the moments in between

hold on tight

today is one of THOSE days. you know, the ones with the impossible amount of items to cram in? i have a page to photograph and turn in. a page to MAKE, photograph, and turn in. i need to run to the store to buy donuts to accompany today's junior acheivement lesson in ben's class. i have to PREP for said lesson, and go to school to do it. sam's best buddy is coming home with us after preschool today - his mama needs me to watch him for a bit. there's all the usual house and work stuff - AND both boys start baseball practice tonight.

yeah. i'm going to need a diet coke to survive this. ;) good thing that as of yesterday, $1 cokes are back at my mcd's! it's the little things, folks.

(story time - copyright twopeasinabucket.com // crate toy box buttons + crate toy box label stickers + crate toy box border stickers + crate toy box sew brads + studio calico's mister huey's sunshine + maya road grey rosette ribbon + oa schoolhouse stickers + oa schoolhouse tin pins + oa campfire letter stickers +  pebbles happy go lucky carefree pp + pebbles happy go lucky cloud 9 pp + american crafts can't help falling pp + sass starters line up pp + sass starters ABC pp + crate emma's shop inventory pp)

another little thing to love..  three boys, reading together. =) more misted stars.. yes, i'm addicted. i went for a slightly bolder look here, with sunshine mist on a vanilla background. i held the mist about 3-4in from my background instead of my usual 6-8in - i wanted a stronger look, and to keep most of the mist right around the stars. i wouldn't normally do grey with brown, but i LOVED those letter stickers, and i wanted to use the rosette trim. since i have each shade somewhere else (the grey in sam's quilt, the brown/woodgrain in the border up top), i think it works.

happy thursday, friends! i've been in an out while writing this post, and have already crossed a few things off that list.. whew! now i'm off to school. have a good one!!

wordless wednesday : sticks and stones

(this mama's hoping for no broken bones)

& just like that...

as of saturday, my six pound peanut is a ten year old. TEN.

wow. how did that happen? he's in 4th grade. size 4 shoes. love bakugan, pokemon and legos. reads, reads, and reads some more. the percy jackson series is a favorite - as is anything by rick ridorian. or anything by gordan korman. matthew even started him reading some terry pratchett. i hope he's always like that.

he still LOVES puns. riddles. puzzles. just like his dad. he's a perfectionist. and impatient. like his mama - and i can tell you that's a bad combo. he's used to things coming easily to him, and gets frustrated easily when they don't. but when something clicks, it's amazing.

he has no filter. what he's thinking, what he's feeling, it comes out of his mouth. not always for the best, but you never have to guess what mood he's in. ;) 

he's pushing for more freedom. wants to ride his bike to school. hates to be grouped together w/ his little brothers (because he IS ever so much bigger than ben, who is 25mo younger). his face, suddenly, looks so much older - more angular. he's getting more lanky. i'm seeing glimpses of the man he'll grow to be, which is a little scary for a mama.

i love him. i've loved him for a decade. i can't wait to see what this next year holds for him.

SINGIN' IN THE RAIN!

SINGIN' IN THE RAIN is up!!! the add-ons actually stuck around for a bit this month - moses supposes went fast, and then tap dance sold out hours later, and make 'em laugh a few hours after that. in the end, i decided that tap dance was my favorite - it's the one i kept reaching into for the perfect little something. and i reeeeeeeeally can't wait to use that herringbone background stamp some more! 

this layout uses mostly the main kit. the chipboard is supposed to be suns, i think, but it made me think of these pics of the boys playing with gears at the science center of iowa - one of our favorite stops when we're in des moines to visit family. i started the page by laying out the gear design, then added several pinked circles as masks. i dumped everything back off the page, misted the background with barnwood mist, and then misted the "gears" with warm calico. i got everything back into place (i took a pic w/ my phone so i'd have something to refer to!) then topped each gear with a button.

(gears // SINGIN' IN THE RAIN + HAPPY REFRAIN (brad, blue ledger) + TAP DANCE (round label sticker) + MOSES SUPPOSES (paper at bottom) mister huey's barnwood + mister huey's warm calico + star punch + ms pinked circle punch + button maker + tiny attacher)

this page started with the tags in MAKE 'EM LAUGH. the "happy day" tag made me think of birthdays, and from there i grabbed this pic. i lined up the tags and added confetti dots, and then stitched the heck out of them. i turned a "9" label from the crate sheet into a 6 by turning it upside down. ;) i did a little bit of tone on tone misting (i used both bonny blue and bluegrass) to give the background a bit more oomph, then finished the page with buttons and brads. this aqua cardstock is in MORE COLOR - i think it was my favorite color this month!

