here i am, here i am

sneaking cocoa daisy

2012-01-25T11:27:00.001-07:00

here's my cocoa daisy sneak for you! being that february is the month of love, i did layouts about my sweetie :) what a fun kit and add ons this was to work with, i loved all the my mind's eye papers, the kraft is so much heavier than what i'm used to i love it! i think you will be very happy with them too! :)

you can see one of the exclusive stamps, really fun things going on at cocoa daisy! kit goes on sale feb 28th to subscribers and on feb 1st for everyone else. there are still some kits from january for sale, but they won't last long...

i got the main kit, dewey decimal, barcode, and the embellishment kit add ons by the way...

sharing simple stories

2012-01-25T09:20:00.002-07:00

i've got clearance to share my simple stories layouts now! here's 1/3 of what i've been working on this month, the other 2/3 is maya road (which i need to share, but am not sure what i can and can't post yet, will check on that and post again) and cocoa daisy (which i can share sneaks of and will do later today, just need to take photos). it's been a busy scrappy month, but i am so happy with how every layout turned out, it's OK. my mojo is back and it's a happy thing for me!

these two layouts are from the FABULOUS line:

inspired by this

these two are from the AWESOME line:

inspired by this

i used my inspo board on pinterest a LOT and went back to my graphic inspired roots. it was fun. i was smiling a lot these last few weeks :)

simple stories also has a new way to document, MIX AND MATCH, THIS AND THAT, and ODDS AND ENDS smaller albums with smaller page protectors and sheets of paper to match. i haven't seen it yet, but it looks like such a fun idea! to see more, check out this link.

the simple stories booth at CHA is 2783, if you're going to be in CA!

also!!!!! in case you missed it last week during the blog hop, there's a design team call for simple stories, they are an awesome company to work for, so generous and grateful for all we do. check it out here:

watch for more CHA from Maya Road coming soon!

hopping with simple stories

2012-01-20T06:00:00.001-07:00

welcome to my stop on the simple stories blog hop! we've teamed up the design team with some lucky facebook fans to inspire you with our creations using simple stories. if you've been following along the hop, you're here from cindy's blog. if you're starting here, make sure you hit all the other blogs before mine, especially the simple stories blog (wink, wink. some exciting announcements about CHA releases and well, some other cool news...).

make sure you leave a comment on ALL the blogs of our guest blog hoppers, the one with the most comments will win a collection pack of her choice! AND one commenter from that blog will also win a collection pack as well! don't worry, there's one more chance to win if you comment on the simple stories blog as well! here's the complete schedule:

Simple Stories
Martha Saenz
Simple Stories design team member, Kim Holmes
Amanda Albright
Cindy Pittman
Simple Stories design team member, Emily Pitts (you are here)
Sara O’Shea
Simple Stories design team member, Allison Landy
Kate Blue
Simple Stories design team member, Wendy Morris
Naomi Armenta
Michelle Brekke
Simple Stories design team member, Liz Qualman

i made two tags for my stop, same quote, same design, different looks. i used the Year.o.graphy line, i love how flexible this line has been, you don't necessarily have to do month/year based projects with it. i hope you enjoy the rest of the hop, i know i'm excited to see what everyone else has done.

have a great weekend!

sneaking some tea & cupcakes

2011-12-27T22:19:00.000-07:00

happy holidays! i've had the most lovely few weeks, christmas was perfect, we attended church in the morning, i played a few piano pieces and an organ accompaniment for the congregation, then we came home and did our gift exchanging. it was a sweet, simple day. i didn't take a single picture, i just enjoyed the day. i might regret it years from now, but i really loved being a part of the family, not the one behind the camera. we did take a family photo for our christmas letter, so i have something from this christmas :) i'll post it later this week. we've not done a whole lot this vacation, but on a whim, we went to see the nutcracker a few nights before christmas and that was a treat. we had fabulous seats, purely on accident. i'm on the colorado ballet's mailing list and got an email about $11 tickets today only, at the box office. so we cancelled plans and drove downtown. to get four seats together put us in the mezzanine box, so we got to see the orchestra and be very close to the stage. we'd gone a couple of years before and i wasn't itching to go back, but the kids kept saying how they'd like to go again. i have to admit, this time was a lot more fun, we think it's because of the seats. now i'm just enjoying having the family home and schedule free (mostly).

tomorrow is cocoa daisy's january reveal and i've got some sneaks to share.

the january kit, tea & cupcakes is soooooo very nice to scrap with. the colors are really happy, almost springy, but a little deeper and warmer, perfect for the grey january chill. there's lots of sassafras and basic grey in this kit, and that's all i need to be a happy scrapper. christine also put together an "embellishments only" kit which allowed me to add maya road and crate to the mix. i love embellishment only kits, i worked with one when i guest designed for kenner road and found myself going back it to so many times. i'm excited that christine is bringing them to cocoa daisy! i hope they do well so i can keep getting them :) selfish, i know.

well, there you are, and i'm off to bed!

hopping with the crafter's workshop

2011-12-13T04:00:00.009-07:00

welcome! you've probably arrived here from leslie's blog, and are familiar with the hop, but let me tell you a bit about how i became aware of these fun stencils.

i'm so excited to share this layout today. at CHA this past july, i had the chance to play with julie balzer's new stencils created for the crafter's workshop. julie's fun and funky and her style shines through in these stencils. from geometric to faces to script, there's quite the range to inspire you. the booth had a huge table were we got to get messy, and we had fun! my tag won for one of the days, so i got to pick a few stencils. i've had a great time learning how to incorporate them into my scrapping style. as much as i'd like to be a messy artsy scrapper, it's just not me, but i can incorporate the techniques that i love. today's project was a big stretch for me, but i enjoyed the process and am very happy with how it turned out.

julie emailed me a few months ago, asking if i'd be interested in playing along on her series of stencil hops. i said of course, honored to be thought of as one who could use the stencils in a respectable way. the delightful jamie, from crafter's workshop, sent me the circles in squares stencil and the results of my playing with it are what i'm sharing with you today!

i embossed some kraft cardstock with ranger's seafoam white embossing powder, then i misted with maya mist's silver plated mist, some places got over misted... then i got crazy and tried a technique i'd learned from a tim holtz class, trying to remove the embossing by using a newspaper and iron. didn't really work. probably because i didn't use the clear embossing powder. and the newspaper stuck to parts of the image because i wasn't as deft in getting it heated and removed at the same time. i was ready to scrap it and start over. HOWEVER, in starting over, i kept looking at the rejected background and it started to appeal to me more and more. so i grabbed it, paired it with some jillibean soup paper and journaling spot, then i cut out some of the kraft so the red peeked through. i love how it turned out! the title is girls' paperie (miss that company) chipboard, and the journaling strips are a scrap i had in my recycling bin.

the picture is my stunning daughter who is growing up too quickly for my liking, but i'm going to have to deal with it eventually. we've been encouraging her to go to college at BYU, about 8 hours away. both my husband and i are alumni of BYU and would love to see our kids be graduates as well. annie's not so sure she wants to leave home just yet. i wanted to assure her we aren't too keen on her going either, but we know it's going to be a good thing for her future.

thanks for stopping by my blog, i'll send you on to lisa's blog!

• Leslie Ashe

• Emily Pitts
• Lisa Pace
• Tammy Tutterow
• Nathalie Kalbach
• Julie Fei-Fan Balzer

sneaking amber snowflake

2011-11-28T13:00:00.001-07:00

had a great thanksgiving with my parents and sister here from utah. now i am going to curl up in my bed and take a nap :)

but i'll share my cocoa daisy sneaks for december's lovely amber snowflake kit. i got one add on, cocoa & marshmallows. love the exclusive stamp in the main this month, it's the gorgeous embossed snowflake in the lower left pic.

i am almost done with the christmas shopping for the kids and kelly. just have to get the extended family presents done and mailed. hoping to enjoy the holidays a bit more this year, i don't like the rush.

how do you approach this time of year? give me some ideas on how to simplify.

e

with some inspiration

2011-11-14T10:00:00.004-07:00

i got this facebook message from my friend kimberly neddo saying she'd found this fun inspiration piece on pinterest and thought it would be fun to see how a few different very talented scrappers interpreted it. sadly, the original source is nowhere to be found, so if you know, we'd all appreciate knowing so we can give credit!

kimberly, diane payne, mandie pierce, and sasha farina all played along, please check out their blogs to see what they took from the piece.

here's my version, i'd been working on a challenge post for scrapbook and cards today's blog about journaling the right now things and realized the layout i'd shared was from almost exactly a year ago, so i thought this design would work great for doing a year later version. I used only scraps on my desk, those destined for the recycling bin for most of this, added some ribbons and such for texture and journaled between the strips. i love how it turned out!

blogging at simple stories today

2011-11-07T09:30:00.002-07:00

mini, originally uploaded by mlepitts.

check out this mini album my friend allison and i made for our girls' volleyball coach: http://bit.ly/nmhkbP

2 x 2

2011-11-07T09:26:00.001-07:00

2 x 2, originally uploaded by macleodfamily.

i got to skype with them last friday :) it made me very happy.

getting ready!

2011-11-07T09:18:00.000-07:00

so when i joined the dt at cocoa daisy in september, there was talk of this fabulous online crop that they put on twice a year. being a newbie, i hoped i'd figure it all out before the actual thing happened. the other girls promised me i would. they also promised i'd have a delightful time.

well the crop is this coming weekend and i THINK i've got it figured out, i'm happy to report. we've got challenges, games, chats, and prizes all weekend. you don't have to be a subscriber and you don't have to have a cocoa daisy kit to play along. anything goes! BUT you do have register on the message boards so you can play the games and post your layouts to the gallery to be eligible for the prizes. but that's easy, just click here, look on the right side, where it says "login" and you can see a place to register.

i'm doing a knit and crochet inspired challenge on friday evening, i'll post sneaks of it later this week!

so be sure to cancel all other plans and spend the weekend with me at the crop. it's this weekend, november 11-13 and all the times listed are eastern, so adjust accordingly :) i hope to see you there!

it's back!

2011-10-29T15:30:00.001-06:00

it may have something to do with the boxes of stuff i packed away in anticipation of pulling out the white carpeting, reflooring with abuse-tolerant cork--you can spray mist on it and wipe it right off, and adding a wall of cabinets to my scrap room to keep my mess organized and contained (this will happen before the end of the year. we are convinced it will). it may have been the break i took from scrapping and blogging. it may have been the back to school schedule we're now fully entrenched in. i don't know, but i'm starting to feel like scrapping again. i've finally got some stories to tell again. that's a good feeling.

it also helps to be looking through your november cocoa daisy kit one sunday night, having it spread all over the bed, your daughter trying to convince you to hand over the pack of doilies so she can make a headband, and your husband comes into the room and says, "i used to eat doilies..." we looked at him with shock and dismay until he explained more. one of those funny things that had to go into the family archives. i love this boy! :)

uses bed & breakfast and homespun plum

and then since i am new to the cocoa daisy family, i thought i'd introduce my family. they'll be seeing a lot of the four of us, might as well start off on friendly terms :) i was going to dress four of the little people up as us, but that just didn't look good. however i kept going with this paper and and lnce i added the strip of ribbon w/ buttons, i knew i'd nailed it. love the glitz alphas, they are vinyl-y, super cool.

uses bed & breakfast

i'll get back to my september stories next week. hope you have a lovely weekend!

with a station break, brought to you by cocoa daisy

2011-10-28T09:11:00.000-06:00

after almost two months of not really scrapping, except for duties required by work, i crawled back on the horse and am happy to report i still enjoy the ride! tonight is cocoa daisy's november reveal party for bed and breakfast! it doesn't look like i did much, but since we've got the online crop coming up (november 11-13, you don't have to be a subscriber to join in on the fun, you just have to register on our message boards so you can post to the threads and the gallery. apparently these crops are a riotously grand time!) we only had to put two layouts in the gallery. we're making more stuff for the crop, so don't worry, i'll post more as time goes on.

this layout cracks me up because the story showed up out of the blue and i knew i had to scrap it for posterity's sake. and i love this pic of my sweetie. he looks so sneaky :)

uses bed & breakfast and homespun plum

and this layout, well i'm rather proud of how i made it work. lots of amy tangerine in this month's kits and i wanted to use the stitched heart paper, but was struggling with the non-movability of the heart. i like to place my own embellishments, i like dimensionality. but this finally worked and i love how it turned out.

uses bed & breakfast and some twine from the twinery

reveal works a bit differently at cocoa daisy than it did at SC, you can check out the kits this afternoon, 4 PM EST (2 PM here in denver) and see what the DT did with them, then at 9 PM EST, subscribers have access to the store so they get first dibs. the kits go on sale to the general public at midnight on the first on november.

i'll be back with more september stories, but thought some of you may enjoy some scrappy sneaks. i've also posted a tutorial on the simple stories blog today, so go check that out!

sharing september stories part 2 (i know it's october)

2011-10-24T17:00:00.000-06:00

bishops' retreat.

first off: what is a bishop? a bishop is the priesthood leader of a ward in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also known as Mormons). our church is completely staffed by the members, so we don't have a paid pastor or priest. the bishop is chosen by God and gets to lead and guide the ward in whatever spiritual needs they may have, and he still keeps his day job. :) it's very rewarding, but kind of stressful.

secondly: what is a ward? it's what we call our congregation of fellow worshipers.

january of 2010, kelly was called to be the bishop of our ward. my sister-in-law wanted me to take a picture of his hair at the beginning of his calling so we could compare how it looked at the end. ethan thinks he's already gotten more grey almost two years into the calling (a bishop is typically a 5 year calling), and being the bishop's barber, i have to agree with e. this is a picture from the day after he was set apart as the bishop. bits of grey, but those started showing up in grad school, which was a long time ago. today i would say the side burns are about 50% grey now. lots to worry about these days.

because he has lots to worry about, our stake (a number of wards put together make a stake, it covers the northern denver area) gets all the bishops together every year. it's a chance to share ideas that have worked to help their ward, and just basically gather strength knowing they aren't alone in this job.

the wives get to come along as well. as the wife of a bishop, you're in a new position. you were used to having him around a lot, but now he gets a phone call and might have to leave to counsel a family at 11:00 at night. and he's gone for 3 hours. or he has to go visit a member that's been in the hospital. or he's at a stake training meeting. it's a definite sacrifice, but to say it's awful would be an untruth. we've had to give up time with kelly, but we've been very blessed as a family. it somehow equals out. it's a sweet thing to see how we've grown closer as a family despite the demands on his time.

