Mel-o-drama

Saturday @ the Suet....

Saturday scraps...

A special card....

for an extra-special lady.

I want to wish a very Happy Mother's Day to all of my bloggy-mommys out there!!
You all inspire me each and every day!
I pretty much feel like every moment that I get to be Mommy to E & M is a gift but....
this whole breakfast & coffee served with cards, being showered with actual gifts, not cooking, and being pampered all day long thing isn't a bad gig either:)  
Hope you all had a great day!
HUGS!

Supplies used: Patterned Papers- Dear Lizzy & Pebbles Inc/ Cardstock-Core'dinations/ Bling- Basic Grey/ Letter Stickers- Bella Blvd/ THank you sticker-Pebbles/ Other- Twine & Chipboard flower- unknown

Project life....

big time catch up post...again:) 
Oh and for those of you who have been emailing for kitchen updates...there are quite a few glimpses in these pages. Full kitchen reveal post coming soon!


Sharing weeks 13- 18 today:)

Week 13...

Can you believe I am going all the way back to Easter and Spring Break week? Wow.
This year is flying by me I swear.

left side....
right side...

and since Spring Break week is SO busy I used a half page here to tell the story of our yearly tradition of taking my Poppy his eggs:)
When we color eggs we MUST do enough to deliver some to Pop.
In the 13 years that I have had children we have missed 2 years and Pop has been highly offended.  It's a must do:)

Flip side of the 1/2 page.....

and a closeup....


Week 14...I used a half page for weeks 14 and 15 too...mostly because they were just so busy!


left side....

right side....


Week 15...in all of it's crooked glory....


I inserted the play bill into this weeks spread:)
left side...

right side under the play bill...


Week 16...

left side...

right side....


Week 17...

left side...

right side...


Week 18...

left side....

right side...


WOO! That was a lot huh?
I applaud you if you are still reading this lengthy post:)
I LOVE THIS PROJECT...
and as we are nearing the halfway mark I have to say....
I seem to keep up with taking pics each week (never a problem for the girl who carries 3 cameras at all times)
I seem to make time on Sunday afternoons to print the pics from the previous week.
I always insert them into page protectors right away.
I seem to be able to find some time to embellish and journal on Monday nights
and I'm even fairly regular about photographing the finished spreads....
BUT....
posting them here...
not so good at that one.
I'm going to work on it though.
Thanks for visiting today!!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Idea for Pinata ice cream cones came from Pinterest...of course:)

Worktable Wednesday....

On my worktable today....
custom painting orders....
OH MY!

A couple of weeks ago the sweetest customer asked me to do this piece for her Daughter's room....


and then this past weekend she contacted me asking that I  create a piece for her Son's side of their jointly shared bedroom:)
She wanted it to be bigger but simpler and more "boyish"  and to semi-coordinate with his bedding but to also semi-coordinate with his Sister's artwork.

It was a tall order....
BUT....


I'm hoping she is happy with the end result:)
Happy Wednesday everyone!!

P.S> The Soy milk giveaway winners are: Audrey, Rachel, Wendi R, Julie, and Bekka!!!  Thanks for participating everyone. Winning ladies please send me your addy's and I will get your coupons right out to you!!

8th Continent Soy milk Smoothie Recipe and Giveaway!!!

This morning I have a recipe to share with all of you.....
I know....it shocked me to type the word recipe too...
but this recipe couldn't be any easier....
which is why we start EVERY morning with this delicious Soy milk smoothie.
The kids LOVE it so much and I love that it is both yummy and healthy....
oh and did I mention easy??
Don't forget the easy part...easy is important if you aren't in love with the mornings....like ahem....some people;)   

Ingredients:
8-10 ozs. of Original flavored 8th Continent Soy Milk
2 small handfuls of baby Spinach
1 banana
handful of blackberries
*you can add in any fruit that you have on hand. We have successfully tried several variations...just experiment and have fun finding out which combination your family likes best.
1 Vanilla Instant Breakfast packet (optional)

Some mornings I like to up the nutritional punch a bit more by adding in an Instant Breakfast packet.  Totally optional as it tastes great either way!

