Endless Summer


Wishing and praying I could make this summer last forever.  Normally, I"m about ready for school to start back around now, but this one has been the best, and I'm just not ready to give it up yet.


I put this page tougher using a piece of the "tag" paper from the Crate Paper Poolside collection in the Studio Calico Ferris Wheel add-on and bits and pieces from both the Ferris Wheel and the Carousel kits.


I trimmed down the Crate Paper Poolside paper so I had lots of individual pieces, tags, etc.  Then I created a grid on my bag using those pieces and added in my photos and embellishments.  I love thinking outside of the box with my papers and pulling out my scissors to create something fun and different!

Here's to summer lasting forever (but.......school starts back today, so.... Doubtful).
Happy Monday!

Around Here


Around here, we have had one heck of a summer.  It's been way too fast and way too hot, but it has definitely been filled with wonderful stories, memories and tons of happiness.  School starts back for my sweet girl on Monday and this momma may go into a mild depression with her gone all day + back in a normal routine.  I'm just not ready for packing lunches, homework and the like.  I've so enjoyed our beach days, summer fun activities, swim team and pool dates.  Hoping to still sneak in a few more "summer" things over the next month!  

Happy friend, friends!
xo





Fourth of July


We spend the Fourth of July with my husband's family at the lake.  It seriously is the best weekend ever and we all look forward to it and count down the days throughout the year.  Anna and Drew love their cousins like nothing else and it's so fun to see them grow together.  There's lots of swimming, cooking, eating and game playing.  My awesome sister-in-law (hey Kim!!) outdoes herself year after year with games, prizes, crafts, decorations, etc...




The theme this year was "Carnival" and we had donut eating games, relay races, dance competitions and more.  All of the littles got tickets for participating or winning and they were the hit of the weekend. I'm still finding little yellow tickets all of my house and in every pocket.  They are wonderful memories of an awesome weekend!





We are already counting down the days until next Fourth!  We can't wait!




June Project Life Album: Part I



Hey everyone!! 
My collection of Project Life "books" is growing and growing and I'm so excited to be over on the Studio Calico blog sharing a look at my June book!  I seriously can't believe we are more than six months into this year!  I love love love this project SO much and I am so thankful for these cute little books.  They are definitely a favorite around our house - especially since they are so much more portable than those big 12x12 albums!  




Hop on over to the SC blog to read more about my book this month!  Thanks so much for letting me share my growing collection of albums!!  xoxo

Oh Monday...


.....I am so ready for you!  I took a little mini vacation last week and had the BEST time!  I needed it. Oh man, did I need it.  We did a little bit of nothing and lots of everything.  It was the perfect mix of relaxation and "busy" without being too crazy or hectic.  We spent a few days at home, a few days with the sand in our toes.  It was just perfect.


And now I am so ready for this week.  I feel rested, organized and just plain excited for the week to begin.  I have lots and lots on my calendar this week.  It's a full week, but it's going to be a good one, I can just tell!


Towards the end of the week, I'll be sharing a look at my June Project Life album.  I love my growing collection of little books.  They just make me so very happy.  I'm already thinking ahead to July and what size album I'll be using!


Then there's this cutie, who keeps me on my toes.   I forgot how darn busy little puppies are.  I think we've found a good mix of running/walking/playing to keep him from nibbling on us and our stone fireplace (what's up with puppies eating rocks, by the way)?


The kids are in Vacation Bible School all week (yay!) and our church has VBS from 5-8pm each night, so I'm planning on eating my way around Raleigh while the kids dance and play!  Scott and I tried out a new restaurant last night for a fun Father's Day treat and the place did not disappoint!  The food was great and the company was even better!  My bestie is coming into town tonight, so we will be having a fun girls night!  Yay for Mondays, VBS and best friends!

So - that's a look ahead for me!  What a random post all about nothing, right?  
Regardless, I'm excited and I'm ready for whatever is in store for this week!  It's going to be an awesome week!  I hope your week is just as awesome!  
xoxo





Wanderlust

Oh how I want to go on an adventure!!
After I put together this cork wall picture using the cork map pieces from the Galileo Scrapbook kit, I  started planning our next big trip!  I'm dying to go somewhere crazy and fun!!

