Just me My Soldier and our 4 little chicks

scrappy sunday 2/28 edition- quilting bee!!

Goodbye February...I can't believe you are already over. You are my favorite month and you are WAY too short!!

This Sunday I'm sharing my layouts using the new Studio Calico kit, Wedding Ring.

I ordered the Honeycomb and Wedding Ring add-ons.

Honeycomb has already sold-out but the more paper add-on is still available.

I looked just now and saw that the main kit is also sold out. I know that April and co. are doing their absolute best to keep up with demand, and increasing quantities each month. Here's a tip. If you don't want to miss out next time, become a subscriber. I subscribed for the year before I was on the team, and in my opinion it's the best way to go. You have a guaranteed main kit, and you get access to add-ons early. Email info(at)studiocalico(dot)com to get on the list.

 

i think it goes without saying that i'm in love with the new dear lizzy release. so very me. i joked with elizabeth that i think she was in my head when she created it. so many pieces that i would have created if i would have had the imagination!

this is a page about our thoughts to expand our family. i really love the veneer accents that came in the main kit. i thought i wouldn't know what to do with them, but i ended up using almost all of them!

my favorite part of this page has to be the "naked chipboard"  butterflies added to the bow. i just think it makes such a soft, pretty accent.

 

this one was for the member lift we did this month. i lifted this layout by lynn ghahary. thanks for the inspiration, lynn!!

lots of layering and girlishness here. shocker!! did i mention i love dear lizzy?? love the way the ribbon looks like a tutu. i need MORE!!!

the border punch used under the photos is martha stewart.

 

this one's pretty self explanatory. more layering, veneer, and another bow.  ;)

i loved these sweet, unexpected photos i caught of j and sadie. i wanted to scrap them and write to her about his feelings for her.

i used purple cardstock to pop the photo mat and journaling card that i used for the title work.

 

this one didn't make it into my gallery, i think it got lost in the shuffle!! but it will be up later today, i'm sure.

a two pager! yay!! the left page is a collage i made on the computer. i printed it and added some patterned paper around, above and below.

the right page is simple. an enlarged photo of the sweet birthday girl. i had fun anchoring the "banner" with roses from the dear lizzy ribbon.

 

simple. oversized photo, borders using the sassafras paper, patterned paper layers, and my stampin' up heart punch.

and a STAMPED title!! yeeeehaw!!!

a couple of notes.

the butterfly punches i adore are all back in stock.

i ordered a bunch of this new AC adhesive and can't wait to play with it!

my favorite baker's twines are back in stock as well.

alrighty, i guess that about covers it! hope you had a beautiful, restful, warm weekend.

i'll be back tomorrow with jersey shore photos. it was AWESOME!!

xoxo

s

p.s. if you are interested in being a march sponsor on just me & my 2 little chicks, email me at stephaniehowell8(AT)gmail(DOT)com

fist pump!!!

**go hybrid giveaway still open in the post below!**

so j's promotion party is today. his good friend is throwing the party at his house, and asked j and another friend to be a part of the celebration as well.

anyone want to guest the theme based on the photos below??

 

 

that's the situation.

and i LOVE theme parties. LOVE. i still dream of having a Great Gatsby themed party. one day!!!!

i need a bump it. not sure how to do snooki hair without it. lots of hairspray, teasing, and a clip. we are going to look HOT.

and if you have no idea what i'm talking about, look here.

one more thing- a BIG fist pump for the fact that today is Studio Calico's Quilting Bee Reveal! 

noon EST for subscribers, and midnight EST for non subscribers. The gallery will also go live at midnight. Can't wait!!

I will be sharing all of my layouts here tomorrow for "Scrappy Sunday". Wheee!

Okay, off to tease my hair and to find some pickles and gold chains.

Love to you all, happy Saturday!!

xoxo

Go Hybrid!!!

So, for some reason...this upcoming month brought LOTS of fun design opportunities my way. I've been interviewed,designed layouts,asked to participate, in several fun classes and challenges.

