The Paper Orchard

Doodlebug Sweet Cakes

2012-01-23T07:10:00.004-05:00

With Valentine's Day around the corner, I've been busy working on gifts for friends and teachers. I started out by making the box with the Silhouette using two different Sweet Cakes patterns - a print for the top box and a more classic dot print for the actual box. I also lined the box with a stripe pattern for some contrast. Next I filled it up with packages of Sweethearts and a gift card from our local movie theater.

I used a piece of acetate for the window of the box and some jewels to decorate the white border. I made a 'garland' of hearts using twine and some punched out hearts. I think it adds a little whimsy and a cute decorative touch.

And now for the giveaway --- leave a comment here on my blog and then hop on over to the Doodlebug blog. Just leave a comment there and YOU'RE ENTERED to win the entire Sweet Cakes line! Winners will be announced on 1/31/12 on the Doodlebug blog. Good luck!

Two Peas Gardeners' Digest

2012-01-22T07:59:00.001-05:00

Hi there and welcome to my first Gardeners' Digest post. Join me on the 22nd of every month for an update from the Garden Girls, the design team at Two Peas in a Bucket. We'll be hosting a blog hop, a give away here and there + sharing some sneak peeks.

SOMETHING NEW...

First up, a peek at an upcoming Gallery project that I just finished up...

Every time I've seen this circular Silhouette pattern used, I've loved it. It's intricate, bold and interesting all at the same time. I filled it with papers from Crate's Paper Heart Collection.

SOMETHING INSPIRING...

I love this page by fellow Garden Girl, Jill Sprott. The cluster of envelopes chock full of journaling, the tucked in title and the generally artsy, layered feel of the page inspire me. You can see more of Jill's amazing work here + the girl is witty, writes beautifully and tells an interesting story. Love that.

FIVE PRODUCTS I'M USING RIGHT NOW.... All of these products match perfectly. I love when that happens!

Echo Park A Boy's Life	SC	SC
Lily Bee Alphabet	Studio Calico Chipboard Tags

InLinkz.com

AND THE GIVEAWAY...

If you've made it this far, ha! - leave a comment and you'll be entered to win a $10 gift certificate to Two Peas in a Bucket.com. I'll announce a winner on 1/28/11. Good luck!

AND NOW....

Please hop on over to Shannon Tidwell's blog for another edition of the Gardener's Digest.

Amy Heller http://www.amyheller.typepad.com/

Amy Tangerine http://amytangerine.blogspot.com

Jen Jockisch: http://jenjockisch.com/
Shimelle Laine: http://www.shimelle.com/

Jill Sprott: http://wordplaywordwork.blogspot.com/

Wendy Sue Anderson: http://www.wendysueanderson.blogspot.com/

Lisa Truesdell: http://gluestickgirl.typepad.com/
Jenny Chesnick: http://mrschez.typepad.com/

Julie Campbell: http://www.stampedinhisimage.blogspot.com/
Laura Craigie: http://evidenceofagoodlife.blogspot.com/
Nancy Damiano: http://thepaperorchard.blogspot.com/
Jennifer Gallacher: http://jengallacher.blogspot.com/
Lynn Ghahary: http://lynnghahary.blogspot.com/
Kimber McGray: http://kimbermcgray.blogspot.com/
Becky Novacek: http://www.beckynovacekphotography.com/blog/
Kandis Smith: http://www.mycreativetreasury.blogspot.com/
Shannon Tidwell: http://www.shannontidwell.com/
Wilna Furstenberg http://www.wilnaf.com/

Pink Paislee Snow Days + More Bella Peeks

2012-01-19T08:24:00.000-05:00

We haven't had a flake of snow here yet - thank goodness! But I still remember last year when we had blizzards on what seemed like a weekly basis. The only good thing that came out of that frozen year, was stacks and stacks of fun snow pictures.

I made this layout for the Pink Paislee blog a while back using their new Snow Days line. I love how they used non-traditional winter colors and a little bit of kraft. I started the page by sewing rows of punched circles and photos to the background page.

By alternating the color and sizes of the circle, it added dimension to the page instead of being a static row of the same sized circles - just something different. I placed the title right on a blank spot on the photo and embellishments on the bottom. This frames out the focal point photo and adds a bright splash of red.

I'm not expecting (heck no), but Bella Blvd. is! Check out their latest line at the Bella Blvd blog and leave a comment to win the collection. There are also detailed shots and sample pages.

Love that little sonogram!

New Bella Blvd Buttons

2012-01-17T08:21:00.000-05:00

And the sneaks continue. For full images and page ideas, visit the Bella Blvd blog.

Video and New Bella Blvd Lines

2012-01-16T16:44:00.000-05:00

It's up! My first Memory Keeping Monday video is up at 2Peas. So excited to share it with everyone...

To view video, click here.

And bear with me. This video thing is not easy at all. There are already so many things that I would love to go back and change on this one. But it's a learning process and I'll get there. And don't be shy about sending any constructive criticism my way. I'd love to hear your opinion and it's the only way I'll improve and get a feeling for what you want to see and not see.

The page that I put together is about Nico and what he wants to be when he grows up. He's been saying the exact same three things for about 2 years now, so I thought it was time to get it down in the scrapbook. I think it will be interesting to see how his choices change over the years. A good friend of mine (Miss Regina) mentioned making a page like this for her own book - about what she wanted to be as a kid/teen and what she turned out to be. I think this sounds like such a fun spin on the page, I just might make another one about me.

This is Bella Blvd's brand new Baby Boy line that will be debuting at the CHA Winter show very soon.

I love the bright colors and cute little animals in this collection. I've been working on some layouts for the Bella newsletter using this collection and I love it!

For a better look at each individual pattern, you can see the full images at the Bella Blvd blog. They are doing great giveaways all week, so be sure to leave a comment for them.

More sneak peeks and pages tomorrow!

Memory Keeping Mondays

2012-01-12T22:00:00.000-05:00

A new year and some great changes over in the Garden at twopeasinabucket.com! They have just announced a list of all brand-new weekly classes for 2012 and best of all - they are all FREE! Class is in session every Monday, Wednesday and Friday of the week. You can check them out here.

I'm happy to announce that I'll be one of the Garden Girls teaching the Memory Keeping Mondays series. My first video will be up on Monday, January 16th and I'm equally nervous and excited to share it with you. I enjoyed the step-by-step process of showing exactly how/why I design pages the way I do, but it is not an easy task. Once you film a segment, you can't change your mind and for me that is so hard! That aside, it was worth the effort and I hope you enjoy watching it as much as I had making it.

In the meantime I've got this layout that just went up at twopeasinabucket.com to share. I got the idea for this page from my travel journal. While on a cruise last year, I jotted a list of things that Nico had done for the first time on this vacation. They varied from swimming with the dolphins, to vocabulary words and even new foods that he tried. It's amazing how much children learn and absorb when they travel. And at 5, Nico is constantly questioning and learning about everything around him. We are always trying to drive the point home with him to value experiences over material things. It something that we value as a family and we hope to pass that on to Nico. I included this on the sticker at the very top of the layout to remind him.

I started with the big camera sticker + filmstrip (October Afternoon) and built the rest of the page around it. The idea for the huge envelope came from wanting to stick to a "memorabilia" and "list" type theme. I added a long title (love those) and some flair pins from American Crafts to decorate the page.

The list part of the layout includes all of the journaling. I didn't have matching stamps or stickers for this space so I decided to just use my computer and try to match the color and font as closely as I could. I like how it adds a pop of color to the graph paper.

For a complete list of products use, click here.

My two favorite finishing touches are the honeycomb paper (with some hexagons cut out) and the Tim Holtz filmstrip coming out of the camera. I think they reinforce the theme and add that little special 'something.'

Coming up...a layout and Doodlebug's brand new Sweet Cakes line. Here's a peek...

Back to Life

2012-01-03T07:04:00.001-05:00

It's over. All the holidays are done now. I'm going to miss it - the tree, the presents, having all of the family over. Yet somehow it's always nice to go back to the routine. I've been scrapping and blogging a lot less and I'm looking forward to getting back to it.

I was just putting all of my Christmas layouts away and I realized that I hadn't shared them here. First up is a sketch layout I did for the Bella Blvd blog this weekend. These pictures are from one of my attempts at a Christmas card picture years ago. No easy feat with a wiggly, 15 month old who wanted nothing more than to eat the stuffed animal in his pocket. This was back when Nico was (almost) bald and had just 4 little teeth. And as much as I love having a 6 year-old, sometimes I miss those baby days.

The sketch called for four photos and lots of borders - just my kind of page! I added the huge circles across the top to break up all of the solid red. By using the larger "presents" patterned paper for the circles on top of the smaller gingham pattern, it give the design a magnifying glass effect. The title was embellished with a few jewels from Doodlebug and a line of text.

I made a bunch of these little gift card bags for all of the teacher, coaches, and friend gifts we gave out this year. I cut the bags and snowflakes out with the Silhouette Cameo and embellished them with Doodlebug paper and stickers. The mini clothespins are from Maya Road. Nico and I sat down one night and cranked out 8 of these in an hour!

This is a layout that I made for the twopeasinabucket.com gallery. I deleted the large photo of the layout, but you can still view it in my gallery here. It's about Nico and his love of all Christmas carols. What he doesn't understand is that we are not a musical/singing type of family. And somehow we ended up with this boy who is constantly singing. I remember taking these photos years ago and when I saw that October Afternoon record, I knew exactly what I was going to do with it!

And now I'm off to find a great pocket page to put all of these photo Christmas cards away! It's the very last thing I need to put away this holiday season. I hope you had yourself a Merry Little Christmas (or any other holiday you may celebrate)!

SUPPLY LIST (Click on the photo for availability):

InLinkz.com

Farewell Pink Paislee

2011-12-07T08:25:00.000-05:00

I remember how excited I was when I got the email from Pink Paislee asking me to join the team last year. I was so excited! They were one of my favorite companies and I was looking forward to working with them. It's was a great opportunity for me and an excellent company to work for. I can't believe it's been a year already! Time to move on though and explore different opportunities and mediums - and I'm really looking forward to that.

Here are a few of my Pink Paislee projects that I recently completed.

Using the Nantucket line and Coredinations cardstock to make this vacation page.

I made this "heart" you page using the 6x6 pads from the Vintage Vogue and Nantucket lines.

Using the "stitched heart" shape and the Silhouette Cameo. Love how clean this machine cuts intricate shapes!

And my last page, using the Vintage Vogue line on this page about my grandparents' love story.

I love how this turned out, even if my picture isn't the greatest...

If you'd like to work for a great company and be part of an amazing team, I would encourage you to visit the Pink Paislee website and apply for their new 2012 design team. I couldn't recommend them enough!

Studio Calico Disney Mini

2011-12-06T06:43:00.000-05:00

I love taking pictures at Disney World. I probably take too many, but that doesn't really stop me from snapping away every time. I keep a journal too, so that I can remember what we did and when we did it. I can go back and look at our trips when Nico was just 3 and see how very different they were. I like details like that + memoribilia + photos.

What better way to hold on to those than in a mini album. I like getting an entire trip "done" in one small book. It may take me a year to get all of my Disney layouts, but in the meantime Nico can look over this mini and point out memories from our trip (he loves doing that).
I used the Studio Calico Woodgrain Minialbum. Love that it comes full of graph paper that matches everything and I like the 8x4 size - it's just enough room for pictures and words.

This album was created for and is copyright twopeasinabucket.com

This album is a day-by-day account of our trip. I started the first page with a shot of our hotel since that's where our story begins!

Some highlights and memories of each day are the focus of each 2-page spread.

I cut out an intricate die cut "divider" with the Silhouette to add color and pattern to a page that is almost all journaling.

I mixed Studio Calico die cuts and October Afternoon for this panoramic photo and title page. A few title stickers break up all of the text.

A page about one of our favorite character meals.

The reason why we come back every year...

Meeting new Disney friends...

And the final roundup. I like to document what everyone's "favorites" were from the trip. Sometimes the answers make me laugh - it's usually the small things!

