the moments in between

irl // new studio calico

i'm so happy to see the new SC goodies popping up in stores - i have loved working with this line, and excited to see what everyone does with it! for this page, i mixed in some of my april kit leftovers + the exclusive dear lizzy date stamp from story hour. 

i started this page with the ampersand. i used the negative from the cut on my sketchbook 4 page, and it was still sitting on my desk.  when i'm working with a big element like that, i like to find a place for it on the page and then arrange my other elements around it. (btw, sketchbook 4 registration closes TODAY - i love these sketches and refer back to KP's old classes all the time!)

here's what i used to mist the circles along the side. it's what was leftover after punching out the pieces for a new board game. since it's nice thick chipboard, i think it will hold up fairly well - i can't wait to use it more!

InLinkz.com

happy saturday! we kicked the weekend off early - ben had a 9am ball practice. i've been sitting here watching neighbors working in their yards - i suppose it's that time of year. and i suppose i should join them. have a good weekend!

project life 2012 // week 10 mar 3-9

and so we've reached the point in the year where i start to slip behind. i'm doing my best not to freak about it...  but it's time for some good old fashioned get-it-done-fast weeks. not so fast that i hate them when i'm done, but i'm definitely moving faster than usual. no second guessing, just throw it together and put it in a pocket!

week 10 // march 3-9 : out for breakfast, basketball madness, blanket forts, paper airplanes, days off school. meeting marcy. ice cream!

lots of washi tape and stamps this week.

i love this pic of sam.

lots of preprinted journaling cards, too. and handwriting.

i'm kind of in love with the calendar washi tape.

InLinkz.com

i've had some questions from people who want to get started with project life, but are having a hard time getting the page protectors. i wanted to share a few other brands that are making divided page protectors - any of these would work well for a year long album. remember, you can always use 2 3x4 journaling cards in a 4x6 slot to get the same look as using smaller pockets!

doodlebug page protectors

simple stories page protectors

wrmk page protectors

american crafts page protectors

happy friday! i'm ready for the weekend. even if they are saying we have a high of 88 tomorrow, which is made of wrong for this time of the year =P we've got spring chores on our to do list - cleaning out the garage so the kids can get to their bikes & power washing the deck so we can restain it. i know you're jealous. ;)

(project life is a system created by becky higgins to take the stress of of scrapbooking. for me, its a reminder to pick up my camera and capture the everyday. you can learn more about how i use project life here, and you can find all of my project life updates here. if you want tips + tricks to use the supplies you already have in your stash in your PL album, check out my 2012 : captured class at 2peas.)

rodeo swing

i'm a sucker for anything october afternoon. even if i don't know how i'm going to use it. and while there's a lot of neutal pieces in the sassparilla line, i wanted to use some of the theme-y products on a page. there's just one problem. i do NOT have cowboy kids. we're all about super heros and space here. and a little pirates. but pretty much no cowboys.

(rodeo swing // copyright www.twopeasinabucket.com)

and then i came across these photos. and they seemed like a perfect reason to go a little cowboy. =) i love these - they were having a riot doing this. i probably would have scrapped them sooner, but they were taken the day before sam broke his arm. it took me a while to be able to look at them without cringing. ;) this page went together super fast - i basically divided the background in half and made two columns of layered paper. keeping the tones similar makes it all flow together.

InLinkz.com

happy thursday! i've got a question for you all - i'm starting to plan out my next memory keeping monday video for 2peas and was wondering if there was anything you'd like to see or questions you'd like me to answer?? leave me a comment and maybe i can make it happen. =) we woke up to a rainy day - perfect to stay home and get some planning done!

city of lights

city of lights is live! another month, another kit, right? this one is filled with some gorgeous exclusives from sassafras and studio calico, as well as new crate and jenni bowlin. the mix of papers in the main just makes me happy.

i figured such a pretty kit was a good excuse to put myself on a page for once - with three boys, i don't often get to go all out girly. ;) i loved the little arrow section of the Sassafras exclusive patterned paper and used it as a starting point for my page. from there, i added my photo and then filled in with little pieces of PP - playing with different shapes and textures. 

(city of lights)

there's a big decision in alex's future - i wanted to get that down onto a page. the tag pulls out for some hidden journaling - just some thoughts on pros and cons behind the school decision. i have been DYING to have this pattern as a background stamp - sososooooo excited that it happened! i cut out different sized triangles and then backed them with patterned paper. the kesi-art pie chart paper was perfect for the theme of this page - i cut it down to a square and then stitched it in place along with some embellishments and journaling. i used Pinstripe Mister Huey and the Plano mask on the background of the page - both will be in the SC shop soon.

