Home Sweet Home

I'm here! (and growing every day)

(No, it is not twins.)

I made it to Kentucky in one piece! I've been wanting to blog ever since we said our final goodbyes to California...but we didn't have "stuff" or internet for about a week. (Can I just say that a good bed and cable tv are HIGHLY underrated, in my opinion.) Seriously, it was like camping but in a fantastically giant (but empty) house. Still, it is thrilling to be here. Everyday I fall more in love with the home we purchased, and Kentucky itself. It's really, REALLY beautiful here. I think I'm gonna like it.

Let me show you what we've been up to...

Here's how our CA condo looked once it was all packed by the pros...

Ev waiting for the plane to arrive.(and waiting, and waiting.)

 In charge of her own luggage. (She's a DIY kinda gal.)

On the plane next to Hottie 

(I would marry him a million times over for being the kind of husband that takes on the antics of an energetic 3 year old for not one, but BOTH flights. Seriously a keeper.) And thank goodness for big brothers like Nakiah who are willing to sit in front of her just so she can slam into the seat over and over without disturbing a stranger. (sigh, long day.)

But clearly a beautiful day to move to KY...

 Unlocking the door to our new home....

I asked Evareaux if she wanted to live here. She said, "no, my STUFF!" Yeah, I could see how not having any toys would throw a little shade on the excitement.

 Quick trip to Cincinnati...

It's the closest Ikea and we had a mission....

 It's a good thing Hottie is handy, and can figure out directions with no words....

 Did I mention that it's beautiful here?...

The next day was furniture shopping...

We all felt a lot like Goldilocks.

 Speaking of Goldilocks, he wanted a new do...

 "A new look for a new state," he said. It's never been buzzed before!

 Enjoying the basement, even if it is empty...

 A little treat after all that shopping....

Hottie painted Ev's room to compliment her new furniture...

 Our truck arrived right on time bright and early on Wednesday morning. I took the kids to get out some energy while it was being unloaded (aren't moving companies AWESOME?) We found this place called Monkey Joe's, and the kids had it all to themselves...

 Later that day a little driveway time...

 This is one BIG reason we moved here. Room to play...

 Found this box of baby clothes. (Hope I'm having a girl, because I've got that covered.)

 It really is beautiful here...

We may have an issue with messiness in her room...

But do you like the furniture?

 So far this is the only traffic jam we've encountered....

I'll take it.

Seriously, you would not believe just how beautiful...

I'll keep you posted on more of our adventure is Kentucky and house-filling exploits. (This place is three times the size of our last one! AH!)

In Your Dreams

I've been dreaming and hoping and wishing and praying for a scraproom I could call my very own for a long, LONG time. Finally in this new house we will have the space to make my dream come true. Now comes the fun part. Decorating! Organizing! Making it perfect for ME! YAY! I am so excited. Can you tell?

I've been pulling ideas and inspiration for quite some time (well before I even knew this would actually happen) from pinterest, magazines, blogs, everywhere! I wanted to give you all an idea of where I am headed with this so that you can see the process from beginning to end.

This is what the room looks like (with the previous owners stuff still in it)...

 It's got two big windows and wood floors and is just off of the living room and kitchen. I can't wait to fill it to the brim with a ton of pretty scrap crap! AND. I was thinking of course I would give it a different paint color...but then I read in this silly "know your color" book that crabapple is MY color. And, that is crabapple (yuck)! So, should I keep it for a bit and see if it sparks my creativity?

The only things that I know for sure is that I can do anything I want with it (so stinking exciting)...and that I will be using one of these expidit shelves somewhere in there...See how well they work for crafts?

I'm also dreaming of a lot of shelving//drawers//desk toppers like these....

Especially loving wire baskets so you can easily see whats inside. I want it to have an organized and functional look but it HAS to be super cute as well. :)

These are what I mean by cute...

Love the colors and wall hangings on this one...

 Storage galore and bold bright colors...

 What a pretty desk and chair and accessories...

 AH! The more I look at inspiration like this the more excited I get to do my own room...

I would love to put prints like these on the wall....

 Well, actually the one on the left is a cork board cloud. I'm going to make a few of those for sure.

I would die for a desk like this....

but not sure if it's all that practical for scrapping.

 and a piece like this....

wire baskets and drawers! LOVE!

Truth be told I just bought these for my new kitchen...

but now I'm thinking they would look really cute in my scrap room.

 So, tomorrow as I am boarding the plane I will be thinking about the planning of my very own scrap sanctuary....and praying that my 3 year old doesn't go completely bananas on either flight....you know, the important things. BTW-I should be thinking about the exciting prospects of decorating and arranging the rest of my new home...but I am stuck on the nursery and scraproom. I guess I know my priorities. I'll keep you posted on how all this unfolds. For now, I am just excited that tomorrow we will be HOME! Even though none of our stuff will be there yet... Weird!

American Crafts Guest Designer

I am THRILLED, ELATED, HAPPY BEYOND MY WILDEST DREAMS to be this weeks American Crafts guest designer. When I was contacted for this opportunity I answered immediately with a resounding, "YES!!" Nothing like playing hard to get, right? Eh, I was never really good at that anyway. The truth is when it comes to AC I am not hard to get. at. all. In fact I would design for them any place, any time. (Even if I am smack dab in the middle of a move across the country...the van loading and leaving as we speak! AH!)

I was even more excited when I realized that the collection they were asking me to create with was the new Amy Tangerine Sketchbook. WOW. Let me just say....I know you have all heard my raves and reviews over this line, and you know I am head over heels for it.....but once it was in my hands it surpassed my expectations. It was inspiring, and beautiful, and doodle-riffic. I just can't stop using every last scrap! The possibilities are endless.

Ok. So, here is what I came up with...

This photo deserved special treatment. I knew I wanted to do something with layered punched hearts sewn to a page. The second I laid eyes on this heart pattern I was in! This paper is SO PERFECT! In fact it is perfect for several layouts I have in mind so I have big plans on purchasing more and hoarding my little heart out.

 Confetti is "in" and I am totally on board with that. I love the way this adds a little movement to the precious page. And, can I just say, I seriously can't get enough of those fabric covered brads. I wanted to use them on every. single. project!

 A rare layout for Hottie and I. It just felt so right to continue the doodles across the page and add a little stitching to match. Hey, it IS Amy Tan after all. She loves a good stitch so why not use some when creating with her epic products?

 Layering, layering, layering. There are so many stunning elements in this collection it is easy to do. I used a bit of everything on this page. This patterned paper is especially wonderful. The grid design lends itself to easy journaling and photo placement.

I made a card, ya'll!....

I'll admit, it was fun. The ribbon on this is from the premium pack. There are two different types of chevron print and the most deliciously vibrant colors. I can't wait to make more projects with these fabulous rolls.

And for my final trick...

This is a wall hanging that I made using paint, patterned paper, stamps, doodles, Thickers, and sequins. These floral patterns really do look as if they came straight from the page of Amy's sketchbook. I adore the hand drawn/watercolor feel. When I found this saying I knew it was the perfect fit for my vision of floating flowers across a canvas.

Thank you, American Crafts, for this wonderful opportunity. Any time you want to send a big box of stellar products my way feel free to do so. I'd be more then happy to play with them. Just make sure you post mark the box to Kentucky. Because I am on my way!!!