Just me My Soldier and our 4 little chicks

if you never see me again it's because i got swallowed by my to do list.

we finally got our orders. vicenza, italy here we come!

by the end of july, the howells will officially be living in italy.

first item of business?

passports. and i'm sorry, but these shall be the cutest passports ever.

despite many people on instagram completely bursting my cuteness bubble by telling me no smiling on passports!

these were cleared and we can check one more thing off of our list.

our list, by the way, is 39248028304810238012830128 items long. our list has lists. and those lists have post its.

good times.

every time i get stressed i remind myself that soon we will be living somewhere that looks like this:

and i start to feel MUCH MUCH better.

and my eyelid stops twitching. for one second.

okay, off to fill out more paperwork.

CIAO!!!
xoxo

S

wordless(ish?!?) wednesday

and this is what my house regularly looks like.

laundry? is my nemesis.

i hate doing it. and i wait too long every time.

i force myself to wait until i HAVE to do it and by that point it's torture. 92348023840328 loads in one day.

and then i have a ginormous pile of laundry to fold. see above.

yes. laundry is my arch rival.

but at least i can put these 2 to work.

mini cinderellies. :)
happy wednesday, y'all!

xoxo

S

Sponsor/Small Business Spotlight and Giveaway- Elle's Studio

First- Here are the South Hill designs winners:

27 Kelly G said...

What a fantastic prize, Steph! I always adore gorgeous jewelry! :)

Reply May 14, 2013 at 11:22 PM

14 Pam Ballard said...Count me in! Thanks for the chance at this lovely giveaway!

Reply May 14, 2013 at 11:07 AM

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I'm so excited to welcome Elle's Studio as a sponsor this month. I've known Elle for a long time. I actually created some layouts for her very first CHA booth this past winter!

It was been so much fun watching Elle grow and nurture her business and I couldn't be happier to feature her on the blog.



I started Elle's Studio in 2007 when I was scrapbooking and couldn't find special tags in the stores for writing my story on. The first batch of cards I made for myself, but after a ton of encouragement from my family and friends I opened up a little online store and Elle's Studio was born!

We specialize in journaling and embellishment tags - our goal is to make journaling fun! Journaling is such an important part of your layouts - it's what tells the story behind your photos, to generations to come! We are also very proud to say that everything we make is printed and manufactured right here in the USA!

Elle’s Studio is excited to announce that they now have a monthly kit full of exclusive and limited edition tags! The best part about this kit is that it will work for you, no matter what you enjoy making. Each kit will include tags that you can use for layouts, mini books, cards, and of course, Project Life! You’ll get a mix of tags that you will not find anywhere else, or in any of their collections. Most tags will be tags you can use for everyday themes, and there will even be some seasonal and monthly tags in the mix, too! Each month look for a mix of sizes and shapes, and anywhere from around 20 to 25 tags – the perfect amount to keep you busy all month long!

Each month, the limited edition kits will go on sale on the 10th at 8:00 am PST, at their website, and their very first kit is available now! These kits will be able to ship first class: shipping for USA residents will start around $2.00 and go up from there, depending on the weight of what is in your cart. For overseas, it will run about $6+ depending on your location.

Once these kits sell out, they will not be restocking, so make sure you mark your calendar or join their newsletter list to receive a reminder of when they go live each month. And, don’t forget that their brand new collections, Cameron and Saltwater! They have already started shipping to your local scrapbook store and are also available (or will be soon) online at Two Peas, Blue Moon, A Cherry on Top, and Simon Says!

You can also visit Elle’s Studio blog, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.




TWO lucky winners will receive Elle's May Kit. Internationals welcome!

Leave a comment here and I'll announce the 2 lucky ladies next Tuesday!!

xo

S

exploring newport- our favorites.

hey y'all! so i know i've been pretty absent lately...

life's just really full and crazy right now. in a great way. :)

lots of company and getting ready for italy. i cannot BELIEVE that june is our last month in this house. i'm equal parts terrified and exhilarated.

i was sitting here drinking my coffee and thinking about how i really wanted to blog. but I couldn't figure out what to blog about.

looking back through my photos from the past few months, i realized i haven't talked much about our favorite places in newport.

so that's what i'm talking about today. is anyone interested in reading this? i have no idea. HA! but i thought it might be fun.

here are some of our favorite places to visit in and around newport.

