in it yet! I cannot wait to get them all printed (through Persnickety Prints). On Tuesday at dinner, I was telling Mark about my wish for a new printer, mostly because I am starting Project Life in January and I think the only way I will stay caught up is to print photos at home. Convincing, right? The conversation turned into a purchase (thank you babe!) and tomorrow I am going to be the proud new owner of an Epson R2880 printer. Epson's website is full of good deals now. We couldn't pass up 10% off + huge rebate + free shipping. Check it out if you are looking for a new printer too.

P.S. It's going to be quiet around here until early next week, as we'll be in + out all weekend. Mark's holiday party is tomorrrow night. Looking forward to getting prettied up (in a dress!!) and having adult conversation. And an adult drink. Have a wonderful weekend. I will catch you up on ours as soon as I can. 10 more sleeps til Santa! :)

12.14.11

2011-12-14T22:07:00.000-05:00

click to enlarge and read journaling

I couldn't forget to include a page/day about our nightly book opening and reading. On the page opposite this photo, I am going to type out this post, with the list of books that we are reading this year.

I'm only blogging the main photos each day for my December Daily album. I will be putting the whole thing together, with ephemera and extra photos/stories, after Christmas.

12.13.11

2011-12-13T21:57:00.001-05:00

Played around with our camera lenses tonight, making a little Christmas tree bokeh. Between talking to Mark and reading this blog post, this was my favorite shot of our tree and I made it today's page enlargement.

Now that I'm looking at it again, I think I need to add some journaling in that little rectangle next to the '13'. Looks a little too bare.

Plus I took a few "around the house" shots. I'm looking forward to hanging our stockings soon!

Star patterned paper from Robin Meierotto Vintage Holiday kit
Label from Persnickety Prints Vintage Christmas kit

I'm only blogging the main photos each day for my December Daily album. I will be putting the whole thing together, with ephemera and extra photos/stories, after Christmas.

12.12.11

2011-12-12T22:40:00.000-05:00


click to enlarge and read journaling

I took quite a few photos today at the museum, so I made a little collage with some of the good ones. I may print a couple other 4x6's and adhere them back to back to slip in the album.

Digital paper and elements are from Deena Rutter's Jolly Holiday kit.

I'm only blogging the main photos each day for my December Daily album. I will be putting the whole thing together, with ephemera and extra photos/stories, after Christmas.

12.11.11

2011-12-11T22:50:00.001-05:00

click to enlarge and read journaling

I'm only blogging the main photos each day for my December Daily album. I will be putting the whole thing together, with ephemera and extra photos/stories, after Christmas.

12.10.11

2011-12-10T21:12:00.001-05:00

click to enlarge and read journaling

I'm only blogging the main photos each day for my December Daily album. I will be putting the whole thing together, with ephemera and extra photos/stories, after Christmas.

12.09.11

2011-12-09T22:06:00.001-05:00

click to enlarge and read journaling

I'm only blogging the main photos each day for my December Daily album. I will be putting the whole thing together, with ephemera and extra photos/stories, after Christmas.

12.08.11

2011-12-08T20:30:00.000-05:00

click to enlarge and read journaling

Note to self : add photo of kids coloring at the library and sample of Parker's artwork. :)

I'm only blogging the main photos each day for my December Daily album. I will be putting the whole thing together, with ephemera and extra photos/stories, after Christmas.

12.07.11

2011-12-07T21:59:00.001-05:00

The kids and I made salt dough ornaments today. We actually spent most of the morning at the table, rolling dough and cutting shapes. It was such a nice, relaxing and playful day. Unlike yesterday's frantic and not-so-happy errand running. I am going to do a little extra journaling on the back of the 'bookmarks' about making the ornaments, but these are my two digital pages for today :

click to enlarge and read journaling

I'm only blogging the main photos each day for my December Daily album. I will be putting the whole thing together, with ephemera and extra photos/stories, after Christmas.

12.06.11

2011-12-06T21:16:00.001-05:00

click to enlarge and read journaling

I'm only blogging the main photos each day for my December Daily album. I will be putting the whole thing together, with ephemera and extra photos/stories, after Christmas.

12.05.11

2011-12-05T21:34:00.001-05:00

click to enlarge and read journaling

I'm only blogging the main photos each day for my December Daily album. I will be putting the whole thing together, with ephemera and extra photos/stories, after Christmas.

12.04.11

2011-12-04T17:32:00.001-05:00

A two-pager for today :

click to enlarge and read journaling

Just like last year, I asked for the price tag for our tree to add to my December Daily. Just like last year, the guys at the tree lot thought I was weird. Nope, I'm just a scrapbooker. :)

We have a pretty damn near perfect evening ahead. Chinese takeout and Detroit Lions football. I could start working on my Christmas cards, but I think I'm going to hang out on the couch with Mark, enjoy a glass (or two) of wine, and catch up on two weeks of Google Reader blog posts. Ahh...

