Scrapping!

I really haven't done a lot of scrapbooking posts in the past... umm... eight months?! After my miscarriage in September, I just didn't feel like doing *any*thing crafty. And it was really hard to get back into it. Ironically, this was the first project I decided to do:

It's a pregnancy journal, and I'm totally excited about it! I've already added photos to the first five months (okay, one photo is missing... :-p ), and I did take notes, so I just need to add those to the insides of the envelopes. I'm totally stoked to see it finished and have it to look back on. :-)

{It's made with Maya Road envelopes, the Bind It All, October Afternoon Mini Market stickers,

plus the SC Metropolitan kit.}

Then I did a layout with some old and new Jillibean Soup...
Those photos are actually from when we went to NYC in 2006!!! Crazy I'm finally scrapping them! ;-) That was our Christmas card photo that year (I just LOVE the colors... and my super-cute hubby ;-), and this photo of the puppies is one of my favorites EVER! They LOVED Central Park. LOVED it. We let them off the leashes a few times, so they could run and play, and they had a blast!

{Inspiration for that layout came from this pillow at LL Bean Home.}

And this is my newest layout. I just did this the other day...

My sweet Ruby. :-) She really is the cutest and sweetest dog ever. Truly. :-D I used this month's SC Singin in the Rain kit. I did use some white Mister Huey though to tone it down a bit. I like how soft it ended up being. :-)

Oh! And the inspiration for the design of the layout came from cards I saw at Tokketok.

Thanks for stopping by to see my new projects!

Loving My Sister.

My sister needs a blog.

Badly.

Not only does she have style...

But she's totally crafty (she made that flower on her bikini bottoms to match the top!), an awesome photographer, a super-mom (due with her fourth... the same week as I am!!!), and she finds the most amazing deals at consignment stores/thrift stores/vintage stores. Her ENTIRE house is DIY on a dime. I love it. She's so inspiring.

And soon... she WILL have a blog. She will. If I have to drag her to Blogger... kicking and screaming. :-)

Seriously... how beautiful is she?!?!

Creating Baby's Inspiration Boards.

I don't think I ever would have thought to do inspiration boards. But they are SOOOO helpful! Now I love doing them because it helps me stay focused on color schemes and themes.

These are my boards for the baby's room. (Sorry, I can't make them bigger... perhaps looking at them on my Olioboard page will make them bigger!) I created these ones at Olioboard, which I now MUCH prefer over Polyvore. So much more user-friendly. :-D

This one is the unisex version, since we're having a surprise. We will leave it like this if it's a boy...

Or change it up a bit (add in some peach and coral accents) if it's a girl...

Both have the same main elements (including white furniture, grey IKEA rug, and the paint color for the walls). And I am doing a *very* loose Disney theme either way (art, mobiles, etc). LOL. I wasn't going to do a theme at all, but I really want art on the walls... and I'm a *huge* Disney fan. Hubby would only go along with it if the artwork is either vintage or black & white. I'm going to try for both. But if it's modern Disney characters, but still black & white, I think we'll both still be happy. :-)

I'm trying to DIY as much as possible since our budget is close to non-existent. We already have the crib and the rocking chair (that looks almost exactly like that one!), and I'm giving makeovers to wall art (frames and stuff not generally used to hang on walls...), a lamp, and a side table (all of which was free and/or we had on hand). This way we can keep costs down, and I much prefer the look to things that I make/re-do myself. :-)

I'll keep you posted! :-D

ETA: I do LOVE Steamboat Willie art, but I haven't yet decided if that's the route I want to go. We'll see. ;-)

Labeling.

I didn't used to label everything. I felt like I knew where everything was, where everything belonged.

Then I got smart. LOL.

Now I label *everything*. Even if I know where something is, I've realized that when I have labels, I get to it faster, and it just looks pretty. ;-) (Not just in my scrap room, but other places in my home too. The pantry, the fridge (!!! LOL), the linen closet, the laundry room, the master closet, etc.) But here are some of my favorite labeling places in my scrap room.

My blue baskets... I got a whole box of little white tags (from Staples or any office supply store), and I removed their white strings and just tied some red gingham on them. (This blue basket no longer holds these 6x6 pads, but I still have the same labeling in effect.)

These red and orange boxes. I have SOOO many of these (in three colors) all over my scrap room. I use the SAME blue cardstock for each label to give them a bit of unity (plus my own handwriting... tee hee).

My blue vintage suitcase that holds my paint? It totally needed a cute label, so I used an SEI ticket, some twine and some alpha stickers.

