Project Life | MC Obvious

 This week | We celebrated Avinash's birthday.  We went to ACL and had a ton of family in town. It was a lot and it was a blast. I focused on the highlights which means not a lot of random moments here.

 First Side | Lots of studio calico cards here.  I wanted to keep that wood veneer card alone, but the back isn't finished so I cut a little bit of transparency to cover it.  Love how it turned out.

 I double letterpressed this card myself.  A pretty fun effect.  I'm still playing around with letterpress and seeing what I can do beyond the basics.

Canvas stickers from pink paislee.  Love the fresh bright colors of this line. 

 My favorite part of this spread is this mini layout from Avinash's birthday.  We never got a kid picture, but here he is sort of surrounded by the chaos.  I used ribbon, a BG wood veneer, SC flair and white alphas. 

 Second side | The elusive family picture.  Definitely working with a fall color theme here.  Oranges and blacks, even a dash of purple.

 Snuggle? Yes please!  I love those BG numbers, but never know what to do with them!

Love those print shop vellum die cuts.  Here I used staples instead of glue for the ampersand.

I tried to use a whole set of BG aptly named hipster buttons on this one card.  Couldn't quite get it the way I envisioned it but I thought, better to leave it be and move on. 

I am linked up with The Mom Creative for Project Life Tuesday. The PL kits I am using generally are the Studio Calico kit, Kelly Purkey kit and Midnight kit, with multi-pack page protectors.   Thanks for visiting, I appreciate all of your support.  Please, leave your links to any PL pages in the comments so we can check them out too.

Around here.

Time certainly does seem to speed up as the holiday season grows closer.  I have a special guest post up over at Purple Mailbox with none other than Soaphouse mama herself Ashli Oliver!  She is doing a fabulous series on fitting it all in.  With two little ones and a third on the way, endless hours of traffic and running errands, and a huge list of projects I want to do, I certainly need all the help I can get with that!  Go over and see my take on it and how to 'fit in' time for more pictures.  Pictures really are my creative fuel.  Even if I have a great story to tell I'll usually wait until I can find a picture that goes along with it before I put it down on paper.  And, lean photo weeks are always a struggle when it comes to project life.

 I have gotten started a little on my December Daily album.  The cover is still a work in progress.   I am still debating on what embellishements to add.  And I think the whole thing needs a big fabulous ribbon, but the only wide color I have right now is red, which I don't think is gonna work.  I am thinking cream or maybe teal?  That extra snowflake may not last either.

For the base I just painted the chipboard with gesso.  Then I cut out this phrase with my silhouette, as many times as would fit on one page.  Then I glued down the words and added extra layers of gesso here and there.  I put a light coat on the edges of the words when I was done as well. Download the free cut file here.
Please download and share this file on pinterest if you like it. 

We are also trying to make plans for the coming month.  We have a wedding back home over Thanksgiving to go to.  I signed the kids up for a gingerbread house workshop at the Thinkery, the new Austin Kid's Museum.  Avinash wants to go to the Domain christmas tree lighting event this Saturday and to Randalls because they have all the food we need for Thanksgiving there!  I'm so glad that radio marketing has no effect on him.  We are also looking at doing a holiday train ride and a visit to the Christmas tree farm.

Today after dance class we lucked into a free studio spotlight of the Nutcracker and got to see two dances in rehearsal.  Nandini was so excited to go see a show.  Avinash was amazed at they could spin like that.  So we may be taking the kids there as well.

I also need to say a big thanks to everyone who gave me hair suggestions for Nandini.  Wet combing it is helping a lot.  I've started using oil in her hair every few days (she is still just too little for products) and that is putting some moisture back in it.  She ended up with this Farah Fawcett flip somehow today.  I loved it.

 Tried these lemon brownies.  The recipe is from here.  I love lemon, but these were just not as good as they looked.  Need to tweak the recipe a little bit.

 And, finally, Kayla Aimee's blog was nice enough to feature my little etsy shop in her Handmade Holiday Gift Guide.

Meanwhile, use the code for WASHI for 10% off any order from my shop.  I have new flair, custom polaroid die cuts, and lots of new washi tape in stock.   Thank you so much!!


How are your holiday plans going?  Time is flying isn't it!

Project Life | Meeting Jenni

This week | We went to the big antiques fair around here, called Round Top.  We made a little pit stop at a place called Marberg Farms so I could meet Jenni Bowlin!  I was excited to say the least.  I had randomly met April Foster of Studio Calico a few days prior (but sadly didn't get a picture), so it was a pretty exciting week. We also made our annual pumpkin patch visit.  My parents arrived a few days prior to Avinash's birthday party and we celebrated his actual birthday at school. 

