October reveal...On the Easel.

good morning...just sharing my layouts for the Studio Calico October gallery, using the On the Easel main kit + the En Plain Air add-on. the strongest point i could make about this month's offerings is that you will be pleasantly surprised for sure...so much goodness in one place is just crazy!!

on this first one, i noticed the border of one of the Sassafras papers in the main kit was actually a dress pattern...and remembered i had never documented the insanity that was last Halloween when i made Allie's costume from scratch, lol.

wha?!

a HALLOWEEN layout with this kit?!

i cut the 'Halloween' with my Slice Calendar cartridge, and then since the white foam letters stood out a wee bit much, i spritzed them with some Turquoise Maya Mist...then blotted it before it dried, so that the effect kind of mimicked the blue splotches on that die-cut paper.

holy crow...just looked at 2peas, and lots of my fave Slice cartridges are 50 PERCENT OFF!! including that Calendar one i used here...INSANITY! i think i may need to add this Studio Essentials one...what a great font! this next one was ALL about the story + photo. i received this text while i was away at CHA in Chicago...stating that Allie was borrowing my purse to match her outfit for a soccer meeting...and did i think the sequined beret was too much? i had been missing her + Mike, so this text was exactly what i needed lol...and though Greg was genuinely shocked that i told her the beret was the way to go, i love that a her age she is unafraid to be different and take risks with fashion. when else could you get away with that, lol?!

i used only the En Plain Air add-on...look how gorgeous these colors are, people. and not knowing what to do with the metal frame, i grabbed a pair of beat up scissors that i use for heavy duty stuff and cut it up. it was easy as pie, and i love how it kind of mimicks that Sass border. at the top i used a snippet of the negative from one of the Sass border stickers + my Tiny Attacher to add a bit of color.

this last one was just fun to play with...i knew as soon as i saw that SC alphabet paper that i would be cutting it up to use for a title. (it is still available here in the More Patterned Paper add-on...get it now, because once this is gone, you are out of luck!) i used the other half of the glitter die-cut that i used in the Hallowen page to kind of 'base' the title. this photo from Cedar Point cracked me up...and i remember Allie telling Mike that she was going to 'school' these people on how to be a rock star, lol. i used my Star Punch to cut a few stars out of paper...i needed to 'hide' some random strangers that wouldn't clear the area (HA!). they were a bit too big, so i just trimmed them down a bit...easy to do after you punch them out, since the basic shape is already done for you!

side note: i used the Lunch Tray and Sunshine Mr. Huey mists on the white cardstock here...LOVE how they spruced things up! they won't be available in the SC Shop until November, so if you'd rather not wait that long...you can get them at 2peas. also noticed this morning that the WOOD VENEER STARS, FRAMES AND ALPHABET ARE ALSO IN STOCK NEW OVER THERE!! AND THE TISSUE PAPER FLOWERS!! i know that these have been a HUGE hit with retail stores and online shops...so get them while you can!! i can't WAIT to get mine!

side note #2: i picked up the Crate School Spirit border stickers...and ended up using them here as a nod toward guitar chords, as opposed to school theme. and seriously, they are only $2!! (why didn't i get the Phrase ones as well?!) try mixing themed product up...you'd be surprised how you can stretch your supplies that way!

side note #3: punches i used this month include: Bubbles Border, Bracket Border and Double Embossed Scallop border. in a huge surprise, April also managed to get in that Martha Stewart Medallion punch i have been using/loving for a few months now...and is attempting to get more in stock before shipping, so make sure you check back!!

side note #4: confession time. i am regretting having not picked up the Still Life add-on, and am contemplating an email to April to request she add one to my next box that ships...what do you all think i should do?! i loooooooooooooooove it.

oh, who am i kidding.

i love all of it, lol.

have a great day...and don't forget the Friends + Family promotion going on right now!

savor(ing) every moment.

just sharing a layout i made for the Lily Bee blog...using the new Catching Fall line. i chopped up some of the 12x12 rub-ons to mix in with my journaling for fun, and just jotted down a few of our favorite things about fall in Ohio. added one of the rub-ons right on top of the '2009' that i stamped with the Natalee alphabet. we've had our typical Indian Summer these last few days, but it's supposed to dip back down into the 60's for the weekend...and that makes me one happy gal. :)

yikes...the weekend.

soccer gameS + our annual league fundraiser...a Night at the Races. SO looking forward to a fun evening with friends, but even more eager that it marks the end of Mike's term as league president. he has worked so hard for the past two years...but it's definitely time for another parent to step up. he has had awesome support from a couple of families, but looks forward to simply enjoying watching Allie play. i'm so proud of him for what he's done for our league...even if it has meant phone calls at all hours of the day/night for just about anything you can think of, stress and plenty of heartache.

he's a good egg, that one. ;)

off to tie up a few loose ends for the event...have a great day!
:)

first days {2peas Back to School Event}

so when i received an invite from Jamie over at 2peas to participate in their Back to School event, the timing couldn't have been better...i had just printed out these photos of all of Allie's first days of school, i'd been itching to do a mini album and i was ready to profess my love for Studio Calico's Elementary line.

