the moments in between

rock on

it's the last day of november. how did that happen?!? sam is CONVINCED that we'll wake up to snow tomorrow, since it's december 1st. we've been enjoying unseasonably warm temps, so i'm kind of hoping THAT trend continues. ;) 

i've got a page to share today - i made this one last night. lots of studio calico autumn press here - AND one of my new silhouette shapes that i picked up over the weekend. i love my cameo more every time i use it! 

lots of layering on this page. it started with the title over the main photo to cover up the distracting star wars guys on ben's shirt, and went from there. the arrow and the washi tape under the photo were both last minute additions this morning - i just felt like the page still needed a little something.

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happy wednesday! sam's buddy liam is coming home with us after school today - so i think i'm in for a noisy one. ;) i'm off to enjoy the quiet until it's time to pick them up!

december daily 2011 - ready to go!

two days till december first - and i'm getting excited to start filling this book in! i've decided that i'm going to commit to a page a day. since the studio calico kit album came with 25 page protectors, that means i can do one page for most days, and bump it up to two if more happens. i'm also planning on adding some things between the page protectors, so i have some flexibilty as to how many pages i'll end up with at the end of the month.

i'm storing everything i'm using together. this tray came from target - i have another (in aqua!) that i use for my studio calico kits. i LOVE that these stack. i also love that i can pick everything up and move it to the living room to work while i'm with my family.

my album cover was a bit of an experiment - but i love how it turned out! i started with a light coat of acrylic paint, and then added three coats of chalkboard spray paint. i drew the starburst design (totally inspired by the stamp in studio calico's now sold out snow cone add-on) and added punched confetti over a layer of martha stewart decoupage glue (totally inspired by nicole harper's card here). i still have to figure out how to seal the chalkboard. i tried a tiny bit of the martha glue on the bottom left ray - it didn't work. i'm thinking a spray sealer. will figure that out later. ;) the december 2011 button was a freebie with an order from ormolu, and it was perfect for this design! it's layered over a ruler die cut from the october afternoon farmhouse miscellany and a pinked circle stamped from a studio calico set.

a note on confetti. it's awesome. and it's addicting. and you have to punch waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay more than you'd think. ;) i brought together a bunch of PPs in colors that i liked (and be sure BOTH sides fit your color scheme) and went to work with an EK success large swiss cheese punch. you cannot do this with a handpunch, you'll end up with carpal tunnel! i ended up punching about 20 strips - and who knows how many more i'll do before i'm done.

here's a peek inside my book - for now i'm just showing the title page + a couple of special pages that i made this weekend. for the daily pages, i'm mostly using premade pages from marcy penner's december journal kit. i've got some patterned paper cut down to 6x6, 4x6 & 2x6 that may be layered into other pages as i go along.  my embellishments are a mix - most are from the studio calico december daily kit, but i pulled in a few things from my stash that i thought would coordinate well. all products are linked at the bottom of the post - and if you can't find info on something you're looking for, email me and i'll try to help out!

the calendar pocket on the left came from marcy's kit - i used washi to hold it in place.

i'm not going to lie - i was totally intimidated by the idea of 6x8 pages. but i am SO glad i decided to get the sc kit & album as these page protectors have so many possibilities. the tag here is from marcy's kit - i added the pp on the top to hide a screw up. ;) after decorating both sides of the tag, i stitched it in place (through the middle) in the page protector. i then added my confetti and stitched across the top.

see? confetti. is. addicting.

i used the stamp from snowcone here - with more confetti. that T is an ancient october afternoon alphabet, and the "five" is from elle's studio.

i cut down a couple of baseball card page protectors - i borrowed that idea from ali edwards.  this one got confetti + veneer astericks in one pocket and a card from marcy's kit in another.

flip through all those holiday catalogs before you recycle them - this came from an anthropologie catalog.

i'm planning on using these bags to hold a christmas lists from the boys - just not sure how i'll embellish them. i just punched holes in them and added them into the book. i did the same with the calendar chipboard from the studio calico kit. i'm still pondering exactly how i'll use those as well.

i'm planning to post my progress weekly - i'll try to get a post up each tuesday. i'm a little nervous about keeping up with this + project life + holiday festivities + other work so i'm sure i'll share some thoughts on that as well.

for those still looking for a kit to make the process easier, i've got a couple to recommend. i LOVE the idea of a kit for this project - and am relying on the ones that i picked up to streamline the process of making my own album. 

jack frost kit by elle's studio- LOVE the exclusive tags in this one!!!

mini charcoal holiday book by jamaica makes - streamlined and gorgeous!

holiday mixed paper book by elisa blaha - a perfect album base, just add photos + embellishments + words.

jingle all the way holiday journal by evalicious - eclectic album + embellies. i may or may not need to get some of the extra embellishments from her shop for my own album! ;)

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happy tuesday!! sam and i are off to run some errands. staples for shipping tags, and the grocery store. oh, the excitement. ;)

BROOKLYN FLEA

another month, another reveal! come join me at the BROOKLYN FLEA. i fell HARD for this kit when i first saw it, and i'm even more in love after working with it. the leftovers are going into my december daily pile, so i'll be pulling from these kits all month long!