anyway, we stay in condos in breckenridge. it's a nice chance to get away as a couple and while the men are working and learning, the women get to do activities as well. last year we made fleece blankets for a childrens' hospital. this year, i was asked to teach everyone how to make something crafty. after much thought and fretting, kelly suggested i teach them how to put together a few cards. so i prepped 20 of each card and we had a lovely time. i wanted something that wouldn't intimidate a non-crafter, but that wouldn't be too easy for others who knew what they were doing. i think everyone had fun and i learned that i really like to do things like this.

these are the cards we made in this order, it was a good order, each card got more difficult technique-wise, but the first card looks hardest, which helps build confidence:

technique: punched stars and using their negative space.

techniques: hand cutting sun and clouds, making a 3D banner, misting, and stamping

techniques: making a rolled flower, stamping

some of the gals had so much fun, they kept making more. others were fine with the three. but everyone finished the three and i was very impressed at the results.

after lunch on saturday, we headed back home. a quick weekend away, but a precious bit of time with my sweetie. i'll take that whenever i can :)

sharing september stories (i know it's october)

2011-10-19T21:35:00.000-06:00

on to part 2: breckenridge, co

it's about an hour and 15 minutes from our house and we decided to rent a condo for the labor day weekend. i wasn't feeling well the whole weekend, i'd had my achy/fever/chills episode (i think it's chronic mono, it's connected to not getting enough sleep or too much stress), so i really shouldn't have done all i did, but it's not everyday you get to go away like that, so i took ibuoprofen, drank lots of water, and pretended i wasn't sick. not smart. i know.

key lime pie. it's kelly's new favorite thing to make. we got in friday evening and went shopping for groceries. that's one of the best things about renting a condo, you can cook your own food. and kelly could make key lime pie. it's his new favorite thing to make. since then, he's made it like 5 more times, perfecting his ingredient list and technique. lucky for my diet, that phase is over. :)

i don't have many pictures because all day saturday was spent at peak 8, riding the alpine slide as many times as we could. see, because of my heart failure i'm on meds that block the adrenaline receptors on my heart and others that keep my blood vessels nice and open. my heart doc said he has no idea what would happen w/ me and a roller coaster, but he strongly cautions me to not find out. kelly thinks i'd pass out. this is all sad, i am not fun to be around at an amusement park because i get kind of mopey. i LOVE roller coasters, especially the wooden variety. i very much miss riding them.

a few years back, we went to winter park and rode the alpine slide there. i was hooked. it's pretty close to a roller coaster speed wise, you don't get the sudden dips and drops, but the experience is close. so when we decided to escape for the weekend, we knew the alpine slide in breck would be on the list for saturday. poor annie wiped out her first time down. she's going to have scars on her arm, she bit it pretty badly. that curtailed her times on the slide, she was gun shy after that. and ethan was kind of grumpy, so we ended up going home for a nap and then kelly and i headed back w/o the kids. we hit the slide a total of 8 times that day. the first half of the day we had long lines, but the last 4 times we rode, we crammed them all into an hour. it was great! it's a spendy day pass and kelly and i made sure we got our money's worth!

here's a video, thanks to someone with the foresight to video tape and then share it on youtube. this is not me, but this is the slide. totally fun. totally fast. and you should wear long pants and tennis shoes if you ever do this, annie's injuries were pretty nasty.

we also did the gold coaster, there was a girl in front of me, so i couldn't go fast. again, sad for me. between the two, the slide wins hand down.

sunday was a rest day. i wasn't doing too well, probably had something to do with how much we did on saturday. so we rested, i took a jacuzzi bath, and we watched a lot of TV.

on monday we rented a tandem bike and rode the trail around lake dillon. again, ethan was kind of grumpy, so we didn't get as far as we'd like to have gotten, but it was a fun day nonetheless. i didn't take a lot of pictures again, but here are some to give you a feel of the day, it was gorgeous!

kel and annie trying to skip rocks. not too many flat ones there.

ethan, being grumpy and not coming down to the lake.

the lake, and one of the peaks. and the rock stack that i accidently knocked over soon after this photo was taken. i rebuilt it, don't worry.

one good thing about a tandem bike, the one in the back doesn't have to have her hands on the handlebars and can take a picture or two. but it was kind of tricky to get a decent shot... oh well.

and that was our weekend. very fun.

catching up after a break

2011-10-17T18:23:00.000-06:00

goodness, lots has happened since i last posted. i just haven't felt like blogging, so i haven't. things have been good though. we've been having fun as a family, i'm refocusing and that can't be anything but good.

let me start with first day of school (happened before i last posted, but just now took the photos off my camera) for the kids. ethan is an eighth grader and annie is a junior. they are both very happy (well, ethan is a bit miffed that the school is trying out an 80% test, 20% class work policy, he feels it's very unfair.) and seem to be enjoying the year so far.

ethan's schedule allowed for him to take german all year and he's pretty pumped he got placed in german 2. the fact that his dad and sister speak the language and can assist at home had something to do with frau's decision, but he's happy nonetheless. his core was split this year and all his "popular gal pals" are in the other core, which caused him some despair. but ethan charisma conquers all and he's easily filled up on his quota of new ones. he's found a new interest in the piano, his teacher gave him some classical pieces to learn and memorize for a cash prize contest next spring. funny how money will motivate this boy. i don't mind. practice logs are due today for orchestra, so we've been hearing a lot of cello lately. apparently his strings were strung backwards for the past year, so a trip to the music store and a book of peanuts cello music have made cello practice much more enjoyable. i love that my kids and husband are musical. makes our home such a lovely place to be. he's also decided that he really likes to hike. he and kelly went to REI a few weekends ago and got him fitted for a backpack. the young men at church are planning a high adventure backpacking trip next summer and seeing all the cool gadgets really got e excited. he's even suggested a family hike this fall to get started on the training process. he attributes his sudden love of the sport to being in better shape due to biking to school. oh and getting older. :) i'll take it, whatever it is.

annie's packed her schedule full of sciences, she's digging physics. she had a conflict with her choir, but the teacher said he needed her in there so badly, he's willing to have her come once a week and work on the music at home. that was a confidence booster. she has 8th hour free so spends some of that time working on the choir pieces, but also uses some days to practice the piano. almost an hour of practicing and she's noticing a difference in her abilities. it's cool to see. she's a TA for a couple of her favorite teachers from last year and loves that time with them. mid-summer, she and the boyfriend decided to break up with him going to college and all, so she's boy-less and seems to be handling it very well. lately, she's been skyping with a guy she met at EFY this summer, despite dad's obvious concern. the worries of a father never end. i'm not worried, he lives in so. dakota. that's far enough away for me. and he's a nice boy. she's found pinterest and loves to search for new ways to style her hair. her favorite one to date is a headband wrap of wet hair at night that gives her curly hair ALL DAY LONG the next day. pretty nifty. she's very into dresses and skirts and someday soon, we'll make a few more for her.

i think i'll parse out the rest over the next few days, because if i blog everything today, i just may have another long span of no updates. however, i'll give you a teaser of what's in store:

• labor day weekend in breckenridge

• bishop's retreat in breckenridge

• scrapfest with maya road

• getting acclimated at cocoa daisy

• thoughts on becoming a writer

and probably more, but i can't think at the moment. enjoy :)

moving on, it's a good thing.

2011-08-29T12:36:00.000-06:00

first off, i don't know that there is ONE good way of handling changes. we all have our own ways of dealing. so for those of you who saw this first layout in the SC reveal and were shocked, i'm sorry it came as a surprise. i was under the impression that my leaving SC would have already been announced when i made this layout. it was intended to be a happy celebratory page, a way for me to look back and see all the many many many good things that have happened in the last four years. i have had a delightful time being a part of the SC community, first as a subscriber and then for the last nearly 3 years as a member of the wonderful design team. it was a dream come true for me, i adore the girls i got to work with so closely. i'm so grateful for the lasting friendships that i have because of SC. it has been a good four years. my reasons for leaving are varied, mainly, i needed a change and this was a good time to do it. God has a way of making things work for our good--it's our job to align what we think is good to what He knows is that. He's been giving me ample opportunity this summer to listen and grow close to Him. my leaving is all a part of the process. so if you're sad and shocked that i'm not going to be around SC as much, please don't be. know that it is a good thing and i'm happy. :) i'm not disappearing, not at all. i'm simply moving on to new things. exciting things. more on that later.

featuring the glee club, pep squad, debate team, and home ec. see my last post for the inspiration piece.

this layout prominently features a photo from the lauterbrünnen valley in the swiss alps. it's the place where tolkien had to have pulled inspiration from for his lord of the rings books. it's that magical.

features pep squad, debate team

and this is what we ate nearly every day. bread and nutella. i hand cut the large title then exacto knifed the smaller subtitle. holy hard. but it looks kind of cool.

featuring glee club

thank you everyone who's ever been a part of SC, you've made a huge impact on me and i hope my leaving will not mean we will become strangers.

now, on to my news:

PART 1:
i'm moving to cocoa daisy! i'm thrilled to be working with christine and ronda. why from one kit club to another, you ask? well, the two are very different in my point of view, each offers a slightly different take on the concept. i'm excited to see what a new take on it will do to my creativity. and ronda and i live 5 minutes from each other, so it's rather convenient when we want to play with paper together, don't you think? i'm kind of giddy about that fact. i asked for a break and was graciously given a month off from designing, i'll start that up again come the november kit, but as of now, i'm sporting the fancy title of social media director. since i'm online a lot, i figured it would be a good fit.

PART 2:
i'm freelancing for scrapbooks, ETC! i am writing a new column that will be out in the feb '12 issue. this new opportunity means i'm using my degree in english! and yes, i do know how to capitalize when necessary. i've loved working with michelle rubin, the editor. she's a bit like me, and i find that funny. we've had fun working through concepts and ideas, and the column continues to morph. i like that she's a go-with-the-flow kind of girl.

i'll explain more later. i promise.

yah.

P.S. i'm still writing the trends column for scrapbook and cards today. luckily both magazines were good with it. :)

with great delight and pleasure

2011-08-24T09:58:00.001-06:00

that's the definition of glee. try finding a fun quote that has the word glee in it nowadays and all google comes up with are references to the TV show. so i went the the definition.

studio calico's september kit, glee club and add ons, will go on sale saturday night at midnight EST, unless you're a subscriber, then you can start ordering at noon EST. this kit was inspired by these pictures, gorgeous stuff huh? pretty fall colors and a slightly vintage feel. love the alphabets in the kits, happy to see so much amy tangerine featured.

there has been talk on the member boards about too much chevron, but since i've been playing with the kit and a couple add ons, i have to admit, i really like the chevron papers. i could have used them on every page, but refrained :)

here's my sneaks for this month, enjoy!

it's a two pager using pep squad and debate team

i used them all (well all the ones i ordered) on this one: glee club, pep squad, debate team, and home ec. this one was a hard one to do, pretty emotional... i used the inspiration picture from some artwork via zoe de las casas. i needed some whimsical cheeriness on this page :)

found this from zoe de las casas via eatdrinkchic.com and yes, i've repinned it to the dt inspiration board on pinterest. :) because i'm nice like that.

and finally, see? i liked the chevrons :)

uses all glee club, and lots of hand cutting/exacto knifing.

check out the other sneaks on the site, i know a lot of the girls had fun with this kit too.

posting my winner

2011-08-22T11:33:00.000-06:00

how does one pick a randomly selected winner? like this :)

Debbie said...

scrapbooking and cards today sent me over to say hi
upnurse at aol dot com

August 18, 2011 9:03 AM

congratulations debbie, let's see who can be in touch first! email me your mailing information (emilygpitts at gmail dot com) and you'll soon be the recipient of the august studio calico boardwalk kit!

with a little giveaway...

2011-08-17T10:43:00.001-06:00

need i say more? :) seriously one of the easiest kits to create with, studio calico's september kit boardwalk was one of my favorites. add a little red to the alphas in the tidepool add on, and it's even better!

each DT member gets to give one of these away. yep, simply say hey and you are entered to win! i'll close this on monday morning at 8 MST and post the winner by noon. (oh and if you'll make yourself easy to get a hold of, that would be great too!)

good luck!

updating on #7

2011-07-31T08:34:00.000-06:00

i said i hoped i'd be sore from the bench jumping i did on friday. well folks, i am. all over. and it makes me kind of happy to be this sore. it shows i did something.

and because i want this post to look pretty, here are the projects i put together for the simple stories booth at CHA this month. i made a couple of cards and a framed piece of art as well, i'll save those for another post. this first layout uses the happy day line. and no, that's not my boy, it's my friend's boy andrew. i don't have great baby pictures, that was before i started scrapbooking and i just didn't know how to take photos. but melissa has graciously supplied me with all i'll ever need, since she's a great photographer AND has twins who love me. i misted the background with clay mister huey, from the new memoir line, i love how very subtle it is. and the journaling spot is a stamp from the unity collaboration simples stories did. i stamped! i used mustard zing, i think it turned out well.

this layout i tried to channel my inner steph howell to make a fabulous bow. i think i did ok :) again, this is a photo of my friends' twins, using the baby steps line, so cute. it's not too themey and you can use it for either a boy or a girl. i even made a none baby project with it which i'll share later. the ribbon is may arts and it's gorgeous!

have a blessed sabbath day!

being happy right now

2011-07-29T20:37:00.002-06:00

by katie licht via flickr but found on pinterest

about the following things:

i got a phone call, good news in my family. i can't say yet. but i'm so so happy.
i found starburst on sale for $1.50 a bag. i cleaned them out. we now have candy storage! and THAT'S important, you know.
my daughter is amazing. she's fallen in love with pinterest. i got a bunch of bella blvd. blooms at CHA and she saw them, put two and two together, and whipped this up in 30 minutes:
she also found a new way to get her hair to go curly and she's very happy because she has her dad's stick straight hair. it never stays curly when she uses rollers or an iron, but this method (found on pinterest) works. i love her enthusiasm.
my husband is the happiest he's ever been in a job. he started a new job two months ago and although there's a lot more travel, it's totally OK. he's loving his new role. having him happy makes me happy.
my son has had a clean room for a whole 2 weeks! he was at grandparents last week and has been at scout camp this week. ;)
i am loving exercising. today i did bench jumps. i'm sure it's high impact, which might not be good, but every bench i passed on my jaunt around the lake, i would jump on and off the bench 5 times. i sure hope i'm sore in the morning, otherwise looking like a crazy lady was in vain. :) there were 15 benches. do the math.
i can do 11 sit ups and 10-15 semi-push ups now. depends on the day.
my garden is mature enough to allow me to cut flowers for a bouquet. i gave the most lovely one to my friend heidi for watering my yard while i was in chicago. and i still have plenty to enjoy.
i've memorized 3, almost four lines of solfeggieto by CPE bach. i have wanted to learn this piece for a long time, working on it on and off. one of my students showed me this video and i decided if a 6 or 7 year old could do it (granted, she's considered the next mozart), i could probably learn it too. i'm not even going to try to get it that fast. i just want to memorize it. i am not a memorizer, it's REALLY hard for me to do.

and that folks, is a snippet of things that make me happy right now. have a lovely weekend.

a winner and boardwalk from studio calico

2011-07-28T08:04:00.002-06:00

my randomly selected blog blitz winner for the bottle of mister huey shine is:

Marti's World said...

