and I'm Back...

How can it be that a little over 24 hours ago, those were my feet overlooking the Gulf of Mexico? Sigh. We had a seriously amazing time. The beaches, the people, the resort...all wonderful.

The resort was huge and sprawling. The landscaping was amazing. There were monkeys and iguanas everywhere. This was one of my favorite views.

We spent a day at Xcaret natural reserve. We actually snorkeled through this river, in underground caves and natural pools. It was my favorite thing we did all week. I felt like I was in an episode of "Lost."

See that little hut on the left? That was OURS. We camped out there every late afternoon for a swim and drink.

Oh and did I mention that it was just the two of us? NO parenting for a full week. I seriously had to get used to not worrying about anyone but myself. I missed my little pip something fierce but

I'd by lying if I said the break wasn't great.

So I'm back home, buried under a mountain of laundry and itching to scrap. With some luck, I'll be back Wednesday with a layout or two.

Look Look Look!!!

It seems like lately when I get my pictures back, I get 10 shots of the backs of people's heads for every 1 smiling face shot. This family trip to the aquarium was no exception. I will do a regular, 2-page layout documenting our day trip but I also wanted to point out the "look at this, look at that" shots too. I love the shots of Nico with his grandparents and even the baby of the family's fascination with the aquarium.

Most of the paper I used are from Imaginisce's Splash Dance line. I like how whimsical and colorful it is! All of the stickers and glitter letters are old Doodlebug stuff I had. I also used a Hambly overlay on top of the "word" paper. It reminded me of looking through portholes and I thought it went perfectly with the aquatic theme.

The seaweed border is my favorite part of the layout. I freehand cut strips of different green papers and glued them to the back of the white strip of paper. I then gently bent and roughed up some of the edges for texture and added some hidden fish. This was a fun layout to make.

Thanks for taking a peek!

AKA Birthdays & Fireworks

This Fourth of July weekend was one of the craziest we've had in years. We started on Friday with my niece's cooking party, then a pool party, my sister-in-law's 30th birthday, fireworks on the lake and finally a BBQ with friends. Phew! We were exhausted, but happy and grateful that we have lots of family & friends nearby to celebrate with!

Instead of making separate layouts for each of the events, I combined them into this one layout. I will do a separate page of my niece's birthday party, but it will center around her celebration and not the 4th of July. The title comes from one of my favorite old movies (Four Weddings & a Funeral) and it's exactly what it felt like - bopping from one house to another. The color palette came from http://colorcombosgalore.ning.com/. There are some very talented ladies designing for this site. I love the examples and color schemes they come up with!

All of the patterned paper is from We'R Memory Keeper's Old Glory collection (with the exception of the grid paper with is Basics by Basic Grey). The letter stickers and blue star are Basic Grey. The days of the weeks are from last year's Little Yellow Bicycle Traveler line. I made the flag by cutting it out of a sheet of pattern paper (from We'R) and wrapping it around a toothpick. Finally, the tiny metal studs on the banner are Recollections.

Thanks for taking a peek. I'll have an aquarium layout up towards the end of the week!

Summer 2010 Part 1

We've been busy lately enjoying summer and the outdoors. The pictures are really starting to pile up around here! I scrap way less in the summer but I do try to make time to go through my pictures and write down stories and memories while they are still fresh in my old mind.

I picked out a few of my favorites to share with you. These will probably be the next few pages that I'll sit down to do since I love the pictures.

My niece turned 4 this past weekend and we had a pool party at my Dad's house. The purple and green Tinkerbell combination in this photo scares me. This is so NOT a combination that I've ever worked with before. I love the photo and the memory of our little princess in all her Tinkerbell glory though.

She is so very lucky to have both an older brother and an older boy cousin. They dote on her, give in to her whims and are fiercely protective of each other. I'm not sure if I'll include this shot in her birthday layout or do a separate one of her & the boys.

Everyone in my family tends to gather at my Dad's on the weekends. Even more than usual lately since we've had a brutal heatwave in the Northeast. I love this group shot and can't wait to get my hands on some nice aqua and orange paper to go with it!

This is one of my favorite shots of the kids. I adore my niece and nephew. Couldn't love them more if they were my own. Nico is very close to both of them and this makes me happy. Even though he's an only child, he will grow up with cousins that are more like his brother & sister (just like I did). I can't wait to document this relationship.

Oh and this is my FAVORITE picture I have ever taken of Nico and his great-grandmother. Technically, it's not a great photo, but I was able to capture the way she looks at him. He could do no wrong in her eyes and she adores him. It's the same way she's looked at me all of my life. This is a treasure for me.

And last but not least, 4th of July. I'm working on a page about our whirlwind weekend. It should be up Tuesday morning!

Calling All Superheroes

We are a little under a month away from Nico's 5th birthday party. I am in full party planning mode right now and I just got the invites out. I thought I would share this cute invitation idea that I discovered.
Last month, I started scouring the net for invitations, but I had a hard time finding something with more than one superhero. Finally, I stumbled on this little beauty....

I purchased the image from a graphic artist on etsy.com! I ended up buying every single superhero image that she had and I plan to make my own goody bag labels and decorations.

I used more of the graphics for this little 3x5 insert card to the invite. I was able to manipulate the image and add the "5" on Superman's chest. So cool!

And lastly, the envelope. I added the yellow circle on my own and then layered the Batman on top. I think these make supercute custom invites at a fraction of the cost. Who knew you could buy graphic images on Etsy?!

I'll share the rest of the party decorations and photos next month. My little pip is so excited about his superhero party. Shhhh....he doesn't know it, but we've hired Batman to make an appearance. His reaction is going to be priceless and I can't wait.

I'll be back soon with more summer layouts!

Work in Progress Kit

My final three projects all made with the July Work in Progress kit. For more information and my interview, please visit http://www.wipkits.blogspot.com/. I'm the guest designer for the month of July. If you scroll down a bit, you'll see my post!

I loved these sandcastle punches that were included in the kit. They are actually two separate pieces with small pop dots in the center. The brown ribbon was also included in the kit and I stitched it onto my layout with embroidery floss. The background paper is a specialty paper that I picked up at Michael's not long ago. I thought it was perfect for a "sand" layout.

This layout is a combination of Echo Park (gingham & flowers) and My Little Shoebox (circle). I love these bright colors and thought they were perfect for a girly page. This is soooo out of my comfort zone since I never use pink. This was challenging!

This is a mix of Jenni Bowlin (all of the pattern paper) and The Girl's Paperie (flags). I loved the bold colors in this palette. The numbers on this page reminded me of the boardwalk games that we play every summer. I've had these pictures in my pile for 2 years now and I finally found the perfect paper for them.
I've had a whirlwind of a weekend and I'm just catching up. I'll post photos and layouts soon!

Echo Park + WIP Kits

This is a project that I made with the July Work in Progress kit. I love this kit - it's full of bright bold designs like the paper and stickers from Echo Park Paper Co. and lots of Jenni Bowlin goodies.

I made 6 little flags as a play on my page title. I thought it was a subtle and different way to scrap the same theme park pictures that I take every year. The sticks are shish kabob skewers that I picked up at the grocery store.

There are so many great Echo Park stickers in this kit. I am happy to say that I used almost all of them! I added some journaling right on the cloud because that bitty journaling spot wasn't enough space for my story. I measured the space, stuck the sticker on cardstock, aligned the text in Photoshop Elements and printed. Finally, I cut the sticker out and pop dotted onto my layout.

My other project was this vacation countdown doorhanger that I made for my son. Since at 4-1/2, he has no real sense of time yet, he keeps asking me (daily) when we are going to the shore house. I made this so he has a concrete reminder of how much time we still have to go. Mind you it's almost 2 months away. He can't wait to put it up though!
I loved working with this kit. Everything went together nicely and really motivated me to do some summery pages.
I'll post 2 more projects tomorrow!

Playtime

I just got all of this new Oliver line from Basic Grey last week and I couldn't wait to play with it! I love this boy line with it's bright colors and signature shabby look. My favorite thing from the entire line is that big pop-up arrow. I love the shape and bold colors. This page came together in a little over an hour, which is pretty quick for me. I *heart* Basic Grey quite a bit lately!

This page is all about playtime around here. Nico just waits for Patrick to come home and immediately pounces on him begging to play. Mind you, most days he has played all afternoon at preschool, we've spent the day with friends or I've played with him for several hours - but it seems like nothing compares to playtime with his Dad. It's a memory I've wanted to get down for a long time and I'm so glad that I did!

Oh Heck Yeah

So two weeks ago DH came home and said, "I need a break. Book something now. Anywhere." He didn't need to ask me twice. I hopped on Expedia and had us booked on a vacation in a New York minute. I didn't have the usual time to plan our trip or get any hotel recommendations so I went with this...

I will be sleeping on this bed very soon. Oh heck yeah.

And I will be taking an outdoor shower in this. Yup, I basically picked a hotel because of it's beach beds and a bathroom. Let's hope that I've made a good decision. How bad could it be?

1. Passports have been found.
2. Grandparents are in place. We've decided that the boy wouldn't like the beach bed or the shower.
3. Very stressed out husband is happy.

I can't say exactly when we're going, internet security and all that stuff...but it's getting close and I'm excited. I've got blog posts and layouts lined up on auto-post, so you won't miss a beat with my absence.

Keeping my fingers crossed that beach beds and outdoor showers, a vacation make!

I'll be back tomorrow with a new layout I've been working on...

Circle of Flowers

I've been playing around with some of the Summertime line by Echo Park Paper Co. and I decided to make some flowers. I think the happy colors and patterns of this paper are perfect for this type of project. First, I started out with a series of circle punches ranging from 2" to 1/2" in diameter.

Next, I used my handy distresser tool from Making Memories to rough up the edges a bit.

I stacked the distressed circles and glued them together with some temporary dot adhesive. Then I drew random circles and made sure I liked the spacing before piercing holes through the center.

I filled the holes with green jewel and plain top brads. Next, I punched out a 3" flower and sewed two circles around the edges. I glued it all together and then stuck it on a stick!

Here is a sneak peek at the finished product. And yes, I did a girlie page - complete with flowers and butterflies and PINK! This was very outside of my comfort zone, but I liked the challenge. I'm still tweaking it and adding pictures. I'll finish this page soon and post it next week!

A Good Story

I love a good story and I've come to realize that Nico does too. I've been reading to him regularly since he was a tiny baby and he has always had an amazing attention span for books. Every once in a while, I'll catch him reading at his little desk. On this particular morning, he was so engrossed in the story that he didn't even hear me taking pictures. And when he did notice me, he said "hi mom" and just kept right on reading.

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I love these alphabet flash cards from October Afternoon and I think they went perfectly with the reading theme. I added a list of his favorite books at the time (2009) since they change all of the time and journaled the story inside of the pocket. The quote ("There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate's loot on Treasure Island") is by Walt Disney and is one of my favorites.

There is a mish mosh of manufacturers on this page and yet somehow, it all went together and matched. Supply list: Pattern paper: Basic Grey (kraft grid), Girls Paperie (stripe), Pink Paislee (navy brocade). Fabric pleats: Pink Paislee. White title: Basic Grey. Chipboard title: Pink Paislee. Pocket: 7Gypsies. Stickers: October Afternoon.

I'm busy working away on projects for a guest designer spot at WIP Kits. I'm knee deep in beautiful products and hopefully I can come up with some great pages. Wish me luck!