(six // MAKE 'EM LAUGH + TAP DANCE (labels, paper at top) + SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (paper at bottom) 1/8in circle punch + mister huey's bonny blue + mister huey's bluegrass + fiskars M & L star punches + mme brads from the shop + tiny attacher)

yes. a page about pinterest. sigh. is that a bad sign? i did a screen shot of my pinterest page and then printed it out. i figured the chalkboard stickers + globe stamp were perfect accents, since i pin chalkboards and maps right and left. ;)

(pinned // HAPPY REFRAIN + SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (ledger) + TAP DANCE (aqua + green pp) + mister huey's bonny blue + double embossed scallop punch +jbs seed packet ink + tiny attacher)

these pennant flags in MOSES SUPPOSES? not going to lie, i'm pretty much in love with them. i zing-ed mine - some of the zing colors are out of stock, but april's checking in on getting them in before shipping, so stay tuned. i gave this background a similar tone on tone mist treatment to the six page - i loved the look and wanted to try it again. this time it was warm calico on grey.

(one of the guys // SINGIN' IN THE RAIN + MOSES SUPPOSES + TAP DANCE (label stickers) mister huey's warm calico + apricot,leaf and mustard zing + tiny attacher + button maker + mme brads from the shop)

and my very most favorite page this month. after cramming sam's poor feet into his "puddle boots," i realized it was time for us to get him a new pair. these boots and sam have been through a lot of puddles together, so i thought they deserved a retirement page. also? awesome excuse to use the umbrella paper. i got MORE SC PP, so i have more of it. maybe i'll scrap his NEW puddle boots, too. =) i used my beloved herringbone background stamp from TAP DANCE along with my cloud punches to make the accent clouds.

(puddle boots // SINGIN' IN THE RAIN + MOSES SUPPOSES + TAP DANCE + MAKE 'EM LAUGH (tag) + mme brads from the shop + pumice stone ink + L and XL cloud punches + tiny attacher + foam adhesive + mister huey's calico white)

as always - if you have any questions about what i used or how i made these, ask away!! in the meantime, happy shopping! ;)

may with may WINNER + a card

it's reveal day at studio calico!!!! subscribers can shop for add-ons at noon EST, and the full reveal + shop & gallery update will happen at midnight EST. i'm planning on hanging in the chat room before each reveal - please join me. =) you can see the april price + shop items list here. what's on your shopping list?? i just posted a few more sneaks here if you need any further enabling. ;)

 

my sweet biggest turned TEN yesterday. TEN. sigh.  i will share more photos + bday fun this week, but wanted to share the card i made him today. i used a tag + the collage press alpha from singin' in the rain, the ac alpha from tap dance, some AC mixtape and some washi tape. oh, and my ever present tiny attacher. easy peasy. i just ran the tag through my typewriter to add the text.

and my may with may winner - marina!!!! marina, please email me at lisa(dot)truesdell(at)gmail(dot)com and i'll coordinate with may to get you all set up. =) 

happy sunday!!

52 weeks + a 2peas challenge

(don't forget to check the next post for sc sneaks + a giveaway of may's bpc class!)

my "weeklyness" hasn't improved... but oh well. still loving these. =) 

sick alex. folded laundry. kitty cat. books.

spring break. cold morning = video games. displaced pillow (always).

april kit leftovers. button maker. pti tag die. new book (bday present from my bro and sil). school papers.

(love bug : copyright twopeasinabucket.com // crate toy box buttons + oa schoolhouse stickers + crate toy box explore pp + studio calico green addy alpha stickers + studio calico wood veneer hearts + sass starters line up pp + sass starters prologue pp + studio calico countryside betsy pp + pebbles happy go lucky carefree pp + american crafts can't help falling pp)

i've got the technique challenge over at two peas this week - you can find more info about how to play along here. my challenge is to stitch a shape - i went with a funky zig zag. and have gotten so addicted to doing this that i've done it on a few more pages. love the look. i used lots of my favorite new releases on this page - sass starters, crate toy box & some studio calico.

happy friday! i'd be happier if my view didn't include all that white, but what can you do? at least it will be gone by next week.

sneaks + giveaway

it's gray and cold here (they're talking about snow tomorrow, sigh), so how about some spring-y sneaks?? i ended up doing five layouts with the april kit and add-ons - and all are 8.5x11. i'm not sure what's up with that, but it's how it happened. i also ended up scrapping some older photos, which always makes me happy.

with some of these, you can play "what's different" between the final version and the images that were in the sneak slideshow (blogged here).  when i scrap for the sneak slideshow, i typically finish a page using just one kit/add-on. this month has been crazy, so when i turned in those sneak images..  the pages weren't finished. when i got back to them a week later, i couldn't remember exactly what i had planned to do. so i winged it. and winging it called for a lot of mixing and matching. ;) i'll do my best to identify what came from where, but be warned - my bigs had friends sleep over last night - and there wasn't much sleeping. i'm running on fumes and diet coke, and may make a mistake or two. =)

this page is mostly the main kit, singin' in the rain. the green brad (LOVE!) & aqua ledger are from add-on 1, make 'em laugh, and the label sticker is from add-on 4, tap dance. i also added a button made with my button maker.