Love, love, love!

July 27, 2011 10:35 PM

marti, please email me at emilygpitts dot gmail dot com and we'll get your bottle of mist to you very soon! congratulations!

and moving on...

what fun i had with the august studio calico kit boardwalk! i got two add ons, boogie board and tide pool and loved loved loved how well each on complimented the main. the soft greens and aquas were so beautiful, but i didn't really pull them out as much as the red from boogie board. funny how that happens. here's a list of store products that i used this month:

and here are my layouts. this first one used the bluegrass to mist the pink paislee alpha from the tide pool add on. i got that add on because of the BG flowers that stack. i fell in love with the alpha though. it takes the mist SO well and i love all the fun little details that show up when you do mist. i thought i wouldn't like the font, but it grew on me. this layout makes me happy, i love how the circles balanced each other.

i made this card while driving to utah to pick up my kids from grandpa and grandma's house. we've been doing this for four or five years now, every summer mom goes to CHA, the kids stay with my parents and they love it. they get to see aunties and uncles and cousins. and sometimes, grandma pitts is visiting aunt heather so they get a double grandma dose. i'm so blessed to have a good family on both sides. saturday was my parents' 41st wedding anniversary so i packed the leftovers from the kit and made a couple of cards on the way over. no stitching on the sewing machine, but i loved how they turned out.

made this one in the car too. rather proud of my clever use of the tin pin.

this one, i adore. first the sassafras sunshine broadcast papers make me soooooo happy. second, my son is adorable. he always knows how to make me laugh. and finally, love the stickers in the boogie board add on. i usually find it hard to use stickers, but these were amazing!

i loved this paper from basic grey and wanted to use a large swatch of it. it's hard to get a picture of you running. that's all i'm going to say about that. the title is a song by a ska band, the toasters, i found it very appropriate for my life right now. the quote i found on pinterest and it didn't quite fit around the flower so i used the ellipsis and then hid the rest of it under the flower. it's ok to do things like that :)

and there you have it, my august kit work, in one neat and tidy little post. :)

blog blitzing for SC

2011-07-26T05:00:00.042-06:00

so glad you joined me on the SC blog blitz today, if you haven't already been, go check out the other team members' and CHA guest designers' blogs, they each have their projects and a little goodie to giveaway in celebration of SC's three wildly successful new releases. you can access their blogs by going to the SC blog, using the links on my left side bar, plus click on their names to get to lisa's and geralyn's blogs.

happily, i remembered to snap a few shots of my booth layout and mini album before heading out to chicago last week. good thing because we had a blog hop planned for when we came back! i forgot to do that last show... so here's my layout for you, i got to play with the gorgeous memoir line and i used mister huey in custard (from memoir) and calico shine (from the classics collection) along with the butterfly masks to create my background. i loved those masks, i usually just use punched shapes, but i can see the benefit of having vinyl masks now. they were so easy to use! add some of the great chipboard tags and buttons, a bunch of pleated strips, and a stamp, and i was able to create one of my most favorite layouts ever! i won't tell you how many pieces of paper went towards creating the perfect balance of mists before i got my background :) let's just say my masks got a lot of use. and i'm almost out of custard...

here's a couple of close ups for you, i embossed the title because it had to be white. it was very easy, much to my joy. just press lightly so the ink doesn't slide.

my garden journal didn't get a good photo apparently, this is the before shot... the after is very similar, but looks so much better. :) inside i added pictures and notes on the progression of my garden. i just wrote and wrote, not worrying about balance and design, it was very fun to do!

the whole team is giving away a new product and i've select the mister huey calico shine (check out the entire catalog of new products here) as my giveaway. leave me a comment and i'll enter you into the drawing. comments close thursday morning at 7 MST and i'll pick a winner to post that day.

(under the boardwalk) i'll be sneaking some sneaks

2011-07-25T09:06:00.000-06:00

on three out of my five projects, i used hearts. i liked the look once, so i kept adding them to things :) funny huh?

the august kit is absolutely amazing, i think i may be one of my new favorites. the colors are gorgeous and there's some really fun new products to play with, including the exclusive papers from SC and crate and the mist•a•bles from pink paislee (love them, they take mister huey SO well!). i got the main kit plus two addons, boogie board (because it was bright and happy and that red paper w/ polka dots spoke really loudly to me, can you tell? it's a great compliment to the greens and aquas in the main. AND it has twine!) and tide pool (because of the BG flowers, but then i fell in love with the PP mist•a•bles alphabet and the BG pp named batik. i think this add on is a must have.) and now for the sneaks! don't forget, the kit goes on sale this coming wednesday. please check out the site for more sneaks.

uses the main and boogie board. note heart.

uses the main plus boogie board. note heart.

uses the main's exclusive crate papers as well as boogie board. note heart.

uses the third add on, tide pool, as well as mister huey in piglet. note NO heart.

uses the main, boogie board, and tide pool, as well as mister huey in bluegrass. note NO heart, but used that red paper again! see how useful boogie board was?

finishing off the studio calico/hero arts blog hop

2011-07-13T00:00:00.000-06:00

welcome! i hope you've had fun seeing how all the different designers have worked their own special style of magic with the new studio calico + hero arts stamps. what a fun combination, don't you think? i'm the last designer stop on the blog hop (but make sure you head back and answer the question on the SC blog as soon as you finish here...) and if you've been playing along this week, you already know the drill:

We're giving away FIVE Studio Calico + Hero Arts clear stamp sets for EACH day of the hop (Monday through Wednesday!) Just leave a comment on each stop in the hop and HA will pick a random winner from ALL of them! The more comments you leave, the more chances you have to WIN! Yay! Winners will be announced on Saturday, July 16.

and if you have no idea what i'm talking about, here's a list of places you should have already been:

1. SC blog

2. Hero Blog

3. Vee Jennings

4. Kelly Purkey

5. Kelly Rasmussen

6. Sasha Farina

studio calico teamed up with hero arts recently to bring their most popular designs to the scrapbooking/cardmaking world. some of the stamps have been hugely popular in past kits, some are brand new. designers from SC and HA got a chance to play with them for the hop. i made some book plates and a card with my sets. i have to admit, the book plates, although very simple, turned out way better than i ever imagined and make me very happy. the set called I LOVE BOOKS comes with three different "ex libris" images, i used two and made 6 of each. i colored the images with colored pencil and used paper from the memoir line to add more dimension. each book plate is actually two stamps, the "ex libris" image and the "this book belongs to..." image. cute, huh?

wrap them all together, tie some twine around them, finish with a chipboard button, and you've got a great teacher gift!

my second project is a card. and i finally made an acceptable looking paper rose! this set of stamps is called MY HAPPY. i embossed one of the circle designs and used one of the sentiment stamps. combined with the cupboard paper from memoirs and a rose made from homestead, i think it's a fun card.

thanks for joining me on the SC/HA blog hop, and don't forget to head back to the SC blog for a chance to win some of the new paper...

i'm busy getting ready for CHA and the august SC kit (LOVE), i'll be back with some sneaks, but you probably won't see much more of me after that :). bad blogger.

be my thrill

2011-06-24T13:40:00.002-06:00

last fall, i was driving to e's school to play the piano for 7th grade choir, listening to KUNC, one of my local NPR stations that plays diverse music (and has a fabulous logo) when i heard this really fun song. i didn't have the luxury of waiting to see who it was singing said song, so i jotted down what i could of the lyrics and ran into the school (on my feet, not with my car, do not worry).

when i got back home (i am one of the few who do not have a smart phone. i know if i had one, i could have done this next bit of fact finding immediately, but i can't yet commit to spending $80 a month at minimum on a plan. i am very frugal. note: i did not call myself cheap.), i googled the lyrics and that is how i found the weepies. it was one of those angels-singing-in-heaven-clouds-parting-to-let-a-celestial-beam-of-light-through kind of moments. the song was called be my thrill and it's a hodgepodge of rhyming deliciousness. i am quite picky with my rhyme. tom jones can not do it. billy joel and sting can. frank sinatra can usually pull it off, but he's had a few epic fails. did i mention tom jones can not do rhyme? just making sure. i do not like rhyming for the sake of rhyming. i do like rhyming that is intellectual and makes you smile at how very clever it is. and the weepies succeed beautifully in that area.

last week was the pledge drive for KCPR. i am an evergreen partner which means money comes out of my account every month, i don't have to think about sending in a check when my membership is up, and i can feel good about the fact that i support what i listen to everyday. unfortunately it doesn't mean i don't have to listen to the pledge drive. long have i wished NPR could have an alternate channel for those of us who are already members. but alas, that is not the case.

back to last week. they were doing 20 minutes sweepstakes for a pair of tickets to los lobos/los lonely boys at chautauqua boulder in august. i had entered the australia 10 day vacation w/o luck, but figured what the heck, why not try to win tickets. i'd been lucky many years in the past, winning tickets to a jazz concert when we were in college. so i called, said i was an evergreen partner and wanted to enter the drawing.

the 20 minutes passed, i figured i hadn't won, so i went to the chautauqua site to see how much tickets were. los lobos/los lonely boys were quickly forgotten when, filing through the list of concerts i saw the above picture.

be still my heart.

so i bought tickets for kelly and me. and i'm so excited.

fast forward to this week. i got a message from KCRP. i'm the winner of the los lobos/los lonely boys concert tickets. yah. life is grand.

and to make your day, i have some sneaks for you from the july studio calico kit. mind the gap (cool name huh?) goes on sale monday the 27th. i ordered two add ons, pint and flat.

here's a list of supplies that i used (or would work well) with this kit:

this one is a two pager, so i'll share a sneak of each side.

uses the mind the gap, flat, and pint

and i'll share two of this one because one was already in the sneak slide show, and i just want to be nice. i used mister huey on a blender pad to make my journaling spot a little more obvious. it took forever to dry, but i love how it dulled the paper just enough to journal on it.

uses only the pint add on

and this one is about my friend's twins. they love me. and they had to move, which broke my heart, but i'm not going to hold that against my friend or her husband because i like them too and would like to maintain open communications with them so i can see the kids when we go to utah on occasion.

uses mind the gap, pint, and flat

another thing to share:

today is the release day for scrapbook and cards today's summer issue. can i tell you how excited i am!?!?!?! i don't have my hard copy yet, but the online issue is fabulous! download here. and did you know you can view it on mobile devices now? all for free? yay!

and finally, i'm hosting the simple stories blog today. you should go check it out, here's a sneak of my project:

in the garden

2011-06-14T10:00:00.001-06:00

i can go overboard on the scrapbooking, i know. but come may or june, i fight myself to sit down at my desk and create. i want to be outside weeding, planting, watering, or just enjoying my yard. we've been here in colorado for 6 years, and my backyard has changed a lot over that time. when we got here, it was a square of lawn bordered by 2 feet of rock. there were big ugly piney bushes in each back corner and two lilac bushes along the back fence.

summer #1 (2005): looked at the yard and wished it was pretty. did plant an anabelle hydrangea and some tomato plants. fell in love with the front walk garden's rose bush.

rose bush in the front walk garden. the only thing left by previous owners that i love in this yard.

summer #2 (2006): half of left side rock moved to side of the house, bed expanded out two more feet, amended the sticky clay soil with clay busting products. karl forester grasses, day lilies, russian sage, and tickweed planted. bed mulched with beauty bark, much prettier and retards weeds so much the better.

shirley daisies, tickweed, russian sage, and day lilies

summer #3 (2007): the other half of left side rock moved, bush rose, burning bush, delphiniums (major fail), and daisies planted. took out lawn in the back left corner and with the help of husband and kids, built a raised garden bed, L shaped 80 square feet for fabulous vegetable gardening. brought in gorgeous soil to fill said bed.

shirley daisies from my mom's garden. these beauties are amazing.

front walk garden

summer #4 (2008): did nothing in the way of improvement in the backyard, just maintained. did work on the front yard a bit, added a couple of rose bushes (both have died since then), a sedum, some moonbeam coreopsis, and rudbeckia.

rudbeckia 2009

summer #5 (2009): tackled the back fence. with the help of my dad, we moved all the rock, the side of the house is stocked w/ rock now. moved one of the lilacs, it wasn't doing well and didn't survive the transplant. amended the soil. planted a couple of rose bushes (happy to report they are both still alive), some yarrow, rudbeckia, jupiter's beard, silver mound, ran out of money and time. i also let a volunteer sunflower TAKE OVER the vegetable garden. and take over, it did. didn't get much in the way of produce that year, but got some amazing sunflowers! the plant was HUGE. honestly 7 feet tall with a gazillion arms. it was a monster.

working on sunflair :) this is the sunflower monster in 2009

vegetable garden overrun by sunflower tree and volunteer marigolds: 2009

summer #6 (2010): worked on the back fence a bit more, added my 1928 bathroom sink to the garden as a decoration, surrounded with day lilies. added a birdbath to the left garden. went to switzerland for two weeks, didn't do much else in way of improvement back there. did replace a rose bush in the front yard w/ a lime boxwood. that died too. moonbeam coreopsis started to die away. rudbeckia never flowered. wasn't the best summer for gardening. :) sunflower babies from last year's garden took over again.

