Cheers!

Happy New Year's to all!  

2012 was a fabulous year for me and my family and I know that 2013 is going to be even better!  I have made a few resolutions (not quite as many as last year!), but my #1 resolution is completing a full year of Project Life!  I'm so excited to tackle this amazing project again and I even have my title page completed...

I'm also taking the Studio Calico PL class, Day by Day, and it starts tomorrow so hurry and get signed up before it's too late!

I hope that you have a fabulous New Year and cheers to new beginnings and a fresh start!  TFL!

Favorite Cookie

Happy Friday!  

I've got a layout for you today...it's all about my favorite kind of Christmas cookie...

I used my December SC Kit, 34th Street...love that kit!  Kris Kringle is definitely my favorite add-on :)

I was too sick to bake anything last weekend so my wonderful hubby ran out and got us all some super yummy decorated sugar cookies.  At least we could enjoy a little sweet treat on Christmas, even if it wasn't homemade.

I loved using all that pretty pink and gold on this page.  Might just be my new favorite color combo :)

Baking with my family is one of my favorite Christmas traditions, but since we didn't get around to it this year we made alterations and still enjoyed something delicious.  I'm flexible that way :)

What are some of your favorite holiday treats?

TFL!!!

December Daily (Day 18-25)

Happy Thursday, friends!  I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!  I ended up with the flu two days before and I'm just now starting to feel like myself again.

Here's the rest of my December Daily 2012...

My album turned out super thick and chunky...I think I will opt for a bigger size next year, but only time will tell because the smaller size was nice to finish in a flash.  Cheers to the completion of my 2nd December Daily!

Have a great day!  TFL!!!

It All Started With A Tree

Happy Friday, friends!  We're gearing up for the big holiday weekend leading up to Christmas around here today.  The kids are out for winter break, we're headed to the city (STL) tomorrow, and I have a to-do-list a mile long (and not all of it is holiday-related)!  I know everything will get done, but I am a bit overwhelmed today :)

I'm particularly proud of myself for really putting some effort into decorating our house this year.  It was hard to decorate the way I really wanted to the past couple of years due to little ones wanting to upset everything that I set out or hung up!  This year is also extra special because it's officially "our" house (long story) and I was really inspired by this year's line-up of holiday decor from Target.

Here's a few shots of some holiday decor that I whipped up and set out that I really adore...

I was getting groceries the other day at Wal-Mart when I found this adorable little European tree with big glitter sparkles all over it!  I couldn't leave the store without it, but when I got home I realized I didn't have a container big enough to set it in.  So I went back the next day and found this white ceramic trash can on clearance (and covered in about six inches of dust!) and brought it home to set my little tree inside.

I used my Silhouette Cameo and turned a .png file (from Kelly Purkey's December Daily kit) into a cut file and cut that darling deer silhouette out using some chalkboard vinyl.  I added an enamel dot from My Mind's Eye for the red nose.  Then I added a red-striped ribbon around the top of the trash can and set my felt pinecones from Target around it.

I ordered the red cabinet (also from Target) about a week before and knew it would be the perfect spot to display my sparkly tree.  Since we don't have a fireplace or mantel, this serves as my compromise!

I also purchased the mercury glass bowl with antler stand from Target and the adorable white owl vase is from Ruche.

I added some felt acorns to the bowl for it's filler and Avery added a real one to the bunch just for fun!

I scored the super cute reindeer names sign from a friend of mine that makes amazing crafts and home decor goodies.  You can check out her Facebook page here.

I hope you enjoyed my little holiday decor rant ;)  I hope to have some more of my December Daily posted on here before Christmas, but I'm not making any promises, ha!  Have a great weekend and thanks for looking!

Look At You

Here's another layout I made for my recent Member Spotlight at SC...

I had these photos of my daughter from her first field trip.  We took a trip to the nearby university and her favorite part of the trip was rolling around on the football field...oh, that girl!

I used my November SC Kit +Add-Ons for this layout along with some awesome Wood Chips from Freckled Fawn and a badge from HelloForever.

My favorite element on this layout is the banner!  I added some wood veneer triangles from Sodalicious for some added dimension.

I hope you have a wonderful day!  I'm off to enjoy the last of the holiday events at my kids' schools.  TFL!

December Daily (Day 11 - 15)

Happy Wednesday!  Here's a scary thought...a week from today Christmas will be over...uh, yeah...

Anyhoo, here's a few more pages form my December Daily...enjoy!

Day 11 was very ordinary around our house.  The kids spent the evening finalizing their Christmas lists.  

Day 12 was super cool because it was 12.12.12 and I took 12 photos to mark the day, although only a few made it into my DD...

I used a PSE template to fit more photos on my pages.  This album is getting so chunky that I can barely close it!  

Day 13 was Jubal's kindergarten Christmas program.  He was so nervous about it all week, but came out like a shining star that night!

He's the one in the red button-down shirt :)

Day 14 was tough.  I debated on whether or not to post this page, but it was sort of therapeutic for me to do so.  

On Day 15 we took the kids to the local light display in our town.  It's one of our favorite family traditions and we really enjoyed ourselves.  Avery was the only Alvis kid that was brave enough to sit on Santa's lap...she doesn't mess around when it comes to asking for princess dresses and Barbie houses, ha! 

This year, I've been finding it easier to do my DD in big chunks rather than working on it everyday.  I hope that I can continue this process because I plan on tackling Project Life again this year.  We shall see.

Have a great day and TFL!

Winter Sunset

It's time for another Color Challenge at Freckled Fawn!

And here's my take...

We haven't had any snow around here yet, but we have had some gorgeous sunsets!  I took this photo using my iPhone and edited it in the photo app FotoRus.

I used a few bits from my SC December Kit and my SC DD kit.  I also used some of the new Wood Chips from Freckled Fawn...love those things!  I folded some of the washi I used into triangles and machine stitched them to my page.

If you would like to play along and get a chance to win a $5 Freckled Fawn Gift Card, just link up your creation here by Monday, December 31st!  Good luck and TFL!

Hello Handsome

Happy Monday...how was your weekend?  We had a full one filled with lots of Christmas-y events!  I'm really in the holiday spirit, but I wish time would slow down a bit so it would all last a little longer.

I have another layout for you today that I created for my Member Spotlight at SC...

I had these great photos of my oldest son, Garrison, that I shot right before his first school dance last month.  I've been wanting to make a "tag-inspired mini" on a layout for a while now (see photos below on how I did that) and these pics proved to be the best opportunity to do so!

I used SC's November and December Kits +Add-Ons for this layout.  

Those adorable arrow wood chips are from Freckled Fawn.

Ok, here's how I made my tag-mini...

First, I gathered three tags, two for photos and one for my journaling, and embellished each one to my liking.  I typed my journaling using my Royal 440 typewriter.

Next, I adhered the last tag (the one with my journaling) directly onto my page.  

I punched a hole through the patterned paper directly under my tag, but not through the grey card stock.  Then I placed the other two tags on top, threaded my baker's twine through all three tags and the patterned paper that I made the hole through and tied a loose knot at the top to allow the tags to be flipped up easily.
 

It was such an easy (and different!) way to add a few more photos and my journaling onto my page.  I will definitely be doing more of this in the future!  I hope you give it a try, too :)

Have a great day and TFL!!!