I'm only blogging the main photos each day for my December Daily album. I will be putting the whole thing together, with ephemera and extra photos/stories, after Christmas.

12.03.11

2011-12-03T22:01:00.001-05:00

click to enlarge and read journaling

Today was tough for me to choose just one story from the day. We did a lot and got a lot done. Certainly will be including a list of all that was accomplished, as well as these photos :

I'm only blogging the main photos each day for my December Daily album. I will be putting the whole thing together, with ephemera and extra photos/stories, after Christmas.

12.02.11

2011-12-02T22:24:00.001-05:00

click to enlarge and read journaling

We have a skylight in our kitchen and I snapped this shot of the four of us while Mark was making popcorn this evening.

I'm only blogging the main photo each day for my December Daily album. I will be putting the whole thing together, with ephemera and extra photos/stories, after Christmas.

12.01.11

2011-12-01T22:39:00.001-05:00

click to enlarge and read journaling

I'm only blogging the main photo each day for my December Daily album. I will be putting the whole thing together, with ephemera and extra photos/stories, after Christmas.

One Little Word : November

2011-11-30T07:30:00.000-05:00

Our November prompt for One Little Word was similar to January, in that Ali gave us some journaling cards to fill out with prompts like : I am, I believe, I learned, I love, I know + this word - all on small cards to fit inside the 9-section page protectors. I've already shared in our class gallery, but here is how I put my page together :

click to enlarge + read journaling

With the end of the year approaching, it was really nice to reflect on the past 11 months. I am feeling really good about where I'm at right now. With how much I've gotten done - physically, domestically, personally + mentally - in 2011. My family is happy + I am happy.

One more month to go. I'm looking forward to another finished project and album, combined with my Week in the Life from July. Ali is offering the class again next year, is anyone else thinking about joining in in 2012? I think I know what my word will be next year. Luckily I have another month to sit + stew on it.

Edited on December 1, 2011 to add : Registration for One Little Word 2012 is now open. I just signed up myself. Are you in?

Tomorrow begins the much-anticipated December Daily. Fingers crossed I stay on top + caught up with daily blogging about (at least) one photo + a simple story for each day leading up to Christmas. My wish for this month to go nice + slow was squashed when I realized that every weekend from hear on out is completely full. So, I'm going to take a deep breath, try not to get too absorbed with what everyone else is doing (and thus, worry about what I could/should be doing) and just enjoy my family + friends.

Wishing you all a fantastic December!

new in the shop : holiday cards

2011-11-29T07:30:00.000-05:00

Last night, I listed a few simple holiday card sets in the shop. You can see them in detail here.

I love how the stamps turned out and the red glitter is HOT! Later this week I plan on adding some matching or coordinating gift tags.

Today : the kids are going to help me send off a big box of packages and then we are going to spend the rest of the morning at the library. Maybe with a hot chocolate and some Timbits. Tonight I need to bust a move and get wrapping on all of those Christmas countdown books + charge the camera battery to prepare for a month of photos + stories. I should probably dump the memory card while I'm at it. I have some photos from our Thanksgiving weekend I could share.

our Christmas countdown book tradition

2011-11-28T07:30:00.000-05:00

Last year, we started a Christmas countdown, or advent, tradition of wrapping 24 books, mostly winter or Christmas related, for Morgan + Parker to open nightly from December 1 - December 24. This year, I went through the books I set aside from last Christmas, which included some we've gotten from our family, and I bought about 10 more.

Buying 24 books right off the bat can be kind of intimidating, and quite expensive, so I've been mixing in some less expensive softcover and board books from Scholastic (Remember those book clubs from school? My sister is a teacher so I order from the catalogs every so often), with a few nicer hardcover classics. I assume if we continue to do this every December, I'll be pulling books out and replacing them each year with more age appropriate selections.

Also, last year I put a number tag on each book so they would be opened 'in order', but this year I'm just going to put them in a basket and let them choose one (or take turns choosing one) each night. Note : the books I've chosen are non-religious and aimed at my toddler (Parker - 1) and preschooler (Morgan - 3). These are our books for this year :

Snowballs by Lois Ehlert
Duck and Goose It's Time for Christmas by Tad Hills
Here Comes Christmas by Caroline Jayne Church
Bear Stays Up for Christmas by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
Froggy's Best Christmas by Jonathan London
The Night Before the Night Before Christmas by Natasha Wing
When Will It Snow? by Kathryn White and Alison Edgson
Silent Night by Juliet Groom and Tim Warnes
Stella, Queen of the Snow by Marie-Louise Gay
Olive, the Other Reindeer by J. Otto Seibold and Vivian Walsh
Merry Christmas, Curious George by Margret and H.A. Rey
Old Bear and His Cub by Olivier Dunrea
Counting Christmas by Karen Katz
Little Puppy Lost by Linda Jennings and Alison Edgson
Five Little Penguins Slipping on the Ice by Steve Metzger
Santa Duck and His Merry Helpers by David Milgrim
Fox and the Snowflake Christmas by Julia Rawlinson
Frosty the Snowman by Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins (a Hallmark recordable book)
Llama Llama Holiday Drama by Anna Dewdney
Babar and Father Christmas by Jean De Brunhoff
How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner
A Wish to be a Christmas Tree by Colleen Monroe

In other (shop) news : All of the 20 Questions albums, including the pre-orders, are completely sold out now and I do not anticipate making any more until after the holidays / next year. I'm pretty geeked about the amazing response! I am working as hard as I can to get the albums shipped out and on the way to their new homes in the next few days. Thank you so much for your support + patience.

Next up, holiday cards! Tomorrow?

Thankful Thought | 005

2011-11-21T07:30:00.000-05:00

Today, I am thankful for my family. Some of my favorite people, all doing their own thing, but together, in one room. This doesn't happen very often anymore. It's been many months since we've hung out, but yesterday, we had such a nice visit. My nephews are growing like weeds and are quickly becoming little boys. I can't help it but call them babies. They make Morgan + Parker, my own babies, look like giants. Time just goes by too fast. I am thankful for these days, though few and far between, that we can see each other. All at once. I love you all!

Thankful Thoughts is a series by Ali Edwards. You can download your free overlays here.

It's going to be quiet around here this week as we get ready for the Thanksgiving holiday and long weekend. I have plenty to do, as I'm sure everyone does. Today, I'm expecting the last of our advent books to arrive and then I can slowly start wrapping them, so they can be quickly unwrapped, one by one, beginning on December First. I'll share our full list of book titles next week. Plus I'm planning on putting a big dent in my own Christmas shopping - finishing the big stuff for the kids + for my Secret Santa.

The shop has been bustling with activity and if you have placed a preorder on a 20 Questions album, I'm on track to get them assembled and packaged to ship next week. I also have holiday cards and tags in the works and hope to have those available around the end of this month.

Plus, I think we'll throw in a trip to the library and some Thanksgiving crafts for good measure.

Have a wonderful week and Happy Thanksgiving! See you next week.

5 favorites for Friday : Secret Santa edition

2011-11-18T07:30:00.000-05:00

For the last 3 years, Mark and I have been part of a Secret Santa gift exchange with my parents, my sister and brother-in-law. Before we exchange names, usually around Thanksgiving, we each have the task of making a wish list that will go inside an envelope. That way, when we choose our name, we have a list of gift ideas too. I don't know about you, but I'm not the kind of person that likes to blindly buy gifts for people, even (and maybe especially) the people closest to me. I want to know that whoever I am buying a gift for loves it.

For the last several weeks, I've been collecting my ideas on Pinterest under my 'I want' board. Now that I look at it, some ideas are keepers, some are so-so. Because I love seeing other people's wish list this time of year, I thought it would be fun to share mine today. I need to narrow down my list by Sunday, but these are some of my ~~top contenders~~ favorites :

Of course, there is a lot of scrapbooking stuff on my list. I love my Crop-a-dile. How did I not know about this Corner Chomper?

Source: twopeasinabucket.com via Nicole on Pinterest

I desperately need a new makeup bag. This one is so pretty. And handmade :

Source: etsy.com via Nicole on Pinterest

My craft room is chilly this time of year. These fingerless hand warmers, made by my friend Sue, would be perfect, inside or out :

Source: etsy.com via Nicole on Pinterest

This stainless steel French press is pretty sleek :

Source: amazon.com via Nicole on Pinterest

And last but not least, I'll be waiting to see this watercolor pop up in Kal's shop on Monday. I love it!

Source: lovelife.typepad.com via Nicole on Pinterest

Over the years we've had a couple slip-ups where the Secret Santa was revealed while opening gifts, so now part of the fun is making sure we all have the same giftwrap and tags. This year we are going to use newspaper as gift wrap and I made some little embossed monogram-inspired tags.

So, how about you? What's on your wish list? Do the adults in your family or group of friends have any fun gift exchange traditions?

Have a fantastic weekend!

Pinterest to Reality : Project 01 : TV tokens

2011-11-17T07:30:00.000-05:00

I've said it before and I'll say it again - Pinterest has been a fantastic source of inspiration for me. And even better, it's been a great way to remember the craft projects I want to make, recipes I want to try and activities I want to do with the kids. People seem to use Pinterest in all kinds of different ways. I'm also using it to keep track of my own Christmas wish list for my Secret Santa. I'll write about that tomorrow.

