~ b's new boots ~

B's new boots (full name is blurred)

This one came together so quickly (and I never get to say that)!  As soon as I saw these photos that my One True Love took with his phone on B's birthday, I knew they would make it to a page!  I didn't want it to be about the birthday -- this is all about the boots (but I did stick a '"no. 3" in there, all sneaky-like -- I also hid the journaling in the striped bag behind the photo)!

Last year my daughter went to a daycare that is really close to our house.  This year she goes to a daycare that is really close to work.  On Fridays at work we can leave about an hour earlier than the rest of the week, which is AWESOME!  Last year I used to come home and work on processing photos or scrapbooking for an hour or so, and then go pick up B.  This, because of the daycare change, that's really not realistic.  Soooo....a work friend and I decided that we would take advantage of our Fridays and bring some things to work and have our own little mini-crop!  This past Friday was the first of these days and that is why I got this one done so quickly.

A while back I started a notebook to help me with the memory keeping process. The whole idea of it was to write down the stories that I wanted to tell.  Often times I put the date of the photos, a description and then the text that I think I will use.  It's evolved into a place to practice a technique (here I was practicing doodling), get a sketch idea down (I ended up using this one, but flipped it because my arrow stamp went the other way), practice my journaling, and I also document all the supplies that I use so it's easier to blog.  

Even though it came together much more quickly than usual, it was not without it's problems/mistakes.  When I used the mask a second time, I was left with a giant blob of mist at the top (hate that) and I felt like you could really see the line where I extended the masking.  But I went with it (after I pouted a bit).  This is a good thing for me.  It think that sharing my disappointment on instagram helped!  In the end, I added a bit more to the giant blob and just decided to roll with it.

One of my favorite parts of this layout is the flower on the journal spot above.  I used an exactoknife and cut the bottom part so that I could put the flower over the photo.  Love that!

I added a few items, but most of the supplies came from the August Scrapbook Circle Kit :: True Stories. Among the added items is this lovely flair button from aflairforbuttons. All items are linked below.

I searched high and low for some alphas, including JoAnns, Michaels, and our LSS.  Boo!  I couldn't find a thing I liked (however Michael's was having a 50% off sale that was a surprise to me; a lovely, lovely surprise.  There were purchases, just not alphas for this.).  So, I actually used my cricut (I've been so addicted to thickers that I haven't used it in a while), cut out the letters, added a bit of 3D tape and called 'er done!  The letters standing out like this...well, it just makes me happy (I also did the same with the arrow)!

This is one of those layouts that I love -- it was fast, the ideas came to me easily, not too many mess ups that I couldn't live with, and I like the final product.  My Soul Mate saw it as I finished and he also gave his nod of approval.  Bonus!

~ she's three ~

We had a rock and roll birthday party yesterday.  Today she is officially three.

Yep, that's a real guitar (and yep, I said three, not thirteen)

B's amp on the left, daddy's on the right

I made a cake to match

A good day was had by all.

I bought balloons for the kids to take home at the end of the party.  The purple one, for Mikaela is still in our house.  She was missed.  When we only needed three chairs at the kid table, she was missed.  We miss her so.

~ quick update ~

Just a quick post to show that I am still around!

Last year I tried my first 365 project over on flickr.  If you aren't sure what that is, it is exactly what it sounds like -- 365 days of photos.  One year taking at least a photo a day and posting it to flickr for the group and anyone else to see.  It was right about this time of year last year that I FAILED.    But it wasn't a total fail.  I didn't finish the 365, so in that sense, I failed.  However, I grew as a photographer (eww, I hesitate to call myself a "photographer", it sounds so accomplished or something.  Mostly, I'm a mom who takes photographs). My goals for the 365 was to get better at taking photos (check), take more and better photos to scrapbook (check) and document our lives (check), so in that sense, I didn't fail.

I started another 365 this year, with some of the same lovely virtual friends that I met during my last attempt, and I even added a few more friends along the way.  I started the year off strong, but I haven't been doing so well lately! I'm still going.  I even made it through Mikaela's accident without missing a day.  My photos aren't always so great, and almost always playing catch up with posting them, but I'm still going.  I really want to do this - I want to finish something!

School has started, which means I'm back to work full time, for real, no exceptions, no flexibility, and lots to do. I'm glad for the structure of the day, it helps my mental state.  This is such a busy time!  B (who's 'getting bigger') will turn three on Monday!  I hope to talk about that more in my next post -- but the birthday party, at our house, is this weekend!  Exciting, and busy!

