Sunday, December 23, 2012

December Daily Update

As usual, this month has flown by and totally gotten away from me.  I think my goal for 2013 is going to be better time management. I need it! 

I am still trucking along with my December Daily album but I will have to play catch up after Christmas.  I am going to work on it more today.  I am halfway through the month though so at least I am not starting at the beginning.

I took these photos over a week ago and haven’t had any time to get them added to the blog.  I changed my format after a week of feeling uninspired.  I picked up a Snap! album from Archivers and I love the everything about these albums.  So far I have left the cover plain.  I don’t think I will be adding anything to it.

My title page is simple:

DD Cover Page Blog

Days 1 & 2:

DD 1-2 Blog

My December Daily albums tend to be repetitive.  I always end up putting the photo in the same place and then adding simple journaling.

Day 3:

DD 3 Blog

This year I am adding quotes and song lyrics to my album.  This idea for the Elf quote came from the Write.Click.Scrapbook. blog and I loved it.  My mom is letting me borrow her Silhouette so this projects is easy. 

I will share some more pages, eventually.  I need to make a list of things to do and stick with it.  I really am terrible with time management these days.  I have let so many things slide that I normally wouldn’t and I end up being angry with myself.  Grrr!  It is such a terrible cycle to be stuck in.

Merry Christmas!

Thursday, November 29, 2012

December Daily 2012

December is only 2 days away and I just finished the cover for my December Daily album.  Not that it took me a long time but I am getting a late start this year. 

December Daily 2012 Cover

I am sticking with an 8x8 format this year.  Inside the papers will be mixed in size with some small page protectors, transparencies, and envelopes tossed in.  I am looking forward to digging into this project even though my foundation pages are not in the book yet.  Baby steps!  I will be working mostly from my stash this year which isn’t what I normally do so I am looking forward to the challenge.

There are so many new things for us to document this year after living in Germany for the past 4 years.  Since the girls were itty bitty when we moved overseas they get to experience the American traditions for the very first time.  I am amazed at the small things I missed while we were abroad and yet I find myself already missing some of the German traditions.  Christmas markets, fun and affordable Haribo advent calendars, the cookies! 

Do you make a December Daily album?  Are you wondering what I am talking about?  Check out the über talented Ali Edwards’ blog and get the scoop!

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Easy Christmas Card

As December is only a few days away I figured I better get my butt into gear and working on some of my Christmas cards and my December Daily album.  November flew by and I am not quite ready for the next month. 

Christmas Card 2012

A simple card without bulky embellishments that I can mail without extra postage or fear of damage before it reaches its intended recipient was a must for me.  To me the card is simple and elegant.  It shares an important message without having to add very much to it.  

A little bit of info on the card here.  I used watercolor paper and watercolor paints to paint the background blue.  After it dried completely I used a gorgeous stamp set from Hero Arts and black Staz On ink.  The nativity and the phrase are not attached so you have a bit of versatility here.  I then used a clear and yellow Stickles to outline the star and halo over the manger.  I mounted it on white card stock and then stamped  “Praying You Have A Blessed Holiday Season “ inside. 

Easy enough to mass produce if that is your thing.  I usually make 2 or 3 different designs and then make a few of each.  I only send about 30 cards and with a nice coupon from Shutterfly for 10 free cards I only need to make 20 to mail out.  I will make a few extras for my daughters teachers and a couple neighbors. 

I hope this card inspires you to try painting your own background.  It was super easy and I love the watercolor background against the black ink. 

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Friday, November 9, 2012

There’s No Place Like Home

 

Hello friends!  It has been too long since I have sat down and written a blog post.  I could make up a hundred reasons why I have neglected my blog but I’ll be honest and say that I just haven’t felt like blogging!

We have been getting settled into our new home and routines over the past 3 months.  In October we went to NY State to visit my brother while my oldest was on her fall break.  I love being in NY, even the small, rural area in which I grew up.  Even though I only have a handful of family members still there, Western NY will always be my home!