Aliens,Trains & Dinner

Isn't it funny how kids do the same exact thing every single day for months & months and then one day, they just stop? That's what happened with our dinner alien stories recently, so I wanted to make a page before the memory completely fades. I can't tell you how happy I am that I took these pictures last year.
Getting Nico to eat dinner was a challenge. He was slow and distracted and antsy. Sometimes dinner was/is a torturous process for him and US! One day, Patrick started telling him a story about how these aliens sat down next to him on the train and Nico was just mesmerized. We made a rule that Papa would continue with the story only if Nico continued eating. This is what we call creative parenting and it worked like a charm!
This went on for about 9 months and then slowly Nico developed more patience at the dinner table. Today, we talk about our day, what we're doing tomorrow and who Nico played with. The alien stories only come up once every few weeks. I miss the stories and Nico's funny reactions. But I also love that he is growing up and we can actually have dinner conversation now. One day when he's a teenage boy and eating me out of house and home, it will be funny to look back at a time when we had to cajole Nico into eating (even pizza).

Supply list: Scallop paper, alien, grey & yellow papers: Orbit Collection by Crate Paper. Aqua and text paper: October Afternoon. Title: Thickers (black), October Afternoon. Journaling Card: October Afternoon. Stick pin: Making Memories. Aliens: American Crafts. Metal Studs: Recollections.

At the Zoo

This is my little guy at the Philadelphia Zoo this week and that is his new "smile." I don't know where he got it from, but I swear that grin looks like the monkey on his shirt. They look like twins.

My brave boy insisted on riding this camel alone. He said that he wanted his very own camel and that was fine by me. He hung on for dear life with his skinny little legs.

See that look up there. That the universal naughty little boy look. I should have recognized it and anticipated. The minute I put the camera down and looked away, he attempted to mount that poor animal and ride it like a horse. A scuffle ensued. Neither animal or boy was hurt, but Mama was embarassed and MAD and scared! Nico claimed that he didn't know that he couldn't ride this animal but this picture proves him wrong.

And lastly, the reason we don't eat our young - sometimes they are just too cute for words.

Have a great weekend! I'll be back Monday with layouts. Promise!

Summer Routines

One of the things that I have enjoyed most about being a SAHM for the past couple of years is - SUMMER! One day when I go back to work full-time, I know that I'm going to miss these long lazy days of summer.

We spend most of our time outdoors with friends enjoying the beach, pool and waterpark. Every single day is planned out - Monday (stay home/chores), Tuesday (waterpark with the Coffmans), Wednesday (Mama works/Nico goes to camp), Thursday (pool dates with the Medina's), Friday (cousins' playdate). I know that this time in Nico's childhood won't last forever, so I want to savor every last bit. Although I have to admit, by the time September rolls around we're exhausted and ready for the indoors!

I wanted to emphasize our weekly routine and this patterned paper with the days of the week was perfect. The cute thermometer was the best 50 cents I ever spent on a die cut. I love the rainbow colors and shape. I think one of the things that makes this layout "work" is the repetition of the rainbow color pattern. It's in the strip at the top, the thermometer in the center, and in the Itinerary card on the lower left hand side .

I think that this is my favorite recent layout! (Supply list: Pattern paper, cardstock, die cut: We'R Memory Keepers, Brown title: Bella Blvd, Aqua Title: Thickers, Aqua tiny letters: My Little Shoebox. Ribbon: Bo Bunny. Transparency arrow: Little Yellow Bicycle. Itinerary card: October Afternoon. Flag: Making Memories. Orange studs: Me & My Big Ideas.)

Thanks so much for taking a peek!

Getting Titles Right

I had a great question from a blogger recently about how I get my layout titles straight since I tend to use a mixture of fonts and sizes. I thought the rest of my blog readers might be interested in the answer as well.

These are the clear acetate sheets that most pre-glued embellishments and stickers come on. Instead of trashing them, I collect them! I have a small box of different sizes and lengths. One of the sides is always coated so that stickers come off easily and that makes them really easy to work with. I test out all of my titles on these sheets before putting them down on a layout.

I don't always want a straight title, so I'll just use the clear acetate to see how the title fits in the space. Other times (like above), I want a perfectly straight title so I place the acetate on top of a piece of grid pattern paper and then line up my letters. This makes getting the right spacing and straight lines a snap!

Here is the finished product and a sneak peek at the layout that I'm currently working on. Hopefully, I'll finish it tonight and have it up tomorrow.

And thanks to Callie for the great question!