lunch break

...things i love #3

...I told you about the one perfect spiral curl Clara has on the top of her head, right? The humidity of the last week has made it even sweeter:

...we have landscaping and the sweet smell of mulch:

...our porch door is no longer the door to nowhere! And a little boy who loves to say cheeeeeese:

...My first few holes in the walls:

...My "see you later" bowl:

...well, she's not quite Charmer, but we have a new pet. She's a turkey. And she thinks she's ours. We named her Charlie (please note this picture was taken through a screen on the window because I have an irrational fear of wild turkeys):

...and I found my scrapbook desk. It was buried under a pile of paper. And guess what? It's a humongous desk! At least compared to the 2x3 space I was working on at our rental. And I made a few things using Studio Calico's latest kit:

...my studio calico sneak peak this month

...also serves as a sneak peak of our lives right now. BUT I DON'T CARE. Because these boxes? These boxes just mean I am one day closer to not scrapbooking on a 2x4 IKEA outdoor table.

...story hour

...I'm glad the kit was called Story Hour since I can't remember the last time I read a book. I mean, besides Are You My Mother (Charlie's latest favorite).

...storytime

...or Story Hour at Studio Calico. A few sneaks for next month's kit!

I have about 8,207 blog posts rolling around in my head and about zero hours this week. Here's to finding the time. It is leap week!

...the best made plans

...and by "made plans" I mean, the Valentine's craft that mommy actually made. And of course, Charlie woke up yesterday with a fever and that meant no school today. So his classmates will be celebrating Valentine's Day again on Thursday. Luckily, they are two and their memory is about as good as that of a golden retriever, so they probably won't realize it.

I found these crayon rings at Paper Source a few weeks ago. And I'm dating myself with this paper I pulled from my stash. Good ol' Christina Cole. Do all you geriatric scrapbookers (like me?) remember this awesome paper?

...best handwriting

...in honor of National Handwriting Day (thanks to Ken's sister, Katie, for informing me of this important national holiday), I'm happy to introduce you to my latest venture...my etsy store:

(Because now that I'm a SAHM, I need something to do all day besides watch Soap Operas and eat bonbons. What IS a bonbon, anyway?)

In June 1997, my high school's senior superlatives came out in the yearbook. Someone got "most likely to succeed" and someone else got "best looking." My superlative? "Best handwriting." Fifteen years later, I've finally decided to put it to good use, hand-lettering envelopes.

I have no idea if I'll ever sell anything, so that's why it's a good thing our new mortgage isn't dependent on this little venture. I'd love for you to spread the word, if you are a spreading the word type of person.

And, for the record, Charlie and Clara Landers are my most favorite, fictional people to send mail to.

...stretch your kit class giveaway

Are you ready to jump start 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

Click here to learn more and register!

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Leave a comment by Thursday, January 19 to win a spot in the class!

...excess

...I get asked a lot what I do with the stuff I have left over from my Studio Calico kits since my pages are so simple (sometimes snarkily, sometimes not. Is that a word?)

Well, in our rental house, my scrapbook space is approximately three feet by one and a half feet, so there isn't a lot of room to save. I have a bag (the awesome brown ones that all my SC stuff comes in) marked "giveaway" (I also have one marked "for Brooke in Australia" that will some day get mailed to her. But I marked it just in case I get hit by a bus, someone knows to mail it to her. It might get there faster that way). Then I have a bag of stuff to keep, which will get organized once my new space is all set up. Sometime in 2016.

But I do use that stuff. A lot of times for gift tags, cards, etc. These are some tags I made for gifts given to Ken's employees reusing the wood veneer alphabet from the County Fair kit. His staff is 90 percent male, so I know they appreciate the work that went into these. Misting, even!

(Twill ribbon is from here).

...christmas in photos - part one - the presents that weren't for a two year-old

...because it isn't Christmas without some twine (and tags from Elle's Studio):

...studio calico county fair

...I had approximately 23 minutes to scrapbook last month, so I made the most of it with these three layouts from Studio Calico's County Fair kit: