scrappy doo.

here’s a few layouts I managed to complete last month.

as per usual, click on the layout for a full list of credits!

can you guess which one is my absolute favorite?

I will give you a clue:  it is the one that took me the most time to complete.

back to our regularly scheduled life.

we just got back from a lovely and very fun-filled vacation.

we did disneyland.

it was awesome.

I think everyone who lives in this house, is a little homesick for all things disney.

but I now realize that this transition from vacation to real life is a lot harder than I thought.  it is also made more difficult when I realize that there are a few things that I neglected to do before we left..

like plug the latest product releases from jessica sprague. 

so, let’s rewind, pretend that it is last monday, and instead of getting ready to surprise the kiddos, pack all of their stuff, clean the house and all that junk, I will do what I am supposed to, and show you what I made:

first up I will show off jodie lee’s latest water color paper..

I saw this dreamy stuff and was transported to last fall, when we hiked the “u” near our house.  the colors were too perfect.

(click on layout for full credits.)

I have been dreaming up some hybrid projects to use this stuff on, print it off on linen look paper..  it would be lovely, I am sure.

then there was the big one.

I based ashley’s birthday party around this next one.

splendid fiins “trick or treat” practically yelled my name, winked, and then grinned at me.  it knew it fit the bill for our halloween themed birthday party.

invites:

(click on image for full list of credits.)

a little lesson learned, that I will share with you for free:

don’t put names (even though it is so fun, personal, not to mention stinking cute) on a first grader’s birthday invites.  you are better off to leave those babies blank, that way, your child doesn’t distribute them a child with a different name and thus, have a buttload of confusion on your hands when parents are calling you and asking if their child was really invited because their invite doesn’t have their name on it.  oh, an then you get to make more, because a few kiddos don’t get their invites due to the whole, “not give them to the right kid” issue.

we had a great time though..

we put together goodie bags with fun stuff from target’s dollar area, candy was a necessary addition, and I put together these little notebooks using splendid fiin’s “trick or treat” line.

they were pretty darn cute.

I added these little tags for ashley to sign, a little thank you to all her friends.

(splendid fiins again, and I used the font mtf “jotted”.)

In the way of decorations, I used my old felt ghosts..

some balloons (which all the right colors were sold out, should have anticipated that one..), and this banner that I threw together the day of.

(polka-dot paper from splendid fiins, some good old cardstock, ric-rack, and letters I cut out with my cricut + storybook cartridge.)

I employed the old dry ice + rootbeer in the plastic cauldron trick.

played “pin the eyebrow on frank”, ashley’s new boyfriend.  we made him out of foamcore, and vinyl.  his eyebrow was some black felt with double stick tape on the back.

this game was also a last minute add, but I saw it on a local tv program, and had to do it!

I took three kiddos inside, and wrapped them up with crepe paper, just like a mummy.  as I wrapped, I hid three cards with one letter on them, in different places in the wrapping.  as their teams unwrapped them, the found the cards, and the first team to spell their spooky word, won!

I used words like bat, boo, and cat.

(I got the idea from this fun mom blogger who has a ton of fun ideas.)

and what’s a party with out cake and ice cream?

I prepared cupcakes and frosting a head of time, portioned out the frosting in little disposable cups with a plastic knife, and put out candies for them to decorate with.

I found a genius idea for ice cream serving at a birthday party on pinterest, and I will be using that one again and again I tell you.

before your party, like an hour, you take your regular old cupcake liners, place them in your muffin tin, and scoop your ice cream into them.  pop the tin, with the portions of ice cream in it, back in your freezer and when it’s cake + ice cream time, bring them out, and give one portion to each child.  it was a breeze!

ash had a great party, and I must confess, it is the first birthday party I have ever thrown.  I will do it again.  it was so much fun, but next time, I might just request no gifts be brought.  I know, I am so mean, but we are seriously overrun here.

I sense a theme here..

here’s two layouts.

can you tell what they have in common?  it’s quite obvious, once you really look.  it took me longer than the average person though.  I will blame that on my head congestion.

well, they both feature peyton, and they are both photographs from behind.

see, pretty obvious.

maybe they both feature her because she is on my mind an awful lot lately.  maybe it’s because she is the only one around enough for me to take pictures of?

the kid is in size 4t now.  the 3t stuff looked kind of floody on her.  it’s fun, but a bit sad at the same time, to see her grow so much.

