Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Today is my last day . . .

in my 30's. (Deep breath). I'm not really lamenting that I will be 40. More reflective and thankful to be at this point in my life. Focusing on my blessings and ways that I can make the next 40 years worthwhile and fulfilling.

These bring happiness to my heart:

This beautiful young lady amazes me every day.
She has a light within her that constantly radiates happiness.

Merek loves to write letters and draw.
He was so excited to show me his person and name on the white board.
 
Lina participated in open auditions for 5th Avenue Theater last weekend.
We got there right when the mall opened and she was #30 in line.
I was impressed with her confidence to sing in front of hundreds of people in the middle of a mall!
 
Bird performed at his violin recital on Saturday.
He played Haydn Melodies (Surprise Symphony).
Love his musical talent.

The boys posed for me yesterday as I tried to capture some images for a photography class I'm taking online. Trying to get three boys in focus on manual is something I need to work on. Krish really wanted me to take a photo of just him with Merek. This is the best I could get. I think it's pretty cute.

Looking forward to this weekend when I'll get to be with ALL 3 of my sisters and my parents. It will be fantastic!

Monday, May 20, 2013

A Banner Day :)

Banners are a favorite project of mine to make. :) Here is one I put together using SRM Stickers 4th of July stickers and The Twinery twine. It is featured on the SRM Blog today.




I used the mini-sentiments on the Stickers By The Dozen: Patriotic sheet, along sentiments from We've Got Your Border: Patriotic to the bottom of each pennant. The graphic borders were perfect for the tops of the pennants.



To add extra dimension to the banner, I placed the flag stickers (Stickers By The Dozen) on punched circles and tied them between the pennants. Maraschino and Midnight blue twine from The Twinery tie it all together.


#62006 SBTD Patriotic
#57010 WGYB Patriotic
#68001 Maraschino Twine
#68014 Midnight Blue Twine

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Mother's Day

I am spoiled. They wouldn't let me get out of bed until 9:30. They made me breakfast
and this cute sign:

We played some games together then got ready for church. DH tried to take some photos before church but none of them turned out well. So he tried again afterwards and this is the best we got:
 
I love being a mom. It's hard. It's frustrating. It's exhausting. But the love I get back from my kids and the rewards of seeing them grow and develop into amazing people are worth it.
 
I recently read this quote and love it:
 
"If you are on the right path,
it will always be uphill."
--Mildred G. Eyring

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Shout out to SRM

Be sure to check out the Creating Keepsakes Blog today. Susan, the owner of SRM Stickers, is the guest blogger today. She featured my pillow-box crayon idea.



SRM has several cute containers available now that work seemlessly with their stickers. Such great ideas for gifts and storage and parties. Susan will be at the Stationary Show in New York City this coming weekend. Oh, how I'd love to go! And especially because it would mean a chance to see my sister, Michelle, who lives there.

And just a random thought, one more week in my 30's. I cannot believe I will be 40. Really??



Friday, May 10, 2013

Teacher Thank You set

As the school year winds down, teacher thank you's are on my mind.  I put together this card and small gift using SRM stickers, pillow box, and twine. It is featured on the SRM Blog today HERE.


 

 The crayons fit perfectly inside the medium-size pillow box!
 

What fun ideas do you have for teacher gifts? I'd love to see/hear them :)

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Hello Card

This card puts a smile on my face. Maybe it's the yellow. Maybe it's the button with twine. Or the script "hello". Maybe just the whole thing :)

 
I used products in the May Paper Posies kit. Such a fun combination of colors and patterns. Very May-ish. :)

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Mother's Day layout

With Mother's Day approaching this Sunday, I thought I would share this layout made with the May Paper Posies kit. 


I'm loving Elle's Studio tags and papers! They have always been a favorite of mine. So happy they are making their way into the Paper Posies kits.

I used the Jillibean Soup "today" sticker to finish off the "Cherish" sentiment that is on the ES paper.

My kids are asking me what I want for Mother's Day. Hmmm . . . I have no idea! How about some more sunshine, a chore schedule for the next month, no whining, and lots of hugs & kisses :)

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

May Calendar page

Diligently, I've been keeping up with my calendar. It was included in the January Paper Posies kit. Each month I've been using the current kit to decorate the page. This is what I came up with using the May kit:


I really like the orange in the kit. And the butterfly pins and crocheted flowers--fabulous :)
 
Each month I have a different prompt to start off my writing for the day. Just little snippets to record everyday moments of our life.
 
We are enjoying some amazing spring weather. This past weekend it reached into the 80's! Which is amazing, considering last summer we had FOUR total days over 80. (Well, maybe it was more, but it didn't seem like much).
 
I'm looking for some good books to read over the summer. If you have any suggestions, please leave me a comment. I'd love to hear what your favorite reads are.


Monday, May 6, 2013

Violin Recital layout

I'd been holding onto these pictures from Bird's violin recital last spring. When the May Paper Posies kit arrived, I decided it was the kit to use with the pics.

 
The colors of the kit were perfect for the classic feel of the recital.

The Elle's Studio tags added a nice accent to the side of the main picture.

I added an SRM glassine bag behind the title letters to help them stand out more from the grey patterned paper.

The journaling tag is tucked inside of another SRM glassine bag. I tied off the tag with twine.

Bird's next recital is in two weeks--he has such a good ear for music. I hope it is something he continues to practice for many years.