Living The Dream

Officially introducing...

...our newest addition! Our little guy, Sawyer Benjamin Noel, was born March 5th at 10:01am. He weighed 7 lbs 6 oz and was 20.5 inches long (the same EXACT measurements as both of our other boys...isn't that crazy?!). Everything went perfectly and we are SO in LOVE with this boy! He has so far been a DREAM baby...he hardly ever cries (only when he's hungry) and has been sleeping 7 hour stretches at night since week 1! 

 

 

The big boys are loving him and really just can't get enough of him. I've got lots more to share and now that we're getting settled into a regular routine, my plan is to share more here, so stay tuned :) I'll be back with more photos in a couple of days....

One more day...

First things first, thanks everyone for entering the Silhouette giveaway! Don't forget you have until March 8th to order the Cameo, Portrait and/or Designer Software at the discounted prices. Without further ado, the winner of the Silhouette Portrait is.......Jennifer!!

This would be amazing! I am such a fence sitter on this purchase and would love the push over. There are some awesome cut files in the Bright Ideas class that I wasn't able to use without this tool that I would be cutting first thing with this win!

Posted by: Jennifer | February 28, 2013 at 07:46 AM

Tomorrow is the BIG day! The sweet little baby that we have been working so hard to stay put for all this time will finally get his eviction notice. ;) I have to admit, I've been so ready for him to get here these past few weeks knowing that he'd be okay if he were to be born at this point, but now that it's really time, I could use a few more days. ha! Of course now that it's time, I can think of a million and one things I would like to have done before his arrival, but I know everything will be great and those things will get done in due time. The boys are over the moon excited, his nursery is pretty much ready (minus a few details that I still want to add), our bags are packed and we cannot WAIT to see what he looks like! I'll be sure to post photos as soon as I can...be sure to follow me on Instagram if you don't already, as I'll definitely be posting photos there in the first few days :)

Before I head out, just wanted to share quick this layout I made for Studio Calico. Amber and I are hosting the SC blog challenge this week...you can see more info HERE. Be sure to play along if you can! 

 

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great week and I'll be back soon with photos :)

Silhouette Promotion and GIVEAWAY!!!

Do you have a Silhouette? I've had one since it first came out and I use it ALL the time! One of my favorite features is being able to cut out titles for my layouts in any font I want. I also love the ability to use any of the shapes in the Silhouette Online Store as accents for my pages and my Project Life spreads. One of the newest perks of the Silhouette is the Silhouette Designer Software...if you already have a Silhouette, the software can be downloaded and used instantly. The great thing about the Designer Software is that you have the ability to purchase and use shapes (in .svg file form) from other stores and designers. The software also gives you more freedom to create and edit your own designs. I created this layout with some .svg files from Studio Calico. I was able to create my own background w/several different arrow designs and I love the way it turned out. 

For the next week, Silhouette is having a GREAT promotion!! From today (February 28th) through March 8th, you can get an amazing discount on the Silhouette Cameo, Silhouette Portrait and Silhouette Designer Edition. If you've been on the fence about getting a Silhouette, NOW is the time to purchase one with these incredible discounts! To take advantage of this offer, click HERE and enter code CALICO in the promotion code box. 

Now for even more fun, Silhouette is doing a huge giveaway and one of my lucky blog readers will win their very own Silhouette Portrait machine!!!! To enter, just leave a comment here and let me know why you'd love to win one and what you'd be excited to make with your new Portrait. I'll draw a random winner and post the winner on Monday March 4th. GOOD LUCK!!! 

Studio Calico Neverland Kit Reveal!!

Studio Calico's Neverland kit is LIVE!! Oh my goodness, this is one of my favorite kits in a long time. Of course, I love all the kits in their own way, but this one was just incredible. So incredible in fact that the kits sold out in minutes! I hope you were able to snag what you were hoping to get! I'm starting with layouts this month....here's what I managed to put together (despite my crazy nesting going on right now ;) If you have any questions, as always, feel free to ask!