But pinning all of those ideas doesn't mean much if you don't do anything with it. Well, unless you just like to look a cool things, which is totally fine! ;) I myself like to do something about it, and modify those ideas into something that will work for me. I call it "Pinterest to Reality"

My first project to share came from this pin. Laurel from Ducks in a Row had made these technology tickets for her kids to limit the amount of TV, video games, computer time, etc. they get each week. Cool idea!

Of course, Morgan (3) and Parker (1) aren't really old enough to enjoy much more than an occasional television show. One thing I am conscious of is that the TV is not on just for background noise. As soon as anyone loses interest in what they are watching and walks away, I turn the TV off and sometimes turn on some music instead.

With the impending cold weather, that means more time in the house, which means more boredom and probably more requests to watch Yo Gabba Gabba, Dora, Diego, or whatever. I decided to nip it in the bud before the whining for "more" even starts, so I made TV tokens.

Using craft supplies I already had, I made Morgan these tokens with chipboard circles, letter stickers and jumbo bottle caps. They sit in a small cup on our kitchen counter and whenever she asks to watch a show, I ask her to get me a token. One token = one show (typically 20-25 minutes long). She gets four a day, and like Laurel did, we reserve the right to say no (like when she wants a show right before bed, or if she just watched one). I also reserve the right to say yes when the cup is empty, it's 5pm, it's been a long/hard/whiny day, I'm home alone and I want to get them out of the kitchen so I can make dinner without getting pushed/stepped on/tugged/yelled at. Yes, there are plenty of activities I could have them do that don't involve screen time. I have lots of those pinned too and those are often my first resort. It really depends on the day and my mood and the intensity of my headache. ;)

We are lucky that Morgan is very active in her television watching. She likes to get up and sing, dance and jump. She doesn't just sit there like a slug and zone out. Usually. Nick Jr. and PBS are our favorites and we keep a variety of shows recorded on the DVR or use On Demand. Other than not seeing commercials, watching a recording is a big help in fending off the request for "one more" because once the recording stops, it's back to the family room to play. We will have to figure out how to enforce the token usage when Parker is old enough to ask for it. Right now, he is happy enough to sit right next to his sister and watch without any arguments.

This little system is working really well. Some days she uses them all up, some days she doesn't. When they are gone, she knows she doesn't get any more TV until tomorrow when her cup is magically refilled with four more tokens.

Do you have any systems in place, or ideas for keeping track of your toddler or preschoolers TV habits? (No hating please - I know this can be a touchy subject that can range from allowing no TV at all to leaving the TV on all day long. What works for one mommy doesn't always work for another and I am not here to judge, just help.)

M + P : 11.11.11

2011-11-16T07:30:00.000-05:00

Last Friday, 11/11/11, was one of those historical, never-gonna-happen-again-in-your-lifetime kind of days, but it was a pretty ordinary day around here. I wanted so badly to get a screen shot on my phone at 11:11 on 11/11/11, but alas, this mommy was changing a wicked dirty diaper. Ah, life as a stay-at-home mommy. Ordinary or not, I documented bits of our day anyways. This is a one-hour span of what life was like for Morgan + Parker on November 11th, 2011 :

Foofa was the costume of the week for Morgan. She hardly ever wears regular clothes if we are staying home for the day. Lately, she doesn't even want to go out and get the mail with me because she'd have to get dressed / put shoes on / put a coat on. Morgan has been particularly attached to her noo-noo lately too. She nuzzles it a lot. :)

Today, we started listening to Christmas music. Morgan had her ear pinned to the speaker for much of the morning, memorizing the words and recalling her favorites from last year.

Parker is still a little faucet. Teething hard and filling in the gaps in his gums where he was missing teeth. I've lost count of how many new teeth he's gotten in the last few weeks. This is one of the few shots I got of him not gnawing on a toy.

In deep thought and concentration. He reminds me a million times a day of his daddy. Love it!

The pouty face. She couldn't have possibly learned this from me. It was almost lunch time and I could just sense the crankiness that was about to ensue.

The chippy hot pink pedicure. Matches mine, but it's not nearly as cute.

Another reminder of Mark. Not because of his posture, but when Daddy isn't home, Parker is the King of the Remote. If only he knew how to work it. Usually he ends up turning something off, or changing the channel, and thoroughly annoying his sister. ;)

My distraction for keeping Parker's little fingers out of the dirty dishes (he LOVES grabbing the dirty silicone straws from his sippy cup out of the silverware basket and chewing them) was to teach him how to start the dishwasher. He really likes to press the buttons (of course) even if we don't need him to yet.

Did you document 11/11/11?

and the winner is...

2011-11-15T07:30:00.000-05:00

The winner of the 20 Questions : Birthday Interview Album for Kids is :

Congratulations jenn002! Please email me at nicole.s.reaves AT gmail DOT com with your contact information and what age you want to start your album.

