paper passion and pixel mania

Game Changer

2012-01-29T00:02:00.000-08:00

This week hit me like a ton of bricks. I try to spend my time squeezing the most of of everyday moments, but every now and then I'm reminded again at the fragility of life. My dad has been sick for the past few months with something we knew (due to his changing color from flesh to yellow) was liver related. On Tuesday evening things took a turn, he had been seen by the specialist the day before and was waiting for a biopsy, but things were definitely much worse. By Wednesday we took him to the E.R. knowing that something just wasn't right. (More not right than being very yellow and bloated.) The doctor pulled two and a half liters of infected fluid out of his abdomen. Good thing we got him in there. He spent three nights in the hospital. Now we have the beginnings of an idea of what we're up against. It's a very long road with some hope and many many unknowns. There has been talks of transplant, but there are treatment options that will hopefully work before we end up in that boat. His spirits were very good the whole time. We laughed a lot to pass the time making yellow jokes whenever possible, and enjoying the kindness of all the hospital staff. If I am in and out in the future I hope you don't mind too much. I am a bit of a daddy's girl, and want to be sure he has all of the help necessary. If you think to, pray for my dad and my mom as she struggles through this time with him. God bless you all.

They filled up 2 1/2 of these, and could have filled 8 more.

My mom and dad making the best of a tough night.

Visiting Pa in the hospital

Snuggling with Pa

Yellow Pa

Mama feeding her son.

These were a couple of the pictures I didn't get posted before the liver Game Changer.

Chesterton Quote of the Day

"There is no such thing as fighting on the winning side;
one fights to find out which is the winning side."
-G.K. Chesterton, What's Wrong with the World

Anchors Away

2012-01-22T23:30:00.000-08:00

After Mass we spent the rest of our quiet Sunday at home listening to the sound of the rainfall. It's a peaceful lonely sound, and we were missing Stan. The girls wear his shirts as jamies when he's gone. They always say the shirts "smell like dad". I'm sure they mean that in a good way. To fit the mood of the day we dug through the uniforms Stan left at home to find a little memento to use with today's photo. The hat, the anchor, the "USN", the big blue eyes all tell the story of today.

Chesterton Quote of the Day

"The principle expressed in the Prayer Book in the words 'for better, for worse'... is the principle that all noble things have to be paid for, even if you only pay for them with a promise."
-G.K. Chesterton

Wisdom of the Ages

2012-01-21T23:30:00.000-08:00

I was talking to my dad this afternoon about getting older. With all four of his kids into their thirties, a marriage of 39 years and his 60th birthday around the corner there is a treasure chest of wisdom on file. He was telling me that each year he meets new people and deepens old friendships, he's seen the joys and ravages of life on peoples' hearts. How it increases your empathy for the souls you meet, but sometimes makes it hard to bear so many burdens. We talked about bearing one another's burdens in love. We talked about prayer and kindness and forgiveness. Just reminded me of one of the thousand reasons I am so thankful for my dad.

Now for a few pictures of my daddy's girl. Loved how the snow reflected onto her eyes and really made that gorgeous blue pop.

Chesterton Quote of the Day

"The world will never starve for want of wonders; but only for want of wonder."
-G.K. Chesterton, Tremendous Trifles

Tromping through the Snow

2012-01-20T23:30:00.000-08:00

Here comes the rain again, keeps running through my head. Friday morning we headed outside as the rain began to fall to try to catch a few more shots in all that beautiful snow before it turned from a Winter Wonderland to soppy Northwest Rain-land. Torrey with her parasol and I with my hoodie had just settled in for a quick winter shoot... We got a few fun shots in before she decided to run back inside to get out of her dress and into her snow pants for one last go at building a snowman.

Chesterton Quote of the Day

"The principle is this: that in everything worth having, even in every pleasure,
there is a point of pain or tedium that must be survived,
so that the pleasure may revive and endure....
In everything on this earth that is worth doing, there is a stage when no one would do it,
except for necessity or honor."
-G.K. Chesterton, What's Wrong With the World

At the Lamppost

2012-01-19T23:30:00.000-08:00

With the first two days of snow completely dedicated to mad sledding fun, I was able to sneak in a quick shoot before day three of sledding began. Inspired again by Pinterest, we dusted off an old lantern and pulled a basket out of the closet to see what we could come up with. I'm not going to lie to you, I am in love with how these turned out. They seem to me to have a Narnia-esque feel to them with the snow and the lamppost. The whole world is so entirely quiet in the snow. The hustle and bustle of the thousand things that needed to be done all seem to be muffled by the silence of falling snow.

"And, for this is the end of all the stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after. But, for them, it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover, and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on Earth has read: which goes on forever: in which every chapter is better than the one before."
-C.S. Lewis

Chesterton Quote of the Day

"Every great literature has always been allegorical - allegorical of some view of the whole universe. The Iliad is only great because all life is a battle, The Odyssey because all life is a journey, and The Book of Job because all life is a riddle."
-G.K. Chesterton, Defendant

New Adventures

2012-01-18T23:30:00.000-08:00

Yes, there's a first time for everything. Under the crazy wonderful onslaught of snow we received this week came time off for new adventures. While home bound for the week we did get to hitch our first ride on a sled on the back of a quad. I'm sure there are loads of people that have felt the spray of snow as they were whipped around a corner behind a quad, but this was our very first time (thank you Mark). What a way to experience the snow. If you haven't ever tried this particular brand of snow-fun you should definitely make fast friends with the owner of a quad.

Chesterton Quote of the Day

"To love anything is to see it
at once under lowering skies of danger.
Loyalty implies loyalty in misfortune."

-G.K. Chesterton, All Things Considered

Let ot Snow!

2012-01-17T23:30:00.000-08:00

Our snow finally arrived Tuesday in the wee hours of morning. The girls woke up to no school and the loads of snow they had been praying for. We spent a good chunk of the day sledding down our big hill over and over. Needless to say they slept pretty well after their adventures in the wide world of stark and gorgeous white.

Torrey unaware that she's about to get pelted by an incoming snowball.

The happy sledders

Going down our big hill.

Going up our big hill

Is it odd that both my girls are still posing while using a friend as a human shield?

Chesterton Quote of the Day

"...White is a color. It is not a mere absence of color, it is a shining and affirmative thing: as fierce as red, as definite as black. When (so to speak) your pencil grows red hot, it draws roses; and when it grows white hot, it draws stars. And one of the two or three defiant verities of the best religious morality - of real Christianity, for example - is exactly this same thing. The chief assertion of religious morality is that white is a color. Virtue is not the absence of vices or the avoidance of moral dangers; virtue is a vivid and separate thing, like pain or a particular smell. Mercy does not mean not being cruel or sparing people revenge or punishment: it means a plain and positive thing like the sun which on has either seen or not seen, Chasitity does not mean abstention from sexual wrong; it means something flaming like Joan of Arc. In a word, God paints in many coulors, but He never paints so gorgeously - I had almost said gaudily - as when He paints in white."

-G.K. Chesterton, Tremendous Trifles

Winter Waiting

2012-01-16T23:30:00.000-08:00

Another day without any measurable snowfall to speak of and the girls are desperately hoping for some tomorrow. There is something about snow (especially when you live in an area that only sees a little bit each year) that takes the winter doldrums away. So here's to waking up in the morning to a winter wonderland!

Chesterton Quote of the Day

"The fact is that purification and austerity are even more necessary
for the appreciation of life and laughter than for anything else.
To let no bird fly past unnoticed, to spell patiently the stones and weeds,
to have the mind a store-house of sunsets,
requires discipline in pleasure and an education in gratitude."
-G.K. Chesterton, Twelve Types

A Spark of Inspiration

2012-01-16T06:00:00.001-08:00

Starting this month with the Glitz Designs design team we are working with a monthly inspiration piece for our projects. This month I was inspired by sparkles, swags, strings and shades from this photo.

For my first layout, I was inspired by the letters on a string and decided to mimic the swagged letters with a few banners. The pale yellows and greens were such a great combo, I changed the proportions and made the pale green the dominant color. The sparkly snow letters inspired me to dig through my stash to find some white glittered letters to add to my title.

Glitz Design "Dance in the Sunshine" Papers: Raindrops, Strip, Polka, Birds, Floral
Glitz Design "Dance in the Sunshine" Epoxy Words
Glitz Design "Dance in the Sunshine" What Nots
Glitz Design "Dance in the Sunshine" Trim

For my second layout, I was inspired by the soft white accents layered in the garland and added sheer floral ribbon, a doily and a cardstock sticker to strips of lace and pleated paper. The touch of glitter in the photo inspired me to add a little sparkle with a Glitzer sticker and a rhinestone.

Glitz Design "Vintage Blue" Papers: Polka, Motif, Floral
Glitz Design "Beautiful Dreamer" Paper: Stripe
Glitz Design "Vintage Blue" Titles cardstock stickers
Glitz Design "Vintage Blue" Glitzer stickers
Glitz Design "Vintage Blue" Peek a Boos
Glitz Design "Vintage Blue" Rhinestones
Glitz Design "Beautiful Dreamer" Trim
Glitz Design "Beautiful Dreamer" What Nots
Glitz Design "Beautiful Dreamer" Journaling cardstock stickers

A Spot of Snow

2012-01-15T21:10:00.000-08:00

Our first snow of the year was in the forecast this weekend and we were hoping for a good amount of that white stuff. Hopes of snowballs, sledding and general winter merriment. I was hoping to get some fun snow pictures between the fun, but alas the weather didn't deliver the goods. On our way to Church this morning the trees had that fairytale look with each branch outlined in white. However, by the time we got home the majority of it had melted away. So we have the splotches of snow-covered grass in the background instead. If you look close at the bottom photo you can see the steam from Torrey's mouth.

Chesterton Quote of the Day:

"The world will never starve for want of wonders;

but only for want of wonder."

