Pumpkin Projects| Memory Keeping

Tis the season for pumpkin everything.  I may be basic, but I love it all.  We visited so many pumpkin patches this year on field trips and as a family.  

I love running around with the kids, going on hay rides, petting animals, and taking pictures! 

In fact, these tend to be some of the best pictures I get all year.  The weather is clear but the sun isn't blazing.  

Still, I need to get them printed out and scrapped.   I sometimes get stalled when it comes to getting started though. 

This page from my old days with the Jenni Bowlin Studios design team popped up in memories feed and I had just the inspiration I needed! 

I did another page with nine 4x4 squares.  This is not a grid I usually try because I like to leave white space on my designs.  It was fun to try something new that also gave me the chance to use lots of pictures. 

I worked largely from a kit, the Studio Calico October  Gypsy Moon for embellishments.  I sifted through my stash for some neutral papers to use.  The black and white stripe felt very seasonal.  I also used a lot of 4x6 Project Life cards cut down. 

The result is pretty different from the first page.  I only stitched on one square in this new layout.  The embellishments are larger and more spread out.  And I love them both in different ways.  This new one feels more modern and bright. 

 

Pumpkin Patch | I have so many photos not printed out yet, even from last year's visit to the pumpkin patch.  Initially this started as a one page layout.  Then I heard a piece of advice from Ali Edwards on one of her Story Kit presentation videos.  Beautiful, simple and so important.  If it lets you get the photos printed and stories told, keep it easy. 

The first page is anything but.  I printed out a large 9x8ish photo with typed journaling on it and I used an entire package of leaves from the Gyspy Moon kit. I added a stapled label and fabric tag.  The copper colored letter stickers worked perfectly.

So I felt very free to take a simple approach to the accompanying page.  Which became two too include even more photos.  

Since I had used a 9x12 page size, I could quickly include multiple 4x6 photos without trimming.  

I broke up the photo stacks with Project Life cards on each side.  A tab on each with a little stamping or stickers.  So easy and it feels so good to have it all recorded. 

More pumpkin everything please! 

You can see more of my scrapbooking projects here.  

Memory Keeping: Cocoa Daisy October Projects

Sometimes I look back through my blog and find the most amazing gifts to myself.  Last year I wrote what felt like a long random and rambling account of our trick or treating experience.  

Re-reading it now I see a beautiful snapshot of our family and the kids at their ages.  Behavior that probably felt every day and normal, now stand out as precious to that age.  Lakshman still more baby than toddler, Nandini a sweet little girl and Avinash testing his independence at every turn.  

I thought I would maybe edit the long post, but I ended up keeping it all.  I copy and pasted the whole post and formatted it for a page.  

I made my own embellishments by cutting patterned paper and cardstock to make leaves.  I crimped them or added a deep crease down the middle.  You know I love to add dimension when I can.  

The ombre blue and brown ribbon in the kit was the perfect color match for the papers I had.  Love how the yellow and oranges in the photos complement the embellishments so well.  The October "Comfy Cozy" Memory Keeping Kits are just that.

For this Pocket Memory Keeping Page I was lucky to find a very good story already recorded for me.  This time on Instagram.  

I remember this day, I remember how fun it was.  But I definitely don't remember half the details I had already written down.  

This time I used the mark up feature on my phone to add text directly over a photo.  I printed a text free photo as well and placed it underneath.  I added a little succulent tag to the top photo so people will know to flip it up if they want to get a better look at me and Lakshman on the train together. Lol. 

I am so glad I had that story available and now it is recorded somewhere other than the computer. 

And I had to include a picture of the rainbow succulent box I put together.  All the lovely succulent cards and embellishments were just too perfect for it.  

I made one more Pocket Memory Keeping page. I always take so many pictures on Halloween that it helps me to have a place to put them all together.  

I loved how the oranges worked really nicely with the teal accented cards.  I fussy cut some of pumpkins off one card and popped them up on a new card.  

The stamps this month are an awesome alpha and numbers set.  I cut out a leaf and crimped it to create a backdrop for my stamped date card. 

I also took some inspiration from the pocket memory cards.  I loved those stacked pumpkins in planters!  

Luckily, the mini pumpkins at Trader Joe's are less than a dollar so I bought a whole bunch and got busy stacking. Nandini loved the pumpkin snowmen.   I'm just in awe that any of my flowers have lived this long.  

Thanks again for checking out my projects this month! Go to the Cocoa Daisy page to shop for the full kit and see the rest of the designs.  

You can see all of my Cocoa Daisy Projects here. 

Remember, social media can be a great way to record your story and an awesome resource for your scrapbooking layouts.  Happy creating this festive season! 

