Living The Dream

Today...

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Aaah, such great words of wisdom ;) I plan to grab life by the horns today and make every second count. I'm swamped with editing and scrappy projects, so I've got to make today productive. There is still time to enter my Studio Calico CHA challenge...the challenge is to make a layout with at least one circular photo, buttons and polka dots. Super simple! You can post your entry to the Studio Calico member gallery and post a link to your layout here on this thread. I look forward to seeing everyone's pages! Here is my page for the challenge...

Happy Tuesday, friends!! :)

Menu Monday (& Daydream Believer Reveal!)...

Daydream Believer is live!! I loved this kit. I still haven't put it away, in fact, it's all over my desk currently. heee! ;) Here's what I came up with this month...

Goals: 2012 is my main kit only layout for this month. I love how the main kit, on it's own, can be so amazing. If you can't swing an add-on or two, this main kit is TOTALLY doable on it's own too. :) I jumped into the confetti craze here (I blame my friend, Glue;) and also used my Silhouette to cut out the 2012 for the title. 

I think this is my favorite this month...love love love these colors together!! This one uses mostly Stepping Stone. 

My Island Time layout uses a mix of add-ons, but I stuck mostly to Clarksville. Plus the Dear Lizzy chipboard shapes and Remarks sticker books from the shop.

And a quick and simple card. I think I'll save this one for Valentine's Day :)

 

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Another lovely Studio Calico kit in the books....I've just recently gotten a peek at the March kit too and I know it's going to be my favorite kit EVER, so prepare yourselves ;) 

Now onto our menu for the week. I've been slacking in the kitchen again. We've been busy with baseball and my little photog biz is booming, so lots of things have gone to the wayside (i.e...cooking AND blogging :P) BUT, we just got our new patio decorated and furnished and also a new grill, so it's back to cooking for my family this week. The weather has been gorgeous (high 70s), so we're looking forward to enjoying some meals outside. Here's what's on our plates this week...

M- Mediterranean Flatbread - I tried this at Publix last night and it was AMAZING. Looking forward to trying it at home. Not sure if the boys will eat this though, so I'll probably make a plain cheese/pepperoni type flatbread pizza for them to avoid any "ewwws" at the table ;)

T- Chicken Satays & Fried Rice - a family favorite...yum!

W- Grilled Filets w/Mushroom Sauce - who doesn't love steak on the grill...mmmm!

Th- baseball night = sandwich night ;)

F- Skinny Chicken Parm - I've made this a few times now and it doesn't taste skinny at all...so delicious!!

Have you tried anything new lately? I always love to hear new ideas! I'm going to attempt regular blogging this week, so I should be back tomorrow. ;) OH and I've got a fun CHA challenge going on over at SC this week...check out the details here. You have until Saturday the 4th to upload your layout to THIS thread. I hope you'll join me. You could win a $5 SC gift certificate! I plan to share my layout here tomorrow or Wednesday. Happy Monday, friends!!

Studio Calico Daydream Believer sneaks...

Wow, I didn't realize it had been 10 days since I've blogged. Eeek! I knew I was avoiding it, but 10 days is crazy. Sorry about that. Things have been busy. Busy is good and happy though...it's the way we like it around here. :) Anyway, I have lots of things to share...Project Life updates, new layouts, etc. but I'll save that for next week. Today I want to share some Daydream Believer sneaks with you...

This kit is BEAUTIFUL!! It's a very "pretty" kit, which I'm usually not drawn to, but wow it surprised me big time. I was really sad to pack this one up....so much goodness!! I got the Clarksville, Lady Lane and Stepping Stone add-ons. All were so great, but I have to say that Stepping Stone was my fave (helloooo cute alpha stamps! ;) Anyway, ONTO the sneaks...

This first one uses just the Main kit, which is incredible on it's own. Lots of brand new Dear Lizzy product...so fun!

This one uses mostly Clarksville plus some of the Dear Lizzy shop items...how fun is that Dear Lizzy ruffle paper?!! 

My last layout is almost exclusively Stepping Stone...you may have seen it in the sneak slideshow...I think it's my fave this month. :)

And if you didn't see in the newsletter, there are some awesome Studio Calico stamps made JUST for Project Life that you are going to FLIP over....be sure to save some cash for those too. You will find them here when the time comes. ;) 

Project Life {Week #1} & Stretch Your Kit Giveaway!

***GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED! THE WINNER OF AMY TAN'S STRETCH YOUR KIT CLASS IS ELLIE A.!! CONGRATS ELLIE...SENDING YOU AN EMAIL :)***

I went back and forth a million times about whether or not I wanted to tackle Project Life. I'm too busy, I told myself. But then I'd see spreads from Glue or Marcy and be totally convinced I needed to do it too. I finally bit the bullet and ordered the Cobalt kit on December 29th. ;) I'm SO happy I did. It's a big commitment and I already don't have much spare time, but I know it's going to be such an amazing thing to look back on and the boys are already loving it and I'm only one week in! 

I'm taking a relatively simple approach and trying really hard not to be too "matchy", which I have a tendency to do. ;) But I'm going to take Glue's advice which was "it's going to be a long year if you don't give a little". She knows me too well. ;) Week #1 went well...I'm super happy with my spread and I know it will get easier each week once I get into a groove. If you're new to Project Life or just looking for more inspiration, make sure you check out Lisa's 2012: Captured class over at 2peas each month...she was so sweet to ask this newbie to play along for January. 

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So who else is doing Project Life? Anybody come across any great tips/ideas? I'm planning on sharing my PL spreads each week here on my blog and I'd love to see yours too, so leave a link in the comments if you're playing along too. 

Sooooo, I also have a fun giveaway! If you didn't know already, Studio Calico is now offering classes! Nicole Samuels has an amazing photo-a-day class going on right now and the next up is Amy Tan's Stretch Your Kit class. It's sure to be inspiring and a lot of fun. Here's the class info:

Are you ready to jumpstart the way you look at supplies?  Tired of letting your kits pile up month after month without touching them?  Ready to pull out the tools you have on hand and put them to use? Amy Tan is here to help show you how to see the Studio Calico Main kits in new ways and get those supplies onto your pages.  She’s ready to share tips and tricks on making your kit supplies stretch to create beautiful page after page.

Known for her playful and innovative pages, Amy is the perfect teacher to help you stretch your kits.  She’ll walk you through ideas for breaking open those brown paper bags and seeing your kits in a fun new way.  Amy and Studio Calico kits... what a great combination!

Amy is joined by creative powerhouses Kelly Goree, Celine Navarro, and Jen Jockisch who will all share inspiration for using ONLY the Studio Calico Main kit.  You’ll see their process for getting started on a layout, selecting which supplies to pull from the kits, and tips for using their favorite tools and techniques.

START DATE: FEBRUARY 1, 2012          

REGISTRATION ENDS: JANUARY 31, 2012                                           

PRICE: $30.00

Want to win a spot in Amy's class? Leave a comment here and I'll draw and post a winner on Thursday. Good luck!! :)

Wordless Wednesday: Baseball.

If there is one thing he's passionate about, it's sports. He always has been fascinated by baseball, basketball and football especially. He wakes up in the morning and watches ESPN Sportscenter before anyone else is even awake. He's currently obsessed with Indiana Hoosier basketball...he takes great pride in the fact that he and his Dad were both born there and is a true Hoosier for sure. :) His favorite sport to play, however, is baseball. After the fall baseball Little League season , he was invited to join a travel baseball team. It's a big commitment. Lots of practices, lots of games. But he LOVES the game. His team has their first tournament this weekend...it's been so fun watching them practice and get ready for their first game. I can't wait to see how great they do this weekend! 

Not a very Wordless Wednesday, huh? Happy Wednesday, friends!! 

Menu Monday.

The winner of the Ella Publishing Take Twelve giveaway is: Michele H!! Michele, please send me an email and I'll give you all the info you need to download your new ebook! 

I'm a little behind schedule today. Today was Jackson's last day of winter break...he's been out since Dec 21st!! Crazy! I'm definitely looking forward to a bit of quiet time, but I have to say, the past week or so (after the Christmas craziness was over!) has been so nice. Brady had school this week, but he only goes MWF until 2, so it still felt a lot like vacation. I am, however, looking forward to getting back into the routine that school brings. So, with routine in mind, I made a menu for our week and hit the grocery store today to stock up on dinner things and plenty of lunch box things too :) Here's what's on our table this week...

Monday- Mashed Potatoes w/Campbell's Chunky Soup (this is one of our favorite meals from our college/newlywed days...nothing gourmet about it, but it's quick and satisfying! and at least these days, I make the mashed potatoes from scratch ;)

Tuesday- Cajun Chicken Pasta...this looks sooo good! I hope the boys like it. I'm sure Brady will at least eat the noodles and Jackson will love the chicken, so keeping my fingers crossed!