Okay, I lied. Not ALL the Container Store boxes have blue tags. LOL. I thought it would be fun to put some of my favorite patterned papers (these are October Afternoon). The two colored ones are memorabilia, and the one with a newspaper-looking label? It holds newspaper clippings of family members and memorable events. You could also use this method for holding colored papers and such. No actual "title" or "label," but just the "color" of what's in there.

My scrapbook albums have SUPER quick and easy labeling. These are those rimmed tags you can get in a box at the office supply store. I just used a punch to punch out circles from cardstock and write the title. They're stuck on with glue dots. See? Easy and fast. :-)

*Sometimes,* I like to get all crazy crafty with my labeling. ;-) These labels were just punched, and then I used paper clips and twine to attach to the drawers. This idea is loosely based off of Stacy Julian's method of how she labels her albums.

They are my embellishments by color, so I also added some of my favorite coordinating-color embellishments.

I thought long and hard (heeee ;-) ) about how I would label my photo drawers. I wanted something... umm... not boring? LOL. I got these vintage (from Kentucky!) mini-postcards from a long ago Studio Calico kit. I cut them to size to fit in each of the four drawers' book plates. I just added mini stickers for the titles.

One of my favorite storage items in my scrap room are these canvas bins. I'm kinda obsessed with these. I'm not even kidding. I have EIGHT in my scrap room (I will add two more at the end of this year, I think... LOL). I also have them in our linen closet (for sheets, pillowcases, first aid stuff, dog stuff, etc), guest bathroom (towels), and they WILL go ;-) in the baby's room (in lieu of drawers).

The labels? Are Sassafras linen cards! I don't even have to trim them (YES!!!!!)... they fit *perfectly* in that little label pocket! Then I use mini alpha stickers (all in black to keep it unified) to identify the contents. :-) Here's a close-up:

And those are just some of the fun ways I use labels in my scrap room. I *do* own a label maker, but I only used that to label my Cropper Hopper folders.

So have you gotten creative with your labeling? I'd love to hear some of your ideas! :-D

Re-working Our Closet

I shared our closet here after we moved into our new house. But after living in it for a while, I discovered that there were a few changes I wanted to make. So... I thought I'd share them. :-)

My scarves used to hang on a pants hanger (which did work great for taking up little space!), but I realized that I hardly ever wore them because I couldn't really *see* them all, and they hung in the way back with my other long-hang stuff (dresses). So I got some new hooks and attached them to the shelf above and hung them right next to me belts:

I really like them like this! I can see all of them now, AND I wear them more. YES! Also, our hamper used to live where that step-stool is, so I just moved it to Jeremy's side of the closet. :-) This way the step-stool is RIGHT under the top bins and my dress shoes (that live in these on the top shelf), which also creates easier access. Double YES! :-D

And I replaced the shelf with this elfa shelf basket to hold my purses! My necklaces have always hung here too, but I've just never showed a photo. LOL. :-p

Then above my purses, you can see my bins o' stuff. ;-)

Here's a close-up. I switch them around depending on what season it is. But that hand wash bin?! That one always stays here. I used to just throw them in a pile or throw them in the hamper, hoping I'd catch them on laundry day. HA! I LOVE this solution. If you have hand-wash-only items (or simply items that are machine-wash, hang-to-dry), I *highly* recommend a special bin for them. Ahhh... makes my life so much simpler. I put bras here too. :-)

The other bins hold hats, slipper socks, and gloves/beanies. I also have one to the left of the purses, and that one holds my slippers. :-)

And those are the changes I've made! I'm loving how much more functional it's become!

Any cool ideas for organization in your own closet?

Growing: 22 Weeks

Comparing this photo with the last, I seriously feel like I've ballooned in the past 40 days (even in the past three weeks)! LOL. I was planning on taking this photo at 20 weeks, but time got away from us. Eh... having monthly shots is my goal, so I'm still good. ;-)

And some stuff about me at 22 Weeks...

Inches grown around tummy: 11 inches

Weight gained: 18 pounds (I started out under-weight, so this is fine)

Sex of baby: it's a surprise!

Heart rate of baby: in the 140s

Movement: finally felt the baby on March 16th! YAY! Now I feel him/her ALL the time, and I LOVE it. Jeremy LOVES it too. :-D

Cravings: cinnamon raisin Mochi (still), toast, cereal, sandwiches

Weird food notes:
Whenever I make waffles, I have to stop myself from eating every, single one... in one sitting.

Cantaloupe is my new favorite fruit.

I feel like my body *needs* dessert after every meal. Yes, this includes breakfast. ;-)

By the end of my pregnancy, I'm sure I will have eaten my weight in butter.

I hate juice... but I really want some.

Baby's Room Progress: Painted closet! Hopefully, shelves will go up this weekend! ;-) Started altering table lamp (gotta use what I have.... LOL). "Preparing" side table for complete makeover. I'll post photos as things get completed!

