I took the pictures of the rest of the album yesterday. I don't know why, but I feel like the last month has been SO hectic! Anyhoo, here's the rest;
So that's all of it! Even though it feels like December flew by, looking over these pages makes me feel so happy for having such a wonderful family and group of friends. I hope you had a good holiday as well, and a awesome start to the new year!
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I know, so bad. Here's my 2011 December album. I'll do a a few pages today and a few another, a few another. I bought this rad mini kit from Marcy Penner who I adore.
okay, more next time! Stop by Marcy's, she has a sweet store with some pretty cool products!
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The girls are loving being on winter break and doing all this holiday-ish. We've been baking, sending out cards and drawings, watching movies with snowmen and miracles, listening to our favorite Xmas tunes and wrapping lots of presents. We had a small Xmas Cheer party, with gingerbread decorating and snow-globe making and cupcake eating ( oh, my Xmas jammies are getting tight.) ( I need to start my New Year's resolution of more exercise sooner rather than later.) ( oh, and I have been working on my December Daily album, but I am way behind, all mixed up and will take pics hopefully in the next couple days.)
sugar addict.
cookies packages for friends and neighbors
this is little sis' snow-globe...she glued 2 little critters together kissing while another guy hides behind the tree watching....I don't know, I don't know.... ( we still need to add snow and water at this point here)
finished gingerbread houses
Lil' Siszilla strikes again!!!
No matter where you are or what holiday you celebrate, I wish you lots of love and peace!
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We all can come up with things that we've gotten as gifts that mean a lot to us, and this month's prompt over at the Creative Type is to scrap it. I searched my brain for what I could scrapbook; the trip to Europe, my favorite purse, a mom's day at the spa coupon, the toilet paper roll decorated so pretty with crate paper and macaroni...they all mean a lot to me. But at the chance of sounding corny, really the best gift is time. I cherish the time I get to spend with my friends and family, that's honestly the best gift.
So come play along with us!! There's fun prizes, special guest designer, You Tube vids, come and see!
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I made these little sewn pockets for gifts for my mom, sisters and MIL this Thanksgiving. I cut the paper and rounded the edges and then sewed them into pockets. I then made 4-5 pages/tags (depending on the number of photos I was going to add) to slip inside. Each recipient had pictures specific to them, as well as handwritten notes of heart-felt sentiments. I added washi tape, old Spanish dictionary pages, doilies, and paint/mist to decorate. The front of the pocket is a copy of a vintage Thanksgiving postcard, along with feathers, jute twine, stickers, theatre ticket, etc., I tucked some small flowers in the top as a little somethin'-somethin'. I would have loved to have received this gift, and you could certainly tailor it to any color scheme or holiday.
Happy Thanksgiving to you all!!!
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2 Peas has a scraplift yourself challenge this last couple days and I haven't done a scraplift in a long time. I decided to do the all smiles layout I just completed as the design. I made my delight, big sis blowing bubbles with her friends. The Delight layout is vertical where as the all smiles is a horizontal picture, but it's still pretty much the same design.
and all smiles,
I also wanted to point out Amy Tangerine is guest designing this month over at The Creative Type and is giving away a prize of a set of her washi tapes!!! Better go over and play along!!!
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I used most of October's Studio Calico kit for these 2 layouts, and a little of American Crafts fall line, too.
and fall festival, a great day, sweet carnival games and hay rides...
I have more fall crafts and projects I'm working on, so hopefully I can get them done soon and share. Are you working on any fall-related crafts? I'd love to see them!
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Another lovely sketch by October Afternoon, so I had to use it. I had these 3 pictures laying around staring at me these last couple weeks, so I decided this sketch would be perfect! Oh, and almost all is October's Calico Studio kit, Field Guide, too.
and here's the sketch;
Hope you're having a great weekend! Any plans?
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Just wanted to share a few pictures with ya alls. We had a Halloween party with themed foods and trick-or-treating. I was so busy cooking and putting out food and talking and making spooky cocktails I was terribel about taking pictures. Here's just a few...
