This is How I Roll: Scrap Room Edition

Here is a look inside my newly remodeled and painted scrap room. I am pretty thrilled to have an entire room dedicated to my hobby and passion. A space that I can do whatever I want in and decorate however I want. It's like a dream come true. It's in what would normally be a "formal living" or as our realtor kept saying, "Christmas tree room." ha! We are Southern Californians... we don't need a whole room for a tree. BUT. A space for my scrap crap?.... sign me up!

Here is a little glimpse at how I organize my supplies...

I like to keep a lot of things out in the open where I can see them. 

I keep all of my stamps in a little basket (I think from the gardening department)....

 Here are some apothecary jars with various ribbons and thread inside...

 pens, pens, and more pens kept in place inside what used to be flower pots....

My washi tape is usually a little more organized that this. I use these felt containers (from the $ section at Target) to organize them by color. This is a work in progress, since my little one likes to snatch them off the shelf and play. Trying to figure out a way of keeping them out in the open as well as keeping her grubby little paws off! :)

 Embellishments sit in cute bowls on the shelf just behind my chair where I can spin around and look for something specific.

 Project life supplies all go in one little wire basket next to the PL album.

In this basket I put any and all ephemera I might want to use for project life. This way it's all in one spot when I am ready to pull supplies for the week I am working on... no running around looking for that one movie pass I saved or, "doh! wish I would have included that cool restaurant brochure!"

This drawer unit from Ikea is fabulous for scrap stuff. I use it mostly for patterned paper organization. But there is one drawer for embellishments. It doesn't look terribly organized, but somehow I know exactly what's in there.

 On top is this little wood drawer thingie. The perfect size for instax and other photo storage.

 On the wall some quick access Thicker favorites, trimmer, and current mags...

 Periwinkle shelving unit on the wall perfect for ink and trim display.

 Ikea locker (new purchase that I l-o-v-e)

Inside is a basket for corralling punches, a wine box with more Thickers (organized by color), and space for my Studio Calico kits.

Mini apothecary chest for holding bits and pieces....

More mists, backup glue, things like that.

 On the desk there are little bowls for tiny embellishments, stamps, glue, pens and scissors at the ready.

As you can tell I like to mix it up with creative containers. Anything that looks decorative but can also be functional is a go. And, for me, the brighter colors the better. Hope you enjoyed this little glimpse into my room. It's my little piece of heaven in our home.

Scrapbook Trends

Hey! Forgot to share two layouts of mine that were published in the July issue of Scrapbook Trends!!

Talk about not being on the ball! Oh well, the cool thing about all Northridge Publishing publications is that you can get them long after they come and go from the shelves, from here. aaaand, you can even grab the virtual version. su-weet.

So here's what they included...

"I think I'm in Love with Anthropologie" made from the Broadway Studio Calico kit.

I really am in love with this place, maybe one day I will actually be able to afford to buy something from there. ;)

and..."Days Like These"...

a little shout out for wanting to spend more time at home with my girl. Here I am just about 6 months after making this layout and now I'm a stay at home Mom! My wish was granted. Admittedly I do get overwhelmed sometimes with my new job title. Still, I remain grateful that this is what I am doing in life.... and plenty of time for scrapbooking (one would presume) doesn't hurt either.

Conversation of the Day

Time: 11am
Setting: The Nursery
Characters: Hottie, Me, and a very big baby bump

As I watch him putting up the curtain rods I slump into a heap on the floor.....not helping.

Me: "I am totally out of energy for the day." -exasperated
Hottie: "How? You haven't done anything yet." -genuinely surprised
Me: "I know." -not surprised at all


hahahahahaha. Seriously zapped. But. I think I deserve total credit for showering (shaving my legs... which is it's own miracle), getting dressed, AND putting on makeup. How many weeks are left again?

Lately...

Lately he's been...

Thinking a lot about his future, jumping into a new school for his Junior year, wanting new shoes, playing a lot with his little sister, catching the bus to and from school, deciding what his travel plans should be, trying to make non-virtual friends, loving clothing without labels or sayings. 

Lately he's been...