-G.K. Chesterton, Tremendous Trifles

Brown Paper

2012-01-15T06:00:00.000-08:00

This month our Punky Sprouts challenge was to create a project using a kraft paper line as our main paper. Punky Sprouts products are quite literally a blank canvas. Lil' Stems can be pleated or ruffled or misted or twisted. Punky Blossoms create texture without a lot of bulk. They can be kept flat or folded or scrunched or sewed. Add white ink or cardstock or journaling or doilies to stand out as a brilliant and positive color against the brown paper. In the words of one of my favorite authors, G.K. Chesterton, "Brown paper represents the primal twilight of the first toil of creation, and with a bright-colored chalk or two you can pick out points of fire in it, sparks of gold, and blood-red, and sea-green, like the first fierce stars that sprang out of divine darkness."

So take up the Punky Challenge this month, find your favorite kraft paper line or a Punky Playground and bring out the sparks of gold against the neutral beauty and blank canvas of brown kraft paper.

To make pleats with Punky Lil' Stems, sew a straight stitch with a sewing machine while folding the canvas over then under to form pleats. I loved the texture it gave to the layout and the contrast of the hot pink thread on the canvas.

To make flowers fold the Punky Blossom in half several times and sew, glue or staple the bottom corner edge. With the bottom edge secured, begin opening and flattening to form a flower.

Heart of Cold

2012-01-14T23:23:00.000-08:00

Our first snow of the season arrived without much fanfare today. We were hoping for enough for some wild sledding action down our big hill, but we settled for a half inch and a cute little snowball heart. Perhaps our chance of enough glittering white fun has not passed us by entirely yet, but only time will tell. Happy Saturday!

Chesterton Quote of the Day

It was one of those chilly and empty afternoons in early winter,

when the daylight is silver rather than gold and pewter rather than silver.

-G. K. Chesterton

Vintage Unaware

2012-01-13T23:30:00.000-08:00

While Emma was out this afternoon Torrey and I were going to head to the State Park for a few pictures... but lulled to passivity by the warmth of the wood stove, we decided to just hit the backyard then run back in and get warm. She grabbed their lovely gray coat and one of my headbands, and threw the moment into a beautiful vintage European look. I couldn't choose one shot as my favorite for today, so since I can... I chose two. The first I chose because it had such a different look about it. The second I chose because I am clearly a sucker for a close up of that face and those eyes.

Chesterton Quote of the Day:

“The true soldier fights not because he hates

what is in front of him,

but because he loves what is behind him.”
― G.K. Chesterton

Fairy tales

2012-01-12T23:30:00.000-08:00

It was Kid's Choice Thursday again for P365+1. It was Emma's so she scrolled through my Pinterest folder to find an inspiration shot and to provide a break from homework. She found one to get us started and went to work. A pile of lumber makes for a great prop in a pinch. She even tried a few shots with her eyes closed because she thought it would be pretty. They made me think of fairy tale type shots... an almost magical feel to them.

This was a quick shot so she could see the progress on growing out her hair... man, it's getting long!

I saw this on Pinterest the other day, and thought it was a reminder for getting better results with your DSLR. Don't have a DSLR, many of these options can be used with the features on a Point & Shoot digital camera.

Chesterton quote of the day:

“Fairy tales are more than true;

not because they tell us that dragons exist,

but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.”
-G.K. Chesterton

A Splash of Color

2012-01-12T13:30:00.000-08:00

I started to edit these pictures last night, but was nodding off at the computer so I figured it was just time to call it a night. So here they are today. Took a few pictures in front of our turquoise door since it went so nicely with Torrey's shirt. She chose the first shot as her favorite of the bunch. It's been a real transition finding poses that suit their ages that are neither to young nor too grown up for their in between-ness. Any suggestions for sites with good ideas for this age group?

Chesterton quote of the day:

"Religious liberty might be supposed to mean

that everybody is free to discuss religion.

In practice it means that hardly anybody is allowed to mention it."
-G.K. Chesterton

Opportunity Everywhere

2012-01-10T23:40:00.000-08:00

One of the troubles I sometimes come across with Project 365 is the pressure to come up with new ideas. Now my photos generally are focused on my girls, since the motivation for me is the fun in capturing the memory of that one moment in time that will never be repeated. {Emma will never again be 10 years + 3 days old!} I love being able to look back over the years at that almost invisible daily change that happens before our eyes as our grow. So I've gotten back into the habit of keeping my camera with me whenever it's reasonable. We stopped by a store on our way home from school today, and I noticed this cool brick wall near the parking lot. We walked over and snapped a few shots. Even the moss on the asphalt worked its way into the backdrop. It was just another reminder that the opportunity is everywhere to capture the magic of the moment of day to day life.

Chesterton quote of the day:

"In the end it will not matter to us whether we wrote well or ill;
whether we fought with flails or reeds.
It will matter to us greatly on what side we fought.”
— G.K. Chesterton

nine days old

2012-01-09T23:30:00.000-08:00

My 365+1 project is nine days old today. It really doesn't sound like much in light of the 357 days left, but we're on our way anyhow. I'm thankful for my photo idea board on Pinterest for supplying me with inspiration. It's really helping out on these bleak rainy days we've been having. Nothing like getting the shot under the eaves of the roof! But the silver lining in that cloudy sky is the soft naturally filtered light. Keep an eye out for the millions of magic moments disguised in daily life.

“To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it.”

G. K. Chesterton

A Walk in the Woods

2012-01-08T23:30:00.000-08:00

Happy Epiphany Sunday! I'm sitting here trying to type while periodically dozing off. If this ends up nonsensical, you'll know why. Anyhow, for today's photo we figured we'd utilize the woods in our backyard as a backdrop. The picture of the day ended up with a sort of Alice in Wonderland feel to it, although the white rabbit eluded us.

Sadly I am entirely too sleepy to come up with anything else remotely witty enough to be worthy of print. So I will sign off for the evening with a quick Chesterton quote.

"Daybreak is a never ending glory; getting out of bed is a never ending nuisance." - G.K. Chesterton

reflections on a decade

2012-01-07T23:30:00.000-08:00

Tonight I'm feeling a little slow for a fair number of nights in a row with only a few hours of sleep, so forgive me if I'm a little off my game. (Not that I'm normally terribly impressive when I'm on my game).

My baby girl entered the wide world of life in the double digit category. I can hardly believe a decade has gone by since she first graced our lives with that sweet face. I stayed up till all hours, hence the no sleep, flipping through photos from the last ten years of her life. She's grown from my babe in arms to a lovely young lady only two inches shorter than me. But all through the past ten years her tender spirit, giving nature, helpful hands and sweet smile have remained very much the same. I look forward, God willing, to enjoying the next decade of life, change and adventure with this precious little gift of mine.

Torrey got up and made Emma cinnamon ro

For her birthday Emma wanted to wear a "poofy" dress and
this tiara-style headband that belonged to Stan's grandma.

A little compendium of the first ten years...

Day Off

2012-01-07T00:28:00.000-08:00

The girls got the day off from 365 modeling today and spent a good chunk of the day plugging away on homework. So to keep it simple, I grabbed my big-daddy of a camera and held it out cellphone self-portrait style and snapped a few shots. This is what I ended up with. Tomorrow is Emma's 10th birthday, and I suppose I should get to wrapping her presents before daybreak. The time is flying by entirely too fast with the girl, but since stopping the clock is not an option I'll do my best to savor each precious little moment.

"We have come out of the shallows and the dry places to the one deep well;
and the Truth is at the bottom of it."
-G.K. Chesterton

Vintage Inspired

2012-01-05T23:42:00.000-08:00

When I talked to the girls about doing Project 365 again especially for the sake of providing Daddy with pictures of his growing girls while he was gone, they asked if there could be "Kid's Choice" days each week where they'd pick the idea and/or location for the photos. Today was Torrey's choice, so she browsed through my Pinterest Photography board and found the above Old Hollywood style shot as inspiration. After a little hair curling action and digging out a vintage hat we were ready. These were the shots we came up with, the first as Torrey's pick for picture of the day.

Bits & Pieces

2012-01-04T22:33:00.000-08:00

Where we geniuses hang out... here at the Genius Bar.

I spent part of my morning at the Mac store having Stan's computer repaired. It crashed the day he arrived overseas making our communication abilities pretty spotty for the first few weeks. So he mailed it home and I took it to the genius guy at the Genius Bar. The very kind genius guy found the wacky problem cable inside the laptop and within 15 minutes it was working as good as new. Hurray for Apple Care! So back in the mail it will go to my handsome sailor on the other side of the world.

In other hardly riveting and unimportant daily news, it was a very blustery and rainy day here in the Evergreen State. We got a long enough break in the rain to pop outside and snap a few quick pictures in the shadow of my favorite tree. The first was the pick of the day, the second was the runner up and the third was just a sweet smile I couldn't resist.

decisions. decisions.

2012-01-03T22:10:00.000-08:00

One of the things that bogs me down a bit about Project 365 is having to make a choice. I know I have to make a thousand little choices a day, but sometimes it feels like P365 adds two hundred more! That's probably because I cannot simply take one picture... I somehow manage to shoot (with my rapid fire shutter) 150-200 shots per day. Many are duplicates as I keep the continuous shoot mode selected on my camera. But it adds a lot of decisions and editing at the end of each day. Not to mention the fact that I have a terribly hard time deleting photos. I've gotten much better over the years, but I still have tens of thousands of photos saved on multiple hard drives and servers.

Now that I've finished my confessional rant, here is the photo I chose for today, and the other contenders for the day. I have a busy day tomorrow, so hopefully I won't get too trigger happy with the ol' Nikon. Happy snapping!

This was the #2 favorite of the day, but in the end Torrey chose the first one as her favorite.

I loved this run down looking wall at an old abandoned grocery store in town.

Project 365+1

2012-01-02T23:35:00.000-08:00

With Stan off on another deployment, I thought I'd try my hand at another year of Project 365 (+1 with leap year this year). I hit a road block last year about half way through and just couldn't manage to finish out the year, though I made it through the previous two years. With the girls growing like weeds (Emma's grown an inch in the past two months, and they're both only two inches shorter than me now) I wanted to be sure to keep Stan updated on the daily life of his little ladies.

