seeing double.

sometimes, creativity urges changes in more places than just one.

as I was playing with amy tangerine’s newest collection “yes please”, I was getting the itch to spring clean the blog and make things pretty.

funny how just a few tweaks to a layout can turn out to be a fun new header!

this spur of creative energy (also brought to you by a couple of extra minutes I was able to rub together..), has me desiring some fun new candid pix of the girls.

well, as soon as lynn gets over strep.

blah.

(my 2013 tax folder is fatter than it should be.  hello deductions!)

anyway, in case you didn’t notice the above newness, here you go:

papers, border bits, camera, arrow elements, stitched heart circle, and brushes for the hearts, arrow, and “wonderful” from ac digitals amy tangerine “yes please”.

paint brushes, kraft tape, frame, staple, and washi tape from liv.edesigns.

“x” stitches from crystal wilkerson.

circle stitches from anna aspnes.

lace (with a hue/saturation adjustment) from kitschy digitals.

only one more day of school left!!

freeeeeedoommmmmm!!!!

(yell it like william wallace..)

our plans for this summer currently consist of:

- keeping in the habit of a decent bedtime, and me (ahem..) getting up early.

- going to the library a lot.

- read-a-thons and treats.

- living by the pool in the sun.

- buying lots of sunscreen.

- washing loads of towels.

- playing in our almost totally fun and finished back yard.

- hiking.

- playing as a family every chance we get.

- quitting the whole pop thing..  and I will be sure to quit at least 6 times a week.

not a pity party.

just a list of excuses for why I am behind two days. :/

merrill has a bad sinus infection, and by “bad” I mean horrendous. 

he started feeling it the end of last week, and by saturday, he was ready to go to the doctor. (!!!!!)  really.  this guy, asking to go to the doctor?  it MUST be bad.

too bad for him, the instacare had closed, he got to wait until the next morning.

two antibiotics, a prescription for loritab in hand, the kid was still struggling.

we have tried EVERYTHING.  by everything I mean EVERYTHING..  well, except for this one drink I found on pinterest.  we are not brave enough to try that.

(for the curious:  water, apple cider vinegar, cayenne pepper, honey, and lemon.  in my experience, ingesting apple cider vinegar ends in vomit.)

we have tried just about every decongestant, steam, oils, reflexology, moist+heated washcloths, then graduated to a rice bag that we have been spritzing and heating.  the loritab didn’t help.  we have already gone through a bottle of advil.  neither of us have gotten a full night of sleep since…  thursday?

it’s awesome.

I really can’t stand to see him so sick.

but, I have accomplished a few things, and as time (and my new nursing schedule permit) I will post all of my accomplishments and fun finds.

for now, here’s two layouts brought to you by the goodness at AC Digitals.

first up is new product, “Dear Lizzy Spring”.

(you can get it on sale this week!)

other goodies on this page:

stitching- anna aspnes
frame- liv.edesigns
photo corner- splendid fiins
background paper- amy tangerine “ready set go”

 

this loveliness is from crate paper “fourteen”.

 

I had to laugh at myself while saving off this layout.  I have a lot (A LOT) of layouts titled “sisters”.

that’s what I get for having 3 girls.

also used on this page:

stitching- anna aspnes

buttons- crystal wilkerson

paint brush and brown paper for the letters- liv.edesigns

font- “burvetica thick nc”

floral lane and sketchbook

two of the newest additions to the ac digitals store today!!

first up:  pebbles “floral lane”.

so sweet and girly…

other goodies used:

brown bag paper:  liv.edesigns

yellow stitching (also adjusted to white for the buttons):  liv.edesigns

(with a hue/saturation adjustment to perk up the yellow a bit.)

white heart:  karla dudley

white stitching:  anna aspnes

buttons, epoxy hearts, and ric-rac:  dani mogstad

staple:  crystal wilkerson

font:  “firefly castle”

 

and here’s amy tangerine’s “sketchbook”.

I find it funny, that before I even signed on with ac digitals, I bought some of these goodies in the traditional form…  I knew I loved them before they were even digi!!

stitching:  anna aspnes

turquoise splatter brush, frame, and staple:  liv.edesigns

green misting brush:  splendid fiins

 

I have a certain 5 year old not feeling so hot today.

our day looks like laundry, some cleaning, and finishing up my new magnetic+chalk board wall.

(review on that fun to come soon.)

