Carlsbad travel art kit

I wanted to share what I gathered to bring on our mini-getaway this weekend. I'm tryiing to keep it simple and be able to pretty much complete the album while in Carlsbad (mainly because I have a few many unfinished projects from previous trips).

I'm packing:
Fuji instax camera (also using i-phone camera)
amy tan book
washi tape
glue stick
various pens/markers
various letter stickers
tim holtz word stickers

The book is on the small side, so I may have to figure our a way to add more pages. Or maybe I will keep it simple. I may want to add embellishments when I get home. Or maybe not. Will have to share when I'm done. If you are interested in specific products, leave me a comment and I will get you that info.

Hello Cali

Heading off for a short trip to Southern Cali tomorrow afternoon. We will be going to Carlsbad (just North of San Diego). The sole reason for this trip is for business research. Basically, I want to check out the Queen Bee Market. It sounds like a great place to shop and maybe I can apply to sell there at the next market. And honestly, I can't pass up a chance to hit So Cal.

So the grand plans are to arrive Thursday evening and take a night time walk on the beach. Sleep. Return to beach on Friday. Eat at Anthony's Fishette. Maybe go to Little Italy to do some shopping at Blick's art supply. Back to hotel for shower. Then off to the Queen Bee Market. Sleep. Hang out by pool. Head home.

Since I am drowing in unfinished projects at home, but I can't take a trip without creating some sort of mini-book, I'm trying to come up with a simple plan. Only take photos with phone and Fuji Instax camera. Bring along Smash Book. Nothing too complicated. I plan to share the finished product next week (although, I have done a terrible job with the follow through on Seattle and Week in the Life!)

Sandy beaches, here we come!

A fabulous proposal

Just in case you are not one of the 5 million people who have viewed this Isaac Lamb YouTube video, you really should.  View it. Now. And I dare you not to cry. I already lost the dare.

Sand Bucket List 2012

Today is the first official day of Summer 2012 with my kiddos. They had a half day Friday, then I worked all weekend. So today was a sleep in late day and then time to finalize the summer list. We did this last year also (although it was shorter) and we did not finish every item on the list. Our goal is to check off every item this time. Some items are little, others are big. It seems like if we don't setup some goals early in the summer, the time flies by and  it is Back to School time and the lazy days are over. So here is our SAND BUCKET LIST 2012.

I hung the list on our giant chalk board. Now it looks so tiny and bare. Will have to pretty it up later today!

Updated:  I couldn't stand the posterboard attached to the chalkboard, so I had my girls help me write the list on the chalkboard itself, and even checked off a few items already. I also added the felt pom pom banner that I picked up at the Queen Bee market last weekend. I think I'm going to add photos to the banner (using clothes pins) as the summer progresses. It still need some more color, but I'm happy with the changes!

Check out Ali Edward's Summer Manifesto for another list idea. Are you making a summer "to-do" list? Leave me a comment and share.

If you can't read the list in the photo, here is our summer list:

muppet movie at the park/picnic
night bike rides
see Avengers
see Dark Knight Rises
knee surgery
see Spider Man
staycation
Science Center
swim at Grandpa's pool
ice skating
Barnes and Noble
see Ice Age 4
walk dogs
visit beach
board game night
see Brave
public pool
visit the Grandmas
root  beer floats
see Madagascar 3
Biosphere
Casa Grande Ruins
Out of Africa
Cabela's
slumber party
see MIB III
pedicures
As You Wish
Kartchner Caves
Wii night
see Odd Life of Timothy Green
Craft day
see Battleship
make cupcakes
petroglyphs-waterfall trail
see Snow White and the Huntsman
bowling
Bear park
see Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Happy

Happy Memorial Day. Happy Birthday Maru (see below). Happy Relaxing Day. Happy Work Day.

However you spend your day, hope it is a Happy One. And please take a moment to honor the men and women and their families who sacrifice for our country, to make sure that we have the opportunity to have our happy days!

I'm not normally into pet videos, but I saw this one on Dispatch from LA and I thought it was over the top adorable and had to share. Let me know if you enjoy.


Happy Birthday Maru 4

 

Do What You Love

Started reading The $100 Startup, by Chris Guillebeau, today. I was hooked after the first few sentences.

"Imagine a life where all your time is spent on the things you want to do." ok

"Imagine giving your greatest attention to a project you create yourself, instead of working as a cog in a machine that exists to make other people rich."  Sounds great

"Imagine handing a letter to your boss that reads, "Dear Boss, I'm writing to let you know that your services are no longer required. Thanks for everything, but I'll be doing things my own way now." Hell yes!

