Starting off 2014 the right way....

Well we will see how well I can keep up, my goal is to blog once a week.  Realistically I know I will not blog everyday and not even every other day but once a week, I should be able to handle that.  Maybe, at least I'm going to make an attempt.

I figured I would start off the year with some picture of my "creative space".  I call it this because it's just that a space, an area in our game room/family room upstairs.  I do my editing here, my scrapbooking, my project life and any other crafty type thing I can come up with.

My area consists of a huge desk I got for $20 on craigslist, a kitchen island cart from Ikea, a white desk from Ikea (formally part of our family command station) and my newest addition the small gray metal cart I got from Ikea this past weekend.  I was so close to getting the Raskog cart but I saw this one and it was $20 cheaper and would do the trick.  Along the back wall I have these black metal shelves that hold albums, paper, tools I don't use, a typewriter that I got for $5 (currently not working), and then my daughter's sewing machine that I took over.

My area is functional but I long for the day that I can have a room to myself and I can do all cute functioning matchy matchy stuff. LOL

Sorry for the phone pictures but 1. I didn't feel like getting out my "big" camera and 2. If I wanted to make this post happen and have pictures I needed it quick and simple.

Throwback Thursday Plus Some Current Layouts

I have pulled up the very first layout that I posted on to two peas back in November of 2002, that is over 10 years ago.  I have an old gallery there under a different pea name, I had taken a several year break from scrapbooking when I divorced my kids' dad and when I got back to it, I had forgotten my pea name.  

With today being Throwback Thursday I figured instead of an old picture of me and my husband I thought I would go back and find an old layout to share.  Wow is all I can say, lol.  The picture is horrible too. 

This was about our California trip, it's a 2 page spread (I was really into those) all about our day at the San Diego Zoo.

And here is a look at two layouts I finished yesterday...I think I have made some tweaks, lol. I'm still using the August kits from Studio Calico and I have to say that that I am loving the fact that I can get such a variety of colors.  I have managed to get some soft tones and some bold bright ones, it's just great that I feel I can get so many looks out of the same kit.  I was really worried that joining the kit club that I would have a hard time making my pages all look different and honestly it has bee a no brainer.  Studio Calico really does put some truly good kits together.

This is one of our pit bulls and since they are inside dogs they are not much for the outside heat here in Texas but Solae loves to go outside roll in the grass and sun bathe.  It's the funniest thing she will lay like that for several minutes.

This was my first time using an enlarged photo, I have been wanting to try it and I am very pleased with the results. I wanted the page to be fun and silly just like my kids in the photo.

Oh an here is another sneak at what's I'm in the middle of creating...notice another great color scheme. lol

Thanks for looking!

Another 3 Layouts from last weekend...

Rounding off with my last three layout from the six total that I completed last weekend...

Bright Eyes

My oldest is 17 this year and this is one of my favorite pictures of her this year.  She got lucky and got my eyes, their color tends to look different depending on the color clothes she wears and they are so bright and full of life....hence the bright eyes title.

This one, I used some really old 8.5x11 pattern paper, I stamped on the backside so I could do the fold down for a little more color.  I punched the hearts, dropped some watered down acrylic paint, dropped some perfect pearls mist.  I painted a paper doilie and sewed on some tulle.

Freshman Year

My Sonja is a freshman this year, this is a picture I took of her on the first day, she is doing this frown but actually it's not a frown, this is her so called smile, really?  If you ask me it sucks but hey what can I do.

For the Freshman part of the title I took translucent velum and attached some letter stickers, then painted the navy blue color then removed the letter sticker. I wanted the reverse effect here and I think it turned out pretty cute, if I do say so myself. lol  I added some tags, strips of paper in the top corner and at the bottom of the photo I used, a random Fish (get the symbolism), I aged a # 9 playing card.

True Passion

This a picture I took of my daughter for the Volleyball season, the ones the photographer that they school used was not good, so I had to do my own. She's got a passion for this sport and she really does love playing.

I used an old pattern paper, I put a strip of zebra duct take down and I took apart a flower from a broken headband (I'm recycling).  Added a little bling, tied it with a ribbon and stuck a feather on it. 

Scrapbook Layouts - Free Time is Amazing.....

