Happy {New} Year

Just wanted to say Happy New Year! Sorry for the neglected blog. We are currently enjoying our newest addition - Baby Brother. :) Will get back into the swing of things come 2012! I have big plans for instagram pictures from 2011. Just got to get stuff printed. Does anyone else have this challenge? I can't ever get pictures printed to go into my projects. Wish me luck with this in 2012 :)

Christmas Card 2011

I decided to make my own cards this year. It actually wasn't too bad as I've realized how easy PSE has become for me! Hooray. I never thought I would feel that way.

Anyways, I had big plans to make a front and back side for my cards, but I wanted to simplify. It just had to happen this year with baby due on the 23rd. I also had big plans for a cute letter too, but SIMPLIFY! So I just went with the front. However, since I created the back of the card, I figured I would share it with you, my crafty friends.

I got the Joy paper pack from Photo Card Boutique. I was also feeling inspired by their templates - Collins and Taylor

I also got my cards printed at Persnickety Prints on Pearl paper. They turned out great! Loved them.

Rhonna Designs: Chevron Love

I bought this kit (Chevron Tool Kit) from Rhonna Designs. I decided to try it out making my own Christmas tags. I thought they turned out pretty cute. I did also use some stuff from  the Christmas Art Brush kit, Christmas Junque Borders, Christmas Junque brush kit, House of 3 - Christmas Borders and Banners. The tag templates came from That Girl Designs.

I thought they turned out pretty cute. I printed them on ink jet sticker paper so I could just stick them to packages rather than trying to try them to the packages.

Craftaholics Gift Exchange: What I Made

What I Gave

Valerie over at Occasionally Crafty was kind enough to take pictures (since I had a pregnancy brain moment and forgot) of what I sent to her! Enjoy

Craftaholics Gift Exchange Winter 2011

I decided to join up with this gift exchange again. I got a really cute clutch last year. I exchanged with a cute blogger Valerie. I just got her package today! So cute. Love what she sent me - a Christmas planner, a NOEL sign, and cute washcloths for Baby Brother. 

I sent her a canvas "Let it snow" and some cute Christmas stuff. She hasn't gotten that stuff yet, so I'll hold off posting pictures of this until she gets it.

A {grateful} month: Day 14

Nov 21 - (Wow am I ever not being consistent.)

Today I'm grateful for my bed. Seems simple enough. I haven't been sleeping very well lately because Baby Brother is residing up in my right rib cage at the moment. However, once I find a good sleeping position, I'm usually out for the next 6 hours. I would like to thank my bed for this blessing. Plus, E always comes to snuggle us in the morning and I'm glad we can all fit perfectly.

A {grateful} month: Day 13

Nov 17 - Today was a frustrating day. I was finding it hard to think of something I was grateful for. Needless to say, I was feeling kind of crappy.

I had the chance to go hear the US Army Orchestra play and Brunker Hall over at Fort Myer. There is a lady in our church that plays for this orchestra and in fact, she had a solo. It's amazing how some classical music can be soothing to the soul. I'd forgotten how much I enjoy just listening to classical music and enjoying the talents of others. Made me miss playing the violin though. So today I'm grateful for good music and the talents of others.

A {grateful} month: Day 12

Nov 15 - Today I'm grateful for small things easing my anxiety about having Baby Brother come to join our family. The hospital is only 20 minutes away, we have friends that live 5 minutes from us that can take E in case Baby Brother comes early, the hospital where I am delivering at has private rooms, and Kyle can stay with me the entire time. I'm also allowed up to 5 "support" people as needed and E can come visit us soon after delivery if we want. I still feel nervous that some freak snowmaggeadon might occur or an accident on the 395 will prevent us from getting to the hospital quickly but I know things will work out. Just gotta keep the level of stress at a minimum. Also, I have this in my life:

A {grateful} month: Day 11

Nov 14 - Today I'm grateful for peaceful moments to myself. I say this, but I didn't get really get one today. It got me thinking I need to make sure I'm taking time out for these moments. This means shutting off the computer, TV, the iPhone, the stress, the 2 year old requests, etc, etc. I was just thinking I need to make more time for spiritual stuff and wouldn't you know? Rhonna is holding a lite version of the 21 day challenge. I decided I better try to make a habit of taking quiet peaceful moments. So...I'm going to be doing that from now until December 4th. I feel like this will help me focus. I don't know how I'm going to document this yet. I figure if I can get it written down on my blog that is better than nothing right? Join in if you get some time!

