Scrapping and Traveling

4 Out of 5 isn’t Bad!

2012-01-31T17:36:00.001+01:00

I have been on a sewing bender this week and it is only Tuesday! I have made the camera strap cover, mini tote bags, toilet paper holder and the luggage tag from Friday’s post. I love the camera strap cover and the mini bags (which are totally cute!!!) and I even like the toilet paper holder but the luggage tag just wasn’t what I wanted. I am pretty sure that is because I am not the greatest seamstress and I don’t always have a lot of patience when it comes to sewing a straight edge and I wanted perfection!

The camera strap is lovely and just what I had in mind. I had left over bits from making mug rugs before Christmas and just cut them into 2”x3” rectangles, stitched them together and then added a solid black to the back side. Easy and still feminine but JG can carry it if he needs to and not be too embarrassed. He hated the pink one that I used on the older camera. Since the covers are easy to make I am thinking of putting another one together before I put all the fabric back into the closet. Having an extra tucked into the camera bag may come in handy someday.

I need to take photos of the totes but I am out of light for the day so maybe I will get to it tomorrow. It depends on my mood. We are all feeling about as crummy as we did yesterday but there is hope that tomorrow will find us slowly improving and beating these colds!

Happy Tuesday!

The Best Laid Plans….

2012-01-30T12:10:00.001+01:00

Well, I wanted to share my December Daily album today, or at least parts of it, but I just don’t have enough sunlight or energy for that matter to get photos taken. The prints arrived from Shutterfly on Thursday and I had most of the photos added that night and finished it up on Friday. I spent a little bit of time adding journaling where it was needed and now my book is complete!

However, it is overcast here today and I have come down with a cold that just has my energy level depleted. Lolo came down with the cold last weekend and a week later she still has a lingering cough and sore throat. Aubrey, JG and I all started to come down with the same symptoms on Saturday and I am worn out! Hopefully this passes quickly so I can get on with my life!

I do have one page and it didn’t really photograph well but I do like the way the pages came together and this might be my favorite day for the entire December Daily album. It is a little bit hybrid but mostly paper layout using bits of Echo Park and some older Ali Edwards products from Designer Digitals.

I also have a layout using the photo from our visit with Santa. This photo also went into the December Daily album but I loved the photo so I made a 12x12 layout to go into our regular album. I received the fantastic Echo Park Holly Jolly Christmas products from my Club CK Secret Santa, Jodi! I love these papers so much! So happy with a nice mix of traditional/non-traditional Christmas colors.

I do hope everyone had a great weekend and that Monday is nice to you!

Five for Friday

2012-01-27T10:28:00.001+01:00

I haven’t shared a Five for Friday post in for.ever so I have browsed my sewing board on Pinterest to share the 5 projects on my to do list.

1. Cute fabric luggage tags! What a fun way to identify your bags quickly and use up a bunch of scraps in the process. Tutorial is here.

2. Another travel item on my list is this cute little travel document pouch. I have something that works now to hold our passports but it is plain and not attractive at all. Tutorial can be found here.

3. A cute little tote for my girls to carry while we travel, especially since we won’t always have the DVD player in the car with us. Tutorial can be found here.

4. This toilet paper holder is cute and looks easy. No tutorial since it was for sale on Etsy but looks easy enough to figure out. And since this one costs $45 it can stay there (no offense meant to the seller here as I am sure she is lovely and that hand embroidery took her a long time) because I can make it with fabric I have on hand.

5. This one should be first on the list since it is the first project I plan on making ASAP for my new camera. I hope to find some cute new fabric for this tomorrow but if I don’t I will pull some from my stash. You can find a tutorial here. I have made one before and I learned that a darker fabric is better than a light blue and pink one since it won’t show dirt as quickly. I am thinking maybe a black or gray base with a bright, feminine ruffle!

Do you have any projects on your to do list? I would love to hear about them. Stay tuned next week for a fun Valentine blog hop and since February is my blog anniversary I will have a giveaway or two!

Have a great weekend!

Crochet Projects

2012-01-25T12:26:00.001+01:00

Pinterest gave me a renewed interest in crochet and I have had at least one crochet project in the works constantly since I started back at it in the late summer. Thanks to fabulous projects on Pinterest, some great videos on You Tube and free patterns from bloggers and Red Heart I have been busy.