Refurbishing the Laundry Room... DONE!

All I can say is, "It's about TIME!" LOL. Seriously, I've been wanting to post these photos for SOOOOO long. Sorry about the delay. Hope it's worth it! ;-)

And because no renovation post is complete without the horrible "before" picture:

Umm... that's embarrassing. LOL. There *was* a shelf there when we moved in, and we had to TEAR it out of the wall, so that's why it looks so gross. I did the spackling, priming, and painting myself, and here's what it looks like now:

And the top, without the washer/dryer:

Want to know what's in all the containers? Left to right, top to bottom: cleaning supplies, trash bags, paper towels, carpet cleaning supplies, rags (in flowered basket), wash bags (for delicates in washer), lightbulbs, trash (for lint and things), cat food. And then on far right is detergent, fabric softener, OXY clean (in spray bottle), Downy Wrinkle Releaser, and dryer sheets/toothbrush (for scrubbing)/cap for pouring detergent.

I should have done close-ups of the wall above the shelves. Darn it! I *will* try to get some of those, so you can get a better look! ;-)

And some close-ups:

The left-hand wall that holds brooms and such is not *completely* done yet. *My* part is done, but hubby still needs to get out his Dremel tool and do one little project for me. I'll post that in the future when it's done.

And the breakdown...

Benjamin Moore Robin's Nest Paint (matched at Home Depot) - $9 (umm... they messed up, and I got a discount)

Plywood (for top of washer/dryer) - free (again, Home Depot messed up... lucky me!)

Shelves - had on hand (for your reference: would've probably been around $150, *without* my discount)

White baskets - $16

Yellow folding cube/bin (Walmart Clearance) - $5

Pink basket - $10

Liberty of London basket (Target) - had on hand

Yellow baskets (IKEA and spray painted yellow) - had on hand

Spray paint - $5

Trash can - $5

Cat food container (I added white contact paper to outside)- had on hand

Aluminum spray bottle - $5

Glass bottles (for detergent and fabric softener) - $9

Yellow tulip container - $4

Jenni Bowlin Labels - $3.50

Yellow Clock (Target) - $5?

Styrofoam (covered in white cardstock and used as blocks on wall) - $4

White fabric (JoAnn Fabrics: for curtain above washer/dryer) - $2

White frames (Michaels and Target) - had on hand

Hambly Overlay (in two frames) - $3

Laundry Tote (on floor, for clean clothes) - had on hand (I actually have two... one is missing from this photo)

Total spent: $85 - ish

Altering a Jar with FabRips.

I totally forgot to post this pickle jar I altered with FabRips!

See, I had this to-do list. And it wasn't like a "must get done today" list. It was more like an "over time" to-do list (like... paint china cabinet, make huge batch of bean soup, make a mini album, etc). Instead of having that daunting list, I decided that I would write each one on a strip of paper and stick them in a jar. So when I needed a project or a to-do, I'd just choose one!

So here's how it went down...

I cut some strips and laid them vertically... making sure only the top was stuck down. Then I took another strip and wove it through the vertical pieces. I cut off the remaining amount:

Then I took a 2nd strip and wove it through, making sure to have it be over and under the other strips:

(Okay, after I did this step, I decided to "change it up" and make the horizontal strips all different patterns... tee hee.) So after I had three woven in, it looked like this:

Then I took some bigger pieces of FabRips and just laid them on top of the lid. I used my CutterBee scissors to go around the inside of the lid, getting rid of the FabRips that hung over:

Then again with a little piece, so that it was all covered!

And I needed a small piece for the edge, so it would still look pretty. :-)

I did use the bicycle stamp on some white paper, cut it out, and glued it to the top (see top photo), just for something else cool to have on the lid. ;-) And then I added some Thickers on top of the FabRips on the front! And... DONE!

A totally fun project AND a great way to hold my "to do" lists. ;-)

Jumping Up and Down.

I have become one of those crazy moms who gets all giddy when she sees her little baby on screen. No tears. Just laughing and giggling and barely-controlled glee.

I am sorry, but my baby is cuuuuuute! Sure, he/she is only like 11 inches long and looks like a bunch of black and white squiggly lines, but look at that profile! ;-)

And not only is he/she cute, but he/she is super flexible! ;-) We're sitting there, waiting for a good shot of Baby K, and what does he/she do? The legs came up (how cute are little baby knees?!?!?), he/she grabbed that foot, and it went straight for his/her mouth! My baby is *already* a flexible gymnast. ;-)
Seriously, it was the cutest thing ever. It's playing over and over in my head. And every.single.time I think about it, I get this goofy grin on my face, and I want to jump up and down at the thought of *my* baby in there! HA! Just too cool for words. :-)

Baby is doing VERY well, by the way. A very strong heartbeat and actually he/she is growing faster than expected and measuring about a week ahead of schedule! (Baby may "even out," so they won't be changing our due date...)