lime boxwood, major fail 2010

summer #7 (2011): that's this summer and i've been UBER busy outside. last week i added some spring color to the left garden, it's gorgeous from july onward, but the spring is just green leaves, so i got some silver tansy (mini daisy-like flowers), geum, catmint, hardy twinspur, california red poppies, a foxglove (annie went shopping with me and wanted it. i'm not a huge lover of foxglove but wanted to share garden ownership w/ her this year--i have a funny foxglove story to share later...), a snow mound bush, and left over salvia (again, not my favorite annual, but annie liked it so much) from the deck pots i finally planted in this year. i've been bad the past few years, leaving the pots sad and empty. this year they are filled with red salvia, orange mexican zinnias, and white allysum, all but one, which is a hodge podge of leftovers from the front and back pots of annuals. it's kind of pretty actually. i didn't have room in the left garden to add all this, so i took the opportunity to move and divide some of the plants. the shirley daisies had expanded from one mid sized pot from my mom to a 4x4 square of splendor that has won the heart of kelly and annie more than i realized. i promised both of them that the daisies will bloom this year and will continue to expand in their new homes (three groups to the front walk flower garden, and hopefully another to the back fence garden), i didn't know how much they cared. it's kind of nice. i also moved a russian sage to the back garden. it's not taken to the move as well, but i keep watering it and am sure it will perk up. one of day lilies moved too, filling in around the bathroom sink (lost one of those from last year), and it's very happy. the back fence garden is nearly complete with the additions noted and the following: more rudbeckia, a mid sized cranberry cotoneaster bush, some more geum, more silver tansy, and i filled the sink with wave petunias and potato vine, excited to see how that does. it should be really pretty, pink and green spilling over the edges. the sink needs a mirror now. i know it's weird, but it does. i have a lone bush that needs a home, it's lime leaf blue beard and i couldn't resist. i think i'll begin on the right fence garden. that means moving rock again and pulling up grass. i really, really, really want to cut down the overgrown piney bushes. this may be the year. when it snows, they do not do well. the snow pulls the branches down and they look like they will break, but never do.

can you tell i love working in the yard? oh and i also managed to get the vegetable garden in last week. i had some sweet little helpers, thanks to the berry family's service day on thursday. little merik, karma, and maisley, along with mom and dad shawntae and pat, helped me finish weeding the raised beds and plant my tomato, cucumbers, zucchini, and herb plants. we'll maisley just ate the dirt, but it was entertaining. shawntae's such a good mama, she's teaching those kids well.

i need to clean up the yard, then i'll add some new pictures.

scanning the generations

2011-06-02T21:08:00.000-06:00

i've been at my parents' home all this week. when my grandmother passed away last summer, i desperately hoped i would inherit the photos. i had no idea just how many photos there were! i didn't actually inherit them, but i did win the job of scanning them all and putting them into a photo book. i've been scanning photos 10 hours a day, i'd guess, for the past three days.. sitting at the computer, talking to my dad about the stories, learning about my rich family history. it's been precious. as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, all my life i've heard how important family is, and this is just one more example of that truth. my great grandparents were very keen on taking photos and that love was passed down to my grandmother. there are hundreds of photos of my grandmother as a baby, child, teen, mother, and grandmother. my great grandfather passed away when my nana was a child, so double thanks go out to my great grandmother for making sure the stories kept going despite her loss. women in my family love deeply, she never remarried and always spoke lovingly of bill. she missed him so much.

when i started taking pictures, it was always tough to get nana in a picture. she didn't like to be in front of the camera. it was like a gift from above if i could get a photo of her at a family gathering. but now, sitting here, scanning hundreds of photos of her lovely face, i can forgive her. i'm so thankful for these photos. here are a few of my favorites:

i'll share more later. i'm a little shell shocked. lots of scanning will do that to you.

crafting it forward

2011-06-02T06:00:00.004-06:00

hello and welcome to my stop on the craft it forward blog hop sponsored by scrapbooks, etc.! if you haven't been following the trail, you can go here to start at the very beginning, you'll learn a super cool technique to get a 3D star and you'll end up back here eventually :).

all this year, SBE has been sharing ways for us to use our scrapbook supplies to benefit others. june's suggestion is to make patriotic thank you cards and donate them to our military servicemen and -women. my card has some pink in it, i'm thinking some little girl would love to get this card from her mom or dad away in the service of our country, don't you agree?

make sure to check out all the different cards along the hop, next stop will be the blog of one of my scrap crushes, shannon zickel!

and be sure to make up a card or four yourself and share with the SBE community. there's a fabulous prize in it for you and your favorite charity!

thanks for stopping by :)

with paper moon sneaks

2011-05-23T18:17:00.000-06:00

gotta run, but here are the projects i did this month :)

PAPER MOON + RAY GUN + COUNTDOWN + mustard zing + apricot zing + versamark ink

PAPER MOON + COUNTDOWN + toy box buttons + martha stewart punch all over the page pinked circle

PAPER MOON + COUNTDOWN + mustard zing + versamark ink + mister hueys in bonny blue, lemonade, orchard, and hotdog

with the sassa-winner

2011-05-09T21:47:00.000-06:00

hello hello! what a whirlwind weekend we had! cropping with girlfriends, NSD happenings, lawnmower purchasing, a date with my sweetie, mother's day breakfast in bed, hearing good news from family and chatting with my mamma, dessert with friends. just a great happy weekend, the best kind!

i hope your's went well too.

i get to post the winner of my sassafras blog hop now. i loved reading all your comments, thank you so much for the sweet things you said about the layout, it was fun to put together. and now, for the moment you've been waiting for, the winner is:

arleigh said...

you're so talented. I love that you do old photos, and you have a great sense of humor in real life and on your pages.

congratulations arleigh, send me you contact information (emilygpitts at gmail dot com) and i'll pass it on to the sassafras chief. then start looking for a box from sass!

i have lots to talk about, hopefully i'll get to that sooner than later.

sassa-hopping

2011-05-07T07:00:00.004-06:00

welcome to my stop on the sassafras NSD blog hop. you probably arrived via anna's blog, if not, make sure your head over there to get one more chance to win a $20 prize pack. all you have to do for both anna's blog and mine is leave a comment and you'll be entered. pretty easy :) you have until monday at 9:00 PM EDT to enter. i'll draw a random winner monday night.

my layout uses sweetly smitten, ellie's tale, and paper crush, i used a sketch (it's down in the last section of the bonus sketches) i found on the scrapbook and cards today website, changed it up a bit and ended up with a layout i adore. old old old and poorly shot pictures can look good when paired with happy prints and colors! i have one question though, what were we thinking, giving a 1 year old a donut?!?!!?

next stop takes you all the way over to france. have a fabulous trip and tell gaelle bonjour!

should you get lost half way across the ocean, you may go back to the sass blog for a complete listing of stops along the way.

with a big, huge, gimongous announcement!

2011-05-07T06:59:00.001-06:00

(i told you it was big!)

and don't forget to check out the SCT blog today to see the team's takes on becky's sketches available on the website. loved being a part of this!

challenging you

2011-05-06T16:00:00.010-06:00

here's my challenge as part of the studio calico NSD celebrations, you're getting a heads up a bit early so you can plan for any cropping parties you'll be participating in tomorrow :)

don't forget to check the SC blog for a list of all challenges and chat times. and here's to a fabulous weekend!

celebrating NSD

2011-05-06T13:36:00.003-06:00

lots going on for NSD.

sassafras has a blog hop planned. each stop on the hop gives you a chance to win a box of sassafras goodies! come back to my blog tomorrow (or check out the sass blog) for more information .

studio calico has a gazillion fun challenges and make-and-takes planned on their blog, with lots of prizes for playing along. there are also chats scheduled throughout the weekend with the DT (i'm scheduled with celine on saturday morning at 10 EST, come visit with us!). the list of challenges and chat times will go up on the blog today at 6 EST. make sure you check it out! i had the pleasure of hosting one of those challenges and here's a little sneak of what's to come:

scrapbook and cards today asked their team to put together a layout using a sketch from the website (did you know there were bonus sketches on the website? i didn't until i went looking, i'll save you the work, click here to go directly to the fabulous bonus sketches). our work will be on the blog, instructions and tips/tricks will be on the website. there's also a really excited announcement that will be made tomorrow. come back to see just what it is!

big picture and creating keepsakes are joining to host an online crop tomorrow. click here for more information. big pictures also has one more giveaway this week, check out their blog for more information.

i believe that's all i have to tell you. be sure to check back tomorrow to participate in the fun!

joining simple stories

2011-05-06T12:37:00.000-06:00

i'd been wandering around the new vendors area at CHA in january and found this fun new company with some really great designs, and that's how i met amber amber crowell, the owner. we chatted, exchanged cards and left it at that. a few weeks ago, i got an email from amber asking me if i'd be interested in joining the simple stories design team for a bit. the simple stories philosophy uses photo sleeves as their basis for scrapbooking our lives. it's exactly what the name implies, simple and easy ways to tell your stories.

i was a little worried because, although i'm a simple scrapper, i don't use sleeves, i'm a full layout kind of girl. amber assured me that she knew that and i was exactly what she wanted, someone who could help show that simple stories is very flexible, their products will fit any style of scrapper. with that assurance, i agreed to join the fun. they've just launched their blog and released their newest line called 100 days of summer. it's a bright happy collection with some lovely little alphas that come on one large sheet of 4 different alphas and some word and phrase stickers. i am a sucker for mini alphas. i join a team of some very talented girls, i'm excited for the opportunity :)

here's a layout i created using 100 days of summer:

lawn partying it up

2011-05-06T11:48:00.000-06:00

i was so enamored with the may studio calico kit lawn party and add ons that i pressed the "order it all" button. i have done that three times in my 4 year run as a member of studio calico. the only problem? there's never enough time to use all the stuff that comes in aforementioned kit and add ons. but i did get three layouts and a card done, and since deadline time, i've already created another layout using the fabulous exclusive SC paper. it's orange polka dots folks, i so so so wish i'd had the foresight to order MORE SC PAPER. not sure what i was thinking...

the reason i ordered all four add ons? let me 'splain:

1. rope swing had the jillibean soup burlap alphas and the artisan pins from girls' paperie.

2. pink lemonade had the sticky keys alpha from october afternoon .

3. paper lanterns had the maggie alphabet from girls' paperie and corrugated houses from jillibean soup.

4. clear skies sported some lovely echo park, the corrugated frames and buttons from jillibean soup, and the crate buttons.

notice a trend? i mainly got the add ons because of the alphas. i love a good one you know. anyway, all the kits were amazing, but the main was especially so. i had a lot of fun playing with it. we got to do member lifts this month and i lifted this layout by julie fei-fan balzer or milkcan as she's known around the scrappy world.

i loved her painted tags, and when i saw the GP paper in the main, i knew i wanted to do a little painting myself. this is the result, a layout about my sweet daughter and her boyfriend. she absolutely adores him:

lawn party (alpha, floral paper, and orange polka paper)
rope swing (label stickers and tan polka)
pink lemonade (black polka paper and brads)
paper lanterns (blue and white check)
claudine hellmuth paints

i made this next one for the sneaks a few weeks ago. i loved the newsprint stamp that came in rope swing, and with a little versamark and zing, i easily created a background that is fun and unique.

rope swing which is all gone :(
rouge red zing
versamark ink
mister huey in clover (one of my favorites of the new release colors)
artisan pins

my card. loved playing with the fancy pants filter papers, they are surprisingly strong and really can take nearly anything you throw at them. i got this one wet then sprayed mister huey and moved it around with my finger to break up any splotches. fun technique. love those micro alphas from basic grey!

lawn party and mister huey piglet

this one is probably my favorite. the design happened by accident. originally i'd planned on doing a two pager with the little photos in along line. so i printed the photos on an 8.5x11 sheet and started cutting. however, the strips looked so cool, i had to reprint so the photos would be in the right order to tell the story. the frames were just a bit bigger than the photos, so i did some fancy trimming and stapling with the tiny attacher and voila, the frames were just the right size.

lawn party (crocheted ribbon, green, orange, teal, and text paper)
paper lanterns (alpha)
pink lemonade (pink polka)
mister huey in barnwood
clear skies (corrugated frames and button)
tiny attacher

inviting you to the pre-lawn party

2011-04-25T12:46:00.000-06:00

looking at my sneaks, one might think i love twine. one would be correct. :)

now, please do not hate me, i put all my kits together after sneak night and I really don't remember which products come from which kits. this is the first time in a long time that i did this, and now i know why i don't usually do it. i'm really sorry, i'll do my best to delineate...

main, plus some paints and i don't remember where the crate stuff belongs, but there are some stickers from rope swing that you can't see...

pretty sure this is all main plus piglet mister huey

uses all rope swing plus clover mister huey to change the color of something, and rouge ZING

uses the main, and bits and pieces of adds on

kits go on sale at noon EDT, this coming wednesday the 27th for subscribers and midnight the 28th for everyone else. don't forget, both new lines, countryside and state fair are now available in the SC store as well!

laughing between the tears

2011-04-22T16:36:00.001-06:00

it seems lately that's all i ever do. one minute it's high stress and the next it's fabulous sweetness. i hear it will be this way for the next while.

now i have a teenage daughter who wants to have all the freedoms and doesn't yet understand the consequences that happen because of too much freedom, and i cry a lot. we gave her lots of freedom because she had always made the right choices. just recently we've had to pull some of those freedoms, and trying to explain to her why has been pretty tough on all of us. how can you put words to a feeling? how can you make concrete a worry that nigs at that back of your momma brain? how can you find a way to explain something you really don't understand yourself? i can't. i just hold her and cry. i tell her we're going to make it through this. i tell her i love her over and over again. and then once more. i pray.

after i posted this, i noticed i spelled occasion wrong. i have since changed that. i rarely do that. grrrr...

it's not like she's done something irreversible and horrible, really, she's an amazing kid and has been the perfect teenager. too perfect according to some of my friends. but that's annie. she is amazing and beautiful and so focused on incorporating what she knows is right into her day. if i were to explain the dynamic in our family right now, you'd probably roll your eyes, shake your head, and say, "you're over-reacting momma." i keep praying for help to know what to do. and i do get help. in small ways, things people say, things i read, things i hear, but we each have our agency and that's where it's hard. it's the wall socket theory. balancing when to let go and have her learn is really tough.

juxtaposed against these emotionally draining moments are some amazing highs. after a week of being grounded (first time in her life, due to some tardiness issues), she went to prom this weekend. i made her dress because we couldn't find anything that was modest. i came seriously close to the wire on this one, but was able to succeed and pull it off. she looked radiant. i was going to do her hair, i'd watched videos on youtube and figured i could manage. after i finished most of the dress (we still had to buy shoes so i still had to hem it...), and she was away at a basketball game, i called my stylist holly and she had a spare hour. she's an amazing lady, she made annie into a curly headed dream. annie's got her dad's stick straight hair (which i would have died for, but you always want what you don't have right?), it's never held a curl well. but holly managed to give annie a head full of bouncy curls. watching the transformation was such a treat. her smile got bigger and bigger.

does this face say skeptical?

look, the curls are holding!

a whole bunch of them now!

seriously, do you have be so beautiful?

rather happy now, not skeptical at all.

she made her own jewelry and looked just lovely. ryan came to pick her up and he looked so very handsome, his tie matched perfectly. they posed for pictures, annie chattering away the entire time.

i only regret i didn't get a photo of her fabulous shoes! they were adorable grey w/ ruffles.

first love is sweet

then she gave us hugs, kelly's hug was pretty emotional on his part, and away she went.

poor poor daddy

he's such a gentleman!

she had a magical time. everything a prom should be. i'm happy that she's picked such a sweet and caring boy for her first love. he's a little shy, but he'll come around, i'm sure. his mom says he's changed a lot since starting to date annie. she said he's a lot happier. :)

and we here we are, wondering where the time went. so very proud of her. so very worried. did we do enough? we've still got time, but it's going to go so quickly. kelly took her to BYU earlier this month so she could fall in love with the campus. she's not set on going there and we are now in brainwashing mode so she'll see what a great decision it would be to attend there. not to mention the tuition bill will be much nicer. :)

announcing my SC blog hop winner

2011-04-18T10:35:00.001-06:00

thanks to everyone who entered the blog hop contest, random.org picked number 40, which according to my math skills is:

vanlikethecar said...