Welcome 2012

I read this quote the other night while reading my latest Chesterton book, The Defense of Sanity, and it reminded me so much of my daily battle with tidiness, I thought my husband may enjoy this little epigraph of me.

"Perhaps it would be the exaggeration of eulogy to call me a tidy person. But I can always pretty satisfactorily account for all my possessions."
-G.K. Chestertson

All I Want for Christmas... is you

2011-12-27T10:09:00.000-08:00

I was searching through my photo archives remembering Christmases gone by. I came across these fun pictures of my husband and I from a few years ago. They were taken the day before he deployed just before the holidays in 2007. He was gone that Christmas, and he is deployed again this Christmas. As I was flipping through the pictures the song "All I want for Christmas is You" began to play on my Pandora Christmas station. They struck me as the perfect lyrics for the pictures. Do you have a set of photos that would match up perfect with one of the many Christmas songs? Add the lyrics right on the photos, print and add them to your favorite Punky Sprouts album. (This is Punky Sprout's Teeny Beanie Album.) Have a very Merry Christmas!

I hope you had a very Merry Christmas and are looking forward to the blessings to come in the New Year.

Color Changes & Happy Accidents

2011-12-19T06:00:00.001-08:00

The Christmas season brings with it a thousand traditions big and small. From sentimental decorations to secret family recipes to sacred customs. It seems that significance is infused into everything around us. I love to take moments out during the holidays to reflect on all of the things I am thankful for around me and in my life. For our family, it's a deployment year. Which means that we'll be minus one during the season and beyond. It is a stark but valuable reminder to our family to be thankful for all of the time we do get to spend together knowing how precious each moment really is. I saw a sign recently that read, "What if you woke up tomorrow with only the things you thanked God for today?" It struck me as an especially good reminder for me this holiday season.

Taking a note from finding significance in all that surrounds us during the holiday season try changing up the color schemes on your Christmas layouts to another color that helps tell the story of your Christmas photos. The sweetness of these photos of daddy and daughter taken just before he left for deployment are wrapped in the charm of the soft textures and colors of the paper and embellishments.

Glitz Design "Beautiful Dreamer" Papers: Floral, Polka, Stripe
Glitz Design "Beautiful Dreamer" Epoxy Word Stickers
Glitz Design "Beautiful Dreamer" Peek-a-Boos
Glitz Design "Beautiful Dreamer" Trims

When I was working on this layout I grabbed my die cut machine to punch these frames. The set of cutting pads I grabbed were full of nicks and grooves from their many trips through my Big Shot. I sent the first batch through and they came out embossed with the nick and groove pattern from the cutting pad. It was a happy accident that added a little extra texture to my layout.

Glitz Design "Vintage Blue" Papers: Motif, Polka, Toile
Glitz Design "Dance in the Sunshine" Paper: Damask
Glitz Design "Vintage Blue" Titles cardstock stickers
Glitz Design "Vintage Blue" Peek-a-Boos
Glitz Design "Vintage Blue" Epoxy Word Stickers
Glitz Design "Vintage Blue" Trims
Glitz Design Teeny Alpha Pearl

i love you. always.

2011-11-28T18:32:00.001-08:00

"Many a man has been lucky in marrying the woman he loves.

But he is luckier in loving the woman he marries."

-G.K. Chesterton

Heading very soon into deployment number eight, I am thankful again and always for my husband. For his sacrifices and service, for his courage and character, for his heart and his faith.
I love you.

Our 12th Anniversary
11.14.11

"But the traditions of humanity support humanity; and the central one is this tradition of Marriage. And the essential of it is that a free man and a free woman choose to found on earth the only voluntary state; the only state which creates and which loves its citizens. So long as these real responsible beings stand together, they can survive all the vast changes, deadlocks and disappointments wich make up mere political history." -G.K. Chesterton

Fire & Ice

2011-11-14T06:00:00.000-08:00

One year ago today I was enjoying the sunshine on a small beach in Fiji. It was my eleventh anniversary, and my husband and I were on the trip of a lifetime. After six long deployments, falling over half of our total anniversaries, it was a dream come true. Ten days with no TV, computers, cars or cares.

Today we're gearing up for deployment number eight, in the next few weeks. It might not be Fiji, but it is what makes our lives uniquely ours. The daily wonders and heartaches, these are the things that mold our hearts and bring us closer together. Life is beautiful in all of its joys and sorrows, because of our joys and sorrows. My hope is to seize each instant and truly live.

Last year, we soaked in the beauty of each moment of those ten perfect days in the sun, and came home to a fresh falling snow and the warm glow of our own hearth and home.

Glitz Design "Dance in the Sunshine" Papers: Stripe, Polka, Floral, Damask

Glitz Design "Vintage Blue" Paper: Floral

Glitz Design "Dance in the Sunshine" What Nots
Glitz Design "Dance in the Sunshine" Trim
Glitz Design Teeny Alpha Mint Grunge

Glitz Design "Beautiful Dreamer" Papers: Toile, Stripe, Polka

Glitz Design "Beautiful Dreamer" Cardstock Title Stickers

Glitz Design "Beautiful Dreamer" Epoxy Word Stickers

Glitz Design "Beautiful Dreamer" Peek-a-Boos

Glitz Design "Beautiful Dreamer" Paper Layers

Glitz Design "Beautiful Dreamer" What Nots

Glitz Design "Beautiful Dreamer" Trim

When Skies are Gray

2011-10-17T06:00:00.000-07:00

The gray skies have hit Washington State, and fall is underway. There always is a certain bit of sorrow knowing we'll see very little of that glorious sunshine as the next few months pass into winter. But even in the gray skies of winter, I'm blessed to be in a home filled with the sunshine of family and friends.

Take a minute to jot down a few of the things that bring a little brightness into your life, grab your stash of Glitz goodies and fill the coming gray days with plenty of sunshine.

Glitz Design "Vintage Blue" Papers: Rose, Stripe, Motif, Toile
Glitz Design "Vintage Blue" Titles cardstock stickers
Glitz Design "Dance in the Sunshine" What Nots
Glitz Design "Dance in the Sunshine" Glitzer stickers
Glitz Design "Dance in the Sunshine" Trim
Glitz Design "Vintage Blue" Trim
Glitz Design Teeny Alpha Pearl

Glitz Design "Beautiful Dreamer" Papers: Houndstooth, Polka
Glitz Design "Beautiful Dreamer" Titles cardstock stickers

Glitz Design "Beautiful Dreamer" What Nots

Glitz Design "Beautiful Dreamer" Trim

Glitz Design "Beautiful Dreamer" Peek-a-Boos

Today I lost a friend

2011-10-11T21:31:00.000-07:00

Today I lost a dear friend to lung cancer. She lived each day to the fullest, loved everyone she encountered and inspired all she knew to Dream Big. Thank you for the love and rich friendship you have added to my life, Doreen. I thank God that He allowed me to be graced with a friend like you.

Doreen Schmitt

1958-2011

Punky Fun - Swap & Giveaway

2011-09-23T06:00:00.000-07:00

I used Paper Trunk's Rockability collection and Punky Sprout's Sprocket Sprout mini album and Lil Stems to create this project. One of the things I love about Punky Sprout's albums is how the the variety of each page makes designing a cinch. You might think it the opposite, but with so much texture and variety in shape, so much of the work is already done for you. Add some pictures, a few strips of paper and a sprinkling of cute embellishments and your album is good to go. Because you have much less space to fill than a traditional 12x12 page, each page of the album comes together quickly yet with a feeling of originality often found in more time intensive projects.

Check out the Punky Sprouts and Paper Trunk blogs for all the details, information and your chance to win some fun goodies!

Check out the Punky Sprouts and Paper Trunk blogs for all the details, information and your chance to win some fun goodies!

Beautiful Love - Layout/Mini Album

2011-09-16T23:52:00.000-07:00

Back in July I did a project for Page Maps and Punky Sprouts using a sketch from Page Maps and a great album by Punky Sprouts. I never did get it posted here on the blog, so I figured now was as good a time as any. (Here I combined a "Punky Playground" 12x12 sheet with the "Sweetie Sprout" mini album.)

Use chipboard letters to mask canvas before misting, then lined up and stamped "Love"
(stamp by Glitz Designs)

To stitch the heart I cut a template out of typing paper, then stitched around the outer edge

Fall Back

2011-09-12T14:21:00.000-07:00

The mark of fall for me always seems to be the morning fog. It fills the valley below our house, and the sun peeks up behind the mountains and kisses the fog with its orange glow. It's one of my favorite parts of the earlier mornings of a new school year. However, fall mornings are a bustle of activity, and I am happy to steal away a few minutes to scrapbook the precious memories of a new school year with Glitz Designs supplies.

Glitz Design "Love Games" Papers: Floral, Score Card
Glitz Design "Afternoon Muse" Paper: Block
Glitz Design "Afternoon Muse" Journaling cardstock stickers
Glitz Design "Love Games" Journaling cardstock stickers
Glitz Design "Love Games" Peek-a-Boos

Glitz Design "Love Games" Paper: Stripe

Glitz Design "Afternoon Muse" Paper: Block

Glitz Design "Laced with Grace" Paper: Butterflies
Glitz Design "Afternoon Muse" Journaling cardstock stickers

Glitz Design "Love Games" Peek-a-Boos

Glitz Design "Laced with Grace" Peek-a-Boos

Glitz Design Teeny Alpha Cream

Killing Time

2011-09-01T16:29:00.000-07:00

School started in our district today, however the girls are going to a private school this year, and thus have a few more days before school starts. After practicing their morning routine for the start of school, doing some chores and then reading we were poking around on Pinterest looking for some hairdo ideas. Emma decided she wanted to try this one out.

We modified it a little to make it kid-friendly (i.e. to make it last all day through kid play). All in all not a terrible way to kill some time on a Thursday afternoon.

