Monday's Musings: Daddy's Girl?

I always hear the phrases, "momma's boy" and "daddy's girl."  While we are an equal opportunity family, it has been the opposite for us!  Seriously, Nathan idolizes his father and they are two peas in a pod.  He says that he loves us both the same (and I believe that), but I know he has a thing for his dad.  And Ella, well...she has been all about me.  She lives and breathes for my attention.

Except recently, I see her wanting daddy to tuck her in.  I love to watch the dynamic.  It is not threatening to me...I know our children adore us and we feel the same.  It is just interesting.  Will there be moments or phases in time when they switch between favoring one of us?  or will they come to us and love us for different reasons? 

Do you see trends in your house...do you believe in momm's boy and daddy's girl?  I am curious.  I just enjoy slowing down enough some days to observe the relationships. 

So here is to Ella knowing that Steve is her first love...the man who sets the bar for all others!

He is her number fan....

I used Webster's Pages new Game On line for this...I line the colors in this collection...so much more than just a sport's line!

I adore these photos of the two of them.  As much as I adore all of thenm Nathan, Steven and Ella.  When I take the time to sit back and watch, I see so many moments...

mostly I see love...unfavored, unconditional love!

Behind the Page: Telling Your Story

Do you take the time to tell your story?  Do you scrap your fears, your accomplishments, your celebrations?  Doing so would be like giving yourself a pat on the back or much needed forgiveness.  Your story is as important as your daughter's, son's, husband's and friends'. 

I took some time recently to tell a story.  I didn't use too many words, but the ones I did are important to me.  I am proud of what I have accomplished this past year.  I set some goals and I really stuck to them.  I dug in and shifted my life.  If I can have the will power and self-belief to have worked on myself, then I can overcome anything.  I can become a more even person.  Can keep my patience more.  Can let go of a past that sometimes stands in the way of a future or blocks my ability to live in the present.

Wait...this sounds like a Monday's Musing.  It is all mixing together these days!  I am sharing a page today...a page that has just the right amount of product, heart and sentiment.  A page that was inspired by the goodies I was working with...it evolved because of that!

I love a good theme page and this one is no exception.  This is a new line by Teresa Collins called Everyday Moments...a new direction for her!  I am in love and plan to scrap with it often.  I love the sentiments, the die cut messages and the beautiful color palatte.  The calendar paper led me to think about the past year.  The year where I started out age 40 and decided to make some changes. 

I love the typewriter and the crown.  I love this quote so much!  That button and the little touch of bling!
 

These cute little letter stickers fit perfectly into the date boxes.  I love how they add a touch of pop!  I have used these pictures before, but don't let that be a barrier.

I wanted to keep the page simple so the story could be told.  Just a few embellishments can add a ton!  It helped me to tell my story.

It is a story worth telling....isn't yours? 

Get Your Game On

Happy Wednesday...does anyone else think this week is moving slowly?  We have a busy weekend coming up and I am longing for quiet time.  Actually, I am longing for a cleaning lady.  I need a major overhaul right now.  I have three large boxes full of scrappy things in my office...bits and pieces everywhere.  It has gotten so bad, I just want to pretend it isn't there!

Ain't going to work!

It is time to share a new layout using a new collection from Webster's Pages.  Brandin has designed a playful, yet elegant....masculine, yet usable line called Game On.  I have to say that the traditional pages have me just as excited as the Clean & Simple ones!  I had the chance to play...this line is going to get a lot of use...board games, play dates, girl's night out, sports, cards...love it!

Here is what I made:

I took these photos this past summer...I love seeing Steve and Nathan interact.  They really idolize each other!  The picture on the left makes me heart melt...Steve's hand on Nathan's...precious.  I kept this page simple.  I love the striking navy background...one of the solids in this collection!

To add some movement, I cut the hexagons in a random way and used it as a bottom border.  This hexagon pattern makes me swoon!  Brandin created a whole sheet of playing cards which could be used as a background or can be cut into smaller cards!  And the new accents like the silhouette are great!

And there is a whole sheet of these tickets!  They have all sorts of words...who needs an alphabet when you can make a title from these!  That border along the top is made of new trim!

I am off...a few more deadlines to meet.  Then I may take a week long scrappy break!  Anyone want to come over and help me clean?

Monday's Musing: Be My Guest

I am always so excited and quite humbled when I am asked to be a guest designer.  I received an email a few months back inquiring if I would guest design for a challenge site called Colorful Creations.  The site is cool...different, inspiring sketches, a wonderful community!  I quickly said "of course" and was sent an awesom sketch.