 Getting a lot of things done on his days off, working hard and still not complaining, not getting a lot of "me" time, dominating at Words with Friends, waiting for our shows to start, taking care of our home, laughing when the baby kicks me so hard that I groan, trying to help me be comfortable.

Lately he's been...

loving his new school... except for the learning Chinese part, making plans on playing the trumpet, finishing another basketball season with some great games, playing a ton with his little sis in the front yard, helping out around the house, wishing he was a better reader, wanting to play xbox as much as possible, looking forward to meeting his new brother. 

Lately she's been....

bouncing between testing my patience & being a perfect angel, trying to make friends everywhere we go, telling the baby in my belly to, "come on out here now, I carry you," watching Mickey's Christmas Carols dvd every single day and singing with each song, playing more on her own for longer spans of time, noticing babies and wanting to just, "say hi."

Lately I've been...

neglecting to make bump photos a priority, adding more things to the "to-do" and "honey-do" lists than I am checking off, looking forward to meeting the nugget, uncomfortable, over doing it activity wise... and then paying for it the following day, trying to hold it all together, being dominated by this little being in my belly, wondering what balancing 4 kids looks like for our family, trying not to be so much of a freak.

Just a little here and now for the family and friends that follow my blog and enjoy updates. And a cute video to show you that sometimes it is just fun and games around these parts... the kids can't get enough of this activity when they play outside....

More Project Life Catch Up

A few more of my PL spreads for your viewing. (Sorry the photos are not the best. We sent off my nice camera to get a crack in the lens fixed.) These ones starting way back in June. I've still been doing a great job of keeping up with this project in spite all of the other things I "should" be doing. In fact, I finished our epic vacation week the other day and will share it with you soon.... but for now....

 Simple week around the house, not doing much of anything except being sick and lazy...

 appreciating having Aidan home and all 3 kids spending time together...

Ah, the joy of potty training. (or lack of joy)....

 I kept it real with my journaling. Included the struggles and successes...

 Capturing the small moments in life like slushy sharing, ikea furniture building, and guacamole making.

  Inside the "really?!" card is hidden journaling about a very special potty accident my Ev had while she should have been napping.... it's hidden for a reason. yuck. I included it because my thoughts on her accidents are just too funny to leave out completely... and I did sign up to document our weekly lives, and accidents are a big part of that right now. unfortunately.

 Took some extra time for a special PL birthday week...

Are you Project Life-ing?

Do Work

Forgot to show you the layout I made about being so kerfluffled the other day....

This is exactly the type of subject I like to scrapbook... how else will I be able to look back and remember what a freak I was?-- other than this 'ole blog that is. :)

Proud to say that this weekend I, we, have been getting stuff DONE! After my little blog (and real life) freak out it became clear that we just had to get to work. So I started with the small tasks while Hottie was still at work on Saturday... some everyday cleaning and laundry. The best part was washing some baby clothes and bedding in that wonderfully smelling Dreft detergent. 

The sight and smell makes me so happy, I can not even tell you. Folding these tiny little clothes and smelling them straight out of the dryer make my heart sing. And, I don't know about you, but it always feels so close to the baby arriving when I reach this step.... in the best way.

Sunday morning Hottie hit the ground running (without me even asking, which was so fantastic). He immediately went into the babe's room and started putting together the crib. Evareaux decided she wanted to try it out. She kept pointing at my belly and saying, "come on out here now baby." So cute.

People ask me if she knows whats going to happen soon. While I am sure she has no clue of the impact a sibling is going to have on her life, I am quite certain she understands that there will be a baby very soon... and he will live in this super cool rocket room.

After completing the crib he (finally, thank you baby Jesus) built the Ikea dresser. 

This made me so happy because it meant that I could place the prints and all of the other framed art around the room. I worked on assembling shelves and what felt like eight million dresser drawers (in fact 8 total).  Since I was smart enough earlier in the week to make a very special robot and rocket toy order online I even had the ability to place all of the little details in the room... these gems...