Traditions

2011-08-27T16:05:00.000-07:00

Another busy summer has come, and is nearly gone, and because I've been a little behind on the ol' blog, I wanted to get a post up here before another month has gone by. {Leslie- This one's for you...}

Years ago I saw the idea in Creating Keepsakes Magazine to have a "Back to School Fashion Show". So every year, for the past seven years, we've kept the tradition alive at our house. I'm pretty sure the girls have grown several inches since school got out in June, which meant all new clothes for those longer legs and arms. I guess the who part of the gig I'm having a bit of trouble with is just the fact that this is year seven... which means I have a Middle Schooler this year. You try your best to savor every moment along the way, however it still seems like the whole of life slips by entirely too fast. So here's to another year of savoring life's little moments before they're gone.

{Emma's favorite outfit}

Another mile-marker this year hit when the girls grew out of Gymboree {sigh} and into the beginnings of the junior's section. It's a bigger transition for me I think, and definitely a little tougher to find cute yet modest clothes for girls. Any store or brand recommendations for modest junior/big kid clothes would definitely be welcome! I think we did pretty well just picking through the selection at a variety of stores. Ahhh, the new and exciting adventures that come with each new age bracket!

{Torrey's favorite outfit}

I watched the fog roll into the valley this morning carrying it's reminder that the end of summer is nigh. The last few days of season to soak up the sun and relax with a good book and a cool drink will be exchanged for cozy sweaters and reading by the fire. But life is full of drawing the line between things, seasons and stages and eras... and I'll leave with a quote by Chesterton:

“Art, like morality, consists in drawing the line somewhere.”

-G. K. Chesterton

Quote Junkie

2011-08-15T06:00:00.000-07:00

It's not secret in my house that I'm a bit of a quote junkie. I love a quote that can express large truths in a simple and timeless style. Much like the little one who has seen a film so many times, they cannot keep themselves from quoting every line while they watch, I am a hopeless repeater of my favorite quotes and stories. My mom has said I have an "incredible retention for useless information", and recently at a high school graduation I was lovingly elbowed by my neighbor for finishing each quote in one of the speeches. As impractical as my mental file cabinet of quotes can be, I have found them often to be mileposts along life's road. Little bits of timeless truth that nudge and guide and sometimes even prod me along the path I'm meant to follow. As it was well put by one of my favorite authors, G.K. Chesterton, "Wit is a sword; it is meant to make people feel the point as well as see it."

As my summer winds down into bright harvest sunsets and chilly fall mornings, I will be devouring a stack good books and building up my arsenal of quotable quotes to mark the miles of the years to come.

Glitz Design "Laced with Grace" Papers: Rose, Stripe
Glitz Design "Love Games" Paper: Poppies
Glitz Design "Laced with Grace" Journaling cardstock stickers
Glitz Design "Laced with Grace" What Nots
Glitz Design "Love Games" What Nots
Glitz Design "Laced with Grace" Peek a Boos

“Leisure is a form of silence, not noiselessness.
It is the silence of contemplation such as occurs when we let our minds
rest on a rosebud, a child at play, a Divine mystery, or a waterfall.”
Bishop Fulton J. Sheen

Glitz Design "Afternoon Muse" Papers: Block, Polka, Carte Postal, Banner
Glitz Design "Afternoon Muse" Titles cardstock stickers

Freckles, Smiles and Summer Sun

2011-07-07T06:00:00.000-07:00

I love it when the summer sun brings out the hidden freckles on my daughter's face. I'm sure they'll fade away much sooner than I hope. It's just one more of the million little memories that I'm glad I've got down on paper now. The little things, those things you're sure you'll never forget, but somehow slip away. Like just how tiny they are, or how their dimple shines when they smile, or how they concentrate when they're drawing, or how their freckles fill their sweet little face in the summer. My summer plans this year (again) include doing my best to document those little things.

To make this flower with Glitz Designs Laced with Grace Polka paper: Punch eight hearts from the cardstock. Fold each heart in half lengthwise. Then fold each half in half (think accordion style). Glue the folded hearts onto a circle of cardstock.

Glitz Design "Laced with Grace" Papers: Stripe, Polka
Glitz Design "Afternoon Muse" Papers: Stripe, Floral
Glitz Design "Afternoon Muse" Glitzer stickers
Glitz Design "Laced with Grace" Clear Stamps
Glitz Design "Afternoon Muse" Peek-a-boo
Glitz Design Teeny Alpha Cream

Glitz Design "Afternoon Muse" Papers: Banner, Floral, Block
Glitz Design "Afternoon Muse" What Nots
Glitz Design "Afternoon Muse" Glitzer stickers
Glitz Design "Laced with Grace" Clear Stamps
Glitz Design "Afternoon Muse" Peek-a-boo

Inching toward Summer

2011-07-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

Each year my daughter's birthday is a sort of the signal start of summer. We make a trip to the hardware store and pick up 100' piece of visqueen plastic, drag out the soaker hoses and make the ultimate downhill slip and slide. The entire day is spent grassy, wet and happy... with few breaks for treats thrown in for good measure.

While I'm still waiting for the spring showers to wane, I've definitely got my sights set of summer, sunshine and the days of play ahead!

Glitz Design "Afternoon Muse" Papers: Banner, Stripe, Polka, Block, Floral

Check out lots more Glitz Designs projects on the Glitz Blog!

Little Moments - Big Memories

2011-06-13T06:00:00.000-07:00

"Daddy's Girl" is one of those titles that I've always held quite proudly. As a little girl, my dad would sometimes wake me up extra early in the morning to go out for hot chocolate and breakfast. Even now, my dad will stop by and we'll talk or watch movies long after the rest of my household has gone to bed. It's one of the little memories I've tried to pass onto my girls... sunrises and hot cocoa, walking through the tulip fields, picnics in the farmlands. Little moments that equal big memories.

Glitz Design "Love Games" Papers: Stripe, Floral, Damask, Score Card
Glitz Design "Afternoon Muse" Paper: Floral
Glitz Design "Love Games" Whatnots

Glitz Design "Love Games" Papers: Plaid, Floral Damask

Glitz Design "Laced with Grace" Papers: Stripe, Polka
Glitz Design "Love Games" Cardstock Sticker Titles

Glitz Design "Afternoon Muse" Peek-A-Boos

Glitz Design "Love Games" Whatnots

Glitz Design "Love Games" Glitzer Stickers

Glitz Design Teeny Alpha Burnt Orange

Lions and Tigers and Camp... Oh my!

2011-06-10T00:00:00.000-07:00

Where does the time go? It seems like certain times (and seasons) of life just get busy, and some of the little things get away from you... like blogging. It seems to be even more the case when Stan's away. But rest assured everything is going fine in our little family. Stan's staying safe and plenty hot - he says it's upwards of 130 degrees there daily. I know he'll greatly appreciate some rain when he gets home, although I'm not-so-secretly hoping we don't get more rain anytime soon. He will, hopefully, be back in-country very soon!

What in the world have we been up to here on the home front? All of that end of the school year goodness. Helping in classes, prepping for summer, planting our flower beds and all of that jazz. I got to be a chaperone for Emma's 3rd grade field trip to the Seattle Zoo. We tromped around and looked for all of the animals that weren't sleeping the day away.

And a few weeks ago, I got to head up a cabin of girls at Torrey's 5th grade Outdoor Education camp. The kids did all kinds of fun outdoor studies in the rain and shine. I might just brag a little and say that the orange team took the gold... Way to go Tangelos! From scavenger hunts to dissecting owl pellets, from water and forest studies to one crazy skit night Torrey had a blast. I survived the week with a reasonable amount of coffee and a lot of reflections back to my days as a camp counselor many moons ago.

Torrey's class with "The Bird Man"

Dissecting Owl Pellets

Doing water samples

Estuary studies from a canoe

Then in the in between time I've been playing with my scrappy goodies. This layout is using Punky Sprouts lil' Stems & lil' Petals, along with papers from Best Creations. Mist the lil' Stems with glimmer mist, then twist together with tulle to add a flower with lots of texture. Check out more Punky Sprouts goodness here.

M is for May, Moms and More Glitz

2011-05-26T06:00:00.000-07:00

As a military wife, I've spent my fair share of holidays alone or at least husband-less... birthdays, Christmases, anniversaries, and yes, Mother's Days. Lucky for me I've got a couple of little girls who have always been pretty on the ball, even without Daddy there to remind them. This year they got up nice and early, brewed me a pot of coffee and showered me with homemade presents. One of my favorites was this one. A rotating picture with the brief history of my life. They sat on either side of me and rolled the story along. Who knew a few toilet paper rolls, an old gift box and typing paper could be so much fun? I hope your Mother's Day was as blessed as mine was!

Glitz Design "Afternoon Muse" Papers: Banner, Stripe, Carte Postal, Block
Glitz Design "Afternoon Muse" Journaling cardstock stickers
Glitz Design "Afternoon Muse" Glitzer stickers
Glitz Design Teeny Alpha Cream

Glitz Design "Love Games" Papers: Poppers, Damask, Floral, Polka, Score Card

Glitz Design "Afternoon Muse" Papers: Block

Glitz Design "Laced with Grace" Papers: Floral

Keep up with all of the fabulous work of the

Glitz Girls and team on their blog!

Dynamic Duo Blog Hop and Giveaway!!

2011-05-19T14:20:00.000-07:00

It's finally my day on the May 16-27 Dynamic Duo Blog Hop! A TaDa Creative Studios and Punky Sprouts Mini-book Bonanza.

Made with love using TADA Creative Studio's "Goody Two Shoes" line
and Punky Sprouts Rebel Sprout album.

Rules for a chance to win FREE products
Post comments below to show your participation. Then go to the following 2 blogs:
http://tadacreativestudios.wordpress.com/
http://getpunkysprouts.blogspot.com
Check back each day for new inspiration on TaDa & Punky's blogs. At the end of the 12 day hop, please go to each manufacture’s blog and post a comment telling them your favorite album style and favorite paper collection used in the samples shown during the hop. Your name will then be entered in a drawing to win both! 3 winners will be picked!