I am really enjoying the time I took off from my photography business. Don't get me wrong I love doing sessions, I just feel I need a break sometimes, a little me time.  I get so busy with my kids schedules, working a full-time job, being a wife and then running a part-time photography business that I would loose sense of the days.  Things would run together and I would feel really lost.  Around the holidays I really like taking a break, it helps me to come back re-freshed and inspired.  I never want my photography to feel like a real job, I do it because I love it not because I have to so it's important that I always take that time to sit back and look at the big picture.

This break got my mojo back, I used to scrapbook a lot, I enjoyed it, but I lost the inspiration some where, I still would create and make things but I couldn't get myself to work on an actual layout. I've done a few layouts in Noveber and December but this January is really feeling good.  I accomplished 6 layouts over this long weekend.  Yay me!

Here are three of them...as you will see I don't think I have a style persay, I just let the picture inspire me, it could be fun, colorful, easy going....who knows I just do whatever I feel like at the time....

First time sewing on a layout....

I took it back and shopped my stash, I used some velum and some mulberry paper, remember that stuff?

This one I just went for girly and sweet....lol

Time to take down the decorations...

I'm sad Christmas is over already, it came and went so fast.  I plan to take down all the decorations today and tomorrow but I realized I had not taken pictures of everything.  I'm so sad to see it all come down, it turned out so cute this year. 

I will say this though, it was my first year making pretty much all of my decorations and I am really proud about the way they came out.  I made mini wreaths for each side of the mirror.  I made the tulle covered trees that are sitting on the shelf.  I painted a vase to hold the silver branches and hung some mini ornaments on it.

It's a sad sad day....

I took a dollar store ornament, glued it to a piece of wood I painted then I painted the wooden letters from Hobby Lobby and glued them on the piece of wood too.

DIY T-Shirt Screen Print (HOW-TO) - 1st Time Dad Hospital Survival Bag Gift

I spent so much time and energy on giving my sister-in-law, Tiffany sunch a great shower that I ran out of time and wasn't able to do a couple of things....

1. my gifts, UGH!  Such a big deal, right, I mean who doesn't get the mom-to-be a gift?  I know... but since most of my time went into decor and other ideas, my "projects" were put on the back burner.  (more on these projects in a follow up post)

AND

2. a special gift for my brother, I had this idea that I wanted to put together a "1st Time Daddy Gift".  I wanted it special but something he would like and maybe even use.  BUT....again I was all into decor and other ideas, that this "project" was placed on the back burner as well.

The week after the baby shower I spent it finishing both of these things.  But first I thought I would talk about and show you the gift I made for my brother.  I put together a hospital survival bag, I put his favorite snacks, some energy drinks and a bunch of  "It's A Boy" suckers to pass out at the hospital.  I passed on the cigars, lol...he would like those but the suckers I figured would be better received by all.

I also made him a shirt, not this is just not any shirt, this is the shirt that he will wear when Nathan is born....don't worry Tiffany was all on board and assured me he would wear it.  The front of the shirt says "This is what a really awesome dad looks like" then on the back I will bring a stamp pad so that we can stamp Nathan's footprints on the back and write in his day and time of birth, his weight and his length, this way is turns into a really great keepsake.

Now I was going to put this all in canvas bag and call it a day but then I thought, would he really carry this into the hospital and I knew the answer was no.  His birthday was about to come up and I knew we would be meeting for dinner so I ended up getting him a Dallas Cowboys duffle bag.  This way it will serve as the "survival" bag and he can use it later on.  He loved it!

We ended up meeting for his birthday dinner and I was able to give him the gift, it turns out this was a really great idea and he really liked it all.  Yay!

Here are a few shots of the bag and my brother, if you scroll down after you will see the DIY steps I took to make his shirt.  It turned out great, I love how it has a slight faded almost vintage tee look. 

So to make the shirt you need the following:

1. Fabric Paint

2. Freezer Paper

3. an Iron

4. Sponges

5. Cardboard

6. Cricut or another way to cut you design

I started off by cuting the sheets of Renoylds Freezer Paper to fit into my cricut, I designed the words on there and then cut them into the paper. 

I then ironed on the Freezer Paper, yes, that is it, no special glue, no majic....and it sticks!

I used my sponges to paint on the fabric paint.  The cardboard as you can see from the picture above it helps to keep the paint from soaking through to the back of the shirt. 

After I painted it, I let it dry for about 15minutes and before it was fully dry I peeled off the freezer paper, then I let it sit over night and dry completely.

An here is the finished shirt...pretty neat, huh?  You can make just about any design with this, it's so easy and cheap!