The next weeks will bring more giveaways than usual. These fabulous scrapbookers (who asked me to join them on their ventures) want to share spots in their workshops and classes.

So, you have more giveaways to look forward  to! I take this as a huge compliment...these ladies know how fabulous and loyal my readers are. I love that they come to me to do things like this, b/c you guys benefit. know what i mean??

In a nutshell, you guys are the best!

So here we go with the first of several to come.
Are you guys familiar with my sweet friend May Flaum? 

May's fabulous. Not only is she the wife of a firefighter (her very own 'J')..but she also has 2 little girls. Sound familiar? HA!

Well anyway, May is a teacher for Big Picture Scrapbooking. BPS is Stacy Julian's brain child...full of amazing classes and opportunities. 

 

Here's what May had to say to me about her latest class:

As you know, like you, I’m very much a paper girl. I love my glitter, cutting bits of paper, rub-ons, and all that scrapbooking offers. Thing is, I also love a lot of the digital goodies available and while I’m not into digi scrapping, I would like to use those things in my paper world. So, about five years ago I sat down and figured it out. Lots of shortcuts were found, fastest routes (including a whole lot of Microsoft Word for basic stuff), and I’ve enjoyed hybrid scrapbooking ever since.

 

In my Big Picture Scrapbooking class I’m walking students through my whole hybrid scrapbooking process from fonts to brushes and everything in between. Each week there is a special hybrid interview with a paper designer, a digital download from a top artist, a handout, and an audio-visual presentation walking through ideas and digital how-to for the week. It’s going to be an action packed six weeks, and I’d be happy to have you give away a spot in class to one of your blog readers.

 

More information is up http://www.bigpicturescrapbooking.com/gohybrid.php at Big Picture and class registration is open until the 3^rd of March.

I'm one of the designers interviewed for May's class, and I had a blast participating.

Here's why I think this class would be beneficial for my readers. Sidenote: I'm not getting a cent or anything free out of this. I just think if I'm sharing something with my readers, it needs to be something that would be VALUABLE to them.

Lots of you have commented that you know NOTHING about digital. That you don't even know where to start. That you only like paper.

Well,this is a great starting point. A place to learn how to combine paper and digi.

So there you have it! A fun Friday giveaway. Leave a comment here by Sunday night and I'll draw a winner then. Back tomorrow with a new post.

I'm SO glad it's the weekend! We have Jimmy's promotion party tomorrow. He's having it with two of his guy friends that got promoted as well. Should be so much fun!!!

I hope you all have a beautiful, love-filled weekend.

xoxo

s

love, love, love, love...crazy love

i love my iphone. love the photos i capture with it. i downloaded the photos from the past several months onto my computer and LOVE some of the photos i found:

click the mosaic and then click again to zoom.

LOVE the new Lily Bee releases, but Hello Sunshine holds a special place in my heart.

Made this using the new rubons and chipboard flowers!

My girls have brought me so much love:

 

patterned papers, rubons- chipboard accents- lily bee

alphabets- american crafts

heart punch- stampin' up!

LOVE to watch miss H playing (????) soccer.

the playing part is debatable. but boy is it fun to watch.

For the record, i dressed her MUCH less 'ashion this week.

she told me she wooked wike a "BOY".

and i said good!!! listen to your coach!!! HA!

 

happy to report there was NO falling down this time.

 

gotta LOVE the 3 year old version of jumping jacks.

so adorable.

 

the hardest i laughed was when they were supposed to weave between cones and then kick the ball at the end.

the first two times she ran straight at the coach and then kicked the ball the opposite way.

the third time she intently listened to coach

and then circled each cone twice before she went to the next. she had to have been dizzy.

OH MY GOSH. so great.

okay, love fest over.

happy thursday, beautiful friends!

xoxo

february sponsor WINNERS!!!

WINNER OF THE DRESS:

25

kari said...

What an amazing giveaway! I would be happy to win anything! Thanks for the chance!

WINNER OF THE SHABBY CHIC SET:

7

Ginny C. said...