SUPPLY LIST (Click on each photo for source):

InLinkz.com

A Disney Peek

2011-12-02T18:06:00.001-05:00

I've been busy with a little project that I have been enjoying so much! Here's a little peek...

And this is what my desk looked like this morning when I finished it. Crazy busy with projects, assignments, life, Christmas.

This minialbum should be up at 2Peas early next week. I'll post it here too as soon as I get the go ahead. Have yourself a Merry Little Weekend!

October Afternoon Boarding Pass and A WINNER!

2011-11-08T20:13:00.001-05:00

And the winner of the 2Peas Garden Girl Blog Hop is.....

Elizabeth said...: Beautiful layout as always! Am definitely going to use a garland for my December Daily! For me Christmas and Thanksgiving are a tie! I couldn't pick just one LOVE them both!; November 1, 2011 9:33 AM

Congrats Elizabeth! Just send me your email address and I'll get your $20 gift certificate code right to you. Thanks everyone for playing along!

And now on to a page I posted on 2 Peas yesterday...

I love family vacations. Showing Nico different parts of the world, relaxing, exploring and just spending time together in different places - these are some of my favorite memories. I keep a travel journal and fill it with stories about our adventures. And some day I'll get every single one of those stories down in our scrapbooks. For now, I like to do highlight pages that cover an entire trip in a 2-page spread.

This layout is copyright twopeasinabucket.com

October Afternoon's Boarding Pass was perfect for the generic travel theme I was looking for. Even though these stories are from our recent cruise, I wanted to keep the focus on the photos and travel diary theme instead of the "nautical" theme - that page will probably come later.

I thought this camera and polaroid would make a great focal point and a place to ground my title.

Lots of journaling with some of Nico's firsts (dolphin swim, playing in a real fort, learning how to shoot a

cannon, learning to snorkel, exploring Old San Juan) - lots of random things that he experienced. I want to remember those things and with this layout I can!

SUPPLY LIST: (click on the photo for details)

InLinkz.com

Cricut Beach Tray

2011-11-03T22:26:00.000-04:00

A quick share today of an old Cricut project from this past summer. A few simple shapes and some of my favorite pictures.

The sand dollar shape was covered with Muddle Puddles by Creative Imaginations for that sandy texture. And topped with a real tiny sand dollar I picked up at the beach.

Don't forget to leave a comment on the blog hop below for a $20 gift certificate from twopeasinabucket.com. You have until midnight (EST) 11/7/11. I will chose a random winner on 11/8/11.

It's a Two Peas in a Bucket Garden Girl Blog Hop!

2011-11-01T00:01:00.002-04:00

Welcome to the Two Peas in a Bucket Garden Girl Blog Hop! A Garden Girl is the title we receive as designers for the Two Peas website. As Garden Girls we create projects, host challenges, teach classes, and participate in events all designed to inspire your creativity. This week the Garden Girls are sponsoring special projects and giveaways on our personal blogs. Be sure to follow the list below as you hop from one blog to the next. Each Garden Girl is hosting her own giveaway so be sure to read the instructions for how you can participate in each contest. If you get lost simply either start at the beginning of the blog hop again or skip to the next blog listed below.

Wendy Sue Anderson: http://www.wendysueanderson.blogspot.com/

Julie Campbell: http://www.stampedinhisimage.blogspot.com/
Jenny Chesnick: http://mrschez.typepad.com/
Laura Craigie: http://evidenceofagoodlife.blogspot.com/
Nancy Damiano: http://thepaperorchard.blogspot.com/
Jennifer Gallacher: http://jengallacher.blogspot.com/
Lynn Ghahary: http://lynnghahary.blogspot.com/
Jen Jockisch: http://jenjockisch.com/
Shimelle Laine: http://www.shimelle.com/
Jen Martakis: http://www.jenniferann75.blogspot.com/
Kimber McGray: http://kimbermcgray.blogspot.com/
Becky Novacek: http://www.beckynovacekphotography.com/blog/
Kandis Smith: http://www.mycreativetreasury.blogspot.com/
Jill Sprott: http://wordplaywordwork.blogspot.com/
Shannon Tidwell: http://www.shannontidwell.com/
Lisa Truesdell: http://gluestickgirl.typepad.com/
Rebecca Trump: http://rebeccaleighann.typepad.com/
Jaime Warren: http://jaimewarren.typepad.com/forward_focus/
Kristina Nicolai-White: http://kristinanw.tumblr.com/

For my special project, I decided to do a Christmas morning layout. Did you know we are just 53 days away from the big day! I love the holiday season, but I rarely have time to scrap because I'm too busy decorating, celebrating and eating. I got a head start this year and dug into my pile of paper, chipboard and stickers from Crate Paper's Peppermint line to come up with this.

Nico on Christmas morning with his pile of gifts and cute little grin. The pictures aren't the greatest - but the memories are.

To make the garland, I punched out the peppermints from Crate's Candy Cane patterned paper. I pierced the center of the candy and threaded the pieces through some red and white twine. This is one of the favorite things about the layout and it was pretty simple to do.

I am giving away a $20 gift certificate to twopeasinabucket.com. To enter, simply leave a comment and tell me what your favorite holiday is! I will be drawing a random winner on 11/8/11. Good Luck! And be sure to visit each blog for other prizes.

SUPPLY LIST: (Click on the picture for details)

InLinkz.com

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T21:19:00.001-04:00

I hope it was a good one for you! We had a bit of a white Halloween here in the Northeast. You could say it was a freaky, ghostly snowstorm that blew in. I think that it's the first time I've ever seen snow on the ground at Halloween. We made the best of it and the kids had a great time tonight. But I was wishing that we were back here...

This page is copyright Twopeasinabucket.com

There's no place like Disney at Halloween!

SUPPLY LIST: (click on the link for details)

InLinkz.com

Doodlebug's Monster Mania

2011-10-27T22:36:00.000-04:00

I love these cute little monsters from Doodlebug's new Halloween line. I had to use a bunch of them all lined up in a monster parade. I added some googly eyes and pop dots to a few of the stickers for dimension.

The title "Spooky Buddies" is from a movie that we saw recently. It reminded me so much of these pictures of Nico + our family and friends a few years ago. So maybe they aren't that spooky, but they sure are cute!

I dressed the title up a bit with some more "eyes", a hanging spider and those cute eyebrows - they are commas.

Hope you are enjoying this Spooky Season. For more design team layouts using Monster Mania, visit the Doodlebug blog.

Thanks for stopping by!

New Bella Blvd

2011-10-25T08:18:00.000-04:00

So happy to share that the new Bella Blvd collections are ready to ship. Look for them at your LSS or favorite place to shop on the web towards the end of the week.

And here's a sneak peek of something I did with Spring Flings and Easter Things.

This page will be up on the Bella Blog on Thursday along with other projects and layouts from the design team.

A Very Special Party

2011-10-23T20:34:00.000-04:00

There are online classes for everything these days, and Shimelle has been teaching online scrapbooking classes for years - but she's decided it's time to kick it up a bit and go from online class to a four-week online party, and you're invited.

Pretty Paper Party (http://www.shimelle.com/paper/1258/pretty-paper-party-a-new-online-scrapbooking-class/) is the party to attend if you have a collection of paper stacked up for a rainy day, if you have more scraps of paper than you know what to do with (but you know you don't want to throw them away!) and if you've ever put a piece of paper back in your stash because it was just too special for the photos at hand. Through printable prompts and tutorial videos, Shimelle and dozens of special party guests will share beautiful and innovative techniques you can achieve with the paper you have already collected.

Shimelle has kindly asked me to participate as a special party guest! Yay! I'm excited to share a brand new page created just for this class. Here's a tiny peek at what I've been working on...

Pretty Paper Party started on Monday, but as with any good party, it's okay to arrive fashionably late. The class has no deadlines and everyone receives permanent access to all the class materials, so anyone can RSVP to the party at any time!

Pink Paislee Studio Tour

2011-10-08T10:18:00.000-04:00

For a peek at my creative space, come on over and visit the Pink Paislee blog for a tour! It's a tiny space, but packed with some of my favorite things.

Disneyworld!!

2011-10-06T22:46:00.000-04:00

Just getting back from one of my favorite places. A little journey through our trip...

End of September, early October is our favorite time to go to Disneyworld. Low crowds + an awesome Halloween party = a very happy Damiano family.

Here's Woody on the night of Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. The fake grin/smile is killing me.

Checking in at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Our room ended up being just behind that palm tree. This was such an awesome hotel.

We've spoiled him with bunk beds when we go on vacation and now he thinks it's "standard". A huge part of being on vacation means sleeping in a top bunk. I see future disappointments ahead for small fry.

He is also randomly breaking out into song quite often. And since we are so NOT a musical, singing-type of family, we're not sure quite what to do with this? But I thought the picture was funny.

Getting made up to be a real pirate.

Introducing Pirate George Truesilver (that's the name they gave him) of Captain Jack Sparrow's League.

Breakfast with the characters and our one and only picture with Mickey Mouse.

He was definitely more excited about meeting the very naughty Stitch.

And the even naughtier, beloved Phineas and Ferb.

Loved the parades. The heat + humidity were unbearable, but at least the parks were empty.

Finally, the night of the Halloween party arrives...

Anxiously waiting to meet Woody at the saloon. He was strutting in those cowboy boots (and we were laughing).

And finally the moment arrives....meeting his movie hero.
That one moment made the entire trip worth it.

We were one tired, hot, exhausted, happy family

No matter how great a trip is, I'm always so happy to come home. I came back with a notebook full of sketches and ideas I want to try. Can't wait to get into my room and start making stuff again. I'll be back very soon with something new from Pink Paislee and Bella Blvd.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

New Bella Blvd Releases

2011-10-03T23:16:00.001-04:00

I am so excited about Bella Blvd's two brand new lines. First up is a beautiful winter line with great colors and patterns. Here are a few sneak peeks of a couple of my favorites...

And then a little something for Spring....

For a look at the complete lines, please visit the Bella Blvd blog. These should be arriving to a scrapbook store near you very soon. I can't wait to get my hands on these!

Crate Fall 2Peas

2011-09-29T13:37:00.001-04:00

Fall always reminds me of bringing Nico home from the hospital. I remember the day we walked out of the NICU with our tiny baby - fragile and yet so resilient in many ways. Fall was the season I became a stay-at-home Mom, learned all about apnea monitors and how to give a baby CPR. We had to keep him inside and away from germs and people for months. It was a long season.

When the following Fall rolled around we made up for it by visiting as many pumpkin patches and festivals as we could. I think that you can see just how grateful we were to have him in these pictures.

This layout is copyright twopeasinabucket.com

My assignment over at twopeasinabucket.com was to make a Fall page. I thought these pictures went well with the Farmhouse line by Crate Paper.

I used a mix of solid and printed paper to add color and a farm feel to the page. The three staggered photos add clean lines. The corrugated alpha and felt flower are from Jillibean Soup and match well with this line. I "hung" two photos with some twine and cute chipboard clothespin from Crate. And those tiny white letters are from Lily Bee - I keep using them on everything!

For a complete supply list, click here.

The End of a Great Week

2011-09-16T22:54:00.000-04:00

So first a page. And then more good news.

You can probably tell by now that October Afternoon's Rocket Age is one of my all-time favorite lines. It fits my pictures and stories so well and I have loved using it. I've had these pictures of Nico with his first Buzz Lightyear toys for years. When I saw the 'Space Commander' die cut, I knew exactly how it would fit into telling my story.

This layout is copyright twopeasinabucket.com

Most of the papers are from OA, but there's some Bella Blvd and My Mind's Eye thrown in there as well. I was looking for just the right amount of small pattern/big pattern/small pattern in the layers.

I've been using these old Making Memories metal rings alot lately. Does anyone remember these? I like them layered with stickers + chipboard.

I love this big die cut, it's what I based the entire design on. I used 3 different colors and a nice chunky font, paired with a skinny font to set off the title. And the little dot above that "i"? It's missing and it's driving me nuts! I will find it around here somewhere. For a full list of the supplies that I used, please click here.

And now on to the good news...

Another team, another great manufacturer and great group of designers to work with. It has been a really great week!