Good news is all I really have left now is painting the dresser cobalt blue (which Hottie swears can wait until last because it is in fact already blue).... and making curtains... and working on the corner mobile and robots... and finishing the bookshelf.... ok, it kinda sounds like a lot. But I am not panicking so much now. I have seen how much we are capable of getting done in a day. AND Hottie is off work today so I am confident we will continue to make a big dent. (He even pulled all the weeds, landscaped, and cut down part of a tree yesterday. Talk about getting S done!) Really the only thing that is on my mind now is buying all of the necessities, which I will probably do later today. I can't imagine how much better I will feel after doing that (huge bill or not) because I already feel pretty great.

Can't wait to share this nursery with you when it in completed. It will easily be the coolest room in the house, and I am already so proud of it. 

FREAK OOOOOUT!

I might be losing my mind.

This baby will be here in less than 6 weeks and I am NOT READY. At least I don't feel ready. Every time I whine to Hottie about just how ill prepared we are he just chuckles and says, "it'll be ok babe." Then it dawned on me that there are a couple of very good reasons why he is not worried whatsoever. 1-he doesn't have to deliver what might end up being a 10 lb baby. (remember I said I have big ones, I wasn't lyin'. Ev was 9lb. 11oz.) 2-I am planning on breast feeding so there is not a whole lot for him to worry about in the up all night department. 3-he is a dude. Not bashing Dad's or anything but they just aren't prone to sweating the small stuff. Especially my guy. He could really care less that the crib isn't assembled, or that we don't have a car seat yet, or that this is all going to cost a small fortune. He knows we are good parents and do just fine with infants, so he feels that's all the preparation we need.

Not me.
I am fuh-reak-ing out.

First of all, I saw the doc yesterday and she is already on board with inducing me up to a week early. Since I have big babes and super short labors she feels it's a really good idea to go as early as the 27th. (ah!) I'd feel so much better, and even be looking forward to getting it over with, if we were more prepared. Right now I just feel like there is a ticking clock and I am pretty sure I'm not going to pull this off. at all.

I've been making list after list after list of what we need to get done. (I literally made 9 lists total. I told you I am crazy.) Too bad I run out of energy so easily. THis is exactly why they tell you you should get the nursery ready during your 2nd trimester. The other day I attempted to do an epic amount of deep cleaning and ended up tweaking my back. That put me out of commission for two whole days. Dang it. I cried when I saw that Evareaux smeared her little paw prints all over the bathroom mirror. (Not holding it together.) Back to square one.

So some of the things that are weighing heavily on my mind are....
*Finishing His Room: Putting together and cleaning the crib (I thought about painting it but time will not allow), Putting together and painting the dresser, Hanging the shelves, Building the bookshelf, Mounting the wall hangings, Making more robots, Corner mobile, etc etc etc.
*Buying Stuff: Carseat and Bunting, Clothes, Hats, Blankets, Swaddlers, Swing, Rocking Chair, Bouncy Seat,  Co-Sleeper, Towels, Lotion and Soap, Bottles, Breast Pump Acc, Hooter Hider, Sling, Boppy, stuff I need for the hospital and nursing, the list goes on and on. We barely have anything. The only real step I've taken towards this is completing a registry with Babies R Us... just so that I have a list of what we need to buy. I've also purchased some clothes over the past couple of months so he is ok in that department.
*Randoms: Washing all baby's bedding and clothing, Cleaning the house top to bottom, Painting the bathroom, Painting our room, Finish up the living room decor, Clear out the dining room (which has become a junk catch all), etc. etc. etc.

Now, I know that when it comes down to it the randoms are really not that important. The baby won't care if our bedroom isn't painted or if the house isn't spotless and organized. But I will. It's just that many fewer things I will be thinking about. When he arrives I want to be able to focus solely on him and my other kiddos and soak up those first couple of precious months. I know how fleeting that time is... and I know myself. I will be distracted by finishing up all of the additional projects if we don't do them before hand.

Pardon my freak out. I know there are a lot of perfectly good solutions to make me feel ready...... like...... GETTING STUFF DONE!!!!!!! haha. I really am working on chipping away bit by bit. Also, Hottie says that I should just go to the store and get ALL of the stuff this nugget needs so that I can stop worrying about it. I tend to worry about money and the thought of spending all that at once makes me more than a little ill. But. He says we need it anyway so, DO IT.