And I did some serious Project Life catching up too with the PL kit! I am so crazy about the PL kits and how they make it so much easier to get these weeks done. After doing one week with just the PL kit, I do mix in things here and there from the other add-ons/kits, but it really has simplified the process for me. :) (The Project Life kit is sold out, but you can sign up for the subscription waiting list HERE)

Don't hesitate to ask questions if you have any! That's all for now...back to nesting...6 days until I have this baby!! :) Definitely come back tomorrow though for a AMAZING giveaway...you will NOT want to miss it!! ;)

BasicGrey True Love!

Good morning! Popping in to share some new pages, but also to share an update. I'm officially OFF bedrest as of last week!! I can't really explain the relief we are feeling to have made it this far, but suffice it to say that it just feels plain AWESOME. :) As of yesterday I am 34 weeks pregnant. We have a scheduled csection date of March 5th to meet our new little guy. I know the time is going to fly by from here on out! Being up and around more and more has been incredibly tough on my body after lying down for nearly 11 weeks. Pretty sure it's because I'm a lot older this time around...oof. ;) It's a small price to pay for my sanity though...being able to get up and do things again, go to my boys' games and practices, have lunch with friends, contribute to the household, etc. has been invaluable for my sanity! 

Now, for some scrappy stuff...BasicGrey's collection, True Love, is now in stores! You're definitely going to want to pick this one up...so pretty and perfect for all kinds of projects, Valentine's Day or not even. For this first layout, I used some instagram photos of the boys making their Valentines for their classmates last year. Having two boys sometimes makes using these girlier lines tough, but I love that this collection has plenty of non-pink pieces and embellishments that make it work for boy pages as well. I pulled out a lot of the red and aqua pappers and embellishments for this one, which makes it much more boy friendly :)

 

Now, with that being said, of course I love scrapping girly every now and then too. ;) This is a photo of my friend's daughter and it was so perfect for this collection. I'm loving the chipboard pieces, especially the arrows and banners!  

 

Also, be sure to take a peek of BG's new line for Joann's, which was featured on the BG blog yesterday. Probably my fave BG collection EVER!! I can't wait to share what I've made :) Happy Tuesday!! 

Studio Calico's Front Row Kit Revealed!

Warning: This post is image heavy! :) 

Studio Calico's Front Row Kit is LIVE!! I had a lot of fun with this one and I'm so happy to have made so much progress and completed FOUR Project Life spreads this month!! This first one uses the Project Life kit only. Since the first week of 2013 included December 31st, I went ahead and included it my first week's spread for the year. I'll proably also go back and include it for my 2012 album as well though too. I LOVED the PL cards in this month's kit...the aqua and yellow with a touch of yellow was a color scheme I was really comfortable with and seeemed to go with a lot of my photos. 

For week 2, I used the PL again plus a mix of product from the scrapbook kit, card kit and add-ons. The Sn@p brand letter stickers are a great size for Project Life and I loved getting so many different colors in the add-on kits. One of my PL goals this year is to use more memorabilia in my album, so for this week I included a good behavior punch card that Brady filled up at school as well as a paint chip for the paint color that we painted the nursery with. 

Week 3 also uses a mix of all of the kits and add-ons. I added lots of text to my photos for this week's spread...I love adding text directly to my larger photos rather than journaling strips. I also included an adorable writing that my Kindergartner brought home from school and some clothing tags from some new baby clothes we bought. :)

I'm still working on my 2012 album even though 2012 is long gone now. I'm using a monthly approach in order to catch up and I've gotten myself through September so far. I used some of the printables and a mix of all of the add-ons and kits for this monthly spread... 

And I also got to play with the scrapbook kit plus add-ons 1, 2 and 3. The Popcorn add-on was my favorite this month! This layout was made with just the main kit, Front Row. I don't often scrap too many photos of myself, but these girls' night outs are such a huge part of my life that I couldn't pass up the opportunity to scrap them. As soon as I saw that cityscape stamp, I knew this was the page I wanted to make! It's hard to tell from the photo, but I embossed the cityscape images with gold glitter :)

I reallllly loved these Freckled Fawn wood veneer quote bubbles from the Popcorn add-on. I inked them up with some Prima Chalk Inks...love the vivid colors of these inks and how easy they are to use! 

One last layout that uses a mix of kits and add-ons. That thick washi tape from the main kit really reminded me of the beach, so I pulled out this photo from last year of my boys at the beach. I love how versatile this kit is. 