Letchworth Visit 1

While we were there we took our girls to Letchworth State Park.  I grew up just 15 minutes from here and we went there often.  After traveling in the Pacific Northwest and a bit of Europe this place is still gorgeous and one of my most favorite places in the world.  The Genesee River runs through the park and after 10,000’s of years has created a stunning gorge with 3 waterfalls.  In the photo above the train trestle sits high above the Upper Falls.  Sadly, the trestle is supposed to be removed much to the dismay of many.  It is a symbol of the park to a lot of people but it is old and the railroad doesn’t want to maintain it any longer.

Letchworth Visit 3Letchworth Visit 4Letchworth Visit 7 

The third photo is of the Middle Falls, the largest in the park.  The last photo is taken from “Inspiration Point” and it offers the very best view of the Upper and Middle Falls.  The fall colors were gorgeous and I am glad we were able to visit during this time.  I miss NY the most in the fall.  With many hills covered in gorgeous and vibrant colors I haven’t been anywhere that offers such a stunning show of Mother Nature at her finest.

We had a great visit with my family and I cannot wait to see everyone again now that I am back on the east coast!

Friday, August 31, 2012

Halloween Décor Project

I love Halloween and for some reason I make more Halloween décor crafts than any other holiday.  Last week my mom and I were in Pier One and saw an adorable witches hat wall decoration and we were inspired to make our own. 
Halloween Witches Hat
We went to Michael’s where we found paper mache witches hats.  We split it in half with a craft knife so it would hang flat against the wall.  We painted the hat purple and then covered it on Mod Podge before dumping a lot of Martha Stewart glitter all over it.  After the purple glitter had set a bit we tapped off the rest of the loose glitter and used a one inch foam brush dipped in Mod Podge and added a strip of glue around the base.  I had some fabulous green glitter from Stampin’ Up! in my stash and poured it on the glue. We did this carefully and with the hat on its side to keep the green from sticking in the purple. 
After it dried we added some bling swirls rather than try to freehand a web design.  This has been the most difficult part as I have had to add craft Glue Dots to the back to keep it stuck as the adhesive on the swirls didn’t stick once it was covered with the glitter.  I had a DUH moment here and I should have added a finishing spray of some sorts over the glitter but I didn’t have one on hand and decided to skip it.  So, if you are inspired to give this project a try, I would seal the glitter somehow.
We picked up a plain pine board from Michael’s for the signs and painted them black.  The Martha Stewart black paint is pretty nice and covered well with just one coat!  I had the great green, glittery alpha stickers from Doodlebug Designs in my stash and they were a near perfect match in color.  I went over the board with the Sparkle Mod Podge to seal it. 
We used black wire we found in the jewelry section at Michael’s to attach the sign after I drilled small holes in the wood and the hat.  It is hard to see in the photo but I also picked up some pretty purple diamond shaped beads and added them to the bottom corners of the sign. I wrapped the wire around a plastic spider before attaching it to the hat.  Finally, I used some green glitter ribbon I also picked up at Michael’s to make the loop for hanging it.
This was really a quick project and I love the finished product so much.  I cannot wait to hang it on my front door in a few weeks.  If you are interested in checking out some more of my Halloween projects you can look here for a cute upcycled jar, here for a easy, sparkly framed print, and here for a paper wreath.
Do you have a holiday that you love crafting for? 

I’m sharing my idea on The Celebration Shoppe’s What I Made Wednesday link party and Tip Junkie's Tip Me Tuesday!



Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Finally Home

Home Aug 28

After feeling unsettled for the past 14 years, I am finally at home.  Being in the military and then a military spouse means you move around a bit more than the average person.  You try your best to get settled and establish routines but eventually you will have to pack it all up and start again. 

James will be retiring from the Air Force next year after 24 years of service and we discussed at length what we would do back last fall.  Retire out of Germany or take one last assignment back in the USA.  A job came up that he was qualified for at Fort Knox, KY so he applied and here we are.