(SINGIN' IN THE RAIN + HAPPY REFRAIN (brad, blue ledger) + TAP DANCE (round label sticker) + mister huey's barnwood + mister huey's warm calico + star punch + ms pinked circle punch + button maker + tiny attacher)

i have mad love for the pennant flag set in add-on 3. the flag poles are seperate stamps - so you can use them as banners or flags. i opted to put my flags on the sticks from the metal banners in the main kit. i broke out the zing with these stamps - mustard, apricot and leaf. love the vivid colors, and they had no problem with the details on the stamps. i loved the star pattern in the middle of the "o"s from collage press, so i popped it into my button maker and made it into clear buttons.

(SINGIN' IN THE RAIN + MOSES SUPPOSES + mister huey's warm calico + apricot, leaf and mustard zing + tiny attacher + button maker)

this one is my favorite for the month. and that aqua + green piece of crate paper might be one of my fave sheets in all the kits. the ledger background is one of the cosmo exclusives, and i stamped my clouds with the herringbone background from tap dance. LOVE this background. it's going to be a well used stamp.

(SINGIN' IN THE RAIN + MOSES SUPPOSES + TAP DANCE+  mme brads from the shop + pumice stone ink + L and XL cloud punches + tiny attacher + foam adhesive + mister huey's calico white)

i think my most used item from any add-on was the crate label sheet from tap dance. you'll find them on 4 of my 5 layouts. i used a lot of brads from the mme set that will be in the shop, too.

(MAKE 'EM LAUGH + TAP DANCE + 1/8in circle punch + mister huey's bonny blue + mister huey's bluegrass + fiskars M & L star punches + mme brads from the shop + tiny attacher)

i have a total globe / map obsession lately, so i had to include the globe on this page, even if doesn't entirely go. i figure it works since it've pinned a zillion maps and globes over at pinterest. ;)

(HAPPY REFRAIN + mister huey's bonny blue + double embossed scallop punch + jbs seed packet ink + tiny attacher)

*******

i've also got a giveaway - my friend may flaum wants to give one of my blog readers a spot in her upcoming big picture class, may with may. here's the class info : 

Sharing your name with a month isn’t always easy, but long time Big Picture instructor May Flaum has turned this month of May into a big scrapbooking party! In this 31 day class students will find daily inspiration delivered to them via email, as well as a classroom where videos, handouts, an active message board, and so much more awaits. Filled with both new layouts and all time scrapbooking favorites, May with May is going to be a crafty good time. To make this class even better – it’s priced at just $19 so it’s budget friendly too. The fun starts May 1.

sounds awesome, yes? you can't beat daily inspiration. and may is a wonderful teacher - totally dedicated to her classes. to be entered to win a spot, tell me your favorite thing about spring. with the coming snow, i need some happy spring-y thoughts!! i'll be back saturday night with a winner (and maybe a few more peeks at those pages above. ;)

happy thursday!! with 3 overtired boys, an overtired mama and windy cold outside, we're having a very couch potato day. my major accomplishments are finishing the post (yay) and placing an order at 2peas (i got these stamps by ali edwards for technique tuesday - i'm looking forward to using them in my project life album - & some collage press hometown summer) i'm hoping yours is more exciting. =)

 

wordless wednesday : spring break = sharing my desk

smile =)

when i posted this email exchange with alex, many of you said that it needed to go onto a page.

and it did. =)

(smile =) / copyright twopeasinabucket.com : studio calico state fair guess your weight pp + studio calico countryside wildflower pp + sass paper crush love notes pp + american crafts can't help falling pp + mme fine and dandy chipboard +  mme fine and dandy bling +studio calico mister huey's pickle + jbs calendar banner stickers + jbs polka dot journaling notebook + ki white graph hip chip alphabet + ki powder pp + mme stella and rose love letters pp)

i went with computer journaling. i don't do that a lot, but there was no way i was rewriting all that. plus, it was already all typed up. ;) i formatted the journaling so it would be almost as long as the page, and then picked a subtle patterned paper to print it on. from there, i added borders and the grouping in the top corner, and then decided the background on the right was too bleh. i punched some stars and figured out where i wanted to put them to act as masks, and then took a pic of the page (so i could remember where everything went!). I dumped everything off (aside from the masks) and misted the background - and then rebuilt the page. i have a bad habit of deciding that a page needs mist once it's all put together, so i've learned not to stick anything down till the last minute. ;)

happy tuesday! we had some rain overnight here, and have a chance of thunderstorms this afternoon - i'm kind of looking forward to a good spring storm. =) should be perfect weather to pop in a movie for the boys and spend some time finishing my sc april kit work. =)

a winner + jbs love

first off - my sketchbook 3 winner! 

marti - please email me at lisa(dot)truesdell(at)gmail(dot)com so i can get some info from you. =) and congrats!!!

my friends at JBS sent me some of the new goodies to make a page for their blog. lovelovelove the new stamps, and the banner addict in me is loving the new pennant chip and stickers. i'll admit it, i was dubious about the little rosettes - but they were the perfect accent for this page. stop by the jbs inspiration blog to see the whole page. =)

happy monday!!!! we're spring break-ing it this week. we had a wonderful weekend - lots of outside time. i'm hoping for more of the same this week. but first - it's matthew's bday, and me and the boys have a little shopping to do. ;)