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this is my main only page for the month - everything here is from BROOKLYN FLEA. so loving the colors this month!! i had fun with the ormolu negative tags here - i layered different strips of patterned paper under it and then added stitching over the top. the punch at the top right is vintage doily from martha stewart.

this is a story i've wanted to record for quite some time, but didn't have an image. i snapped this hot chocolate pic with my phone the other day and knew it would be perfect. i kept the page fairly simple so the focus is on the journaling.

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i made this layout with just the SHINY BRITE add-on. i love that this one is christmas-y without being 100% holiday.

i started this page with the title and strip down the middle, and then added my photos and above and below that line. from there, i added embellishments of little scraps of paper until it felt balanced. i love the chipboard buttons / accents from mme - i had to stop myself from using all of them on this page!

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this next page is fairly simple for me - but i saw this image on pinterest and couldn't wait to use it as the inspiration for a title!

i love the white on kraft look in the inspiration, so i stuck with that for the background. i cut the title in BIG letters using my cameo, and then misted over it with white mister huey. i'll definitely be doing this again!

everything here is from the main kit, BROOKLYN FLEA + the SNOW CONE add-on, with the expection of the little punched piece of red up in the corner. that paper's in SHINY BRITE, and the stars were punched out of it with a fiskars hand punch.

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i had so much fun with this page. i've been holding these photos for a while and knew this was the perfect kit for them. =)

in addition to BROOKLYN FLEA, SNOW CONE & PRINTER'S DRAWER, i added some shapes from the MME happy days chipboard set in the shop. the little stars were punched with a fiskars hand punch - I also used my Martha Stewart vintage doily punch. I misted the paper doll fabric stickers from the main with mister huey's heirloom blue - love how these took mist.

i started by stamping the starburst from SNOW CONE onto the ledger paper. i figured out the basic design for my page and then decided i wanted the starburst to be bigger - so i extended the lines and misted some of them with mister huey's shine. i wish the photograph captured this better - it looks pretty cool in person. =)

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i took a series of really fun pics of sam in his halloween costume, and had to pull my favorite one to get it onto a page. the title was used as a promo for the movie version of where the wild things are, so it fits perfectly. =) 

i got MESSY for this one. the background is layered paper, then i painted over it with pale aqua paint - i used a wet paint brush and a teeeeeeeeeeeeny bit of paint, trying to keep it as thin as possible so the patterns would still show through. then i misted over that with mister huey's heirloom blue. here's a pic of the papers before the paint / mist. 

and after the paint + mist : 

and the finished page :

i absolutely adore the stamp in the BROOKLYN FLEA, and had to use it here. the fabric heart border is about the same color as jbs malted milk ink - love the look of them layered together. i also used product from SNOW CONE & PRINTER'S DRAWER here.

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i also wanted to share a few screen captures from my silhouette library. with the .50 shape sale (it goes through today, the 28th), i've gotten a few questions about my favorite shapes.

while i don't have links for every image, you should be able to search for the names below each shape to find them in the silhouette store. if you click on the images, they should pop up bigger so you can read the names! you can see sam's influence in a few of these purchases - he loves my cameo. ;)

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the 20% off regular priced products sale at 2peas is still on - AND they've lowered the free shipping threshhold for cyber monday. i've got some smash items and the new pebbles valentine's line in my cart - thinking i'd better go check out!

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happy monday!! i hope you all had a fabulous weekend. my room is clean and my december daily is started - i can't wait to show you both later this week. =)

last minute BROOKLYN FLEA sneaks

reveal day for BROOKLYN FLEA is tomorrow - so i thought i'd share some last minute sneaks. =)

(BROOKLYN FLEA + SHINY BRITE + SNOWCONE + PRINTER'S DRAWER)

(BROOKLYN FLEA)

(BROOKLYN FLEA + SHINY BRITE + SNOWCONE + PRINTER'S DRAWER)

(BROOKLYN FLEA + SNOWCONE)

