starting him early

Seriously?! Yes, my 3 year old enjoys a can of cold Diet Coke. yes, he drinks more than I would like. NO, he doesn't have a can of his own. Only a sip of mine here or there. That's only because it's my rule, if he had it his way, he'd have a can in his hand that belonged to only him!

ninety

Since I'd received my Studio Calico Mind the Gap kit, (and the pint add on!) I knew I needed to use the vintagey feeling papers to do a layout about my Grandpa. I got a chance to spend a little time with him on our trip AND he turned 90 in August. Seems like a great reason to do a page!

thirty five

When I saw Sketchy Thursdays sketch this week, I was a little nervous. Eh, circles? Not so much for me. But, I knew once I had seen a neat design for circles. So, I thought I would take the 6 six circles in the ST sketch and smash them all together. Some would be photos, some would be paper...but the result, super fun!

{summer} banner

I've got this thing with banners. I love 'em. I make one for every occasion. I've made 5 so far this year. I do think I ought to slow down, though. There are so many a person can display and/or store. AND, when a piece falls off of one, my dog is quick to eat it. That's a fail, for sure.

Anyway, I knew when I got the Maya Road strawberry coaster album in the your scrapbook stash store that I had to make a banner with it. It'd be cute, sweet and summery. That meant I had to pair it with the Echo Park Summer Days papers.

Help it out with some Tattered Angels glimmer glam and it's fit for summer.

Dress it up with tulle, buttons, vintage pieces and Studio Calico notions and it's ready to be displayed!

{Sorry if you think photographing in the grass is a bit odd. i thought it seemed very summery

and that it accented the colors nicely!}

Happy Birthday!

Just a quick birthday card share today since it's FRIDAY! Woohoo!!

Anyway, just a fun, simple card that is perfect for a child or adult perfect! I used Echo Park Summer days and a bit of tissue paper garland to make a festive card!

Now go on out and enjoy that weekend!

IOWA TRIP mini album

A few weeks ago my kids and I got back from a trip to my home state (Iowa!). Unfortunately for us, my husband wasn't able to go due to work. Nonetheless, the kids and I had a great time and I wanted to make a mini album full of some of our favorite photos.

Enter your scrapbook stash, 7 Gypsies and Authentique! Quickly I had the base of my album assembled and all I had left was the design and photos!

The title of the album is Iowa Trip 2011, so I decided to make each page represent the letters from IOWA TRIP. By naming each page (interesting for I, outstanding for O, weird for W, etc) with a theme, I had a clear vision for each page and the entire album!

First, I misted the covers and each page with Mister Huey mists (warm calico and lemonade!). Then, I adhered the photos and decorated the pages.

Needless to say, I'm now a huge fan of Authentique and there is a great selection at your scrapbook stash!

The Paper Bakery

Did you think I only made 1 page and 1 card with that Paper Bakery add-on kit? If you did, you'd be wrong. I made 2 and this one, while insanely simple, is still fun and a great way to see our afternoon stop for ice cream!

weas

When I was visiting Des Moines this time, my Mother in Law took me to a super fun and cool place, West End Architectural Salvage. The treasures that were unloaded into this multi-level place were unbelievable! All kinds of worn and used goodies everywhere the eye could see...all of it would be fun for a home.

I used my fun instagram photos and this weeks Sketchy Thursday sketch to tell the story.

playtime

More fun from our trip to Iowa this summer!

My boys are so lucky to visit my In-Laws, but even more so that the IL's still live in Andy's childhood home AND have tons of his ancient relics. (toys from his childhood) These toys are far more popular than any toys we've ever brought, so after a few years I learned that we pack only what's necessary for the airplane. The rest? We'll settle into once we arrive.