Good luck!

here today - gone tomorrow

2011-05-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

"Fairy tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten." — G.K. Chesterton

I've been missing for the past few weeks on my blog, filling it with the wild ride of the past few weeks. Stan was gone for about a month on Navy "business". He arrived home just in time to celebrate Easter, confirmation and First Holy Communion together as a family. What a blessing!

After just a week at home, it was time to say goodbye again. Saturday we sent Stan off for another deployment. Goodbyes don't quite get easier, just different, and God gives us the strength to take up our cross daily and follow Him. So we press on.

Thank you for your prayers.

Ready for Spring

2011-04-05T06:00:00.000-07:00

It's been a little on the extra rainy and dreary side here in Washington for the past few weeks, and I am definitely ready for a taste of spring. The daffodils are starting to bloom, and even if it's not a big yellow orb in the sky, at least it's a much needed dose of spring color! This I figured I'd grab out all of the sunny spring colors in my pile of Glitz goodies, and do my best to will spring into existence... even if it's just in my color schemes.

Glitz Design "Love Nest" Papers: Block, Damask
Glitz Design "Scarlett" Papers: Wallpaper, Bouquet
Glitz Design "Hoopla" Paper: Pipework
Glitz Design "Scarlett" Paper Layers
Glitz Design "Love Nest" Paper Layers

Glitz Design "Hoopla" Papers: Zebra, Frames, Polka
Glitz Design "Hoopla" Journaling cardstock stickers
Glitz Design "Hoopla" Peek-a-Boo
Glitz Design Teeny Alpha Ivory Block

Dreaming of Pancakes

2011-03-15T18:44:00.000-07:00

Playing catch up again on my photos. Things are gearing up around here for tulips, spring, Easter and deployment. The cycle of life that keeps things from feeling overly ordinary. So for the next couple of weeks and months we'll take any sunshine we can get, and steal away all of the family moments possible. Those little Saturday morning pancake breakfasts, games of Sorry! and the like. The little magic moments that make life beautiful.

“He who goes to bed hungry dreams of pancakes.”

“Leisure is a form of silence, not noiselessness. It is the silence of contemplation such as occurs when we let our minds rest on a rosebud, a child at play, a Divine mystery, or a waterfall.”
-Fulton J. Sheen

"You aspire to great things? Begin with little ones.”
-Saint Augustine

“It is love alone that gives worth to all things”
-St. Teresa of Avila

“The more that you read, the more things you will know.
The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.”
-Dr. Seuss

"He turned around fast, and he saw a small Who! Little Cindy-Lou Who, who was not more than two." -Dr Seuss

“Anyone can count the seeds in an apple, but only God can count the number of apples in a seed.”
-Robert H. Schuller

“You never really know your friends from your enemies until the ice breaks”
-Eskimo Proverb

“Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather.”
-John Ruskin

“When asked what I am most proud of, I stick out my chest,
hold my head high and state proudly, 'I served in the United States Navy!'”
-John Fitzgerald Kennedy

“Pain removes the veil; it plants the flag of truth within the fortress of a rebel soul”
-C.S. Lewis

Ups & Downs

2011-03-04T06:00:00.000-08:00

In my third year of Project 365 (taking a picture a day, everyday, for a year), I was inspired to find a quote to go along each picture of the day. It's been a thought provoking, and often motivating, journey. With the first two months of 2011 photographed and quoted, I figured it was high time I put a few of these thoughts to paper with the wonderful Glitz Designs.

Glitz Design "Scarlett" Papers: Floral and Polka
Glitz Design "Hoopla" Journaling cardstock stickers
Glitz Design "Hoopla" What Nots
Glitz Design "Hoopla" Peek-a-Boo
Glitz Design "Love Nest" Peek-a-Boo

Glitz Design "Scarlett" Paper: Polka

Glitz Design "Hoopla" Papers: Polka, Zebra, Frames, Cake and Pipework

Glitz Design "Love Nest" Journaling cardstock stickers
Glitz Design "Scarlett" Glitzer stickers
Glitz Design Teeny Alpha Aqua Block

What are some of your favorite quotes? Jot a few down and memorialize them, along with a few of your favorite photos, on a scrapbook page this month. If you're interested in the sketch versions of these two layouts, you can access them here and here.

Studio Calico Review over at The Scrap Review

2011-03-02T06:00:00.000-08:00

Check out my latest product review and layouts with Studio Calico's State Fair line over at The Scrap Review. Leave a comment on The Scrap Review post for a chance to win some Studio Calico goodies!

Catching Up {again}

2011-02-28T15:16:00.000-08:00

Ok, here goes... I've been snapping pictures over the past couple of weeks, but have been behind on getting them posted here on the blog. So, without further ado, the catch up post of Project 365 pictures and quotes.

“As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live.”
-Pope John Paul II

“Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible;
and suddenly you are doing the impossible.”
-St. Francis of Assisi

“While you are proclaiming peace with your lips,
be careful to have it even more fully in your heart.”
-St. Francis of Assisi

"Drops of water, by continually falling,
hone their passage through the hardest of rocks
but the hasty torrent rushes over it with hideous uproar
and leaves no trace behind.”
-Og Mandino

“For it is in giving that we receive.”
-St. Francis of Assisi

“What can you ever really know of other people's souls -
of their temptations, their opportunities, their struggles?
One soul in the whole creation you do know:
and it is the only one whose fate is placed in your hands”
-C.S. Lewis

“Wit is a sword; it is meant to make people feel the point as well as see it.”
-G. K. Chesterton

“When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted
or take them with gratitude.”
G. K. Chesterton

“There are no rules of architecture for a castle in the clouds.”
-G. K. Chesterton

In last ditch effort on behalf of winter to show itself... we got a good amount of snow this past week, along with accruing a couple more snow days to make up. Although I don't think the girls will mind terribly since they got enough of a snow blast to once more take on our wicked sledding hill with gusto. With several days of sledding under our belts, we walked away with only one scraped face and not one broken body. By my standards, that's success.

“Stay home. Have fun. Build a snowman. Go sledding with the kids.”
-Mike Easley

{this picture makes me think of the cold pole in A Christmas Story}

Flick: Are you kidding? Stick my tongue to that stupid pole? That's dumb!
Schwartz: That's 'cause you know it'll stick!
Flick: You're full of it!
Schwartz: Oh yeah?
Flick: Yeah!
Schwartz: Well I double-DOG-dare ya!
Ralphie [narrating] NOW it was serious. A double-dog-dare. What else was there but a "triple dare you"? And then, the coup de grace of all dares, the sinister triple-dog-dare.
Schwartz: I TRIPLE-dog-dare ya!

Friends, Love & Faith Blog Hop

2011-02-25T06:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Friends, Love & Faith blog hop sponsored by My Paper Treehouse. I am try to spend a little time each day on one or two of the many things I am thankful for... some of the many tiny blessings that fill my life. Sometimes the most obvious of things are the blessings I most easily overlook. Today I am thankful for the special grace of faith. It is among the most precious of virtues, and a prized gift of God's grace. Today I am spending a little extra time thanking God and praying for an increase faith, hope and love.

Most supplies from the February Scarlet Lime Kit

Blog Hop Details:

Welcome to Paper Tree House Studio's Friends, Love, and Faith Blog Hop. Today, we're out in force on the internet -- showing our faith and giving the glory to God. United, we stand as Christian paper crafters and blog owners to make a presence on the internet for all to see. If you are hopping with us, you should have hopped over from Getting Cricky with K. Andrew. If you happened to just come across this post and you want to join in on the fun, make sure you jump over to the beginning so that you do not miss out: Paper Tree House Studio.

We're celebrating the theme of faith and we're happy to share our projects with you based on the verse:

"...those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." (Isaiah 40:31)

First, we would like to take a moment to thank our generous co-sponsors: Zutter, Paper Trunk, Create 365, Memorable Seasons, Scrapbook News and Review, as well as Papperie. Together with Paper Tree House Studio, these companies have donated some wonderful prizes for today's blog hop.

Prizes? Oh, yeah! There will be three lucky grand prize winners for today's event.

To enter, simply hop through the blogs and take note of all of the participating DT members of Paper Tree House Studio, and make sure to jot down the "blessed words" they will have in their post, and leave a comment on their posts. Once you gather all of the words, you will have another special Scripture to inspire you to create while leaving His legacy. Then send us an email at mypapertreehousedt@gmail.com listing each of the staff members who participated in today's hop and the completed Scripture. It's that easy. All entries must be received by Monday, February 28, 2011 at 12 noon, EST and seven winners will be randomly chosen to win.

What are the prizes?
One Cricut Gypsy from Paper Tree House Studio
One Bind-it-All from Zutter

One baggy of goodies from Create 365
One baggy of goodies from Papperie
One baggy of goodies from Paper Trunk
One year subscription to Scrapbook News and Review
One $15 gift card to Memorable Seasons so that you can purchase your favorite goodies!!

In addition, many of our participating bloggers will have amazing blog candy and RAKS available for one of their blessed visitors by simply leaving a comment and becoming a follower on their blog. That's a lot of chances to win, so let's get to the Hop!

"...those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." (Isaiah 40:31)

The next stop on this blog hop is Living in the Positive.

Refashioned Shirt: Take Two

2011-02-22T07:41:00.000-08:00

After my first attempt at refashioning a shirt out of hand-me-downs and outgrown clothes, I decided to head to Ross to look for some cheapie tshirts. Following another tutorial from Tea Rose Home I made a second shirt as a gift for a sweet 16 birthday. The pictures aren't great, but they get the general process. I really liked how this one turned out (and it looked super cute on, too). Happy Sweet 16 Kylie! :)

The finished product.

Cut the down the sides and remove the sleeves from one shirt.
You should end up with two pieces that look something like this.

Cut on the diagonal to make long strips 2.5" wide, do this on both pieces.

