life. photos. scrapbooking.

Well... hey there! And a mini book too!

Hey gang... I know I left y'all high and dry there for awhile. Call it lack of inspiration. Call it work/life overload. Call it pregnancy fatigue... call it whatever you like. 

I've decided that this space isn't going to be about pressure for me. Pressure to write, create, keep up. All those items should be utterly without pressure - if any of it is going to be any good. So I feel like I'll just keep revisiting this place when I feel I have something worthwhile to share.

And today folks... I actually do.

Because my version of "nesting" this pregnancy is basically to work like a bloody hound dog all day and night - I found myself completely caught up with editing and posting and the general running of the business last week. NOT something that happens altogether often... so I utilized my free weekend to dive head first into a scrapbooking project that had been "shelved" yet ready and waiting for me.

I had done maternity mini books for my other two pregnancies... and as a mom - I seriously felt like if I didn't make this happen - I was failing this poor child before his little eyes ever met mine. Red alert - MOM failure - Red alert - MOM failure! I just can't deal with that. It had to get done. And I was so grateful for the time to do it.

I still have a few pages to insert... I just today recieved the gallery of images from my professional maternity photo session with my dear friend, and esteemed colleague, Coty Jones. They are amazing pics, yo. She is an incredible photographer. And I'm a very lucky friend. Can't wait to carefully select the ones that will make their way into this little album. :)

The other piece that is missing from the book - is last Sunday - I was supposed to just have lunch with one girlfriend - but when I showed up to the restaurant - there were 8 more of my friends there waiting to surprise and sprinkle me with baby love. It was just the best, man. I couldn't quit smiling for the next two days straight. I couldn't believe they did that - went to that trouble - and that I didn't have a single clue. It was just great and made me feel super special. 

So those two items - and probably one last big ol' - hey we're leaving to go to the hospital shot will make for additional pages in this album... and I'll have to get around to fancy-ing up the outside a bit too (a challenge since we don't have a name picked out yet for this little guy).

Nevertheless - I was too excited about my progress not to share the following pages with you...

Enjoy!

I started with just a chocolate spined plain American Crafts 3 ring 8x8 album. :)

Hope you all had a great 4th of July!!!!

xo

HILARIOUS!

And I thought the K-Mart "Ship My Pants" commercial was funny....

This one had me howling in my seat!

Enjoy!

 

Pregnant and I Know It.

This was sent to me last night by a friend...

Word up.

 

 

52 Portraits - Week 15

Yes... yes... I need to go back and fill in the blanks a bit... but I somehow managed to shoot and edit two worthwhile pics this week so I thought I'd say to heck with proper order and just post em.

Enjoy!

So sorry Clark...

But I ordered another Emily McDowell print for the kids new bunk room.

I know... I know...

This way - I figure I can put the endearing Peter Pan quote I showed y'all yesterday on the top bunk with Macho... and this very fitting one on the bottom where Miss Thing will sleep.

I just couldn't resist it. It's just tooooooo perfect for my little misfit. :)

Currently Loving :: April 2013

It's been awhile since I've done a Currently Loving post... call it lack of inspiration... call it insufficient blog time.

I swear, guys, I'm not hanging out at home during the day watching soaps!

Pinky promise. :)

 

How about a few things I'm currently loving at the moment?

#1

Marcy Penner....

I'm really loving her scrapbooking aesthetic. Her light, tonal, layered, somewhat minimilist vibe really appeals to me. And when I'm laying in bed at night with the iPad - I sometimes venture over to her Garden Girls page on Two Peas and have a look around and admire her work. Her blog underscores her talent and also gives a nice narrative glimpse into her daily life at home and her process. You should check her out, mos def.

Here's a sample layout of her's that I love... click it to go to her Garden Girls Page...

Marcy's BLOG

 

#2

Avalon Organics Lavender Exfoliating Enzyme Facial Scrub

Really loving this. Found it at my local grocer quite by accident and liked the ingredient list (and lack of yucky stuff) so I gave it a whirl. I must say, I'm hooked, and will be replacing my tube when this runs out. It's a good amount of grit - I use it daily... but it doesn't overly dry or irritate my skin. There are a few essential oils (which haven't done anything to break out my acne prone skin) that replenish/keep the moisture intact when I rinse the grit away.

It also smells fantastic.

 

#3

Ole Henriksen Sheer Transformation Moisturizer

I decided to venture into a few of the other Ole Henriksen products since I love his TRUTH SERUM so much... This daily moisturizer is light and non-greasy. No breakouts after 3 weeks so far... and I think the combo of the exfoliant above and the good stuff in this moisturizer have my skin feeling brighter and perfectly balanced. :)

 

#4

Ole Henriksen Ultimate Eye Lift Gel

This little guy has also been a great addition to my skin care arsenal lately. It instantly cools and reduces any puffiness... and I feel like it's helping with the onset of my crows feet. I've not been using THAT long to indicate a massive wrinkle reduction... but I like this product nonetheless. Trying to stay a little ahead of the game in the anti-aging department never hurts, I suppose.

 

#5

Birkenstock Gizeh Sandals in Cockatoo

With the pregnancy at the 6 month mark, and outdoor temperatures on the rise around here (thank heaven)... I knew investing in a cute but supportive pair of sandals for the summer would be important. While I can't stop the swelling of my ankles - I can combat the problem with good arch support, yes?
I found my pair on Rue La La during one of their flash sales a month or so ago for $49.90 (they are regularly $89.90) - but the site I'm linking you to has a pretty good deal on them too. :)

 

#6

Iced Coffee

Because who wants to drink hot coffee in the springtime anyway?

