Acrylic Album

I made this acrylic album last year while on a 3 week business trip. I only brought the basics with me (which was really difficult for me) and used mostly products from the same line to keep it simpler. I do not have the supply details with me, but I will update this post as soon as I find them. I printed all of the pictures in B&W which was really great because it allowed me to use a color combo that I love, but that I rarely use since I have two girls. I really need to print in B&W more often.

This was my first acrylic album and it is by far my favorite mini-album that I have made. I absolutely love it and wish I could take better pictures of it. I tried very hard to keep the next page in mind when making the album, and in hindsight wish I had made it backwards (last page first). Not a big deal, but I am anal like that. Here are a few of the pages.

 

 

The stickles do not work so well on acrylic. As seen above, it has come off in a few places. I still love the little bit of bling though!

More cute things kids say

A couple of weeks ago Megan wanted some candy and Eric told her that she had to wait. When he was out walking the dog Megan asked Me for the candy and I told her that Daddy said she had to wait. She then said "Daddy isn't here, he will not know" and right then Eric walked in the front door. "Oops" Megan said.

(Ok, it sounds much cuter out loud)

Cute things kids say

Lauren (almost 3) talking to Megan (4.5).

You are a big kid cause I am a little kid. I am this big (patting her own head).

Puzzles

The girls have gotten a few puzzles lately and love them! Megan is doing very well at the larger (150 piece?) puzzles and Lauren is good at the 24 piece puzzles.

 

I love puzzles, so it is hard for me not to jump in and help. I can not believe how fast they are growing up! Megan needed a little more help with her puzzle since there was a lot of monochromatic pieces in hers. Lauren did great on her own though! Eric coached her a little to look at the box when she needed help, but she did just fine!

And of course they were dressed like princesses (and Tinkerbell) and their bears had matching dresses on!

Making Crayons

I saw a blog post somewhere that showed how to melt broken crayons into new shapes. I thought that was such a cool idea and we tried it. It was not very successful, though I think it was because of the small egg shaped pan that I used.
The girls had a blast taking all of the paper off of the broken crayons and sorting them into the pan. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture until they were already in the oven.

After a few minutes in the oven at a low temp (These were made a few weeks ago, I can not find the details now) this is what they looked like:

Not very pretty. A little better when they were removed from the pan though. It might have been the mix of crayon types/ brands but they did not work very well. The edges formed an almost clear wax and you had to "color" that off before the color actually worked. Before that happened, 2 of the crayons broke in half.

Oh well, the kids had fun and that is all that matters... right? We have plenty more broken crayons to try this again sometime. Maybe with  a different pan?

A new layout

I finally have a new layout to post! I have had this picture sitting out for a while now, but I was not sure what I wanted to do with it. Frame it, scrapbook it.. too many options! I just love the picture though. So, I was playing around with my Damask Designs stamp set from PTI and some Sweet Blush CS. At first I tried using Sweet Blush ink as well, but it did not show up well. I do not know if I have a bad ink pad, or if that is just the color, but even on White CS you can barely see the sweet blush ink. Versamark worked perfectly though!

The journaling says:
This looks like a father telling his almost son-in-law to take care of his little girl. However, since Dad wanted me to marry Eric before we were even dating, that is not likely. He was probably saying "It's about time!"

I dated it wrong though (it is now fixed). It should be Sep 28, 2002.

Supplies:
Damask Designs Stamps,  Stampers Select White CS and Sweet Blush CS - PTI
Thickers &  Deja Views letter stickers, EK Success border punch, Versamark ink, Prima crystals, pink binding tape (?)

A very full Easter...

We had a nice Easter full of family. That is the best kind, right? Boy is it exhausting though! We went to church, and the girls were actually pretty good.  After church we went to Dwayne's for lunch and the girls had a blast playing with Alana. They had so much fun that they did not want to sit still to take pictures.

 

That is the best that I got. We had a nice lunch and conversation, and then it was off to my parents house for dinner! Mom had Easter baskets for the girls as well, and Dad hid eggs for them to find. The girls LOVED finding eggs! Maybe next year the weather will be nice enough to have it outside.

 

I hope that everyone else had a wonderful Easter full of family and love.

Oh, and Congratulations Jen and John! Welcome baby Rachel!

Good Idea

I have them occasionally. Good ideas that is. This good idea is for working parents who have to travel for business. I was out of town all week last week on a business trip, but before I left I spent less than $50 and put together little gifts for the girls. They had a bag for every night that I was gone that they were allowed to open after dinner. Then they got to call me to tell me what they opened. Most of the items I put in the bags were things they needed or that I would buy for them anyways. The bags themselves were inexpensive colored "lunch sack" type bags found in the gift wrap section of Wal-Mart/ K-Mart/ Target. This is what the girls got while I was gone:

• Thumbelina movie (it had just come out and I was going to buy it anyways)


• New pajamas


• New toothbrushes and toothpaste (at almost 3 and 4.5 they still get excited over new toothbrushes)


• Peeps (My fav Easter candy)


• New flip-flops (Wal-mart - super cheap!)


• New books (Barbie and the Diamond Castle, and Thumbelina)


• New sidewalk chalk

They were so excited about their bags each night and it made it a little easier on them while I was gone. Now I need to collect items for my next trip, I leave on the 28th for 10 days!

Just an update

I am in Carlisle PA on a business trip right now, so no new pictures. I do have some news however.

Last week I finished my MBA!!!!! After 3+ years I am finally done. And, because if I do not brag on myself who will, I did really good! I took my last 2 courses at the same time and earned a 100% in both classes. To top that, my DRP (Directed Research Project/ Thesis) instructor asked for my permission to use my thesis as an example in his next course! I am so proud of myself, and I worked really hard on my thesis.  This was especially hard for me since I really really do not like writing. I am so glad to be done!

I can not believe that it is April 2009 already! This month is going to be a busy one for us. Between my business travel (I go home tomorrow, but head back out here on the 28th for another 10 days), Easter, and then Lauren's 3rd Birthday party we are going to be busy! While I am gone on my next trip Eric has to take Megan in to register for Kindergarten! I am going to have a Kindergartner!!!

I feel like I am forgetting something, but I guess I can always come back and edit this post when I think of it!

PTI Blog Hop!

This is my first Blog Hop and I am so excited that I was able to make something in time! This month's challenge was to make a background using stamps, and show both the completed background and the project made with it.

For my project I used PTI's Damask Designs. I love this set, but this is the first thing that I have made with it! I used PTIs Pure Poppy CS and Versamark Ink to make the background paper.

My project is a box for a set of Thank You cards. I used the new Captured Card Case template by Lauren Meader and I love it! So easy to use, once I figured out how to get my printer to feed the PTI CS. I will also use the background for the Thank You cards, but I have not completed them yet.

Supplies (All PTI unless otherwise noted):
Captured Card Case, My Timeless Templates by Lauren Meader
CS: Pure Poppy, Stampers Select White, True Black
Ink: Pure Poppy
Stamps: Damask Designs, Ambassador Monogram Edition, Simply Stationary
Other: Nestabilities Circle and Scalloped Circle

Rachel's letters

This past weekend I decorated the latters for my friend Jen's baby.  The nursery colors are Pink, White, Black and Red. Jen's favorite color is red so I decided to keep it mostly white and red with a little pink and black. I hope that she likes them!

Metamorphosis Monday #10

Spring is officially here and I pulled out my minimal spring decor this past week.  Here are my before and after's for Metamorphosis Monday!

My entry table before:

And after.. all springified! (I know.. not a word, but I like it!) The only new items on the table are the candle and the white bunny (previously gray, I attacked it with white spray paint). The books are the same, just covered with some scrapbooking paper from my stash.  The picture is of my Mom and her sisters on Easter when they were little girls. I love having all of these old pictures of my parents! The other Easter decorations were from my MIL.

Another Spring Before and After. We have this shelf that was a wedding present that I modified and added the candle holders to. I don't really like it here, but there is not anywhere else to put it.

Before:

And After. I found the plate for a couple of dollars at the Leavenworth Antique Mall. Everything else I already had.

That is my metamorphosis for this week. Check out everyone elses here!

Crafty weekend

I spent quite a bit of time in my craft room this weekend! I will spread out the posts... but this is my favorite thing that I made.

Materials:
Paper Mache Box - Hobby Lobby
Mini album - Melissa Frances
Paint - Ranger Distress Picket Fence Crackle, MM Celery & Asphalt
PP - Chatterbox, Doodlebug (inside mini album)
CS - PTI Hibiscus, Stampers Select White, Summer Sumrise
Ink - PTI Hibiscus, Summer Sunrise, Plum Pudding, New Leaf
Stamps - PTI Wishing You, Just Hatched
Ribbon - PTI New Leaf bitty dot, Hibiscus satin
Other - SU Scallop border punch, Marvy oval punches, Hobby Lobby bling

I have had this box sitting on my craft table for a couple of weeks now and finally sat down to make something with it! I used the crackle paint on the egg and on the cover of the mini album. For the base of the box I covered the front with Chatterbox flocked paper. The back and sides I painted with the MM celery paint, with a bit of the asphalt paint mixed in to match the PP.

I did not like the front of the mini album with just the crackle paint so I cut the PP a little smaller, so that the finish would still show, and put it on the cover.
It is really hard to see in the pictures, but I just love the different textures between the crackle finish, flocked papers and the satin ribbons. Oh, we can't forget the little bit of bling!

Jen's Surprise Shower Gift

Ok... This is what I was working on a few weeks ago that I couldn't share. My dear friend Jen is having Baby #2 and her Mom and Hubby organized a surprise shower for her.

I stamped on some onsies using PTI's Pallette Ink, then heat set with an iron.