We wanted to get settled in and stick around for awhile so we found a real estate agent (hi, Glen!!!) and looked at many homes.  We researched the local schools and neighborhoods and made an offer on our very first home.  Things worked out, obviously, and we moved in a few weeks ago.  I have been unpacking, painting, organizing, etc. 

I hope to share some more photos soon and even share our last 2 trips in Europe, Brussels and Venice.  I just felt the need to post and get back to blogging today.  I have missed my creative outlet a bit and look forward to establishing new routines and sharing our stories.

I hope everyone has a fantastic Tuesday!

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

And Then She Soared….

My oldest girl started kindergarten this morning!  I am been a bundle of mixed emotions for days now and this morning I was a tearful mommy as we left her at school.  I seriously bawled all the way back to the hotel (Yes, hotel!  We are still living out of suitcases but that is a story for another day!).  I am sure that my tears were what caused Aubrey to get a little choked up as I gave her one last hug but she but on her bravest face.

Aubrey's First Day of School

I know she will LOVE school!  I cannot wait to pick her up in a few hours and hear all about her first day of kindergarten.  I may just cry a little bit more!

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Saying Goodbye

4 years ago we packed up and moved from Washington State to Germany.  It was an adventure we were looking forward to and boarded the plane full of excitement and a little bit of anxiety (traveling with a 15 month old, 3 month old and 2 cats adds a tiny touch of stress!). 

Dornberg 1

We made it and settled into our home and routines.  We were able to travel to some of Europe’s most beautiful cities and stunning countrysides.  We watched our daughters grow from babies to sweet, beautiful little ladies.  My hair has added a gray strand (or maybe 2), I went from my 20’s into the 30’s.  JG jumped into his 40’s.  We struggled as a couple and as parents.  I like to think we ended this 4 year assignment ahead of the game.  At a better point in our lives.  Maybe we all grew up a bit. 

Dornberg 2

We moved out of our home yesterday and walking away was a little bittersweet.  My girls grew up here.  All of their earliest memories will have taken place here.  They are excited to move back to the United States even though they have no idea how different life will be there.  I am happy they are embracing this time with joy rather than fear.  I wouldn’t blame if they were scared as this is a huge move for a 4 & 5 year old.  Yet, they act like they have done this a dozen times already. 

I have a huge mix of emotions as I type this.  I have loved this assignment, for the most part, and being able to live in Europe was something JG and I wanted to do.  I will miss many things about Germany but I am ready to get back to the USA!  I have grown to appreciate the slower pace of life here and I will imagine that I will miss this sooner than I expected. 

My 5 year old will start kindergarten in August so this move comes at the most perfect time.  We are ending one chapter in our lives and beginning a new, exciting one for our family.  I am looking forward to the future but will embrace these memories for the rest of my life.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

A Photo is Worth a Three Words

June 25 

Not everyone is happy to have the US military taking up residence in their community.  We have been fortunate and our neighbors have been friendly but we live further away from the post.  Signs like these tend to pop up around the small towns located just outside the post.  There have been many “Army Go Home” signs but they are not usually spray painted onto homes.

My dad commented that it was a good thing we are Air Force!  I giggled and agreed.

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Just Like Mommy!

I love Starbucks.  This is a well known fact around here.  Unfortunately for me, they are just not found in every town in Europe so my chances to get a coffee from there are few and far between.  So imagine my surprise when we came across one in Aachen, Germany a few weeks ago when we stopped on our way home from Brussels to visit their famous Dom (King Charlemagne's remains are here).

Aubrey is pretty quick to spot them for me and will even tell James that “mommy wants Starbucks”.  While we drink our Frappuccino’s, the girls usually share one of the bottled smoothies you can purchase there.  They love getting these drinks!  This time, however, I told James that we should let them share a Strawberries & Cream Frappuccino*.  Their very first drink with a green straw! 