Here are a few photos that have made it into my 365 collection over the last few weeks:

~ summer ~

~ into the sun ~

~ it's a double ~

~ orchid buds ~

~ fun at the fair ~

~ five things ~

1.  I wrote on my first photo.  Ali Edwards and Elise Blaha Cripe do it all the time, so I tried it.  It worked.  Here's a sneak peak:

2.  I am participating in a One Little Word Blog Hop on March 1st.  Please stop back to see where my word has taken me this month!

3.  I've been loving instagram lately!!

4.  I bought a new printer so that I can print photos in the sizes that I want (even those instagrams and hipstamatics from the iPhone).  I will still get most of my photos at Walgreens or Snapfish, but this will be nice when I need something a little different than a 4x6, 5x7 or 8x10 -- and I don't want to take the time to make it work in photoshop!

5.  I have a knack for not finishing things.  Part of the problem is that I see the world through orange colored glasses, which is sometimes a bit too optimistic.  ;-) I frequently bite off more than I can chew!  On flickr alone I've failed a 365, two color groups and, most recently, a December in Photos group!!  But I have officially completed something!  Good or bad, it's done!  I present to you, February's Alphabet Fun 2012:

Click on a title if you like to see a photo bigger.  :-) 1. ~ a is for apples ~, 2. ~ b is for breakfast ~, 3. ~ c is for contagious ~, 4. ~ d is for drinks ~, 5. ~ e is for enjoying the iPad with elmo ~, 6. ~ f is for fork ~, 7. ~ lime light ~, 8. ~ h is for hearts ~, 9. ~ i is for instrument ~, 10. ~ j is for jazz ~, 11. ~ k is for king of hearts ~, 12. ~ l is for living ~, 13. ~ b. my baby ~, 14. n is for no valentine, 15. ~ o is for operation ~, 16. ~ p is for pre-performance shot ~, 17. ~ quaternary quarters ~, 18. ~ red rose ~, 19. ~ sneakers ~, 20. ~ textual textures ~, 21. ~ unfinished ~, 22. ~ volume at eleven ~, 23. ~ white winter (with a little red) ~, 24. x is for x-treme biking, 25. ~ y is for yawn ~, 26. ~ zero ground clearance ~ #thehereios

~boggle boggle boggle~

Yesterday we visited both sets of grandparents and ate two Thanksgiving feasts!  My parents had a bit of a full house, but not quite all of us at the same time.  My brother and his family were leaving as we arrived -- off to his in-laws.  My nephew, Seth, and his wife stayed just barely long enough to eat and then they were off to two more celebrations!  My nephew Rich and his two kiddos were there longer than we were, and my older daughter Hollyanne and her family were there for quite a bit as well.  It was good to see them all.  After supper, my sister Jeanne, my mom, B. and her Daddy, Rich and his two kiddos, and I walked up to the school a few blocks away to play on the playground.  I didn't need to wear a coat!  Amazing weather!  I took a few photos, of course.  I uploaded about 32 to facebook and flickr, but I'll try to keep it down to just a few here.  :-)

After my folks we went to Grandma and Grandpa B's house.  Grandma B. really  wanted a photo of B with her poinsettias.  I tried...but it was B's "run" time right before bed, so I mostly got blurry photos of her not looking at the camera.  This is what I'm left with:

More photos of the day on flickr.

We pretty much did NOTHING today, which was NICE!!!!  I did try to do a bit of work on my scrapbook space.  I wanted to fix up the bulletin board area so that it looked a bit nicer -- it was all cluttered up with a bunch of stuff I ripped out of magazines for inspiration.  So, I took all the magazine pages and put them in a clear envelope, used the Cricut to cut out the letters for the word "inspiration" and attached the word to the envelope with colorful paper clips.  I was going to glue them on, and I still might, I haven't decided if I like it or not.

B. "helped" me, and her daddy snapped this photo with his iPhone:

I don't like the way I blend in with the chair, making my butt look extra large...but overall, I like the photo and you can see the space a bit better.  The clear envelope is just under the bulletin board, hanging from it with a ribbon.  Now the bulletin board is ready for other bits of inspiration and photos!

B. made this turkey at daycare on Wednesday:

Here's the conversation...
Me:  B, what does a turkey say?
B: Boggle! Boggle! Boggle!

Hilarious.