Quilting Bee.

good morning everyone!! before i go finish the laundry and settle in to watch the US Olympic Team take on Canada in the Gold Medal Hockey Game this afternoon, i wanted to post my layouts using the March Kit at Studio Calico. Lots of fun product in these kits this month, and SOOOOOOOOO much inspiration in the DT Gallery...it makes me want to go back and make more!!

we each chose a Member to lift this month, and i fell in love with this layout by Mindy (wlsdrew) when it first appeared in our gallery. spritzed the white cardstock with Green and Sunflower Yellow Mist before adhering it to the yellow cardstock and added bits and pieces from the Honeycomb add-on. i tweaked it a bit...using squares instead of circles, etc. BUT, i used a banner for the first time, lol...and i kind of like how it turned out! *sigh*...the journaling on this one chokes me up a bit, even when i re-read it back. (i'm such a sap, lol) i keep finding myself trying to relive those early days as a mama, when she was just a wee babe in my arms...and i get frustrated that i don't remember every single detail. but what can you do? so i just started writing, and this is what landed on my page, lol. i inserted the rub-ons from the Main Kit when they 'fit' and it turned out kind of neat. misted again with the negative of the exclusive SC pinked circle veneer shape and some more of the Sunflower Yellow Mist...then i stamped with VersaMark ink and used some Clear Embossing powder to make those cute cherry stamps from the Main Kit stand out a bit. (not sure if you can see in this photo, but if you go to the Gallery and click on this layout, you can see the Tiny Attacher in use on that chipboard butterfly...it is WAY fun!! as a staple-loving girl, i didn't think i needed it, but i am LOVING it!!)
this layout is using only the Main Kit...and i have to admit, i tried something i hadn't done before. i added some journaling to the back. now, while that may not seem like a big deal, lol...it allowed me to jot down a few of my feelings about how much i miss my Dad. you see, even though i'm 'grown up' and have my own family...i still get emotional about my original family not being 'whole' anymore. it doesn't matter that it has been 15 years since we lost him...sometimes, it feels like only 15 days. like that raw feeling of loss is still 'new'. i know it doesn't ever go away entirely, but somedays...it's a bit harder to think about.

so after seeing the rest of the DT Gallery, it made me want to pull out what was left of this kit and whip something else up, lol...AND, i'm still kicking myself for not getting the 'Wedding Ring' add-on. (that 8.5x11 veneer alone makes my heart sing...what was i thinking?!)

hope you enjoy your Sunday...

GO TEAM USA!!!

Quilting Bee Sneaks.

hey everyone!!

after a WAY hectic weekend, i managed to finish up my layouts for the new Studio Calico March kit...Quilting Bee. such a fun, springy kit with LOTS of new goods in it!! hmmmm...is that die-cut veneer??

and yes, that would be a flower. on a page of mine. and i really like it, lol!!

the butterfly obsession continues for me...they are to me what flowers are to other peeps, i suppose. i reach for them OVER AND OVER.

the new kit goes live for sale next Saturday night at midnight EST...don't miss out, as this one is destined to be popular!!

:)

Hello Sunshine love...mini-style.

hey everyone...in the spirit of attempting to let some sun shine into these cold winter Ohio mornings, i wanted to share a mini album i made for the Lily Bee blog recently using the new Hello Sunshine line.

i started with a Jenni Bowlin mini album...it's the perfect size for a quick project like this. i covered the front cover with the Blueberry Pie graph paper (how could i not?!) and as always, used the big flat sander from my Basic Grey file set to rub right along the edges so it matches the paper up perfectly...adding just a teensy spritz of Red Maya Mist (although i debated about using the Sunflower Yellow Mist)before i applied this text rub-on from the 12x12 rub-on sheet for the Hello Sunshine line. (these rub-ons are a MUST have...seriously. i'm not even joking about this...literally 438652345 ways to use them, and i guarantee you will use the entire sheet!) i used my favorite cheap tool, my Adhesive Eraser (how can you beat $1.99?), to distress the rub-on a bit after applying it. it just removes bits of the rub-on here and there, and i love how it looks. added a label sticker to the center to house the initials of my two sweeties, and separated those with these 2 old vintage buttons from my stash held together with some of my favorite Turquoise Twine.