What a fun, spooktacular night! I'm already planning for next year! Now onto decorating for Thanksgiving!
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The Creative Type's November prompt is "the best advice I ever received..." I had this picture of the girls from a couple months ago, lounging, cuddling on the couch, and I loved it. I am so happy my daughters have a good relationship and truly care for each other. They occasionally butt heads and we talk and I tell them they have every right to their feelings, but remember to always cherish each other and love each other because no one else is ever going to love them the way a sister does. I hope it is good advice and they'll always remember that, even when they're seeing red.
Come play along, we would LOVE to see your layouts and projects. We have Amy Tangerine as a guest designer and some fun prizes!!
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We made a ton of these little candy corn gift bags this week. I punched out the scalloped circles and hand cut the simple paper ribbons. Big sis has 6 teachers now that she's in middle school, so these will be easier to take with her. We also made extras for neighbors and some friends.
I wanted to do something kind of special for my littlest's teachers. She is so lucky to have an amazing staff at her school that help her and treat her with so much love and kindness. I bought these metal luminaries and kitchen towels from Target and baked a ton of miny pumpkin muffins. I lined the luminaries with the towel and added the muffins. Tie on a tag and I was done. The teachers loved them.
Happy Halloween everyone!
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I made this tag book this week, but it's to the tune of the 12 days of Christmas, but this is the 13 days of Halloween.
On the 13th day of Halloween, my dead love gave to me...13 potions brewing, 12 boiling cauldrons, 11 spiders spinning, 10 creepy dolls...
9 zombies crawling, 8 bats a flying, 7 crows a cawing, 6 toads a croaking...
5 cackling witches...4 dusty skulls, 3 black cats, 2 mangy rats...
and a vulture in a dead tree...
This week has been a whirlwind of school activities, baking, Halloween decorating and crafting. I am IN LOVE with the cooler weather this last week, I even wore my knee high boots on day (grin). What's your favorite thing about autumn?
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Anyone who knows me I have trouble sitting still. I wouldn't say I am high energy or overly talkative, definitely not fidgety or unable to complete tasks, but I do have this calm hyperness. My husband always says, "geez! Can't you just sit here with me?" I do have trouble sitting still and watching tv or movies. I need to be folding laundry, checking emails, writing lists or doing some hand-work. I scrapbooked these last week, one while watching Sons of Anarchy with Dave. I must say I like me some Jax, and I like him better with shorter hair. And the other show that I'm starting is American Horror Story, ummmm, scary and weird, but I like it. Anyhoo, this was produced in those 2 hours of tv. I think that nervousness relates back to my dad who had a funny motto, " you should never sit on upolstered furniture during daylight hours" meaning we should be busying ourselves, and I guess I still think like that.
Do you have any nervous ticks?
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Halloween is my favorite holiday! I love all the holidays, but there's something about Halloween; the goofiness of costumes, mummy dogs and trick-or-treating, plus the magical, mystical and aura of the unknown, I must admit I find it captivating! I pulled out my decorations last week, mostly sticking with a black and white palette, but adding some orange here and there. I love the old, retro decorations, too. Most of my decorations are vintage-inspired by artists like Bethany Lowe, Wendy Addison or Lori Mitchell.
I still have a bunch of ripped cheesecloth to hang up over windows and drape across tables, as well as a cemetery to build in the front yard. We're having a Halloween party here, with themed foods, games and trick-or-treating around the block. Can't wait!
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So sad, I've been working on this mini (or not so mini, I can't even shut it ) and it's done. From over 2 years ago and moved around through 2 countries, last week I glued in the last picture. Almost a month of European pictures; 11 days in London, 4 days Venice, 5 days in Manchester and ending 5 days in Paris). Whew. But seriously, one of my most favorite times of my life, a vacation of a lifetime, a dream really! Here's a little bit of it.