First Side | I choose to do this side all with JBS stuff in honor of meeting Jenni.  It was fun to do and somehow easier than my usual mix&match style. The pictures are mostly from Round Top with two pumpkin patch pictures thrown in as well.  Even if I didn't already love Jenni Bowlin, she won my heart forever by being super patient and kind to my children.  They are a handful and she was manning an antique filled tent by herself.  She did not even bat an eyelash and gave them both gifts!  Yeah, we all love her now.  I meant to journal on that photo card but it is still missing, oops. 

Love how easy it is to layer JBS stuff.  Here a printable journaling card, red label sticker, large sequin and pearl flower.

Second Page | More writing. Lots of neutral journaling cards, mostly from the midnight kit with a few other random ones.  I tried to use more stamps from stash too.  If I don't put forth the effort, they just sit there and get all sad like unused toys..

Leaf flair, pasted to the outside.  Avi had no interest in the pumpkin patch but was all about the bouncy pillow. 

 

 I cut this leaf out with my silhouette, because the only this leaf card needed was another big leaf.

Love these acrylic alphas from my SC kit so much I have only used these two bits so far.  HA!


I am linked up with The Mom Creative for Project Life Tuesday. The PL kits I am using generally are the Studio Calico kit, Kelly Purkey kit and Midnight kit, with multi-pack page protectors.   Thanks for visiting, I appreciate all of your support.  Please, leave your links to any PL pages in the comments so we can check them out too.

Oh yes, Tea Cups!

I just got my Studio Calico kits and had to use this beautiful die cut paper from Pink Paislee.  It feels like as soon as Halloween ended everything switched from fall to full on Christmas season.  Not that I don't love the holidays, but I still have a ton of fall photos I want to scrap!  I used a big photo from our Disney trip here.  This photo is from one of my favorite Disney photo spots.  I asked Ryan to hold the camera up above our heads this time and I just love how it turned out. 

 Yeah, this layout is all about circles.  I cut out a few extra from other patterned paper in the kit.  I never really know what to do with clocks, but I do think it fits the tea cups/alice in wonderland theme apart from just being circular.  Don't use adhesive runner directly on the printed transparency or the ink will totally smear.  True story.

 I scrapped a few more fall pages.  Here is one from the pumpkin patch.  The kids had no interest in the pumpkin patch and just wanted to go from one activity to the next so getting this picture was really hard!

I stamped my own background with the pumpkin stamp and added a ton of wood veneers on top.  Most of this layout came from the October Studio Calico kit.  I still have a ton of other fall photos, including Halloween to do.

I know I shared this layout a little while ago, but I just wanted to let you know that 2peas stocked the all new Printshop collection tonight!  Woohoo!  They also have a lot of Webster's Christmas stuff (also featured prominently in the SC christmas kits) in stock too.

ps. does anybody know what to do with this hair?!! I have always had straight hair but lusted after curly locks.  Nandini is blessed with them in abundance.  Some days I just get them wet and spring into perfect ringlets.  Other days, this.  I have learned that straight brushing it just makes it frizz.  I asked my sister-in-law (who I suspect is a source of the curl) and she just said, "Curly hair is always a mess!" and advised me not to give her bangs, ha!

Project Life | Disney Pages

This week|  We spent about five days at Disney World at the end of September/early October to celebrate Avinash's birthday.  This spread really just covers the first half of our trip and maybe one random moment at home before leaving.

The full spread| I used a lot of Studio Calico this week.  Cards, stickers, stamps and printshop transparencies. 

First side|  The chalkboard card is from a WRMK mini set I got at Target.  All the other cards are SC.  The chalkboard sticker is from Pebbles.  Love that Kal B 'you are here' stamp from SC. Also, so versatile. 

This wood veneer is from the KP kit.  I colored it teal and dabbed a little silver here and there on top.  That is a picture of Nandini on the plane.  She enjoyed that cookie magazine more than you can ever imagine.  I put a big you&me transparency over the photo of me and Nandini.

Second page| These two cards are from the 5th&Frolic kit.  The little banner on the top right photo is fussy cut from another dear Lizzy card.  I still love that set.  It is just so versatile.  Still not bored with it either. 

Nandini had to get dressed up while we were packing.  Or, I really wanted to dress her up.  One of the two.  She was a joy to watch while she twirled her skirt around the house.  Wood veneer apple for good measure.

I love seeing Avinash at Jedi Training.  Wood veneer stars are from SC Printshop as well. 

This die cut card is an older Pretty Little Studios card.  I used it to hold some journaling, as well as these geotag letter stickers and a FF wood veneer.