Thanks for stopping by!! Don't forget to grab your kits and add-ons while you can!  Have a great week! :) 

Studio Calico Here & There, Snippets & Sundrifter...

Now that CHA has come and gone, I can finally share some of what was keeping me busy at the beginning of the month. :) I am absolutely head over heels in love with Studio Calico's new lines!! There are three new lines...Here & There is my favorite, so I'll start there. :) The papers in this line are graphic, bright and fun and I'm loving the mix of woodgrain with these brigther papers as well. Here I used the one of the new die cut journaling cards (these will also be great for Project Life!) to accent my title...

My very favorite paper from ALL of the releases is that adorable polka dot one at the bottom of this page...it's called Boston and I'm going to order at least 20 sheets of it to keep in my stash!! ;) Also loving the chipboard and sticker arrows and love the way these bright colors pop on a white background!

Next up is Sundrifter! This line is girly and fun and also really great for summer photos. I chose to pair the line w/these adorable photos of my friends' daughters. This line has some really amazing graphic patterned papers, cool wood veneers and those adorable scripty stickers. 

Snippets is so versatile! It would work for girl or boy photos and just about any theme. I pulled out a lot of the greys, blacks, aquas and yellows for this layout about my little chatterbox. The Charcoal and Aqua Thickers from this line are definitely a new favorite for me too! 

Thanks for stopping by! Hoping to share some Studio Calico Front Row kit sneaks in the next few days along with a life update :) 

Back to School!

My boys went back to school yesterday after a long break. It was bitterswet, of course, but now that I'm well into my 3rd trimester of pregnancy I welcomed the QUIET with open arms. ;) All kidding aside, it feels great to get back into a new routine and I love the fresh start vibe of the new year! And of course, I had to document being able to take them to school myself yesterday...exciting stuff! ;)

I've got a couple of layouts to share today. BasicGrey has a great sketch up on their blog...the True Love collection is due to hit online stores any day now. It was perfect for these black and white photos of my littlest....

And with all of the CHA goodies arriving soon, I knew I wanted to play with SC's Darling Dear collection some more...I'm in total love with those funky wood veneer chevrons!! I inked them up here for a fun accent for my layout.

Happy Wednesday, friends! :)

CHA sneaks!

Hello friends!! The past few weeks have sure been a whirlwind (yes, even for a girl on bedrest! lol)! Between Christmas, New Year's, kids being home for break, lots of visitors, CHA work, etc. etc., the time is flying by! <-----That's a dream come true though...thank goodness the time is flying! I'm 31 weeks pregnant as of Monday and after my last appointment, my OB gave me a little bit of freedom. Nothing crazy yet, but I can sit up for part of the day now, get up to make myself something to eat, eat meals at the table with the family, take my boys to and from school, and move around the house "as needed". It's amazing how much just that little bit of freedom has done for me! After 9 weeks of being forced to lie down for 24 hours a day, I am feeling so fortunate for some UP time! ;) In another week or so, I should be able to resume semi normal activity. I have a whole list of things I want to do/accomplish when I can go back to normal, believe me ;) 

So, lots of exciting stuff happening in the scrapbooking world with CHA right around the corner! I'm sure you've seen lots of sneaks, but of course I have some favorites. ;) First up is BasicGrey...I got to make some layouts for their CHA booth and I have to tell you that these are probably my favorite BG lines ever! This one, in particular, is my very favorite...

And another fabulous boy-ish line called Bow Ties that I also fell in love with!! 

They also have a third release called Mint Julep, which is really pretty and perfectly springy!! 

Up next are some Studio Calico sneaks...SC has three new lines debuting this show and they are honestly my favorite SC lines to date too! Sundrifter, Here & There (my personal fave!!) and Snippets...here are a few sneaks. You can check out the full lines on the SC blog!

Lots more to share, but that's it for today...happy Tuesday, friends!! :) 

Studio Calico's Day by Day Class...

I just finished up my assignments for Studio Calico's Project Life class, Day by Day, and wanted to pop in quick and share a couple of sneaks. I'm so excited about this class and looking forward to seeing all of the amazing content from the Project Life DT. Registration ends on Monday, so be sure to sign up soon! The exclusive class stamp set that I showed HERE is still available as well :)

Have a great weekend!! :)