 

1. The Cliff Walk - we almost always take visitors here. the ocean, 40 steps, walking by the most gorgeous houses in newport...you just can't beat it.

2. Ocean Drive.- breathtakingly beautiful. the beaches are lovely, the homes are amazing. it never gets old.

3.Easton's Beach- ride the carousel, drink some del's.

4. Anthony's- best seafood in town. hands down. i have had their lobster rolls 2918302840238 and i NEVER get tired of them. so so SO good.

 

 

5. Bowen's Wharf- sit and watch the boats, shop in the super cute boutiques, and eat at 22 bowen's

 

6. Purgatory Chasm- the best place to have a picnic.

 

7.Newport Creamery- i don't even want to begin to try to count the number of Awful Awfuls we've consumed this past year.

 

8.Fort Wetherill- can't even put this place into words. creepy, beautiful, decayed, amazing.

 

9. Sachuest Point Wildlife Refuge- peaceful and beautiful.

 

10. Favorite Restaurants

Best Seafood/Best Chowder- Anthony's (see above)

Best Bakery- The French Confection

Best Pad Thai- Siam Square

 

Best Date Night/Best Tacos- Tallulah on Thames . hint- you can find the food truck at the Farmer's Market!

 

Best New Restaurant- Muse by Jonathan Cartwright

Best Creme Brulee/Steak Frites: White Horse Tavern

 

Best Margarita (Blood Orange)- Diego's

 

Best Nachos- Brick Alley Pub

Best Burger- Boss Man

Whew!! There you have it. All of our favorites. We have LOVED living here. It was like a year long vacation and it has been an absolute New England dream!

Happy  Monday, y'all!

xo

wordless(ish?!?) wednesday

cate left, lucy right.

and in case you are wondering what they are doing...click here to see them in action.

ayiyiyiyiyi.

xxo

s

Sponsor/Small Business Spotlight (GIVEAWAY+DISCOUNT CODE) -Sandy Burns for South Hill Designs

The Chic Tags winner is:

47 Amelia said...

So cute. Thanks for the giveaway!

Reply May 07, 2013 at 10:03 PM

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Today's spotlight: Sandy Burns for South Hill Designs

Create your own story to wear with a locket from South Hill Designs. This locket is all about you. Displaying what you love.

What story will your locket tell?  Pick out a locket, a coin and a few charms to create a unique piece of jewelry to tell your story.  Top it off with a droplet to make your story complete.

Visit South Hill Designs to create your story to wear.  Visit Facebook for locket ideas.  Follow on Twitter, too!

South Hill Designs provides the best kit options on the market. We have three levels of demonstration kits to choose from: basic ($29) intermediate ($199) and Advanced ($399). As a South Hill Designs Artist, you’ll receive fabulous commissions. Multiply your income by inviting others to do the same. If you’re a natural leader, you can grow teams that generate unlimited financial rewards, month after month.  You can email Sandy at sandy.southhill@yahoo.com for more details.

Through May 19th, Sandy is offering 20% off your order.  Email Sandy sandy.southhill@yahoo.com with your order and mention the code STEPH20 for 20% off.  Orders placed directly through her website will not receive the discount.

Two people will win a $25 gift certificate from South Hill Designs by Sandy Burns. 

**us only please

If you are interested, leave a comment here. A winner will be drawn (and announced) next Tuesday.

Good Luck!

xo

S

signs of spring

Spring is beautiful here and we are enjoying every sneezy moment of it.

I am loving experiencing New England seasons to me. Everything is so new and so beautiful!

Have a beautiful Monday, y'all! Now excuse me while I sneeze my face off.

SO worth it.

xo

S

scrappy saturday- cbh

Happy Saturday sweet friends!

I wanted to quickly share a new layout with y'all today.