Round the edges of each strip.
Cut each strip with a wavy edge on one side. (I didn't get a picture of this step,
but you can see it here on the tutorial I followed.)

Run a straight stitch using a wide stitch down the straight edge of each strip.
Pull one thread to ruffle the strip.

Ruffle all remaining strips.

Using one of the smaller strips, pin and sew it on the collar's left side.

Continue pinning and sewing strips, folding and overlapping them.

Once you near the bottom of the left side, repeat starting from the right side of the collar.
I kept most of my strips toward the left side, overlapping my first set of ruffles.

The finished product. :)

Refashioned shirt - Take One

2011-02-16T01:58:00.000-08:00

Browsing around the internet today looking for sewing projects I could make with the girls, I came across some fun ideas for refashioning shirts. After seeing this tutorial by Tea Rose Home (and the following pictures are just me copying that tutorial) I was so inspired I went digging through the girls' clothes to find something I could use to try it out. I found one shirt that fit and one they'd outgrown... so here is my first try at refashioning a shirt. I am totally addicted now, and am dying to go looking for some clearance shirts to remake.

The finished product

The before shot of the to-be-refashioned shirt

The shirt the girls had outgrown

Cut the shirt in half and lay flat

Cut six 2.5x12" strips and four 1.25" strips

Using a long stitch, straight stitch 1/4" from the edge of the 2.5" pieces.
Holding one thread, bunch the fabric to make ruffles.

Straight stitch through center of 1.25" pieces, combining two strips end to end to make one long strip. Bunch to ruffle.

Pin 1.25" strip to collar and sew in place

Center first 2.5" strip, pin and sew in place

Continue adding ruffles, placing each 1.5" below the previous ruffle's seam, so the ruffles will overlap.

There you have it! I added the flowers you'll see on the Tea Rose Home site after I took these pictures. But I had to get Torrey to try the shirt on as soon as she got home from school.

Feel the Love

2011-02-13T23:40:00.000-08:00

It's 11:31pm. 29 minutes until it's officially Valentine's Day. The signs are everywhere... handmade Valentine cards scattered on the kitchen table, a shoebox turned Valentine holding robot on the counter, conversation hearts ready to send little messages of love in a jar in the kitchen. It's time to celebrate all things related to love. I had grand plans in this post to list a few of the many things i love about those I love in my house... Darn that I'm getting a little sleepy, and my brain isn't nearly so clever as it was an hour ago. That being said, I couldn't in good conscience leave this day of love without saying this:

I am quite possibly the most blessed girl on earth. I am loved by God, my husband and my children {usually}. Is there any better place to be than right here?

“Since love grows within you, so beauty grows. For love is the beauty of the soul.”
-Saint Augustine

“Lord, grant that I might not so much seek to be loved as to love.”
-St. Francis of Assisi

“Since love grows within you, so beauty grows. For love is the beauty of the soul.”
-Saint Augustine

“Love is not affectionate feeling,
but a steady wish for the loved person's ultimate good as far as it can be obtained”
-C.S. Lewis

“I need no dictionary of quotations to remind me that the eyes are the windows of the soul”
-Max Beerbohm

Count Your Blessings

2011-02-09T22:42:00.000-08:00

I spent the day with Torrey who was home sick from school. We snuggled, watched an old movie and just rested. She's 10 now, and these snuggly moments seem to be a little fewer and farther between than they used to be. She's just a few inches shorter than me, but the two of us can still curl up in one chair, barely. She still gets cozy under the quilt my mom made for her when she was born, and she still needs the special comfort you can only get from your mom when you're feeling crummy. She has sharp green eyes, and a sly smirk. She's changing and growing, yet remains much the same as ever. It's these little moments that make up my million tiny blessings. They're just little bits of everyday life, but they are gifts from God every one of them. In a world so wrought with pain and injustice, it helps me to look at life through the lens of daily blessings, to see the beauty in tiny moments. Hopefully taking one step, then another, in the right direction.

If you're looking for a little extra dose of sunshine and inspiration, I found a new source of inspiration through The Shine Project blog.

“When we lose one blessing, another is often most unexpectedly given in its place”
-C.S. Lewis

“The love of heaven makes one heavenly.”
-William Shakespeare

"That's a negative, Ghost Rider, the pattern is full."
-Top Gun

My super cool husband called to tell us he was going to do a fly-by on the house the other night. The sun was setting, the sky was beautiful... he dipped the wing to wave to us and flashed the landing lights as the girls jumped and waved to their daddy in the plane. Yah, we're pretty darn blessed.

One Million & a Winner

2011-02-08T06:00:00.000-08:00

First off I wanted to announce the winner of the Glitz challenge from last month. Wendi, send me your info and I'll get your goodies off in the mail!

wendipooh13

LOVE LOVE both the sketches and your work!!! how pretty!!!

Here are my takes on both the sketches:
http://scrappydayinparadise.blogspot.com/2011/01/glitz-sketches.html

I recently spent the evening at a Valentine's dinner with my husband. We renewed our vows and found out just what we did and did not remember about each other playing the "Not So Newlywed" game. It's always funny to see your life through your spouse's eyes. We laughed a lot, especially when I tagged the bonus question spot on... He'd been asked, "Plus or minus three, how many pairs of shoes does your wife have?" When it came to my turn to answer, I asked if they wanted the actual number of shoes I have, or the answer I thought he'd say. I went with my gut and said, "A million." It was, of course, the answer he'd written down. I may not have a million pairs of shoes... even with the plus or minus three, but I do have an amazing husband who I am thankful for everyday.

There are many things I don't have, some that I wish for and some that I don't. Life often falls short of our glorious dreams, but reality is a constant stream of unimaginable blessing. Take a minute today to think of those you love, and all of the riches they add to your daily life.

Glitz Design "Love Nest" Papers: Stripe, Floral
Glitz Design "Scarlett" Papers: Polka, Bouquet
Glitz Design "Scarlett" What Nots
Glitz Design "Scarlett" Glitzer stickers
Glitz Design Teeny Alpha Black Round

Glitz Design "Love Nest" Papers: Damask, Floral
Glitz Design "Hoopla" Paper: Pipework
Glitz Design "Love Nest" Journaling Stickers
Glitz Design "Love Nest" What Nots
Glitz Design "Love Nest" Paper Layers
Glitz Design "Love Nest" Glitzer stickers
Glitz Design Teeny Alpha Aqua

Dreams, Risks, Spelling & Miracles

2011-02-08T00:42:00.000-08:00

I watched Torrey in her third trip to the school spelling bee. She worked so hard, and I sat there with my stomach tied in knots watching her. I knew how nervous she was, and how hard she had worked. She did well, but didn't win. We talked about winning and about losing... about working hard and enjoying the journey. Life is like that, isn't it? Life is full of gains, loses and recoveries. A beautiful mess, and I love it.

“Aristotle said that the essence of drama is fear and pity.
Where do you feel more fear and pity than when you look at a kid in a spelling bee?”
-Rachel Sheinkin

“I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.”
-Mother Teresa

“The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult and left untried.”
-G. K. Chesterton

“Photography has the capacity to provide images of man and
his environment that are both works of art and moments in history.”
-Cornell Capa

“Miracles are a retelling in small letters of the very same story

which is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see.”
-C.S. Lewis

Truth, Travel & Tradition

2011-02-06T21:31:00.000-08:00

I am happy to report that my week of pain ended with the bloody nose, and no black or permanently damaged eyes. I am truly counting my blessings, not to mention getting a good laugh over my shortcomings.

With nary a black eye in sight I took tattered self down to LA for the weekend for 2011 CHA Winter. It's always so inspiring to browse the new goodies that will hit the shelves soon. How lucky I am to be a small piece of an industry that focuses so much on the beauty of family and friends, and celebrates the blessings of everyday moments. Aside from the super cool new products, it's always wonderful to see my friends that are ordinarily scattered across the country (and to add a few new ones to the stack)!
Thanks for the laughs Collin & Liz, for your friendship James & Liz, for the best gift I've received this year Susan, and a shout out for my roomies Teri & Ashley.

Keep an eye out on Tuesday for some new Glitz Designs layouts... and the winner of the sketch contest I posted a couple of weeks ago! But for now, back to my regularly scheduled 365 pictures & quotes. A hodgepodge of quotes, travel shots and a more traditional noel-type 365 shot of Emma.

"When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains,
however improbable, must be the truth."
-Sherlock Holms via Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The City of Angels at sunrise
“Angels can fly because they take themselves lightly; devils fall because of their gravity.”
-G. K. Chesterton

And Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word."
Luke 1:38

Since love grows within you, so beauty grows. For love is the beauty of the soul.”
-Saint Augustine

“Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves,
and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them.”
-Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Free Advice: You get what you pay for

2011-01-27T21:21:00.000-08:00

Are you looking for a few tidbits of advice this Thursday night? Probably not, but I'm going to share two from this week's life lessons anyway. Someday you may thank me.

Life Tip #1: First thing in the morning, when your eyes are dry and you haven't put your contacts in yet, DO NOT under any circumstance grab Ear Drops (rather than eye drops) and put them in your eye. It sort of feels like the entire surface of your eyeball is burning off.

Life Tip #2: When leaning over to give your sleeping husband a kiss, be sure he's not about to roll over and check his alarm and crack you in the nose with his arm. Your nose bleeds, your eyes water and your husband feels terrible.

I hope these deep words of wisdom will help you to avoid a painful experience in your future. :)

“Making the decision to have a child is momentous.
It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.”
-Elizabeth Stone

"Marriage is a duel to the death which no man of honor should decline."
-GK Chesterton

“Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken.”

{crazy hair day 2011}

Look for the Good

2011-01-24T19:05:00.000-08:00

This past year has been a big faith journey for me, and my family. Stepping out in faith often comes with it's fair share of criticism, suffering and extreme blessing. The suffering almost always walks hand in hand with blessing. So we take the suffering, walk in hope and dwell in the blessings they bring.

