Friday, July 25, 2014

Pinterest Fave Five

On the last Friday of the month, I post five of my favorite pins. I then attempt them during the following weeks and share with you my "Nailed It" moments.

This Weekend Brunch Casserole combines all of my boys' faves...crescent rolls, sausage and cheese.
 And this sketch, created by Cheryl Even...going to have to put it to use. It is totally my style - linear and clean.
And this...what a brilliant idea. Will have to see if I can fit a tube of Neosporin in with the bandaids. Perfect for camping and for the beach.
 This cowl...looks like a super easy pattern and a quick knit. It's never too early to start on X'mas gifts and/or winter wear, right?
And last but not least, I find that I love the 30 day fitness challenges that abound on pinterest. This one looks like a good one to try for the month of August. Join me?

Monday, July 21, 2014

Weekend Wrap-up

Nice weather plus the desire to be more active and unplugged led us to quite a bit of outdoor adventuring this past weekend. Saturday, we hiked Mt. Wachusett...where the boys, all three of them, left me in their dust with their longer legs. I am officially the shortest one in the house now :(

Sunday, we took our canoe out to our favorite spot and I offered free mom fishing charters. I rowed and they fished. That is definitely the best way to fish on a canoe. This one here was actually directing me to certain spots, Jori was nice enough to go on a super short ride and the husband took turns with me.
Before all this took place, Saturday morning I headed out to meet Cris Q and her sidekicks for a photo shoot. Location was beautiful, weather (cloudy) was perfect and they were so much fun to photograph. Just one pic to share...I had to, it's just so dreamy...and my all time favorite shot.
We're off on more adventures this week so I may or may not be on here...don't miss me too much.

Friday, July 18, 2014

I am

loving having the summer off to play with my scrappy supplies and hang out with my boys.

looking forward to a vacation planned for next week.

reading The Fault in Our Stars

enjoying the neighborhood library branch down the street from our house.

listening to "Bailando" by Enrique Iglesias.

working on designing layout kits for the fall.

harvesting raspberries from my backyard garden daily, and watching spunky baby squirrels scamper right up to the bushes and sitting there eating said raspberries!

delighting in the baby bunnies that have made an appearance in our backyard.

grateful they (bunnies) haven't found their way into my vegetable garden





Thursday, July 17, 2014

Product Spotlight: Prima chalk inks

Have you seen these chalk inkers? I was introduced to them by a customer and love them. I was disappointed with the quality of my ex-fave chalkers and these babies are my new BFF's! They have a pointed end to get into nooks & crevices, sponge is soft & smooth and are durable.
The handle makes it easy to hold and I love that I can leave the cover on the table and stand them up as I work. No having to lay them face up so I don't get ink everywhere.
What are they used for? I use them to distress the edges of my papers and elements. It helps with definition and gives the embellishments a little grunge look. Chalk ink is smooth and dries almost immediately and doesn't smudge on paper.
They retail for $2 and are available in all colors. Check them out in my booth come september.

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Garden Tales 07.15.14

The rain came down in sheets today interspersed with plenty of lightning and loud crashes of thunder. Obviously I didn't head outside to take any pictures today so I'll leave you with this pic of my ripening raspberries taken on Monday. I can see lots of red in the raspberry bushes and am hoping the squirrel doesn't get to them before we do. 

Monday, July 14, 2014

Weekend Wrap-up

We wrapped up baseball over the weekend...Darin's all-star team got smoked in the district championships friday night. It was really cool watching them play under the lights and a SUPER MOON. He worked hard on the team and also had a great time. The best way to end a Little League career, I think.
We also wrapped Jori's Babe Ruth and AAU seasons with a double header on Sunday. Same thing for this guy...he had a great season and adapted well to the bigger diamond.
Saturday, Jorge and I headed out for a run in the morning and then spent the day working around the house. The big project of the weekend was taking down the old play set and getting started building a tree house. A certain someone has big plans for it and has been spending his evenings drawing up plans!
The boys are at basketball (on to the next sport) camp all this week and I'm planning on spending my time in the scrap room. Stay tuned!

Friday, July 11, 2014

Flashback Friday

Another new feature on my blog...flashback friday. This is when I'll post about past events or old layouts or anything I feel like reminiscing about.