(city of lights + sorbonne + louvre + montmarte)

matthew and i went down to kansas city this month, and spent a few hours exploring an antique mall with 4 floors. some of these treasures came home with us and some didn't, but i figured they all needed to be recorded! i started this page by cutting the "4" with my cameo (Bebas font) and then arranging my photos into a grid. i left a few blank spaces and filled them in with triangles - i'd just been looking at pinterest, it seems triangles are EVERYWHERE right now! i balanced the page off with a couple of larger blocks + some messy stamping, then added sequins and brads.

(city of lights + sorbonne + louvre + montmarte)

InLinkz.com

as always, if you have any questions, please ask away! since i didn't get to use this kit as much as i'd like, i'm planning to put it to use in my next project life week. which i also haven't spent as much time with as i'd like lately. 

sketchbook 4 winner + sneaks

i've got a little sneak peek of my sketchbook four layout. if you're on the fence about this class, i have to say that kelly's sketches are my FAVORITE. i love how open ended they are - they're not like some sketches that are really specific about what size photos you should use or where embellishments should go. they are just the perfect jumping off point for starting any page - and i have to say that the pages i've created for some of her past classes are among my all time favorites. plus, you get 38 sample layouts and a total of 60 sketches for $22. not a bad deal.

i used the april kit from studio calico, city of lights, along with some new take note and abroad - they coordinate beautifully! i also used some of my new gold stripe washi - i love the subtle glitz.

and now to announce my winner for a spot in this class....

meche - keep an eye on your inbox, i'll be emailing you soon! =) thank you to all who entered! and remember, sketchbook four registration closes on 3.31 - that's saturday!

and just a reminder - it's reveal day at studio calico!! the shop update and add-on presale are at noon EST, and the full reveal is at midnight EST. lots of fun new goodies will be in the shop at noon, including loads of new smash and the echo park this & that brads that i used on two of my pages. you'll be able to find all of the new shop items - including the new SC releases - right HERE. here's another little sneak at my pages :

happy tuesday!! alex had a fabulous birthday yesterday - thanks to everyone who sent him birthday wishes! we celebrated with dinner at 5 guys - his choice - and lots of time playing his new 3ds. ;) and that ends our birthday bonanza..  things will be a little low key until may. we need a break from cake. ;)

 

eleven

yep. today my sweet boy is eleven. i'm having a hard time wrapping my head around that. 

he got his nintendo 3ds. it took a lot of saving (he hasn't spent any of his allowance since christmas) + asking for gift cards for his birthday. he was thrilled to go to target and make the big purchase last night. SO proud of him for working towards it - he's definitely getting more responsible in his old age. ;)

our contribution to the 3ds fund was a very big box. filled with balloons. that had dollar bills in them. that was fun to watch. ;) thank you, pinterest, for the idea!!

happy happy birthday, alex! here's to another awesome year.

city of lights sneaks + sketchbook 4 giveaway

hello, paris in the spring time. i've got sneaks for studio calico's april kit, city of lights. i only did three layouts this month - we've had 2 birthdays, a weekend out of town and the boys on spring break in the time since i got the kit. needless to say, i've spent a bit more time making memories than recording them. 

(city of lights)

(city of lights + sorbonne + louvre + montmarte)

(city of lights + sorbonne + louvre + montmarte)

InLinkz.com

and on to the giveaway - i've got a spot in the new sketchbook class at studio calico! here's more info : 

Join Kelly Purkey in another installment of her popular Sketchbook class! Sketchbook 4 is a four week class filled with fresh sketches, easy instructions, beautiful examples, and lots of fun. This class is designed to be used at any time and over + over again when you need inspiration.

Sketchbook is different from any other sketch class out there because Kelly and the contributors offer design tips and detailed explanation of what makes a page work. It's more than sketches - they’ll deliver valuable pointers for creating great layouts.

