Project Life - Play All Day

This week we took a random trip to Ikea, which always feels like a monumental task, for story time. We celebrated Rakhi (a Hindu holiday between brothers & sisters). And, we got to do one more science day at the museum. I had the idea to use kraft, red and a transparency.  I like the theme, but think I could have worked on balance a little more.

I used another journaling card from Everyday eclectic, along with a few stickers here and there.
I cut up this sheet of Toy Box paper to get the play all day card and yellow label. Trying to journal about things a little beyond the obvious, so my thoughts on Avi's new no-nap schedule fit with the "and then a little more" caption on the card really well.
I let my die cut globe from last week show through. The bottom row is all pictures of us at Rakhi. Those glitter thickers just add some dimension and playfulness I think. 

My Dad had another birthday this past week as well. Avi really wanted to use the printer, so he picked some photos and 'clicked it' to the printer.  Then he drew on the paper, wrote some words (Avinash love Nana), stamped it and 'shot it' (ie, covered it in staples). I included a few more pictures and drawings Avi has done for Nana and then wrapped the whole thing in kraft paper and taped it together with washi.  Avi was more than proud to put it in the mailbow.  I used some left over kraft and more washi tape (from Target) here. Pretty happy with how it turned out in person and in the album.

I used a few elle's studio summer cut outs and flags.  I added the arrow paperclip to this picture of Avi the scientist. It felt very scientific.  I need to write down some of the questions he answers next time.
I used a few more Everday Eclectic stickers on this page. The best part is it coordinates perfectly with my old Hambly stash.  

I adhered a wooden camera and then added one in the exact same spot on the opposite side.

I still like these Lily Bee index cards for journaling. I matted all these little instagrams (slightly smaller than 2x2) on another piece of kraft paper and wrote a little about each one on this card.


 The paper in the middle is old Sassafras, with a kraft Martha label. I wrote about our Ikea trip a little here. The bright red fit well.

I stamped this card with stepping stone alphas in lots of different chalk ink colors. Love the random look and forgiving nature of this stamp. I think I normally would have used washi here too, but I've been thinking about using some of my border stickers up so onto the card they went.

 Linked up with The Mom Creative for Project Life Tuesday.  The PL kit I am using is the Clementine kit. Thank you so much to everyone in this wonderful community. I love all the feedback and looking at everything people do each week. It definitely keeps me motivated. Also, feel free to include a link to your projects in the comments so we can check them out too!

Rainbow Shelves

One of the best features of our apartment is the built-in bookshelf. I decided to arrange the books by color when we first moved in. Obviously, I have a thing for rainbows. It has accumulated junk and toys over time, but Avinash is interested in the color system and groups all his stuff by color too. It is a fun way to get him to organize his stuff in the living room and is something I should probably try in his room too.

I also got this cute pitcher vase from Ikea for the tabletop. It is kind of rustic, which isn't really our style, but it works because of the white I think.  The cheap knick knacks at Ikea and Target always get me.

And, I still have up this Tray from Target on the kitchen table, with these cute glass tea light holders in blue and red. So, naturally I stocked up on tea lights at Ikea. 

 

 

****CHECK OUT MY NEW ORGANIZATIONAL PROJECT: CHALKBOARD SHELVES****

Oh my.

Almost three years ago we were here:

 

And, there we were again tonight:

 

 


Oh how much has changed, but not really. I love that fire and joy in Avinash's eyes when he was only one, he still has that.  I remember feeling so much love for him that night, and with Nandini the feeling of love in our family has only grown.  It took her a little longer but now she is holding our fingers and walking everywhere too. We are struggling with her weight gain now like we did with him. Instead of oversized Janie and Jack outfits, he dressed himself in a (well fitting) Avengers t-shirt and put his shoes on the wrong feet. 

Project Life - Summer Afternoons

We had a very laid back week this week after getting back to Texas and trying to recover from our trip and get ready for Ryan to leave on a long business trip.