There's many more pages, I made a lot of fold out pages and pockets for souvenirs and trinkets. I wanna go back and do it all again.
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I have never done with a Pencil Lines Sketch, but I liked sketch #253, so I thought I better get busy and do it.
This was this year in London standing on the bridge that goes over the river Thames. I used last month's Studio Calico kit (along with a couple extras). My plan is Sunday to get a lot of crafting done, I have some Halloween cards and goodie bags I want to complete. What's your weekend plans?
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Okay, all I can say is right now I feel soooooooooooo happy that there are actually cool, fun and independent thinkers here in south Florida. We moved here about 5-6 months ago and after a little searching around I came to the idea that there was nothing like Stitch Rock or the people that attend it. So, when I stumbled upon this on the internet, I was BEYOND happy, like, seriously, my heart soared. Saturday I felt like I was being wisked away back to Philadelphia and the First Fridays or craft markets that are pretty rad if I do say so.
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That's The Creative Type's prompt for October. Come and play along with us!!! This one is a pretty easy one to pick a topic, and I thought about doing a LO on Twitter or Facebook, but, I really don't do either of those. Then I thought about all the Vampire groupies, Twilight and True Blood in particular, but, no. Music groups, thifting, Indie/hipster something or other. Then I looked down at the stack of cooking mags I have collected in just a couple weeks (Halloween and Fall cooking is like eye candy in magazines) and thought about how popular cooking has become again. Like Food Network and all the other cooking shows, I really love them. So, that was my inspiration for this layout.
Come play along with us! We've got awesome prizes! Great You Tube tutorials and more!!
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It was my good friend's birthday a couple days ago and I wondered what I should make her. She loves handmade, crafty things and she likes retro, thrifty stuff. I decided I'd make her white and milk chocolate dipped pretzels sprinkled white nonpareils. I layered the pretzels in a glass refrigerator dish and added this cupcake liner flower on top.
I'm going to make more, these were so easy and I feel like a gift I would LOVE to get.
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October Afternoon's Sketch Thursday was a great sketch, and it prompted me to grab a couple pictures. These are from our European vacation 2 years ago...I still haven't scrapbooked that trip...or the European trip last year, I am slacking...
Hope everyone has a happy, safe weekend.
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I am loving Vee's Misting 101 class. I use mists regularly and love the effects they give to my scrapbooking, but let's face it, the Queen of Mists is Vee, and when she offered this class, I jumped on it!
Here's my day 1 layout:
You should check it out!
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The Creative Type's September prompt is "my vice." What's yours? Come play along with us!!! We have prizes, guest designer, You Tube tutorials...c'mon, everyone is doing it... Here's my vice (among others); coffee, namely iced lattes. Speaking of, I need caffeine.
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I don't think I've ever shared this and I just found it...
Do you want to know one of my secrets? Leave a comment here and I'll email you one....
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That was the girls' pick for the party yesterday. Big sis had seen these adorable pink and yellow salt water taffy at the store last week and that sent the wheels a'turnin' for the pool party we wanted to have to get back in the mood for school starting soon.
All the girls had a fun time and hopefully it set the mood for this next week when school starts. School is gonna rock!
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I scrapbooked these a few days ago. I've been on a scrapbooking role...and if you're feeling scrapbook-y, stop by The Creative Type to see what we have going on. We have new You Tube videos planned, some new members and other exciting news!
Fairy best friends, little sis and her bf, they love fairies, dressing up and all things fun and girly.
Fifth Grade Graduation, we were super proud of big sis. I can't believe she'll be a middle schooler next year!
Butterfly, I've painted the girls ( and the neighbor kids) faces a few time this summer...
How's your day treating you?
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(I thought I had posted this last week, just saw it, duuuh...)Today was the first day this summer vacation where I haven't had a kid(s) other than mine over at my house all day. It rained a lot and the girls watched old movies from my days of summer vacation ( Never Ending Story and Lucas), and I scrapped these.