By the end of the class, you'll have a complete sketchbook of 12 original sketches, 38 layouts, and an ADDITIONAL 38 sketches based on those creative pages. All the examples are brand new layouts, exclusive to this class... you won't see them anywhere else! You will be receiving an example layout from Kelly for each of the sketches, along with two example layouts from a Studio Calico Design Team member and some of your favorite SC Guest Designers.

just leave a comment to enter - i'll draw a winner on tuesday, march 27th. =) if you've already bought the class, SC will refund your fee. registration closes march 31st - you won't want to miss this one!

happy saturday! i'm recovering from a day at an indoor waterpark and then a sleepover with 3 extra boys. we're definitely sending spring break out with a bang. now on to thinking about alex's 11th birthday - on monday. march is NOT a dull month for us.

gardeners' digest // march

the gardeners' digest is a monthly blog hop from the garden girls at two peas in a bucket. we'll be sharing what we're working on, what's inspiring us, and some of our favorite products each month. i'm looking forward to getting a little peek into all of the other garden girls' brains! =)

i bought OA sasparilla with NO clue how i'd use it. my boys are all super heros and space, and not so much cowboy. but i came across some pics that were a perfect fit. =) it'll be up in the garden soon!

i've also had a couple of things go live recently - my 2012 : captured class for march, and a memory keeping monday video - in case you missed them and are interested in checking them out!

totally digging this - it was an email via anthropologie. i added it to the 2peas pinterest boards a while back and can't wait to use it as a jumping off piece for a project. i love the colors + texture, as well as the design.

oh. this.is.HARD this month. so much has come in to the store lately! here's my top 5 of what i'm waiting not so patiently for : 

InLinkz.com

1. light green chevron washi. there's a LOT of tape coming to me, to be honest. i may be addicted. i mean, it's not confetti..  but i DO like it a lot.

2. viewmaster pp. i might have ordered two sheets. i love fun images like this - perfect for this house full of BOYS.

3. instaframes. loved these at cha, and cannot wait to play with them!

4. boy boutique buttons. these are a little pricier than some other buttons, but worth it to me since i know i'll use every single button on the sheet. so many have designs that are too big or just not me - but these are all perfect.

5. calendar smash tape. this has project life written all over it. 

and since i keep talking about washi tape - here's a fun way to use it. i needed to wrap matthew's bday present last night. a few lengths of my favorite tapes over white paper = perfect!

happy thursday friends! it's time for me to send you on to your next stop -the fabulous wendy sue anderson!! here's the entire line up - or if you get lost along the way, you can stop by the new two peas blog at http://twopeasinabucket.typepad.com/! enjoy the hop!

becky novacek 
jaime warren 
kimber mcgray
lynn ghahary
laura craigie
amy heller
nancy damiano 
shimelle laine
jill sprott
amy tan 
jennifer gallacher 
wilna 
lisa truesdell 
wendy sue anderson 
shannon tidwell 
julie campbell

wordless wednesday : down and ready

2 days in KC

friday morning we dropped the boys off at school and then hit the road. we spent 2 days in kansas city, they spend 2 days being spoiled by their grandparents. we left with no real plan. we had a list of restaurants from dawn, and a list of art museums to visit, and that was it. 

on the drive down, i decided that i was going to find some thrift / antique stores. i did a lot of googling when i actually had good phone coverage (there's a lot of edge network between omaha and kansas city). i found a few that looked good, but only one was open while we were in town. but that one, the river market antique mall, was AWESOME. 4 stories of awesome. and odd. and what the heck. and more awesome. i would have happily bought EVERYTHING in the booth where we got the metal drawers below. there was an old lab table, maps, a super cool old school desk, a totally impractical lab stool. bliss.

1) sign bolted to the floor 2) drawers that would have come home w/ me if i could have thought of anywhere they could live 3) sign letters 4) brownie camera 5) GORGEOUS wood piece. HUGE. $462. still at the store 6) some of our treasures 7) old ampersand stamp 8) drawers. the middle set is now on my floor - soon to be rearranged into my space) 9) median sign for the bigs' room

we waited 45min in line at 3pm at oklahoma joe's. and just as dawn promised - TOTALLY worth it.

we wandered the aisles of propspero's books - totally prekids US.

we visited the nelson atkins museum. beautiful building, beautiful art.

we wandered around the plaza and did a little shopping (someone had gift cards + a birthday discount, after all).

we picked up cupcakes to take home to the boys.

we didn't have to remind anyone to be quiet in the hotel halls. and no one woke us up at 6:30. or earlier. all in all - an awesome trip. =)

happy tuesday! after a couple of weeks of sunshine + warm, we've got rain rain rain for spring break. honestly, i can't recall a spring break that WASN'T rainy. i guess we're in for a fair amount of popcorn + movies, video games and legos.