Simply place all of your ingredients in the blender and....

you end up with a super yummy, super nutritious, super easy to make smoothie that looks like this:)
It's a great way to start your day! 


Speaking of a great ways to start the day.....how does a GIVEAWAY sound? 
Thanks to 8th Continents extreme generosity I have 10....count em 10....coupons for a free half gallon of Soy Milk to give away today!!!
Five lucky winners will EACH receive 2 coupons!!!
All you have to do is leave a comment on this post to be entered into the drawing to win!!
Happy Wednesday! 

P.S. be sure to check out the 8th Continent site for more great recipes. 

I want to remember....

I want to remember the quiet of the pond in early morning.

I want to remember the beauty of the trees without their leaves.

I want to remember how there was still snow on the ground.
I want to remember the sound of the first casts of the season.
I want to remember the smiles.

I want to remember the sunshine streaming down...

and the bluest sky.
I want to remember how you ventured off into your own quiet spaces....

I want to remember how you came together to help each other out.

I want to remember the chitter chatter and the long periods of silence.

I want to remember the lessons.

I want to remember the looks of determination.

I want to remember the silliness.

I want to remember the rocks, and feathers, and sticks that became just as much a part of your tackle box as your lure collections. 

I want to remember the facepaint made from rocks.

I want to remember how we were cold but not quite cold enough to force us out.
I want to remember how even though I am not "into" fishing I always end up loving being there with all of you.
I want to remember our late afternoon trip to Binghamton and how all 4 of us sang at the top of our lungs to the Ipod all the way home.
I want to remember every little bit of this perfect early spring weekend..... for like ever.

Worktable Wednesday...

in a phone pic:)

Lol.....

Monday's are hard....
going back to school after Spring break is harder....
going back to school the day after Spring break and Easter is harder still....
and going back to school on a Monday...that just so happens to be the day after Easter and Spring break....and is in fact April Fool's Day...well....
that is the hardest.
Especially when your parents are evil (maniacal laugh)...
and live by the prank them before they can prank you theory.   
I knew we would all need a giggle this morning....
so I told the kids to hurry up and get dressed....
I told them that even though we don't normally allow junk food in the morning I had made brownies and would let them each have one if they got up, dressed quickly,  and didn't grumble.

What?
I DID make Brown-e's:)

Hahaha....I love being the Mom!

Hubby loved their reaction so much that he covered this little paper prank right up with aluminum foil and took it into the boys at work....
Sorry boys....and Miss Mars....
but not quite sorry enough to not try it one more time on my nephews afterschol today;)
Signing off to make everyone REAL brownies right now.
Guess the joke's on me huh?  

P.S. Ev's immediate reaction was "man I'm starting to hate Pinterest" lol....how did he know? That's ok Pinterest  I still love you....especially today:)

Happy Mail....

So I ordered a print on Etsy...oh how I love me some Etsy....and I didn't have the heart to throw away the cardboard mailing tube that it arrived in.
So I had a cardboard tube sitting on my desk for several weeks just begging me to do something with it:)
You know how that goes right?
I have this dear friend whom I love with all of my heart.
Actually she is our cousin AND my dear friend so she is like the icing and sprinkles on top of the icing on the cake that I got when I married my Mr.
To put it simply  I am SO lucky to have her in my life.
This special lady had a birthday earlier this month....and a birthday for someone so special requires a very special card don't you think?
Trouble is I was drawing a blank in the card department...
So....I turned to that little tube to send some...of what I hope was...Happy mail her way.

I simply decorated a piece of twine by placing alpha stickers back to back with the twine sandwiched in the middle.
You can choose any sentiment that you feel is fitting:)

Next I added a little washi tape for color and interest....

and then taped the twine to the lid....so I had something that looked like this.
As you can see I decided to decorate the outside of the tube to make it more "special" looking.....oh and filling it with confetti and chocolates never hurt either;)
The only suggestion I have for decorating the outside is to  be sure to wrap packing tape around everything so that it doesn't get roughed up in the mailing process.
p.s. be sure to add an arrow and note that says "open here" or "this side up" as well;) 

and there you have it...
a fun way to send a Birthday...or really anyday...wish!