We were also *very* strong when the tech discovered the sex of the baby. Nope. We don't want to know. We love surprises WAY too much. And yes, I'm a planner, and yes, I LOVE organization (a lot), but I love surprises way more. And you know... I'm actually saving loads of money *not* buying baby clothes right now. LOL. :-p (Because honestly... those of you parents who know, how do you resist adorable clothes?!?!?)

This post has gotten ridiculous, so I'll be stopping now. :-) Thank you for reading my babbling. :-)

Altering a Notepad.

I love to alter stuff. LOVE it. SOOO much. I *just* may like it better than scrapping. Yeah, probably. Maybe just a little bit. LOL. :-)

I got this cute notepad as a gift a few years ago. It's pretty, but not my style, and it certainly doesn't match my scrap room (that's important, you know)! ;-)

And when I got my new Studio Calico stuff in the mail, I HAD to do something with it. Quickly. :-D I'm not into the super-embellishing (though I do *love* looking at projects with lots of embellishments... tee hee). I just wanted a nice, small touch. I really like how it turned out...

I used the FabRips to do the edge/spine, and I folded them over, so you could see the pattern on the inside too. :-)

Here's another angle, so you can kinda see the FabRips at the top...

Products used:

Flowery paper

Birdy/Ledger paper

Woodgrain paper

Green alphas

Label sticker

Mod Podge

I had so much fun with this project! Have you seen the new Studio Calico stuff? Done anything cool? Altered anything lately? Link me up! :-D

Re-capping the Last Month.

I've been meaning to post these photos and things from the last month or so, but haven't gotten around to it. :-p We have had SUCH a busy February/March!

We ended up getting ONE day of snow in Austin. Amber was in HEAVEN!

Poor Ruby had a growth on her eyelid, we had that removed, and two days later, she had to go in for emergency surgery because an ulcer *in her eye* developed and then burst. They had to sew her eyelids closed for a couple weeks. Poor thing. :-( She's doing SOOO much better and healing nicely. The doc thought she'd lose her sight completely, but it looks like it's coming back! YAY! :-)

Then Caroline came to visit! We had so much fun! We ate, shopped and took photos. That's about it. LOL. :-p (Okay, I DID scrap one page. LOL. :-p)

Two days after Caroline left, Paige came to visit! Of course, she brought along cute, little Fox!

She came for our baptism (and was awesome enough to take this photo [with two missionaries] afterward), and it was SOOOO nice to have her here. :-) We had such an awesome time!

Then the weather got SUPER nice... like 70s and 80s every, single day. And Kissa? She is LOOOOOOVING it...

She spends ALL day outside, just sleeping on our deck. She never leaves our backyard. LOL. You know, unless of course Jeremy is on his iPhone because Kissa *loves* that thing. ;-)

Okay, not really... she just loves cuddling with whichever one of us is sitting on the couch. LOL.

And that's about it. :-) Oh, and I *did* finish our laundry room... finally. LOL. I'll post photos soon. Promise. :-D

Looking at the Stats...

I just may like the headless belly shots better! ;-) Tee hee.

How far along: 20.5 weeks (photo taken at 19 weeks)

Inches grown around tummy: 10 inches

Weight gained: 15 pounds (I started out under-weight, so this is fine)

Sex of baby: it's a surprise!

Heart rate of baby: 154 (so my sister thinks boy because her boy's current heart rate is 153... LOL :-p )

Cravings: cinnamon raisin Mochi, stir-fry, and dessert after every meal (tee hee)

Movement: have not felt baby yet... but probably this week, I hear! ;-)

Next ultra-sound: March 17th! (I'll scan the photos!)

Other things: I'm tired (especially if I *do* something... ha ha), but sleeping at night is not my favorite. I toss and turn and get up to pee like... umm... a lot. :-p I get these waves of energy, where I want to do anything and EVERYTHING around the house. Then I start getting Braxton Hicks and have to sit down. Tee hee. Scrappy mojo has not come back yet. Grrr. No swelling or stretch marks yet (knock on wood), so I'm enjoying that part of it. :-)

This whole thing is SOOOO surreal! But I'm loving every second. :-)

Choosing a Winner!

So... using Random.org's generator, the lucky number is...

Which means... Jennie M is the winner! Yay! Congratulations, Jennie!

Send me your address, and I will get that stuff out to you! :-)

Thank you everyone SOOOO much for your sweet comments!