Starbucks June 1 A

Starbucks June 1 B

This was huge for me so I had to snap photos of them enjoying their Starbucks.  At least they humor me.   I guess a photo was a small price to pay for their drink since it was gone in no time.  There was a small demo of some sorts going on that weekend so it made for a cute back drop and I will use these photos for my Project Life album. 

Do your kids share any of your favorites? 

Thanks for stopping by!

*For those who are not aware, there is no caffeine or coffee in this drink so don’t judge.

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Just One Venice Photo….

I was just finishing up a lovely post when I lost it…and now I want to cry.  Actually, it wasn’t so lovely but more whiney!  I hate working on my netbook!  It has a mind of its own and gives me so much grief.  You can be typing away (or simply tagging a post) when everything just disappears.  This machine is really just good for reading Facebook updates and checking email.  While the size is ideal for traveling it is not ideal for travel blogging.  The original post wasn’t long but who wants to retype stuff? 

Now that I am done whining about my netbook I thought I would share my most favorite photo taken in Venice.  We were there last week for 3 nights and we had a great time.  The weather was decent and our hotel was in a fabulous location with all of our windows looking over 2 canals.  Being located at a canal intersection was interesting and the girls loved saying hello to all the gondolas as they passed by.

June 13

We woke up early and headed out for photos before most of the other tourists started their day.  You cannot see the graffiti on Rialto Bridge, the Grand Canal isn’t crowded with boats (it looks like pure chaos when it is), and there are not any customers at this restaurant where I took the photo.  I am pretty sure I am going to have this enlarged and framed in my home somewhere. 

Thanks for stopping by today and reading all my whining.  I hope you have a great day.

Friday, June 8, 2012

Still Chugging Along!

Whoa!  The past few weeks have flown by here.  Our house was packed without incident (yay!) and we have gotten settled into our house with minimal furniture.  My Jeep was shipped back to the USA, as well, and now we are a one vehicle family for a bit. 

I am still taking a photo a day for my Project Life album and even adding my journaling cards as well.  So 5 weeks in and I am still going strong!  I am writing my photo for each day down in my planner and just yesterday I downloaded a free photo editing program, Photoscape, so I can at least get my photos resized and edited to be uploaded to Shutterfly.  Photoshop Elements is just toooooo big to download to my netbook.  Even Photoscape, which is significantly smaller, slows my computer down.

Here are a few of my daily photos:

May 23

My cat enjoys the morning sunshine.  I think she is going to miss the huge windows.

May 24

Our nearly empty living room after the first day of the movers packing us up.

June 2

A little bit of excitement one Saturday in our normally quiet town.  Some faulty solar panels triggered a smoke alarm and the fire department spent about 2 hours taking care of it.  Thankfully, no one was living in the home yet and it appears there is no damage to the house. 

Next week we go on our very last European trip and I am looking forward to the destination but not the 10 hour train ride back!  It makes for an extra long day for everyone.  However, the train tickets are super affordable since the girls ride for free and you just don’t get that option when you purchase airfare tickets.  We reserve seats with a table so that helps with leg room and we all sit together. 

That’s all I got for now.  Thanks for stopping by today and have a great weekend!

Monday, May 28, 2012

Memorial Day

Memorial Day is not about the BBQ’s or parties.  It is about honoring America’s bravest hero’s who sacrificed their lives for our freedom.  Please take a moment to remember their courage and dedication to our great country.

Lorraine Cemetery

In March we visited several American cemeteries in France from both WWI and WWII and I was so moved that I had to fight back tears many.  This photo is from the Lorraine Cemetery and Memorial.

Monday, May 21, 2012

Project Life Weeks 1 & 2

Last night I looked over my completed weeks and loved it!  Really, really love it.  I am super determined to see this through for the next 49 weeks!

Here is my first week, all put together.  I used some Echo Park Hello Summer digi papers to make my week title cards in PSE 10 and printed them on photo paper.  I think I will stick with this all summer and then change it out in the fall.  I like the seasonal feel.  I will probably use some of the cards from the Clementine Kit, as well occasionally. 