Thank you EVERYONE for your kind comments. I am super excited about the shop and will be posting updates here as I add new items. This week I'm working on some holiday tags and cards that I hope to list around Thanksgiving (next week, eck!)

Much more non-shop related stuff coming this week.

to Mark

2011-11-14T07:00:00.000-05:00

We hope you have a great day! XOXO

Love you,
Nicole, Morgan + Parker

*

Reminder : I'm closing comments to the giveaway at 8pm EST.
The winner will be announced tomorrow morning. Good luck!

500 + a giveway

2011-11-11T07:30:00.000-05:00

After nearly 3 1/2 years, I've hit my 500th blog post!

In celebration of that and my little shop opening, I'd like to giveaway a copy of my first memory book : 20 Questions : A Birthday Interview Album for Kids.

If you missed yesterday's post, this is how you use it :

Every year, on or around your child's birthday, you ask the same 20 questions listed within the pages of the album and fill in their answers. Questions like : What is your favorite color? What is your favorite song? Slip in an 8" x 8" photo of the child, perhaps from their birthday, on the opposite page. Easy, right? Repeat next year and for the next 8 years. 10 years in all.

Think of how fun it will be to look through this memory album in your child's teenage and young adult years! See how much they changed from year to year. When it's full, keep it for yourself, or give it to the interviewee.

This album was designed to be a fun way to record and remember simple memories from the childhood of your kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews, godchildren, or any little one in your life. It is gender-neutral with little bits of bright color that will complement the photos from their birthday celebrations now, and for years to come.

Comments are now closed. To be entered into this giveaway, please leave a comment below. If you are reading from a feed reader, please click over here. Tell me who you would share this album with. One of your (present or future) children? Grandchildren? A niece or nephew? A foster child or Godchild? I'm looking forward to reading your responses.

Just like in the shop, the winner will get to choose whatever range of 10 years they want. The standard album begins with the 3rd birthday through the 12th birthday, but you can start at any age!

Comments will be closed on Monday, November 14th at 8pm EST and I will post who the winner is on Tuesday morning. Feel free to share this giveaway with friends and family members that might enjoy capturing fun memories from the childhood of a little one that is close to them.

Happy Veterans Day! Have a wonderful weekend!

prompt : the shop is open for business

2011-11-09T22:00:00.000-05:00

My Etsy shop, prompt, is officially open! I'm starting slow, so here are my first two products :

The first item I've listed is based on the feedback that I've gotten on the 20 Questions I asked Morgan on her third birthday.

20 Questions : A Birthday Interview Album for Kids includes an 8" x 8" album, a title page for a short note to the child, and 10 years worth of blank questionnaires to be filled out annually on the child's birthday. Here is a clip of the description from the listing :

Capture memories from your little ones childhood with this scrapbook style birthday interview album. Here is how it works :

Every year, on or around your child's birthday, you ask the same 20 questions listed within the pages of the album and fill in their answers. Questions like : What is your favorite color? What is your favorite song? Slip in an 8" x 8" photo of the child, perhaps from their birthday, on the opposite page. Easy, right? Repeat next year and for the next 8 years. 10 years in all.

Think of how fun it will be to look through this memory album in your child's teenage and young adult years! See how much they changed from year to year. When it's full, keep it for yourself, or give it to the interviewee.

This album was designed to be a fun way to record and remember simple memories from the childhood of your kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews, godchildren, or any little one in your life. It is gender-neutral with little bits of bright color that will complement the photos from their birthday celebrations now, and for years to come.

I've also included some ideas and resources for printing 8" x 8" photos. I've given several customizing options and you can read all about it here.

After I put together my prototype, I realized some people might not want (or might not have the resources) to print 8" x 8" photos, so I made a very simple supplement paper pack to go with the album so you can print 4" x 6" photos and all of the paper still matches. Plus, it ships for free if you purchase the album and paper pack together.

No, my shop is not filled to the brim with goodies yet. Though I do have a brain full of ideas, I've promised myself to go slow, to not force anything and to make things that I love. I have plans to add some handstamped + embossed holiday tags + cards in the next couple weeks and then some other fun paper goods around the end of the year.

Thank you again for your support, encouragement + excitement. Friday will be my 500th blog post and a little giveaway (that I may have already given away). ;)

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go breathe a sign of relief.

cloud nine

2011-11-08T08:04:00.000-05:00

First things first. Thank you so much for all of the December Daily love. Wow! I'm on cloud nine because of all of the nice comments (and pins) from yesterday's post. I've never really known the power of social media until now. Thank you. All of you. Ali, you are amazing! That was completely unexpected.

I seriously have a list of things I wanted to write about today, points I wanted to make, but I think I'll spare you today of all the goings-on in my head and in this house. I am about 48 hours away from opening shop and have been keeping my little fingers busy - packaging, stamping, typing (and typing and typing). It has been really fun and (already) quite rewarding.

