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So very happy to announce that i will be teaching in Madrid on Sept. 30/Oct. 1st. I met Sandra & Ellen last year in Greece. They were so much fun. i am so excited to be teaching in their stores. I will be teaching two different classes in both store locations. The class details are up on their blog post HERE.
mucho amor
it's reveal time at Cocoa Daisy. September's kit, Printer's Drawer, is a beautiful combination of bold colors and beautiful typography. Love the feel of this kit!
I took this picture when we were in Chicago. It was love & friendship in that hug. Lisa, Christine, & I walked all around downtown. Lisa swears i was trying to kill her. Lots & Lots of layers of gesso & mists on the American Crafts paper. Can you see the background paper peeking through? I love the colors in those circles on the Basic Grey Paper. I think it may be my favorite patterned paper this month.
Love this photo from winter CHA when we got to meet the beautiful Kim Watson in person. Years on a team with her and i cannot believe we finally got to sit down & have dinner together. I was so captivated by her words and her life. She truly is an amazing person. Lots & Lots of stitches on this page. it took a while but i totally love the look. I want to put those flowers on everything now!
I have one more to share but i am waiting to post it with some other sentiments. In the meantime let's move on to the something special. Yes i am talking about the one & only Emily Pitts. So very thrilled and excited to have her joining the Cocoa Daisy Design team as the Social Media Director. Like jumping up & down excited, grinning from ear to ear. Now we can scrapbook the kits together since she is literally 5 minutes from me (Hi mle, waving from my window). Go here for more details on the Cocoa Daisy announcement and stop by her blog to wish her congratulations.
Love, always
I have some Lily Bee layouts to share with you using some of the new lines along with some of the great older lines.
This beautiful door was lost on me. I had been by it so many times and didn't stop to take in because i was on the way to somewhere. Then one night, while waiting on my husband Andy to do some shopping, i turn around. It was breath-taking and then i really started to see things with new eyes. i had taken the scenery for granted. This layout reminds me to stop and be grateful, to take it all in and see Paradise. I feel like i need to do this more often. Slow down & really take things in.
I can still hear the laughter at this table. Lisa & I sat down to do a little make & take with the fabulous Julie only to see our friends (Paula, Emily, & Marnie) sitting across from us. It was such a fun time that included creative play. On the layout i wanted to capture a bit of that same fun atmosphere. I used three different mists in the background and then layered a tag i made from one of the new papers. Three simple blue strips grounded with chocolate stitches ground the large photo. I added in splashes of pink to complement the photo. the rectangular journaling really brought this page together.
Love & Happiness
I knew this day was coming. it comes all too quickly. One day you are walking your little girl to kindergarten (the second day she has gone to school) and she turns around, hand up in the air, saying "I can walk myself to class mom." Fast forward 13 years. Last week i drove her to California to start at her new college, Concordia University, Irvine. I know that she is safe. Irvine is ranked as the safest city (over pop. 100,000) by the FBI for the last five years. She is on a gated campus. These things bring peace of mind to me. I know she is ready. She is a smart girl who has been independent since the day she was born. Not really but it has always felt like that. I know she is very capable even if she is a bit ditzy from time to time.
So we moved her in the dorms on Saturday. Lexi had already been communicating with her roommate via texting and facebook. I am happy that relationship has had a chance to grow even before meeting in real life. There were things i learned about moving into a college dorm. Tools are a must for adjusting the bed height. Blessedly we were on a campus with very sharing parents who adjust her bed. We moved it up to slide the 3 drawer dresser underneath to give her more room. We had to buy a step stool to help get in & out of the bed then but it is worth it for the extra space. XL twin bedding is the norm for dorms and a mattress pad is a good idea. We got her settled and the university had tons of activities to get her involved. Most impressive was the president wandering in & out the dorm rooms to meet & greet the new students.
Leaving was the hardest part. It felt like abandonment even though i know this is the right place for her. It is so hard to cut those apron strings. I had to tell myself as Anthony & i boarded the plane home, that she was just on vacation. Silly i know but i didn't want to cry on the plane ride home for his sake. I opted for private tears. It isn't so much that i am leaving her, i know she will always be in my life. it's more that life is changing, my role with her is shifting, and it's the end of that true childhood where you were responsible for bringing up a child. Life does change though and i will adjust, just like she will. And we will have new adventures.
Love
Bet you thought i was done with Greece photos. Wrong-o. I have a few more from our last days. It was a great trip with the family. The kiddos took to Mykonos & Elina like i did. They absolutely love them both. Here is a little recap of our trip:
number of
Remember this post: Traveling to Mykonos, My journal? I did get to work on my journal here & there while in Greece during the relaxing days. I wasn't going to stress myself out by saying it had to be done by the time i got home, that would be totally unrealistic for me. Instead i had fun gathering up the pieces to add to my journal, painted a few watercolor pictures, art journaled, and just enjoyed the process. Now i am home i am ready to complete my journal with all my goodies and photos. The journal will be ready for view next week!
Painty Love
He is my happy place. I already miss him so. I have a really learned how much i rely on Andy these past few months. It makes me appreciate him so much more, especially on laundry days. It felt so good to just be together without the worries of daily life. I have already begun the countdown to his visit home and am preparing the "honey do" list!
Let's back up a bit to CHA and one of my favorite new releases from Jillibean Soup, Homemade 6 Bean Soup. Actually i loved so many release from Jillibean this past CHA that i would rank it high up on my "got to have it" list. Pair it with Maya Road and SCORE! Love these two together. Over at the Maya Road blog i have a tutorial up on how to create those canvas hearts using some Maya Mists. So much fun to create! It feels good to get my hands inky again!
Inked with Love
One of the things i love about this industry, this hobby, this art is how it brings people across the globe together. How we can find inspiration across the world and bridge our cultural gaps, make new friends, and learn from each other. Even though we live in so many different places and speak so many different languages, we are united by art.
I love to blog hopping and finding this inspiration, seeing other peoples approach to scrapbooking & mixed media art. I want to share (with their permission of course) people i find along the way.
United By Art #7: Valeriya
Country: Ukraine
I have been noticing many talented Ukrainian scrapbook artists lately. I am really enjoying their style and stumbled upon Valerie's blog not too long ago. She has a very cool refreshing style. i just love looking at her photos and reading her blog (although i think google translator could use some tweaking on the translation). She just move to Kiev and details her adventures there. Take a closer look at her beautiful creations.
United Love
Last week Anthony turned 15. Yes, my kids were born 3 years and two days apart. He has changed so much these past few years. The voice is deep, the hair is long, fashion is now important, and now he is asking for more photos. Finally!
Having just come back from vacation, he didn't ask for much for his birthday. He simply requested a butter yellow cake with chocolate frosting. I love to bake but must admit i have been really jet-lagged. well the cake was an Epic Fail. It fell in the pans, it crumbled when i was trying to frost it. I can safely say it was the ugliest cake i have every made. It makes me laugh just thinking about it. But it tasted really good. Poor guy was extremely generous but i know next year his sixteenth birthday will be quite the celebration.