Gorgeous! I love how you used the eyelets and twine. So creative!

April 14, 2011 1:33 AM

congrats to you! please email me at emilygpitt at gmail dot com and i'll get your information to the right hands so you can start playing with the veneer hearts and tags!

a stop on the hop before the shop

2011-04-13T22:00:00.055-06:00

and it's not even dr. seuss' birthday! :) but it is the blog hop celebrating the arrival of studio calico's newest lines, countryside and state fair, to the studio calico shop. in deference to other retailers, studio calico holds off on selling their own lines for a couple of months, and now, those months have passed. so you can now order directly from studio calico!

you should have come to my blog via dear davinie's blog. here's my contribution to the party. i love how the state fair line blends with other manufacturing products, it really opens up the possibilities, don't you think? i used the veneer hearts, sprayed with hotdog (love this color way more than i thought i would, it's a nice rich orangey red), as well as the guess your weight and the banners from best in show (yes, i know, i am using banners lately...). Each line of journaling is anchored with the die-cut circles from the countryside line. Titling courtesy of the Chipboard Alpha stickers in Tan.

we've been given the OK to put together a little prize package, just for stopping bye, so if you'd like to leave a comment, i'll pick one winner of the following products i used on my layout:

now it's time to head over to the lovely jen jockish's blog. she's got another fabulous layout and prize package as well. have fun hopping and then shopping for all the new products! and since you're filling up your cart for a fun mid-month spree, you should know the following: ZING! is back in stock. there are only a couple of documentary products left in the shop. once they are gone, they are gone. my favorite journaling cards are one of the two... and the AC foam dots are back in stock. i love those.

comments will be closed and i'll draw a winner on monday, april 18th at 10 a.m. MDT

guest teaching and LOVING it!

2011-04-13T10:27:00.000-06:00

about a month ago, i got an email from debbie hodge, asking me if i'd be interested in being a guest teacher in april for masterful scrapbook design, a monthly class sponsored by get it scrapped! i wrote her back saying i wasn't really sure the topic was one i was qualified to teach, i don't consider myself a scrapper that uses a lot of patterned paper. she wrote back, assuring me that indeed the subject was right up my alley. so i accepted and began gathering layouts that would fit the bill. it was a really interesting process, i saw that i really do use patterned paper, but that only started when i began scrapping with my studio calico kits, before that i was heavily into cardstock. i don't feel comfortable using big sheets of it, but i do punch it, hand cut it and strip it. yesterday i had the pleasure of discussing my designs with debbie and tami taylor in a live webinar. it was really fun, i had been so nervous, even working it into a dream i had the night before. i needn't have worried.

you can still sign up to take the class featuring celeste smith, cindy liebel, wilna furstenberg and myself. and as a bonus, if you sign up this month, you can free access to one other month's archives for free! kind of cool :)

so if you're curious about my unique approach to patterned papers, it's a great deal at $10.

and apparently i passed muster because i just got another email from debbie asking if i'd be interested in teaching may's topic: using your stash. hee! you can also sign up for that as well.

thanks to debbie for asking, it's been a very good thing for me.

with inspiration + a wall socket analogy + a new driver

2011-04-04T10:04:00.001-06:00

we had the most inspiring weekend as a family. twice a year, april and november, we gather in the basement on saturday and sunday to watch general conference. it's a family tradition i know we all look forward to with varying degrees on anticipation (changes as they get older)... we get to hear the prophet speak and hear wonderful talks on things such as:

*we're getting a temple in fort collins!
*our heavenly father gives us children to help us become like Him
*pain is a gauge of the healing process, and through it, we obtain the education we came her to gain
*the most important job on earth is in the family and the pay isn't monetary
*fears should not displace faith
*your future is as bright as your faith
*families are like ropes, they are stronger when everyone works together
*you are strengthened by doing the daily little things
*desires drive choices. desire righteous things.
*are you too busy looking for the nuggets to miss the multitude of flakes?
*don't just stand there waiting on the road to damascus
*challenges build who we are
*living the gospel is not a cafeteria plan
*turning on the light is rare, there are many more sunrises
*walk in confidence that the Lord will direct your path
*temples and marriage are vital pillars of God's plan of happiness
*to be & to do are inseparable; be begats do
*turn negatives into positives
*God still loves us and speaks to us today
*at the last moment, the Savior could have turned back, but He didn't
*parents have a responsibility to keep their children from putting their fingers in wall sockets

ok, that last bit wasn't really mentioned word for word, but it's been something kelly and i have been thinking about a lot lately. you see your baby crawling toward the wall socket, you pull her back. she may not be happy with you, but you as the parent know that's not a safe thing to be doing. she may want to keep trying to get that little finger into the little outlet, but you've got to be consistent in your watchfulness. after a while, or after a shock, the baby gets more experience and knows on her own not to try that again. being parents is a hard job, you have to protect your kids, but they have to learn by doing too. it's a fine balance. discussions on correct behavior don't end after the kids are old enough to drive. so far, we all manage to right ourselves when we begin tipping, i'm just hoping that keeps happening. i'm just grateful to have the gospel to help us find solutions that work for our family. and i'm grateful that our family has fostered an atmosphere of honest and open communication. it's really interesting to see how investments we'd made years ago pay off in our interactions today. i love that my kids are feisty enough to push back. and i love to see the bond between them grow as they face these strict new parents. it's a hard time, but a very precious one as well. wish us luck.

speaking of driving, guess who got her learner's permit?

and her response to being asked this morning how she liked it so far? "it's not as bad as i thought it would be."

sharing my studio calico april kit

2011-03-30T10:42:00.001-06:00

i loved every single layout i made with this month's kits. i loved the kits. and so did everyone else. they are all gone, except for happy refrain. you have a couple more days to order things before the boxes start shipping, so if you're on the fence, i'd hurry. ;)

i forgot to edit the photo of the hidden journaling. the top flap of polkas slides up from under the twine to expose a bunch of journaling space, filled with the story of how i met my husband in college. he was a biochemistry major and when he saw this paper, he gave me the idea for the page. there's a song by a group that i can't remember just now called, "it's all about chemistry." he loves the song. i love that he came up with a great idea for a page. usually his ideas for me are a bit off the wall and never make it any further than an eye roll from me. i zinged a few of the letters with powder, rouge, and mustard to add some playful color to the page. so happy about how the pink paislee wood letters took the zing. really nice.

note that i found this picture all crumpled up in the garbage can. can you see the fold right down the middle of e's face? i've had it floating around for years. here's how things happened for this page: i was taking apart the maya chipboard words so i could get the smile one for a page. i took them off the chain and just set them all down. they were piled up in a similar fashion to what you see here, it looked very cool. being in love with zing now, i decided to emboss each word the same color. i usually don't go with this much sameness, but i really like how it turned out. i just pressed each word into my versamark pad, making sure they were good and covered, sprinkled the white zing over the word, tapped off the extra, then used the heat gun to melt the powder (a hair dryer won't work. i've tried...) i had to emboss twice to get a nice smooth look. i also embossed the metal flag from pink paislee (worked like a charm in case you're wondering). the tags that came in the kit were so much fun! i sprayed this one with mister huey in applejack, then stitched the dickens out of it. it's a really simple layout, but it makes me happy every time i see it. that boy.

this was going to be a very simple page, but that changed somewhere around strip number 42. :) it's really all about the journaling, so the fact that the page turned out so well is just an extra bonus in my book. i think i'm having a hard time with my kids growing up...

my final for the kit, i love how easily this one came together. again, i zinged the metal flag, and the crop-a-dile works wonders when you need holes in metal. punch punch and it was done. i loved the websters pages stripe, i think it makes the clouds rather whimsical :) the tag is misted with mister huey clover, a bit more yellow than applejack, a perfect match for the exclusive cosmo cricket polka paper. loved.

and there you have it my friends. i completely enjoyed this month's kits. and we're already ordering for may. i got all four add ons for may. i have done that 3 times in the last 3+ years of being a member at studio calico. i just really loved every add on. you can't say you weren't warned :) until next time.

wishing a happy birthday to SCT

2011-03-28T07:05:00.004-06:00

happy monday morning! this is the week that one of my favorite things turns 5! scrapbook and cards today, a wonderful publication out of canada first hit local scrapbook stores five years ago. catherine had a dream to help support the local stores. the magazine is free and you won't find it in a big box store, it's used as a marketing tool to bring customers into their local scrapbook stores. that's how i first learned of it, my friend mary kay had a store here in denver that carried the publication. i had the chance to meet catherine and kerry the next CHA and a year later, i became part of the team, writing a quarterly column on trends. it has been the most delightful experience! i love the magazine because of the absolute attention to quality it strives for each and every time. every new issue is amazing and blows me away with the talent and inspiration packed in there, then i get the next issue and i can't believe it's even better. and i know this last bit is silly, but i love how very thick the pages are. it's just another sign of the high quality SCT shoots for every time. if you've not had the chance to actually have the magazine in your hands because you don't have an LSS, you can download the magazine online. for free. yep, free. to celebrate five amazing years, the entire team is hosting a blog hop, here are the details:

Thank you for celebrating SCT's 5th birthday with us! If you have just arrived here from Kathy’s blog, then you are in the right place! If not, head back to the SCT blog and join us on this fabulous blog hop.

Have you figured out what the grand prize that caps off this week-long party? It's so cool! And can you believe all of the fun birthday-themed prizes SCT is giving away during the celebration! Fun stuff!

Today, I'd like to share a birthday card I made in honor of SCT's birthday. I used one of the bonus sketches found in the new Cardmaps issue. Over the last couple of months, I've decided I'm converted to sketches, they make putting a card together so much easier for me. If you haven't had a chance, please look for this great new resource! I used the Sassafras Sweetly Smitten line of products, I love the Wee Bundles for their smaller size, perfect for cards. And the little girl with a party hat? I never knew what to do with the vintage photos of strangers that are popping up lately. Then I decided to add a party hat and now I can't get enough of those stickers! Just fun. And what a great way to use up all those brads I've been collecting!

Oh wait! Be sure to check out SCT's Spring issue! One of my favorite sections is Kimber McGray's article Inspired by the Internet on page 39. I'm a big internet junkie, I love trolling through blogs, finding design ideas to translate into my scrapbooking and cardmaking. The article does a great job at showing easy ways to use that inspiration. Also check out the new From the Heart column, GREAT journaling and two amazing layouts by Becky and my dear friend Marnie Flores.

Now head over to Vicki's blog, tell her hello from me, and enjoy the rest of the celebration. Happy birthday, SCT! I wish you many many more years of scrapbook and cards inspiration!

Here's the cover of the new Special Issue, I'm so proud to have a few of my cards featured!

sneaking in the rain

2011-03-23T14:53:00.000-06:00

to say i loved the studio calico april kit would be an understatement. love just isn't the right word to describe how much fun i had putting my layouts together this month. i don't know if it's the subject matter or the combination of papers and embellishments that make you love a particular kit, but i have to put april's singing in the rain (goes on sale sunday night midnight, sunday afternoon for subscribers) as one of my top favorite kits. i got one add on, #2 make 'em laugh. i wish i'd gotten #3--moses supposes, but i was blinded by my love for the below buttons that come in make 'em laugh. how cute are those pebbles buttons? this layout below is about how my husband and i met and fell in love. the journaling is hidden, not because it's secret, but because i didn't have a good place to put it :) when kelly saw the brown AC paper, he said, "you should do a layout about us and chemistry." he's a scientist. he doesn't see honeycombs in that paper, he sees scientific equations. i love him. i did some embossing on the pink paislee wooden letters. i'd forgotten how much fun embossing is, it's kind of magical seeing that powder melt and smooth out. if you haven't tried it, nik's got a video on the SC blog this week, it's super easy, all you need is the a sticky ink (i use versamark, but you can use a pigment ink w/ clear powder, or use the zig pen coming to the shop soon, or a glue pen works as well), the powder, and a heat gun. really fun.

uses all add on #2 make 'em laugh, zing in powder, rouge, and mustard, tiny attacher

this next one was a happy accident. i used make 'em laugh and the main. we got office supply tags in the main this month and i had a fun time misting them. i was going to emboss one, but it didn't quite work. but now i know :) i love this one because i finally got a well loved photo scrapped. there's not really a story behind the picture, but the happy accident made scrapping it in a meaningful way possible. makes me happy.

singin' in the rain, add on #2 make 'em laugh, zing powder in white and leaf, and mr. huey in applejack

SC partnered with cosmo cricket this month for some exclusives, and this background paper is one of them. it was so light and floaty, once i actually had it in my hands, i knew exactly what i was going to do with it. i love how this one turned out. the papers from the main and add on are so happy together, this layout proves it. see the cute pebbles button again? :)

singin' in the rain, add on #2 make 'em laugh, zing powder in mustard

i put this one together while i was at the church waiting for pianos to be tuned for our piano club festival that happened this last weekend. i had to stay while two tuners worked on 7 pianos. it was so easy to just grab the kit and spread it out on a table. i love that striped paper from websters pages very much, it's so cheery. another misted tag and another embossed flag. sensing a theme? i was having fun with el zing-o! :)

singing' in the rain, zing powder in apricot

the main kit has some red and white bakers twine in it, super fun, but i used some of my own new charcoal twine from the twinery. hello twine lover. that stuff is yummy. the shop will also be featuring some twine from pink paislee. i had that on my list but completely forgot to order it. i'm kicking myself now. don't do as i did...