Here is my interpretation!  I turned the sketch and wow, did this come together quickly!  I love the little groupings it helped me to produce!  Please stop over to Colorful Creations, say hi and play along with the challenge!!

Again, I am honored to have been asked!  Nice to be guested!

Happy Monday!

At Home: It Snowed

Okay, I will be honest...I don't have home decor photos.  No, that would mean that my house would be clean enough to show home decor photos.  It isn't.  That is the reality of the situation!

But, I do have pictures from my house today...pictures of two happy kids playing in the snow.  Funny, my kids don't beg me to go outside often.  But...let it snow and they want to go out every other minute.  They stay out until their fingers are red and frozen.

Here is what my Sunday looked like!

Looks fun, huh!



Snowy Day...

It is our first real snow of the winter.  We won't talk about our October snowstorm because it still makes me cringe!  I am sitting here typing and the snow is coming down outside of my window.

How perfect that I am sharing a spring layout...LOL!

This showcases one of the Teresa Collins winter collections, Spring Fling.  This collection is a bit of a departure from her...a new approach on her style.  It is bright and whimsical and...cute!  Teresa has added some smaller die-cut sheets, which are awesome because they are a few styles.  She has circles featured in some of the sheets so I went with that theme!

Circles = bubbles = spring!  I have had these pictures forever and think they are adorable!

See that chipboard butterfly!  I love it!  I have a thing for Teresa's chipboard! To see the other collections and all of Spring Fling, stop by Teresa's website! 

Ahh, that is better...alittle spring cheer on a winter's day!

Thursday Trending: Sneaky Peeky

CHA!  CHA!  CHA!  I am seeing favorites already...noticing trends I will come to adore!

I am so loving all of the sneaks!  Including these beautiful new lines by Webster's Pages!

Palm Beach...look at the chevron and those vintage suits!  That yellow!

Game On, which is on its way to me as we speak!

Oh, all the ways I love Webster's...the traditional and Clean & Simple pages!  There is now something for everyone!

I have a layout to share using the recently released Sunday Picnic!  I made 8 layouts in one week with this collection...it is that addicting!

This one is special because it showcases a really cool connection.  One of my dearest friends, Jenn, has been in my life since I was 23.  She saw me through my very first day and year of teaching, she did a reading at my first wedding, held my hand during my divorce, put up with me as I went through a wild phase, helped me mend another broken heart, saw me find the love of my life, has been an inspiration to me with parenting and now sees me in a blessed life.  And our girls are just about the same age.  They don't see each other often enough...but when they do, they get along great!  I caught these pictures and I love it because it is a little Stacey and a little Jenn!

I made this layout girlie and soft!  I love to combine the calm and linear patterns of Clean & Simple with the traditional Websters...notice the hand cut floral along the bottom!  And that bird...swoon!  This page means a ton....makes me happy!

Just as happy as CHA time....favorite releases include WP, Teresa, Crate (hello, love!!!), Bella, MME and Jillibean!  What lines have you chanting!!???

CHA Release Time!

ah...my favorite time of the year!  I love the buzz in the air around CHA time...everyone all inspired by new collections, new teams and a new start at creativity!

I am liking what I see so far...yummy new Bella Blvd including buttons, loving the new Crate sneaks, the Webster's stuff is AWESOME! and the new Teresa Collins has me so happy!

I adore the Everyday Moments collection...it stole my heart!

See the navy and yellow and all those words...birds, typewriters...I love it! 

And this is my second favorite, Fabrications Canvas!  It has such a fresh and fun color palatte!  Reminds of of summer days and tropical paradise!

I made this layout using the line:

That purple...it is awesome!  I love the addidtion of the solid sheets in this collection!  I am always craving that neutral background to build upon!

So what are you loving this release...let me know so I can buzz right with you!

Monday's Musings: Pinch Me

Pinch me!!!  really...I get to be a part of the Webster's Pages team for another year!

When this past term was ending, I literally felt sick.  Not one fiber of me wanted to leave!  What a relief to get an email from Brandin inviting me back!  I am so lucky to have found teams that have become family!  Teammates I call sisters and friends...I can say that about all of my current teams.

The new ladies are some of my favorites in this industry!  I am in awe, a little scared...LOL! and just plain excited to grow and learn alongside them!  My former teammates...I love these girls...our constant emails and chatting can go on!