14 years, this was last October when I was in the US doing some shopping and doctor visits and my husband was back in Mexico City. It was the only time I could go back to the States, but it was also the week of our 14 year anniversary. I went to the photobooth and held up my signs, each with a new message, and the last frame I blew him a kiss. Then I put it on my blog and told him to check on our anniversary. This year (our 15th-whhaaaaa???) we're going to Argentina and Patagonia, whoop!
Home., just a picture of our living room
buddies and bowling
I made 2 almost identical pages, one for each of the girls albums.
and for big sis' 50's themed end of the year party, her and her friends dressed in poodle skirts and pink lady jackets, so cute! this is not my favorite page, but little sis picked out all the colors and papers and helped with the design, and I think she did a pretty good job!
I have a couple more, but I need to upload them. Hope everyone is doing well!
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The August prompt over at the Creative Type is Vacation; like in a place you've gone or a place you would like to go. So come play along! This month we're kicking off a new Creative Type, with a couple new designers, prizes, You Tube Videos, and some rad guest designers, so come over and check us out!!
Here's mine;
Even though I've been super lucky to live in another country and travel a good bit of the world, I really, really love the daydream of touring America in an airstream trailer. Stopping off at famous diners and eateries, picking what highway to take as we come to it, going to out-of-the-norm museums, sleeping with the windows open so you can hear the crickets at night, smores at each campfire...sounds so great!!
What's your vacation daydream? Or do you have a picture from vacation you want to scrapbook? Make a mini album and show us!!
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I made another terrarium, this one with a long-legged air plant, white sand, a sea fan and small and medium sized shells. I have been creating others and think these will make such fun gifts to teachers and friends.
The air plant doesn't have roots in soil, they get all their water and nutrients from the air. Since we live in humid Florida, I would imagine this plant would do very well outside, but inside, especially with the A/C pumping, I have to soak it in water once a week. Hope everyone is having a good start to the weekend!
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I love terrariums, anything green really. I found this lovely book called Terrarium Craft and immediately fell in love. The photography is fantastic, but the ideas on interesting and unique terrariums enticing. I have made 3 so far, and this one was today. I have it displayed on my old bookcase/hutch, along with my old and newer dishes, bowls and thrifted and found knick-knacks.
River rocks, green moss, fossilized charcoal bark, a dainty fern and a vintage-y ring give this terrarium an earthy meets granny-glam personality. I feel an addiction starting...
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July's prompt over at the Creative Type is "my nest." Please come play along!! Here's mine, a simple picture of a shelf with vintage cameras and globes, knick-knacks and books. We'd love to see what areas of your nest you treasure.
Please remember to upload your pics to our Flickr group here. Happy July 4th weekend all you Americans!
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The Creative Type June theme is "my style" so join us and scrap whatever that means to you. Are you preppy, punk, hipster, trendy, a sweatpants kind of gal, v-jazzle by chance??? Well, come join us and kick off summer with some creativity! One person will be picked from the Flickr groups here (so upload your photo pronto!!)to be the next month guest designer. Here's mine...
Come play along with us!!!!!!
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I had completely forgotten about this atc interview I did months ago for Scrapbook Trends magazine "Embellish" special issue. Some of my favorite crafty girls were also featured, so take a look!
The article was done by the talented Jennifer Gallacher who interviewed me about the fun atc community and how atcs work.
Here's my embroidered Gothic Queen of Hearts atc, and there's Angie next to me with her fantastic Gothic Queen card, too. There are so many talented ATC crafters out there, I felt so honored to be included with them. 
The magazine can be ordered online here, or found at most Barnes and Noble bookstores or Michael's craft stores. Also, Simply ArTistiC blog is still having atc swaps if your interested in getting your craft on.
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The May The Creative Type prompt is to use a word or phrase NOT from your native language. I used Los Viajeros meaning the travelers...This picture is from a few months ago when we visited London. We were walking through the streets and I loved the way the sun was shining through the clouds and created a lovely sun-flare with the camera.