My most recently completed project was a crib sized (lap sized) blanket that I will be sending to my mom to add to our donation stash for the local cancer center there. It was an easy project and I love ripples! I need to find some great colors so I can make one for me. I used the Windsor Ripple throw pattern from Red Heart this one.

Since this one is now finished I started a baby blanket for a friend. Good thing her due date isn’t until April so I have a little bit of time to finish it. I haven’t really worked on it much lately because I have been busy scrapbooking/card making instead. I need to get back at it though. I am using the Rickrack Rainbow Baby Blanket pattern, also from Red Heart, for it. The colors are a little bit off…the pink looks kind of salmon colored but it is really a soft pink.

Have you recently fell in love with a new hobby or picked up a renewed interest in an old favorite? I would love to hear about it!

Where has January Gone?

2012-01-24T12:30:00.000+01:00

So it is 24 days into 2012 and things are moving along for us! We have been busy finalizing our last few trips here in Europe before we move back to the USA in July, squeezing in a quick trip to Prague, looking at lots of dates for shipping our household goods and vehicle back, checking into local schools for the starting dates and vacations....the list just goes on and on.

JG received his assignment notification about 2 weeks ago and we will be heading to Kentucky! I am rather excited as I haven't lived on the eastern side of the US since I left home in 1998! A few years in Idaho, then a few more in Washington State and 4 years in Germany and I miss being close to my family. Now we can drive to visit them rather than fly. Of course, that means we have to fly to see JG's parents in California but we can deal with that. It is hard having family all over the US though as someone always feels slighted when we plan our vacations. We cannot possibly visit everyone so maybe now people will actually come visit us. I love my family but it sure would be nice if we were not the only ones expected to make the trips to vist as airfare for 4 is expensive and since my oldest starts school this fall we have to plan around the school vacations as well.

I have had a few minutes to get my craft on this month and have been working on layouts, cards and crocheting a baby blanket. I have a ton of photos to get scrapped or at the very least into albums and that is one project I need to attack before we move! I am looking into picking up some of Becky Higgins' Project Life products just for this purpose because it should make for quick photo organization...however, that is a whole separate subject.

I made this layout for a recent Club CK 1-Hour Challenge where we were to bust out our scoring boards and use it to make something for the layout. The papers and most of the embellishments are by October Afternoon for this one. The ribbon isn't quite as uneven as it looks in the photo because I cannot take a straight close up photo of a layout! Grrr. I need to slow down a bit.

Thanks for stopping by today. I am going to make an honest effort to blog regularly again.

A Little Trip....

2012-01-03T15:33:00.000+01:00

We packed our bags for a quick 2 night stay to Garmish-Partenkirchen. JG is taking advantage of the gorgeous weather and snowboarding while the girlies and I relax at the hotel. We love being here and with stunning views of the German Alps right out our window, who wouldn't?

We’ve Been A Little Busy!

2011-12-22T12:38:00.001+01:00

Whoa! I have slacked off on blogging but I have continued with my December Daily album. It is so much fun to work on this project through out the month.

Last week we had a surprise from JG! He called me last Wednesday at dinner time and told me he was going to try and catch a plane home that night. Well, he did and we headed to Ramstein early Thursday morning to pick him up!

I didn’t tell them we were going to pick up JG because I wanted to surprise them and they were beyond excited to see him! They really, really missed their Daddy this time around and it is so nice to have him home safe and a bit early, too!

The Beginnings of My December Daily Album…

2011-12-03T16:35:00.001+01:00

***If you are here following along with the blog hop please scroll down to the next post.***

December has rolled in a bit quicker than I thought it would! I will admit that while I don’t have all of my December Daily foundation pages complete I am about halfway through the month. I hope to get the rest squared away this week.

This year I will not be printing my photos daily or even weekly but will wait until the end of the month and place my order through Shutterfly. I love their print quality and the quick turn around. Since I will have my pages ready and journaling complete I will just have to add the photos once they arrive.

My photo for December 1st is of the girls opening their Haribo advent calendar. This year is a little bittersweet as it is our last year here in Germany. There are some things we will miss and the Haribo calendars have become a tradition for us.

This was about take 5 and the reindeer antlers were their idea! I rarely get a photo with them both looking at the camera and this was just not my day.

Here is the foundation page for the photo:

Because I didn’t leave any room for journaling I will be adding a journaler by Ali Edwards that I purchased from Designer Digitals last year. I like to add these when I am feeling long winded or want some extra space for photos.

