it's that time again...Reveal Day for the June Studio Calico kit!

hey everyone!

i know it's waaaaaaaaaaaay early...but i wanted to post my layouts i made using the June kit at Studio Calico that just went up for sale. April increased the quantities BIG TIME...so i hope you can get your hands on one, even if you aren't a subscriber! (although, you should sign up to be one using the info HERE...so you get first dibs at buying all of the Shop Items and Add-ons early on Reveal Day!) my favorite this month...just because of this precious pic Mike took of my girl and i on Mama's Day, and the words behind it. i literally grabbed a pen and just started writing. i'm a HUGE fan of that kind of journaling...no holding back. why would i? why hold back your feelings?? i just don't get that, lol...i say grab that pen and let 'er rip! i knew i'd be wordy on this one, so i drew lots of lines before i got started...and STILL ran out of room. so i added a few more lines under my title...problem solved. :) {sorry the edge of this 12x12 layout doesn't show because of the white cardstock base!}

reminder about SC Shop products used on above layout: Donut Chain border punch, Marvy 3.5" Scalloped Circle punch, BG Distressing Kit, Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher (and don't forget the refills!) and the Handmade ALpha Cards that i cut out for the 'us' under the photo.

this one makes me smile because of these handmade drawings Allie has made over the years, lol. she randomly will draw her rendition of Me, and ask me to hang it in my locker at work...and you can bet your bippy i've hung every one with pride. :) i just scanned them into my computer and printed onto photo paper...if she continues with this, i may have enough for a mini album, lol.

SC Shop products: Dash of Red Paint, Dab of Yellow Paint, 7-piece brush set, Zip Dry adhesive (for those itty bitty Making Memories metal flowers in the Main Kit).

this last one was just kind of fun, and i played a bit. still love to soften white cardstock just a bit with the Cream Maya Mist, and i can't say it enough...GRAB the Square Asterisk punch if you haven't already. it's too unique not to have in your stash! Allie snapped this photo of me while i was playing around taking pics of HER with my iPhone...so i decided to do an 'Ode to my iPhone' kinda page, since i was THE biggest cynic on the planet about them initially, lol.

SC Shop products: Cream Maya Mist, Bubbles border punch, Square Asterisk punch, Broken China Distress Ink (my FAVE blue/turquoise!), Pink Jute (when it's gone, its gone...as is all the jute/twine etc) and my handy Martha Craft Knife for cutting out the center of the starburst stamp so i could back it with the contrasting brown polka dot paper.

LOTS of goodies left in the shop...and remember, ALL SHOP ITEMS SHIP FOR NO ADDITIONAL CHARGE WITH YOUR KIT!! you'd be crazy to shop anywhere else, lol!

:)

Partly Sunny...with 100% chance of sneakage.

hi everyone!

it may be overcast here today...ok, they're saying 30% chance of rain for our soccer game in a little while...but i've got some sneaks of Partly Sunny, Studio Calico's June kit that may make you smile!! shop suggestions for the above sneak= Square Asterisk (totally unique, and i LOVE it!), Bubbles border punch, Pink Jute (once it's gone, it's gone...no more restocks on any of the jute!), my Tiny Attacher stapler (love) and my trusty Martha Craft Knife, which cuts like buttah.

shop suggestions for above sneak= Dash of Red and Dab of Yellow paint...oh, and Zip Dry adhesive for those too cute Making Memories Metal flowers!

shop suggestions for above photo: Donut Chain border punch.

have i mentioned that anything you purchase NOW can be set aside to ship with your June kit?? IT CAN!! let SC save you $$ on shipping...and ensure that you get the SHOP ITEMS you want before they sell out on Reveal Day!

i had fun with this one...but due to general insanity which ensues here at Chez Harper, only made 3 layouts this month. these are all made using 95% JUST the MAIN kit...may have had a sheet of paper from an add-on in my stash, and that red BG alpha was added. but it was actually kind of freeing to limit myself...and i REALLY like how they turned out. :)

we're off to:

1. play our final regular season soccer game...after that, it's the championship tournament!
2. rush home and change, whip up something to take to the Tailgate Party at the Port Authority lot of Cleveland Browns stadium where everyone is meeting at 3pm before the game between...
3. USA vs. Germany in Women's soccer! the Women's World Cup games will be played next year (i think?), and these 2 teams are #1 and #2 in t he world right now...should be AMAZING! we have a group of about 40 parents and kids who are attending and sitting in a big block tonight, representing ELYRIA SOCCER PRIDE!!

hope you have an amazing weekend!

bike fever.

morning everyone!!

the sun is shining here in Northeast Ohio...a rarity as of late, lol...so i thought i'd share this layout from last year about this time. whenever the weather breaks here, my girl gets Spring Fever something fierce...so we pack up the bikes and head for the trails. we are fortunate to have a wonderful MetroParks System here locally, and so we take advantage of the different paved trails whenever we can. her favorite is this one here...with the cool wood and steel bridge. we usually stop here for a breather and so i snapped a few photos last year while we were there.