So I finished the first 20 pages. Will let you know what I think when I'm finished. But at this point, the book sounds like the answer to how I'm feeling right now about my life!

Friday Wrap

Happy Friday everyone!

For most people this means the weekend. For me, not so much. You see, I work weekends. Have most of my life. It just seems to work best for the family. So I can be home other days when Mark is at work. But lately.....I have been having serious issues being away from everyone. Wishing it was my weekend to be home and enjoy my life. Oh well. It's something I'm working on.

In addition to working weekends, I work most Fridays also. So, I decided that every Friday I would do a simple wrap-up of the week's activities. Some little things to share with those who stop by every once in a while to catch up. And just to show how truly clever I am, I'm going to call it the Friday Wrap. But I'm open to suggestions on alternate titles. Here goes this week's wrap:

Looked up from the table and saw the light streaming into the kitchen. Thought it would be a cool photo.

Common sight around the house these days. These 2 taking a nap together after playing hard. Chasing the cats and barking at them. Playing tug of war.  Chewing raw hides. Chewing paper. Chewing shoes. Oh, and the new one, chewing a hole in the drywall. Seriously, why???

But they are sort of cute when they sleep. Trick us into thinking they are harmless! Ha. I'm onto you!

Finally, meet my new laptop. Mark was getting tired of me using his all the time. And I didn't want to load my photos onto his laptop. So, we broke down and bought me one. I am in love.

I think I need to name her. I have this weird thing about naming inanimate objects, like my pursNot all of them. I'm not that weird. Just some of them. So any ideas for laptop names? I think she is a girl. Leave a comment with any suggestions.

......

That's it for today. Have a fabulous weekend!


Update:  It turns out I'm not the only one out there with this idea. Click on the button below to link up your Insta-Friday.

Seattle: Day 1

Hello everyone. I want to start sharing some Seattle pics today. I decided it would be easiest if I broke the trip down into 3 posts, one for each day we were there. I'll try to keep them from being too long, but no promises.  I do like to use my camera! I brought my DSLR along this trip, but of course the i-phone camera was used a lot. And I do love Instagram!

I have a slight problem with packing for airplane trips. Apparently I worry that if I crash and am not discovered for a few weeks, I need to have something to keep me busy while I wait for the rescue team! For the 3 hour flight to Seattle I packed:

1.  3 books and 2 magazines (along with my old lady reading glasses).

2.  a tiny moleskin journal and watercolor crayons, watercolor pencils, and gelatos.

3.  my i-pad

4.  cookies, good and plentys, gum, mints, and a bottle of water

My view down the aisle.

My dad before the plane took off. Happy to have his aisle seat (we flew Southwest so there is always an element of surprise to where your seat will be)

I'm happy with my seat too. Window. Next to hubby. Yeah. (Mark was not so happy to be in the middle seat....)

This is how my dad looked once the plane was in the air. And the rest of the flight.

Turns out I only had time to read this 1 book the entire trip. But I did finish it on the flight home. It made me think about the priorities in my life. And to focus on those in the future. On what really matters to me and Mark and our family.

Flight was fine. A little bumpy and a little crowded (seats seemed a bit small). But not too bad. Picked up car rental (upgraded to Subaru Legacy 5/day...and I loved the car!)  Hour drive to Monroe, where hotel and my brother's/new sis-in-law's house is. Unpacked. Headed down the street to pick up a snack and coffee. Check out the flowers along the freeway in the background. Nice. We have rocks here in the Phoenix area along our freeways!

 One last photo of my dad. Chilling at Starbucks. (I normally am not allowed to take photos of my dad, so I took advantage of our time together in Seattle!)

 Back to the hotel to change for the family dinner. They rented a room in the hotel to have family and out of town guests get together. Yummy pizza was served.And beer. And salad and green beans and wine. We visited and listened to Nepal stories for a couple of hours, then they had to head out to work on last minute reception preparations.

 End of Day 1.

What to Expect

Hello everyone. I got a last minute invite to go to the movies today. We met up with another friend to see "What To Expect When You Are Expecting".

I wasn't sure what I would think of the movie, but I actually enjoyed it. And really, when have I ever been able to resist babies?? Come on, I love them so much I had to have 4 of my own!

So gather a few friends and spend some together, either watching this movie or something completely different. Enjoy some girlfriend time!