I am hoping to get to my craft room today, not only to craft, to clean, hopefully to start the chalkboard (notice the absence of magnet there?) and to play.  I found some heidi swapp goodies at michaels last week, I have been itching to play with them for DAYS.

cozy kindle

or is it “kindle cozy”? 

my words are getting so mixed up what with all the FREEZING weather we have been having.  today it is supposed to reach 19.  that is warm considering the other day our high was 3.

don’t believe me?

take a gander at my porch:

there is NOT A THING I can do about this situation.

not a single thing.

ice melt..

pffft.  three times a day.

I have even tried a hammer and a garden hoe.  that method helped the top step and the walkway, but not the bottom guy there.  merrill already has a home improvement project lined up for when there isn’t so much snow outside. 

two words: heat cable.

we already have it on the roof, but he’s going to put it in the rain gutter and the downspout.  this is where the problem lies frozen..

yes, my porch is a death trap, but that is not what I am really here to blog about.

onto the kindle cozy!!

lynnie-lou got a kindle fire for christmas (I am dropping hints like crazy as to what someone can get my for my birthday…) and the girl LOVES it.  she is our bookworm.  we also got her a case, which is awesome, but darn pinterest!  I saw the most darling kindle/tablet/nook/iPad cozys there and I HAD to make one.

I used amy tangerine digital papers from AC digitals, printing them off on inkjet fabric sheets.  I did the same thing for the embellishments I used, adding some heat and bond to the back making it just a smidge easier sewing those babies in place. 

I took the cute little corduroy button with the silhouette that looks amazingly like lynn, and using a button cover kit, covered a button to use as a fastener.

the construction was fairly easy.

first, I assembled the front pocket piece by ironing on my embellishments, and sewing where I wanted them sewn as well.  I stenciled the “L” using fabric tempered acrylic paint.  then I cut my pieces.  I cut 4 pieces of fabric, and one of thin batting, at 7 1/2 x 9 1/4 inches wide (big outer pocket pieces) and 2 pieces of fabric, and one of thing batting, at 7 1/2 x 8 3/4 (smaller outer pocket). 

I matched up my fabrics into the big pocket pieces and the outer pocket piece.  (I used the yellow chevron, green and white polka dot, blue sky with clouds, and the little paper dolls on grey.)  I then sewed, with the right sides of my fabric together, and a piece of batting on the bottom, just the top edge.  I pressed the seam open, and then flipped it right side out and pressed and then top stitched along the top edge so it would look pretty.  I stacked them with the outer pocket sitting the way I want it to, but had the main big pockets right sides together.  it is easier said than done, sewing down the sides and along the bottom, I had to adjust my tension and change my needle to a denim needle.

after they were all straight stitched, I overcast stitched the edges.  I kinda love an overcast stitch.

I marked the middle inside of the back piece and the middle front of the outer pocket.

I took a 2 and a half inch piece of elastic, looped it, and attached it to the inside of the back piece, letting the loop stick above the top of the piece.

I sewed a good few stitches to attach the button to the outside of the front pocket.

lynn loves it, and well, so do i!

if you love these patterns and embellishments as much as I do, click on the pictures to take you to the AC digitals store.

monday’s aren’t all that bad…

so I propose that we start this week off with some excitement!!
what do you think?
good, glad you agree.
I am not sure if it can get any more exciting than this little tidbit.
(and by “little tidbit”, I really mean HUGE AWESOME MOST EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT EVER!!!)

let me preface this by stating the fact that I own a few (ahem..) books of darling american crafts rub-ons.  I bought them by twos.  my fault for naming my kids what I did.  they all have letters in common, I need the rub-ons!! 

(yes, rub-ons are still relevant in my book..)
I also have a little stash of american crafts paper..  don’t judge the stuff that is old, and I just haven’t found a project “worthy” enough to use it on.

let’s not discuss the spools (capital S belongs on the end of that doosy) of ribbon I own. 

yowsa.  only three spools on those top two sections aren’t american crafts….
so it was kinda sorta a match made in heaven when I got an email (most exciting one in a long time) inviting me (ME!!!) to be on the american crafts creative team.
you heard me right. 
american crafts.
as of today, they have a site where you, lucky, lucky little you, can go and buy your favorite traditional goodies, digitized!!!

what do I mean by favorite goodies?
think:  becky higgins project life, american crafts, crate paper, pebbles, amy tan!!!
hop on over, sign up for the email list, grab a freebie,  buy stuff at 25% off, and have a chance at winning some AWESOME stuff!!
I have had the fun of playing with some of these products in advance…

here's one with the amy tangerine's "ready set go" kit.
(other elements: stitching- anna aspnes; "x" stitches and staples- crystal wilkerson; frame- kitschy digitals.)
a happy  monday indeed!!