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Taking a lay-low day around here. Both the kids and I have ear infections/strep... so we are dosing up with antibiotics like mad.
Thought I'd pass along a little something for you to think about / enjoy / share yourselves today. Ran across it yesterday on Facebook. What a wise young man.
God's grace is all over him!
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Had some time a few weekends ago to put some layouts together... Thought I'd share.
:)
SOCKS :: A funny story about Macho throwing the baby's socks away when she was just two days old. He was proving a point in marking his turf - in his own not-so-subtle way. :)
LAYOUT SUPPLIES :: Cardstock :: Bazzill Basics Orange Peel Textured White, Patterned Paper :: Echo Park Plaid, Ribbon - unknown, Font :: Avenir, Brad :: Making Memories
SMALLVILLE :: 10 YEARS OF TEENAGE JUSTICE
Been a fan for a long long time. Now that he series has come to an end, it was time to pay a proper tribute. The left side was something I tore out of a magazine AGES ago.... Guess I always knew it would end up in a layout. Or - I just like to hoard random stuff... One or the other.
LAYOUT SUPPLIES :: Cardstock :: Bazzill Basics Orange Peel Textured White, Patterned Paper :: My Minds Eye, Font :: PMN Caecilia
ROXY :: THE CUDDLER
It's really not often that any of my layouts would be totally devoid of journaling. However - I had so many great examples of Roxy just parking herself wherever she felt comfortable that the photos spoke for themselves in this case. :)
LAYOUT SUPPLIES :: Cardstock :: Bazzill Basics White, Patterned Paper :: Echo Park Dots, My Minds Eye Die Cut Paper, Embellishments :: American Crafts Thickers Alpha Stickers, October Afternoon Alpha Stickers, Martha Steward "R" Sticker, Little Yellow Bicycle "Love" sticker, Grey Scallop sticker by Crate Paper, Ticket by Jenni Bowlin Studios, Glue Dots, Fiskars Corner Rounder Punch
15 MONTH VOCABULARY
LAYOUT SUPPLIES :: Cardstock :: Bazzill Basics Orange Peel Textured Cardstock, Patterned Paper :: Crate Paper, Basic Grey, Embellishments :: American Crafts Paper Flowers, Ribbon - the Ribbon Factory, Bottle Cap Inc - large epoxy dot, Fonts :: Raleway, Thermo Web Pop Up Squares, Fiskars Punches :: 2" Round & 2" Square
AN OMAGE TO MY FAVORITE STORE...
Tore out a colorful catalog cover then printed my journaling on a piece of vellum which I used as an overlay affixed with some brads. Punched two little holes in the vellum up top to hang my safety pinned tag. I really like the dimensional effect it had. :)
My honorable mentions.... Brands I also love - but clearly runners up. Intended as page two of the spread... I did the reverse - white border and dark grey/brown cardstock inside matting to create some cohesiveness between the pages.
LAYOUT SUPPLIES :: Cardstock :: Bazzill Basics Textured Dark Grey/Brown & White, Vellum, Avenir Font, Brads by Basic Grey, and miscellaneous clothing tags/catalog paper.
Happy Scrappy Tuesday!
:)
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For some time now I've had a hankerin' to make a piece of art that would serve the purpose of chronicling the heights of the kids as they grow.
I didn't wanna just do the old pencil mark on a doorway - just in case we move someday. I'll wanna take it with us.
My sister in law, Liz made a very cool one for her house - and I've seen a few examples on Pinterest and in catalogs (Pottery Barn Kids, i think?).
At any rate - when I finally got my act together and went to Lowes to purchase some supplies - I kind of went without a set plan in mind, except for knowing approximately how big I wanted it to be. I figured - I'd go - see what kind of materials I could score - and the design would just roll from there.
Let me just say this - it was EASY AS PIE to do this. One piece of wood... some leftover oops paint from the baby's nursery (I can't believe I painted ALL 4 walls this yellow color the first time around. It's beige now - thank goodness!) some Frog Tape, black acrylic craft paint and a small brush and some el-cheap-o aluminum numbers also from Lowes.
The taping off part was the most time intesive thing about it - but still - super easy. A monkey could make this.
Here's how ::
Get some wood - I wanted mine to just fill the side of the bookcase - so I measured the width and bought a 1x8x8. Clark trimmed it down so I would have a nice bit of equal margin on all sides.
Slap a quick coat of primer and color on it - whatever you like. I had some yellow - so I used that. :)
He hung it up with a single screw, drilled through the opposite side of the bookcase.
Hang it up before you mark off the height. Makes it easy - just use a tape measure and start at the floor. Make a bunch of tick marks on the side of it with a pencil - then use a contractors "square" to draw your lines in.
I drew a 5" line on every "foot" mark and a 3" line on every 1/2 "foot" mark. And just kept the little ticks on the side for all the inches in between.
this is what I got...
then I taped off some really skinny stripes and went to town with some black acrylic paint (gloss) from my local craft store.... ya know - the 99 cent job.