I love how the pictures and labels look on the map pieces and I love having a visual of some of our trips!


I used a framed canvas as the background for the cork map pieces (so I could hang it on our wall - and so I could spread the pieces out a little bit).  

I typed up the names of the places we've visited and then stapled them to the photos.  I've visited more places in Europe, but I kind of ran out of room (boo).


I used some of the kit embellishments to add a few little extras to the picture.  I didn't want it to be overlay decorated or busy, so I kept it rather simple.

I LOVE how it turned out and now I have a crazy urge of wanderlust....hmmm...where to go next??

Have Fun Ok!


So you've probably heard me say that once I get started, I just can't stop.  Well, this layout is a result of that problem.  :)  This page came about as I was creating the tag mini album that I shared yesterday on my blog.  As I was trimming down patterned papers for the tags/album pages, I ended up with three 3x3 inch pieces of paper.  They were almost the same size of some photos I had printed this weekend, so it was a win-win for sure!


I started by layering the pieces of patterned paper onto my page and the arranged my photos around them.  I played around with the placement and finally was pretty happy with how they looked.  I knew I wanted to add in some transparent elements, and since I had the Maggie Holmes Confetti gold alpha sitting right on my desk, I grabbed out a few letters and placed them on my page (and thank goodness I had an extra pack of letters because I had already used my "A" and "D" in my tag mini album).


I used pop dots to adhere my photos and stitching to adhere the patterned paper.  I love the extra digestion both add to the page.


Like my album from yesterday, I kept the page super simple and easy with mostly photos, papers and a few embellishments.  Sometimes less really is more.  

A Day in the Life: 5.12.15


I played along with Ali's Day in the Life last week.  Since it feel on the 12th of the month, I decided to stick with taking 12 photos.  That's a super doable number to me and it keeps me from feeling stressed and overwhelmed if I forget to take a few photos here and there.  I used my big camera to document our day and I so need to do this more often.  I love these "random" photos so much.  They show a glimpse at our everyday, and looking back on them, you realize how BIG these small things are.  Did you play along last week??


Hello 12 on the Twelfth


It's been a while since I've done a photography project and I'm looking forward to playing along with Ali's Day in the Life today!  Since it falls on the 12th of the month, I'll be snapping 12 photos of our day.  Looking forward to seeing the moments I can capture today.  This project is always an eye opener for me, and it reminds me of just how much I have in my life - and how the everyday is more than the "everyday".  It's our day.  It's our life.

I hope you will play along!  There's no pressure or number of photos you have to capture.  Keep it simple.  Keep it fun!  Just keep documenting!  



Escape to the Ocean


The beach is one of our favorite places.  I love that we live close enough to run away for just a weekend, or even a day-cation.  And beach photos are my favorite!  When Kerri Bradford asked me to play along with her National Scrapbook Day blog fun, I jumped right on the "escape to the ocean" cut file. I love Kerri's bubbly and fun handwriting!  It adds such a playful element to a page.  (And side note: I do not use my silhouette nearly enough!!  Am I the only one??)


I wanted to group my title around my beach photos, so I started by layering the photos onto my background and then added in a few papers layers beneath them.  I cut my title on an aqua blue card stock, but it was a little too bold for what I was hoping for.  To soften the color a little, I cut the same title again, but on vellum this time.  I layered the vellum on top of the blue card stock and then sewed each word together.  


Since the vellum and card stock were stitched together, I decided to just hot glue them to my page.  I like that hot glue adds a little bit of height and depth!


I finished my page with some handwritten journaling, which I tucked into a sewn pocket behind my photos, and the stamped place/date using Kerri's new awesome alpha stamps!!  I've never met an alpha stamp I didn't like!  

Thanks so much for having me over, Kerri!  It is always an honor to be a part of your blog!!  xo


Creative Jumpstarts 14


Happy Monday, friends!
Today, Marcy and I have another fun Creative Jumpstarts to share with you!  We are switching back to pocket scrapping this week and our challenge for you is to incorporate some type of insert into your albums!