Week 1A

Week 1B

I used some screen shots of from my Facebook page this week since I had two cute stories to share.  Nothing fancy here at all but I still love it.  My girls want to add drawings every week so I think that is something I will continue to do.

Here is week 2:

Week 2A

Week 2B

Flowers, flowers everywhere!  The girls picked so many flowers from the yard this week and I found piles of them all over the patio.  Lolo thought that stickers look better on her rather than on papers!  Silly girl! 

I dug through my stash and found a ton of old rub-ons and decided that they would make fabulous additions to the grid journaling cards.  It is always a great feeling to use lots of things from your stash for projects like this.  

I hope everyone had a great weekend.  We were busy sorting through some things before the movers come tomorrow.  I have a lot to do today as well as run some errands on post.  I shouldn’t even be procrastinating on here!  Yikes!  I hope to check in on Thursday after the movers finish up.  With any luck I won’t have a single horror story to share.

Thanks for stopping by today!  Have a great Monday!

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

I Must Be Crazy…Right?

Who in their right mind starts Project Life 3 weeks before the movers come in and pack up your belongings for at least 2 months?  Because not having all of your supplies can be pretty inconvenient, right?  Geez, when I put it that way it makes me want to change my mind!  Ha!  Just kidding…I think.

I have been admiring all the fabulous people who have been sharing their weekly spreads for a long while now.  It has been a project that I have been wanting to do but to afraid of not being able to stick with it.  As our time is running out here in Germany I decided that I wanted to capture the little bits of our daily lives here and then throughout the transition into a new routine in a new home, new town, new state and a region of the USA that we have never lived in before. 

Me and Lolo 30 Apr 2012

So, when I turned 32 a couple of weeks ago, I decided it would be a great time to finally pull a year of our daily lives into a scrapbook.  I already have some of the divided page protectors left over from organizing our travel photos but will order more soon since we still have 6 weeks here.  I ordered the Clementine Core Kit as well and have plenty left over from the travel stuff so I will be using some bits of that in my album as well.  I love the Grid Cards and have a new box of those ready to toss into my suitcase.  There are also so many fun, free downloads for journaling cards and such that I have some of those ready to go, as well.

Here is my plan:  I don’t have a binder, yet, but won’t be purchasing one until we are settled into a new home.  The box the page protectors are stored in is a little big but also flat enough it will take up little room in my suitcase so I will keep all my weekly spreads in there.  I have small plastic organizers that I will put the blank journaling cards in as well as a small pair of scissors and maybe some glue dots so I have some sort of adhesive with me as my ATG is just to big to bring with me.  I am going to cut some sheets of cardstock down to 4x6 and 3x4 to keep in the organizers as well to help fill in the spots on days I may not get a photo or want to tell a longer story.  Finally, I won’t be able to print my photos from home after the movers pack my printer so I will make sure I upload them to Shutterfly so I can order them all at once when we get a permanent address. 

I am confident that I can make this work without photos until we get settled.  I will make it a point to add little bits of things as well as journaling every few days and stay on top of uploading my photos.  I will have plenty of time on my hands as we are shipping our vehicle next week and I will be stuck at home during the day with minimal belongings to keep us occupied. 

I love what I have pulled together so far and want to share a few photos that I wouldn’t have taken otherwise.  I am in love with the idea of this and hope I can stay strong for the next year!  The photo above is of my youngest daughter and me that I took with a tripod and the timer on my camera on my birthday.  I need to get in front of the camera more.

May 4

Lolo got a little tiny scrape on her foot but to a 4 year old it was nearly the end of the world.  Aubrey was so concerned she grabbed her favorite pillow for Lolo to rest her foot on while I applied the magical Band-Aid that brings all tears to an end.  Notice the princess dress under the table and tea cup next to the pink chair…it is part of having 2 little girls at home.