Aphra Bolyer (LA)

Elizabeth Carney (WA)

Jessy Christopher (Malaysia)

Jing-Jing Nickel (MN)

Kandis Smith (ID)

Kathy Martin (NC)

Lori Allred (Coordinator)

Melinda Spinks (Australia)

Monique Liedtke (Netherlands)

Nancy Damiano (NJ)

Stephanie Buice (AL)

Rosangela Philippsen (Brazil)

Sherry Cartwright (TX)

Tiffany Hood (UT)

Wendy Sue Anderson (UT)

Happy Bella News

2011-09-14T21:02:00.000-04:00

So very happy about this. I love Bella Blvd and I think they are a great fit for my style. I'm really looking forward to working with everyone on this team!

A Final Goodbye

2011-09-13T21:07:00.001-04:00

Usually by this time in September, I'm ready to pack up the flip flops and sink into some cozy sweaters. Although it's getting cooler and I can feel Fall in the air, I'm really going to miss summer. I've put away the shorts, but I'm still digging into my pile of summer photos + memories.

I love these pictures of my son and his cousins swimming, jumping and mugging for the camera. I knew I had to document their favorite place to hang out this summer.

This layout is copyright twopeasinabucket.com

I love the bright colors in the Splash line by Echo Park, especially on a white background. I think this is the first time I've used white cardstock as a background and I really like how it lets the photos really stand out.

My favorite detail is the metal circle I used to highlight the kids' current ages.

I placed the splash sticker and individual circle stickers on pop dots for dimension. I love the tiny alphas from Lily Bee and used them to create a border of words along the top and bottom of the page. I think they make a nice frame for the pictures and add to the journaling.

This layout is copyright twopeasinabucket.com

This Fourth of July layout just might be my last summer layout for a while. I wanted to document the story of the day (the picnic and sparklers) and some of my thoughts on being born American. These little ones are only second generation Americans and I want them to know how special that is and how many sacrifices were made so that could be possible.

The layout is a mix of My Mind's Eye (paper), Bella Blvd and Pink Paislee embellishments with a touch of October Afternoon. My favorite part is the fabric trim (Mistables by Pink Paislee) that reminds me so much of bunting.

For a complete list of products in the 4th of July layout, click here.

For a product list of the pool layout, click here.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Pink Paislee Nantucket - Captiva

2011-08-24T06:28:00.003-04:00

I have a quick post today featuring Pink Paislee's Nantucket line again. I did an "inspired by" layout of our time in Captiva. To read more about the details of how I came up with the layout idea, see my blog post at Pink Paislee.

Sometimes it's the simplest moments from a vacation that I remember the most. On this particular day, we took a ride from Sanibel to Captiva Island. There was a funny story about a conversation we had that I wanted to remember. The pictures support the story and the products I used on the layout convey the "feel" of Captiva.

In case you're interested in the story behind the page, the journaling reads:

Do you remember when we ventured out to Captiva for dinner one night? I wanted to see the sunset and have dinner at the Mucky Duck. And you wanted to stop and see the manatees at the pier. The manatees were amazing, the sunset beautiful and the wait at the Mucky Duck 1-1/2 hours long. Do you remember how all of the mega-mansions on the way had fancy names and when I asked you what you would name ours, you said "Ain't Po' No Mo'." And that right there is why I love you. Because I get you and no one can make me laugh like like you do.

Up next, a school page and Design School Classes over at twopeasinabucket.com!

Cricut: CM Traveler Cartridge - Pack Your Bags!

2011-08-16T06:29:00.003-04:00

I've been making plans for our yearly Halloween Disney trip this week when I stumbled on this Cricut layout I made a few months ago. This was from Nico's first trip on a plane + his first Mickey mouse shirt. It's so hard to remember my big boy being that tiny and bald.

The story is about how well he did travelling. We put him through a 2-hr flight and 3-hr drive to attend a wedding. Then back on a plane a few days later to a family reunion in Disney World. My only excuse is that we were new parents and I'm not sure what the heck we were thinking.

I used the Creative Memories Traveler cartridge to create the long title. I added penstitching with a white Uniball Signo pen to the word "pack", a few chipboard pieces, brads and a flag to add dimension to an otherwise flat title.

I love the bold, graphic shapes in this Cricut cartridge, it's definitely one of my current favorites. The paper, chipboard and stickers are all from a very old Little Yellow Bicycle line. I think it was called Traveler and it was released two years ago. I love using up my "old" stash.

Thanks so much for stopping by. I'll be back soon with a 2Peas layout and a sneak peek!

Pink Paislee's Nantucket

2011-08-11T22:11:00.000-04:00

My poor neglected blog. It's a victim of the summer and very hot weather we've been having in the Northeast. We escape every day to the beach, the waterpark or anywhere we can cool off. Nico has just started summer camp this week for the first time so I've finally had some down time.

I sat down this week and made a page with Pink Paislee's new Nantucket line. It's one of the very few tropical lines that came out in 2011 and I was so happy to dig right in. I started with a page about our trip to Mexico two years ago. It's just a general overview page of the things that we loved, the beach and some of our favorite things.

The entire page was built around the honeycomb shape chipboard embellishment. One of my favorite Pink Paislee products ever. To keep the shapes perfectly aligned, I popped all of the pieces out and used the negative as a stencil. I lightly traced the hexagon shapes right on to the patterned paper and then simply stuck on all of my shapes.

To see a picture depicting exactly how I did it, you can visit the Pink Paislee blog and see my post dated 8/11/11. I deleted the photo before I got a chance to post it here. Sorry!

I also cut a few of those honeycomb shapes out and placed tiny, 1-inch photos behind the paper. I like the window effect and "peeking" through photos.

The title was created with Pink Paislee's Wood Shop letters and painted a bright aqua blue. I added a few layers of die cuts and wood starfish from the Nantucket line to complete the page.

Thanks so much for taking a look. I'll be blogging on a much more regular basis now that summertime is winding down. I am so looking forward to spending more time creating. I miss it!

October Afternoon Rocket Age & Disney

2011-07-20T07:00:00.000-04:00

This is a story that I've been holding on to for two years now. Waiting on that perfect line to tell my story of Nico on the Astro Orbiter in Disneyworld. And lo and behold, October Afternoon comes out with one of the best boy lines ever - Rocket Age! I love every single sheet of paper and embellishment in this line. I have a huge pile in my stash and I recently dug in.

This layout is copyright twopeasinabucket.com

I took these pictures while on the ride with him, so all I had were these close-up detailed shots. They told my story though - of how it felt to soar on a rocket looking over all of Tommorowland with my boy. The different space patterns and rocket embellishments give the layout the feel I was looking for.

I made the frame for the button with an old Making Memories metal tag and a chipboard circle. I then attached it to the rocket with a thin strip of wire. It visually connects the title to the photos. This was a fun and easy layout to put together. For a complete list of the products I used, click here.

It's way too hot out now, so that means more indoor/scrapping time! Be back soon with another new project.

Pink Paislee Sneaks

2011-07-18T23:24:00.000-04:00

I'm still here. Enjoying the summer season and hosting the longest sleepover ever. My niece and nephew have been with us for 2 weeks and we've been everywhere! I'm exhausted, beyond tired, but happy. In my "spare" time I stayed up way past midnight to work on some CHA projects for Pink Paislee last week.

This is their new Halloween line Phantom, which was perfect for pictures of Nico at the Haunted Mansion two years ago.

I love the big polka dot paper with its faint grid background. I used the plain Mistables fabric border and stamped coordinating images with Staz-On ink. I really like the custom look that it adds to the page.

Here is a closeup of some of the die cuts and clear frames from the line. I added some pop dots here and there for dimension and some stitching for a pop of black.

Here is a close up of my page using the Vintage Melrose line by Pink Paislee. The aqua flower is a pre-made embellishment and I added the wooden button (also from the line) and black ribbons.

One of my favorite products from Pink Paislee are these new wood letters. I added some pink paint and then sponged them with light grey ink to match the page. I love that the colors are vintage with just enough of a modern twist.

I'm currently working on a page using Pink Paislee new Nantucket line - which is my favorite! I'll be back soon (after I take a nap)...

Pink Paislee's Mistables Sneak Peek

2011-06-27T21:02:00.000-04:00

When I first got this new 'Mistables' line from Pink Paislee I really had no clue what to do with it. I am so not a mister. I probably own a total of 6 mists and very rarely use them. And then I started playing and fell in LOVE!

Believe it or not, every single product on this page started out a plain white canvas.

I used Aquamarine, Silver Mist and Dark Denim mists by Tattered Angels to add the color. My favorite is the patterned paper. It has a natural resist pattern already built in to it. You just mist it and watch it completely change. So cool! The muslin flower and scallop border trims soak up the mist really well for deep, even coverage.

Here is a peek at the new line in it's plain vanilla state. It's coming to a retailer near you soon, so watch out for it! You can also get a better look at it on the Pink Paislee blog.

Crate Paper Family Portrait

2011-06-21T12:41:00.000-04:00

Our assignment this month over on 2Peas was to create a layout with a wedding theme. Now I have have plenty of wedding pictures to scrap (probably hundreds), but I've been intimidated by the project. It seems so daunting and I have no journaling from the time, so some of the stories have been lost.

I was looking over my proofs trying to get inspired and I kept laughing at some of the photos. I remember this being the 'wedding of my dreams' but now it seems that everything was "too much". Too much dress, huge flowers, poufs, huge wedding party...this is so not the wedding I would have now. So that's the story that I went with.

This layout is copyright Two Peas in a Bucket.com

I think the title says it all - Retrospection: Age byproduct. I used 3 wedding proofs to tell the story and one of my favorite lines - Family Portrait by Crate Paper. Love the bold, non-traditional wedding colors.

The chipboard wedding cake is from Crate. I added the stick pin and an alphabet letter sticker "D" to personalize the cake. I cut three long strips for my ribbons and attached them with fabric brads. I used Thickers for the title and sponged them lightly with brown ink to tone down the bright teal color.

Next, I added strips of patterned paper and stickers to create a border along the bottom of my page. For a complete list of the products I used, you can click here.

Thanks so much for stopping by! I'll be back soon with some everyday life pics and a little Rocket Age.

Cricut Hello Thursday...or Friday

2011-06-17T14:22:00.000-04:00

I've been missing around here! Just busy with end of school year stuff and enjoying this beautiful weather. I've been doing most of my scrapbooking at night and let me tell you -- I am TIRED! It seems as if once I start a project, I can't pull myself away until I'm finished. I've got alot of fun pages coming up to share with you in the next two weeks, so stay tuned!

Today, I have a Cricut blog page to share with you. This page is about my son at the beach when he was little and how silly he was. I remember how much he loved the sand and especially eating it. Yuck!

The red title, wave, surfboard and suns were all created using the new Cricut cartridge CM Traveler. You can see more of the images from this cart at Cricut's official blog here. All of the paper is from My Mind's Eye. I love the bold images and titles in this cartridge.

And this is a Father's Day card that I made for Pink Paislee with the Daily Junque line. The small envelope is actually the ephemera packaging, but I used it as the base of my card. I also used the Cuttlebug Seeing Spots folder to create the background.

Thanks for bearing with me through this little hiatus. Hopefully, I'll get on a better blogging/crafting schedule even if my sleep suffers for it.

Have a great Father's Day weekend!

Daily Junque & Straw

2011-06-06T11:20:00.000-04:00

I just posted a recent assignment over on the Pink Paislee blog using the Daily Junque line. I love the colors in this line and they remind me so much of the quaint houses in St. Thomas, that I knew just the layout I wanted to do.

I layered lots of different patterned papers from the line until I had a nice summer palette. I then bought a cheap straw placemat at my local dollar store and cut it up to use on the layout.

I used the Daily Junque twine to sew part of the title right on to the layout. The twine is just thin and silky enough to go right through the straw mat.

Lastly, I added some flags from the Daily Junque ephemera pack, buttons and paper flowers to draw the eye through the layout.

This page came together quickly once I added the straw mat. It really added the island feel and "pop" that I was looking for.

Thanks for stopping by!

Echo Park Splash & Slide

2011-06-03T10:46:00.000-04:00

I am just starting to tackle the mountain of photos and stories from our cruise. From the moment I saw this Splash line from Echo Park, I knew it would be perfect for these slide photos.