Of course - what would a project like this be without a little art direction from my main squeeze - Macho.
I let that dry and removed the tape and learned my first lesson in painting straight perfect lines....
See how yucky and messy? Well - the trick is... after you tape it off - you have to put a coat of your base color on FIRST (in my case the yellow) - right over the tape... THEN the black next. This seals up the edges and anyplace it's gonna bleed through. So I started again - I taped off some thicker lines every 1/2 a foot and went back at it.
First with a coat of yellow...
and then with black... and it WORKED!
Woot.
Looking MUUUUCH better.
Time for the numbers I bought. Turns out I didn't need the 7 after all... but heck - they were just over a $1 each.... so no worries.
I just loved that these were metal and had an embossed effect...
Still... I felt like they needed something - so I went to my scrapbooking stash and tried out some of my colored brads in the little holes at the top and bottom of the numbers. And since I had a hard time deciding which color to go with - I chose 6 different colors.
Once I was happy with that - I broke out some two part epoxy and glued them in place.
Alright - we are cooking now...
And then I took a step back and realized that the little tick marks at the 1" lines were just getting lost - now that I had those bodacious big stripes and numbers on there...
So that meant - more tape and more yellow paint -
A coat of yellow and two coats of black later... it was DONE and hung and looking great!
Again - learn from my mistakes here - and it will take you even LESS time. Seriously folks, this was a snap to do. Just a piece of wood - some paint - tape and some metal numbers.
Now GO!
xo
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Hey guys!
Clark and I visited some friends a few weekends ago. Folks we've known for years. We both have two kids so when we get together there's no frills... super casual... laid back fun... and usually great FOOD.
They too recently invested in a Vitamix and for dinner my girl, Danna, whipped up an amazingly zesty tomato soup. I loved it so much I insisted she send the recipe along.
And now... I'd like to pass it on to you!
Did you know that the Vitamix has such a powerful "engine" the friction from the blade itself can literally "COOK" food? Yep! That's right - you can make delicious soup in 5 minutes flat in the thing.
Just another reason to love it!
Start out with these ingredients ::
First, preheat your oven to 400... and cube up some good crusty bread. Place on a cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil.
Sprinkle with some good parmesan or romano cheese and a little salt and pepper.
Then pop it in the oven for 6-8 minutes.
In the meantime... Chop up your onion and garlic and get them going on the stove in a little bit of EVOO. This is the ONLY additional cooking you need to do.
While that's rolling - add your cans of tomato to the canister.
Next add the sauteed onion and garlic.
A little white wine vinegar...
Then turn the baby on variable speed 10/High and let er rip for about 4 minutes.
Check on the croutons... they should only take like 6-8 minutes...
Now check the soup... should be steamy after about 4 minutes...
Add your seasonings to taste... s&p, red pepper flakes, heavy cream (Lord have mercy!)... blend another minute. Then serve topped with croutons. :)
Here's the recipe :
You can download the recipe HERE.
Interested in purchasing a Vitamix for yourself?
Get FREE SHIPPING with this code :: 06-006644
@ www.getvitamix.com
or call 1-800-VITAMIX and mention the code.
:)
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Hope you enjoyed yesterday's little "teaser trailer."
And now - without further a do....
Before...
Yucky Pepto Bismol pink tile - sparkly cheap countertop and cabinetry...
Who could forget Clark's decor "prank" with the deer...
And the RV-sized shower enclosure. Don't drop the soap! There's not enough room to bend over and pick it up!
AFTER ::
Sparkling white new wainscotted walls and tile floor, new sink, toilet, and reconfigured closet/shower footprint...
Muuuuuuch better.
New vanity - a few accessories and some custom photographic artwork (oh la la!) and the place is all set.
So happy with how this all turned out. Our budget was VERY modest, and as I said in the video - everything but the glass shower door came straight off the shelf at Lowes. Walls, floors, lighting, lumber, paint. All of it was your standard grade stuff.
For us D-I-Y-ers.... we gotta make it look like champagne on a beer budget.
Mission accomplished on this one, I'd say.
Way to go to my master craftsman, husband, Clark Kent! Love you!
:)
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Thought I'd tease just a bit on the final reveal.
iMovie is totally new to me - and totally rad. One more reason to love Apple, I guess.
Enjoy.
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In looooove with him. :)
Have a great President's Day weekend!
Woo hoo - Clark is home for 3 days!
I'm thinking the master bathroom will finally be getting the finishing touches! Much to share on that!
One final video?
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Hope you all have a lovely day today!
Had a little fun last night playing with stamps paper and glue. I always save the jelly jars we go through (All Fruit is what these were from). We eat LOTS and LOTS of peanut butter and jelly in this house so it's easy to stock up on glass jars in a few months time. They are an ideal size to store nice little treats for teachers or a little hostess gift or something - so I hang onto them when they are empty. Just fill it with an appropriate kind of candy or other treat (nuts, homemade oatmeal, trail mix, granola, or even mini lip glosses) - put a cute tag or some embellishments on it and voila. You got yourself something cute and easy and inexpensive.