Speaking of Birthdays...we are celebrating my Poppy's 83rd this weekend!!
So....
I'm off to make another card.
Happy WEEKEND!!

Project Life catch-up post....

Ok so even though I have been faithful about keeping up with my Project Life album each week.....I have been slightly less than faithful about photographing and posting it.
So please bear with me as I share several weeks.

week 8....


highlights:
♥Mars made a pottery wall pocket in Art class and could not wait to show me.
♥It's still winter...sadface/ over it.
♥Still cooking in the crockpot because the kitchen is still a work in progress:)   
♥Dinner date with my parents.
♥Mid-week craftstore run and a little time to create.

left side closeup
right side closeup


week 9...


highlights...
♥The boy has been super busy with Drama Club...he will play "chip" in the school's production of Beauty and the Beast.   
♥Kitchen is moving along. We are taking down the last wall this week.
♥Raccoon sitting for my nephew.
♥I included an envelope from school with an important letter that we want to keep.
♥Still entirely TOO COLD for me.

since weeks 8 and 9 went by quickly and with less than the usual amount of pictures taken I used Becky Higgins design J pages on them.   They are basically a little more than half a page...hence the hand in the pics to show where each week begins and ends in the album.  They are a great choice for less photo-heavy weeks.

week 10....

highlights....
♥Early morning trip over the Tappan Zee.  
♥Sheetrock and Spackling in progress...oh and lower cabinets in place:)
♥Another snow day for the kids.
♥Gas is still way up there.
♥We are currently using the cardboard boxes from our new cabinets as countertops....classy.
♥That same cardboard is also great for building forts on snow days:)
♥Even the kids are sick of Winter this year. They are thinking ahead to fishing season.

left side closeup.
right side closeup...


week 11...

highlights...
♥Early morning sonogram for the boy.
♥He did NOT appreciate having to drink so much.
♥Cousin time afterschool.
♥@ school Mars was chosen as this year's  essay winner and got to read her essay at her D.A.R.E graduation. You could barely see her standing behind the podium...but she got to use the microphone...which was a pretty big deal you know;) She was amazing!
♥Ev had 2 pieces of artwork chosen to be displayed in the county artshow.
♥We saw Oz the Great and Powerful...and it was wonderful.
♥Shamrock shakes...the perfect follow-up to a great movie.
♥Sanding has commenced....I hate sanding sheetrock but I know the weeks of dusting that will follow will be well worth it once I see the end result:)  
♥1st Birthday party for our adorable and sweet cousin!




week 12....

highlights...
♥Dessert at my Mom and Dad's house for St. Patty's Day.
♥Finally picking paint!
♥Snow day...4 kids home, 4 crafts created, 4 walls painted, and 4 lunches made all before noon:)
♥M made a dress out of scraps of fabric without a pattern and without any direction from me. That girl will give any craft a whirl,  As you can see she usually rocks it!
♥Official first day of Spring!??!
♥Miss M and I spent a bunch of time in the car taking pics, crafting, and passing time this week while we waited for E to get out of one activity or another at school.  Drama club, yearbook, and Soapbox Derby = hello busy! 
♥All of that time in the car= very messy car...so a carwash day was in order.
♥Miss M is all about making friendship bracelets right now....and ummm....apparently she is also about posing in Home Depot while we pick out paint? 

left side closeup

right side closeup


Annnnnddd.....drumroll please.....that makes me....ALL CAUGHT UP with posting!
3 months down and I still LOVE this project.   
I promise I will post weekly from now on.

Finally Friday....