Currently

grateful to have spent the weekend in Seattle, celebrating at my brother and new sister-in-law's reception.

loving being home and sleeping in my bed.

determined to keep working hard on this blog and my shop.

honored to receive a comment on my blog regarding a scrapbook layout. 

feeling overwhelmed with the messiness in my house. Between the kids and the puppies......

eating a bowl of Grape Nuts mixed with a bit of Fruity Pebbles. 

asking for the strength to get through the next few weeks. Waiting for surgery and then hopefully the pain will start go away. But I have to continue going to work until surgery day.

happy to have my life, with all it's difficulties and messiness! I'm lucky to have so much family and goodness every day!

entertaining the idea of showering and running out to get a diet coke.

looking towards the future....will I reach my goals and make my dreams happen?

re-realizing what a great husband I have. We can laugh through many of life's rough moments, and at the end of the day I love that I get to snuggle up with him in bed!

accepting that I can not get it all done. No matter how hard I try. Bummer!

turning over the care of my hurt knee to a new doctor. Last one just leaving me frustrated and something doesn't feel right. Hopefully, surgery will be sooner too!

booking a car rental for the upcoming Carlsbad trip.

finishing the book "50 Shades of Grey" in the next day or two.

taking a nap as soon as I finish this post. I have to work tonight, and I'm feeling a bit drowsy.

embracing that summer is just around the corner. Lazy days. Sleeping in. Kids around all the time. House even messier. But it's all going to be okay, and I'm looking forward to spending some time with them!

Idea for this post was borrowed from one of my favorite bloggers, Elise Blaha. Thanks for sharing Elise!

Hello Seattle

kristi and bob in spring 2012

Mark and I, (and my Dad), are flying to Seattle later this morning. Kids will be staying with Mark's parents ( big thank you both!!)

We will be going to the wedding reception of my brother and his new bride (they chose to marry in a private ceremony in March).

 It will be great to see them and to put an end to all the secrets (Bob has been keeping his lips sealed with almost all details of the reception).

Will share photos when I return.

Sketch Wednesday

Happy Thursday.

I linked up again with Green Frog Studio for Sketch Wednesday.

I cut some triangles out of canvas, then spray painted a design using a template. I wasn't very precise with the cutting. But that's just the way I am.I did have fun spraying and gluing the pieces!

Journaling reads:  This is what ten looks like on Emma. Growing up to be a beautiful young woman. Smart. Curious. Kind. Loving. Just perfect!

Leave me a comment and let me know what you think.

Sneak Peak at Week in the LIfe Album

Hello everyone.

I'm working on my WITL album today. Remember a few weeks ago when I posted some of our daily activities for an entire week, along with photos? See here for the Day 1 blog post.

So, now it's time to create some layouts. I've decided to just print my daily blog posts and use those as the journaling. And I even printed the photos on printer paper. Some are OK quality, others are not so OK, but I'm not going to obsess over it (at least that's what I keep telling myself). . I really wanted this project to rely more on the words than the photos. I already do photos.

So here is a peek at Monday. Check back tomorrow for the rest of the week. And I feel like the pages need some machine stitching. Maybe I will open the box to that new sewing machine I bought 2 months ago???

Puppy Update

We have had Princess Daisy for 2 weeks now. Her friendship with Einstein could not be more perfect!

She has the rare accident inside the house.

He takes away her rawhide when she looks away (she does not seem to mind this though).

She is not as affectionate as I would prefer. But she makes up for it in sweetness.

He is following her lead and barking more (especially at the cats).

She gets lots of baths (Emma can't stand it when her white body turns brown and dusty).

He likes to sleep on the floor (after getting some goodnight love from us)

She likes to sleep in bed (the room varies from night to night)

Mom's Day

Happy Mother's Day!



katie, emma, me



me, emma, katie

My girls jumped into bed with me this morning. I don't get to enjoy that very often these days, especially with Katie (12 yrs old). My bed did seem a little too big since my boys were not there (Alec spent the night at Trevor's new apartment).

I was supposed to be swimming and BBQing with family today. And see Trevor's apartment. And eat ice cream with my mom. But that all got canceled today. At least canceled for me. My leg and foot swelled up last night, almost as bad as when I first tore my meniscus. I made a tough choice to stay home and let my knee rest. I'm bored. And lonely. But everyone will come home tonight and spend time with me (except that one that has his own apartment). And that will make me smile!

Hope all the mom's out there have a moment to smile and hug their loved ones. Or if you can't be with them today, then take a moment to think of them and smile!

You are right where you are supposed to be

Saw this quote on another blog (Dispatch from LA). I think everyone falls prey to this one. It's too easy to compare yourself to others. Other artists, co-workers, other students, just Others in general. Don't let this happen to you. Enjoy whatever it is you do. Find joy in your life. And don't compare what you do, to what others do. You are right where you are supposed to be!