Fun sketch by Jessy over at My Scrapbook Nook and here is the fun!

triangle

I have two girlfriends, and when I'm with them we form a triangle. A triangle of friendship. Kind of like the 3 Muskateers. All for one and one for all. I love these two. The fact is more bittersweet in that this week my husband accepted a job offer and we will be moving 2,000 miles from sunny southern California. It's a fantastic opportunity for us, but still my heart breaks to leave all of my California loved ones. I've amassed a thick coterie of friends that has many layers and levels. It's going to be a long and ugly goodbye.

However, for now, I've got friendship -- tried and true!

The sketch is from Memorable Seasons. The rest, all me. :)

everyday

Everyday. Everyday this boy keeps me on my toes. he's either frustrating me, making me so proud I could split in 2 or he's making me laugh. And so much more.

My Minds Eye sketch and my take!

Sassy Lil Sketches {giveaway}

Guess what came out on Sunday? The Sassy Lil Sketches e-book. And yours truly has a layout in the book. There are a lot of fun, easy sketches to really get you on your way to a fantastic page!

To show you what I mean...I went through the pages and found a sketch, then I made this page:

Would you like to win a copy of the Sassy Lil Sketches ebook? If so, leave a comment here and I will choose a winner on Monday! {YOU MUST BE A FOLLOWER TO WIN!}

He rides

My youngest son, Harrison, is so rough and tumble. He has 2 older brothers to keep up with and show him the ropes. Because of that, one of his favorite things to do lately is push his bike up this little hill in front of our house and ride down!

This week's Sketchy Thursdays sketch was perfect for the photos I had of him in his daredevil glory!

These 3 -- August {week 3} sketch

Here it is! My very first Sassy Lil' Sketches reveal!

LOVED this sketch. Like, a lot. I jumped right in with some goodies from your scrapbook stash and I was so happy with the results.

The sketch:

My take:

And, guess who's the sponsor for August? Apron Strings, the kit club! So go on over and check out their kits!

August Paper Bakery kit reveal!

Here it is! The August reveal of the Paper Bakery's kit -- Save the Date!! And, the add-on that I had the chance to work with, Treasured Days!

The Main Kit, Save the Date, is perfect to write down all of those "forgotten" important dates. Jot down birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, play dates, days of your favorite TV shows, and more!!! Save the Date is the perfect addition to your everyday life. Time flies-and if you are like me-those important dates sometimes sneak up on you. Don't let them! You can also use this cute album as a day planner for those of you scrappy ladies who are organized. August's add-on kit, Treasured Days, will work perfectly with your project kit to make even more projects: Layouts, tags, cards, or even add more crafty-ness to your main kit!

Anyway. A couple of projects from Treasured Days!

What a gorgeous kit, right?!

sneaking in!

Hey friends!

I try not to post on Sunday's to give you all a break from my rush of pages BUT...I thought I would make an exception today and post a couple of peeks.

First, a sneak peek of the August PAPER BAKERY kit. I worked with the add-on and made some pages I LOVE. It's a fun little kit that is really inexpensive and would co-ordinate well with the main kit!

AND, a picture of my yourscrapbookstash.com kit for August. I was skeptical but now that I've made a mini album, 4 layouts, and 4 cards -- I'm HOOKED on Authentique.

Okay, you twisted my arm...I will share a card. A simple one (am I capable of anything else?!) that I'm super happy with how it turned out!

Go on and make something today!

The view from here

The moment I got October Afternoon's Boarding Pass in my hands I HAD to create something with it. That moment. And I did. I took this photo of Harrison that I had taken on the airplane. He was enthralled with looking out the window. First, it was of the ground crew and all of the vehicles scattered around. Then, it was the clouds. Finally, the rivers and trees and assorted other sites.

This is definitely a great line, just like all the ones before.

we love ice cream

We love ice cream. a lot. So much so, that I think we went out for ice cream no less than 3 times when we were in Iowa for 9+ days. I know it's not earth shattering, but it's not the norm for us. We're usually way too busy for that AND we live too far from any ice cream establishments.

More 100 Days of Summer, more love for that line.