Supplies used: Patterned Papers- Dear Lizzy Lucky Charm and Glitz Color Me Happy/  Diecut- Dear Lizzy Lucky Charm/ Flair Panda Eight Designs/ Ink- Inkadinkadoo/ Washi tape- Etsy/ Other- buttons and ribbon



I've had this layout done for quite a few days now....
the problem is I just haven't had any time to share it.
It has been a very long and very busy couple of weeks around here....
BUT...as of today my littles are officially on SPRING BREAK!!
Happy to have a break in the routine for a few days.....
now if we could just get a break from the nasty winter weather.
Mother Nature help another Mother out ok? 

P.S. a couple of you have emailed to ask about Project life.  I am proud to say that I have NOT fallen behind yet...just haven't had a minute to photograph and share them. Update coming soon I promise.

My love will fly to you each night...

Ok so the minute I saw the new Dear Lizzy Lucky Charm collection
I knew it needed to be mine...

especially that pony...
I am pretty much in love with that pony....
and I KNEW a certain 10 year old pony-loving little girl would love him too.
Oh and that constellation finder paper?
Don't even get me started on that.
Yes that same little 10 year old girl loves to stargaze....
and  collect rocks, and sticks, and seashells...
and...well...anything from  the outdoors really.
See... 

She loves it almost as much as her Mama loves to collect scrapbooking embellies...
Ahem...see...

That same little girl has been wanting a dreamcatcher in her room ever since we went on our road trip. She saw several that she liked at a roadside stand in New Mexico, but her indecisive-I want to bring them all home-nature got the better of her...
and since she couldn't pick just one she decided to wait and settled on none.
It probably was the best choice for her....
afterall, she would have worried about the one..or ten...she left behind...

Today we fixed it all.
We dove into that new paper that is so befitting of my sweet little lady..
We gave that pretty pony and hopefully some sweet dreams a home.
We dug through her collection of rocks and sticks and driftwood and fortunes and well.... just stuff....
and we reminisced about where she got it all...
and don't you know she remembers every detail about every piece?
We tied it all together with pretty twine and confetti and a bit of glue...
and embellished it up good...
and eventually we ended up with this piece....

It is full of some of her favorite things and...
it is as unique and eclectic as my sweet girl. 

Do you think she'll notice if I sneak it into my room?

My Core’dinations Creative Frenzy....

Hello everyone!
I have a few projects using my favorite cardstock to share with you today:)
First up is a layout about my sweet little MIss M.

Supplies used: Cardstock- Tim Holtz & Ranger collection for Core'dinations/ Letter stickers- Bella Blvd, Doodlebug Designs &  Making Memories/ Twine- Lawn Fawn/ Red Ink- Inkadinkadoo/ Template- Balzer Designs/ Other- buttons and beads 

I had a blast making this one.  
There was paint and ink and beads and of course Core'dinations cardstock as far as the eye could see.
Messy projects are always the most fun right?

After that was all cleaned up I broke out the sandpaper and got to work on creating a  card.

I always love all of the texture that Core cardstock adds to my projects!

I thought it would be fun to punch some shapes into the center of a few of the circles and it totally was. 

Supplies used: Cardstock- Core'dinations Embossed & Core'dinations Tim Holtz & Ranger Collection/  Patterned Paper & Sticker- Dear Lizzy Lucky Charm/ Other- Ribbon, Paint,  Heidi Swapp Sandpaper, &  Twine from The Twinery.

When I was finished with all of that....
well....I just  went ahead and made this little card and gift-box combo too.

Supplies used: Cardstock- Core'dinations Core Essentials & Core'dinations shattered/ Patterned paper- Dear Lizzy Lucky Charm/ Embellishments- Prima Ruby Violet flower, Basic Grey Basic Candy buttons, Queen & Co twine, & Dear Lizzy heart lock sticker & washi tape

That pretty coral colored paper had the perfect "door" shape already scored and embossed into it....  

and since a friend of mine is moving into a new home I decided it would be the perfect piece to create a house-warming card out of:)

Sentiment reads: Wishing you all of the best in your new home.

It was a crazy Core'dinations crafting party up in here!
Do you use a lot of cardstock when you scrap?
What is your favorite color or texture?