Little Embellies

I finally got around to buying some smaller circle punches and decided to put them to good use. As I sat and watched Mildred Pierce while Anna was at school I threw together these little doodads made from scraps.

Now I think I need a star punch so I can make a few boy themed ones to keep on hand.

Waiting on Blue...

This is the first layout I've done for the baby. I just had to have all of the Crate Paper Toy Box collection and as soon as I got it in, I made this layout.
And just so you know, Anna is not giving up on naming the baby Blue. She doesn't see how there could ever be any other option. My poor kid is going to be Blue for the rest of his life.

How it started.

Robert used to send Anna postcards from his trips. Then he started buying t-shirts at airports. She's got one with a camel, a bear, a cactus, and now......two with cows. And both are related to cow tipping.
I'm not sure that I'm liking this new trend.

Little dark from the cloudy day, but I'm too lazy to photoshop it.

10 Randoms.

1. I've ordered so much online in the past couple of weeks that I now have my credit card number memorized. Considering that I just recently memorized my driver's license number, I'm guessing this means I've ordered too much.

2. Ink stinks. Literally. The ink in my printer stinks. And when I'm printing lots of pictures or pages with pictures, the entire office stinks.

3. I could live off chips and dip. Preferably french onion or the ranch that you mix up yourself. Yum.

4. Kind of bummed that I introduced Anna to ranch dip today. Now I have to share.

5. This pregnancy is hard. I'm trying to pretend that it's just because it's a hard pregnancy and has nothing to do with the fact that I'm 3 years older, 10 lbs. heavier, and in way suckier shape than I was when I was pregnant with Anna.

6. Stretch pants can only stretch so far.

7. I got a lifetime supply of pretty paperclips for only $1.37 at Target. It's the little things in life that excite me.

8. I actually have a plan in my head for the baby's room. And I am pleased to announce that it includes none of those creepy-because-they-are-too-cheerful giraffes that are always on little boy things.

9. I'd consider being a polygamist if the other wife loved to cook and clean and didn't sleep with my husband.

10. Hanging picture frames in a grid is not for me to do. Hanging 6 frames took about 13 holes and some sticky puddy.

Saying goodbye...

I loved Big Love. I've watched every single episode. And now it's gone. Don't know how I'll make it....

Photo Strip Fun

I love photo booth pictures. I don't know why I don't do them more often. This one is a little grainy and cheap looking (aren't they all?) but I knew I had to do something with it.

 

All of my papers. stickers, and journaling tag were from Echo Park and the cute feltie is from Basic Grey. Super fast when you use everything from a kit!

Anna: Want me to tell you a joke?
Me: Sure. (Even though I know what it's going to be because it's always the same one that makes no sense.)
Anna: What do camels do when their feet get hot?
Me:  I don't know. What?
Anna: They go to the desert!!!!
Me: Ah ha ha ha. That one never gets old. (yeah right.)

Cheap? Lazy?

Am I getting cheap or lazy? Because the last 5 or so layouts I've done have been done using scraps that I have sitting in front of me.
We'll call it economical and frugal. Yeah. That sounds better.

Good thing

It's a good thing I'm having a boy. I don't think I could handle anymore pink, which is why my Valentine layout is black, green, and red.

 

And this black background with the white writing? That makes me think of a chalkboard. And that makes me think of a wall in the baby's room painted in chalkboard paint that we could doodle on. And Anna could draw him pictures......cute? or weird?

Book Inspiration

There was a challenge over at Scrap Chicks to use a book cover as an inspiration for a layout. I think I might have cheated because I picked a book cover that already looked like something I might do.
It's not that I cheated, just that I have a particular style that runs through all aspects of my life, right? Yeah, that sounds better.
Here's the book

And here's my layout!

 

Of course I tried to line up my text so it wouldn't print on that red line, but even after 3 practice runs, it didn't work. I gave up. I don't know how people have the patience to print on lined journaling tags and little do dads. I did a little editing to the photo to get it to more vintagey looking, but other than that, it was a super simple layout.

Basic Grey paper, Martha Stewart butterfly punch, MME button, MemoryWorks letter stickers, and some scraps of ribbon I just pulled out of the jar.

Faster!

I loved this picture so much that I had to print it out and make a layout with it. Now too sure it's my favorite - a little too yellowy-orangey for me, but it's done and it works! I really wanted to title it "whee", but I didn't have a "w." When in the world would I have used a "W"?

Patterned paper-MME, Crate paper, ?, Letters-American Crafts, Flowers-Sassafras, Brads-My Mind's Eye, Border Punch-EK Success

Let's Try This Again

She refused to take any pictures unless she got to take one laying in the grass.

Getting Anna in the mood to sit still and smile a normal smile, not that ridiculous 3 year old picture smile that usually comes out, is hard. I managed about 5, maybe 6, minutes with her before she was done. And out of the 60 or so shots I took, these were the only ones that weren't terribly awful.
I think we are going to try again next week.

Whee!

 

I love this picture, even though it's terribly blurry. She loves going fast, she loves being up high, and she loves going down a slide as fast as she possibly can.

Let the Stressing Begin

Now that we've told everyone that I am preggers and we are having a boy, I can start thinking about the nursery. And I need to think about it quickly. We want new carpet upstairs, but we want to paint before we get the new carpet (we are accident prone around this house). And we can't paint until I get a color picked out. And I can't pick out a new color until I get the bedding. Whew.
So I'm stressing. I spent so much time in Anna's room that I want to make sure I pick something that I'm still going to love in a year. Well, more than a year actually, because this room won't be changed for a pretty good while. And because I spent so much time in Anna's room, I never want to see pink or green anything again.
I don't want to go with animals because a lot of our bouncers/swings/things are jungle themed and that would be too much.
I don't want sports because I don't particularly like any certain sport enough to stare at the memorabilia for a year.
I don't want trains, well, just because. I don't not like them, but I don't like them. Ya know?
So here's my thought. A no theme baby room. Black, white, cream, with accents of red and/or blue. Vintage/modern. (Is that possible?) Clean, simple, and no knick-knacks.
Here's my inspiration room from Sadie Olive .

I'm thinking, though that we are going with a black crib because we'll have cream floors (this room has black wood *swoon*). I've already ordered a vintage printer's tray and found some red ticking sheets. 
It's a start.

Imitation is a form of flattery, right?

I love this layout. Like, really love it. And that hasn't happened in a long time. Too bad I don't remember where I stole the idea from. And I do mean stole. Like straight up, used the same flowers as she did. I did use different paper strips, although I put them in about the same place. And I even used little ink droplets like she did.

So thank you, whoever you are, for such a great layout. I'll be stealing more of your ideas if I ever remember who you are!