Sketch Wednesday

I linked up again with Green Frog Studio again this week for Sketch Wednesday.

 I tried something new today. I wanted to use these photos from a photo booth at Knott's Berry Farm, so I decided to copy onto copy paper, rather than my usual photo paper. I made 2 copies, 1 color and 1 black and white. I love how they turned out! And they were super quick and easy to print.

Journaling reads: Almost 20 years of marriage. I'm ready to enjoy another 20. With you.

I love that I have made another traditional scrapbook page.

I love the way the page turned out.

I love how easy it all came together. No over thinking.

Now it's your turn to make something. Go check out the Green Frog Studio. You won't regret it!

Decision made

Next month is my 20th anniversary. Mark and I have been talking about what to do for over a year now. In the beginning, we talked about Paris. But then realized that we would not have anyone to babysit for a week. Then I wanted to go to Hawaii and renew our vows. All of us. Kids included. Mark had to talk me down from that one! The cost! And we're working on become debt free!

So then we decided to stay in the Phoenix area and take advantage of the fabulous summer deals (who wants to be in Phoenix with 100-125 degree high temperatures?) But as the weeks have gone by, my inner voice has been whispering. Don't stay in Phoenix. Do something a bit more special. Get out of town. Nothing crazy. But out of town. Cabin in the wine country 2 hours north of San Francisco?  Too far. Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego? Too expensive. Big Bear? Not enough to do. Disneyland? Mark won't even talk about it. Sedona, Tucson,  Las Vegas, Portland.......

Today we booked a room in Palm Springs at the  Movie colony Hotel. I'm so excited to spend a few days alone with my hubby. Thanks Mom for watching the kids!

Super cute. Unique. Downtown. Near our favorite Starbucks (yes, we have them ranked all over the country). And close to many places for a day trip adventure. Anyone been to Santa Barbara? A co-worker said it's a cute town. Any advice? Just checked out Mapquest and it's a 3.5 hour drive from Palm Spring. Might be too far. I would love any suggestions.

Check back tomorrow for my Sketch Wednesday.

This and that

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Sometimes you take things for granted. Like your dryer. The sad truth is that our dryer broke the 1st week of March. 2 months ago. 8 weeks. And we have been hitting the laundry mat at least 4 times per week since then. 2 loads at a time. It wasn't so bad at first. But then I hurt my knee. And summer temps hit. So carrying 2 loads of wet clothes into the laundry mat became difficult. And the fact that there is no A/C in there, made it kinda unbearable. But we have been trying to stick to a budget and have been waiting to fix the dryer.

Yesterday, the most amazing thing happened. I reached my breaking point and called for service. They were here 3 hours later. And it turns out that burning smell was lint, not a dryer part. Just needed a good cleaning. Kind of annoying that we waited so long. But that's okay. Because I'm so stinkin' happy to have my singing Samsung back!

 

 Did you know that I coupon? Started it in January. Love it! Now, I'm not doing that extreme couponing, where I push out a cart full of food for $1.37. But I usually average about 50-60 % off my total bill, which is saving me around $300 a month on groceries. Today I went to Fry's and save a whopping 81 %. I saved $65. And I'm so excited I just had to share what I bought for $15.05 (for 31 items).


And by the way, we got a dog. This is my new view. Two dogs lying under my feet at all times. And tripping me on the stairs. And greeting me at the garage door. And waiting for me to step out of the shower.

We got her last week. She is a 4 month old pit bull. And sweet as can be. We just agreed on a name yesterday. It is Daisy. Or as I like to call her, Princess Daisy. We have been thinking about getting Einstein a sister. He wanted another dog to play with so bad. And since I adore Einstein, I give in to all of his wants and desires. I can not help myself!

I had no intention of getting another puppy. Einstein is just hitting a year at the end of the month. And
leaving some of his puppy antics behind. But Alec heard about her and told me her story, and that was it for me. She was left chained up in a yard, at an abandoned house, with no food or water. Someone spotted her and took her in. And waited for a new family to come along and love her. And we are that family. And really, how could you not love that sleeping face?

So for today, remember to appreciate what you have, be frugal, and let your heart be stolen by something adorable!


And now I have to go pick up some puppy poop.

It's National Scrapbook Day

Hello everyone.

Did you know that today is National Scrapbook Day? To celebrate, why not sign up for a class to help keep those inspirations juices flowing! I'm seriously thinking about taking the one below. It totally looks like fun!

 

Karine and Céline naturally got together again on this project to bring you inspiration, right at home, this summer ! Whether you want to follow every single class or at a self-paced rythm, they will teach you new techniques, new color palettes, new way of designing your layouts !