This layout is copyright Two Peas in a Bucket. com

The minute Nico saw that slide, he started begging to go on it. He had a blast going up & down & up & down, he met lots of new friends and got into trouble on that slide (you mean 3 boys can't go down the slide at the same time repeatedly? Ha!). Here I thought that the Nickelodeon shows would be his favorite thing about the ship, but no - it was the slide.

My favorite paper is the yellow sunburst and I thought it matched the color & feel of the slide. I cut out a portion and used it to ground the title. I had so many pictures of Nico going in every direction on the slide, that it was tough to fit them all in. I kept 2 large photos (4x6 and 4x5) and then used a series of small pictures to tell my story. I used the chipboard circles to create movement over the 2-page spread and draw attention to the focus of the picture. Add some chipboard and fun patterned paper and you have one fun waterslide page.

For a complete list of the products that I used, visit my gallery here.
Have a great weekend!

Cricut Candyjar

2011-05-31T15:02:00.003-04:00

2011-05-28T10:51:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone! Happy Memorial Day weekend. I hope your weather is as nice as ours right now & you are out enjoying it!

I have a really quick project that I made for the Pink Paislee blog today. This is a candy centerpiece that I made for Nico's birthday party this summer. I love how it's decorative, personalized and good to eat.

I love these chalkboard stickers and they were really easy to cut with the Cricut Expression.

For more details and sizes, please visit the Pink Paislee blog here.

Have a great one!

Cruising Back from Vacation

2011-05-23T06:00:00.008-04:00

I wasn't sure about this vacation. We knew we wanted to go on a cruise and while I tried to book the Disney Wonder it was completely sold out until the Fall. So we researched and came up with this 10-day cruise from NYC to the Caribbean. Good in theory, but 10 days of togetherness in a 205-square foot cabin - I wasn't so sure.

So we headed out of New York City and boarded the ship under very heavy security. The Intrepid was docked directly next to us and Nico was fascinated by all of the small airplanes and submarines on display.

Crossing the harbor, we passed the beautiful Lady Liberty. Such an amazing sight. We told Nico the story of how his Nonna (grandma) came through Ellis Island when she was about his age. He couldn't believe his Nonna was ever 5.

The very first day at sea it was warm and Nico headed straight to the pool.

And proceeded to go up and down and up and down that slide 5 million times.

This was a Nickelodeon Cruise so we got to meet Sponge Bob, Patrick Star, Dora, Diego and his favorite - Fan Boy and Chum Chum.

He got called to be on stage during the Nickelodeon Slime Time Live show. He hammed it up and wasn't a bit intimidated by the hundreds of people looking at him. Actually, I think he was loving the attention.

Participating in the kid's Pirate Parade onboard.

And running, running down those long hallways looking for our cabin. Do you know how many times Mama said "Nico stop running, Nico be quiet there might be babies sleeping, Nico mind the people around you, Nico say thank you, please, let the ladies off the elevator first." Reminding him of his manners is like a full-time job. But we refuse to give up. He will be polite (even if I die repeating myself). Ha!

Learning to play shuffleboard for the first time.

After 2-1/2 days at sea, our first port - Puerto Rico! I have never been so glad to see firm ground in my life.

Climbing, climbing, climbing Fort San Cristobal in Old San Juan. Nico loved touring the dungeon, sleeping quarters and cannons in this old Spanish fort. The views from the top were beautiful.

The cobblestone streets of Old San Juan. One of my favorite places in the world. I can "feel" the history here. It's a place my grandparent's brought me to when I was right around Nico's age, so this was a special spot for me.

He doesn't eat grilled cheese, snubs pizza and hates hamburgers. But a spicy Puertoriccan empanada from a street vendor - that's a yes? And then he went on to eat a second one.

Look at that grin - all because he got his father to pick him up and carry him up those stairs. We had the most delicious dinner in that restaurant - one of my favorite memories and meals.

He learned to snorkel and give that lovely fake cheese smile in St. Thomas. Ha!

Pretending to go overboard in St. Maarten.

This was one our favorite experiences of the entire trip - swimming with the dolphins! They are beautiful animals and to actually swim in their habitat and learn to give commands was amazing. He is still talking about that dolphin and keeps telling everyone that he went inside the dolphin tank - but it's okay because he's a trainer now.

And yes, I went on the trip too. I was really bad about handing the camera over this time. I'm grateful that the ship's photographer took a bunch of family photos or I'd have none.

Nico learned so much, laughed a bunch, met friends from around the world, had a lesson in navigation, swam with dolphins, had his passport stamped, met a real ship's captain, participated in a live stage show, discovered snorkeling and when asked what the best part of the cruise was ----he said to me "my Dad didn't go to work for 10 whole days and spent all of his time with me."

And that concludes this EPIC post. Thanks for staying with me! I have a few new projects and pages coming very soon.

A Happy Spring Layout

2011-05-20T09:53:00.000-04:00

Sharing my latest from the 2Peas Garden Gallery. One of my favorite things about this time of year is the Spring Show Nico's school puts on every year. I mixed up six different manufacturers to come up with this springy, happy design.

Layout copyright Twop Peas in a Bucket.com

I wrote the title on this chalk board square from Canvas Corp. They make all kinds of interesting odds and ends for scrapbooking including tags, burlap, chalkboard and fabric pieces. I wrote the title with a white gel pen and then added layers of chipboard, a kraft envelope and rope.

Finally, I cut up two layers of fringe grass and added them just below the "happy" stickers. I've listed all of the products used on this layout in the 2Peas gallery here in case you were curious.

Enjoy your weekend and I hope it's "springy" wherever you are!

89 Candles & A Little Cricut

2011-05-12T09:17:00.001-04:00

I have some older projects to share with you today. The first is an old Work in Progress kit project that I forgot to post. These pictures were from my grandmother's 89th birthday this year. I must've had my camera on the wrong settings, because almost all of the 100+ pictures I took did not come out. I hate it when that happens.

I made do by combining some of the salvaged shots into a photo collage in Photoshop Elements. I thought they still told the story and look aesthetically pleasing on the page.

This is a Cricut trinket box that I created for the Cricut Circle a few months ago. It's one of many boxes that you can make from the Wrap it Up cartridge. It was very easy to put together and decorate. I think it's perfect for a baby shower favor (maybe filled with a cupcake or some chocolate). All of the paper is from My Mind's Eye and I dressed it up with organza ribbon and aqua brads.

I love coming up with party ideas using my Cricut. Look for more of these in the future!

Family Parties

2011-05-11T06:33:00.000-04:00

We've been going to a ton of family parties lately. There have been 3 birthday parties, a bridal shower, a wedding, 2 baby showers and 1 communion. Being part of a large family, that's pretty typical for this time of the year.

Last weekend, we celebrated my husband's niece's communion. The boys dressed up for the occasion. Nico insisted on the shirt and tie because he wanted to match Dad. He looks so grown up here.

Our niece's communion class. Look at all of those pretty little dresses. Nico kept saying it was his cousin's wedding. I guess he's right, that's exactly what it looks like. I don't remember communion being quite this bridal when I was growing up.

Picture anyone? I thought this was such a funny shot. Talk about jostling for a photo.

And lastly, Nico and his aviator shades. He insisted on wearing them in every single family shot. I laugh every time I look at this picture because he looks like a "fed" or some miniature CIA agent. Notice the pout too - apparently the sunglasses give him attitude. Ha!

So that's a little peek at what we've been up to lately. Waiting on summer, tons of parties and T-Ball. Oh lots of T-Ball photos and stories - but that's a post for another day.

Be back soon with a birthday idea and a Cricut trinket.

Keep Calm & Carry On

2011-05-10T07:49:00.007-04:00

The desk is clear. All of the assignments are complete. And now I need to KEEP CALM and CARRY ON. There is definitely a reason why I hung that sign directly in front of my desk. And after this week, I really need to remember it!

Stay tuned for some projects and pictures...

Gingerbread Cricut

2011-05-05T13:36:00.000-04:00

This is an old Cricut Circle project that I made right around the holidays this year.

I used the Gingerbread Seasonal cart to weld these cookie images together. I thought they would make a cute border for my page. The journaling and photo "wreaths" are from the Heritage cart. All of the paper is Echo Park's Everybody Loves Christmas.

This was a fun and quick project to document the only TWO photos I had of Nico and I making a gingerbread house. I was so into protecting that poor gingerbread house from a very excited boy that I didn't take many photos.

I'm busy working on projects for the 2Peas Garden Gallery. I'll have a new page up on Monday and some weekend photos up soon.

Waiting on the World to Change

2011-05-03T08:00:00.000-04:00

I am so glad that he was born after 9/11. Glad that he's too little to understand what's happening in the world. I can still shield him from the news. And yet, the reality of terrorism hits way too close to home without him even knowing it.

His father rode a train last night protected by a machine gun toting policeman. His aunt works on Wall Street where the lobby of her office building now includes bomb sniffing dogs. He plays with a little boy who's Dad died in the Twin Towers.

It's touching his world - this terrorism thing. And there isn't a single thing I can do about it. Except pray, have faith and wait on the world to change.

Crate Paper Green Army Guys

2011-05-02T11:58:00.000-04:00

I made this layout for the 2Peas Garden Gallery with one of my favorite boy collections ever! Kudos to Crate Paper for making something that is perfect for all of my boy's pictures.

Nico fell in love with the Green Army Guys from the first Toy Story movie he saw 3 years ago. Since then he has collected all of toys, the soldier costume and walkie talkies.

Click on the layout for a closer view.

All of the papers and chipboard are from Crate Paper.

One of my favorite parts of this layout is the wooden star filled with brads. I like how it looks like a jumble of toys.

The right side includes lots of stickers from the Toy Box collection and strips of patterned paper.

And lastly, a little hanging green army guy. That's Nico's favorite part. This layout is now hanging up in his playroom. He loves the picture of himself with the Green Army Guy in Disneyworld and every once in a while I catch him saluting it. Crazy boy.

This layout is copyright Two Peas in a Bucket.com

I'm busy working on assignments this week. Trying to get ahead of the game before we go on vacation. Five projects in three days - I can do it right? Ha! I'll have some photos from the weekend and a Cricut project coming up this week. Have a good one!

Easter Then & Now

2011-04-25T13:51:00.001-04:00

I have a new Easter layout that posted over on 2Peas this morning to share with you. Up first is a blast from the past Easter - 2006 to be exact. It was our first Easter with Nico and we tried to do everything Easter related with an 8 month old baby. I have to laugh when I look at those egg coloring pics - although he does seem to be a little into it.

I remember starting our tradition of the easter egg hunt that year even though the boys were only 8 months and 20 months old. Here's a photo of the entire layout. I apologize for the bad picture! It's so hard to take pictures of 2-page layouts.

Click on the layout for a closer view.

I created a scene at the top of the layout with the Neighborhood collection from Crate Paper. Lots of chipboard and patterned paper layers here although the end result is still clean lines. I would love to say that it was a simple layout to put together, but it definitely wasn't. I struggled with this one for quite a while until I got the look I wanted. Balancing the scene up at the top was tricky.

Fast forward 5 years and here are Nico & his cousins getting ready to hunt eggs this year.

What happens when 3 people try to take a picture at the same time? The kids don't know where to look! This happens every year. Sigh. But I still love the picture for being perfectly imperfect.

We are recovering from a serious peep hangover today. There is nothing like having a house full of kids hyped up on sugar all day long. My niece and nephew are staying with us a few days this week, so I might be a little slower than usual getting stuff posted up here. Bear with me! There's a green army guy page coming up soon.

Hope you had a great Easter!

Cricut Mini Album

2011-04-21T07:13:00.003-04:00

I have a Cricut Circle project to share with you this morning. It's a little book of love notes to my favorite boy. I made this around Valentine's Day and used some old pictures that I had of Nico.

The cover is made from a series of welded letters and heart shapes that I designed on the Gypsy. I then inked it, dressed it up with brads, and put it up on some pop dots for dimension.

I placed this picture on a huge postage stamp die cut from the Sentimentals cartridge and added some fun elements.