My December 2nd photo is of my favorite mug filled with glühwein in front of the Christmas tree. I like Christmas tree bokeh!

And my foundation page for the day is this:

The colors are off a bit in this one as the background is more of a pinkish color. I am using Crate Papers Peppermint Collection for most of my album this year and I was having a bit of a hard time with it but have come to love the feel of it all. The snowflakes are from the Peppermint Collection as well. I had a hard time photographing the first set of pages as it has been super foggy here nearly every day and that means no morning sun for my photos.

That’s all I have for now. I hope to continue my December Daily updates every few days. I always have good intentions of sharing my pages but never get around to doing so but will make a honest effort at posting them here.

Handmade Holiday Blog Hop

2011-12-02T02:59:00.001+01:00

Hello there! Today I am joining many fabulous ladies who have created a little bit of holiday magic using our paper crafting suppliesto share with you. If you are following along with the blog hop you should have arrived here from Jennifer’s blog. If you are just checking in on my blog or are a little bit lost and want to start from the beginning of the blog hop, visit Amanda’s blog to get back on track.

I made a small little 4x5 inch canvas board into a small bit of décor. This is an idea that I originally picked up from the Crap I’ve Made blog. Here is a quick run down of how I put this together.

You’ll need a canvas or other background of choice, scraps of papers, Mod Podge, acrylic paint and a piece of contact paper.
I cut all my pieces of paper into 1”x1” squares and used a layer of Mod Podge to adhere them to the canvas. Once you have your canvas covered with the scraps rub over it with a brayer or something similar to make sure the papers are firmly adhered. Let it dry for a few minutes while you cut your desired shape. I have found that a piece of contact paper makes a fantastic little stencil and it cuts nicely when I use my Cricut. I cut a tree from the Winter Frolic cartridge for this project. Add the cut shape to the papers and smooth out any wrinkles and ensure you have the contact paper adhered completely. Add a thin layer of acrylic paint and let it dry. If you want to add another for better coverage go ahead. I like to see the other papers peeking through a bit. While the paint is just a little tacky carefully lift the contact paper off the papers and let the paint dry completely.
I added some Cosmo Cricket Tiny Type stickers at the bottom and outlined the tree with a Sharpie to help it stand out. I then added a thin coat of Mod Podge to seal it. While it was still wet I added some gems to finish it off. Now since my edges were all uneven I added some fantastic tinsel ribbon with some hot glue to cover them up.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today! The next stop on the blog hop is Adele’s blog.

Plitvice Lakes National Park

2011-11-27T11:44:00.001+01:00

We left Zadar and headed inland about 2 hours to the Plitvice Lakes National Park. The park is well known for its terraced lakes, clear water and numerous waterfalls and was Croatia’s first national park as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

We arrived mid-afternoon in June so we had plenty of daylight left to make our way through the park. The boardwalk paths make their way over beautiful blue green water that is so clear you can see hundreds of fish. Since we arrived later in the day we were able to miss most of the crowds and did not feel rushed along.

This first photo is the view as you begin the decent down to the lakes and the main trail.

This last photo is another view from up above as we made our way back to the park exit. We enjoyed our time here and I was super excited to shoot some waterfalls. It was a long walk through and our girls were real troopers and made it the whole way without any issues.

We stayed nearby the park in small but very nice room at the Apartments Plitvicer Seen. It was modern and the owner was nice. We ate breakfast out by the pool before we headed north to Austria. Since I am such a dork I was excited to get a stamp in my passport before we left Croatia and back into Slovenia! Since the countries who have joined the EU have open borders the border crossing stations sit vacant so we never have to show our passports as we travel between those countries.

We drove straight through Slovenia and into Austria to we could visit the Lipzzaner Stud Farm in Piber. This is the where the famous stallions from the Spanish Riding School in Vienna are born. I may have been more excited to visit here than the girls! We arrived about 90 minutes before they closed for the day and were able to wander around. We walked through a small museum and watched the horses being brought in from the fields for the night.

This mare was very friendly and I spent a lot of time rubbing her nose and she became a willing subject for my photos.

The next day we drove to Graz so JG could visit the Landeszeughaus. He needed some manly time after hanging out with the Gibson girls for the entire vacation and really enjoyed his time walking through 4 floors of this Styrian Armoury. The entire place was nothing but old weapons and suits of armor. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take any photos while we were in there. If you are interested in seeing some photos though just click on the hyperlink above and it will take you directly to the website for more information.