it was meant to be, right?!

here's what i came up with... i had been saving these old file dividers for just the right project, and this was it! i sewed the back of one to the front of the next...that way my machine didn't revolt, lol. i used a piece of the Library paper for my cover, and stamped lightly with some light grey ink on top of it with the Doilies stamps. for the title, i used one of the Journaling cards + the Alpha Stickers...and cut a few of those cute apples from the Nibbles paper too. i pop-dotted the green one so it would stand out a bit...and hid the rest of the binding with a piece of Documentary Fab-Rip.

i approached this mini album like every other that i have made...repeating themes, etc. IT GOES SO FAST THIS WAY!! at the top of each page is the photo for that school year, and at the bottom is a piece of Window Seat (the graph is the B side) that i punched with the Upper Crest Border Punch. i stamped the journaling lines using the big stamp from the Time Flies set and that same light grey ink...then used the Natalee font to stamp the grade. i chose a different doily stamp for each page, and stamped with VersaMark ink then added Zing embossing powder. on the above page, i used the Mustard color...it is an AMAZING yellow. i added a little WoodGrain Birdy rub-on, a wee scrap of the B side of Nibbles paper and added simple journaling.

easy peasy, right? now just repeat it for each grade! here i used the Zing in the Powder color...i am officially hooked, people.

this would be Zing in Leaf...yes,you need it. forgot to add, i also used a random phrase on each page from the Grey Camera Rub-ons for fun :)

here i just wanted to show that a good way to get more bang for your buck is to cut some of those Label Stickers in half...they go twice as far that way!

and here is the back of the album...keeping it simple.

now, you can apply this idea to a MILLION different mini albums...but what mama out there doesn't have a stack of 'first day of school' pics that need to be kept together?!

if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask...and you can see the album both at 2peas and at Studio Calico.

have a great day!!

On the Easel Sneaks.

thank you to all who have emailed, commented here and sent prayers to the family of my friend that we lost early Sunday morning...there will be lots of healing in the future, but for now we are all simply coming together to rally around her girls and husband. it's amazing how comforting it has been to band together, whether at the soccer field for that first game after we all received the news...or a meeting for our annual fund raiser where we all toasted her spirit over a few tears. we will meet again this evening for our final goodbyes, and then turn our focus to reminding her family just how special she was...so again, thank you so very much.



for some reason, i tore right into this kit as soon as it arrived. i'm guessing maybe it is due to the recent blast of cool weather that has me in the mood to create...whatever it is, i already have three layouts done.



here you see the Studio Calico papers from the Main Kit...plus some Mr. Huey mist in Lunch Tray and Sunshine. this one is using only the 4th add-on...En Plain Air. i snipped that metal frame apart with an older pair of scissors i keep on hand for just such an occasion. :)

hold on to your hats here...this next one is using only the Main Kit...and is a HALLOWEEN layout. WHAT? side note, those foam Thickers took the Turquoise Mist beautifully...

one more shot of that first layout...because i want to show some love for the amazing polka dot background stamp that can be found in the Watercolor add-on. (let alone my beloved border punches)

therapeutic.

it's 7am EST here.
mike received a phone call about 30 minutes ago.
i've been awake since then...
knew i wouldn't be going back to sleep.
so i got up to do something.
anything.
and ended up here.

hoping it will help to jot some words down.
kind of like 'compositional therapy'.

so yesterday morning, a friend of ours called to say that her next-door neighbor...a fellow soccer mama...had suffered a massive heart attack at 830AM.

she had happened to call her husband at work, told him that she didn't feel 'right', and so he came home.

he called 911, shuffled their two girls over to my friend's house and waited.

they showed up, did what they could on the scene and took her to the nearest hospital.

complete blockage of both of her coronary arteries.

needless to say, i knew what was next.

systems started shutting down.
lungs. kidneys. brain.
she passed away at 430AM.

she was forty years old.
forty.
oh my god.

she had two daughters.
one Allie's age, the other a few years younger.
we spend a ton of time at our friend's house, so with them being next-door neighbors (and her youngest daughter plays soccer for our league)...we knew them pretty well.

at first, i thought about her husband...and how i can't even begin to imagine what this is like for him.
he now has two daughters to raise.
alone.

but i didn't fall apart until i thought of those two girls.
12 and 9?
i lost my Dad when i was 21.
twenty-one.
and it was the hardest thing i've ever done.

but i was an adult, at least.
i had him around for all of those awkward, stressful times growing up.
he had the time to teach me lots of 'pearls', that still get me through tough spots...even today.

they don't have their mama.
they need her.
to help with prom dresses. and boys. and soccer. and lip gloss. and hurt feelings. and pride. and mean girls. and graduation. and college. and weddings. and babies. andandand.

that is the part i'm having the hardest time with...
i don't know to this day what i would have done without my mama.

their dad is a good guy...i know he will love and nurture those girls to the nth degree.
but to lose your wife, and raise your preteen girls alone?
that is a situation that requires more faith than i know if i even possess.
i mean, people say it all the time...
'you do what you have to do'.
and i guess it's true.
but in the meantime, i'm betting heartache maxes out.

so for now, all i can do...
all any of us can do,
is offer help.
extend a hand.
send up a prayer for them.
and remind them, whenever we can...whenever it's appropriate,
that their mama loved them.
goodbye, S.
xo

a flashback.

overheard in the last hour...while Mike is trying to explain the essence of football to her:

A: 'Dad, are there only 2 minutes left in the game?'
M: 'no, Al...there are 2 minutes left in the half.'
A: 'how many halves are there?'
M: 'i'm going to let you think about that for a second...'