Today : (and likely tomorrow) I will be working on the blog. Adding + subtracting. Editing + rearranging. So, you might see things moving around in the next couple days. Again. Sorry, I think it's in my blood or something. Just ask my parents. :) First though, I have two very important little people to tend to. It's French toast Tuesday and I better get to work at the griddle. Then, Morgan's first dentist appointment. Eek! Wish me luck!

December Daily 2011 : Cover + Foundation Pages

2011-11-07T07:30:00.000-05:00

Today I wanted to share my December Daily album shell that I will fill next month with daily entries + stories as we prepare for Christmas.

First, the cover. I've been very attracted to all of the woodgrain scrapbooking products out there now. Just a few months ago I used Hambly's woodgrain paper on my Scrapbook on the Road. It's been out for years, but it is still a hot pattern + texture. So my idea for my cover was to use 1/16" plywood + stain it. It was a little bit of an experiment too, but the 12" x 24" piece I bought was plenty to play with. I bought a small $3 sample can of water-based stain in a coffee color and went to work. I'm using Ali's 2010 December Daily overlays (more on that later) which are 6" x 8", so I cut my covers to 6 1/4" x 8 1/2". I rounded the corners, sanded everything, and after two coats of stain, this is how it turned out :

I love how the grain pops through! I could have probably put a third coat on, but was afraid to lose that texture. So I let it be. There are so many possibilities with a wood cover!

For the cover embellishment, I hand-drew (is that a word?) 2 pointsettias on freezer paper and ironed them onto some scrap ivory felt I had. If you've never used freezer paper (I hadn't) - this is where I learned about it. Pretty freakin' cool. It makes it way easier to cut shapes into felt and fabric. Nice. I cut out the felt poinsettias, turned the top one so the petals didn't completely overlap, and put a couple of stitches in the center to hold it together. I used my tape runner to adhere the flower to the wood album and then added two 1/2" glue dots (for height) to attach the December 2011 button from Ormolu. I wrote our last name on a mini hang tag and dangled it from the button with some baker's twine. And the cover was done!

If you missed it last week, I wrote a little tutorial on how I made the cover on my 2010 album.

My foundation pages, if you want to call them that, ended up being what I've been calling "bookmarks". I chose 6 holiday patterned papers with colors that matched the Ormolu Merrymaker Number Tags that I got. I cut them all down to 3" wide x 8" high and so I got 4 bookmarks out of each 12x12 sheet, plus I got another 3x8 from the gray polka dot paper (since there is no 'direction' to the paper). I adhered a number to each bookmark - kind of like a file folder tab. I attached the "3" first to get the center, then the "2" and "4" just above + below, and then the "1" and "5" at the top and bottom. And then the next group of 5, and so on. Last year I did all 31 days of December, but this year I'm only planning to do 25. Here is how the bookmarks turned out :

And a couple close-ups. VERY simple. Maybe too simple. I might add some stitching :

All of the papers I choose have either a nice pattern on the back or are a solid color that matches the front. My thought right now is to use the back side for journaling only - to tell the story from that day or that photo.

I'm trying to stretch my dollar a little further with this project, especially because I/we still need to purchase all of the photos that go inside the album, so I'm using the overlays Ali designed last year. I deleted the day of the week in every .png and replaced it with the correct day for 2011. I did not print all of those daily pages like last year because I am planning to use them as photo overlays - where the entire 6x8 page will be a photo with this overlay on it. Maybe with a little text or embellishment added later. On the back of each photo will be the first page of the next day and I don't know yet how I'll fill that. Maybe more journaling, some ephemera (haha, Kristin!), clipping from holiday cards we received, more photos. I'll figure that out when I get there.

For the title page, I used the one from 2010 (with the number 25) - changed the year, changed the .png to red and printed it on transparency :

So, as you flip through the album, it will be :

title page / transparency
December 1 bookmark
(back of bookmark is for journaling December 1)
December 1 photo / overlay
(back of photo is for extras from December 2)
December 2 bookmark
(back of bookmark is for journaling December 2)
December 2 photo / overlay
(back of photo is for extras from December 3)
and so on...