A {grateful} month: Day 10

Nov 12 - Today I am grateful for every day that we have to enjoy good friends and family. We sat and watched our daughter play at the playground today. She was telling everyone that should could climb up the ladder at the playground 'all by self.' She has such a cute personality, and I'm glad to have every opportunity to see her learn and grow.

A {grateful} month: Day 9

Nov 11 - Today I'm grateful for all those serving in our armed forces. I don't think I've ever really appreciated it until we moved to Virginia. We are surrounded by many people in our area that have given up time with their families to help keep us safe. I'm so glad they are bringing many of them home for the holidays as well.

A {grateful} month: Day 8

(Obviously, I'm not doing consecutive days. Seems like the days keep getting away from me).
Nov 10 - Today I'm grateful for the beautiful fall weather we are currently having in Virginia. I looked out the window a minute ago and all the leaves are falling off the trees today becuase it is a little windy. It looks like it's snowing leaves. The fall weather around here allows me to wear my favorite things - colored tights and mid-calf boots. :)

A {grateful} month: Day 7

Nov 8 - Today I'm grateful for my extra large capacity washer machine. It has been such a blessing to get all the clothes I've needed to wash done in 2 loads and not 10.

A {grateful} month: Day 6

Nov 7 - Today I'm grateful to have a job that uses my skills. I enjoy being able to use my science background to help sick people get the right diagnosis. I know working in the laboratory doesn't seem as fulfilling as being a nurse, but I chose it because I could make a difference in people's lives even if it goes unnoticed. Let's face it who wants to deal with urine, poop, various body fluids and touchy machines? I guess I do since I picked that as my profession.

A {grateful} month: Day 5

Nov 5 - Today I'm grateful for good friends and good food. Doesn't seem like much, but it's nice to know people care so much about me.

A {grateful} month: Day 4

Nov 4 - I am grateful for beautiful fall weather in Virginia. It gives me time to wear my 5 pairs of boots I love. :) The leaves have been gorgeous this season and we have really been able to enjoy them. I'm kind of bummed because we missed the fire maples across the street, but the leaves behind our house have been awesome.

{Man} Card

I needed a quick birthday card, so this is what I came up with:


Supplies:
Studio Calico - Anthology
Paper Smooches - Sentiment Sampler
Papertrey Ink - Banner Builder

A {grateful} month: Day 3

Nov 3 - Today I'm grateful for my husband. He helps with anything that I ask, is amazing patient with our daughter's stubbornness, and lets me have my pregnancy annoyances. He has become an anchor in my life and helped me weather many storms that I don't think we both signed up for when we got married. He has blessed my life in more ways than I could have imagined. Love you!

{Halloween} 2011

Put a quick layout together for Halloween. It was pretty low key this year. We had a Trunk or Treat at church and then went Trick or Treating with our next door neighbor and their daughter. I think E made out pretty good with the candy :)

Supplies used: Rhonna Farrer Haunted trees brush, Echo Park Apothecary - paper and elements, Carina Gardner 5x7 template, 
House of Three Rounded Corner Brush, Hof3 - Design District Font, Stampin Up - Baker's Twine

A {grateful} month: Day 2

November: A {Grateful} Month: Day 1

UPDATE: I can't help myself...I had to do something digital.

I've been reading this book:
29 Gifts: How a Month of Giving Can Change Your Life by Cami Walker

It's about a lady who decides to give 29 gifts for 29 days to try and improve her health. She was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, which is an autoimmune disease that is pretty debilitating.