Wednesday- "whatever night"...leftovers, sandwich, whatever ;)

Thursday- Asian Turkey Meatballs & Fried Rice...these meatballs look awesome and Jackson loves any kind of meatball, so I'm expecting this to be a big hit. I've made Annie's fried rice a bunch of times and it always turns out great...I'll do it w/out shrimp this time since we're having the rice as a side. 

Friday- Taco Night! I have some cheese that was BOGO a couple of weeks ago...gotta use it up and tacos (and CHEESE!) are Brady's favorite, so he'll be happy :)

I'm also hoping to find the time to make these for the boys. Might be a perfect afterschool snack tomorrow. Have you made anything new and exciting lately in the kitchen? I'd love to hear anything new you've tried that was really good..I'm always on the hunt for new ideas!

I'll be back tomorrow with a Project Life update. Happy Monday, friends!! :)

Okun Family {Tampa Maternity Photographer}

My sweet friend, Deanna, is expecting a long awaited baby #2. I was thrilled when she asked me to photograph this special time for she and her boys. As always, there's a special place in my heart for Mamas of boys :) 6-year old Max was so great for the camera and I think he's really excited to meet his little brother, Kyle, next month. It was a gorgeous January afternoon (gotta love 70+ days in January!) and the light was just beautiful. Enjoy your sneak, Deanna and Jimmy! :)

a slice of life (& a giveaway!).

My husband will tell you that I'm a little bit addicted to my iphone. It's true, I pretty much am. I love the iphone for all kinds of reasons, but right now I'm crazy for the 4s camera! I've been snapping a lot more photos and paying attention to a lot more of the little things that make up our days. 

Speaking of everyday photos, Ella Publishing has an awesome new ebook out called Take Twelve. The concept is really neat! The goal of the 2012 Take Twelve Project is to take 12 photos on the 12th day of each month for a full 12 months—and scrapbook them! You can join in the fun anymonth of the year, but it officially begins January 12. Get the scoop at ellapublishing.com/taketwelve. Learn more about the history of the Take Twelve project and see the FAQ section.

Ella has generously offered a copy of their new ebook for me to giveaway to one of my lucky readers. I think this would be a great concept to go along w/the 365 project or Project Life. To enter, just leave a comment here. Want a bonus entry? Tweet about the giveaway with a link to my blog and then comment again. Good luck! I'll draw randomly and post a winner on Monday. Happy Thursday, friends! :)

Daniels Family {Tampa Family Photographer}

Nicole is a great friend of mine. She's one of the most hilarious people you'll ever meet. Her family is a hoot and their session was a lot of fun. It was a gorgeous afternoon and I'm so happy to have captured these for her beautiful family. Enjoy your sneak, Nicole and Shawn! 

Inspiration.

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One of the things I really want to FOCUS on this year is finding my LOVE for scrapbooking again. The truth? I haven't been "feeling" it lately. A lot of that comes from being busy...busy with the Mom's group I'm a part of, busy with the photography business, busy with life. BUT, this year I'm going to MAKE time for it. And I'm going to stop making pages just to make them or just to get them done. I'm going to make pages for me, not just to fulfill my DT requirements. I found the quote above on Pinterest and it really got me thinking. I make my best pages when I'm consistently working on my craft, inspiration for the next page comes while working on the current one. I also want to FOCUS on getting back to sharing my pages...here on my blog and in galleries. I want to FOCUS on growing as a scrapbooker. I want to learn how to sew on my pages. I want to let myself be inspired again.

This is a MAJOR reason why I've decided to take on Project Life this year. I need a push to get back into telling stories of our everyday. I need a reason to pick up my camera everyday. I can't tell you how excited I am about this project! I'm getting myself all organized and finally putting my MIL's old card catalog to work :) 

My kit should arrive on Wednesday and I'm all ready to get started! Who else is joining in this year? I'd love to see what you've done so far or how you've organized your supplies, so link me up!

And in the spirit of getting better about sharing, here's a page I made a few weeks ago w/a combo of Memoir and Autumn Press for the Studio Calico blog. It was inspired by this card I saw on Pinterest. I absolutely fell in love with the graphic numbers along the left side of the card and knew immediately that's what I wanted to recreate on my layout. I used my Silhouette to cut out all the numbers in varying sizes, then arranged them randomly along the left side of my layout. I love the way it turned out and even though it doesn't look much like the inspiration piece, it was a fun way to be inspired.

 

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