And that's it! Are you playing along this year? I'll be watching the links go up on Ali's blog with everyone's foundation pages. Love the inspiration!

around here this week

2011-11-04T07:30:00.000-04:00

Another Friday. Another week gone by. I imagine they are going to continue going by swiftly through the end of the year.
Car shopping + test-driving with two kids blows. End of story.
The blog passed 50,000 hits! Mostly thanks to Pinterest. Bloggers, did you know this trick?
I've been getting happy mail every day this week! Christmas gifts, scrapbooking supplies + more. Love the sight + sound of that big brown truck driving by.
I am hoarding Bailey's coffee creamer. The stuff flies off the shelf around here + I buy it when I can.
Morgan + Parker have been playing together a lot. Very well for the most part. Lots of "Parker, do you want to play in my room?" Of course, Parker's response to everything is "Yeah!" I absolutely love hearing laughter coming from wherever they are playing. There are some not-so-nice moments too, but I can usually convince Morgan that Parker is little and doesn't understand such-and-such, and I need her to be a good big sister and come get me when she needs help (instead of screaming NO!), so we can teach Parker together to be nice and play nice. Explaining to her that she is my 'bestest helper' usually does the trick.
I reincarnated my Google Reader + added a handful of new blogs to read. I seem to go in phases with adding blogs, then simplifying again and purging 75% of them.
I am incredibly excited to start Project Life next year. I should be receiving my page protectors + dividers tomorrow. I need to resist the urge to put it all together until after I get the other projects on my counter finished.
There is a large amount of candy wrappers in the garbage. Mostly from me.
I'm starting to collect some really great holiday ideas for Thanksgiving + Christmas. Just another reason I [heart] Pinterest.
I'm wondering how the kids are going to respond to the time change on Sunday...
My to-do list is longer than ever, but I've been able to tackle a good portion of it after lunch when Parker naps and Morgan gets some quiet time in her room. A reward chart + Dora stickers seem to be doing the trick to ward of any crankies from her (+ me).
Thank you for the enthusiasm about the Etsy shop. I'm still plugging along with the details. Watch for a little giveaway next week to celebrate my 500th post and the grand opening!

This weekend : Mark has grand plans around the house and I want to finish prepping my December Daily shell. I need to brainstorm holiday card ideas, make wish lists for the kids + go through last year's advent book collection and see what I should replace or replenish. I'm hoping to fit in a trip to the cider mill, a fire in the fireplace + some snuggling on the couch so I can catch up on this week's shows. What are you doing this weekend?

how to make a paper-covered chipboard minibook cover

2011-11-03T07:30:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago I was asked how I made the cover to last year's December Daily album, so today I thought I'd show you how I did it.

First, gather a few supplies.

Next, decide on how big you want your cover to be. In this example, I made a 5x7. What's nice about this cover option is you can make it any size you want. You may consider making the cover a smidge larger than the interior pages, which is what I do. Usually I add 1/4" to the top, right side and bottom (assuming your binding will be on the left side). It's all up to you...

Next, cut your patterned paper or cardstock that you are using for the front side to size. I add 1" on all four sides. So here, I trimmed it down to 7" x 9". If your paper has a pattern and you want it to run in a certain direction (or to be centered), take that into account now.

Now you are going to trim the corners off at a 45 degree angle. I used the 45 degree line on my cutting mat + cut with an exacto knife, but you could also use a triangle or manually measure in 2" from each corner, make a line and cut it off in your paper trimmer. This step is probably the trickiest part. And it's better to cut off a little less than too much because then you'll be exposing your chipboard corners after you fold the edges in.

If you are comfortable using an exacto knife, my preferred way to cut the corners is more of a freehand diamond shape. That way you know your corners will be covered and the overlap is nice. :)

The next step is to score the paper with a bone folder along the edge of the chipboard, joining the points of the four corners of your chipboard cover. If your paper is thin enough, you probably don't need to score it at all.

Fold along the score lines.

Use a tape runner or your favorite adhesive (or even a Xyron if yours is large enough) to attach the paper to the chipboard. Apply pressure to make sure it's glued down firmly with no bubbles on the front of the cover. You could even leave it under a stack of heavy books overnight if you like.

Here's what the front looks like :

And the back :

See the gaps at the corners in the patterned paper? This is why I like the diamond shaped cut above. You really don't need to worry much about them because you are going to put another piece of cardstock / patterned paper on the back to cover it up. As long as the corners meet up nice and tight, all is good.

The last step is to cut a piece of paper (I used a piece of solid cardstock that matched the patterned paper front) for the inside of the cover. I typically cut it 1/8" smaller than the chipboard - or here, 4 7/8" x 6 7/8". Again, bigger is better. You can always trim it down more if you want to see more of the front cover paper on the inside. Here's a closeup shot of one of the corners. See, nice and tight.

Now, make a back cover to match, punch some holes in them (I love the Cropodile for this - you can easily punch front + back at the same time) and add binder rings. And interior pages too, of course.

I hope this was helpful. I know there are a lot of people out there trying to put together their December Daily albums for next month and I think these covers are an inexpensive, sturdy and very customizable alternative to a typical binder or post-bound album. Feel free to leave questions in the comments below!

Next week I will share this years December Daily cover.

One Little Word : October

2011-11-02T07:30:00.000-04:00

I finished my October prompt yesterday, just in time for November's assignment! 10 down, 2 to go. Wow!

