Scrappy Sunday

So it seems that Blogger ate my comments from my most recent post. (Please regurgitate them, blogger! please?) But that's besides the point.

Today is one hectic day--I just attended a community women's brunch (where I won a sushi set, woohoo!), and I have two more events to hit up today. Not to mention exercising, menu planning, and laundry. So I'll keep this short and sweet!

I created this layout with the Studio Calico March kit, Into the Woods.

The colors in this kit aren't my usual--very earthy, with lots of pops of green and orange. But that's what I love about working with kits! I work with a much wider range of colors than what I would choose my own (which would be pink....and yellow.....and aqua:)).

Since the kit had a more earthy tone to it, I decided to finally scrap the "old time style" sepia photos we had from Hershey Park.


I love the KI Memories calendar papers (and had an extra sheet to play with), so I used it as my background paper on this layout. I then pleated and stapled the woodgrain fabric strip, layered the labels and stickers, and added the final touches. I misted the chipboard stars to add more color.

There's nothing terribly deep or profound going on in this layout, but I love it--because it reminds me of a fun day with my husband. It makes me smile:)

What is YOUR favorite layout right now? Link me up!

A big thank you and some scrappy goodness!

So today is Mother's Day.

And the word I'm thinking of the most today is....

thanks.
The closer I get to being a mother, the more I appreciate all the things my mother did, and still does for me. And without going into details, I'm pretty sure I wasn't the easiest kid, either!
So if you're reading this mom--thank you. I love you so much.

[This card was made from Studio Calico's delicious February kit, Candy Shoppe. Here's hoping I can order up some time to play with it more!]

And, in honor of National Scrapbooking Day (I'm a day late, but too much celebration can be a good thing, right?) I have a scrapbook layout for you!

The monthly challenge over at Write. Click. Scrapbook this month was to scrap a day in your life.

I created a similar layout almost two years ago, and it's funny how much has already changed!

Here's my layout from back in October of 2009:

And here is my layout from April of 2011:

In between the two layouts, we've both graduated, so our daily schedules are really different!

Since I was running low on time and didn't have time to order photos (reason #4566677 why I need a Canon Selphy as a birthday present!), I decided to just use a random photo of myself and focus the layout on the journaling.

I kept track of what I did all day on a notepad, and then typed up the schedule as journaling. Using my typewriter, I was able to (mostly) navigate around the embellishments to get all the writing in. I used the Studio Calico April kit on this one. While days like this one (lots of scrapbooking, visit to the mall with a friend), aren't exactly my everyday life, I still love how this layout captures a moment in time in a really detailed way.

Check out what the rest of the WCS girls did here.

So when was the last time YOU created a Day in the Life layout? And what are YOU doing for Mother's Day?

And just a final note on Mother's Day: for those of you reading who aren't mothers yet, hang in there. You aren't alone and before too long we'll all have sticky fingers bringing us breakfast in bed:)

8 is Enough

I'm in Ohio right now, babysitting my little siblings for a few days while my parents are out of town and enjoying checking out my old haunts. Looking forward to heading home today though!

Since I'm away from most of my scrappy supplies, I'm catching up on showing you some old projects. Here are some Eight is Enough layouts I created for the Ella blog.

Here's the eight products I used:

1. Garment paper from Studio Calico
2. Bella Blvd polka dot paper
3. October Afternoon damask paper
4. October Afternoon gray paper
5. Fiskars apron lace punch
6. October Afternoon Fly a Kite word stickers
7. American Crafts pink Fancy thickers
8. Jenni Bowlin butterfly banner stickers

I love this collection of stuff, because it's so bright and cherry--it really is perfectly "me."

Here's the first layout I created with this set of product:

I layered patterned paper and word stickers to create a bit of a collagey feel for the title. That's why I love those word stickers sheets--they really pack a lot of punch!

For my second layout, I used a dark background to create more contrast and a different look. Since I didn't have a circular element for my title, I freehand cut a circle outline from cardstock and used that to house the title.

So it turns out, eight really IS enough.

Will that stop me from buying too many scrappy supplies? That remains to be seen?

Have YOU taken the Eight is Enough challenge yet?

PS--Check out the Write Click Scrapbook blog today for some fun Ella/WCS goodness!

More Disney photos!

I realized I still have lots of Disney photos to share with you! In no particular order, here are some of my favorites from the trip:


How pretty is this spot? It's part of the zoo area in the Animal Kingdom (not pictures: tigers!)


S was WAY into the street performers at Disney. We enjoyed this Japanese drumming show.

Beer glasses anyone?

Can you sense a theme here? ha!

Since we keep kosher, we couldn't eat out so easily, so we were super excited to order drinks. This Shirley Temple was the perfect accompaniment to lunch by the pool!

I had a lot of fun photographing this sheep in the Animal Kingdom.

Can you tell? if only all of my subjects were this cooperative.

The safari was definitely one of the highlights of the trip.