this layout came about after i was asked to participate in the Sketches column for Creating Keepsakes magazine, and appeared in the March/April issue of this year...i was so excited! Sketches are often difficult for me (i know, i'm odd that way, lol), i feel like they sometimes confine how i may approach a project. then i just have to remind myself that thinking outside of the box is good...and then things usually just fall together, lol.

i want to take the time to remind anyone reading here, that this is the LAST CHANCE to pick up any bits of HomeFront that you may be craving for your stash...once it's gone, it's GONE.

products used:

• SC Home Front FabRips
• SC Home Front Alphabet Stickers
• SC Home Front Label Stickers
• SC Home Front Dollhouse Paper
• SC Home Front Odds & Ends Paper
• Orange Maya Mist
• SC Wood Veneer
• Basic Grey pearls & orange brad
• EK Success Photo Corner Punch

and as always, you can purchase these things and have them held for shipment until your next kit is on it's way to you...just email info@studiocalico.com and they will set aside your purchases to save you on shipping costs!

have an amazing day!!

Documentary in my mailbox...and a friendly reminder about your last chance at some fave stamps!

morning everyone!

look what i came home to yesterday... ahhh, Documentary. Studio Calico's mid-release that is chock FULL of fresh images, great colors and their signature tidbits that make it necessary to own it aaaalllllllllllll! eager to begin playing with this line...and am LOVING the B sides of all of these papers. this line will stretch far and mix with SO MUCH that i already have in my stash!

on a side note, this is your gentle reminder that several of the beloved SC stamps have been Pink Slipped...so you know what that means. it's your LAST CHANCE to pick them up before they are gone forever! a few faves in this bunch...

the Fence/Alpha border is one of my ALL-TIME faves...i used it here in that cream circle that i punched out. i just lined up the letters randomly so that the ones i needed to spell 'love' would be visible and then painted them in with my itty-bitty-most-favorite-paint-brush-ever so they would stand out.

here is used the Notepaper stamp to house my title and journaling...

and here i used it again, but used a few different colors of ink on it to have some fun!

and don't forget the PINKED CIRCLE/FLOWER combo, MINI LEDGER, TREE and PINWHEEL stamps...they need and deserve your love and adoration too. :)

reminder: YOU CAN BUY THESE NOW AND SHOOT A NOTE TO info@studiocalico.com TO HAVE THEM SHIPPED WITH YOUR NEXT KIT!! that way, they ship FREE...no extra charge!! no excuses now...you know how quickly things can fly out of the shop at SC, so i'd hop on over there and pick them up now before they're gone.

you won't regret it!

time flies by.

wow.
she is 11 today.
she is independent...but not afraid to ask for help.
she is mature, yet still enjoys being a kid.
she is crazy smart...and growing smarter by the second.
she is often sensitive, just like her mama.
she is athletic...and completely confident on a soccer field.
she is loyal beyond the definition of the word, and will do anything for a friend in need.

she loves to curl up with a good book...even on the sunniest of days.
she randomly jets out into the rain, just to dance in a puddle.
her smile is infectious.
her heart is wide open...ready to love at will.
her sense of style is completely, 100% 'her'.
she gives up recess at school to help the kindergarten kiddos learn to read.
she longs to be a teacher. a doctor. an actress and a performer.

she is braver than i ever imagined.
she takes more chances that i ever would have.
she isn't afraid of falling down...because she is confident enough to pick herself right back up.
and keep moving forward.
without looking back.

she rolls her eyes at me sometimes...but is never disrespectful.
she comes to me with questions, any kind at all, and asks away.
and i tell her the truth.
always have.
always will.
she deserves that, i think.
and i hope that as long as i respect her...and her growth...that she will always feel safe and come to me with her troubles.

because no matter what, she is my baby.
but today?
today she is 11.
and i love her more than i thought possible.
happy birthday, sweet girl.
you make my heart soar with every emotion possible...
and i love you for that.
xoxo

simple things + Lily Bee.

hi everyone.

just wanted to share a layout i made recently about taking the time to simply enjoy who my daughter is right now, at almost 11 years old. (only 12 days to go!) if you're a mama, let's face it...you've received some kind of unsolicited advice/been told stories about how tough this age can be. it's smack dab in the middle of the tween years, boundaries are constantly being tested and independence is a struggle that comes up more often than i may care to admit, lol.

but it's a good time, too.

i love being with her.
i look forward to doing things together whenever we get the chance.
i love that she comes to me without hesitation when she has questions about anything and everything.

simply put...i enjoy her.

the Hello Sunshine 12x12 rub-ons gave me the idea for the title. i left out the word 'enjoy' that was in blue, and instead used my Slice to cut that word from the Blueberry Pie paper. i have always been a HUGE fan of rub-ons in any flavor, lol...but i like to cut them up and use them in different ways. don't be afraid to separate them from the way they are on the sheet...you can always line them back up again if you don't like how they look before adhering them to your final page.

and next time you get the chance, take a second to enjoy your daughter or son...
for who they are at this very second.
and maybe the next time someone laments about how bad it can be at any given age,
just smile and go about your day.
:)