i left the inside of the cover unpapered...just schmeared a bit of blue paint on it and journaled right on top of it. used my Large and Medium Martha Stewart butterfly punches and a few pearls to break up the journaling. on the right, i tried something fun...more on that to come!





i only used 3 of the original lined shaped papers that came with this album...by adhering the Lily Bee papers to the backsides, i was able to set aside the other lined papers for future use! great way to extend the life of what you have in your stash!!




you'll notice that each of the left pages is the same...while each of the right is as well. i'm a HUGE fan of 'assembly-line style' when it comes to these albums...your project goes 10x faster by using this method, and adds a uniformity/flow to your project that i really like.




i just drew journaling lines directly onto the Lily Bee papers for my writing, and added a red button from my stash to each page. the last page is more of that same graph paper adhered again to chipboard...and i added one more rub-on from the Hello Sunshine 12x12 sheet. once again, couldn't resist attacking it a bit with my adhesive eraser, lol...




so here's the little element that i had fun with here:



i used a frame stamp from my Studio Calico stash...with VersaFine Black ink. after it dried, i used an Xacto knife to remove the center of the frame...leaving me with a 'window' to display my photo. i adhered the photo to the BACK of the cut-out framed paper...and then added Lily Bee paper to the BACK of that...which is what you see on the left side of every page in my album. i filled the outline of the frame with Red Paint, using one of my favorite tiny brushes from this set. added a couple of tiny butterflies punched from scraps of the Hello Sunshine paper (because i am obsessed with the line and will NOT waste a bit!) to each photo page and voila!





super quick.

super fun.

and it makes me super happy.

enjoy the rest of your week!
:)

Valentine's Date Night...Part 1.

so...Miss Allison did it again...straight A's on her report card last week.

when she asked if we could do something together to celebrate, i never imagined it would be a date night for just the two of us.

and i sure as heck didn't think it would mean going to see the Elyria High Drama Club's production of 'The Somewhat True Tales of Robin Hood', lol.

but we just got home from our date about an hour ago. i surprised her with dinner at our favorite local Mexican restaurant, a quick trip to Target and then to the high school for the evening's highlight.

and i have to say...

my heart is so full right now.

-with love for her, and her interest in spending time with her mama.
-with pride at her behavior while we were there...especially when she expressed interest in talking with the cast afterwards, even though she chickened out at the last minute.
-with hope...that she really meant it when she said she couldn't wait to be a part of something like this when she's old enough.

you see, it's moments like this that remind me of just how quickly she is becoming a young lady. and true, that freaks me out to no end...but in another way, it assures me that she is quite capable of rising to any occasion. and as we walked into the auditorium, and a million memories came flooding back from the last time i was in there...as a Senior, receiving my National Honor Society induction...it kind of caught my breath a little bit to think that in a few short years, she will be a student in the 'big house'. and she and i chatted about how i had been up on that stage, and Uncle Brett had performed in 'Bye Bye Birdie' there while i was in the Orchestra Pit playing the flute...and how cool and exciting it had been to be a part of all of that. seeing all of your hard work come together in front of your family and friends...and how special it felt.

so when the group of 5 or so young adults turned around at the end of the play and asked us if we enjoyed it, i said...'we LOVED it. we're so happy we came...were you all a part of the production crew?'

and they smiled from ear to ear and all started talking at once, lol...yes, they were indeed part of the crew and you could see the pride ooze from their smiles. (it gave me goosebumps)

and at that moment, my girl reached out her hand...and offered them each a handshake. adding in one big run-on sentence: 'ihadthebesttimeican'twaittobeapartofsomethinglikethisbecauseitseems
soverycoolandireallylaughedhardatthatpartwherethekingsaidtoRobinHood
thathelookedfunnyintightssothankyouverymuchforallofyourhardwork!'


and the looks on their faces was worth the $10 we paid for admission 10x over.