Currently | October 2017

Land of Nod Tour Bus// Like I'm going to turn down a chance to visit Land of Nod, IRL.  It was basically just a lot of furniture to look at (and not buy) and a tote bag coloring activity. 

It is Lakshman, so he somehow managed to make it fun.  He loved the giraffe bus.  We read about each of the characters and he laughed at Paul Frank's descriptions.  He introduced himself to the organizers.  He tried out all the chairs.  As you do. 

Picture Day // What the hecker happened here??

I don't know, somehow after six years I am still hopeless at curly hair.
I really tried.  I spent hours.

I just don't know.

And, they both look like they are being forced to smile against their will by their stage mom.  Really, really hoping the school will have retakes.

Super Lakshman // Target has all these cute super hero accessory sets in the dollar spot right now. All the kids are having a ball with them but Lakshman takes his powers really seriously. 

A sweet lady (whom I had never even met before) called him Super Lakshman on Sunday.  

He is known far and wide. 

T-Ball // Lakshman is playing T-ball again this fall. He had just turned three when he played in the spring.  He is still the youngest now and keeping up with the other kids is getting to be a bigger challenge.  This was the best part of our week in the spring.  Everything was so fun and cute and relaxed.  Why do kids sports have to get so aggressive so early on?

Foxy and Moxie // It was below 80 degrees here for a few hours, so I naturally dressed Lakshman in a thick knit hat for his field trip to the Nature Center.
In addition to being a super hero, he fashions himself a Wild Kratt.   He was psyched to see the fox there, of course, and named him Foxy.  Next to him is the bobcat Moxie.  The same Bobcat Avinash got to see when it came to the Nature Center as an abandoned baby, probably four years ago.  It is so fun to see the same excitement for animals in his little brother now.
We saw the crazy huge Raven Pogo too.  Lakshman taught his friends that Ravens say "Nevermore" just like I taught him.  Gotta love kids who still take everything literally.

Am I not supposed to keep asking him what a Raven says and then laughing when he says Nevermore? No?

Reading // The Books of Bayern. This is a great little young adult fantasy series.  We started out reading Goose Girl together, but I enjoyed that book so much, I ended up reading ahead on my own.  

Someday I will be able to read regular adult books again.  But the day is not here yet.
Can I still say baby brain when the baby is over three years old? No?

Making // Getting caught up on Project Life.  I still love this project.  It feels good to get caught up.  I found that I had more documented than I thought I had because I have a lot of lengthy posts on instagram.   It is so nice to quickly print out journaling.  I am also starting another year with Cocoa Daisy and I could not be more thrilled!

Planning //  So excited about fall finally being here.  Can't wait to go to the pumpkin patch again. Go trick or treating.  And going back to the Disney for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party! We are going on the first day of November with some friends and I love that we are going to be extending the Halloween season even longer.  Diwali is coming up too.

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When is Diwali this year? 

Diwali is on October 19 in 2017. 

Check out my favorite Diwali Decorating Ideas here! 

We are all mad here | The Mad Tea Party with Alice

 Sometimes Disney World offers you up a serving of magic so amazing that it completely floors you.  Everyday is full of wonder and joy but this experience totally blew us away.

Nandini was dressed in her fancy blue dress with a white sash, and a furry cat wrapped around her neck while we waited in line to meet Alice.  When she walked up the path she asked the her to actually ride the tea cups with her!

Nandini, our shy and quiet girl, shocked us and went willingly on the ride. Alice asked Avinash and Lakshman to come along too. Avinash of course wanted to join and even little Lakshman needed almost no reassuring.

The cast members were so sweet about it and happy for the kids.  One of the character guides, told me she had seen Nandini and then sent a message down the rabbit hole about her for Alice.  One of the ride attendants all the way at Winnie the Pooh even asked us about it later.

This trip was all about Alice in Wonderland.  We had tea at the Grand Floridian.  

We even ran into the Mad Hatter.  

And he mocked me.  

"That is not a hat!" 

I have a lot of fun hats that I wear to Disney World, but somehow at this time I had a towel on my head.  In my defense it was super hot out. 

Case in point.  

Alice thought I made it myself.  

I'm glad that I project craftiness wherever I go. I got it at the Magic Kingdom years ago and sadly they no longer make any hats of this kind. 

We went back to see Alice on a different too.  Lakshman and I went to see her first thing in the morning.  Then we came back with all the kids because she was so funny and sweet.  

She loved Avinash's March Hare Disneybound.  She was a little worried about his lack of ears and plucked those two leaves from the garden and gave it to him.  He carried them around proudly all day.  

As we left, she called out to him, "So lovely to see you March Hare! And such a treat to see you in August, not even in March." 

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