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happy saturday! we are thouroughly enjoying our long weekend here. today, matthew took the bigs and a friend to see the new muppet movie, and sam (who isn't a fan of sitting through movies) and i hung out at home. there was video games and laundry sorting and reading and UNO playing. i spent a bit of time trying to finish up cleaning my scrap room - i have a few more piles on my desk still to go. i still have major pretty-ing it up plans - but those are so far down the house to do list that it may never happen. ;) at least it functions well. i'll try to share some pics later this week.

project life // week 46 : november 12-18

we're not black friday shoppers. we're lazy morning people. and we enjoyed ours today. =) sam made alex and ben watch the curious george christmas special with him, and then there was some video game playing. and football watching. =)

i tried something new this week. i planned! after seeing marcy's planning sheets, i decided to give it a try. i sat down with my notes and my photos, and then drew out my page protectors. i plotted out where everything needed to go and then made notes of sizes. i highlighted them as i printed pics - i have a bad habit of forgetting what i've already printed, especially if i don't do it all at once! while i strayed a bit from my notes, it really sped the process up this morning.

week 46 // november 12th-18th : kid drawings. shopping. humidifiers. hero fatory and legos. angry birds.

this week's inserts - one of alex's dragon drawings.

and a monster by ben.

last night, i downloaded the digital version of the cobalt journaling cards and printed them out. because i'm impatient like that. i also picked up a couple of other new printable journaling cards - they're all in the supplies.

i remembered to pick up my real camera this week - having a few 4x6s always helps the week come together more quickly. ;)

i saved a tag from alex's new hoodie.

sam watercolored that tag for me.

the "you are made of awesome" journaling card was made with the epic digi kit - a collaboration of three artists. love. it.

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happy friday!! i had been thinking of doing some deep cleaning in my scraproom this weekend - and then my mom texted and asked if she could come over and go through my stuff. perfect timing. i sent her home w/ a full box of goodies. now to clean up the mess i made by cleaning. ;) i'm debating expanding my project life storage - i found a lot of goods bits and pieces to use while i was sorting. hmmmm.

(project life is a system created by becky higgins to take the stress of of scrapbooking. for me, its a reminder to pick up my camera and capture the everyday. you can learn more about how i use project life here, and you can find all of my project life updates here.)

 

happy thanksgiving + scrappy black friday

good morning!! my boys are engrossed in a video game we rented yesterday, and we'll be heading to my mom's in a couple hours. before we go enjoy turkey + family, i wanted to pass along a couple of scrappy black friday sales : 

yes. you read that right. 20% off ALL REGULAR PRICE PRODUCTS at twopeas. you don't even have to wait till tomorrow. and yes, that includes the amy tangerine mixtape and my new favorite my mind's eye lines. and the just arrived last week october afternoon. and allllllllllll of the studio calico goodies. happy shopping. =)

and studio calico's black friday sale will be HERE, starting at midnight EST tonight. check it out right away for the best selection - these deals tend to go fast. =)

and just for the heck of it, how about a sneak of the BROOKLYN FLEA page that i finished up last night?  loving this kit. the leftovers are going straight into my december daily pile - i think the mix of colors will be fun against the more traditional product i've got set aside.

have a fabulous thanksgiving - or a fabulous thursday, depending on where you are in the world. this seems like a good time to say THANK YOU to all of you for visiting and reading and leaving kind comments - your support means the world to me.

brooklyn flea sneaks + dec workshop winner

happy almost thanksgiving! matthew just ran the boys to the library so i'm taking advantage in the break in today's chaos to pop on here to share some sneaks for studio calico's december kit, brooklyn flea. i've got four done - i'm hoping to wrap up another tonight. 

(BROOKLYN FLEA)

(BROOKLYN FLEA + SNOWCONE)

(SHINY BRITE)

(BROOKLYN FLEA + SHINY BRITE + SNOWCONE + PRINTER'S DRAWER)

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aaaaaaaaaaand - i have my winner for maggie's december photo workshop!

amanda, i'll shoot you an email by the end of today so i can get your info to maggie in time for the class to start. =) thank you to everyone who left a comment - there were some *awesome* photo ideas for the holiday season. i added quite a few to my personal list!

to my US friends - enjoy the holiday tomorrow! since it's an odd numbered year, we'll be having a quiet meal with my family, rather than the truesdell thanksgiving extravaganza. ;) it's fun either way, but i'm thankful not to be traveling this year. i'll likely pop in tomorrow with some scrappy black friday deals, and i'll be here sometime friday with a project life update. see you then!

 

it might be silly

but yes, i made a page giving thanks for the wonder that is construction paper turkeys. every year, the boys come home with some new way of fashioning construction paper into a turkey. and that's just kind of awesome.