May 7 Collage

While I was working on a scrapbook layout Lolo decorated herself with stickers.  She thought the ones on her face were extra funny.

May 13

I used Cathy Zielske’s Tiny Templates that I purchased from Designer Digitals for these two photos.  I added a cute digital element from Echo Parks Hello Summer Digital collection that I also purchased.  I love fun digital products and I have printed several of the journaling cards to slip into my pages later on.  I have also used the products to print off my weekly title cards.  Fun stuff, for sure!

May 14

This cool airplane art is across the street from our favorite local German restaurant.  I am happy to have this added to my book.

I imagine I will be adding lots of posts about Project Life for a while.  I figure by posting about it on the blog that I will be more likely to actually stick with it but any support you may offer will certainly help keep me chugging along. Smile

Thanks for stopping by today! 

Monday, May 7, 2012

You Make Me Happy Layout

Wouldn’t you know my scrappy mojo came back just a couple of weeks before the movers come and I don’t have much time left to scrap.  That is my luck, for sure!

I checked out Frosted Designs this morning and saw they still have some NSD challenges open so I played along with Heather’s challenge to use strips of paper on a layout.  I had so many strips leftover from the layout I completed yesterday so I went to work to use up as many as I could. 

 

All the products used are, once again, from the Echo Park “This & That Graceful” collection.  I think Echo Park knocked this line right out of the park.  I love it!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Sunday, May 6, 2012

A Few More NSD Projects

Wow!  So many fun scrappy challenges around the internet yesterday!  Did you get a chance to play?  I was able to finish up a few challenges today since many were posted long after I went to bed.  I will confess that I cannot wait to play along with challenges when I am back on the same continent! 

We are less than 60 days from flying back and the movers will be here in just 2 weeks.  Knowing that my stuff is going to be packed and moved across the Atlantic Ocean on a ship has certainly motivated me to get some scrappy time in this weekend.  So, without further unnecessary chatting from me, here are a few projects I completed for some of the Echo Park challenges that were issued yesterday.

First up, NSD Challenge #3, to Scraplift a Design Team Expert and I chose the cute card by Kandis Smith.  I used papers from Victoria Gardens along with embellies from the cardstock stickers.  I placed a foam dot behind the doily sticker in the middle and used some green floss to stitch down the middle of the design.

Echo Park NSD Scraplift Challenge

I also completed the NSD Challenge #4, Create a Layout Based on a Sketch.  I double dipped and used this challenge for the Big Picture Classes challenge to use a photo from then and now.  Yikes!  My girls have grown so much in 3 years!  I used the This & That Graceful Collection for this one.  Boy, I am in love with these papers and embellishments.

EP NSD Sketch Challenge and BPC Challenge 2

Finally, I completed NSD Challenge #6, Project Playground.  If you haven’t checked out the amazing free projects that the generous folks at Echo Park have on their site you are really missing out.  For this challenge we had to select a project from the site and then re-create it.  So I chose a This & That Graceful layout project and love, love, love the way the finished layout looks (and I really, really love the photo of my baby)!

Echo Park Project Download Challenge

So those are my completed NSD projects!  I still have my stuff scattered all over the table so I think I am going to jump back in and complete a few more things before I organize and pack up my scrappy stuff in preparation for our huge move. 

Thanks so much to Echo Park for offering such fun challenges and fab prizes and thanks to everyone for swinging by my blog today!

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Echo Park NSD Challenge #1

Echo Park Congratulations Card

The fabulous folks at Echo Park released a challenge to create a card within 2 hours.  While this card didn’t come close to taking 2 hours to create it took me a long time to decide on what line of amazing Echo Park products to use. 

I was in need of a card for one of my beautiful cousins who graduates from college today and decided to go away from a traditional cap/gown theme and went for a simple but pretty card made with Echo Parks This & That Graceful line.  I added some foam dots behind both flower for some pop and then some pretty pearls from Kaisercraft to finish it off. 

Thanks for stopping by and taking a look!