Did you notice my very favorite buttons on there? Yup, the Doodlebug ones. I even managed to use the pink ones on this layout. Seemed to work just fine!

Tasty Tacos

If you are from the Des Moines, IA area or you've ever spent any time there recently...you probably know about Tasty Tacos. It's delish. It's one of our favorite places to eat when we are in IA. It's a total tradition. So much so, I had to snap some instax photos of the occasion and make a layout with them.

Today is my birthday (35, shhhh...don't tell!) and I sure wish we were having Tasty Tacos for lunch!

The first day of school

Today is my boys' first day of school. Can you believe that?! August 10th and I have a 3rd and a 5th grader. Mind blowing, I tell you.

Anyway. In honor of school and it's break of our fun -- I give you a super summery layout, one that I really love.

The papers and stickers? SIMPLE STORIES. I cannot even put into words HOW much I love this company and this line, 100 days of summer. Seriously, it's all yummy. And fun. LOVE. LOVE. LOVE.

lucky

Where to begin? I saw a layout in the Studio Calico gallery and knew I had to lift it. It was amazing. Gorgeous. Just so dang unique! I love to scraplift ... but more than that I love to scraplift and make it a little of my own, too!

Because of the super unique nature of the original layout, mine looks really similar. But, a wee bit different too. Mine is definitely super simple and that is okay. It puts the focus on the things I love best...the photo, the doilies and the letter stickers.

YUMMY American Crafts goodness -- please help me win!!

Hello scrappy friends!! Over the weekend I whipped up this page to win a bunch of delicious american crafts goodies! The contest is up on their facebook page! All you have to do is click on this link and LIKE my photo!! Would you please?? :) THANKS!!!

game face

This summer has been fun. There have been vacations, lazy days, dips in the pool and play dates. Some of the most fun we've had? Hours with board games. We were quick to find our groove, plus our winners and losers.

Summer storm

One of the things that I FINALLY miss about living in the midwest/east? SUMMER.STORMS. I love that it rarely rains here in southern California, but I do miss a good thunderclap and lightening show.

Unfortunately I didn't even get a storm while I was in IA for 9+ days, but there *was* some rain over night. I guess that counts for something, right?

Adventure!

On July 24th the 3 boys and I set out on our adventure. We were to spend 9 days in Iowa visiting family and friends. All was going really well until 11 pm on Sunday evening, when our flight from Minneapolis to Des Moines was cancelled. Yes, we had to spend the night in Minneapolis. To say those 3 were troopers is a total understatement. They were Angels!

We made the most of it and even managed to have a little bit of fun!

backyard baseball

Even while we were on vacation the boys were playing baseball in the yard. That is just how it is...everywhere we go, baseball is center stage. It doesn't really matter, watching or playing (though I suspect they do prefer playing!) - it's their passion.

Please forgive me with the size of this layout...I tried getting it bigger and it was giving me all kinds of trouble. NO idea.

Something special!

Whoa boy! I'm back...it's been 9+ days of fun in Iowa, visiting family and having good times. However, I am back and I'm working on catching up! Luckily for me, there was a crop night at Archivers for me -- so I made 10 pages while I was gone to share with you. Otherwise, I'd REALLY have to work hard to catch up!!

I have two design team kits here waiting and calling my name -- I can't wait to get to work. The bags are unpacked and the laundry is done - so only if that nanny would show up I could pound out the pages! Alas, I'll have to wait 7 more days until the boys go back to school to get any *real* work done!! (Yes, my boys head back to school on August 10th! Unbelievable, right?!)

The other day I shared a layout on the your scrapbook stash blog that I absolutely love. A fun little layout that captured a moment of fun.

a perfect wave

At the end of a day of intense boogie boarding, things start to slow down. The kids pass up more waves in search of the perfect one. I suppose this is in part because they are tired, but also in part because they have ridden all kinds of weak waves already. They are only willing to put forth the effort for what they thing are good waves.