Next up is an envelope from the Wild Card cartridge that holds a little note from Mama to Nico.

Another sweet picture and monogrammed heart from the Simply Sweet cart.

A peek-a-boo page from the Paper Lace cartridge.

And then last up some closing shots of my silly little guy.

This was a fun way to showcase some of my favorite picture from way back when. The mini-album was bound with red rings from Bazzill and I added a chipboard back cover to make it sturdy. I hope this mini inspires you to create a little keepsake of love for your little one!

Imaginisce Animal Crackers & Boardwalks

2011-04-18T14:39:00.000-04:00

I am still going through a huge pile of pictures from last summer. Why does it seem that 90% of the pictures I take are from May to September? And then in the summer I definitely scrap less because we are always out, which leads to this huge pile of unscrapped photos and stories.

I decided to get a head start this year and start tackling that pile. First up, is this assignment for the 2Peas garden that I posted this morning.

I used Imaginisce's Animal Crackers line with it's bold colors and circus theme. It reminds me of theme parks and boardwalk photos, so I used it to tell the story of our time in Point Pleasant. We spent a fortune for the thrill of winning a cheap little stuffed animal. Oh wait, we didn't win - we all LOST! The sweetest thing was listening to Nico comfort his older cousin who was having a hissy fit because he didn't win. Surprising, since it's usually Nico who has to be reminded that there's always next time. Ha!

I like all of the border stickers that come with this line. These make tying 2-page layouts together easy.

And then there's this date strip from Bella Boulevard that I thought was great for a journaling spot and to add a splash of color. I made the flag from a toothpick and a re-purposed sticker. I keep seeing these flags everywhere and they are so easy to make.

For a complete supply list, visit this page.

I'll be back in a day or two with a little Cricut mini-album I've been holding on to.

Pink Paislee & Disney

2011-04-14T15:05:00.000-04:00

My assignment this week for the Pink Paislee blog was to add designer details to a page. I had a lot of fun coming up with this Disney page using the Hometown Summer collection.

I used rows of stitched Mickey head punches to two squares on the page. Then added yellow brads for a pop of color. I think this adds an interesting little detail to the page.

Finally, on the last embellished square I added my journaling. I used a metal flag from the Soiree collection and die cuts from Hometown Summer to make a frame of sorts for the journaling spot. It draws the eye, adds decor and is functional all at the same time!

Thanks for taking a peek at my blog. Be sure to check out the Two Peas Garden Girl blog tomorrow for my "In Review Challenge". I hope you get a chance to play along!

Beach Retreat

2011-04-12T00:00:00.000-04:00

I spent this past weekend scrapping by the beach. Down at the Jersey shore if you will. Not that infamous Jersey shore (ha!), but Loveladies, NJ - a beautiful little Eastern seaboard town. This beach house is owned by a friend of a friend and he generously allows us to use it for our "once a year" girls' scrapping weekend.

Here's a peek at our weekend. Our little retreat house...

My room with a view of the water.

The kitchen where we gather to eat some great meals. My friend Teri is an unbelievable cook and she spoils us all weekend long. Love that girl.

This is where we scrap. Right off the kitchen and with floor-to-ceiling views of the canal. It's just a beautiful space.

The nicest thing about having the house is that when you get tired of scrapping or need a break, there are plenty of places to escape to. I always make my way up to the rooftop patio just to look at the bay.

And these are my scrappy friends. We became friends through a circle journal and we've been getting together once a month for dessert, pomegranate martinis and laughter for 7 years now. We've bonded over scrapbooking, life and the search for the perfect scrapbook store (we found it in Arizona). I am very lucky to have them!

Cricut Quilling

2011-04-08T05:49:00.001-04:00

I posted a peek of this project way back in October and I just wanted to take a quick minute to get it back up here on my blog. This was only the second project I ever made for the Cricut Circle and one of my favorites. I made it using the Cuttlebug daisy and chrysanthmum quilling kits.

This was a little tedious. I made all of the flowers over the course of 2 nights watching TV. They're pretty easy to make. Gluing them onto the styrofoam sphere - that's another story!

I really like the way this turned out. I think I might make one for Spring. I think it would look cute at our Easter table.

I'm off to scrap this weekend with a few of my favorite girls. I'll be back Monday with a few pictures from our adventure. Have a good one!

Green Army Guy

2011-04-07T04:56:00.001-04:00

What is it about little boys and these green army guys? Nico's loved them since he first set eyes on them years ago in the first Toy Story movie. He can sit and play with them for hours.

Once he realized that I was taking pictures, he wanted to pose for me. And so, he gave me a little of his natural bossiness.

And a bit of cheese never hurt...

It's so good to have this little guy in the house. He makes me smile every single day (and on some "special" days I wanna cry too). Ha!

And now I just want to sit down and scrap these right now. Soon. Very soon.

Story.Sketch.Color. Video

2011-04-04T05:46:00.236-04:00

Good Monday morning and welcome to the first installment of my Story.Sketch.Color. video series. I'm so excited to finally have this to share with you. It answers the question that I get the most around here - "how do you come up with your ideas and what's your process?" I've tried to answer that with this video blog post. Pull up a chair and join me for a little scrapbooking. Oh and excuse the audio at the very beginning. I promise my voice isn't that shrilly high in real life - it goes back to normal in a few seconds.

The Story:  

Documenting family traditions.

The story of how/why Nicolas got his name.

The Sketch:

Download a copy of the sketch here.
The Colors:

Navy, aqua, gold.

Stella and Rose by My Mind's Eye

Click below to watch the video.

A close-up of the details.

The story.

And the finished page.

This was fun to do and I am already working on the next one. Let me know how you like it and if there's anything else you'd like to see in the future.

Thanks so much for watching!

Pink Paislee Hometown Summer

2011-03-31T14:41:00.001-04:00

I've been working with this new Hometown Summer line by Pink Paislee this week and I can't even tell you how much it's making me long for summer. I love the bright colors and fun icons in this line. It was perfect for scrapping these pictures from last summer.

Click on the picture for a better view.

I remember that it was the first time that all 3 of the kids were brave enough to jump into the pool. And they did that over and over and over. It's amazing how they never get tired of it. Naturally, it comes with the screaming "look at me, look at me, take my picture." So I knew I had to get the story down on a page.

I was inspired by a home decor piece I spotted on kreyv.com that had a jumble of letters falling all over a frame. I used the same concept to make my title a little more interesting.

I like how the letters are literally “jumping in” to the page. I used white embroidery floss to add a bounce line and a place to ground the title. I placed the letter stickers on pop dots so that they would stand out from the busy red background.

I cut up the wave patterned paper to make a wide border for my page. I added several overlapping layers and inked the edges with a light brown stamp pad for dimension.

This was such a fun, bright page to make. Summertime memories and pages are my favorite things to scrap. I look forward to the coming season.

I just finished editing my first video and will be posting it on Monday. Hope you like it!

Emma's Shoppe by Crate

2011-03-29T10:46:00.000-04:00

I had a lot of fun playing with Emma's Shoppe by Crate Paper this week. It's pretty unusual for me to make "pink, girly" pages, but every once in a while I have a story about my niece and I get to indulge in more feminine styles. To tell you the truth, it was hard! I'm not sure I achieved the exact look I was going for, but I guess this is as girly as I get.

This layout is copyright Two Peas in a Bucket.com

The page is about my niece and how I love to indulge in buying her outfits and matching accessories. She gets so excited every time she sees me with a bag from Gymboree. It's funny how she can't read, but she knows that logo. I've included a picture of her as a newborn in the very first denim Gap dress that I bought her and then some current pictures from this past summer.

My favorite part of the layout is this spool of thread. I made it out of a journaling sticker from Crate's Family Portrait line. The shape reminded me of a spool. I wound the yellow string around the sticker and then added the buttons and pin. I tried to highlight the clothes theme with the size sticker, buttons, spool end stickers and fabric trim.

This was fun and pink and girly, but I'm ready to return to the wonderful world of BOYS!

Silly Little Boys

2011-03-21T18:08:00.000-04:00

I just posted this layout in the Two Peas in a Bucket.com garden this morning. I love this Fine and Dandy line from My Mind's Eye and couldn't wait to use it. I've had these pictures and story in my journal for a while now. When I saw that the colors matched the line, I knew just what I was going to do.

I love these pictures taken at my nephew's birthday party this year. Nico and Mario are quite the pair. Mario has the ideas and Nico's not afraid to carry out the dastardly plans. It makes for a very mischievous pair! They also love to do silly things to make each other laugh.

And then it dawned on me that my Uncle, male cousins, my Dad and my grandfather are all exactly the same way. All a little crazy, love to laugh and when you get them together - watch out! This picture of my Uncle (who should know better) getting the boys to "pose", was perfect for my story.

The big yellow banner is part of the My Mind's Eye chipboard shaped album. It was the perfect place for the long title and and some embellishments. I love using pages from a premade album like this because they add great texture and all the hard work is done for me.

I love these fabric letter stickers from Prima, but I will warn you - the adhesive on them is not so great and you will end up having to apply glue to get them to stay. Bummer, but I still like them. For a complete look at the supplies that I used you can see them here.

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog. I'll be back soon with a Cricut project!

Cricut Home Decor

2011-03-17T06:45:00.000-04:00

This is an old Christmas project that I did for the Cricut Circle. I made this home decor piece using a charm frame on the Heritage cartridge. When I put the frames together, I noticed that it created a really cool cathedral quilt effect.

I added small photos from the Christmas cards we received the previous year and our family card up on top.

I love this project because I can pop out the page and put it in my scrapbook at the end of the Holiday season. And next year, I can just create another one.

I'm still working on that video. It's not quite as easy as it looks!

Snowfall Calendar

2011-03-14T18:11:00.000-04:00

I just posted this page in the Two Peas in a Bucket Garden this morning. This is my final winter assignment and I can't tell you how happy I am about that. I am so done with winter and scrapping about it!

This layout is copyright Two Peas in a Bucket.com

I love these stitched calendar pages by Ki Memories and I used it to mark all of the snow days we had in January. I embellished each date by sewing a snowflake out of twine and writing down how much snow we got on that day.

I added a ton of embellishments and bright colors just to cover up some of the "white" on this page. The gray I used is a true steel gray and not the purplish hue that it looks like here. Not sure why the photo turned out that way.

I tied the two pages together by running the colorful measurement tape sticker through both pages and wrapping the Echo Park swirl sticker around it. A few simple 4x6 pictures from this winter and the layout is complete.

It looks like we are finally done with snow and winter in New Jersey. And that's it - the FINAL winter page of 2011!

Pink Paislee Daily Junque

2011-03-12T13:57:00.000-05:00

I just posted this page over on the Pink Paislee blog this morning. My assignment was to journal a story and lucky for me, that's one of my favorite things to do. I made this page depicting the different stages and roles that I've played over the past two decades. I want Nico to know that Mama had this whole big life before he became my world.

I added my own handwriting to the layout which is something I rarely do. But I think it's important and adds a personal touch.

My favorite part of this layout is the top border. I made the file out of kraft cardstock and then layered bits and pieces from the Daily Junque Ephemera and Labels packs. It's like a collection of things we gather in our everyday life. Love that!

I've got a busy decorating weekend ahead of me. I'll be back on Monday with a Two Peas in a Bucket project.

Cricut Christmas Pops

2011-03-09T11:49:00.000-05:00

I have an old Cricut Circle project to share with you today. I made these cookie pops with the Cricut Cake machine this past Christmas. Nico and I spent a Saturday morning in the kitchen rolling out fondant (very, very thinly) and trying out the Cricut Cake machine. He loved to watch it cut. Getting the super-thin fondant onto the cookies was tricky, but I think they came out pretty good.

We made six different pops and then placed them in these glass jars from AC Moore. They were cute placeholders for our holiday dinner. The kids loved them, but be forewarned - placing a cookie pop in front of 5 year old and then serving a chicken dinner could be torturous (for the kids & the parents too!).

I've been working on taping a video of my scrapbook process. I hope to have it soon and look forward to sharing it with you!