These jars are filled with sugar coated jelly hearts and are going to preschool today with Macho for his teachers.
Also a very sweet sidenote - the little bugger has been starting to write his name and signed all 14 of his classmates/friends Valentine cards himself. Another little milestone in life now reached.
I sure do wish he would stop growing up so fast.
:)
Here's another little iPhone pic of us yesterday making Valentines.
Kisses kept are wasted;
Love is to be tasted.
There are some you love, I know;
Be not loathe to tell them so.
Lips go dry and eyes grow wet
Waiting to be warmly met.
Keep them not in waiting yet;
Kisses kept are wasted.
~Edmund Vance Cooke
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Best Dressed
Rhianna - in Armani. WOW. Perfection. It's all I can say. Loved the Tina Turner hair with this look. Really - how can you pull off a backless and nearly frontless dress and still look classic? Well, classic/gangsta? I guess you'd have to be Rhianna to do that. And her skin - LORD have mercy. Caribbean queen.
Paris Hilton in Basil Soda. I don't ever like the "model face" that she makes on the carpet - it's too Zoolander - but this dress - WOW - intricate - but super interesting - not overdone in my opinion. I was looking super closely at it as she was being interviewed by Guiliana and I just kept thinking how marvelous it was.
Corrinne Bailey Ray - in Christian Siriano. I think she is flirty and fun. Adorable hair too.
Kate Beckinsale - always always always a goddess. No idea who she is wearing but she looks fantastic.
Adele - gorgeous dress for her shape. Super elegant. Classic hair and makeup. Although in this particular shot - the red lip makes her look extremely pale. She didn't seem so pale on TV.
Julianne Hough - Kaufmann Franco - amazing!
Alicia Keys - she is just flawless in my opinion. Her skin. Her hair. Her voice. This dress was simple - but the statement necklace and killer shoes just promoted the whole look to a best dressed status for me.
Jessie J in James MacDonald - this one grew on me the more I kept seeing it. Once she was in the Glam Cam 360 I was sold. At first it looked like a riveted WW1 airplane but then it looked more like a disco ball - and once I saw the shape on her I was won over.
Worst Dressed
Katy Perry - Her boobs looked HUGE and awful in the grandma cut Elie Saab gown. She needed a little more - ahem - support for the girls. And the matchy matchy hair... Eww. It was like rocker meets grandmas doily. That - and she looked like she had a horrible orange spray tan.
Fergie in Jean Paul Gaultier. First, Lady Gaga did the red lace thing already... and girl, you are looking too severe with that hair and botoxed forehead. Cut it out. You are too pretty for that.
Robyn - platform Timberland Boots a men's Hanes undershort and a satin skirt with an identity crisis... I'm long! NO I'm short! And what is that THING on her ear??? Oh man. I can't even comment.
Taraji P. Henson - if this dress came in a smaller size I could see it on Toddlers & Tiaras. Tack-E!
Nikki Menaj - the little red riding hood thing with the pope - I know it was meant to shock so you can't really say it was a worst dressed because she wasn't trying to look hot. She was this year's "Egg." Her makeup looked gorgeous though!
One that WAS a total miss for me was Carrie Underwood - she was actually trying to look good and just looked BLAH. She looked much better in her performance dress and hair (a black number).
Best Performances
The Civil Wars - LOVE them. Glad they won Best Country Duo. :)
Adele - Felt like her pressure to perform was at a palpable level. The throat surgery that she recently recovered from had everyone wondering if she was going to be the same. It's a big stage - the Grammys - and she knocked it out of the park. Go girl. Glad you won the whole she-bang. Your voice is such a unique and wonderful gift. What a triumph.
And - as a sidenote - her makeup for her performance looked flawless (liked the nude lip better than the red she wore on the carpet) - hope Tanya Burr does a tutorial on it soon!
Bruno Mars - he's so fun and cute. I just wanna put him in my pocket.
Finally....
Jennifer Hudson singing "I Will Always Love You" as a tribute to Whitney Houston. Goosebumps!
Honorable Mentions
LOVED
Kelly Rowland's Hair - loved the natural fro' she was rockin. She's just a total cutie.
Taylor Swift was seriously 10 feet tall standing next to Ryan Seacrest on the carpet. Made me giggle. Thought her dress was beautiful - not a best dress - but certainly beautiful. She is so statuesque and graceful and well spoken. Love her. Glad she continues to be a big winner and a great positive influence on young people everywhere.
Ok seriously though - I really felt like this year's show was such a snooze fest.....
BOOOOR-IIIING on the whole - with a few bright spots.
Tony Bennet, Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Glenn Campbell - a bunch of performances that were just painful... I hit mute.
I remember a few years ago there was a rockin show - Mary J Blige, Rhianna, Bieber. Eh well. Can't win em all I guess.
Welcome to a brand new week party people!
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