wednesday . . .

5 years ago today I opened my heart to you.  I carried you home & built a new life around you.  I learned about night time feedings, rocking to sleep, diaper changes, installing car seats, the value of a good teething ring, first bike rides, childhood tears, terrible twos (and threes), fits of giggles, tickle fights, cuddles, story time, holding hands . . .


But mostly, I learned how to love & comfort & smile - I mean really smile from ear to ear.  You are my first born, my sweetheart.


(2006)



(2006)



(2007)



(2007)



(2008)



(2008)



(2009)



(2009)



(2010)



(2010)



(2011)



(2011)



Happy Birthday!!!

tuesday . . .

Seriously - do I ever blog anymore???  Nearly a month - tsk, tsk . . . life is so full right now - so much going on and the 2 little ones needing me so very much lately :)  It is hard to find any time to myself these days - sorry all.  Here's a photo recap of the past few weeks :)


Time playing with cousins . . .





A few family self-timer shots (that's me in the grey sweater) . . .








My niece - so stinkin' cute, right??





Devilish little Nicholas . . .





Looks like someone is thinking about puckering up . . .





Cousins who LOVE spending time together . . .





We headed to the beach after the holiday & celebrated an early Christmas with our closest friends and their family.  Here's Nicholas enjoying part of his present . . .





Sleepyheads and snuggle buddies . . .





Seriously adorable - right???





Brothers finding common ground with Nicholas' racetrack . . .







The boys & some "big boy" racetrack fun . . .





Good friends . . .





Silly times . . .





As you can see we have been busy enjoying life & family & friends :)


Oh & yes, I have been scrapping too - not as much as I might like but I still have plenty to share :)


First up - A Page 4 All Seasons . . . this is my last month designing for them.  While I have enjoyed my time with them, I am keeping my commitments to a minimum these days :)  Check out the December kit - full of Echo Park holiday goodness . . .








If you are interested in purchasing these you can find all the details HERE.


LOTS of Jillibean Soup to share . . .


This layout uses much of the new Hearty Barley line . . . yes, pink on a boy layout but I don't care :)  This line is too cute!!!





Full of Jillibean greens, browns, and yellows - love this color combo . . . 





A fun holiday planner featuring the Christmas Chowder collection . . .














A cute little snowman card made out of Jillibean's new corrugated cardboard sheets - this stuff die-cuts super easy!!!





A different take on the Christmas Eve Chowder line using blues & browns & some gorgeous Petaloo flowers . . .





Oh but there is more people . . . I squeezed in some scrappy time just for me . . . had to dig into my stash of October Afternoon Sidewalk . . .



(based on a sketch by Nicole Nowosad)


And dove into a Cocoa Daisy November kit & some fun challenges during their November crop!!!





Yes, an 8 1/2 " x 11 " layout - I have begun an album for myself & had so much fun with this size layout :)





Off to work on my list of to-dos that is like a mile long :)  Hope all is well out there!!!


- julie :)

tuesday . . .

If I had influence with the good fairy,
I would ask that her gift to each child
be a sense of wonder so indestructible
that it would last throughout life.


-Rachel Carlson





So I love quotes, I mean L-O-V-E them - and finding just the right one when you need it is just the best ever.  I ventured into this little store the other day called The Paper Source.  It is like an adorable little paper boutique (although it is a chain), with stationary, cards, calendars, & crafting supplies.  Don't get me wrong, I love my local scrapbook store & the online stores I frequent - but this was a totally different experience :)  I found a few things but what I was most excited about was a book of quotes called Love Life.  I highly recommend it for yourself or for a gift :)  


I have been working very hard at getting my scrapbook from reorganized.  It really had become quite a disaster & it was impossible to find anything.  I still have a few more things to put away & I need to label all my drawers so in a few weeks I'll have lots of pics to share & some organizational ideas :)  While cleaning I realized I never shared my last assignments for SEI - oops!!!  So here they are . . .


First up, a fall layout featuring their Homestead collection.  Love the rich autumn colors in this line & such gorgeous patterns!!!





Check out these awesome die-cut leaves - I stitched over the embossed veins to add some fun texture to the layout :)





I also used this versatile collection along with last year's Spooks collection to create this fun Halloween layout . . .





The scallops peeking out are actually border strips from the Spooks line :)





And how cute are those pumpkins???  The Spooks collection is actually on sale for 30% at the Sei store - check it out HERE.





My final layout features the gorgeous Silver Lake collection.  I loved the mix of greys, maroon, and kraft together :)  (That's my younger brother with Ryan!!!)





Check out these cute vintage style die-cuts from the collection . . . 





I had these Maya Road wood snowflakes just itching to be put on a layout.  The chipboard circles were cut from a Sizzix die & backed with an assortment of SEI patterned paper.





Oh & my sketch for October . . . simple in design but great to showcase a 4 x 6 or even 5 x 7 photo :)





Thanks so much for reading!!!


ttyl - julie :)