This finally wraps up our trip through Slovenia, Croatia and a quick stop in Austria. It was really a vacation of a lifetime for me. I loved every single place we visited and the drive along the Adriatic Sea was breathtaking. I was happy to be home again but sad to have our amazing vacation come to an end.

Sibenik, Croatia

2011-11-21T12:19:00.001+01:00

Here is another day of our Croatian vacation. We drove down the coast from Zadar to Sibenik. This was a lovely town with a very unique UNESCO Heritage Site. The St. Jacob’s Cathedral has a frieze of 74 faces around the outside. We were not permitted to take photos inside but the interior was smaller than I anticipated based on the outside. It was beautiful and simple very much unlike the detailed exterior.

After we left the cathedral we wandered around the town and it was so beautiful. It had narrow alley’s with tall stone buildings. There was lots of climbing as we made our way up the hillside. This town had so much of an old world feel to it. There were not a lot of people wandering about and I loved the slower pace compared to Zadar.

Sibenik is a little gem along the Dalmatian Coast and I am glad we spent some time here. If you are ever traveling near here it is well worth a visit.

This was our last day along the Adriatic Sea and I tried to savor it. I cannot believe how much I feel in love with this region! It was truly an amazing vacation that will probably not be topped (sorry JG!).

I had no intention of dragging my Croatia blog posts out but life gets in the way. I was reading a blog post recently by Stacy Julian and she mentioned that the longer you are away from your blog the easier it is to stay away and that really is true! I will write up my posts from Plitvace National Park and the Lipzzaner Stud Farm and set them to auto post.

Thanks for stopping by and reading about our travels. I enjoy reading the comments and if you have any questions about our travels please feel free to ask.

Crochet Love!

2011-11-15T10:17:00.001+01:00

Pinterest has really renewed my interest in crochet! I love all the fantastic projects that have been shared on there and thanks to a few helpful You Tube videos I have managed to make 2 blankets and have a 3rd in the works. I am sure JG is shaking his head because he thinks I don't need another hobby about now.

Aubrey wanted a rainbow blanket so I went to the store and picked up some basic colors and got to work. After what seemed like forever, especially to a 4 year old, I finished it. I told Aubrey I was going to keep it because I loved it so much but she was having none of that :-)

In a few weeks I will be participating in another blog hop just in time for the holidays! I have an idea in mind but just need to put it in action. I also need to finish up my Christmas cards as I am really making them this year, or most of them anyways. I have about 10 more to make and I have been putting it off. Oh, and I need to get my butt moving on my December Daily foundation pages as well. I have all the supplies and just need to sit and get going on it.

Do you have any projects you have been procrastinating on? Please tell me that I am not alone here.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T14:08:00.001+01:00

I never tire of this photo! I hope everyone has a safe and happy Halloween!

Even though this photo was taken 5 or 6 years ago, I am sure my cat hasn’t forgiven me yet. I giggle hysterically every time I look at this!

When Did This Happen?

2011-10-29T10:16:00.001+02:00

What? You mean my girls are supposed to grow up? I didn’t get that memo!

This photo was taken just 2 years ago. Aubrey was 2.5 years old and Lolo was 18 months. Heck, Lolo’s hair was still too short to pull into a barrette or pig tails.

The only similarity between then and now is that JG is deployed…again! Other than that I now have 2 little ladies now who are very excited about Halloween, they have been practicing “trick or treating” for the past year and had opinions about their costumes this time around.

I love watching my babies grow into beautiful little girls but I swear it was just yesterday I was holding newborns. Next year I will be sending Aubrey off to kindergarten. I can vaguely remember what life was like before they were born but I don’t think I was as happy or fulfilled as I am now that I am their mommy.

Zadar, Croatia

2011-10-23T12:36:00.002+02:00

I was looking back at my blog posts and I cannot believe I didn’t finish blogging our trip to Croatia in June. It was by far the best trip we have taken in the 3 years we have lived in Europe! I loved everything!
The third place we visited was Zadar, located on the northern end of the Dalmatian Coast. We spent 3 nights here and stayed at the Villa Valentina. The hostess, Anna, was so nice and helpful and the rooms were comfortable. I would highly recommend anyone planning a trip to Zadar to look here first!
The city is very easy to walk around and the old town is on a peninsula with a wall around part of it. I really enjoyed the relaxed feel of the city. We wandered around and admired the simple beauty.