Maybe by this time next week I will have a finished nursery and all of his stuff that I can share with you. Hey, a girl can dream.

Creating Keepsakes Publication

I got an email from Creating Keepsakes the other day telling me to please share that their latest September/October issue is on news stands now!

  and my "Another Day at Minnie's" layout is published in there!

It always feels amazing to see your work in print. There is something so special about having it in the publications you admire and have followed for years. I never would have dreamed that last year when I made the goal, "get published in a scrapbook magazine," that it would lead to this. It seemed like a pipe dream. Now it's 11 layouts later and hopefully more to come because I am submitting like crazy. I can only hope it will lead to more work. I have really big goals and dreams for this industry. Scrapbooking has stollen my heart and captivated my attention. Thrilling to see where this could take me.... one day.

Baby Brain

Can't wait to meet our new little man.... or maybe I can because we are so not ready (yet). I dream of the days just home from the hospital when he is tiny and cuddly and squishy (ok, maybe not tiny... I tend to have big babies.) 

I came across this gem the other day and it reminded me of just how precious that time is. ...

Everything is so overwhelming but so utterly full of love and life at the same time. There is something about even the smell of a new baby that can not be matched. I look forward to these days with my boy... and not being pregnant any more.

Vacation, All I Ever Wanted

Hottie and I didn't think we'd be able to pull off a vacation this year. With all of the changes we went through as a family it seemed out of reach. But at the last minute we decided why not just make it happen? The kids (and Hottie) deserved a little getaway before our new family member arrives and school starts. 

I chose Myrtle Beach because it seemed like a doable road trip distance (8-10 hours)(not ideal when 32 weeks pregnant, but doable.) I had also heard it was a fun place for families with a lot of things to do.... and we have really missed the beach this summer so it was a win win. 

Here are some of my favorite photos from the trip. (Sorry if it's boring... but these are just a handful of the hundreds I took... apparently when you are huge and forced to sit (uncomfortably) on the sidelines the one thing you can do is take photos.) :)

Family photo.... (shocking, because that never happens.)

trying not to look at this and only see my swollen feet and giant face, belly, body. (yikes!)

A crazy ride near the boardwalk Aidan and Hottie had to hop on.

(I was SO jealous! I love rides like these!)...

 More rides at a place called Magic Kingdom....

turns out Evareaux is quite the thrill seeker....

Hottie had asked at the desk if pregnant women get in free because they can't "do" anything... no go, nice try babe. Then I proceeded to jump up and down on video games... so turns out I can do stuff. :)

Wha????!!!!! Another family photo? :)

 She looks embarrassed to be seen with these goofballs....

Silly kids...

All tuckered out on the first night. She crashed by 630....

This would never be allowed in CA. I love that she could ride just about anything as long as she was on her Daddy's lap. She had so much fun! Even on the ones where he accidentally dunked her... (safety first.)

 Lots of beach time, even in the rain. The water in SC is so warm!! It was kinda weird, but nice...

 I am such a sucker for this kids beach hair. Love the curls.

 Never too old to build sandcastles...

 She rode this slide by herself about 40 times....

On this trip we got to go on a helicopter ride (SO STINKING AWESOME!) Here goes the boys, up up and away they go....

Here is a view from ours... check that off the bucket list.

 She liked it, I swear. When we got out she said, "I wanna go again, Dad!"

 Here is a view from our room. So glad we got ocean view. I already miss the beach. Maybe I am more of a California girl than I thought....

One last shot of Ev, who was exceptionally good on the road trip (all the kids were, thank goodness.) 

So, so, so, SO happy we made this trip. It was incredibly eventful for the kids. We did a fantastic job of keeping things to keep them all entertained (which is not easy with the age range). We made a lot of lasting family memories and bonded. I don't think it could have gone any better. Now I feel like we are ready to tackle the school year and getting the house ready for baby... so strange to think that the next time we take a trip (probably a LONG time from now) our car will be even more full.