A: 'all they have to do to score is run the ball over that line?'
M: 'well, that's one way to score.'
A: 'it's harder to score in soccer.'
M: 'it's different, Allie.'
A: 'well, i think that it should count for more points when they KICK it through that thing.'
M: 'you mean the goal post?'
A: 'is that what that big fork is called?'

A: 'that guy should pass it off to his friend when the other guys start chasing him.'
M: 'well, that's tricky. they have to be careful not to pass it backwards.'
A: 'you are always telling us in practice that sometimes you have to pass it backwards in order to get out of a tricky spot.'
M: 'uh...you got me there.'
A: 'so how is it different?'
M: 'honey, this entire GAME is different.'

i can't make this stuff up, people.

but the kicker of it all is that i was her.
at 11 years old, i decided to sit down with my Dad and watch the Browns play.
every Sunday.
i'm sure i made him crazy.

i am inquisitive by nature.
i ask questions until i understand how something works.
it's probably why i leaned toward science my whole life.
so the fact that i didn't know all of the details about football at 11 made. me. nuts.
my poor father, lol.

he would just try to watch the game every week.
in peace.
after working 80 hours a week on the asembly line at Ford, it was his 'me time'.
well, until i joined him. :)

but he never once complained.
sure, he would lose his temper every couple of weeks...when i would ask the same damn question over and over about safeties. (that one took me FOREVER to grasp)
but we would make snacks, sit on the couch and jump up and down watching the CardiacKids of the 80s.

together.

moments like these tonight...
they remind me of him so much.

and i miss him so badly it feels like it was only yesterday that we lost him.
no way has it been 15 years.
just not possible.

then again.
moments like these tonight...
they make my heart feel full.

because i remember how close he and Mike were.
and maybe.
just maybe.
he told him while we were dating that i used to sit and watch with him.
and that someday...when he had a daughter, he should do the same.

maybe.
:)

letter to the assistant principal.

Dear Mr. Basinski,

I have to say, when we attended the orientation on August 28, the last thing we expected as parents was to come away with homework. Having said that, we love your idea...what a unique way to get to know the incoming student body! And you're absolutely right...who better to introduce a child than his/her parents?

So where to begin?

Allison Harper is our only child. She is a 'young' 11, in that her birthday falls at the end of the school year. She is not shy by any means...in fact, she is eager to make new friends at Eastern Heights. The bulk of her close friends attend St. Jude's, yet she sees them six days a week at soccer games/practices. When she appeared apprehensive about that, we encouraged her by explaining that this new school is an opportunity to meet other girls who are seeking the same thing...and were as proud as can be when, during orientation, she extended a smile and an introduction to just about every new face she sat down with. Proof that she hears us...even though at times it seems she may not be listening. :)

As mentioned before, she is a soccer player...active on two competitive leagues this fall. She has really latched onto the sport, which is a blessing in so many ways. As an only child, we have always stressed the importance of learning to be part of a team...that it isn't necessarily always about 'self'. She tried several sports along the way, but this is the one she never gave up on. Seven years now, and we don't expect her to stop anytime soon. That being said, she has been reminded that schoolwork is her primary focus.

School. She loves it. Always has, and we hope she always will. She has been eager to start since early August...and can't wait to figure out the inner workings of being a middle schooler. Science and Language Arts have long been her favorites, coming to her fairly easily. Math is the subject she has to work at, but when she does...it pays off.

She is sensitive. Kind. It hurts her heart to think that she may have hurt someone's feelings. She is strong in that she isn't afraid to speak up when she knows something is wrong. She is a ham. She doesn't mind the limelight. She is a true friend. She is our reason to strive for excellence as parents.

And while all of that may sound cheesy...it's 100% true.

Take good care of her. We look forward to you and your staff being a part of her development, and thank you for all that you do.

This was our homework assignment after her middle school orientation last week...write a letter to the Assistant Principal 'introducing' your child to him. a cool idea, we thought. he wanted to hear about her likes/dislikes, hobbies, thoughts on school, what kind of a student she is, etc.

who knows if he'll actually read them, lol.

we printed this out, signed it and sealed in the provided envelope...so she couldn't read what we had written about her.

(she'd probably be mortified.)

but we also realized that this assignment was a test for parents, more than anything. how many do you think actually took the time to be genuine about their child? to put down on paper their faults/strengths/weaknesses/positives?

unknown.

but i do know...she had a spring in her step this morning.

Middle School, here she comes.