I like to skip the morning brew and have a large iced in the afternoon instead. Decaf, of course. Don't need this baby jumping around inside my belly any more furiously than it already is.

 

#7

Essie Turquoise and Caicos Polish

I'm really digging this shade. Have had it on my toes for two weeks now and love it everytime I look down. Because it compliments my new Birks, maybe?

 

#8

Pic Tap Go App for iPhone

Been using this app to edit/post my iPhone photos for about two weeks. I love the ability to layer the effects, and adjust the strength of each one. It also allows you to post straight into Instagram or other social media. :)

 

#9

Over App for iPhone

I downloaded this app the same day as PicTapGo... I use it to add text to my iPhone pix... It's super easy.

Below is a pic I edited with PicTapGo and added text to with Over.
Good techy combo.

#FromWhereISit

 

#10

Handmade art from Etsy.

First a little backstory...

Clark is currently renovating one of the bedrooms to house the two bigger childrens.... in anticipation of the new baby's arrival. He is building a swanky new set of built-in-style-bunk-beds complete with a new side closet and under bed drawers (we are more desperate for storage space than sleeping accommodations at this point), privacy curtains, notched out cubbies at the foot of each bed... individually mounted wall sconce reading lights, and a rolling library-style ladder are underway.

Here's a peek at the work currently in progress...

I have purchased a few things for this room (that valance will be adios'd) - namely this chevron style jute rug from Pottery Barn... and these two ombre lumbar pillows - one in green and one in pink from Target (which match, but will look good on a girl/boy set of bunks)...

But the item I am most excited about is this Pinterest find that I bought on Etsy last week.... an 11x14 print by California-based illustrator, Emily McDowell.

This was the last thing Peter Pan ever said to Wendy, before she grew up. And it melts my heart.

I will be keeping a keen eye on Emily's other creations... click the pick above to be taken to her Etsy shop. Love her stuff.

I purchased this distressed frame 11x14 from Amazon which will be arriving this week to put it in.

 

I'll keep y'all posted on the progress as it comes along. :)

Gotta get the two big kids moved in before we can even think about digging out the crib from the attic once more. (YAY!!!)

That does it for this time guys!

xoxo

Katie

 

So heartwarming.

Just thought I'd share.... Watch the Bruins Honor Boston Marathon Victims & First Responders.

Please click the link below to see. BOSTON STRONG!

:)

http://www.thestreet.com/story/11898695/1/watch-the-bruins-honor-boston-marathon-victims-first-responders.html?puc=yahoo&cm_ven=YAHOO

52 Portraits - Week 12

Yeah - so seeing as I'm already up to week 12 with this project and have only shared 6 weeks worth with y'all... I def have some catching up to do.  I'll post a full catchup one on Friday before I really get stuck....

In the meantime - enjoy this week's self-portrait now... and have a good mid-week laugh at my expense. :)

xo

Layout Share

Everyone have an awesome Easter?

Good. Me too.

I thought I'd ga-head and share a couple layouts I was able to put together recently.

I'm not gonna go into all the products I used for them because I feel like in both of these I was testing out a lot of new things...

I wanted to do a layered style "matting" around my photos with some fun combinations of patterned paper. And I was a little heavier with embellishments than normal... but I will speak on a few of the products I was excited to use as we go along...

Mmmmm kay.

This photo was one from the 52 portraits project from back in January. I've been trying to get these printed as I edit and post them online so I have photo materials "at the ready" when I sit down to create a layout. It's so nice to have them on-hand vs. trying to scramble and print them to a specific size on my printer at home (which is on it's last leg and not printing the best quality lately anyway). I find that this method is a real time saver recently. I get them printed in a variety of sizes - which help to dictate the overall design. Vs. the other way around. (i.e. creating a sketch and then printing the photos to size for the sketch).

Here are some close ups...

Ok - in the photo below... see that little gold ink spatter? Yep - it's the Mister Huey's color mister spray inks from Studio Calico. I didn't own any of them and decided with my last "cart-o-scrap" at 2 Peas In A Bucket - it was high-time I try this stuff out. Officially - I'm in love. I have 5 or so colors now and I wanna use them on every layout. Again - super late to the party on this technique... but ehhh.. at least I'm consistent.
The little aqua and white chevron in the photo below was cut out from some duct tape I found on Amazon. Love this stuff. I love wrapping presents in brown kraft paper and using it like gigantic washi tape to hold it all together. :) Fantastic.

Ok - layout #2.... this was another just "around the house" photo... but I totally love it.

I know - can you believe I let him do this in the house? It's his dad's influence. Sooner or later I realize that he's going to pickup a harder ball and put it through the sliding glass doors that he's swinging toward.

I know this.

Again - my aim here was to play with a bunch of patterned papers - without it being overly pattern-y. The chevron "arrows" were just cut from some patterned paper.

Love my good ol' office date stamp from Staples. Use it on nearly every layout. :)

The shipping tag above is also just a plain one from Staples. The stamp is from a great little site called "Cats Life Press." I have several stamps from their site.

On another scrapbooking note - I've been itching to register for this new workshop by my beloved Cathy Zielske over at Big Picture.

CLEAN & SIMPLE : The Workshop

I need another commitment like I need a swift kick in the pants - but how can I resist? It's CATHY!

She's my scrapbooking love guru. She's the reason I fell so madly in love again with this hobby 5 or 6 years ago now. Plus - I feel like the weekly homework assignments will help keep me accountable for cranking out new work... while giving me a design objective to tackle as well.

Check it out.... it starts on Thursday.

 

xoxo

 

 

 

52 Portraits - Twist and Snout

If I look at the camera will you scratch my belly?

Just playing with my new 24mm f/1.4 lens. Me likey.