Supplies: Patterned Papers-My Minds Eye Kate&Co-Cambridge Court;Feathers- JBS;Brads-MME;Gold Thickers-American Crafts;Veneer Heart- Freckled Fawn;Enamel Dots-MME;Washi Tape(exclusive for SC)-Freckled Fawn-similar here;Star Sequins-Michaels;Doilies-Freckled Fawn;Journaling Card:MAMBI;Stickers-October Afternoon (You are My Sunshine),Dear Lizzy (This is My Happy Place,heart border sticker,butterfly), MME (You Light up the Room, The Sweetest Face)

You know I can't resist some good clustering and this layout is no exception. :) Had fun on this one.

Hope your weekend is fabulous!

xoxo

S

Loving Lately

TGIF Y'all! Today I'm sharing what I loved around the web (and in my life) this week.

1.This tank top. I seriously thought that quote was the stupidest thing EVER back when Kate Moss said it. As my friend Gabby said...you are going to take body image advice from a anorexic coke head?

2. The Walking Dead Bad Lip Read. Y'all. My face hurt after I watched this. I laughed SO hard. I can't even handle it.

 

3. 37 Signs You Might be Buster Bluth. HAHAHAHAH

 

4.MAMBI pocket pages. These are seriously ADORABLE. Now...if I can just get back to doing PL!

 

5. This Freebie Printable Art Collage via Smitten on Paper

 

6.Barre Class at the YMCA. Just took my first one yesterday and I'm HOOKED. But OUCH man...I can barely walk today.

 

7. Mother's Day brunch ideas via the tomkat studio. GORGEOUS tablescape. I wanted to make everything in this blog post immediately!

 

8.DIY Neon Party Fans via rock scissor paper

 

9. Paper Punch Flowers via Damask Love. If you aren't reading this blog, you are missing out. Amber is the hardest working, most prolific blogger out there. I pin her posts at least twice a week.

 

10. This video. I thought I couldn't possibly love Jimmy Fallon and John Krasinski more than I already do. WRONG. I laughed so hard at this...Jimmy could hear me upstairs. The end is the best part.

Okay, that's it for this week! As always, please say hi! What caught your eye this week? What are your weekend plans?

TGIF!!

xoxo

The Phone Photography Project.

I have something really exciting (and fun!!) to announce. I'm a contributor to Elizabeth Dillow's new BPC class...The Phone Photography Project.

I honestly, truly, really think this class is going to be so much FUN. The list of contributors is out-of-this-world AMAZING.

Here's a sweet little video Elizabeth put together:

How fun is that??

Here's the official blurb.

The Phone Photography Project
32 days of Android + iPhone photo challenges, daily inspiration, and app reviews

Need summer photo ideas or help improving your iPhone photography? Spend this July taking amazing photos with your iPhone or Android camera in The Phone Photography Project.

In this month-long workshop, you'll learn to take better photos with the camera you always have with you as you document your summer adventures—with help from 32 incredible instructors. On top of daily smartphone photography challenges, you'll also enjoy:

• dozens of tips and tricks from the pros for taking better photos with your mobile-phone camera
  
• a handbook of 60+ photography app reviews for iPhone and Android, so you know which are worth your time and money*
  
• dozens of project ideas for getting photos off your device and into your world
  
• interaction with 32 experienced iPhoneographers and Androidographers, and hundreds of fellow students in a private classroom and on Instagram
  
• giveaways, contests, discounts, bonus downloads, and fun fun fun!
  
  
  
  
  *Note: Many of the reviewed apps are available free in the App Store and Google Play, while the rest average about $1.99 each. App purchases are not required for participation in the class.

And here's why *I* am excited about this class. It's the most thorough phone photography class I've seen. Like I said, the contributors are just wonderful. And Elizabeth is a phenomenal teacher. I'm so excited to see how this turned out.

You can follow this link to sign up for the class.

Note: The class is being offered at an introductory price of $39 right now. The price will go up to $49 after the introductory period.

Thanks to Miss Elizabeth for allowing me to be a part of this stellar lineup. I still can't believe it!

Have a beautiful Thursday, y'all!

xoxo

S