This carousel picture is one of the reasons I carry my big camera all around Disney World.  The magic in her face is priceless.


I am linked up with The Mom Creative for Project Life Tuesday. The PL kits I am using generally are the Studio Calico kit, Kelly Purkey kit and Midnight kit, with multi-pack page protectors.   Thanks for visiting, I appreciate all of your support.  Please, leave your links to any PL pages in the comments so we can check them out too.

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Six for Sunday (?)

I know the thing is 'five for Friday', but I barely knew when Friday was.  November is just flying by.  I can't believe I haven't blogged at all this month yet. Well, here is what we have been up to.

1. Celebrating. We celebrated Diwali.  Once in Houston (by chance) and a week later in Austin.  Both temples are very different but still lovely.  Avinash

2. Dancing.   I still love just sitting and watching Avinash at his ballet class.  His whole face just lights up joy as he leaps across the room.  Nandini likes to copy him but was too shy to try the class at the Y.  A few days later a friend invited her to a different ballet class and she danced for almost three hours (without me!).  Now, just have to wait for her to turn 3 so she can take her own classes as well.

3. Coughing, aka The Black Lung.  If you know me, you know this was a problem from like winter 2001-summer 2008.  It somehow cleared up but it does come back with a vengeance every once in a while.  That and being six months pregnant has really knocked me out.  Luckily no fever, but everything else.  I have been staying in and letting the kids watch as much TV as they like.  My doctor sent me to the hospital to get checked out for pre-term labor.  That was awful but everything turned out to be fine. Does ever twinge make me nervous now anyway? Absolutely. 

4. Scrapping.  I have been working on a ton of Project Life pages.  I finished all of October and am almost caught up.  I have lost all count of what week is what though.  I stretched our Disney trip into two spreads, even though the second week we were only there for one day.   Still counts! Will share those pages on here soon!

5. Loving the new christmas goodies at Target.  They have so much cute stationery in the dollar spot.  All metallics and kraft.  Plus, these insanely gorgeous wooden trees in the gift wrap/holiday section by Paper Chase.  Target does it again!

6. Ordering some holiday cards already.  If you haven't seen this deal yet, it is worth checking out.  Minted is the best quality, and they have so many cute new options like gold foil and ornament cards.  Ends Monday 11/11: $25 off + Free Shipping on all holiday cards. Code: JOY25FS.  Choose Express Service for an extra $20 off, you can get more than a total of $45 off your order that way!  Plus if you use my personal referral link we both get a $25 credit which you can use on any $100 order (before coupons). 

Happy Halloween!

We are obviously obsessed with Halloween around here.  We love it all, dressing up, doing facepaint, getting candy, getting crafty and of course going trick or treating.  This is our first time going trick or treating in our own real neighborhood and we had a blast.

Nandini woke up and asked about trick or treat first thing and immediately wanted out of her wolf jammies and into her mermaid dress.  She kept vacillating between that and her baby owl, but that was covered in chocolate stains from a different day so we didn't change her.

Avinash was not allowed to dress up at school but he brought his knight costume with him in the car anyway. We had some friends come over to trick or treat with us.  The kids were so well behaved, I was flat out shocked given all the candy they had.

Nandini did skip dinner and only wanted candy, but it's one night a year - she'll live. We got so much candy too. I thought they would get tired but the boys kept racing ahead and Nandini would say, "OH! Another one!" each time, like she was totally surprised by each house.

I was super happy because almost everyone was game for facepainting last night.  While I was painting Ryan's face (he requested Nosferatu), Nandini sat down and said "how 'bout me?"  Then proceeded to scrunch up her face with every brush stroke "that tickles Mommy."  But she sat very still and requested lots of yellow and white.  I love her sweetness and that she shares an interest in something that has been a hobby of mine for a long time.  My friend Jahanna let me experiment on her with a dia de los muertos face.  So so happy with how it turned out!! Avi wanted to be a rainbow bird.  I painted my own face as an owl and skipped the headpiece part of my costume.  I didn't really want to paint my face grey so I used yellow instead. 

November is here and I'm still a little sad to see October go.  I know that I will be raiding the kids candy bags for a while though to keep me in the spirit.  Here is a quick round up of our adventures this month.

Trick or Treats: 5
Disney World, Houston Zoo, Sea World, Texas State Museum, Neighborhood

Thriller Dance Parties: only 1, Houston Zoo

Costumes: 12, not bad!
Owls, Max from Where the Wild Things Are, Dracula, Mermaid, Snow White, Knight, Dragon, Monster, Fox, Minnie Mouse, Fish, Cinderella

How was your candy haul?  Anyone else reeling yet at the thought of getting ready for more holidays so soon?

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