I included pictures from Nandini's head shaving the previous Sunday too. I had a lot to write about too, but I had to fit that in on the opposite page. Avinash helped put on the thickers on bottom left card.  He only wants to spell his name. I don't think he's learned any new words in at least a year.
I had to use the you can go your own way stamp for Nandini's walking picture.  She is nothing if not independent.

It also rained a lot this week, which meant snails crawling all over the patio.  Avinash loves the shells and I have been trying to show him the creatures living inside them. At least I got to use my frogs & snails & puppy dog tails Studio Calico stamp (and it is 50% off now!).

I struggled finding stuff to fill the horizontal slots this week. I used this Hey Day journaling card paper because they work in both directions. More Hey Day paper, this time in pink, to mat the photo of Nandini with her new doggy. Love the Elle's Studio cutouts for little journaling spots.
I made the die cut Nandini frame a while ago. Added a little more dimension with the kraft rose.
The printables are from In a Creative Bubble and One Story Down.

Blowing bubbles outside on the patio weather permitting. I used an index journaling card and a flash card cut from this patterned paper. There are lots of other cute cards on the sheet I can use.  Always feels like a good deal compared the price of a pack of cards. Or, so I tell myself.

I am still one week behind, but I am going to post the last week that I did to motivate myself a little. Ryan was out of town, so this week was crazy, but we actually did a lot. Starting with a play date at our house, a trip to the beach and a visit to the circus the day Ryan got back (I stayed home because, in all honesty, I was just too exhausted to come along-choosing to not feel guilty about that).

 Where I struggled the previous week, I actually had fun this week. Going to a crop with my friend Viji didn't hurt of course! The back of the Hey Day paper was used a lot. I backed the index card with another one of the same size for symmetry. Love the semi-open window it creates. Nandini's face covered in chocolate was too funny.  I have scrapped her with a cupcake, cake and now cookie.  She definitely has a sweet tooth (despite being under weight).

I stamped a little banner on another piece of the SC journaling card paper. Love the alphas on that stamp too.  I used these really fun chipboard thickers for the title. Can you spot the old Sassafras stuff?
I used a few Everyday Eclectic stickers on these beach photos.

 One of my favorite parts is definitely the circus tent card cut up.  It is a party invitation and is available at Target. Love the rainbow colors too with the yellow/orange/red washi and turquoise thickers. So funny that Avi was scared of the clowns still but Nandini wasn't. 

 

 A random outing for coffee and muffins, but one of my favorite cards of the week. Pink airmail and lime woodgrain washi with naked chipboard.

 More beach pics. Avi's BASF science experiment at the Houston children's museum from Monday.  Want to go there every week until the summer ends.  A random bubble picture and a note about our Target toy clearance shopping.  It was actually quite the effort taking both kids to such a big sale by myself, but I should be set for most birthday parties at pre-school this year.  I basically filled every nook and cranny of the car with loot.  And managed to only open two bigger things and one small thing for them. 


I used that new Basic Grey stamp again in dark rust for this title.  The card is another In a Creative Bubble one that I had embossed earlier with this SC set.

Nandini looks a little crazed here, but her expression was just too funny not to include.  This banner title pretty much summed up her feelings. 

 

I got my hands on some new Echo Park and typed a little journaling on the card.  I love the graphic feel to the collection.  Normally, I find photo-realistic papers a little cheesy, but these really work.  Plus, the beach scenery in Galveston isn't great, so I liked having the option.  It also matches perfectly with old Hambly and is the nicest quality Echo Park stuff I've seen.

 Linked up with The Mom Creative for Project Life Tuesday.  The PL kit I am using is the Clementine kit. Thank you so much to everyone in this wonderful community. I love all the feedback and looking at everything people do each week. It definitely keeps me motivated.

enjoy the ride

Isn't this a great color palette? It is the current Color Me Scrappy Challenge and I decided to play along. Luckily, I found everything I needed in SC's Elmwood Park. 