More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us. Romans 5:3-5

“What you see and hear
depends a good deal on where you are standing;
it also depends on what kind of a person you are”
-C.S. Lewis

“The big print giveth, and the fine print taketh away.”
-Bishop Fulton J. Sheen

“The Bible tells us to love our neighbors,

and also to love our enemies;

probably because generally they are the same people.”
-G. K. Chesterton

Quote - Unquote

2011-01-21T12:46:00.000-08:00

Keeping on with my quotes and 365 shots... and using the mini messages as the picture subjects for the week,and giving the girls a break from their daily 365 modeling jobs. (At least for this week!) Happy Friday!

“To love means loving the unlovable.
To forgive means pardoning the unpardonable.
Faith means believing the unbelievable.
Hope means hoping when everything seems hopeless.”
-G. K. Chesterton

“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not;
remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.”
-Epicurus

We may not be able to give much,
but we can always give the joy that springs in a
heart that is in love with God.
-Mother Teresa

love like crazy

2011-01-18T17:53:00.000-08:00

Browsing around the internet today I came across this picture, which inspired me to take this picture. I turned the tea tag inside out, then reinserted the staple, and added the quote in Photoshop.

The way to love anything is to realize that it may be lost.
G.K. Chesterton

Can I quote you on that?

2011-01-18T08:25:00.000-08:00

I decided, quite by accident, to add a quote to each of my 365 pictures this year. Maybe I'm a little hopeful that I'll be able to find 365 quotes that seem to fit my photo and mood of each day this year, but hey, it's still the middle of January and there is still much to hope for. So here's hoping I'll make it another year with pictures and quotes... Either way it surely is a life worth living!

The things that we love tell us what we are.
-St. Thomas Aquinas

Inspired by The Brave Girls Club
Everything Costs Something

"And, for this is the end of all the stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after. But, for them, it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover, and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on Earth has read: which goes on forever: in which every chapter is better than the one before."
-C.S. Lewis

"Our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee, O Lord"
-Saint Augustine

“Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.”
-Mother Teresa of Calcutta

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Galatians 2:20

Mawage. Mawage is wot bwings us togeder tooday.
Mawage, that bwessed awangment, that dweam wifin a dweam...
And wuv, tru wuv, will fowow you foweva...
So tweasure your wuv.
-The Impressive Clergyman, The Princess Bride

“But the eyes are blind. One must look with the heart...”
-Antoine de Saint-Exupery

We can no longer live as rats. We know too much.
-The Secret of Nimh

Sketches, Layouts & a Giveaway!

2011-01-17T06:00:00.000-08:00

I love Post-it notes for sketching layout ideas. I keep them near my phone, my bed and my computer. However, my Post-its tend to end up scattered all over the house. A few days ago I decided to "digitalize" a few of these Post-it bound sketches in Photoshop to keep them in a central location. Since I went to all of that work (really, it's not much work at all) of making a clean sketch in Photoshop, I thought I'd share a couple of the sketches with their completed Glitz layouts here. Make a layout using Glitz products and one of these two sketches, link me up to the photo in the comments section by January 24th and you'll be entered to win a Glitz goodie pack!

Supplies
Glitz Design "Hoopla" Papers: Polka, Floral, Frames
Glitz Design "Love Nest" Peek a Boo
Glitz Design "Hoopla" Glitzer stickers
Glitz Design "Hoopla" Paper Layers
Glitz Design "Love Nest" Rub Ons
Glitz Design Teeny Alpha Black Round

Supplies

Glitz Design "Hoopla" Papers: Polka, Floral

Glitz Design "Scarlett" Paper: Bouquet
Glitz Design "Hoopla" Peek a Boo
Glitz Design "Hoopla" Glitzer stickers
Glitz Design "Hoopla" Paper Layers
Glitz Design "Hoopla" Cardstock Stickers
Glitz Design Teeny Alpha Aqua Block

Glitz Design Pom Poms: White, Red, Pink

{nine}

2011-01-09T00:06:00.000-08:00

I've spent some time recently looking through old pictures and scrapbooks... and remembering just how fast time flies. I think it's one of those things a mom never stops thinking about from the moment her first little one is born. They grow so quickly, and each age brings a new blessings and trials and memories and madness and beauty. Life is beautiful.

Emma turned nine yesterday. Nine. Wowzer!

We sat at the table tonight, over a heaping plate of spaghetti (her favorite food), and told stories of when she was little(r). How she weighed 8 pounds when she was born, had the softest cry and slept 22 hours a day. She grew like crazy, loved to be carried and loved being held by any fella that came by the house. So much has changed, and yet so many things have remained the same. I've been praying that this year she'll continue to nourish her soft heart and her care for those around her, to be courageous when necessary and humble always. (Luke 1:46-55)

Since I've been digging through some old shots, I figured I'd add one of the birthday girl at 3 years old. Wasn't it yesterday when they were small?

It took nine years for her to come within a few inches of my height, but only an instant for me to fall in love with her. Happy birthday to my baby girl.

365 for a New Year

2011-01-06T23:17:00.000-08:00

Wow! It's easy to get behind when you go on a nice long vacation right before the holidays! So for the sake of giving myself catch up time, I decided just to start my 365 pictures for 2011 fresh. Now that I have all the time in the world to catch up on the last six weeks of 2010, I can focus in on the new year.

What better way to start the new year than with a frozen moment in time. The girls on the very first day of 2011... oh how fast the time goes! Wasn't it just yesterday when they were little? It never ceases to amaze me just how much of a blessing they are each day. They've changed my life in every way, and I'd never exchange it for all the money in the world. There are blessings beyond description that come from being a mom... I am thankful for these two big blessings.

(just for fun... the girls 04.2006)

Speaking of blessings, I couldn't go without this one... I love this man with a love beyond measure. He is my partner in life and in faith, my most trusted companion, my best friend, the love of my life. I am the luckiest girl in the world because of him.

For a few of photos, I found quotes the seemed to fit with the picture and the mood of the day...

You have brains in your head
You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yourself in any direction you choose
You're on your own
And you know what you know
You are the guy who'll decide where to go

- Dr Seuss

A snippet of a layout for The Scrap Review article on the Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner... (just a hint: I thought it was very cool!)

Everyone is in awe of the lion tamer
in a cage with half a dozen lions
everyone but a school bus driver.
-Dr. Laurence J. Peter

A morning without coffee is like sleep.
-Unknown

(The inspiration for today's picture of the day... from a West Elm catalog.)

Putting on the Glitz - Christmas

2010-12-24T06:00:00.000-08:00

Hope, wonder, the Christmas story, family, fires, delight, togetherness... the most wonderful time of the year. It's my namesake and the season that I look forward to from New Year's on. Really is there anything better than Christmas? Frankly, I'm not sure that there is. This year we get to pull out all of the stops celebrating with everyone home safe and sound. There is much to be thankful for.

I love all of the fabulous goodness of the latest Glitz lines. So perfect for holidays, traditions and everything in between. I love the tulle for making ribbon and flowers and the Peek-a-Boos for adding that little something extra without overwhelming your design.

Supplies for Christmas Wonder
Glitz Design "Scarlett" Paper: Polka
Glitz Design "Hoopla" Paper: Polka
Glitz Design "Love Nest" Papers: Polka, Stripe
Glitz Design "Love Nest" What Nots
Glitz Design "Love Nest" Peek-A-Boo
Glitz Design "Scarlett" Rub Ons
Glitz Design "Scarlett" Rub Ons
Glitz Design Tulle

Supplies for Snow Bunnies

Glitz Design "Hoopla" Paper: Frames, Pipeworks, Polka

Glitz Design "Love Nest" Papers: PDamask

Glitz Design "Love Nest" What Nots

Glitz Design "Love Nest" Peek-A-Boo
Glitz Design Teeny Alpha Ivory Block
Glitz Design Pom Poms: White, red, pink

Never stop being thankful to be alive

2010-12-23T14:58:00.000-08:00

With one more year tucked under my belt, and beginning to sag from other parts, I am thankful for all of the blessings that fill this great life to overflowing. Grace and mercy overshadow the trials and errors. I am blessed to be surrounded by my family, loved by God and filled with hope.

hello 34

Sand & Sunshine... more Fiji pictures

2010-12-10T11:00:00.000-08:00

Just exactly how many pictures did I take in Fiji? I told Stan, somewhere less than 10,000. The truth is I kind of lost count. I just kept clicking and clicking trying not to miss a moment. Hopefully I'm not picture flooding too much... but here are more shots from day 2.

Yah, it was pretty great

The pool.

Heading down to the bar or the beach, I can't remember which.

The Bure where we had several of our meals

Tia the boatman, Stan the man and "our island"

My very first time snorkeling

Me and my hottie husband

Honeymoon Island

You know you're roughing it when you're drinking from a coconut

Nom, nom.

The love of my life

Finally Fiji

2010-12-09T15:47:00.000-08:00

So weeks ago, I promised Fiji pictures... It's about time I finally got a few up here on my blog. (I have a couple albums already posted on Facebook.) You know how when you plan something for a long time, you work up in your mind just how wonderful and perfect it's going to be? Well, believe me, we did this with our Fiji trip. However, often you're disappointed with the actual experience... NOT SO here. Wadigi was even more beautiful, more perfect, more relaxing... more everything than we even anticipated! Everything about our trip was absolutely perfect! The island, the staff, the country were all beautiful. An absolutely perfect way to celebrate 11 years of marriage to the best man on the planet.

And now for the first set of pictures from day one of our trip:

Stan & the seaplane

view from the seaplane of Wadigi

the seaplane leaving

Stan lounging on the deck

Kayaking around the island

a view from the bar

Does it get better than this? Really?

Dinner with a view of Honeymoon Island

The only downside of this perfect trip was perhaps the weight I gained from eating the fabulous food. nom, nom, nom.

Sunset from Wadigi

{sigh}

Turkey, Pie & Thankfulness

2010-11-24T06:00:00.000-08:00

November always brings a time to reflect on just how very thankful I am for all of the bits and blessings that fill my daily life. Our family, our home and having my husband home rather than overseas this year. With so many moments to treasure each day, don't forget to count your blessings and count them often!