Cricut Cards & Bags

2011-03-04T12:18:00.000-05:00

I have another Cricut Circle project to share with you! I made this coordinating gift bag and card with the Wrap it Up cartridge. and A Walk in the Park by Echo Park.

This was super simple to put together. I added some clear dew drops and twine to both pieces for dimension and interest.

The Wrap it Up cartridge has great baby, wedding and holiday cards that coordinate as well. We go to so many birthday parties throughout the year, it was handy to have this pre-made and ready to go!

Little Fashion Victim

2011-03-02T22:25:00.000-05:00

He walked into my bedroom this morning and told me, "Mama, take my picture - this is what cool looks like." And then he struck that pose.

After I picked myself up off the floor, I took this picture for posterity. Because one day his girlfriend might want to see what "cool looks like."

Note for Nico: A gold medallion (even a pirate one) and a shirt that's too small is never, ever a good look on a guy. xoxo Mama.

Echo Park Little Boy

2011-02-28T12:15:00.001-05:00

I have a really quick post today and this 2-pager that I did for Two Peas. I love this Little Boy line from Echo Park paper. It's perfectly bold and bright for all of my little guy's pictures. This page is about his first summer and lists all of the things we did that year.

This layout is copyright Two Peas in a Bucket.

Nico's been on a newspaper hat kick lately and that inspired me to create a miniature one for this page. I sprayed it with a neutralizing agent so that it doesn't yellow or break down over the years.

I added lots of pictures and big numbers from Cosmo's Circa line to coordinate. This was such a fun page to make. I love being able to "relive" Nico's babyhood by scrapping about it.

You can see the 2-page spread pictured together here in my Two Peas Gallery. I deleted my copy of it by mistake, so I didn't have one to post here on my blog- sorry about that!

A Birthday Bash!

2011-02-24T16:21:00.000-05:00

Here are few more projects that I did for the Cricut Circle using the Birthday Bash cartridge. I love the cute animals and pennants in this cart.

I teamed up the cart with papers from My Mind's Eye Alphabet Soup line and some kraft cardstock to create this cute invitation.

These cupcake picks were so much fun (and work) to make. I glued them on to lollipop sticks so that they would be long enough and sturdy.

I bought this Chinese food box at Michael's and then decorated it with my Cricut. I'm in love with monograms, so I used the alphabet on the Birthday Bash cart to decorate the front of the box. The "surprise" banner adds a little something to the plain metal handle.

And last up, is a tiara for the little birthday girl. I enlarged this cut to fill the page and then used glitter paper and pearls to dress it up. You can't see it from this picture, but I sewed two pieces of wide ribbon to the ends so that it can be tied on.

I love birthday party planning and using my Cricut makes it a snap!

My Favorite Girl

2011-02-23T16:56:00.000-05:00

I am so very ready for winter to be over! While I still can't put away the coat (or my socks), I can move on in my scrapbooks and work with some bright and sunny supplies. I love this Hometown Summer line by Pink Paislee. It's my favorite summer line released at CHA! You will see me use it over and over all season long. I don't think it's available for purchase yet, but I'm pretty sure that 2Peas should have it in the coming weeks.

This page is about my little niece and what a good girl she is. Her little spirit adds so much to my life and to our family. I decided to journal right underneath the photos, since each one depicts her personality and what I wanted to express perfectly.

This layout was made for the Pink Paislee blog.

My favorite part of the layout is this lollipop that I created from a die cut, a picture pebble, the large flower punch from EK and a white cookie pop stick. I bought the stick at Michaels and everything else is from the Hometown Summer collection. I added a strip of patterned paper and wound it around the stick for a pop of color.

Click on any of the pictures for a closer look.

These wood letters are from Pink Paislee's Daily Junque line. They are raw wood and I painted them to match my layout. I love the size and how I can customize them. I also added a quote to that skinny strip on my layout for a finishing touch. It reads:

"A little girl...one of the most beautiful miracles in life, one of the greatest joys we can know, and one of the reasons why there is a little extra sunshine, laughter and happiness in your world today. – author unknown”

This was such a fun, happy, bright line to work with. Is it summer yet? :)

Be back soon...

Birthday Bash Cricut

2011-02-17T21:02:00.000-05:00

I made this a few months ago, but I thought I'd post it here since I'm busy working on assignments and have nothing new to share with you (YET!). This is one of the very few cards that I've made for the Cricut Circle.

I used the Birthday Bash cartridge and papers from My Mind's Eye. It was challenging, but I really like this card. So much, that I can't bear to send it out. What if someone throws it away? I don't know how cardmakers do it. When I make layouts, I know exactly where they are going to go, but this cute little bee could end up anywhere. Just can't do it.

Be back soon!

A Little Love

2011-02-14T13:32:00.000-05:00

I've been away from my blog for far too long. I miss it. I don't have much to say except Happy Valentine's Day. I spent this morning with twenty little preschoolers at a Red Heart party. I'm really going to miss this school when Nico graduates this year.

In the spirit of Valentine's, here's a little love layout I did for the 2Peas Garden. It's about my husband and the "love notes" he leaves me on my iPod. I like to call it a modern romance via Apple.

Click on the page for a larger view. This page is copyright Two Peas in a Bucket.com

I used a mish mosh of lines on this page - a little Snowy Day by Crate, KI Memories calendar page, Echo Park's grid and some flowers from Restoration by Crate. I love to mix things up like this!

I wanted to do something a little different with a banner. I decided to hang these tissue paper pom-pom flowers (Martha Stewart), words, and hearts from some twine. It's a different spin on the traditional pennant banner and I think it fits the theme of the page better.

I'm working on some baby pages, a Pink Paislee summer assignment and a Cricut page idea. Be back soon!

Disney on Ice

2011-02-01T18:21:00.001-05:00

I'm winding down, unpacking and gathering thoughts for my CHA round-up post. In the meantime, here is a layout that I did for the 2Peas Garden today.

Layout Copyright Two Peas in a Bucket.com

I used a mix of different papers from Jillibean Soup and Crate Paper for this layout. It's Disney, but I chose non-themed products because I wanted to keep the focus on the story which was the relationship my in-laws have with their grandchildren rather than the actual event.

I decided to stack my title and added a little something different to it with the pin and the word "on".

My favorite part of the layout are these cascading title bars. I used the stickers from Jillibean's Pasta Fagioli line to tell the who, what, when, where part of the story in a colorful, fun way.

I'll be back very soon with my CHA favorites and another layout.

New October Afternoon

2011-01-29T15:36:00.001-05:00

New from October Afternoon is this space themed line named Rocket Age.

How did they know Nico was an astronaut for Halloween? Ha!

More to come!

- Posted using BlogPress from iPhone

Pink Paislee Daily Junque

2011-01-27T08:30:00.001-05:00

I have one more new line from Pink Paislee that I've been working with for CHA. It's called Daily Junque and I think you will really love the colors and patterns in this line. It can be used for anything, but something about the pink/aqua/navy combination reminded me so much of our time in Sanibel, Florida last year. My husband and I fell in love with the place and we've pretty much decided that someday, if we are fortunate, we will retire to this little haven. The story and the Daily Junque line inspired me to create this...

I used Glimmer Mist for the first time on the wood letters that spell out "Sanibel". Tattered Angels is making mists to match the colors in the Daily Junque line. Pink Paislee will be giving away a set of the entire line. Enter to win by leaving a comment on their blog today.

That's all I have for today. I'm off to sunny Los Angeles for the CHA Trade Show this weekend. Watch my blog for pictures and updates from the show. Leave me a comment if there is a specific booth or release you'd like me to take a picture of and I'll try my best to cover it!

I will also be reporting for the Two Peas in a Bucket CHA Social Event on Saturday.

Have a good one and wish me luck getting out of a very snowed-in Newark airport!

Pink Paislee Reveal

2011-01-25T14:15:00.000-05:00

So I've been up to my ears in CHA projects and I'm excited to finally be able to show a tiny sneak peek of what Pink Paislee has coming up.

These are two cards that I created with the Hometown Summer line. It's my favorite release! I can see using this for tons of my summer layouts this year. I love the vintage feel and bright colors.

Keep in mind that I am so NOT a cardmaker. I've made a total of 6 cards ever, so this was a bit of a stretch for me. Hopefully, I did the line some kind of justice. Ha!

For a closer look at the entire line and a chance at winning everything shown below, visit the Pink Paislee blog and leave a comment today. Good luck!

Pink Paislee

2011-01-15T09:57:00.004-05:00

My first assignment over on the Pink Paislee blog was to choose a Live Pink gallery page and scrap lift it. I chose this beautiful layout by Kathie Link. I love the design and layering that she did. It inspired me to come up with this Valentine's page.

This page is about my niece and how I've been sending her a Valentine's Day care package every year since she was born. They started out filled with bibs and rattles and now it's all Hello Kitty and American Girl pets. I love this tradition and I'm happy that's its finally made its way into my scrapbook.

Click on the picture for a close-up view.

I used the Sweetness line by Pink Paislee exclusively. For more info, you can read my post about it here. And thank you Kathie for the inspiration!

Recuperating

2011-01-13T13:24:00.001-05:00

This up here is where I've been for the last week.

He's recuperating from surgery (tonsils, adenoids, ears) and it's been slow and painful. Most kids bounce back right away, but not us. He's in that 1% of kids that have a complicated recovery. There is nothing worse than a child in pain that you cannot help. I've been down this road with him before, but it's been years and I forgot how tough it is.

Yesterday he finally started to feel a wee bit better. He slept 12 hours straight with no pain meds, so I think he's finally healing. Now if I could just get him to eat anything, I would stand on my head.

So I haven't been out of the house in a week and I've been diligently pushing pain meds every 4 hours around the clock. The one and only good thing is - while he's been sleeping, I've been scrapbooking a whole lot. Because it keeps me sane and focused and distracted. It's my panacea.

I have some Garden Girl projects that should be up soon at 2Peas and I can't wait to share the new Pink Paislee lines with you. I'm caught up with all of my assignments, so maybe I'll go whip up a few things just for fun. Be back soon!

I'm a Garden Girl?

2011-01-03T13:07:00.000-05:00

Mother of pearl.
I'm a Two Peas Garden Girl.

It is surreal and crazy unexpected. I'm not sure I really belong up there with those designers, but choosing design team girls is so subjective right? So, I'll go with it and enjoy it for all its worth.

I've been on 2Peas since the very beginning when Bryce & Madeline stickers and paper dolls were all the rage. I shop there. I post my layouts there. I've made friends there. And to be part of that community as a Garden Girl is just....there are no words.

My first assignment was a seasonal winter layout for today. I won't lie, it took me forever and boy did I feel the 'pressure' of coming up with something GG worthy. So after sweating it for days, I stuck true to my (old-school) scrapbooking style and came up with this.

Sorry it's just a peek. I deleted the original large photo and now I'm too lazy to go back and re-shoot. You can still see the entire thing here 2Peas Gallery if you'd like.

The one really sad thing to come of this is that I've had to step down from Work in Progress kits. I love these kits and Trish and the whole design team. Using Trish's kits really pushed me outside of my comfort zone and challenged me to try new things. I think they improved my design skills by leaps and bounds. So I'm thankful and grateful for the opportunity.

And if you're looking for a great kit club, I highly recommend WIP. Great stuff, great design team and great service!

Christmas Roundup

2010-12-29T14:28:00.000-05:00

A little Christmas roundup....

Ah, there's nothing like sitting at the kids' table on Christmas Eve. Such well behaved little angels. Ha! I tried to make it cute, dressed the table up just for them with matching glasses and decorations and place cards. And still, it was a race to eat as quickly as possible and be excused from the table. But not before pelting the little plastic snowflake confetti at each other. Because you know it wouldn't be Christmas Eve dinner without a little mischief and one small temper tantrum (Little Miss Y). One day we will miss this right?

Oh and this beauty of a picture right up here? This will end up in one of the boys' wedding videos for sure. I'll make a point of it. Just looking at it makes me laugh out loud and hum "you've got a friend in me". Hmm... I think that might be a page.

A cheesy little grin after opening the much coveted Phineas and Ferb guitar. One of the top 3 items on his list.