Avinash looked beyond adorable on his trike at my parent's house. I could scrap the pictures over and over again. The stamp is from a few month's back and the perfect thing.  Embossed the tag with red glitter Zing and found a place for my journaling.

I painted a little malted milk on the cardstock and adhered a long strip of scrap vellum. I double matted the photo in green airmail and red graphic pp. The hexagon was a leftover die cut piece from another project.  I'm such a hoarder I know, I always try to reuse die cut scraps.

I know that yellow isn't in the challenge, and these weren't from the kit either, but I just love this font.  And, any excuse to use those adorable wooden bikes, right?

Vacation Pages

 A double pager to start.  Her wedding color was blue and it worked with all the beachy pictures, so I used that mainly. Felt so different to do something more adult and polished. I am always at somewhat of a loss for double pagers.  Using four sheets of cardstock made it easier. I added a couple strips of patterned paper, one leftover strip of color magic misted in yellow, a bit of washi and flair.  These gold thickers feel so elegant and slightly less girly than most things I use.

Of course a smattering of wood stars doesn't hurt either. I like sticking them directly on the photo too sometimes. 

This page was inspired by Lillith Eckels. Love the little triangles, mine are cut from washi tape and just stuck on. The title is sort of random, but I think she is just the most radiant bride. Used those gold thickers again. I really wish I could machine stitch on paper, because it would make the triangles look fab in a hanging garland sort of way. Oh well.

I took the back and just pasted some random shots with a few die cuts here and there. The right side is another back of a layout. I did them quickly, stuck it in the album and moved on.

I had to do a page about us being on a vacation alone for the first time since early 2008. Avinash even hijacked our Italy trip in utero (one day after we found out), making it impossible for me to consume anything with tomato in it.  Not easy when one is in Italy okay!! The shot of this layout is blurry I know, but I really like this page and I'm too lazy to pull it out of the album to reshoot.  It is pretty simple. A few patterned paper layers, some stamping and journaling stickers.  I think that Amy Tangerine green paisley sticker sets off the whole page. 

I used my silhouette for these waves. I misted them after. The photo is matted with a scrap paper I had die cut previously, vellum and some grey polka dot paper. The die cuts are an old pink paislee pack called Nantucket or Cape Cod maybe. Very appropriate here. I made that journaling spot with a JBS stamp.  I loooove the way it turned out.  I used an anthro bowl to trace a circle.  I used the negative of that cut to stamp on some cream cardstock, then I edged it with yellow chalk ink.  I love the finished look that stamping through a circle gave it.  Yay! Never ending supply of journaling spots in any color are now mine!

I put all these layouts together in the back of my Hawaii album which I never quite filled up. How about you? Did you scrap any summer vacation photos yet and what did you do with the pages?

I am linking up with Layout Love today. 

Rakhi Is Chocolate

 

We did puja today for Ryan's father and then did Rakhi with Avinash and Nandini after. Getting everyone showered and clearing one section of our house always takes longer than you think.

I tried to take a self-timer shot of us.  I love how Stitch is the only one ready to go here.

And then we just callously knocked him down.  I like you can see the twinkling lights and flower garlands hanging over the window here.

After I took down the camera, Nandini scooted over, picked it up and gave it to me.  Then she scooted back over in her Dada's lap and posed for a picture. Sweet girl.

Avinash gave us all tika in the beginning. I helped Nandini put some on her brother. I just used some twine I had to make their rakhis. She gave him her hershey kiss (I'm out of burfi, ok?). He gave her a hug and promised to protect her, but not before stealing the last kiss and shoving it in his mouth a'la his mammaji.

 

They both really enjoyed drinking the water more than anything.  He did give her a new baby doll which she loved and covered in kisses right away. I think I may show them the Rakhi episode of Sesame Street tomorrow morning. Not sure if what we tell them sticks, but Elmo seems to have lasting influence at least. Hehee.