Very similar to February, Ali wanted us to fill another 9-pocket page protector with photos related to our life + our word. What represents focus to me right now?

While my focus has not really changed in the last 8 months, my connection with my word is a little easier than it was at the beginning of the year. I've accomplished a lot - big + small And it's crazy how much older Morgan + Parker look. I typed and printed little notes to cut out + add to the small photos.

FOCUS : on me time : on him : on new ideas : on the here + now : on us : on the good stuff : on ambition : on being still : on her.

The back of the page from September's prompt needed to be filled too, so I printed an enlargement for the left side of the layout. The sunset photo was taken when we went camping in August and the dark area in the sand was perfect for handwriting some notes about the month with a white Sharpie poster paint pen. Click on the photo above to enlarge it if you want to read the journaling.

I realized that I never shared my September prompt. Then I looked back in my album and remembered why. The journaling is a bit personal, so I am going to keep it to myself for now. Nothing bad, just nothing that needs to be publicized. :)

Halloween recap

2011-10-31T21:35:00.001-04:00

Just a few more photos from tonight, pre-trick-or-treating :

Since Morgan's first Halloween we've gone over to our friends, Kevin + Erika's house, to adopt their neighborhood on Halloween night, because trick or treating is a little lame in our 'hood for really young kids. It would be lots of walking. And probably whining.

The trick or treating tonight was fun (and plentiful)! In the beginning, Parker was taking candy out of his basket and trying to give it out. He eventually caught on and loved when he got to choose his own piece. By mid-way through the night he was saying "treat-treat" but never with good timing. Usually on the sidewalk on the way to the next house. As for Morgan, she wasn't shy with the nice + loud 'trick or treat's, or the 'thank you's. But, she wasn't much of a fan of having to wait, or share a porch with other kids. Her pail was getting so heavy for her that I was carrying it at the end.

We have way too much candy in this house. Oy!

Hope you all had a nice Halloween too!

Halloween Fun Day

2011-10-31T07:30:00.000-04:00

On Saturday, we took the kids to downtown Farmington for a little trick-or-treating at the stores during their Halloween Fun Day. Morgan was pretty confused why were were trick-or-treating during the day and finally we had convinced her that this was like practice for Monday.

Parker was a knight (I so wish he had a matching hood - not like he would keep it up though) and for weeks, Morgan said she wanted to be Foofa again. What kind of lame mom would I have been if I let her wear last year's costume? Finally, she told us she wanted to be a monkey. Easy enough. I'm still so surprised she didn't want a ballerina/princess/Strawberry Shortcake-type costume. :) There were so many adorable Strawberry Shortcake (and friends) costumes on the streets downtown and she loved them too, but was still very happy being a monkey. "Maybe when I get a little bigger I can be Strawberry Shortcake" she'd say. :)

Of course they are only 3 and 1, but Morgan and Parker are SOOOO not fans of scary costumes. Especially masks. Frankenstein and gorillas topped the list as most frightening for them and they both gripped on to Mark and I for dear life as we walked by.

They got a nice little stash of candy to munch on and they are very excited for tonight's festivities!

In other news : the Etsy shop is a go! Last week, I got a big chunk of the details figured out, including choosing a shop name, putting together ideas of what to sell, and so much more. Man, last week flew by! My first item is in the works and I'm hoping to be open for business with a handful of goodies in the next couple weeks. Slow, but sure...

Plus, my 500th post is approaching. Perhaps a giveaway is in order?

Parker's first year album : bday boy

2011-10-28T07:30:00.000-04:00

(click to enlarge)

At the end of Parker's first year album, I did a few pages from his birthday + party. The paper pinwheels are leftover cupcake toppers from the party. For the record, I can't photograph white layouts to save my life. Instead of tweaking it in Photoshop, you'll just have to take my word for it that the background is white. :)

Journaling reads : Happy 1st Birthday Parker! What an incredible year we have had. I am beyond happy you are my son. You have truly completed our little family. You are an amazing little boy + it has been so exciting to see you + your personality develop. We all love you so, so much. Have a super fun day, P-man!

The pinwheels were the cupcake toppers from the kids birthday party. They turned out to be the perfect little 'extra' to complete this layout.

Thanks for looking (all week long!) + have a wonderful pre-Halloween weekend.

Parker's first year album : M + P

2011-10-27T07:30:00.000-04:00

I couldn't complete Parker's album without creating a layout of photos that span his first year and his relationship with his sister.

This actually is not a digital layout. I had a ton of duplicate photos of just the two of them that I cropped and arranged to fill a 12x12 page (leaving just enough room for a short title) :

Photos of Morgan + Parker together are some of my absolute favorites. They loved each other from the very start. I'm so lucky to have both of them + they are so lucky to have each other.

All week long I am sharing layouts from Parker's completed first year album. Tomorrow's layout : bday boy : Parker turns one.