Love & Marriage
Glitz Design "Love Nest" Papers: Stripe, Damask
Glitz Design "Hoopla" Paper: Pipework
Glitz Design "Scarlett" Paper: Bouquet
Glitz Design "Distressed Couture" Paper: Blocks
Glitz Design"Love Nest" What Nots
Glitz Design Teeny Alpha Black Round

Thanksgiving Table

Glitz Design "Love Nest" Papers: Block, Damask

Glitz Design "Hoopla" Papers: Polka, Frames, Cake

Glitz Design "Love Nest" What Nots

Glitz Design "Love Nest" Titles cardstock stickers

Glitz Design Clear Stamps: Scarlett, Save the Date

Glitz Design Teeny Alpha Ivory Block

i'm baaaa-ack

2010-11-20T17:18:00.000-08:00

my sweet husband and i have been away for an anniversary trip in fiji! yahoo! but we're back. so here's a little teaser from our trip to wadigi, fiji. it was amazing & perfect in every way. lots more pictures to follow!

sunrise, sunset... swiftly fly the days

2010-10-13T21:36:00.000-07:00

Sunrise, sunset
Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly fly the years
One season following another
Laden with happiness and tears

was humming this fiddler on the roof song while i was loading pictures onto my blog tonight. just thinking of how quickly the days and years seem to be flying by, and all of the happiness and tears they are filled with. how some moments i might not wish to live over, but how i would not change one bit knowing how the good Lord has lead me with His gentle hand along the way.

and now for the continuing journey through the bits of the mundane and the beautiful that make up my daily life. bits of beauty like the sunrises from my back deck on a crisp fall morning.

fun moments like growing older with my husband... or at least hanging with him while he's growing older! :) no big party, no throngs of people, no extras... just our family, a nice dinner and a few cupcakes. simple but good.

the mundane little things like the zillions of fall spiders making their homes all around our house and yard.

watching the years fly by in watching the girls grow... like torrey studying her script before broadcasting the morning announcements on the school tv's.

the beauty of family... my brother with all of the nieces and nephews while he was in town for the weekend.

my sister, my mom & stan celebrating their trio of birthdays.

the seemingly mundane yet beautifully telling picture of torrey reading the encyclopedia... for fun. :)

the beautiful bounty of nature from our weekly organic "box of good"

the beautiful gift of faith, and how it carries you through those years laden with happiness and tears...

the sweet simplicity of turning mundane puddles into play in the middle of a rainstorm.

so i know it said "sunrise, sunset", but all i have (as far as recent daily pictures anyway) are sunrise shots. so maybe it doesn't work especially well for the lyrics, but scrolling through the 365 pictures between the sunrise bookends... i am thankful for each an every moment because swiftly fly the years.

Mom Advice #13

2010-10-05T06:00:00.000-07:00

I was thinking of pieces of mom advice for a friend's new addition recently. What are all of the little things I would have loved to hear (or hear again) as a new mom? Then I got to thinking of all of the pieces of life I'd like to hand onto my girls. Not just the big things, but the little things. What is it that helps to make life beautiful on a daily basis. I have a sign on the mantel in our living room that reads, "Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you'll look back and realize they were the big things."
So in my scrapbooking today I wanted to pass on a couple of those little things to my little ones.

Supplies: Patterned paper: Scarlett Polka (S2044), Distressed Couture Floral (DC2198), Distressed Couture Blocks (DC2310), Scarlett Floral (S2068); Other: Distressed Couture Rub-ons (RO2518)

Supplies: Patterned paper: Vintage Love Velvet (VL2372), Vintage Love Damask (VL2358), Scarlett Floral (S2068), Distressed Couture Blocks (DC2310); Other: Garden Glitzers (B2336)

Manly Men have birthdays too

2010-09-28T06:00:00.000-07:00

Have you ever found it hard to come up with a handmade card for a guy? I admit I find it much easier to make girlie goodies than macho-man crafts. But with a string of guy birthdays, and the help of Glitz Designs I have a few projects to share.

Layers of masculine distressed patterns in neutral colors are an easy way to give something a manly feel. Keeping the extra embellishments simple, and focusing on the layering keeps it from feeling feminine.

Supplies: Paper: Vintage Love Letters (VL2389), Kismet Stripe (K2211), Kismet Ledger (K2860), Distressed Couture Blocks (DC2846); Rub-ons: Vintage Extras (RO2763)

On this card I couldn't quite resist the urge to add a flower. To keep it from getting girlie I used a brown flower, and separated the layers of paper on the flower to give it a more worn look. Also, using staples to attach the embellishments is a simple masculine touch.

Supplies: Paper: Kismet Numbers (K2242), Kismet Dots (K2228), Vintage Love Dots (VL2853); Stickers: Teeny Alpha Round Black (C2808)

This card was for a younger manly man who was just turning 2. I kept with the layers of neutral colors idea, but added a little fun with patterns and colors for a younger fella. Then added a touch of corrugated cardboard stapled on for good measure. To personalize the card for the recipient, I cut the "T" from the Vintage Love Letters paper.

Supplies: Paper: Vintage Love Dots (VL2853), Vintage Love Letters (VL2389), Vintage Love Striped (VL2341), Kismet Numbes (K2242), Kismet Ledger (K2860), Kismet Floral (K2235), Maya Patchwork (M2303)

raindrops & roses

2010-09-21T22:58:00.000-07:00

we've had record levels of rainfall in the past few weeks here in washington... which is really saying something! i mean this is washington, and rain is like my pile of dirty laundry that is so often present that you really appreciate it when it's not. that being said, yesterday it poured all day, and after work i got cozy under a warm blanket & enjoyed a good book. (i supposed i should have spent some time with that looming laundry pile, but what fun would that be?)

and the rains water the roses of life, of which i have many. my roses seem to be growning up entirely too fast these days. torrey was so excited to finally become a 5th grade buddy to a sweet little kindergartner. it's amazing to see how big all of the 5th graders looked next to their kinder-buddies. not to mention just how proud they were to be of a help to each of the little ones who needed them.

on saturday torrey and i stumbled across a vintage show by following some signs we saw. we were spending a little mommy-daughter time talking and driving. she found a cute skirt made from a vintage tablecloth, and i found this cute little frame. we shared a piece of homemade pumpkin pie, and stacked up a few precious memories for the future.

i'm sitting here in my "coffee corner" chair in my living room, next to my handsome husband. my handsome husband who is currently state side, and at home. this man who has always stood strongly by my side through thick and thin. so for the moment, i think i am going to shut down my computer and spend a little time with the man of my dreams. the man sitting next to me. :)

living in the silver lining

2010-09-13T22:09:00.000-07:00

life throws you curve balls, sometimes at a breakneck pace. there are times when it feels like all you can do is keep your head above water, and still others where you might be sitting on the water's edge. and we don't always get to choose which one we're in at the moment. one thing i do get to choose is where we stay, at least in my own heart and head. i choose to live in hope and in faith and in love. they are the true silver linings of this crazy thing called life.

one of my favorite verses when it comes to trials is exodus 14:13-14

Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The [enemy] you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still

here's one for living in the silver lining of life... love. precious, childlike love.

and one in the memory of those Americans who lost their lives on September 11, 2001

and one for the serene moments of reflection in my own secret gardens of life.

and one for my precious children, who make my life exponentially more full and wonderful with every moment i am blessed to have with them.

and one for a hobby that reminds me everyday just how much i have to be thankful for. check out the full layout & kit over at my paper treehouse.

and enjoy a day living in the silver lining.

school days, good old golden rule days

2010-09-09T19:36:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again when the days are filled with the fresh smell of crayons and lots of start-of-school jitters. The girls were excited to go back, although not so much about getting up earlier each day. But the first day, alarms rang and they were off to take the new year by storm. Torrey going in for her last first day of elementary school, Emma passing the middle marker of her elementary school years into 3rd grade and me a little remorseful to see the summer family fun come to an end.

I know I posted this picture in my last photo post, but it went so well with the whole back to school theme, I figured I'd give it a double showing. I always like walking the girls into class on their first day, but starting the second day, they were back to taking the daily fun of taking the bus. They actually really love their super sweet bus driver, and getting the little bit of extra time to hang with their friends.

To keep with a little tradition we started when Torrey was in 2nd grade, we got pictures of their golden school day. Emma on the 3rd day of 3rd grade, and Torrey on the 5th day of 5th grade. (If you're like me you've got the Veggie Tales song whizzing through your mind, too.)

And speaking of the good old golden rule, it's always good to soak in a little extra help from above in that department...

As for the rest, it's all just filling in with the bits and pieces of sweetness we call everyday life. A smattering of hardships and blessing mixed together with a good dose of love.

On a scrapbooking note, keep an eye on the Glitz blog for fun project ideas using their fabulous Glitz goodies. Here's a sneak peek at my next set of projects that will go live on Sept. 28th here.

Simple Reminders

2010-09-03T06:00:00.000-07:00

Scrapbooking has always been a gateway for reflection on life, love and blessings. It records the hopes and dreams of the present, to reflect on at some moment in the future. As my girls get older, becoming a better parent is always on my mind. I stumbled across a quote online that struck a chord with me. I knew it was one that I wanted to preserve with some Glitz on a layout. Sometimes it is the simplest of things that reminds us just where we need to be.

The Quote:
"One night a father heard his daughter pray, 'God, make me the kind of person my daddy is.' Later that night the father prayed, 'Lord, make me the kind of man my daughter needs me to be.'"

Distress Couture Blocks (DC2310), Kismet Floral (K2235), Vintage Love Damask (VL2358), Kismet Numbers (K2242), Vintage Paper Layers (V2662), Vintage Love Whatnot's (V2679)

Kismet Ledger (K2860), Kismet Numbers (K2242), Kismet Stripe (K2211), Kismet Dots (K2228), Kismet Glitzers (G2563), Detour Titles (C2426)