Come play along with us! And remember to upload your layouts to our Flickr group here so we can pick you as a guest designer!
Sorry for the lack of blog posts this month, it's just been extremely busy. And this weekend I'm moving into our new home, so I might be gone for a couple weeks again...I shall return one day soon though!
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Which are you? That's the prompt at The Creative Type for April. Do come play along, we'd love to see what you come up with. I picked love. This picture was taken on the top of the Eiffel Tower last year.
Love, everyday. All the time. Yes. I do. <3
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I was beyond honored when Toffee Magazine asked me to do a couple crafts for their second issue. Toffee is a fabulous magazine with beautiful photography, crafts, cooking, current trends, eye candy galore, free downloadables and articles from Indie Artists and Crafters. They are sort of a Martha meets Frankie love child (with DIY as an Uncle) kind of magazine. I highly recommend you check them out and get a subscription!!
They sent me a file of their lovely Spring papers to make something spring-y...I made these two projects, a paper cone with a little bird, ready to be displayed for spring or Easter. Chirp, chirp...
and an Easter card, complete with a vintage Bunny cupcake topper.
Both are super simple crafts, just perfect for quick Spring decorating. You are able to download for FREE all their super sweet and beautiful papers here!!! Go and take a look at them, I promise you won't be disappointed.
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The March challenge at the Creative Type is a tribute to Mad Men and advertising. Find a picture or something to use as your own advertisement. When I was a kid I wore Kangaroos all the time. This past summer I bought a pair of kicks and I love them. Although, I must admit, I remember when I was kid and I'd put a couple quarters in the pocket, that 50 cents went much further than today.
Come play along and upload them to our Flickr group! Each month we pick a winner to be a guest designer for another month!
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The February challenge over at The Creative Type is all about love songs...pick one and scrap it. Make sure to add something musical as an embellishment or element on your page. I picked the song by Sting "Field of Gold" because it was our first dance song at our wedding (almost 15 years ago, gulp...) I used an Anthropologie ad, the warm golden-honey colors streaming in through the lovely curtains reminded me of lovers,a quiet romantic boudoir, you can see a hint of wheat field just outside the window, beckoning you to come take a stroll...
Come play along and remember to upload your pages to our Flickr group so we can pick a winner to guest design for another month!
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Each time I see, hear, smell, taste, feel (pick one of the 5 senses) I'm reminded of...
That's the February challenge over at Category Stories, so come play along! I said, "Each time I taste Anchor Steam beer, I'm reminded of our vacation in Bodega Bay last summer."
Please remember to upload your picture to our Flickr group so we can all see it. Each month we pick someone to be a guest designer another month, so please come play along!
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January's challenge at The Creative Type is to use a style of typography, font, lettering, etc. from the site Friends of Type. I'm day-dreaming a lot about redecorating our new home when we move soon. I hand-drew the words "New Home" after seeing a similar font on the site, Friends of Type. Here's mine;
Please come play along! You could be our next guest designer! Hope everyone is having a great start to 2011!
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is the January prompt at Category Stories. What freaks you out? I actually was having a hard time with this one last week. I was thinking of morbid things and stretching to think what freaks me out...then as I sat looking at my wall calendar and thinking about how busy these next couple months are going to be, my anxiety about everything (moving, making sure my daughters are okay/feeling guilty AGAIN, traveling, getting the house ready and packed, finding a house back in the States...) I started to feel freaked out. So here it was..
I think my blogland friend Lydia said she would like to change schedules, and I don't mean to sound dramatic with it, but I think the thought of everything we have to do, all the LITTLE stuff in between freaks me out...
P.S(does anyone out there know anything about Dublin? We will have our 2 daughters with us for 3 days while we're there...any recommendations?)
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Category Stories has a December prompt appropriately named "Merry" to go along with all the fun festiveness.
Here's a polaroid from this summer in Ohio. Jen, Vee, me, Patty and Vanessa (Mandi was taking the picture), and these girls do make me merry... I also used vintage flocked wrapping paper that I cut into stars.