The Spring tags are just too cute, but the kit looks fantastic. I love the little dress but sadly have no one to wear it. Thanks so much for sharing. I loved the photos of the girls playing in the snow.

WINNER OF THE SCRAP FOR A CURE KIT:

243

Tere said...

Beautiful stuff, I love the Scrap For A Cure!

and as always, I love your work!

congratulations, ladies!

email me your info at stephaniehowell8(AT)gmail(DOT)com

and i'll get your addresses out to the sponsors!

back in a second with a new post.

have a great day

s

number one girl

check below for my AWESOME february sponsor giveaway. it's open until wednesday night, and the prizes are some of my favorite to date!!

some of you have submitted questions to formspring, using the widget in the right column, and then emailed me asking me where to see the answers. just go HERE!

so, i cant' believe that harper will be four this may.
i really can't believe it.

right now, she talks all day long. literally. pretty sure i know where she got that. ha!

she loves pretending. and dress up. and singing. and dancing.

last night she kissed me and said "MOMMY, you have SO much love!!!".

and this? made my heart ache. truly.

she's a joy.

she loves 'ashion. and music.

and hummus and carrots.

and 'tillas and cheese (or veggie cheese).

she is my heart. and she's beautiful.

and i really, honestly don't understand how there was life..real, gut wrenching, heart breaking ,laugh until you cry, scared half to death , feeling accountable and responsible, life...before she came along.

 

 

 

 

 

happy tuesday, beautiful friends. xo

february sponsor giveaways!

if you would like to be the owner of these beauties,

leave a comment here by wednesday evening (midnight EST), and i'll post the winners on Thursday.

if you have a preference, feel free to tell me in the comments.

happy monday!

Shabby Chic Crafts just launched their new SPRING tags! They added NEW one of a kind 3D journaling tags!

If you're working on spring crafts you must add some of these designer tags to your collection! They are full of BRIGHT& FUN colors!

Don't forget to check out the SCC blog for tons of crafty inspiration!

 

My Sweet Sunshine-

This precious Hayden dress will be custom made for the person who wins!!

Available in these sizes:

6-12- 14"
12-18-15"
18/24-16"
2T- 18"
3T-20"
4T-22"
5T-24"

ALSO: Follow My Sweet Sunshine on facebook! Mention you were referred by "Just me and my Two Little Chicks" and you will receive  a coupon for $5 off an order of $15 or more. 

Scrap for A Cure:

Pucker up for our main kit 'French Kiss'. Overflowing with embellishments, one of a kind items, canvas fabric embroidered tags, shimmerz, ink pad, gorgeous ruffle trim~ you'll love it and the price! Plus feel great about your purchase since a portion of our sales is donated to a different charity each quarter.

 

Good Luck Everyone!!!

scrappy sunday 2/21 edition

i decided to do a pretty simple layout this week. it's okay to do all different types of layouts. i hear lots of talk about finding a "style".

you know what? i don't think i have one! some of my layouts are layered. some are simple. some are 12x12, some are 8 1/2 by 11. some have only one photo, some have multiple photos. some are one pagers, some are two pagers...you get the idea.

i do whatever makes me happy. i don't worry about fitting into a niche, or doing what is popular, or defining my style. i just have fun.

speaking of different types of layouts, i did a 2 pager for the march studio calico gallery, and it has ten photos. so fun!

and today, as you can see, i did a layout with a single oversized photo. because it sounded fun to make. and it was!

supplies:

font: two peas in a bucket old type

gaffer's tape: 7gypsies

butterflies: jenni bowlin

letter stickers: american crafts

playing card: vintage

forever young sticker: studio calico

enjoy and have a beautiful sunday!!

xo

s

p.s. have a question? look for the widget in the right column of this blog and ask away!!

xoxo

s

KP winner!!

132

Nali P. said...

lovely. i need the class.

way to go, nali. email me and i'll send your info to kelly!

happy saturday!

xo

my challenge to you

have some fun this weekend!

play,laugh,let go.

break a rule (or three). harmless rules of course. like no bed jumping, binkie stealing, or screaming like banshees.

promise me?
happy friday!

xoxo