I decided to work in my March Project Life album for this challenge.  I had a bunch of extra photos from March that didn't make it into my pages, so I created a vellum envelope to store them.  I used one piece of vellum, folded in half to create my insert.  Before I folded and sewed the edges, I printed a few digital brushes onto the right hand side of my page.  I love the effect the brushes add, and I love being able to see through the vellum pages.


I kept my pocket super easy by just sewing the edges, punching holes and adding in my photos.  I thought about including a few extra embellishments to jazz it up, but similar is definitely easier these days!! 


And that's our challenge for you this week - create an insert in your Project Life albums! And if you don't do pocket scrapping, then try and incorporate some type of "insert" or envelope onto your project!  Have fun and happy creating!

Creative Jumpstarts were created by Marcy Penner and Stephanie Bryan to challenge each other with their paper endeavors. Delivered in the form of bimonthly challenges, they encourage us (and hopefully you too) to stretch supplies, think outside of the box and to remain intentional about the memories we capture.  Challenges are posted on the first and third Mondays of every month.  Projects are shared on our blogs and on Instagram using the hashtag #creativejumpstarts. We'd love it if you'd share along with us at either of those places and be sure to tag us (@helloforeverpaperco and @stephaniebryan) if you do!

Around Here


Just a glimpse of our life right now! Spring is here and everyday is full of bike rides, playgrounds and sand pits! We've also had fun birthdays and rainy beach trips to keep our days full! I love how color starts creeping into our days and our photos as soon as spring! Happy April and happy Spring, friends! 

Memory Planner: February & March


My Memory Planner has sort of turned into my "go to" when I have the urge to create.  I love that it really it encourages me to keep my photos current/uploaded/edited.  I tend to take quite a few photos, and I'm sure I would become pretty overwhelmed if I didn't get those off my camera or phone.  


My favorite part of my Memory Planner is adding in photos, cards and extra little pieces.  They add a little bit of character and personality, which I love!  Plus, there is nothing better than flipping back two months and seeing snippets of the previous month.  


Along with daily events and scheduling, I'm also using my planner to keep notes of memories, quotes, activities, etc.  Having a "one stop place" to write ALL of this stuff down is awesome.  I'm a lister by nature, so I usually had a zillion little lists going on at a time.  Now, they all reside here in my cute little binder!


The smaller 2x2 cards from Heidi's Memory Planner collection are perfect for adding into those (usually empty) weekend boxes.  I usually then jot down a few notes about our weekend.  


I'm continuing to end each month with a photo collage.  I typically pull this directly from my Around Here posts, so it takes about two seconds to compile the photos and print.  They aren't perfectly centered or square, but I'm totally ok with that!  I just love having a peek of our month on one page!



Each month in the binder starts with a page for two photos and then a page protector for additional photos.  I've been completing this at the end of the month as sort of a "reflection" activity.  It's nice to sit down and think back on all the amazing things that happened in a month!


Alpha, cards, stickers and stamps are my best friend when it comes to daily events.  If I know I have a big event coming up (like going to the beach), I usually add the alpha title right into that box!  It's like a bold reminder that something awesome is coming.  Any "extra" or empty space I have at the end of the two-page spread, I fill with whatever I have lying around - stamps, gold foil stickers, rub-ons....


I've started incorporating this cute little Memory Planner envelopes into my album to hold special notes or extra photos.  Just like in my mini albums and layouts, I love to have hidden extras sprinkled throughout my books!


And that's a quick look at some of my February and March planner pages.  As you can see, some weeks are full and detailed...and other weeks have lots of photos and cards!!  I'm good with either!  I'm just so glad I have a place to "keep" all of these things - and it's a bonus that I can mix planning with memory keeping!  That's a win-win to me! 

Six


Happy happy birthday to you, my sweet girl.  I can't believe you are already six.  It feels like just yesterday that you came into this world screaming your head off.  You loved to snuggle and be with anyone (especially me) since day one and that has not changed one bit.  You are smart, spunky, passionate and so kind-hearted.  You love mermaids and princesses, jewelry and dresses.   Your style is mismatched and amazing.  You have the cutest little check dimple when you laugh really hard and I smile every single time I see it.  You are an amazing reader and fly though chapter books in a few hours.  You love to play pretend, especially family, and you are usually the big sister.  Your brother is your best friend and the bond that you two have is undeniable.  You could eat cereal every meal and have never met a vegetable that you didn't love (asparagus and broccoli are your faves). 

