wednesday . . .

I've been hinting at an upcoming guest design spot & am finally able to spill the beans today!!!! A little while back I commented on a FB call for guest designers for American Crafts & I was super excited to get an email asking me to design - yay!!!! I have been a HUGE fan of American Crafts products since I started scrapbooking, not to mention my stash of Thickers is growing at an exponential rate - hah!!! The theme I was asked to scrap around was "round" - here are the "round" projects I came up with :)

Be sure to head on over to the American Crafts blog for details on the projects :) Be back soon!!!

ttyl - julie :)

sunday . . .

Today . . .

Today I am at the beach house . . .

Today I am listening to this ridiculously talented voice (she was born in 1996 - say what???) . . .

Today I am contemplating signing up for a course on how to design blogs . . .

Today I am eating a BIG bowl of low-fat ice cream (yes it is 11 am - no judging) . . .

Today I am doing alot of thinking (lots on my mind) . . .

How is your day????

Anyone looking for a sketch & a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to shopsei.com ??? Well the new one for SEI is up - LOTS of layered tags (current obsession of mine) . . .

Here's what I came up with using a mix of the Couture, Corrine, and Spooks collection . . .

Here's a close-up on my handmade tags - super easy by the way . . .

And my title work - yes I broke out the Cuttlebug people!!!!

I decided not to try out again for the 2011-2012 SEI design team - they have been absolutely wonderful to me but I think change can be a good thing sometimes . . . we shall see :) I wish everyone who tried out this go around the best of luck!!!! I still have 2 months of my term left so you will still be seeing more SEI projects & sketches for the next couple months - no worries :)

I recently ordered some of the new Authentique papers - gorgeous stuff!!!! Here is a layout I came up with using the Blissful & Uncommon collections . . .

A close-up on the title work - that cute flower is cut from the patterned paper & I love the little diction stickers they offer :)

And check out these fabulous die-cuts - lots of little pieces to layer up offered with every collection :)

So after creating this - I headed over to my LSS & had to snatch up their fab Halloween & Christmas lines!!! Gorgeous stuff - I put on my Christmas tunes & started playing with their Wonder line ASAP :) Here's what I came up with . . .

Close-up of the title work - LOVE their alphas & again with the diction stickers - couldn't resist :)

Another close-up showcasing a bunch of the fab die-cuts from this collection . . .

Alright - I'll be back next week with pics from the beach & some guest DT projects!!!

ttyl - julie :)

wednesday . . .

Seriously - this may be the longest post ever . . . that's what happens when you wait over 2 weeks to post!!!!

Where in the world have I been????? All I can say is this summer has been crazy & while we have enjoyed it, I am totally ready for school to begin & the routine to set in - anybody with me???? I have LOTS to share but let me start off by showing you the king of "please - no green beans" . . .

Seriously - not gonna do it . . .

Yes, that's right, we are in the world of baby food & while Nicholas pretty much likes everything - it's a no go for green beans - I can't blame him, they don't look too appetizing in that little plastic container :)

Ryan is a busy guy, full of energy & lots of ideas - keeping them both happy throughout the day is still a tricky thing, but I am slowly but surely figuring it all out. Ryan, as I have mentioned before, LOVES science. We found this awesome kit a while back at TJ Maxx & while it didn't look overly promising when I originally found it - I couldn't pass it up for $7.99.

Thank goodness I didn't - it was awesome. It is all about color & began with a number of easy but fun science experiments & ended having them construct the color wheel and use the colored water to "paint" on watercolor paper included in the kit. I totally recommend it!!! I tried to search around to find you all a site you could buy it online but it seems to be out-of-stock at Walmart, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble. I would keep checking back at those sites or look around online - there were a few more obscure sites that had it but I haven't shopped at them so you'll need to do some investigating yourself. He LOVED it!!!!

Now, what else has been going on . . . well Justin & I did slip away (thanks to Mom, Dad & my sisters for making this happen) for 3 days & 4 nights - say what???? Yes, it has been a long time since we have been able to take such a lengthy trip but it was well needed for the two of us, a chance to do a bit of reconnecting, lots of talking, lots of relaxing, and LOTS of fun!!!! Now, believe it or not the scrapper forgot her camera - ridiculous I know. It was a bit hectic leaving & we actually arrived at the gate 10 minutes before the flight was scheduled to leave - against all odds we made it on the plane & to Quebec City, Canada we went . . .

Believe it or not - these were from my cell, with a bit of tweaking from iphoto :) I LOVED Canada - it was absolutely beautiful & so much fun!!!!!!

Now, have I been scrapping, well yes I have - LOTS actually - just so much I can't share yet :) However, I did miss sharing quite a few things in the craziness of the past few weeks so let's start off with some Jillibean Soup, shall we :)

First up is a layout I created using a mix of their lines & of course my favorite corrugated alphas!!!

My favorite thing about this layout is the stitching - I have always been so inspired by Kinsey Wilson, but I just don't have the patience to do all that hand-stitching with thread. Instead - I machine stitched & love the effect it had on the overall layout :) Of course, I couldn't help but layer up a bunch of the JB die-cuts & stickers - LOVE them!!!

There is actually a corresponding sketch to this that is being used as a challenge right now . . .

Join in the fun - check out all the details here.

Again, mixed up the lines quite a bit on this one as well . . . love these pics of little Nicholas enjoying his books . . .

I had fun with these layered circles - just a few punched circles & brads stacked up . . .

Oh & yes, a quick & easy little card - featuring these gorgeous JB corrugated butterflies . . .

Next up, SEI!!!! I just got their new lines in my hands today & can't wait to play with them - totally awesome stuff :) If you haven't heard - they have a design team call going on so be sure to check it out HERE. They are a fabulous company to work for & have always been super sweet & generous!!!! For the month of July we were asked to work with their A Fair Day line. While my last post featured more of a generic-themed layout with this line - I totally went "Fair Day" with this one!!!

There are so many fun die-cuts & borders with this collection - perfect for your fair & carnival pics from this summer!!!

Oh & yes - I have also been working hard at my monthly subscription club layouts over at A Page 4 All Seasons :) I never shared my August layouts with you all - but they were bright & fun featuring Echo Park's Splash & Summer Days collection. Unfortunately - it looks like they are both sold out already :( I thought I'd still share them though . . .

Next up for September is My Mind's Eye Lime Twist & Echo Park's Country Drive . . .

If interested, check the details out HERE before they are gone!!!

I still have more to share - a new SEI layout & sketch challenge this week & 6 more projects I had a blast creating for a Guest Designer spot at . . . well - I can't share til next week - you'll just have to wait :)

Before I go, a HUGE HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my mom. She is simply amazing - there is no one like her. I don't have the words to describe what an impact she has had on my life & continues to have every day she is in it. I know that she impacts my own children in the same way as I see the genuine love they have for her every time they are with her. She is truly what I aspire to be as a mom - LOVE YA MOM!!!

Thanks for sticking with me everyone - hope all is well out there!!!

ttyl - julie :)