Welcome:

To see the announcement, go to the blog!  And be sure to visit daily over the next couple of weeks as we debut all the new collections...AMAZING is all I have to say.  The new Clean & Simple lines...you don't want to miss any of it!

Thank you Brandin from the bottom of my heart!

I can't give a funny title because I am not sure what day it is

Can you tell CHA is here?  LOL!  Busy, busy scrapping...wonderful, beautiful product.  I can't wait to share...

I do have a layout I can post...it reminds me of summer days.  Steven and I were talking last night about how dark it is at 5:00.  It is a bit depressing...I know it will be spring before we know it with summer to follow.

In the meantime, I am scrapping it!

This was up over at the Webster's Pages blog last week!  It showcases the new Sunday Picnic line...isn't the Clean & Simple divine?  The solids are great!  I still want interest so I added several circles.  I have an easy tutorial for how to recreate the blocked circles here. 

This one shows the new bling in this collection!

And a close up of my circles!  I adore the new mini princess petals.  I am sometimes not a flower girl...these little stunners will change that!  It gives that touch without overwhelming!

Off to snuggle up with a hot cup of coffee...it is freezing outside!

Tuesday's Tip

Happy Tuesday!  I am here to share a new layout today.  I will admit that I struggled with this one.  I love the Head over Heels line by Lilybee, but couldn't quite settle on the elements of this layout.  Maybe I have been scrapping too much and my mojo is compromised.  It happens sometimes...we push paper.  Sometimes the end result comes out better than you expect.  And those that don't...you don't share!  LOL!

My first dilemna involved the background paper for this.  The line has amazingly beautiful small patterns that are easy to use as background.  Yet, I couldn't settle on one.  I wanted the music paper and the index card to stand out!  So after trying this and that, I settled on white cardstock.

Next, I had a 5 X 3" photo on the layout.  I had the exact design as this one, but it didn't feel right.  So I went smaller with the photograph.  It just seemed better!

So this was one where I sat on it.  Worked a bit and put it aside.  Looked from afar. Tried different options.  Some take time to brew.  Here is what the layout looks like, finally...

 

I used the January kit from My Scrapbook Nook to make this!  We are hosting a 5 week long crop...awesome challenges, do-able time table and cool prizes.  You should play along!

Maybe that will stop you from pushing paper around!

At Home: What's Happening

Happy Sunday!  I have to start taking some photos of my other spaces including my daughter's room.  In the meantime, I am sharing what is being seen and heard in my house!

Started doing this:

Day one down and it was hard.  Using a stability ball was much more challenging than I thought!  I have been doing P90, P90+, and Insanity and this was still hard!  LOVE it!  I am ready for some new motivation!  I have that "no way will I ever be able to do that" feeling, but...I had that before and now can do those things!  It will be interesting!

Cooking this:

Balsamic-Brown Sugar Pork...Looks delicous and it is healthy!  It is going in the crock pot on Monday...that is our busiest day of the week so I always do a crock pot meal!  Source

Meatball Minestrone Soup...I am doing turkey meatballs!  Might do the orzo on the side so I can only add a bit! 

I need to seriously clean my scrap room...it is sucking the creative energy from me!  I have been creating, but all for assignments so I can't share yet.  CHA is just about here and it all seems to be running late this year!  I need to get my mojo going!

Hope you have a great weekend!

Thursday Trending...On Friday

TGIF!  What a week I have had!  It has been busy and draining...I am quite excited about the weekend!  It has been a while since I did a Trending post...these are the fads, obsessions and trends that have me excited.  Something I have always loved to add to any page involves the sun, the moon and the clouds.

Well, truth be told, I have never scrapped a page with the moon...but I have made lots of suns and clouds!  Those things just make me feel cheerful and happy!  I love how both give the feel of being vibrant and alive!

I used both elements on a recent Webster's Pages layout....Remember.  Today, I share a layout made using the Teresa Collins Carolina Breeze collection!  There is this scalloped paper...rows of yellow with a white lining!  I was drawn in...I thought of the sun.

So I made this!

The sun...made with layers of circles and topped with a brad.  And, of course, the sunbeams in the form of the scallops!  Spread all around the layout!

And, my sunny son who inspired it all...

and allowed me to use one of my favorite trends!  Again....

What is trending in your scrappy live...I would love some new inspiration!

Hope you have a fabulous Friday!