(turkeys // copyright twopeasinabucket.com)

i didn't stick with traditional fall or thanksgiving colors. i ended up using black and white photos since they were wearing clashing shirts and the lighting was just off. that gave me a lot more freedom to play with whatever colors i wanted. =) 

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happy tuesday! sam and i have already done our running for the morning - we took the bigs to school, ran to the store for MORE popcorn for the class parties at their school, dropped it off, came home, realized mama didn't pick up her caffiene fix (uh, how bad of a sign is that??!?) and went BACK out to get a mcd's diet. now we're staying in. between sam's thanksgiving program at school and helping w/ cookie dough orders at alex & ben's school, i was barely home yesterday. we could use an at home day.

just a reminder - my giveaway for maggie's december photo workshop is still open below. be sure to check it out and enter! i'll have a winner + SC sneaks tomorrow.

december photo workshop giveaway + a little sneak

i spent a lot of time this weekend gathering inspiration and ideas for my december daily album. it was a perfect low key activity since i still wasn't feeling great. i'm planning to do a bit of prep work on my book over the holiday weekend and will be sharing some ideas on monday. i'm getting really excited about pulling it together. =)

i'm also really excited about this new workshop from maggie holmes. there are more details up on her blog, but here's the basics : you'll get an email a day with photo ideas, tips and tricks, and examples.  love this idea - my camera is usually the first thing to get forgotten as the days get more hectic, so i'm looking forward to having someone to keep me on track.

and guess what? she's be keeping one of YOU on track, too - i get to giveaway a spot in this workshop! to enter, leave a comment telling me ONE thing you want to make sure to photograph this holiday season. and please leave your email address along with your comment so i can get in touch. i'll post a winner on wednesday morning.

happy monday! have you checked out the new studio calico site yet?? i haven't had a chance to do more than peek, but i'm loving it! i'm also loving the new december kit..  here's a teeny peek from one of my pages. i'll have more on wednesday. ;)

 

project life // week 6 : feb 5-11 & week 45 : nov 5-11

i went through my albums this week to find out just how many weeks were missing - and was pleased to find out there were only 11 that weren't filled in. not perfect, but not as bad as i had feared! for the most part, these weeks featured events that were major disruptions to our normal routine. this makes me realize that i need to make a bigger commitment to working in little moments of free time during those week.

jan 1-7, jan 22-28, feb 5-11, feb 26-mar 4, mar 5-11 (boys off school, short trip to KC), apr 16-22 (first week of baseball), may 7-13 (ben's bday), may 14-20 (last week of school), july 9-15 (vacation to WI / chicago), july 16-22 (gone for CHA, boys at science camp), aug 27-sept 2 (sam broke his arm)

i don't think i'll be caught up by the time i start 2012. i'd love it if i was, but realistically, with doing a december daily and my regular scrap assignments, i'd have to stop sleeping to fill those weeks in. i *did* find in a little time this week to get one one done.

week 6 // february 5-11 : sam's valentine's day party at school. COLD. lots of reading.

i had photos printed, but no notes. thank goodness for my blog. it was able to fill in a few details - i pulled the currently reading list & the high temp of 2 from posts that i'd made. 

i had the valentine's day stuff already stored with this week - yay for organization!

the october afternoon wild cards fit into the journaling pockets - i thought this little puppy was cute and went well with the photo of the boys reading.

i didn't have any school papers stored with this week, so i went through the folders that i keep of the bigs' schoolwork. these are from february - i figured that was close enough. ;)

i cut out the banner on this printable journaling card so i could slide my photo underneath it - then punched a couple of small stars as a fun detail.

week 45 // november 5-11 : i've already shared this week over at the elle's studio blog as a project life guest. if you haven't checked that post out you'll want to - there's a giveaway for my favorite project life products!

i added an extra page protector this week to hold a drawing by ben - i just stapled my journaling card right to the top of it.

lots to record this week. i found myself layering whereever possible to save space.

i used more of my prestamped journaling cards this week. loving having them ready. i added a little mist to this one.

i love this story. must remember to follow up on it.

the journaling with the concert tickets should say that matthew got HIS DAD tickets to paul simon for his 65th birthday. matthew is NOT 65. lol. i fixed the card, but didn't re-photograph.

i trimmed just enough off the card to get it to fit into the page protector. the 11.11.11 was cut with my cameo, and backed with some packaging from elle's studio tags.

happy happy friday! i'm finally feeling better and am ready for the weekend. hope you have a great one!!!

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(project life is a system created by becky higgins to take the stress of of scrapbooking. for me, its a reminder to pick up my camera and capture the everyday. you can learn more about how i use project life here, and you can find all of my project life updates here.)