september projects...

lunch box love

supplies

patterned paper, alpha stickers, ribbon & journaling stamp- rusty pickle
cardstock- bazzil
alpha stamps- studio g
ink- tim holts & archival ink

i was originally making these cards for my little guy that just started kindergarten. i put little notes in his lunch every day. so i thought these little, mini notes would be perfect for him. that is until my husband walks by, and with a glint of excitement, says “who are you making those for?” which of course means “ooooo i hope they’re for me”. so i ended up making them for my hubby…who will be receiving them in his lunches over the next week.

who says it can’t snow in la?

supplies
patterned paper, alpha stickers, chipboard, buttons and journal stamp- rusty pickle
cardstock- close to my heart
glitter- glimmer mist
other- thread, ribbon, bling snowflakes and staples

we took this picture last Christmas time when my mum was visiting. it was an amazing night. the highlight was the nightly snowfall. which of course you would never really see in la. there was something magical about it. so mum…i’ll have to mail you this layout…once i get a few more done from your trip. hope you like it xxx.

the winner is...

drum roll please… and the winner, chosen at random is snips and snails! congratulations! please email me with your snail mail info so that i can send you your rusty pickle goodies. thanks to everyone who stopped by over the weekend. it was so nice to have companyJ. i hope you stop back again soon… i’ll be doing other random drawings. don’t forget you can follow my blog or subscribe to it also. that way you wouldn’t miss any giveaways. so, hope to see all of you soon!

rusty pickle blog hop...

friends give you the strength to dive in and the courage to ride the waves

you made it… to the next stop on the rusty pickle blog hop! hope you’re finding some inspiration along your way.

my project is a single page layout using some of my favorite tips and techniques.
1. i love incorporating the title and the journaling all in one. it makes things so much easier… for me. plus i like the way it looks.
2. painting. the brown background paper is actually painted with brown paint. it’s not that i didn’t like the boats it had on it…i just wanted them to be more subtle. so don’t be afraid to paint on anything and everything.
3. scrunching paper: i soaked the yellow sun paper behind the photos crumpled it up into a little ball, let it dry out in the sun and then ironed it. finally I distressed it some more with ink.
4. sewing: come on try it! you know you want to. if you haven’t sewn on paper you must try it! i bet it’s way easier than you think it is.
5. when you think you are out of fonts or lettering…look at your papers. the words “you” and “ride” were cut out from the tropical hangover paper.

so there you have it… some of my favorite things to do on layouts…at the moment lol. oh p.s. i also love staples…why use so much adhesive when you can just staple things on? lol
i hope you enjoy the rest of you blog hopping. your next stop will be the fabulous and fast paced {julie walton} :) i’m sure you are going to love her beautiful project. rumor has it that she is also hosting a fabulous giveaway. speaking of giveaways…i should do one here to! you could win all of the rusty pickle supplies to make this layout and more:) all you have to do is leave a comment and i will draw at random. so you can just introduce yourself…talk about rusty pickle or any other pieces of info you would like to share. it’s that easy! what are you waiting for? leave a comment and then hop over to {julie’s blog}. and p.p.s. thanks for stopping by.

amory's first day of kinder...i can't believe it

the day has arrived…amory’s 1st day of school. i can’t believe 5 years have passed since i held him in my arms as a new born baby…with sweet smelling breath and the softest skin known to mankind. there he was completely helpless…only needing to be loved, fed and changed. i did everything for him. he only needed me and his family. and now here he is, moving outside of our quiet (well to be honest sometimes not so quiet) bubble. i’ve almost seen his every moment and been there for every part up until now. and now it is time to let go and share him with the others. well…i’m not very good at sharing, so this is very hard for me, heartbreaking in fact. i did manage to get through drop off and even the ride home with a smile holding my face up, but now thinking about it and writing about it…makes me realize that life as we’ve know it for the past 5 years is over and a new phase is starting.
we didn’t get there as early as planned this morning, so photos were a little rushed. plus once he saw his friends all he wanted to do was sit by them and hang out. he’s already got a little posse that he calls his friends. so cute i might add. you should see them together. so i know he is in the right place. it’s just that a part of me wishes my arms could be the right place forever.

with the teachers leading an adios…the parents all waved with feigned smiles and took the trek down to their cars and drove off without their kindergarteners…for the first time of the rest of their lives. we were the last out to our car…reluctant to take that walk down and say goodbye. it was just an empty street and us driving away…counting down the hours till i get to pick my baby up. four hours to go…still counting.