Happy like a 5-year-old on Christmas morning. There is nothing better than that!

I am Tickled Pink!

2010-12-28T13:02:00.000-05:00

So very happy about this...

I love Pink Paislee and I can't WAIT to get started on this team. Have you seen the sneak peeks for CHA Winter...

I love them all, but I think they made Hometown Summer and Daily Junque just for me! ;) Wish me luck on my very first manufacturer's design team. I think it's going to be fun!

Naughty or Nice?

2010-12-20T06:00:00.001-05:00

With just 5 more days to go, my little pip is trying so very hard to be on his best behavior. Last week, I caught him having a conversation with the smoke detector in his room (he thinks it's a Santa Cam, but that's another story). He was pleading his case for being on the nice list while I listened just outside the door and tried not to laugh.

This layout was made for Right at Home Scrapbooking.

When I came across this 'Nice or Naughty' list paper, I knew I had to do this page. You see Nico's behavior is either very nice or very naughty, there is no in between with him. Last year we had a running checklist with nice and naughty days and he very barely made it on that nice list.

This year we didn't do the checklist because I figured I was never going to allow him to be fully on the naughty list or suffer those consequences, so why even do it. Thank goodness that turning five has made a world of difference and Nico finds himself having many many more nice days. The stubborn streak and bossiness are still very much there, but he has learned to reign it in and let Mom be the boss.

Here's to another year of Nico the Nice!

Christmas Photo Tags

2010-12-18T05:30:00.001-05:00

Just 7 short days left....are you ready?

I've been wrapping gifts like a madwoman, I'm just about DONE! I had a tiny bit of time for a scrappy project and so I sat down and made this photo tag.

I used the White Christmas line by We'R Memory Keepers (paper, chipboard & glitter lace) and some raw chipboard that Right at Home sent me. I ran a sheet of white cardstock through my Cuttlebug using the Seeing Spots embossing folder. I layered together one of my favorite holiday photos, all of the paper and chipboard, added some sewing, twine and voila - one photo tag in 20 minutes. Not bad!

I think I just might make a few more and add them to some of my wrapped gifts instead of traditional name tags. I think the kids would get a kick out of finding their "faces".

I guess its back to wrapping for me!

Cricut Hello Thursday

2010-12-16T06:00:00.004-05:00

I have a new Cricut cartridge sneak peek to share with you! I received the Best of Pixar cartridge and I'm in love. Designing for the Cricut Circle has been a dream assignment for me. I have a great team to work with and then every once in a while a cart like this arrives on my doorstep. For a Disney freak like me, it's heaven!

There are tons of images of Nemo, Flik, The Incredibles and Monsters, Inc on the cart. I love this collection of Disney pictures from our trip, so I decided to use the Nemo title, anemone, coral reef, flowers and sand bar to put together this page.

There are 9 other brand new Cricut carts and you should see different projects from each of the circle designers go up throughout the day. And for the Disney folks, there is a Classic Disney cart with Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Pinocchio and Bambi. You will love it!

I hate to post and run, but I have 30 gifts to wrap before Nico gets home from school. They're not all for him, but he can't be around because I've discovered that the little stinker cannot keep a secret for beans!

Tomorrow I'll have a Christmas tag and maybe a minibook...

Christmas Traditions

2010-12-06T08:44:00.000-05:00

This is my first Christmas page of the season. I usually take hundreds of photos of what we do and where we go during Christmas time, but I rarely get around to scrapbooking them. Once I take the tree down, I'm done and I don't want to see any more Christmas related things for the rest of the year. And so I have years and years of layouts that I really need to do.

I started with a tradition that Nico and I have had for years. I've been reading 'Twas the Night Before Christmas to him since he was just a few months old. He's always loved the story and illustrations in the book. This was the first year that he picked it up and attempted it to read it himself. I took these pics recently and I knew right away that I need to scrapbook them.


This layout was made with the December Work in Progress kit.

I combined the Cosmo Cricket Circa 1934 line (again) and Pink Paislee's Father Christmas. The light blues in these lines match really well.

I love the little border of text with a line from the story. Thank you Pink Paislee for making that - it's perfect! I created the banner for the journaling out of grid paper and rolled it up at the top. It reminds me of the "checking it twice" list that Santa makes.

The title came together quickly with some weathered wood letters by Pink Paislee and glittered alphas from the Dear Lizzy collection. All of the paper is Cosmo Cricket.

Thanks for stopping by! I'll be back soon with a few more Christmas projects and sneak peeks.

I Do Frou

2010-12-01T11:47:00.001-05:00

I usually shy away from the frou-frou look. I like it, but I do ugly things with it. I think I have a natural tendency towards clean lines and that usually doesn't work with the fancier styles. This Circa 1934 line by Cosmo Cricket has a mixture of both ornate and bold patterns which I really like.

These photos are from Nico's baptism. That's my Dad and grandmother holding him. I love the look of pride and happiness on her face. I remember her telling me that she was so grateful that she got to live long enough to meet her great-grandchild. Looking at these pictures is bittersweet because I can clearly see how rapidly Nico has aged and how quickly she is fading. Her wish was to meet him and mine is for her to live just a few more years so that he can remember her.

This page was created with the December WIP Kit.

This layout started with the circle chipboard embellishment and the polka dot paper. I loved both and tied the circular theme together with the black patterned paper. I cut a long strip of the "tag" paper and placed my title, date and small photo on it.

This was a fairly quick and easy page to put together. I think the colors and patterns dress it up without having to add much.

So that's it, my one frou page - which actually is not very frou is it? I guess it's the feel of it more than anything. I'll be back tomorrow with the last Circa page - my first Christmas page of the season!

Cosmo & Mickey

2010-11-30T11:45:00.005-05:00

As you have probably already noticed, I love doing Disney layouts. I love the bright colors and the pictures from those vacations are some of my favorites. They show Nico at his happiest and these are the memories I like to document first.

The colors in this new Cosmo Cricket Circa 1934 line inspired the theme this time. While it has an old fashioned look to it, the red, black and yellow color palette reminded me of Mickey and so I came up with this...

This page was made with the December WIP Kit.

I used corrugated paper for the base of the page to add texture and tone down the vintage look of the patterned paper. The twine was glued down in random loops using Zip Dry Paper Glue - it dries perfectly clear! This was a fun layout to make - I can't believe how little Nico looks in these pictures. I have a whole notebook full of Disney stories, so be prepared for more layouts!

And for variety, a simple card. I am so not a card maker - I think that's a whole other crafting skill. I have a hard time working on such a small canvas, so I kept it very clean using 3 strips of patterned paper and one chipboard embellishment. For texture, I folded the red paper into a ruffle and added some sewing.

My favorite part of the card is the coordinating envelope. I'm a total matchy-matchy girl so this is right up my alley. I love how the double-sided patterned paper gives me an instant envelope liner. I created both the card base and envelope using the Wild Card Cricut cartridge.

I'll have two more Cosmo Cricket Circa 1934 pages up tomorrow. Thanks for stopping by!

Thankful

2010-11-29T11:28:00.002-05:00

Goodbye Thanksgiving and hello Christmas! Today is a "back to the routine" day and while I love my boys (the little one and the big one) it sure is nice to have the house back to myself. I'll spend a quiet day decorating , but before I do that I thought I'd pop on and do a little post-Thanksgiving review.

First up, is a shot from Nico's Thanksgiving Play. There's nothing like hearing those tiny little voices sing and put on a skit. I tear up every single time. There's my little Andrea Bocelli in the back (with the blue jeans) singing his heart out. Actually, I'm pretty sure he was screaming at that point - in direct competition with his buddy right in front of him.

And here's the little ham with his teachers, Miss Ann and Miss Emmy. Two of the best teachers he's had yet. He loves going to school and I think these two ladies have a lot to do with that. I'm very grateful for them.

Last up is the ONLY picture I took on Thanksgiving, just minutes before everyone left. Every year I say I'm going to take more pictures and every year I am so completely overwhelmed with what it takes to serve 25+ guests, that I take no pictures. One day I'm going to regret that - I know!

These little faces up here is what I'm most thankful for. They are the heart of our family and we are blessed to have each and every one of them!

Sneaking Back

2010-11-24T16:06:00.010-05:00

It's been a while, I know! I've been busy making stuff, cooking stuff and organizing stuff. I'm getting ready for the big Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow and I just took a few minutes to post some of the things I've been working on.

I've been dying to use this Alphabet Soup line by My Mind's Eye. I love the colors and the flash cards. I've had them sitting around for a while and I was so happy to finally use them. When I first went through the deck of cards, I saw this fish flashcard and that prompted this page about Nico and his first swimming lessons.

There's a little bit of everything on this layout - all of the paper is MME, the clear buttons are 7Gypsies (super old), letters are Pink Paislee and the "school" tab is Crate. Oh and I started to use some of my new twine...love it!

I'll share a few sneaks of what's been keeping me busy lately. First is a little something with the December Work in Progress kit - love the Cosmo Cricket that's in there....

and then a little sneak of a Cricut Circle project I did last month....love the Birthday Bash cartridge - it's one of my favorites right now. Notice that I'm on a serious twine and banner kick right now. The aqua of course, remains consistent. Ha!

So I hope you don't find the sneak peeks annoying. These are some of the projects I've been working on that keep me from blogging regularly, so I thought I'd share what I can.

The good news is....all of the Work in Progress pages will be up next week. The bad news is...I have to get back to making my lasagna. Yes, we have lasagna for Thanksgiving...and turkey...and Spanish rice...and 3 different types of potatoes. It's like a meeting of the United Nations around here tomorrow. I'll be back with pics!

Happy Thanksgiving,

Echo Park Halloween

2010-11-09T16:37:00.003-05:00

We had such a great time trick-or-treating this year. The kids are finally old enough to walk around the neighborhood without being pulled in a wagon. They ran me ragged going from one house to another, the entire time reminding them not to step all over our neighbors' landscaping, don't touch the decorations, say thank you and Happy Halloween. I repeated that 100 times in the span of an hour. Ah, the joys of parenting. Ha!

I used the Halloween line by Echo Park and I love the bold colors and icons. I think it's just "kid" enough for these pictures and story.

I love the picture of me with my little Tinkerbell. She held my hand the entire time and told me I was her best friend...warms my heart that little one. She is the daughter I will never have and I adore her to bits.

I used my brand new Thickers for the title, a frame from Little Yellow Bicycle and Flair from American Crafts. And there you have it - one quick Halloween page!

Pink Paislee Boo!

2010-11-08T05:37:00.002-05:00

My favorite parade and place to be on Halloween....Disneyworld! Just a few pictures from our first trip to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party in 2008. We had great seats right near the castle and I love how some of these pictures turned out.

Click on picture to view larger. Sorry I have no detail shots this time!

I used the Hocus Pocus line from Pink Paislee. I think it fit the theme perfectly...regal and bright and colorful all at the same time. I think that's hard to do and Pink Paislee seems to do that perfectly every time.

I have such great memories from this parade and I'm glad I finally got it into our scrapbooks. Now, if I could just tackle the 1,329 other Halloween pages I need to do...

Glorious Twine

2010-11-05T23:01:00.004-04:00

Just thought I'd share a quick find with you. Look what I came across today in my searches. Beautiful, glorious, colorful twine. I'm in love. I see many, many twine projects in my near future.

You can find a sample pack here for $14. I think that's pretty cheap for 15 yards of each color considering I paid $4 for the tiny Martha Stewart ones.

Have a great weekend, I'll be back Monday with that Halloween page.

Breakfast & Bikes

2010-11-04T05:00:00.000-04:00

Did you ever have a seemingly insignificant moment in the past that you remember vividly? Almost like your mind took a snapshot of it.

That's what I get when I look at these pictures from our vacation to Sanibel last year. It was an ordinary morning and we took a bike ride from the inn to this great little place for breakfast. I remember being happy...just pure happiness, for no particular reason than everything was going right in my world . I had to put it all down on paper and I came up with this...

I love you Restoration by Crate Paper, I really do. I wasn't going to buy it because I have so many lines of paper already and it's a little on the frou-frou side. But the colors, oh those bold colors finally got me. I kept picking it up on a recent shopping trip and when I saw the bicycle, I immediately thought 'Sanibel'. I had to have it and I'm glad that it came home with me.

