Kentucky, You are Beautiful

I was sending some photos to be printed yesterday and was surprised at what I stumbled onto. It's only been a couple of weeks since our visit to Kentucky and I had already forgotten how green it was...

They say the grass is always greener, but in this case it is literally true! Beautiful, right? And these photos were not edited or enhanced. What you see it what it's like just minutes outside of Lexington. I love that we'll get to enjoy living in a regular city with all of it's advantages but still have access to country life. When I envisioned raising kids it's places like these that I pictured....wide open spaces...room to play...of course I never dreamed it could be this green anywhere but Ireland. 

I am looking forward to the move, but did get some news yesterday that it will be sooner than anticipated, which is really throwing me off. Originally we were told it would be some time in June which would mean the boys could finish out school before we leave. But now it's looking more like mid-May. Luckily we have our house (phew, what a relief) and it will be ready then...but there was so much left here that I was going to do. Silly things like as many trips to the beach as possible, and Sea World....and not so silly things like making sure I have time to train a replacement at work, and most importantly time with extended family.

I really want to solidify a date when we will actually be Kentucky bound. That way I can tie up all of my lose ends with a neat little bow. Until then I am in limbo. Don't you hate living in limbo?

At least when I get there I get to enjoy settling my family into this beauty...

It's even big enough to allow me to have a scrap room. (ah! so exciting!) 

See, our backyard is green as can be too.....:)

Another Washi Wednesday

You know who got in on the decorative tape trend? Target!...

Although they call them printed paper tape. Same thing. :) I am so happy you can find these there. I believe there is also a yellow and an orange stack available, each $4. My store didn't have all of the colors so I'll have to obsess over them later. 

And on another washi note I made these fun tags to use for a submission recently....

but didn't manage to muster the energy to finish a layout to go with them (energy is in extremely short supply lately). That's ok. I think they look super cool and will find a use for them very soon...maybe by next washi Wednesday?...then again, maybe not...We'll have to see what kind of weekend I have. ;) 

Silly Subjects

Have you ever scrapbooked a really silly subject? Right now I am really into scrapping the everyday moments. The little things that would otherwise be totally forgotten. Sometimes for me that means scrapping about shoes...and even giving the layout a silly title like "The Ones That Got Away"...

That's right, I scrapped about my 2 year olds' Toms. The funniest part is that they are not even her shoes, anymore. I bought these sparkle Toms for her and she HATED them. Would not even slip her foot inside...even after some shameless bribing. I was pretty bummed because when I purchased them I immediately pictured at least 10 different outfits that would work with the shoes. But she just wasn't having it. So back to the store they went. 

What "strange" subjects have you scrapped?

Baby Onesie Bouquet Tutorial

A few weeks ago I made another onesie bouquet. My sister needed it for a baby shower she was attending so I volunteered to make it happen. While I was making it I decided to take some photos (sorry they are not the greatest because I made it late at night and the lighting was bad) so I could post a tutorial here on the 'ol blog-a-rooni....

Let's get started...Here is what you will need...
*1 Pot of your choice(I would pick a small one unless you intend to include a LOT of product)
*Ribbon to tie around the pot
*Enough florist foam to fill the pot at least 3/4 of the way
*Metal Floral Sticks (enough for the amount of baby product you intend to include. I had 12 items)
*Various Floral Stems in the colors of your choosing. For this bouquet I chose yellow and white since it was for a baby boy, and corresponded with the outfits I bought.) Also make sure that you pick up some stems with green leaves or filler. You will need them to fill in the gaps to make it look full.
*Baby products: 4-5 onesies(newborn size)//2 hats// 2 socks//4 washcloths (Your numbers can vary depending on how much/ what you may want to include.

Ok. Ready to roll?...

Let's start with the hat.

 Fold it length wise like so...

 Then tightly roll it up starting at the wider end...

It should look like this...

 Take a wire (I used the fabric kind here, which I do not recommend because they are not very strong. You want to use the wire kind, as I stated earlier.) and wrap it around the bottom of your "bud" about 3/4" from the bottom. Keep the wrap nice and tight and wind int a couple of times. This is what is going to hold your flower together once it leaves your hands...

 Good job! You are on your way! Set that aside and repeat with the other hat.

To create the sock buds lay a pair one on top of the other flat on the table. Roll them tightly together starting at the toes. Once you are rolled take the end with  the openings and fold them back towards the starting point (almost like when you fold the laundry) You can see in this photo how it will look...

This holds the sock nicely in place. Wrap it up and move along.

Wash clothes are the easiest buds to make. Fold them like so...

 Roll, roll, roll, and attach the wire...(make sure to fold the wire ends down like I did in this photo...we don't want to poke the Mama-to-be when she takes it apart)...

Now it's time for the onesies. In my opinion these are the trickiest. Partly due to their size. A really helpful tip in this arena is to purchase newborn size clothing. It is smaller and easier to roll into buds. I did not do that, and mine will probably look bigger and bulkier in the bouquet then yours will.

Ok. Lay the onesie out flat...

 Fold like so...

 Start at the neck and roll as tightly as possible...

 Wrap the end with a stem just like the previous items. Each one you do will look slightly different, just like flowers do! Here are mine all together...

 Now it's time to put together the bouquet. Start with your pot and the foam. You will probably have to use a knife or scissors to shape the foam to the size of the pot. Make sure it comes up to about 3/4 of the way inside and does not wiggle around. This way it can't be seen when the project is complete.