Friday, April 27, 2012

Sisters!

My Girls 27 Apr

A rare photo of my girls actually liking each other for a few minutes.  We have had some mild temps the past couple of days and they have spent their time blowing lots of bubbles and playing soccer.  They love being outdoors!

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

More Barcelona!

Barcelona Boqueria 1

We made a visit to Barcelona’s famous La Boqueria and enjoyed walking though.  There is so much to see here and it made me miss Seattle’s Pike Place Market, even though Barcelona had a few more interesting things for sale!

Produce beautifully and perfectly stacked, cups of fresh fruit juices glistening with moisture from the ice they rested in, seafood so fresh some of it was still moving and fresh meat from local butchers filled the spaces in this large market.  It was hard not to wish I was a local who could shop here daily for fresh food.    

Barcelona Boqueria 2Barcelona Boqueria 8Barcelona Boqueria 6Barcelona Boqueria 5Barcelona Boqueria 4

The fresh fruit was super affordable and we picked up a large fruit salad for 2 euro and fresh fruit juice was around 1 euro per cup if you purchased more than one.  I had a blackberry banana juice and it was the best smoothie I have ever had!

We also spent a little bit of time on the beach.  The girls loved looking for shells and eventually I have to cut them off as our pockets were overflowing with small shells. 

Barcelona Beach 1Barcelona Beach 2

The advantage of going to the beach in February is that it isn’t crowded but the disadvantage being it is February and too cold for swimming.  I love the beach…the sand, the smell, the giggles from my girls but hate the water!  So I don’t mind not being able to jump in. 

Since we were on the beach we found a place for lunch.  Sangria and paella!  Surprisingly, it is difficult to find a good paella place since so many places do not make it fresh but apparently dump it all in the pan from a frozen bag!  GASP!  The horror!  JG did a lot of research on this since it is expensive and you don’t want to get ripped off.  So we found a nice place near the beach and enjoyed our paella, served to us by the owner himself, with a fantastic glass of sangria.  It was muy delicioso!

Barcelona Lunch 1Barcelona Lunch 2

Yes, lots of food in this post!  I love food…eating it, taking photos of it, admiring the beauty!  I wish I was a better food photographer but I hope you enjoyed seeing things through my viewfinder today.

Monday, March 26, 2012

Beautiful Sisters Layout

It has been nearly 6 weeks since I have completed a layout and while I was missing my scrapping time, I was busy and just couldn’t get to it.  We returned from a trip to Disneyland Paris last week and I was ready to jump back in.  I had a box of new supplies waiting for me from Emma’s Paperie when we got home full of Echo Park’s This & That Graceful along with some fun ribbons and the new Dear Lizzy line as well. 

Club CK posted a 1 hour recipe challenge and I knew I wanted to play along this week.  I remembered the cute sketch from Frosted Designs and pulled my supplies together and got to work.  I loved using this sketch and the gorgeous Echo Park papers.  I even used my sewing machine and stitched a quick border along the page and a zigzag stitch around the circle.  The yellow ribbon is from Maya Road and I just love it!  I bought a bunch of colors. 

I think this was the perfect challenge to jump back into scrapping.  I better spend more time on my hobby before all my stuff is packed up for a few months!  We are waiting for JG to get his orders so we can schedule the movers and then get our airline tickets to fly back to the USA.  Ohhhhh boy, I cannot wait to be back in the states..only 3 more months left here! 

Thanks for stopping by today! 

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Gaudi!

Barcelona is a pretty awesome city and we were totally fascinated by the architect Antoni Gaudi.  We went to a few of his buildings and enjoyed the uniqueness of each one.

Not too much to say about this right now but wanted to share a few of my favorite Gaudi sites!

Barcelona Casa MilaBarcelona Casa Battlo 1Barcelona Casa Battlo 2Barcelona Park Guell 1Barcelona Park Guell 6Barcelona Park Guell 3

Thanks for stopping by today!