She also has a website that allows people to share their experiences with this challenge.

Anyways, I been feeling like I need to focus on something positive lately because I've been feeling kind of down. Can't really explain why...might be the pregnancy hormones or the stress of a new baby joining us soon or other details I won't go into. I just feel like I need to focus on something other than feeling sad. I realized around this time last year I was working on the 21 Day Challenge with Rhonna. I kind of wanted to do my own thing since I don't have a lot of time or energy at the moment to do anything elaborate. I'm keeping it simple, and I think I'll save the gift giving challenge for another time.

This being said, I am still feeling inspired to do something to get out of myself. It is November and that means Thanksgiving. So many stores are already glossing over this - Christmas was out before Halloween this year. I want to find things to be grateful for each day - no matter how small they may seem. This probably isn't going to very fancy, but I might turn this into a digi project later on.

So here's to Day 1 (yes, on November 2nd - I owe 2 grateful things today):

Nov 1 - I'm grateful that I had enough energy to get the laundry done, vacuum the floors, and spend time raking up leaves with E today. We had a good day. I even got a nap while she took one.

Supplies used: Grateful Glam - Rhonna Farrer, Stampin Up! - Falling Leaves, Autumn Spice, Jodie Lee - Junk Mail Overlays

{Lately}: Cards

I've been working on some cards to sell in my mother-in-law's store. I hope they sell, but just wanted to show what I've been working on.

See my Cards photostream in Flickr

A {hurricane} weekend

We survived! It turned out to be a low key weekend. Instead of spending it at the beach as planned, we spent a lot of time indoors. I was kind of bummed because the beach is so much more appealing than 12 hours of constant rain. This happened to be the first hurricane I've ever been through. Luckily, it pays to have a husband who grew with hurricanes. He had us prepared about 2 days in advance - filled up the gas tanks, got out the 72 hour kits, filled the bathtub up with extra water, got us a few gallons of milk, and turned the fridge/freezer temps down just in case more trees fell on the power lines - so we could avoid the rush...which inevitably was going to happen. Lucky for us, Irene was downgraded to a Category 1 storm by the time it hit us. This meant a lot of rain, some strong winds, a few broken branches, and some minor flooding in our car (it already leaks...we just can't figure out where). We feel very blessed that many people were praying for our safety. It really only rained for about 12 hours and we only lost power for about 3 hours. All in all, I feel like I can do this again...maybe not for a while.

I didn't take any pictures other than our neighbor leaving her windows open during the rain storm...I guess she likes the fresh air and 40 mph winds coming into her house :)

Here's what it looked like:

It was a pretty massive storm. I think it was about 497 miles wide!

A friend of mine took these pictures from Walmart. If you needed any flashlights, water, or batteries...it wasn't happening after Friday.  Good news is we were plenty prepared. :)

{Digital} Birthday Cards

Here's a little sampling of birthday cards I've made:

Alpha: Valerie Wibbens acetate letters (the lily pad), Flowers: Shabby Miss Jen - Sweetie Pie Feathers: Kitschy Designs Background: PrelestnayaP Designs TexturesPack5 (Digital Design Resort)

Cardstock: 300 DPI paper, Stamps: House of 3 - pink party, parisan anthology, magical designs sparkles

Cardstock: Splendid Fins - Closet Stripes, Closet Plaid, Stamps: house of 3 - inked edges, graphix word art Frames: liv.e designs - sketched frames 

Cardstock: Stampin Up - raspbery tart, calypso coral, kiwi kiss, rose red, Elements: Stampin UP Shapes: Stampin UP Alphas: Valerie Wibbens acetate letters (the lily pad)

Story Time

Took these a while back. I loved how much she was enjoying Kyle read to her.

Fourth of July

Happy 235th birthday, America!