Always stay you.  Stay sweet and spunky.  Stay silly and loving.  Stay smart and strong.  Just stay you.  Lots of love to you, my sweet baby girl. Happy day!!


February Project Life Album: Part II


Yippee!! My February Project Life album is finished and on my bookshelf!  I really really loved the 4x4 size from February, and I actually even had a little withdrawal when I started putting my March Project Life album together!  The 4x4 is just such a fun size!  The majority of my photos are square anyway, so most of them were on my camera just waiting to be printed.  I think my favorite part of this album is having full spread photos (that span the width and height of the album).

Here is a look at the end of my February Project Life book!  
You can see a video of the first part of my book on the Studio Calico blog if you are interested.  





I included lots of extra pieces, like tags, in my book!!  Adding in different elements of size is super fun!



I also included lots of fun cards, Valentine's extras and other memorabilia that I had collected throughout the month.  I love that these special cards are part of our memories!




I got creative here, and added in a few of my favorite new recipes using interactive flaps (quick tutorial coming to the Big Picture Classes blog soon)!!  Yum!






And what album of mine would be complete without a collage of some sort??! :)
These photos all feel on the last week of the month while my husband and I were away on vacation.  As you can see, I took quite a few and I knew there was no way they were going to fit into my album as individual photos.  I used my favorite, Picmonkey.com, to create two collages and then added them in as a double spread collage!  I'll most likely create a photo book or mini album from these photos, but I love that they are in this book as well!!  


Such a cute little chunky book!!  
Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope you enjoyed this little walk down February's memory lane with me!!  I'm so enjoying this new monthly Project Life process and I thank you so much for following along and for all of your encouraging words!! 

xoxo


Around Here


February was just a blur.  Between starting a new job, getting snowed in multiple times, jet-setting to the Virgin islands and trying to stay sane, the month somehow managed to slip away.  February always goes by in a breeze because it's so darn short anyway.  I didn't need it to go any faster.  Our February (and the first few days of March) was awesome.  It was nice to soak up the sun for a little while (while everyone else back at home shoveled snow and sled down driveways on baking sheets). We are so looking forward to the return of spring!  Hoping it gives us a little glimpse of warmth and sunshine this week!  Happy Wednesday, friends!

February Project Life Album: Part I



Documenting our everyday life is the best.  I love having a place to add all the photos and stuff of our day.  Switching things up and creating individual monthly albums this year has been just awesome so far.  I've got a good little system down so the process is fast and easy!!  

This month, I decided to switch up my sizes a little and go with a smaller book....a 4x4 WRMK album.  I feel in love with this mini albums as soon as I saw them and thought they would be perfect for documenting the everyday.  I was also kind of obsessed with the 2x2 transparent DOW cards in the Cirque Project Life kit and knew I wanted to use those in my February album!!


See...aren't those transparent cards just so awesome?  I backed mine with white card stock and then stitched them into place so they wouldn't slip around.  Love!


You can read more about my process over on the Studio Calico blog today!!  I also have a quick walk through video of my album because...well....because I love making walk through albums and being able to share the details of each page!  Sometimes a photo doesn't do a project justice, right??  I'm super excited to share this next book with you and I can't wait to see what is in store for March!!



I used lots of the Cirque Project Life kit, as well as Flying Trapeze, High Wire and Ringmaster Add-ons.  All of the supplies are so versatile and really can work on any kind of project.  I love mixing in "scrapbook" products in my Project Life albums!!


If you haven't created one of these 4x4 mini books, I cannot recommend them highly enough!  They are so cute and so fun to work with!  And so easy!  The pages comes together in a snap!!

And that's the first half of my February book!  I'll be back to share the rest of the month in a few weeks!!  Thanks so much for stopping by and hanging out with me today!!




Soaking Up The Sun




Soaking up some rays for the next few days in St. John, US Virgin Islands!  I'll have a few posts scheduled here and there, but if you don't hear back from me, you'll know where I am!!  Happy Friday, friends!!  

xoxox