(as always, you can click on the layouts for list of full credits.)

but just some fun things I did with these:

the top one, I used liv.edesings washi tape as masks for my patterned papers.  I wanted some thing a little more interesting than just a scrap of paper and I love the jagged edges.

on the bottom one, I used products primarily from jessica sprague’s newest designer, samantha walker.  she is so fun!  I can’t wait to see what other fun stuff she comes up with, and to share it with you.

now I am off to try some more pinteresting things.. I will let you know how those work out!

more for you monday(s).

I am still playing catch-up after last week’s holiday..  well, that and all the fun we’ve been having.

I am trying my best to lay back, relax, and have fun with the girls before summer finds it’s end.

(I wish that the end would just get lost though…)

so here’s two weeks worth of goodies:

(click on layouts to link up to full credits.)

queen of quirk’s newest scrap canvas:

liv’s newest needs + wants, stings galore v.2:

and then there’s the temple…

i needed something newish to put in the girls’ rooms in the way of a temple picture.  i played with jodie lee’s vintage crackle textures and got just what i wanted!

in the haze of cold/allergies (still not sure..) i missed a whole monday.

**SCROLL ON DOWN FOR THE JESSICA SPRAGUE BIRTHDAY BOLGHOP FREEBIE!!!**

i was looking back over the projects i did this last month, enjoying them, and fixing mistakes (wink, wink) that have been found, and i realized, i missed a monday!

is there possibly anything worse than missing out on a whole day?

yes, there is.

a summer cold that has it’s hold on the majority of the household.

or is it allergies?

i still can’t make up my mind.

it sucks though.

so here’s what i missed:

(hope you did too.)

echo park:

(as always, click on the layout for complete credits.)

in the making:

and jodie lee:

More for your Monday.

Time to show off some of the loveliness that exists at Jessica Sprague…

(Don’t forget that “Mondays in May” are still in full swing there!!)  

Jodie Lee has released some beautiful stuff today.

Here, I used her “Botanique Brushes” to create everything from the background to the sweet little stamps.

(Click on layout for list of full credits.)

Last week, we had a RS meeting that we chose Faith to be the theme.  We paired it with gardening (‘tis the season) and I made these cute plant picks for the tomato plant handouts, and one to go in each of our speakers thank you plants.

Cosmo Cricket was made for this people…

 

For the tomato plant ones I simply designed them in photoshop, printed out my stuff onto presentation paper, cut them out, use a little double-sided tape, plus a popsicle, and the help of a good friend.

For the larger ones, I did pretty much the same thing, but instead of double-sided tape, I mod-podged the papers onto either side of a little “woodsie” (found at craft stores).  I sanded-down the edges after it dried and top-coated with more mod-podge.  I used Tombow multi adhesive (the green and white guy) to glue the popsicle stick onto the back.

(Here’s the link for list of full credits on those babies.)

We also had some of these….

This one is asking for me to toy with it..  can I add it to my list that is today?

As for the state of homelessness, among other things in my life..  changes are in the works in my neck of the woods people..

Lots of changes.

All of them good! 

(I swear…)

Summer is coming, life needs to get a little more organized, streamlined and a bit easier, I am thinking…  blogs might get a re-boot of sorts.  “Furious Orange” (the color of the vomitastic wall in my basement) will no longer be so vomit inducing, hopefully starting today.  Then there’s a tutorial I am putting the finishing touches on..  those cupcakes I mentioned toying with..  and some sewing patterns I bought.  I want to do them, but I don’t without a space to leave them when I need to, you know, to cook, clean, wipe bums.  Stuff like that.  Oh!  And pictures..  LOTS Of pictures to share.

See, I told you good, and exciting.

P.S. Gear up for “7 Days in May”.  It starts next Monday…  I am severely looking forward to it.

It truly is the most wonderful time of the year!

Welcoming a new designer.

Jodie Lee is a new designer to Jessica Sprague.  

Her creations are amazing!  I was lucky enough to get to play with some of her designs in the last class I took, and fell in love.

Today is her debut.  She has some shabby, amazing, gorgeous products out today.  Go check them out!

These are her Vintage Paper Textures, perfect for this layout.

(Click on layout for full credits.)