The Aisa section of Animal Kingdom was full of unique photo-ops, like this vase....

and this bicycle.....

and these beautiful paper banners!

Us having fun together:)


And loved these masks at Epcot!

Some highlights of the trip:

Skipping our dinner plans on the last night to spend more time touring the "world" in Epcot. We spent an hour at a pub in England, listening to a piano performer who made songs up on the spot.

On the very last afternoon, we packed our bags, checked out, and hit the pool. We went down the water slide at least ten times and just soaked up the sun. It was magical.

Every night after the parks, we'd go to the hot tubs after dinner. It was fun to meet random people that way!

One night it was raining like crazy, so we watched a Harry Potter DVD and ate lunch on the bed in the hotel room. Not very Disney-like, but it totally hit the spot:)

What's YOUR favorite vacation memory?

And on the topic of fairy-tale, magical adventures, anyone else tune in to the Royal Wedding this past weekend?

Even though I enjoyed watching it, I felt a bit unsettled afterward. As I'm writing this, my life feels very un-anchored, like a buoy just bobbing in the water and waiting for something to happen. For a baby or a job to materialize, for the feeling of confidence and excitement for the future that I used to feel so strongly. I'm not sure why I've felt this way lately (or maybe I do--crazy hormone-inducing medications, anyone?), but I really envied Kate as I watched the wedding. I envied the feeling of being chosen, of being significant, that she must have felt on that day.

I haven't felt very significant lately, in many ways. But I know I have the power to change that.

And I'm going to start today.

Thinking of fall....

Or fall colors, at least! Recently, I've been looking longingly at my pumpkin patch photos from back in October and creating some layouts.

The funny thing is that both of these layouts include photos taken at the same event, but they each have a completely different focus!


This layout is a more typical event-y layout. I have other layouts that also document that day (I had recently gotten my Rebel and there were a LOT of photos taken, ha!), so I didn't go into much detail and journaled way less than I usually do. I love how the colors and mood of the layout totally echo what I remember of that moment.

(note: this pinked circle banner was inspired by my talented friend, Rebecca Ertel!)

This layout is a bit more introspective--I wrote about how I felt at the pumpkin patch on a deeper level. When I'm with my husband, I just feel totally myself. I can be 100% who I am because I know he will love me no matter what. It was that emotion that I wanted to convey on this layout.

I kept the design simple to focus on the photo and message. The rub-on at the bottom is from Lily Bee, and one of my favorite embellishment sets ever. I could have about 500 of those packages:)

So there you have it--one event, one set of photos, and two completely different layouts!

What do YOU do when you have tons of photos from one event?

A very happy mail day:)

Well, Pesach is over, and it was lots of fun--I got to see so many friends and family, and many boxes of matza and macaroons (if you've never hand a classic Manischewitz macaroon, you're missing out!) were consumed. But I'm glad to be back to blogging!

I've been meaning to post this for ages, but better late than ever, right?

A few months ago, I got a very happy (and unexpected!) little package in the mail from my friend Meghann.

Included was this little lovely:



And this gorgeous card:

I'm always impressed with how much detail and layering Meghann uses on her projects, and the stunning decor pieces she creates. And even more impressed with her kindness.

Being involved in this online scrappy world has been hard for me, at times, as I'm sure you all have heard about (ha!). But I would never trade it in, because aside from the chance to do what I love, this scrapbooking community of ours has brought me so many wonderful friends.

Want to learn how to tie a perfect bow out of ribbon? You're in the right place.

Want to learn how to be a good friend? Just stick around.

Future dream house?

If you aren't on Pinterest, check it out--it took me a long time to decide to join, but now I can't get enough! it's the perfect way to organize online inspiration.

Since I'm newly passionate about home decor, I've been saving a lot of inspiring images of houses that I WISH I lived in. Or maybe I just wish I could combine my favorite room from each house into one house!

Here are some of my fave images right now:


I've "known" Reyanna Klein from Studio Calico for a while, but I didn't know she had such a fantabulous laundry room. What I love? The beautiful color of the wall, the pops of pink and yellow, and the frames!

I saw this image on Lisa Leonard's blog and fell in love. I love the ruffles and the mix of patterns--and I love how having the same design of the pillows makes it look cohesive even though there are so many colors.

What I love about this room is that it looks so usable, with a fun mix of storage and style. I also love how punchy that black and white rug looks against the cool wall color.

Can I have an exposed brick house in my future home? Pretty, please please? This one is just lovely.

Maggie Holmes' home decor is absolutely fabulous--love the fun colors in this image!

And last but not least, I love the neutrals and pops of color in this room over at Becky Novacek's.

What's fun about this is that you can see trends in your design sensibilities. I've learned that I love the pink + yellow + aqua color scheme. I like mostly clean, cool color palettes with punches of color. I love eclectic combinations of frames and banners and photos.

If you also like drooling over pretty room, there's more where this came from--check out my Pinterest boards here.