Ward Signs

Helped my husband out by making some signs for our upcoming church gathering. I thought it turned out kind of cute. I created my own pennants using the new Echo Park papers - Dots & Stripes Metropolitan. Enjoy!

Dear Crafty Blog:

I know I have been neglecting you lately. I've been having a creative slump lately paired with extreme exhaustion. Much to my surprise, we found this out:

One day, I will find time to create again. Maybe in a couple of weeks?

The Vintage Pearl: i heart birds. (a giveaway!)

The Vintage Pearl: i heart birds. (a giveaway!)

Cherry Blossoms: Template Tuesday

Tried my hand at Template Tuesday

What do you think?

Wacom Pen Scrappers Contest

Made this for entry into a contest:



Beach Day | Wacom Pen Scrappers

I'm not sure when the voting starts, but I figured it was good practice starting from scratch!

A little encouragement

Made this for a friend who needed a little encouragement...

True Scrap

http://bit.ly/hMMPUH

For a chance to win a spot!

Mouse Paper Scissors Week 1

I signed up for this class over at JessicaSprague.com. It's a mix between digital scrapbooking and traditional scrapbooking - otherwise known as hybrid scrapbooking. I'm liking it so far. It's forcing me to get stuff printed out and actually make a card/layout/physical item.

We are creating some fabulous stuff. :)

Here's what I've got so far:

Vintage Pearl Giveaway!

http://thevintagepearl.blogspot.com/2011/03/allora-handmade-giveaway.html

This lady has some fabulous stuff! Enjoy!

Some more Valentine's enjoyment

Bags I made for my visiting teaching sisters complete with candy hearts, candy dish, and cute notecards:

Kyle's card:

Summer LO: 2010

Been trying to catch up on some of my pictures. Here's one I came up with...

18 month digi layout

Made this for E's 18 month mark:

It wasn't coming together at first, but I like it now
Frames: Jessicasprague.com, House of 3 remarkable icons, circle brushes - Jessicasprague.com

Valentine's

I needed a quick Valentine's Day set of cards...here's what I came up with:
Silhouette V-Day Cards

Enjoy!

It's a giveaway!

http://florabellacollection.com/blog/2011/01/12/florabella-giveaway/

The Vintage Pearl: {secret} love message cuff. (and a coupon!)

The Vintage Pearl: {secret} love message cuff. (and a coupon!)
A chance to win one!

Cute digital ticket frame giveaway

http://feifeistuff.blogspot.com/2011/01/ticket-frames-giveaway.html

I thought these were pretty cute!

paislee press: a new calendar year (and a giveaway)

paislee press: a new calendar year (and a giveaway):
Cute picture calendar and a chance to win!

House of 3 webshow: Tonight!

Rhonna DESIGNS: web show wednesday clean up

Come on and join us!

1.1.11: Goals

Happy New Year!

I'm trying to get my post in before the day is over!

I was reflecting back on my goals from 2010 and I remembered I was inspired last year to write them down because of this: 

http://www.houseof3.com/simply-amazing-2010-class-and-kit.html

2010 Goals

1. Be positive

2. Make some new friends

3. Finish projects I've already started

4. Be a better wife and mother

5. Say "I love you" and mean it

6. Enjoy the every day, simple things in life

7. Trust myself more

8. Get organized

9. Play just as hard as I work

10. Learn to express myself more clearly.

I am happy to say I accomplished all of these goals this past year. I am amazed! I usually have such a hard time with keeping goals. I guess writing it down really helped me this past year.

2010 was a difficult, but great year. I have made leaps and bounds with feeling better about myself (If you didn't know I was struggling with that, now you know!). I've also had the opportunity to meet and reconnect with a lot of amazing women through blogging, facebook, and email. This has helped me to step out of my comfort zone. I'm usually a quiet person so I feel grateful that technology allows me to communicate with others that share the same interests as me.

I wanted to sit down and write more goals down for this year, but haven't had time to really think about it yet. When I do, I'll be sure to get it up here. 

Hope you all have a happy, healthy 2011! Cheers.