This is a really simple layout, just some layers of paper and chipboard. The chipboard filmstrip I picked up in a store in Massachusetts recently. They were in a bin and I picked up a bunch but unfortunately I don't know who makes them.

I was very inspired by this layout made by Michelle Lanning - one of my very favorite scrappers ever. No one does layering like this girl. You can see where I got the idea to double up the stamp-edged paper from!

So there you have it - one vacation moment and a little Crate Paper. Hope you like it! Up next...Halloween & Pink Paislee....

Halloween

2010-11-01T13:49:00.001-04:00

Hi everyone! I have a really quick Halloween roundup post. I'm in the middle of creating two pages that I'll have to share by the end of the week, so this will be brief...

First up, the boy won! He came in 2nd place in our neighborhood costume competition. He was so happy and proud. The day before he won a blue ribbon in our town's costume competition. Probably because he was the only NASA astronaut I saw all weekend. Ha!

Singing in his school Halloween parade....

Then I had my some of my favorite kids in the whole world over all day on Halloween (love that!).

And this house in our neighborhood is just...amazing. Every year they do an over the top theme and this year it was Camelot, complete with castle facade, real knights in shining armor, and themed music. There is no way a picture could do this justice. There were police cars and 200 people on the sidewalk, so it was impossible! I love that these folks do this...it's one of Nico's favorite things to do on Halloween now.

And so that's it...1 astronaut, 2 costume competitions, 3 parades, 4 cousins to spend Halloween Day with and 5 parties. How's that for Halloween by the numbers?

2010-10-28T13:23:00.002-04:00

I can't believe it's been so long since I've blogged. I miss it! Somehow this time of the year is always crazy busy for us. Maybe it's because it's the last hurrah of outdoor activities before we settle indoors for the very long winter. Maybe it's just because I love Fall and want to do EVERYTHING! So here's a little peek at what we've been up to...

First up is soccer. Who would've thought that a 5-year-old soccer league would take up this much time. Practices, games, parades, pizza parties and more practices. A whole new group of soccer mom friends for me - hello Bria! - and team parent duties. This has taken a whole lot of our weekend time. It's been fun, but I continue to be amazed at how seriously organized sports for kindergartners is taken. The pip though, he LOVES being on a team. He's competitive, fierce and determined. He plays like a little uncoordinated chihuahua and we cheer him on the whole time.

I love visiting different farms during the fall. We're always on the hunt for the 'perfect patch'. This year we've been to 3 and each one was so very different. Thankfully, Patrick loves it as much as I do and the boy just likes to explore.

This was taken at the farm closest to our home. We pass it every day on the way to school, so it's tradition that we visit here first. I have a progression of pictures of Nico in front of this scary pumpkin thing from the time he was a little over a year old to today. I might have to sit down and scrap that soon.

A little Boo at the Philadelphia Zoo this past weekend. So much fun to watch the little ones run around the zoo in their costumes. They are much more interested in watching for cool costumes than in the animals I think. Nico loved this although he was disappointed that I made him wear last year's costume. We weren't taking any chances with this year's costume - I just hope that thing makes it through the parades and parties this weekend!

And so that's it - what I've been busy with. Well that, and assignments. So very many design team assignments. Sigh. I love it because they push me to be more creative and still meet deadlines. But I miss being able to post my work. I have to get back to that this week!

Vacations and Such

2010-10-18T11:40:00.007-04:00

I love the Seaside line that October Afternoon put out recently. I swear they made it specifically for the Eastern seaboard. The colors and feel of that line scream East Coast shore to me. So I sat down and made this...

This 2-page spread covers all of the highlights of our trip. I'll do individual pages about certain stories I want to tell (the pirate cruise, the beach house details, etc.) but I always like to do an intro page.

Click on the photo above for a more detailed look.

Did you ever go on a vacation and everything just seemed "off." This was one of those trips. It began with me spending the night before the trip in the ER and ended with a hurricane skirting nearby. I kept the journaling real and documented that too. I always focus on the good in life, but sometimes I wonder how seemingly 'perfect' our lives come across in scrapbooks. And so I added the warts in this story because I want to remember that too.

I used the Seaside line pretty much exclusively and added a little kraft paper. I haven't used an eyelet in years and it was great to do some old-fashioned hammering. I placed most of the title right in the photo and made the flag myself. A little banner at the top with some clear Dew Drops in between and there you have it - one shore vacation layout.

Thanks for taking a peek!

Not Your Grandma's Quilling

2010-10-15T12:02:00.003-04:00

Good Friday morning everyone! Today I'd like to share a sneak peek of a project that I made for the Cricut Circle blog. It's a paper flower pomander and I made it with the Cuttlebug Daisy and Chrysanthemum Quilling kits. These kits make it a snap to quill. It's so much easier than the "old-fashioned" type of quilling with strips of paper. Promise!

If you scroll down on the blog post today, you'll see my project and directions. Take a peek soon because the blog is closing and will be for members only.

I'll be back Monday with a new October Afternoon 2-pager. I'm putting the finishing touches on it today!

I Need an Idea...

2010-10-12T07:08:00.001-04:00

We've been invited to an adult Halloween party and I'm so excited! We haven't been to one in years and I can't wait to go. So I've been thinking of couple costumes and I came up with this little beauty right here on the left.

Twilight's Edward & Bella. I think it would be so funny. We could be the old, grown-up, frumpy version. We could do the white makeup, a little old lady sweater for me, I already have the hair, a leather wristband & bouffant for Patrick and I could even carry around an apple just like the book cover. Perfect no?

So I casually suggested this idea to my husband tonight and I got the death stare, unblinking "you must be out your mind woman" look. So then I asked if he would at least like to be a vampire, because I would like that. And he started muttering in Italian and walked away. I'll take that as a 'no'. I think he's getting jealous of RPattz. Ha!

I'm at a loss now. I want something current and comfortable and cute. I think I want to go the route of "famous couple", but I'm stumped.

Any suggestions out there in blogland? Come on folks, help a girl out!

....and a little more Wander

2010-10-11T05:00:00.005-04:00

When I bought most of the Basic Grey Wander line I fully intended to do a bunch of New York City pages. We recently took Nico to Central Park and the Museum of Natural History. Perfect for this right? And yet every time I sit down to work with it, no travel pages come out.

So here's another one, this one about the boy and some of his personality traits at 2. I loved this Radio Flyer red rocket that he would ride all the time, yet I only have this single photo of him on it. I think it's because at that age he was constantly on the move and I could never get a shot. And that led me to create this...

*This layout was created with the October Work in Progress kit.

I love these huge bold letter stickers from the line. I placed them directly in the white space of the photo to add movement to the page. Add another squiggly road and some chipboard and it's all done. Love that Basic Grey.

Thanks for visiting! I'll be back soon with some pumpkin patch pictures...(say that 3times fast) Ha!

And the Winners are....

2010-10-09T11:11:00.002-04:00

Good morning everyone! And without further ado, here are the GYPSY winners...

Jocelyn said...
I just adore you Blog!!!! Congrats!!! How exciting!!I have wanted a Gypsy for soooo long...What a great giveaway!!!Thank you!!!
October 7, 2010 9:21 AM

and...

Nadia's World said...
Congrats on being part of the DT! I am so excited about the new CC blog. I can't wait to see what Provocraft has in store for us all and to get inspired.Thanks.Nicoleniclax13@gmail.com

and guess what? I have an extra GYPSY to give away, so I will have a third winner

and that is...

Carissa said...
Congratulations!!! I love the new CC blog!! I am a new follower of your blog also!! Thanks!!
October 6, 2010 1:45 AM

Well that was fun! Thank you everyone for entering. Winners, please email me (click on the 'contact me button' on the right) with your name and address please. I'm so happy for you!

Thanks for playing along everyone. I really like this whole giving stuff away, you'll probably see more of it in the very near future!

Thanks!

2010-10-08T00:00:00.003-04:00

It's your last chance to enter for the big GYPSY giveaway! If you haven't already, please scroll down and leave a comment for a chance to win. I'm so excited to be giving away 2 Gypsies to my blog readers! Look for the winners to be announced here on Saturday morning.

And I just wanted to take a moment to say 'thank you'. For all of your comments, emails and well wishes. I appreciate every single one of them. I've been given an amazing opportunity to work for Cricut and I'm grateful. I look forward to meeting, inspiring and learning from all of my Circlets (and non-Circlets too :).

I'll see you in the morning. Good Luck!

He Rocked It

2010-10-05T16:22:00.012-04:00

Oh this little child and THAT song....

If I hear, "cause tonight's gonna be a good good night" one more time my little head is going to pop off. Seriously, he never ever tires of it. He has taken over my iPod and will play his beloved Black Eyed Peas songs over and over. Sometimes its Boom Boom Pow, but the one song he favors the most is I Gotta Feeling - you should hear him sing it a capella. Ha! And so naturally I had to put it all down on paper before he moves on to something else.

The photos are totally staged to tell the story. I bribed him with my iPod and he gave me some of his signature rock star moves. Love that I caught him in 'action'. I wonder how much longer he will perform for me like this before it becomes too embarassing.

All of the paper is from Imaginisce. I love the colors and chipboard. I made the record to ground my title and added studs and a little sewing for definition. That one large circle got me thinking and so I added a row of circles to continue the pattern. The last touch is the row of star stickers by Jenni Bowlin Designs and I stuck them right onto the photo to highlight the iPod. This was a fun layout to make. It took me a while to figure out the design, but once I decided on the circles, everything else fell into place.

Thanks for taking a peek at my little rock star!

Basic Grey Wander

2010-10-04T07:04:00.001-04:00

Good Morning everyone! Today I have a little Basic Grey Wander to share with you. This line was my favorite from all of the recent Basic Grey releases. This is definitely a "travel to the city" themed line, but I wanted to use it for something different. Enter racecars.....

(This layout was made for Right at Home Scrapbooking)

While on vacation this past summer in Ocean City, we came across this Speedworld racetrack where the entire family could race. I can't tell you how much fun Pat and Nico had going around and around on those tracks. It was sweltering hot, there wasn't much pretty scenery and the smell of exhaust was in the air and yet THIS - this was one of their favorite memories from our vacation. Seriously? This must be a BOY thing.

And that led to this page. The identical look of determination on both of their faces and the happy thumbs up make me smile. Sometimes these two are as different in personality as you can get, but in this photo you can see the car love they share.

My favorite part of this layout is the squiggly road sticker and this cool laser cut paper. The entire layout was built around the story (naturally) and the use of these two items.

And in case you were wondering, I rode too. But I was slow and not quite as competitive so I came in dead last. I guess you can say that scrapbook love is more my speed!

Cricut Happy Hauntings

2010-10-02T12:45:00.006-04:00

I have been holding on to this picture of Nico with the ghouls at Disney's Haunted Mansion for over a year. I was looking for the perfect frame, but nothing really fit the look that I wanted. Then I stumbled on the Happy Hauntings Cricut cartridge and found just what I was looking for!

I rarely do one large picture on a scrapbook page, but this story called for it. Plus, it was the only one I had. Getting a picture with the ghouls is very rare and we just stumbled upon a group of them just as we were getting off the ride during Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party.

The look on Nico's face is priceless. He would not take his eyes off the ghoul for a single minute. He gave me the fake cheese grin, but no way was he going to give me a glance. I laugh every time I look at this picture.

I wanted to emphasize the haunted mansion feel, so I made several Cricut cuts (frame in dark grey from the Mini Monsters cart & the gate from Happy Hauntings) in dark grey and black velvet. I layered them until I was happy with the look. I added studs, sponged on some black ink for definition and cut up some webs and spiders (Mini Monsters) to add to my piece.

All of the paper is Jillibean Soup. I love how it adds whimsy to the page and ties in to Nico's "look". I was lucky that it had green in it and matches the picture.

I hope you enjoyed my very first Cricut Circle page. I have a few more projects planned for this month that I hope you enjoy. While they will only be seen by Cricut Circle members on the private blog, I'm sure that you will see the influence of the Cricut on my personal pages right here as well!