Once that is in place you can start with flower placement...

 I try to fill it out as much as I can with the flowers first. Then I fill in any gaps with the baby goodies. Evenly disperse them throughout the bouquet...Tie a ribbon around the pot for a nice extra touch...

 And that's it! Done! Your lovely homemade gift will be the talk of the shower...

If you have any questions feel free to comment below and I will respond. If not, happy crafting!

Kentucky I Think I Love You

So we are moving.

From Orange County, California to Lexington, Kentucky. 

It's a big change. One that we are so excited for. One that we have been pining away for, for years. Now here it is, the chance to take a leap of faith. The opportunity to make a change. And we are going for it.

In fact, we are going for it so much that we are in Kentucky as I write this post. We have been hunting houses for the past two days. We've seen 20+ homes. We've driven around, checked out the local mall, enjoyed hearing the accent, scoped out the schools...etc. etc.

....And we found "THE ONE." The house we just can't live without. It's priced right...with the perfect yard, and the perfect amount of space (a RIDICULOUS amount of space compared to California)....a wonderful kitchen, a giant master tub (ahhhhhhh, I am realxing just thinking about it)...Our realtor (who I love) said that we would just "know" when we found the right fit, and she was right. The second she opened the door I had a feeling. Then as we began to make out way through I thought, "check, check, check." Everything was there. Everything was ready to move in. I could not stop smiling.

... and now I am beaming because as I am writing this post we received the call that we got the house.

We got the HOUSE! (I can't wait to share pictures!)

I Love you, Kentucky. So much!

Another Washi Wednesday

Turns out I'm not the only one who has a thing for washi tape...

She climbed up on my desk the other day and stacked and unstacked and grouped and regrouped these for over an hour. She just can't get enough. Usually I keep her out of my scrap supplies...but I can't say I blame her attraction to the decorative tape. Because I can't seem to stop playing with them either.

Or buying them...

 

Today I thought I would give you all some links for where I like to purchase these sticky rolls. I have several sources, and I am sure there are far more out there. The ones I use are:

Ginko Papers

Cute Tape

Happy Zakka Life on Etsy

Two Peas in a Bucket

I have to admit I am planning on buying even more tape very soon. I saw a lot of options at CHA and I can't wait for some of them to release. These darling rolls from Cosmo Cricket are already in my two peas cart...

Scrapbook Trends

Hey ya'll. I found out some great news about a pending publication today...but then had to immediately remove the project from a recent post. (Of course I understand the need to do this. Magazines always want to be fresh and never seen before. But part of me gets a little bummed when I have just posted a photo of a project only to remove it days later.) Luckily I have one to replace it...sort of.

I realized I hadn't told you about my latest Scrapbook Trends publication. It was on page 91 of the February 2012 issue....

"Bad Hair Day"...

I thought it would be funny to do a layout based on a bad hair day. It's something most of us women dread (and with my curly hair, I have quite often). But somehow on babies and toddlers it is just plain adorable. I let my sewing machine run wild lines around the frame of this photo to support the theme.

When Evareaux saw her photo on the page she said "ooooooooh, Evawoah, maga-ZINE!" Ha! She is very impressed. That is until a few years from now when she realizes she was in a publication with crazy hair. :)

What a Cutie

Ok. Ok. So, obviously I am a bit biased, because she is mine. But sometimes I can't help myself but stare and snap photo after photo of this little cutie...

 If I didn't then I'd miss gems like this...

Do you ever find yourself doing this with the little cuties in your life?

P.S. I can't believe she will be 3 on May 1st. How did that happen?! I think this calls for a Toy Story themed party. Today she asked to watch the one with "bobbies"...which I finally figured out meant barbies. SO cute!

Minnie's House

Recently we found out big news about a move in our future. I will tell you all about it very soon. In the mean time I am in the business of collecting memories that are to be found in Southern California. Minnie's house is one of my favorite places here. I love watching Eveareaux explore her things. I love the bright colors, the cartoony possessions, and the details...like nothing but cheeses in the fridge and Cos-mousepolitain in her magazine rack. So fun. Most of all I love that Minnie can always be found at her house, so long as Toontown is open.

 And then I can experience moments like these...

all photos edited using the Instagram

I'm really gonna miss this place.

Here is a layout I put together using all of those fabulous snapshots...

***Removed for Publication***

Letter Crafting

I'm always up for trying something new when it comes to crafting. Scrapbooking remains my very favorite thing to do in this arena...but that doesn't mean I don't like to switch it up. So a few weeks ago when my sister in law texted saying that she had an idea for her daughters room and wanted me to help I said, "of course!"

Hours later I ran off the the craft store to pick up these babies...

She wanted the letters to match a safari/lion king room but be able to transition out of the "baby" phase at some point. So I gathered about $30 worth of materials and set to work...

And this is what I came up with!...

I love it when I finish a project and can't wait to give it to the person it was intended for. I was really happy with the way these turned out. They have a bit of a cartoon-ish look to them that suits a childs room. I also added some ribbon on a few of the letters to finish it off.

Can you believe that on etsy letters like these can go for $20, each? It only took thirty bucks and about an hour of my time to complete 6 of them. I could make a killing! :).... Nah, I don't want to quit my scrappy day job. But it was fun to dabble. What sort of other crafts do you enjoy?