Please come play along, Category Stories is working on revamping, redesigning the blog, asking new people to be a Guest Designer and possibly picking up a couple newbies for the team. Please come play along!!!
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The Creative Type's December prompt is "All I want for Christmas/Hanukkah is..." Here's mine...
I said "All I want for Christmas is a real tree...and those Jeffery Campbell wedges." This is an older polaroid from a few years ago I found in an old box of pictures. Last year we had a fake tree and there's nothing like the fresh pine smell of a real tree...and of course, like I said, those Jeffery Campbell wedges wouldn't be too shabby either...
Come play along with us and remember to upload your LO to our Flickr group. We're picking one person from each challenge to be a guest designer for the following month, so come play!
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I figured it's about time that I scrapbooked the pictures from our Europe trip earlier in the year. Here's a couple from the 5 days we were in Paris. I'm also starting a mini book of the whole 3+ weeks we were there. More to follow soon...
When I turned 30 (a few years ago, ahem...) I made a list of 100 things I wanted to do in my life. One was french kiss at the Eiffel Tower. This year I got my wish...( blush...) Do you love little sis' sweet, smiling face in the picture? yeahhhh...and I used the last Studio Calico kit for these two, almost all of them, but I can never entirely stick to just one kit when making a LO.
This is across the street from the Eiffel Tower, a fun, old-fashioned carousel...Little sis was all to happy to go for a hair-raising ride!
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I finally got around to finishing my summer vacation mini book. I actually have one page half done (of our San Fransisco trip), but the rest is done. It was a fun one to make, I love minis, I don't know why I don't do them more often...
2 months total away from Mexico on vacation, traveling through the US seeing fam and friends; 9 days spent in an RV on the beach, walks through the Redwood Forest, many photobooth pictures with Dave and friends at my fave bar (the signature Fred and Ginger cocktail was my summer drink), roller-coasters, pink, sticky, pink cotton candy fingers, concerts (General Public in Truckee under the stars and Matisyahu in a hazy, pot-filled auditorium), Saturday morning farmer's markets, DRIVE-THRU Starbucks (!), shopping in San Fran (God I miss UO), clam chowder on the wharf, yummy ice cream from Bi-Rite creamery, ocean waves crashing on the beach, Crafting Wednesdays, Tahoe Mondays (and the occasional Thursday), Forever 21 stops, American tv, annual girls trip to Ohio with dear friends whom I miss the other 361 days a year, Trader Joes (God I miss TJ's...), thrifting, thrifting and more thrifting, BBQs with family, riding my bike along the river, my morning walks through the forest each morning, State Fair Carnival, El Pollo Loco, time spend with my mom (miss her so much!), sand between my toes, sleeping in, hoping summer would never end. I loved making this mini book, all the pictures hold such wonderful memories!
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I am IN LOVE with this magazine. It's an e-zine right now, I hope they go paper (while I love the environment, I really love HOLDING a magazine) and this magazine is pure deliciousness. The photography, crafting section, recipes, interviews (like with Danielle Thompson, etc.) Just lovely. Check it out here.
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The Creative Type's November prompt is to pick a movie and use a quote as either the title or in your journaling. I used the book To Kill a Mockingbird (then made into a movie) for my layout, along with a picture taken in Columbus, Ohio when I was visiting Mandi this past summer. It was our annual girls weekend and here's the last of the stranglers that weekend (Mandi, Vanessa, Steph and me) before we were going to the airport. We were getting coffee at a cool little cafe called Lucky's Cafe.
My quote is " My goodness gracious, look at your flowers. Have you ever seen anything more beautiful?" I used my sewing machine to sew the flowers on the paper... Come play along with us!!
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Category Stories November prompt is ______ology. Come play along!
Here is mine, Candyology. This picture is little sis in a salt water taffy store in Bodega Bay, California. I loved watching her and big sis get so excited loading up their paper bags full of salt water taffy just like I did when I was their age.
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