well, there you have it. full reveal is in a couple more days, so i leave you until then. have a lovely weekend!

with a visual reminder

2011-03-22T14:08:00.000-06:00

this is what i look like. just in case you've forgotten. blogging over at WCS took it out of me. i promise to be back to my regularly scheduled blogging soon, but we're going on a much needed little family getaway this weekend. don't even think about breaking into my house, the neighbors have big dogs and they are going to be guarding it.

i've been super busy with SC assignments, pulling together layouts for a guest teaching gig over at masterful scrapbooking design next month, making sketches, making cards, spending all day having pianos tuned for the piano festival i co-chaired this past saturday, meeting with the chair and club president at various times last week, negotiating dates and schedules with my kids, making chili verde, prepping for the lesson i teach this coming sunday, looking for prom dresses that are appropriate for a 16 year old, deciding to make one instead, mailing layouts to ST, putting together a make and take video… i know there's more, but i just can't remember them all. let's just say, life is full and it's a good thing.

oh, and i need to nap. and exercise. so i do promise i'll be back soon.

somewhere else this week

2011-03-08T21:32:00.000-07:00

should you be missing me, you can find me at the write.click.scrapbook. site this week. i'm guest blogging about card making for the easily frightened scrapbooker. it's been a lot of fun to put the week together, a lot of work too, so i'm probably not going to make it here too much :) i have a video tutorial for you every day, so really, you will want to check it out.

spelling correctly. most of the time

2011-03-03T10:51:00.000-07:00

the march studio calico kit is ALL GONE. just like that. it sold out FAST. and so did most of the add ons. the only one left is wildflower. kind of crazy on reveal day over there. :) but i have to admit, it was a fun month, i so loved the bee stamp in the main, i can understand the frenzy. here are my layouts and cards. i had a good time stamping bees :) if you missed out on the kits, there are still a few past kits available, my most recent favorite being napa valley.

my spelling bee debaucle:

my four pack of cards, my husband got it, do you? i made four because there are four Js and four Cs on the sass sticker sheet :) i would have kept going. believe m.

my birthday card for ronda. i crack myself up.

i love this picture because i think it's the moment ethan realized his cake had relighting candles. annie's idea :) it's hard to believe we've been parents this long. we love having teenagers! they are the best!

and my final offering, a vacation page because the cosmo paper just yelled for it :)

i'm sure i'll be back :) thanks for all the sweet comments on the sass gig. i'm still smiling.

guesting at JBS

2011-03-02T13:28:00.002-07:00

if you're interested :)

smiling a lot.

2011-03-02T09:58:00.000-07:00

borrowed from marcy penner's blog

yesterday was a whirlwind, both in my scrappy and personal life. scrappy because i got an email monday night asking me to be a part of the sassafras lass design team. eeeeeek! i have had some scrappy goals since i started working in this hobby:

get published (check first in ST, then SS, then SCT, then CK)
design for studio calico (check)
design for OA (check)
design for crate (check)
design for sassafras lass (check. WOOHOO!)
be an editor in a magazine (check)
get published in SBE (check. FINALLY, with an added little bonus--shhh!)
get a shot at a cover...
design for american crafts

i have been VERY blessed to accomplish many of my goals. i know that. i was telling my friend nik yesterday that i needed to start setting some new ones, i don't want to run out of them!

i just never guessed i'd really get selected for the sass team. i applied because i knew i'd regret not applying, but i knew i'd be one of hundreds feeling the same way (thanks kimberly and ronda for nudging me, i really appreciate it). i have always loved sassafras, it is so bright and bold and happy. this sort of exuberance initially scares me, but i always end up LOVING what i create with it. i've learned to never judge the papers by my first reaction. i'm always wrong. i had the chance to meet rebecca at CHA and thought i may have blown my chances when i admitted the designs scared me. that was an oops moment. i THINK i ended that thought with how i do always love what i create with the products, but i guess i needn't have worried. thank you for not taking that the wrong way rebecca!

this is probably one of my all-time favorite layouts. it's the subject matter of course, but i love the sass clouds from way back when i first started going to CHA. i won a prize pack at a two peas function. this was before clouds were hot. and they made me happy then, still do. also love this layout because of the strip of denim, recently snipped off my husband's jeans. recycling at its finest!

i'm thrilled to be working with all the girls on this team, lots of ladies that i have admired and looked up to for a long time. some amazing artists!

hee!

and whirlwind personally, not in a bad way, just lots of crazy last evening. ethan had a concert at the high school, playing both cello accompanist boy for the 8th grade choir and show choir boy. he did very well on both points. cello accompanist boy because he hasn't practiced that song here at home much, and did very well (he claims he's been practicing at school), and show choir boy because he's loosing up a bit more with every performance. let's just say his nickname amongst the choir members is "Stiff." but we're so proud of him and the fact that he even gets up there to sing at all. he's a huge ham here at home (how 'bout another H for that sentence?) but when he's performing, he's a little nervous. the middle and high schools had a joint concert for the 8th grade feeder schools.

it.

was.

incredible.

truly wow! the 8th graders and show choir really put on a good show and the high schoolers did not disappoint at all. there was so much energy and excitement in that room when the last note died out. they did a number of gospel songs at the end, and i don't care what your religious or non religious leanings, it was hard not to get inspired and pumped up by all that hand-clapping and arm swinging. kelly suggested we all head down to the river and get baptized. hee hee. :)

annie's concert in thursday night, she'll be doing her first solo. it will be for "someday my prince will come" and she's so ready for it. she's got a lovely voice and i'm excited to see her show it off! she was the official page turner last night. the pianist says she's the best page turner ever. she also made it into the elite choir next year (she says it's not that elite anymore, but i'm still impressed). other annie news: still dating ryan, running track, very sore, very tired. and she's working on a chopin valse and a bach piece for a piano competition.

life is crazy in our house.

but we like it that way.

at least i keep telling myself that :)

making cards. yes. me. making cards

2011-02-28T06:00:00.000-07:00

when catherine and becky approached me to be a part of this fun new publication, i wasn't sure. but i'd worked with becky's sketches for the special calendar we put out last year, and it was easy, so i figured i'd probably be ok for this issue as well. it was a good call. the sketches i got to work with were so much fun and i loved how easily the cards came together because of them. here's a little bit more about the issue:

PageMaps and Scrapbook & Cards Today have teamed up once again to bring you “CardMaps Today.” This brand new, limited edition, special issue includes 50 never-before-seen CardMap sketches from Becky Fleck and 80 beautifully designed cards from 16 fabulous designers, including Kelly Goree, Vicki Boutin, Marla Kress, Kimber McGray, Melissa Phillips, Roree Rumph and many more. Full of techniques and the latest trends in paper crafting, this 84 page, full colour magazine comes with complete instructions for each and every card!

CardMaps Today will be available in many of our distributing stores starting on March 25th or is available for pre-order below. Hurry now to reserve your copy for only $9.95! And why not order one for a friend, too – a perfect gift for that friend who understands when you call your paper by colour names (Hillary, Pomegranate or Thunder)! CardMaps Today will start shipping on March 21st!

thinking you'll need this:

2011-02-27T08:39:00.002-07:00

notice anything in my sneaks? i used a lot of one particular product.

i think when you place your SC order today, you'll need some of these.

there's a $2 off sale on the studio calico manufacturing stamps: natalee ($11), jetsetter ($6), time flies ($6), doilies ($6), and labels ($6) (the prices you see reflect the sale already).

don't forget the new tool to make buttons!

and check out my last post for a shopping list.

sneaking into the woods

2011-02-24T09:22:00.000-07:00

so last week was a good week for scrapping. i just couldn't quite finish the layouts though. all journaling issues. but it finally came together on tuesday and wednesday and i'm done with my SC work! the march kit into the woods will go on sale sunday night, and i have to say the bee stamp in the main kit is my most used stamp ever. i made a gift pack of cards and then used it on another layout as well. such a fun stamp. never would have thought i'd be loving it as much as i do!

This layout uses the main and sunny clearing (i think that's it...) it's a photo-less layout, i've been doing more of them, just documenting memories. i like them.

my cards :) uses the main and sunny clearing.

and the last layout, uses the main, sunny clearing, and mossy knoll.

supplies used include:

stazOn timber brown ink
claudine hellmuth charcoal black paint and modern red paint
pumice stone distress ink (currently sold out)
mister huey sunshine spray ink
faded jeans distress ink

supplies that would coordinate:

mister huey applejack
mister huey lunch tray (with mossy knoll esp)
maya mists hydrangea
JB stick candy
JB lemon drop
mustard seed distress ink
walnut stain distress ink
shabby shutters distress ink
peeled paint distress ink
tumbled glass distress ink

don't forget the zing embossing powders will be in the shop this weekend, and i see many favorite punches (the 3-in-1 butterflies and both clouds!) are back in stock!

working like a crazy head

2011-02-18T13:31:00.000-07:00

why have i never used that title before? i say it often, i'm not sure why i've never used it here. oh well, enough on that.

i have the pleasure of being the sketch designer for the crate paper blog. once a month, i put together a sketch, send it out to the crate DT, work on my own version, post the sketch and various versions on the crate blog, get emails all the next week full of lovely versions of the sketch, then i get to pick a winner. the prize pack is always something coveted by many, usually some brand new crate.

you'll have to head on over to the crate blog for the sketch, but i thought i'd share my card here. it just kind of made itself. that's been happening a lot lately. i did an assignment for SBE this week and it did the same thing. and i've made major headway with my studio calico kit. goodness, i'm in love with the bee stamp. like IN LOVE. i have two near finished layouts, a gift set and two other ideas stewing. and i have a crop on saturday night. i love it when mr. mojo comes to my house.

have a great friday!

with a wee sneak from a march SC add on

2011-02-14T11:42:00.001-07:00

last night was the sneak night over at studio calico. you must go check out the sneaks the other girls made, some beautiful work going on! the kit's called into the woods and it's lovely, i got the mossy knoll and sunny clearing add ons, full of brand new my minds' eye and cosmo cricket goodness. the colors on my monitor don't do this kit justice, the reds, greens, and yellows in this kit are just beautiful. and there's a sheet of woodgrain in the main that i want to dive into, it's soooooo pretty. lots of studio calico exclusives as well, the traditional two sheets of patterned paper (seen below in the promo), plus woodgrain fabrips and labels. it's a great month to start subscribing (email waitinglist at studiocalico dot com) if you haven't yet made that jump. i'm excited to start playing with the rest of it!

i did a couple of sneaks with the sunny clearing add on, this first one i made the puffy top of the birthday hat with the left over string that tied the crochet flowers together. it was a little softer yellow, so i ended up misting it with a squirt of mister huey sunshine: voila, the perfect color!

another using only sunny clearing. i had fun with the modern red paint, it matches the cosmo cricket elements paper so very well.

and if you didn't see this in the newsletter, even if you did, i think it needs to be shared again. so excited to see embossing powder coming to the shop. i love the look!

this week is a busy one, lots of scrapping on the menu. i'll have more into the woods sneaks for you by the end of it though, so that's a good thing! :)

p.s. happy valentine's day!

source: downandoutchic

with a weekend recap

2011-02-13T09:57:00.001-07:00

i woke up in the most pleasant of pleasant moods this morning. i like waking up happy. i'm chalking the good mood vibes up to a great weekend. friday night kel and i went to get indian food. i had the most delicious treat called jewel salad: cucumbers, tomatoes (the ripe kind, the kind that actually tastes like a tomato), mint, yogurt dressing, and some kind of sweet spice. yum. if i'd stopped at that, which i could have, i wouldn't have woken up with swollen fingers. but i had to try some of the chicken curry he ordered medium spicy. and it was worth the swollen fingers. i was good and didn't eat too much of it, but enough to retain water the next day. however, the food wasn't the best part of the night. it was just talking to my sweetie about our future and current states of being. many times a day i'll shake my head at just how blessed i have been to find the very best match for me out there. he's my best friend and i love that we are going in the same direction. i appreciate all the sacrifices he makes for our family. and he's started opening the door for me again lately. i asked him why on friday night. his answer (to remain with me and not to share) made me love him even more. he's a good man (and no, not charlie brown. every time i tell him he's a good man, he'll say, "charlie brown?" goof ball.)

saturday morning was building cleaning. we share our church building with two other LDS congregations, every third month, our ward is in charge of cleaning. the kids got up willingly, maybe not wantingly (ethan's turned into a true teenager who grunts. i had to laugh, he used to be a morning person until just recently. it's kind of cute actually), but willingly, and we got the church cleaned in less than an hour because so many members showed up. usually after building cleaning we'll go out to breakfast (a 4 times a year treat for our family). but this particular saturday, kel had bishop stuff to attend to, so we postponed breakfast. annie and i went grocery shopping and had a discussion about $4.39 deodorant (the kind that she claims smells so very good--my retort is that no one should be smelling your armpits) versus $2.99 for a two pack deodorant (the kind i buy for myself and i know it works just fine). i told her if she wanted the kind that smells so very good, she could pay the overage. she wasn't too keen on that. it's time for her to get a job and buy her own beauty products. she ended up with the $2.39 deodorant that smells pretty good. i love that girl. i'm already counting down to when she goes away to college and it makes me weepy. i still have two+ years. i need to stop counting down and just enjoy.

source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Einstein_Bagels_interior.jpg

when kel got home from his meeting we went to einstein brothers. i love the artwork in that place. so very funky. i got the thin bagel BLT (400 calories mom!) and it was a near perfect sandwich. it was just fun to spend time together. it sounds like we've been eating out a lot huh? i'm still not into home preparation mode after being in LA. i did make dinner last night :)

the rest of the day was filled with the normal saturday things, but it was still a good day.

today is my friend ronda's birthday. she's 40. she's testing it out for me. i like have older friends :) happy birthday dear ronda! p.s. i'm really not worried about turning 40, i hear it's a pretty good decade.

and that's it. it's off to church now. hope today is a lovely one for you too!

loving my doll

2011-02-09T12:07:00.000-07:00

regarding my post of favorite papers at CHA, jamie asked if i still had my doll. yep, i still have her. her eyes, which used to be blue and now gone, don't get freaked out about that, it happens when you combine felt, a 6 year old girl, and a lot of loving over the years. her cheeks are still there, but showing signs of wear. i don't remember giving this little lady a name, she's just my doll. i've always thought i wasn't too into dolls as a kid, but she proves otherwise, doesn't she?