more than anything though, it reminds me that i am more lucky than anyone...

because she chose me for date night.
:)

Lily Bee...Hello Sunshine!

so...it's been awhile since i made a layout that i really liked.

for whatever reason, who knows. it happens i suppose.

but this one snapped me out of that spell. when something comes together in literally 30 minutes for me, that's a sign lol. i made this one for the booth at CHA...and am smitten with the colors in this new line. it is hands down, my favorite Lily Bee release to date...it is that awesome. and now that i have the rub-ons to play with...i can't wait to dig in!!

side note: if you've ever thought about how great it would be to be a part of the Lily Bee Design Team...you're right, it IS GREAT!! and now is your chance to be a part of the new team as well!! just check out the DT Announcement here on the blog for the details...i can't stress enough what a pleasure it has been working with Kristen. meeting her in person at CHA confirmed my suspicions that she is pretty dang cool...so don't hesitate to throw your name in the hat, ok?!

i'm off to bring some more 'Hello, Sunshine' into my life!!
:)

birthday #37...a retrospective.

so, i'll admit it.

yesterday started out on a rough note, lol.

getting out of bed on your birthday...feeling like you've aged 20 years overnight? not a pleasant start. and i have to say, i was a bit emotional yesterday. not sure why. it isn't like in my head i was saying 'oh my gosh...i am 37...that is so ooooooooooooooooooooooold...', but for some reason i just felt kinda blah. i've never been one to lament about aging...i'm usually the one who reminds everybody that it's just a number, etc. so who knows...i'm going to blame it on finally catching up with the sleep deprivation from all of the travel i'd done in the previous week.

and birthdays generally aren't a big deal here at Harper Central...unless your name is Allison, lol. then we kind of do it up right...i mean, she's a kid. however, said kid is just as into GIVING birthday gifts as she is receiving them. (which is pretty awesome...she's a giver, kwim?) so when she came home from school and instructed me to hide out in our office for a bit, i played along. this was the best present ever, lol...i am flat-out full-on addicted to Glee. good call, A&M. and the pose for the photo?? Allie's idea...heehee!

this is a brief compilation photo of what was inside my gift bag. let me go over the contents real quick:

• random Tootsie Rolls and Bullseye caramels (leftover from her Christmas stocking...note the red/green wrappers)
• one (slightly used) tube of Lancome lip gloss...i mean, doesn't every almost 11-year old use Lancome lip products? oh wait...maybe just the ones whose Grandmas are Sephora addicts.
• tons of hand-ripped fluorescent confetti
• one handmade card (see photos below)
• Glee DVD
  
  this is my cake. to quote Mike: 'Allie said it had to have red roses on it...', and indeed it does lol. REALLY red. heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
  
  

now on to my card.

i love her handmade stuff...i have a collection of homemade goods that rivals any Mama out there. but this one? this may be my new fave. check out the message above.

'i couldn't FIT 37 candles, so you get 36'.

come on, Al...not even with the random dangling candle there on the left edge??

excuse me for a sec...bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaahahahahahhahahahahahahah!!!

(i love her)

(and her sense of humor...especially when it is an unintended joke)

but this made me laugh so hard i cried.

a quick back story:

whenever my mama and i go get our hair done, we stop on the way home and pick up a Chick-Fil-A sandwich. the closest one to us is right near the salon, about 15 minutes away...so we don't get there often. but, Allie knows that is our little ritual...and so she tore off this coupon from a Chick-Fil-A calendar she bought with her own money just before Christmas during a fund raiser they were having. and...she shared it with me by attaching it to the back of my card, for the next time i get my hair done.

i love her.
to pieces.
and i love that she (and Mike) snapped me right out of my birthday funk.
not with anything fancy.
but with a piece of her heart.

here's to another 37 healthy years.

and just like that...

i am 37 years old.

(but how cute is this pic, on my first day home from the hospital with my proud Mama and Papa?!)

side note: you should not be allowed to feel rickety when you wake up on your birthday.

i'm just saying, lol.
thanks for all of your birthday wishes!!