Inks used were:
Raspberry Fizz, Summer Sunrise, Dark Chocolate, True Black and New Leaf

Stamp sets used were:
Out on a limb
Women of Life
Boxes Bags and Tags
Limitless Labels
2008 Holiday Tags
Around and About Sentiments
Favor it Baby

Then I decorated a PTI Egg Box to hold the onsies, and for Jen to use as a memory box later. I based it off of the bedding that they chose:

Detail of front

Top of Box

For the Egg Box I used PTIs Around and About Sentiments and Out on a Limb stamp sets
Sweet Blush CS, ran through the cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder
Ink colors: Dark Chocolate, Pure Poppy, Raspberry Fizz and Fresh Snow
Pure Poppy ribbon
"Remember" and "Memories" Rub Ons from stash (I think they are MM)
Heidi Swapp flower colored red with Glimmer Mist, stickles, MM Charm, Misc Jewel

For the card I used PTIs Out on a Limb. and the "Celebrate" sentiment from Damask Designs
Sweet Blush CS, ran through the cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder
Ink colors: Dark Chocolate, Pure Poppy, Raspberry Fizz and Fresh Snow
Pure Poppy ribbon
Fiskars border punch and stickles

I am quite proud of this set. I think that it will fit into Rachels room decor well, atleast I hope so! I based the colors off of the picture online, so I hope that I used the right shade of pink!

Visiting Grandma's Stone

Every day there is at least one mention of Judy in our house, and it usually comes from the girls. Megan will frequently take the picture of her and Judy off of her dresser and hold it. She misses her Grandma, and will tell us all of the time. Lauren has started to do it too... unfortunately I do not think that she really remembers her. She does point to Judy's picture if you ask her which Grandma she misses.

They also ask to go visit Grandma's stone. And any time we drive down Eisenhower Rd they say "That is where Grandma's stone is!" and usually ask to go see it. We take them at least once a month. They like to bring flowers, and I even keep a pair of scissors in the car to cut the stems with so that the flowers sit in the vase nicely.

The first time Eric took the girls by themselves, they hugged and kissed the headstone. All on their own. Megan likes to say all of the letters on the headstone and Lauren likes to run in the grass. Right now there are no other graves behind Judy's and there is a big open area before the next set of headstones start.

As we drive away they always say "Goodbye Grandma! We miss you! We love you!" Again... all on their own with no prompting from us.

I am glad that the girls knew their Grandma for a little while, and I just know that she is bursting with pride that they miss her so much. I am sure that sounds weird... but if you knew Judy you would understand.

 

 

 

I quit...

Well, I decided to give up on Project 365. I have taken quite a few pictures, but have missed a couple of days each week. It was starting to feel like a chore instead of being something fun. I do not see how people can keep up with it for a year!

I did finally take pictures of the girls at "Grandma's stone". I will post those tomorrow.

I need to update my sidebars... when I changed my blog background and header I lost all of my formatting. I should have it fixed soon though!

Another Baby Gift

Since I am on a baby gift kick this week, here is another baby gift that I made this past summer.

Sorry for the flash glare! I decorated a plain white gift bag with PTI papers and stamps.

CS/Ink/Ribbon: PTI Summer Sunrise, Spring Moss
PP: PTI Bitty Baby Blessings
Stamps: Limitless Labels, Borders and Corners, Oval
Other: Nugget Tin, Egg Box - PTI; Threading Water Border Punch - Fiskars; Oval punches- Marvy

In the egg box (only the lid is shown.. for some reason I did not take a picture of the egg box alone) I put some baby washcloths and soap along with a gift card to BRU.

Baby gifts

I need to work on a baby gift for a friend. I made the name letters for her son's room, and she is pregnant with a little girl this time! I am excited to make the letters for Rachel's room as well, I just need to get to a craft store to actually buy the stuff!

I did get to play in my room this weekend, but I was making a different gift, and can not post it until after it is received.

In the meantime... Here are Eric's name letters:

His room is done in a Classic Pooh theme, with dark wood furniture. I actually bought a crib sheet so that I could match the colors.

Thank you Jen!

I am so lucky! Yesterday I received a package in the mail. I am expecting a stamp set, so at first that is what I thought it was. Imagine my surprise when I found this in the package:

(**Disclaimer: They were tied prettier... and I forgot which one had the button...)

And look what was inside...

My friend Jennifer decided to surprise me and get me the necklace and earrings that I was drooling over in a post last week. I am so blessed!

Thank you Jen. You made my day yesterday! I will get Rachel's letters done this weekend hopefully...

Metamorphosis Monday #7

I forgot to plan my Metamorphosis Monday! My favorite Metamorphosis is actually not a home improvement/ decor one, but still special and I would love to share it.

I can not find a before picture on my computer right now, but I will update this post when I find the CD.  Picture a traditional wedding dress...

this is what it looks like now:

Megan

 

Lauren

We had my wedding dress turned into a Christening gown! We sent my dress to Little Miracles and had her custom make the christening gown. We also had a boys "christening romper" and hat made out of it at the same time since we knew we would have more than one child. Since we had 2 girls the romper is waiting for future grand-babies to wear. Now I can say that both of my girls have worn my wedding dress.

The outfits were made from just the skirt of my wedding gown. The bodice if the gown is still completely intact, so should the girls decide that they want to, one of them can have a wedding gown made with my bodice.

I was nervous to send off my wedding dress... but I am so glad that I did. It isn't like I was going to wear it again. And I didn't have the space to store it.

So. That is my Metamorphosis to share for Metamorphosis Monday. Click on the butterfly to see what other's are sharing today!