Who’s the audience for such a class?

This online class has been thought, made, created for scrapbook lovers that want to have fun with us !Whether you are a beginner or advanced scrappbooker, the Summer Camp online class is just for you !

The workshops have been made to guide you, teach you tips and tricks, new techniques, bring you inspiration and motivation all Summer long !T

Don’t feel scared or intimidated to join us (especially if you just got started with your very first Scrapbook projects) : the best thing about online classes is that you can follow the mat your own pace, without stress, at home, with friends or by yourself…well just do it the way you like !

Welcome on our blogs !

Scrapbooking is popular everywhere in the world. Whether we are from France, Italy, Spain, Brazil, United States, Canada, Singapore, Australia or any other countries, we ALL love Scrapbooking, we all know the products and the colors.

As there are lots of Scrapbookers all the world that haven’t had a chance to take real classes yet, we decided on doing this class in FRENCH and ENGLISH.

Then, all the workshops will be posted every Tuesday : a first class will be posted that day, by Karine or Céline, then one of them will make another project inspired by the one posted by her fellow co-scrapbooker, on Friday. That way, you’ll get 2 projects for one class !

We’ll also post ideas, tips, step-by-step projects, videos… inspiration posts, music, books, photos…for 2 months !

***Summer Camp*** : ONLINE CLASS SCHEDULE

Class starts on June 29th and ends on August 30th 2012.

18 layouts made by Karine and Céline.

2 mini albums (one with Karine and one with Céline).

A workshop posted every Tuesday and its inspiration posted every Friday by Céline and Karine : two different layouts to inspire you twice more ! It’s up to you to choose which layout you’d like to make or if you make them two !

Mini album Class with Céline end of July.

Mini album Class with Karine end of August.

Techniques, ideas, color combos, design, sketches tested and approved by Céline and Karine.

Like its name says it, the SUMMER CAMP online class will be SUMMER-themed : holidays, travels, family moments, time with friends, outdoors, water, kids…

Win amazing prizes all Summer long !

Every week, participate in our giveaways and win lots of goodies from our sweet sponsors !

SIGN UP NOW FOR OUR SUMMER CAMP 2012 HERE.

2-months long online class (June 29-August 30) :  45€

Spend the Summer with us ! See you soon !

Céline & Karine

Contact : summercampworkshops@gmail.com

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Right Now

Right now I am....

watching...Game of Thrones (season 2)
drinking...Venti iced coffee with 5 pumps of white mocha and 2 % milk (Starbucks)
wearing...Micky Mouse tee shirt (from Downtown Disney over Spring Break), favorite jeans, old pink flip flops
eating..Raspberry swirl pound cake (Starbucks)
listening...Peter Gabriel-In Your Eyes (Starbucks)
avoiding...Going to the grocery store
wishing...My husband was with me, rather than working overtime
feeling...Drained
missing...My friends Freddy and Warren
thankful...To have the day off to rest
craving...Chicken tacos from Someburros (going there for dinner tonight)
wondering...Why no one comments on my blog
needing...Some relaxing time in my pj's
thinking...About what to do for our 20th wedding anniversary
dreaming...That we could go to Paris for our anniversary
loving...That I pushed past my fears and started this blog

So what are you doing/thinking/feeling right now? Leave me a comment...please.

This and that

Hello friends.  Not much to share today. I plan to work on some new canvases tomorrow. Will be posting pictures. So, for those of you who "don't know that I paint", be sure to check back on Friday.

Saw this video on Tara Whitney's blog and fell in love. Checking out i-tunes right now to see if available to purchase. Hope you enjoy!


Imagine Dragons-This Is It
















update: Just bought their EP Continued Silence on i-tunes.

Sketch Wednesday

I haven't done much traditional scrap booking lately, but I was inspired by the layouts on The Green Frog Studio today, so I sat down and made this layout.

Sorry that the photo of the entire layout is so bad. I will have to practice and find a better way to take layout photos.

Journaling reads:
These 2 really are daddy's girls. He paints their nails, gives them rubs at bedtime, takes them shopping for girlie things at Claire's, takes them lunch at school on brown bag Fridays, and he loves doing it all for them!

Hope you find a few minutes today to do something you enjoy! It will be worth it!

Today

Today is 1 month since I began this blog.
30 days.
21 posts.
511 total page views.
4 comments.
1 giveaway.


 And it has already been an adventure of learning. Of growing. Of risking. Of happiness.

I am so thankful to be on this journey.  And I am so happy that you are traveling with me!

See you tomorrow for the next post.