and don't you agree, the sass paper reminds you of her dress, does it not?

cold

2011-02-09T11:43:00.001-07:00

the temp gauge on my computer says it's -3º right now. i know i'm being whimpy, the rest of the country has had soooo much more of winter than we have here in denver, but brrrrr. i found this picture while surfing tumblr yesterday, it's so very happy, i thought i would share :)

s ource: surprised love tumblr

i have more CHA musings for you. today, favorite concept:

SMASH*! this is the scrapbook of your teenage years. they provide the fun little unique book as well as stickers and paperclips and such, you provide the memorabilia. it's what a scrapbook used to be. it's easily translated into the scrapbooks of today as well, it's a great idea and i'm excited because i think it might be showing up at SC someday soon. at least i hope it does. click on the link to see more of what SMASH* is, be sure to watch the video on the right side bar. there's a pen that's a pen on one end and a glue pen on the other. um, cool.

source: SMASH blog

bonus, because that didn't take as much time as i thought it would: favorite embellishments! jillibean is knocking it out of the park this show. (jill and or kimber, you lucked out this time because i happened to have all of these on my list, but next time, pretty please might you post the images separately?)

source: jillibean blog

i loving every single one of the corrugated shapes. the picks, well i can't seem to get enough of the butterflies, and happily, i have yet another source! and the bean blossoms :) i love jill's description of how she came up with the idea. an i love the head band summer made. such a cute idea!

source: summer's blog

i also loved lots and lots at maya road's booth. for instance, these little acylic houses? i guess i'm big on the little this show.

source: maya road blog

and even though nik harper threatened to possibly end our friendship, i do like the zipper ribbon flowers...

source: maya road blog

again, the mini thing. how cute are these mini scallops? i get giddy at the possibilities.

source: maya road blog

finally, i thought of these after seeing their cousins at the last CHA, but since i don't have a source for making them, i'll gladly bow out of the race. i'm just glad caroline has the same brain i do. i'm not sure what i'll be doing with these, but i know i'll be doing. :) so very beautiful!

source: maya road blog

on to one last favorite embellishment:

source: margie's blog

they remind me of an 8 ball, except they don't all have an 8 on them :) fun.

and that's all for today. maybe tomorrow i'll post my favorite alphas...

back from the show

2011-02-08T11:46:00.000-07:00

and boy, this is some kind of cruel joke. it was 60º when i left denver on the 28th of january. i got back to -9º on tuesday the 1st :( and now, it's snowing. brrrrr!

i am in the middle of editing my CHA photos and i find that i didn't take very many pictures of product. so unlike me. so where i lack photos, i pull them off manufacturer blogs instead :)

my favorites of the show? in the category of papers, here are my top five in no particular order:

because that little elephant could not be cuter, and right in the middle of this paper? my initial. as if that wasn't enough to love? sass gave it a B side that makes me swoon. thank you sassafras.

and another from sass because it reminds me of my doll's dress. our house burned to the ground when i was in kindergarten. it happened at night, while we were sleeping. my mom managed to get everyone out of the house safely, it was a miracle, she was held up by angels. i had a holly hobby doll and a teddy bear with moveable arms and legs that didn't make it. in a gallant attempt to ease my loss, my dear aunt linda (who i don't think of as a crafter--sorry aunt linda, but you did come through in a huge way this time!) sewed a doll for me and my two sisters. the dolls are cloth and were made to look like us (WAY before the american girl craze, aunt linda is a trendsetter!), my doll had long yellow hair in braids and a dress that reminds me of this paper. you can bet i'll be making a layout...

are you sensing a trend here? i just really really loved the 70s inspired florals at the show. this is paper from glitz designs, and the soft subtleness of it makes me want to wallpaper my room in it. Thanks to Laura for letting me have a piece :)

this was probably my favorite line. i have to be careful, i usually choose papers for my favorites that i end up not knowing how to use. this whole collection is so basic, i don't think i'll have that problem. it's the sophisticates collection by bella blvd. i think stephanie hit this one out of the park, very useable and comes in a whole bunch of colors. i know i'll be getting the pack. just pretty.

and finally, this paper from fancy pants thoroughly appealed to the whimsy lover in me. one of my all time favorite papers was the 7gypsies text paper, it came out before i got into scrapping and i hoarded the last pieces i could find. this is just a fun.

hopefully this will satiate until i get some more photos edited. i wish it didn't take so long :)

it was a good show, didn't start out quite like i'd hoped, but by the end of the four days i had some very good things happen and am excited about the future!

with a random.org number

2011-01-26T09:12:00.000-07:00

(i snagged this from this blog, just so i'm giving credit where credit is due)

and that would be 23 so i do believe, if i counted right, jamie long is my winner! like this fun graphic i found? i love google images.

jamie long said...

I love the title of your first layout emily

January 24, 2011 8:48 AM

congratulations jamie, you'll be getting the red rub on alpha and green butterflies in the mail soon. please shoot me an email at emilygpitts at gmail dot com so i can get your mailing information to lorie.

thanks to everyone who commented, i hope you had fun on the hop. i know i enjoyed reading all your thoughts. as i was putting together the layouts, i was thinking how i don't use rub ons much anymore, but this new release is changing that. i LOVE how they look! they are soooo easy to apply, you don't even need the popsicle stick really :) and yes, if you're hesitant about adding state fair to your stash, i understand, i was a bit nervous when i had it all laid out in front of me, but now that i've played with it for a few weeks, i have got to say it's one awesome collection. hesitate no more!

introducing state fair from studio calico

2011-01-24T08:00:00.066-07:00

i got to work with the new STUDIO CALICO state fair line for the CHA show this upcoming weekend. it's a very happy and bright collection, one that when i pulled it out of the bag, i wasn't sure i was going to be able to do anything fabulous with. i pushed paper for quite a few hours, questioning my abilities as a designer, but then i started cutting and punching with this 3-in-1 punch (as much as i've been using it lately, i may be making my fiskars' all aflutter butterfly punch jealous) and when i was done, i had two layouts i absolutely love, one for the booth at CHA and one for today's blog hop. it's kind of like a magic trick, not sure how, but studio calico always nails it with their designs, making my pages so pretty and lovely.

for this layout, i worked with bits of the papers tickets please, guess your weight, sideshow, and step right up. i also used the label stickers in blue and the state fair line, as well as the new cardstock alpha stickers called addy in green. but my favorite part of this layout ended up being the red rub-on alphabet. so i'm giving a set away, in red! and just because i can, i'm adding the green graph rub-on butterflies. they make me happy too. check out all the great new products (including the 10 new matching mister hueys!) in the online catalog.

for my CHA booth layout, i got to feature the days of week rub-ons. i scattered them down the side of the page, using the same color blue swiss dot bazzill as the blue rubs, the tone on tone is sooooooo pretty! i also used some wooden buttons and added eyelets to each one (a bit tricky, but with the crop-a-dile, i was able to get the hang of it quickly.) i then just scattered stars, circles, and bits of paper throughout for a casual look.

please leave a comment and make sure you head over to jen's blog to see her layout and what she's chosen as
her giveaway. tell her i said hi! if you get lost, you can always head over to the studio calico blog for links, or i've got everyone listed on the left side of my blog as well.
have fun on the rest of the hop!

the giveaways close on wednesday, jan 26th at 12:00 am EST. make sure you check out and ENTER every single one!

ETA 1/26: my giveaway is closed now. the winner is jamie long. congrats!

recapping christmas

2011-01-19T08:27:00.000-07:00

this last christmas, i decided i wanted a new look for our tree, i wanted to go from the traditional look i had so carefully crafted for the past 7 or 8 years to a fun and whimsical look. i had grand plans. i rarely succeed when i have grand plans, they overwhelm me and i put them off for good. but this year, because mars was aligned perfectly with venus AND the moon, i was able to accomplish said grand plan. :)

michaels had bulbs on sale, and they had FUN colors, turquoise, orange, green, and pewter. add a couple of big spools of wide pink ribbon and the red berries and snowflakes gathered from years past and i ended up with a really happy looking tree, which made me happy. i didn't do a lot of other decorating this year, we had to rearrange our piano and family rooms in order to get the tree in, and i loved how clean it looked, i didn't want to add much else, just the nativity, a banner over the fireplace, a garland woven through the dining room chandelier, some berries placed strategically in my all-year wreaths, a new wreath that was a gift from a piano student, and the kissing ball. annie hunted diligently for that one (perhaps because of a certain boy?). :) i found that keeping it simple really helped the spirit of the holiday be the focus. it was a sweet surprise.

somehow i didn't manage to snap a picture of the whole tree during the daytime, but here are a few shots of parts of the tree as well as the morning twilight shot i did get. you get the idea. i'll take a better picture next year. oh and we'll have a star next year too :) we had this fabulous paper mache/plaster star for years, it was a really huge ornament that we altered by boring a hole in the back so we could stick it on the top of the tree. a couple of years ago, while taking it down, it fell to the ground and shattered. broke our hearts. so the next year we bought a silver wire one, but it just doesn't work with the fraser firs we like to buy, it's made for a big puffy top, so it wobbles fiercely. we decided this year we'd replace it. i kept forgetting. then christmas was over. so next year, maybe i'll make one...

this is christmas eve, with my aperture open really wide

i'll save the christmas gifts for another post. i need to go work out. :)

have a great day!

yep, here i am.

2011-01-18T21:58:00.000-07:00

i was told by a good friend that i need to put a little bit of me back into my blog. so here i am, here i am. things that make me happy right now:

buying a pair of cords that actually fit and don't make me look like a sausage.
buying said pair of cords for 70% off.
knowing there will still be plenty of winter weather to wear said cords.
applying WD40 to my paper cutter arm and having it get rid of the squeek.
learning a bit more about my grandma, realizing that we would have been good friends.
talking to my mom, who is my good friend.
having a mom that's super willing to do things, like scan pictures for me when i need them.
doing interval training and having the hour go by faster than if i were just walking or jogging.
having good friends that can handle emotional cloud bursts from a typically even-keeled me.
indie music.
listening to my kids practice their respective instruments.
holding hands with my husband.

this is my grandma, delila gardener williams at 18. i think she's adorable. my grandpa thought so too and that is another thing that makes me happy. on the back of this picture he says so.

this is me and kelly. i rarely get comments when i change my profile picture on facebook, but this one must be a good one, i keep getting comments. i love this guy. i'm so very blessed. thanks to annie for the photo shoot. and thanks to ethan for attempting it earlier. :)

with a sneaky lick and twist

2011-01-14T13:23:00.003-07:00

studio calico's february kit is now available to peek at. you can't see the whole thing, you have to wait until the 28th, but for now you can see sneaks by the DT by clicking here. i had an epic failure with my printer, but thanks to ronda, i was able to get some photos printed and a couple of layouts finished before sneaks last night. as you might be recognize, that rainbow? it's a studio calico/crate paper exclusive. yep, that's right, crate paper designed some exclusive papers for the kit this month. not just papers, but also a sticker sheet. such fun colors, i can't wait to break into this kit! if you don't already have them, you may want to keep checking back to see when this or this gets restocked, before they sell out AGAIN on reveal night.

hurry over to the blog and enter yourself in the sneak night giveaway, you have until tomorrow. i think barnwood from this line is going to be my favorite!

this first sneak using all LOLLIPOP add on had me debating what part to photograph. i'm enamored with my felt trim flowers AND the pom pom banner. always one to poo poo the banner trend, i do love making them myself and when i saw the trim in the lollipop add on, i knew exactly what to do. it's just SO happy. add paper crush by sass and it's near perfect in my book.

although the first add on LICORICE TWIST isn't proving to be a crowd favorite just yet, i fell in love with it immediately. i know when you see the whole thing and all the sneaks, you'll feel the same way. it's a nice graphic kit and the background stamp is really cool. i loved the bo bunny knit flowers so very much, i didn't use them on this sneak, but do have plans for them :) this one was really fun to put together. those graphic 45 chipboard buttons are so fun!

and if you've missed it, all this past week, the studio calico blog has been showing the TWO new SC releases, state fair and countryside, plus all the extras like mist, veneers, and rub ons. i got state fair to work with, as well as the new mists (5 for each line!), rub ons, and letters. i'm really excited to see how these end up on my pages, i'm falling in love gradually... :)

with the who's who--large print edition

2010-12-29T12:44:00.001-07:00

the studio calico january kit, who's who is up and available! if you've been waffling, i strongly urge you to get it. the SC exclusive papers were absolutely some of my most used and loved ever. that birch wood paper is such a fun neutral, and the B side is the perfect geometric print. i also loved the yellow flower paper, the same design as one paper from the anthology line. it's B side is green woodgrain and a grid, i didn't get that side used, but i know i will! knowing i wanted to use both sides of each paper, i got more SC paper, and that specific add on sold out in minutes! you can still get extra SC paper when you order the more patterned paper add on though :)

the bookshelf stamp has amazing possibilities, i love how it looks in repeat. absolute genius. i wish i could pinpoint what exactly made this kit shine for me, but i can't. it was just an amazing kit.

i ordered the betty crocker add on solely because of these sassafras chipboard stickers. i liked the papers in the kit, but i'd spied these whimsical flowers at CHA and knew they'd be mine. they were well worth the wait. i could have used up both sheets, but had to restrain myself, because with a kit layout, i have to feature other product you know :) i knew i wanted to use the negative space of the chipboard for one of my designs so i popped out all the shapes and put them in a baggie, then misted over the chipboard. i then started adding small bits and pieces until it felt right. this is my youngest sister and her husband, it's kind of a letter to her about what a good choice she made when she said yes to ryan. :)

who's who •betty crocker • mister huey calico white

this next layout made me want to paint everything. i love the whimsical feel of mary englebrite artwork. the whimsical feel of the sassafras chipboard was begging for it. this layout captures something i know i'll forget when my boy is a big strapping man. this is what i love about scrapping.

betty crocker • blank canvas paint • charcoal black paint

this is my lovely sister julia. she's always been the one who loved giving kisses. i was the one who always cringed, so she'd chase me in delight. now we live miles apart and she will always end her phone conversations with a "MUAH!" i finally decided to embrace it. and it's fun to do. this layout just kept evolving, i'd add something, take something away, glue things down, and viola! it was finished. no real strong design element, just a layout i love. the misted butterflies matched the sassafras paper PERFECTLY. if you don't already have lunch tray and sunshine in the mister huey variety, they are definitely ones i use often.

who's who •betty crocker • mister huey lunchtray •

mister huey sunshine • bubblegum mist • stick candy ink

and this one, i think it may be one of my all time favorite layouts ever. i pushed paper around for a few hours, then it finally just worked when i stacked the bookshelf stamp like this. it has the story of how my parents met, she'd noticed him in church, a few weeks later he sat down next to her in sunday school, he started nodding off and over in her direction. she finally nudged him and suggested he put the chair's desk up and sleep on that. he did just as she suggested :) very sweet story.

who's who • fired brick ink

a few months ago i stamped all the inks and sprayed all the mists i have in my possession on a 2x3 card. every time i get a new kit, i pull out my ring of inks and mists and match them to the kit. i pull out all the products that would work so i have them close at hand. here's what i pulled to work with this month's kits (products actually used are under each layout):

lemon drop
chicken feed
mustard seed
shabby shutters
worn lipstick
rusty hinge
walnut ink
bundled sage
pumice stone
peeled paint
blending tool and extra foam pads (for the pink paislee resist paper)
cream MR mist
silver plated MR mist
applejack mister huey
warm calico mister huey
calico cream mister huey

you can order anything from the shop until the 3rd of january and only pay the first shipping charge, so if you've already ordered stuff, the next order will not incur shipping. sweet deal, huh?

finally, did you know studio calico has been teaching classes at CKCs this past year? if you didn't live close enough to attend one of these, you are in luck! there are a few class kits left over, and april's offering them at a great discount! there is an exclusive SC stamp, not available any other place, click on the image to find out more about this kit.

with the who's who family edition

2010-12-22T13:49:00.001-07:00

like i mentioned yesterday, i have loved working with the january studio calico kit. the colors are just HAPPY, the stamps are fabulous, and i love the exclusive papers this month. when i first saw the kit and add ons, i was ho-hum about everything, but the combination of products in the main is perhaps the most brilliant grouping ever, the perfect embellishments to paper ratio. i got the first add on, betty crocker and the vibrant warm colors compliment the main better than i ever would have guessed! it just so happened that all my layouts are about my parents and siblings, i'm still working on my brother's layout, but decided i should wrap things up and get these posted and my work turned in today. if i finish his page tonight, you'll get one more sneak. but here's what i've done so far.

who's who • betty crocker • mister huey white

who's who • fired brick ink

who's who • betty crocker • mister huey lunchtray • mister huey sunshine • bubblegum mist • stick candy ink

whenever i do pages about people in my life, i find that my love for the subject increases. i've spent a few hours agonizing over the design, journaling, photos, etc., and that person has been the focus of my time. that may be part of why i loved my projects so much this month. i have been very blessed in the family arena.

i'll have a shopping list of shop supplies that work well with the kits for you right before reveal, so make sure you come back!

with a calendar winner

2010-12-21T12:08:00.004-07:00

after much randomness, i declare that penny, you are the winner of my giveaway for the 2011 SCT/PageMaps calender! congratulations!

penny said...

This calendar is such a great idea! I already bought one for my BFF, but I want one, too!

December 3, 2010 11:41 AM

please shoot me an email at emilygpitts at gmail dot com and i'll get your information to catherine so she can mail your beautiful calendar out to you.

in other news, i'm having a lovely december, enjoying the slower pace i've prescribed for myself. my christmas tree is decorated and it's CUTE. i changed things up a bit this year, i'll take pictures soon. i've got christmas presents mailed. boxes are arriving from my massive online ordering spree last week. i've been scrapping, but in manageable blocks, i will have sneaks for the january studio calico kit very soon. it's been a surprise hit for me. i like it when that happens. :) but to satiate, here's one of the sneaks that was on the website last week as well a second shot of the same layout.

betty crocker • blank canvas paint • charcoal black paint

for more sneaks from the other team members, click on the image below. i can tell i wasn't the only one enjoying the kits :)

and a layout i did for the crate paper blog, it's based on the sketch challenge featuring our tree from years past (if you have time, you should play along, the prize is very generous!):

and if you're at all wondering what to get for the scrapbooker in your life, may i humbly suggest the gift of inspiration from studio calico? a gift card would satisfy any scrapper's wish list, and it's so easy to do.

conceding :)

2010-12-10T09:38:00.000-07:00

december hasn't been that bad. sigh. :)

it's been busy and full, but in a very good way. and i've learned something about myself.

i got all the cards addressed and nearly every one of them mailed (still have to get another book of stamps for the last few cards, so if you don't get your's until next week, don't panic.) i wanted to make the christmas letter into subway art, all the rage now you know. it was really fun to do and if i could figure out how to make money doing this, i totally would. i love doing graphic work, it's very satisfying to me. i sent out the cards that were printed off last year but didn't get sent out. and it was OK. it wasn't the end of the world, i just added "and 2010" under the printed 2009 :). here they are, if you're interested, the images get bigger if you click on them. :)

i found a majority of the envelopes were already addressed from last year (SCORE! see how close i was?) and i had most of the stamps from last year too. one might look at this as an epic failure, but i really feel like a success this year. the cards are done. the tree is up, which is a good thing. it's not decorated, but i have this weekend. i spent a morning online ordering gifts for the majority of my extended family. i spent another day entering all the addresses into the computer address book. i love to handwrite the addresses, but maybe next year i'll print them instead. it's ok. i haven't committed to making cookie/candy plates for anyone, but i'm not opposed to the idea, if the time permits. i found the flannel that will turn into pajama bottoms for the family. i bought it more than 5 years ago, didn't get it done, put it in a box, but this year i feel like i can tackle that. i know lots of people get new pajamas every year, but i was up to my neck in pajamas after a few years of that tradition, so i stopped. but ethan's jammies are ripped and about 3 inches too short for him now, and mine need some attention as well, so this is the year. i've attended christmas concerts every night this week except for thursday for the kids. i've watched the first presidency christmas message which helped put things in perspective. i've watched elf. so far it's been a good month. and i've learned the following:

the christmas letter doesn't need to include what you did in december, it can be written in november or early december. no one really cares if you went to the nutcracker anyway :) (that's why last year's letter didn't get written, i was waiting for all the fun things to be done, then described.)
i am happier when the christmas letter is mailed before the 10th of december.
it's OK to pay shipping when you buy things on etsy. i'd much rather give a special gift and pay the extra shipping than buy from a big box and send all the presents in one box (the benefit of having your family live in the same area).
childhood memories can make for the shopping of gifts really fun. my sisters are going to LOVE their gifts this year. i think i want one too.
playing winter wonderland--jazzy style--for the 7th grade choir is a good way to catch the spirit of the holiday. you can't play that and NOT feel happy :)

so all in all, things are good and december is going well. i'll stop whining :)

don't forget that today starts the 12 days of holiday giving over at SCT's blog starts today! you will definitely want to check that out! click on the image to head over there.

since i can't skip december...

2010-12-03T08:05:00.008-07:00

i might as well start the month off with a giveaway. :)

the Scrapbook and Cards Today Winter 2010 issue is NOW AVAILABLE! The winter issue is releasing in LSS stores in Canada and the US. If your store isn't part of the Scrapbook & Cards Today program (ask them WHY NOT?!?!?!) or if you don't have a LSS nearby, you can view it on the SCT website.

BUT, there is another FUN item that was released today as well... A 2011 calendar that has beautiful layouts featuring PAGEMAPS!

The 2011 SCT-PageMaps Sketch Calendar is here! From the beautiful design to the stunning artwork, from the techniques to the bonus sketches, from the sponsors that provided our designers with great product to the wonderful practicality of the calendar itself-SCT and PageMaps are thrilled to share
it with you!

This limited edition calendar will be on your bookshelf long after 2011 has come and gone with its 26 never-before-seen PageMaps sketches that will keep you inspired for some time (including CardMaps, too!). This calendar makes a great gift, too! Order by December 14th to ensure your copies arrive in time for gift giving.

And the best part? A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the 2011 SCT-PageMaps Sketch Calendar will be donated to both Canadian and American breast cancer research charities!

i have a FREE calendar giveaway on my blog starting today, friday, december 3rd and ending on friday, december 17th. also, if you would like to order a calendar, you may go to this link to purchase one. but hurry, there are only about 80 left! check out the SCT blog for more opportunities to win. :) and i know a bunch of the other contributors are giving stuff away too (like kimber mcgray, from whom i stole, then edited so she couldn't accuse me of plagiarism, much of this post, hee hee).

leave a comment here on this blog post and i will pick a winner on saturday the 18th. make sure you come back to see if you won!

with eyes shut really tight and fingers in my ears

2010-11-30T22:18:00.001-07:00

if i do that, do you think i can just skip december?

bitte?

bitte schön?

(my german is improving daily. i even know how to add an umlaut. yay me.)

it's not that i don't LOVE the whole idea of christmas, really, i do love the reason the holiday is celebrated, i hold great reverence for the religious aspect of the holiday. but the whole decorating, writing letters, sending out cards, making goodie plates that fail to make it to the neighbors, and hunting for the perfect gift side of the season absolutely wears me out. i just want to enjoy the time with my family. but i also want to include my loved ones far away, so i need to figure out how to incorporate it all into one nice little package. that's the goal this year. wish me luck. i may need a slight attitude adjustment, i know that. :)

in other news:

1. a great thanksgiving break. my parents and sister julia flew out on wednesday night. the only thing that would have made the weekend better would have been picking up melissa and ryan along with david and hope as well. the food was perfect. brined turkey, yum. fresh cranberry relish, super yum. i was only allowed to take 2 pictures (yay for accidently leaving the camera on sports mode!). sleeping in the basement with kelly, just like old times, except we never did live in a basement apartment, but it still felt like we were all alone. :) shopping at the eddie bauer outlet with mom, too funny. and all at an extra 40% off! photo shoot with everyone on saturday, good times. cold weather (not happy dad), golden light (happy me but instant dark glasses for mom, not good for pictures), and lots of antics (thanks to ethan's unusual talent of making one eye bigger as soon as the camera comes out) made for a delightful 20 minutes. i was pushing my luck, but it was worth it.

2. when is 58% a good thing? when it's your EF and it's been as low as 15-20%, which is not good. EF stands for ejection fraction, how much blood the heart pumps out with each pump. a healthy heart is 55-65%. my heart doc was rather pleased with my numbers and exam. and my blood work was good. maybe i should take my meds every day... darn.

3. practicing "winter wonderland" for 7th grade choir on the grand piano is a huge treat. i sound SO good.

4. mr. mailman brought me a box this afternoon. packed full of SCT goodness. may i strongly encourage you to get this magazine? it goes live on friday the 3rd, along with the release of our first ever calendar. TOP NOTCH. be sure to come back to my blog on friday for a chance to win a calendar... oh and check out the SCT blog starting dec. 10th for 12 days of fabulous giveaways!

that cute munchkin on the cover? my friend marnie's little one. you want to eat her up don't you? you can download the magazine for free on the website: www.scrapbookandcards.com

you ARE going to want to visit the blog EVERY DAY from the 10th until the 21st!

5. i'm the guest blogger at SCT this week. my project for tomorrow makes me very happy. i just love how the whole process happened.

6. studio calico's december kit metropolitan is up for sale. i'll post my layouts very soon, but if you haven't already, i STRONGLY suggest you head over and get that puppy. studio and sass collaborated on a couple of the sheets of paper and i couldn't have loved that kit more because of them. hurry, you only have a couple more days.

7. i found this website today. hello.

8. ethan and i are still biking to school. i can't believe it. just add long johns and i am fine.

i think that's it. i'm going to bed. any suggestions for enjoying the holidays will not be turned away. :) have a good one.

throwing lots of images at you :)

2010-11-25T20:17:00.002-07:00

from studio calico:

any add on you want, $2 less. that's a nice thing.

black friday deals :) see store for details:

december kit, by far the best december kit EVER. on sale november 27th at midnight EST. chock full of loveliness, CHOCK.

SC blog giveaway, click on image to be transported to the blog for a chance to win!

and then we have sneaks. i went a little nuts with this kit, i got two addons and a few shop items. here's a preview of the 6 projects that i made...

guess what this one is?

and this is a two pager from our vacation to switzerland, the greys look different, it's really just a problem with my editing abilities :)

another two pager, from the same trip, using the mass transit add on:

i printed these photos to be on another layout, but they didn't work on it, so they got their own page :) love the weekday stamps very much.

the layout that was meant to house the above pictures. it's a concept borrowed from tina aszmus, i really enjoyed making it work for me :)

this last one, LOVE the stamps. this layout uses only the add on busy sidewalks. i think the snowmen in the BG paper are about the cutest.

as far as things i used from the shop, i went pretty minimalist this month, but i did use the following:

AC foam tab circles
This to That adhesive runner
JB stick candy stamp ink (see the snowflake in above photo?)
JB seed packet stamp ink
JB lemon drop stamp ink
Tumbled Glass stamp ink (perfect tone on tone for one of the kit cardstocks)
stazon black ink

and don't forget all the SC elementary products are now available in the shop, as well as mister huey. he's a must have.

with five things

2010-11-05T22:41:00.000-06:00

november is the month of gratefulness around the web. i know it's probably tied to the fact that we celebrate thanksgiving later this month in the states, but i'm glad to have the chance to think about things i'm grateful for. my friend scarlet sent me a link to her project late last week, i decided it looked like a lovely way to join in on the gratitude train (and it gives me a really pretty picture to start my post with, thanks scarlet!).

when november 1st hit, i was all about daily posting on twitter. until day three. so today is the 5th and i got an idea. every five days, i'll post the five things that i was greatful for the previous five days. make sense? and i even made a cute little ditty for my five things:


credits: paper is worn torn journalers from katie pertiet at www.designerdigitals.com

so here we go.

monday: i am grateful for a growing relationship with God. i'm constantly amazed at how good that can be, if i just do my little part.

tuesday: i am grateful for the chance i have to vote. my great great great grandmother was a sufferagist, she worked hard to get me that chance. i rode my bike to the polling station. i was green AND exercised my voice. pretty good day.

wednesday: i am grateful that what goes up must come down. i've been biking ethan to school nearly everyday now since mid august. i've started biking around the lake afterward. the lake is lower in elevation than my house. it's hard to get home somedays. but getting there is a piece of cake, so it reminds me to be grateful that good things can come from working hard. i'm getting some fierce thigh and calf muscles.

thursday: i am grateful for my husband. he is exactly the person i should be married to. i am in awe of him and all he does for me.

friday: i am grateful for a colorado fall, full of beautiful yellows and blues. and even better, it's lasting a long time. it was in the low 70s today. crazy, but nice for biking.

there you have it, my five things. hopefully this will get me to post regularly this month :)