This is one of my all-time favorite layouts. Every single time I come across it, I stop to look at the photos and read the journaling. This is why I scrapbook...to remember these fleeting moments. Nothing fancy about the layout, Cosmo Cricket papers and Fancy Pants Designs felt embellishments, but it says it all him, his art and his words (Age 4, in preschool and learning about owls).  Journaling reads...
What a Hoot!
learning about owls at preschool, you learned
- owls are knock-journal
- if you ow-eleen (owling), you have to be ery very quie and if you don't see any, bring a flashlight
- one kind eats bats (really?) and to he bats try to knock it out of the tree so it can eat them



Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Garden Tales 07.09.14

Seeing fruits ripening...actually ate a delicious warm raspberry right off the bush. Plenty more to come :)
The veggie garden was too small to fit everything so I'm experimenting and planting in the ground and in containers, zucchini, yellow squash, jalapeno and butternut squash, in the front of the house. I also think there is more sun out front than in my backyard.  We'll see...
And the insects are loving it too...ants in my lavender and spiders in the clematis "seeds?"




Monday, July 7, 2014

Weekend Wrap-up

The boys had 2 days off from baseball and with Arthur heading up the coast, we decided last minute to head west to Rochester NY. Jorge has cousins out there and they were having their 2nd annual family softball game...ages 2 and up. If you can't run, the young'uns will run for you, can't field...not a problem. It was my first time playing softball and it was a blast.

The day ended with fireworks by the river...we actually had front row seats (almost) and it was walking distance from an aunt's house.

Saturday, we headed over to the bowling alley for some bumper cars, laser tag and other shenanigans. It's always so amazing the boys and their cousin pick up from where they left off even if it's been years since they've seen each other.
11, 13, 13, 12 :)
Sunday was spent working in the yard...them cleaning up and me planting more veggies and flowers. How was your holiday weekend?

Friday, July 4, 2014

Around Here

The theme has been baseball and more baseball with some summer thrown in the mix. We have been embracing the beautiful weather and time off from school and work (for me that is, DH is working).

The boys are both on different all star teams and this week, there are games every evening. Since they're both either playing or practicing, we have had some "alone" time in the outfield...we'll take what we can get, right? I hear other parents asking when the kids will lose so they can finally start summer vacation and I don't get it. Are their kids not enjoying themselves? Mine are. Summer is about summer ball, isn't it? And the season can be so short, it is a double elimination tournament...so why not enjoy every minute of it. True you have to stay in town and can't plan ahead but it will end at some point, no? The beach will still be there and school got out relatively early this year. Play on boys...and if you're still playing in August, we'll be in Williamsport :)

Besides that there is cotton candy at the ball field, ice cream after games, cookouts at coach's houses, pool team parties, reading in the shade at home, and the inevitable video games while resting up for yet another game. Soak it all in, enjoy the moment...that's what I'm telling myself.

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Washi Tape Feathers

One of the latest trends in scrapbooking is using feathers on layouts. Another trend or trendy item, is washi tape. I spotted a few layouts with washi tape feathers but haven't found a tutorial on how to make them. While in Westboro, I decided to try it out for myself...making it up and here is a little tutorial on how to make them.
You will need some scotch tape (or wide washi tape), washi tape and scissors (non-stick ones are best). First, layer 2 pieces of scotch tape with a small overlap with the adhesive side up. It's a little tricky getting the tape to just lay on the table but a little patience and light hands helps.
Next, layer washi tape over the scotch tape. Adhesive side to adhesive side. I like to leave the overlapped scotch tape area visible in the center so it looks like the hard center of real feathers.
Cut out the shape of a feather, just free-hand it.
Lastly, snip the sides, cutting some pieces out and you have yourself washi tape feathers :)
halfway through the snipping process ;)

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Garden Tales 07.01.14

 My garden is growing and blooming. There's been plenty of sunshine this past week and I've been diligently watering the plants.
These beautiful pink flowers came back on their own from last year...love it when I get surprises

These summer squash buds are tiny and so are their leaves. They're thriving but seem stunted to me :(
  Others I don't want blooming but they're not quite listening to me ...Thai basil and cilantro.