Kiwi growing at our hotel! There were fruit trees all over.

Zadar has an amazing Sea Organ! These rectangular holes are along the steps so you can sit and listen to the “sea play music”. That was Aubrey’s favorite part of the city.

We climbed many stairs to the top of this tower and were rewarded with beautiful views of the city, Adriatic Sea and surrounding islands.

Enjoying the last bit of daylight while listening to the Sea Organ on the steps. The waves were so beautiful as they rolled in.

This is Salutations to the Sun, designed by the same gentleman who created the Sea Organ. During the day it is a giant solar panel and at night it lights up and changes colors according to the waves! It was pretty amazing!

I know I mentioned before how excited I was for this trip and I was not disappointed! I loved, loved, loved this country! The food was delicious, the scenery was gorgeous and the people were so friendly. I still have two more locations in Croatia to share.

Thanks for stopping by and joining me in this virtual tour of Croatian vacation!

And the Winner is…..

2011-10-16T21:38:00.001+02:00

Before I announce the random winner I want to thank everyone for stopping by and leaving a comment here. A big thanks to Amanda for organizing the blog hop. These are so much fun to participate in and I love seeing what all my CK Peeps have done with the challenge!

I went to Random.org and the lucky winner is commenter number 19!

That would be Tulip Scrapper! Congrats Laurie! I will contact you to get your snail mail address.

Thanks again to everyone! I hope you have a fantastic Sunday.

“Leafing” Memories Behind Blog Hop

2011-10-14T03:00:00.001+02:00

Good morning! Thanks for swinging by my home in cyber space as you hop along to some of my peeps’ blogs for the Leafing Memories Behind Blog Hop. You should have arrived here from Amanda’s blog Love Joy Paper. The theme for this hop was leaves and I knew the photos I wanted to use right away.

We took a trip up to Dresden, Germany last fall and we found this small but beautiful courtyard in front of an old church. The trees were a fantastic yellow and there were huge leaves all over the ground. The girls played with the leaves while JG went up into the church. They had so much fun!
I just purchased some Bazzill Two Scoops Cardstock in various colors to include the “Moose Tracks” (rich brown color) recently and was excited to try it out. I lightly sanded it to expose the vanilla color beneath the brown. I didn’t add a big title because I liked the title on the journaling card so I left it at that.

Here is a list of supplies that I used for this LO:
Bazzill Basics Cardstock in Apricot
Bazzill Basics Two Scoops Cardstock in Moose Tracks
Bella Blvd Finally Fall “At the Patch” and “Cute Cuts”
Cosmo Cricket 2” Glüber for the base of my ribbon flower
American Crafts ribbon – Brown
Maya Road ribbon – Pink
Stampin’ Up! Early Espresso Ink

Here is a photo of the church so you can see why we loved this little spot. I loved the contrast between the colors of the leaves, the blue sky with wispy clouds and the gorgeous church steeple. I love the fall and the opportunities for getting some stunning photos!

Thanks for hopping over today! If you want to win some yummy German cookies and chocolate become a follower and leave me a comment telling me your favorite fall drink and I will pick a winner Sunday at 12 PST. I love apple cider but it is hard to come by here. I cannot wait to be back in the USA next fall so I can get some fresh cider because I really miss it!

Next stop is Ashley’s blog, Ashley’s Paper Doll. She is über talented and I bet she has an amazing project to share with you. If you want to join in on the fun you can create your own leafy project and link it to Amanda’s blog to win a prize of your own.

Enjoy hopping along and I hope you have a great weekend!

It has been so long

2011-10-03T12:02:00.001+02:00

I cannot believe I haven’t blog in a month! I have been busy with so many things this past month that I have let the blogging slide even though I have missed it.

In the past 4 weeks I have learned to make sandwich bread from scratch and have made it twice now. Fresh bread is pretty amazing and as long as I have the time to make my own I will from now on. The girls like it and it makes yummy sandwiches. I have also made 2 batches of homemade applesauce. When we move back to the States I want to learn how to can it so I can get the most bang for my buck. I don’t have room in my freezer to freeze it so we eat applesauce at nearly every meal until it is finished.

Thanks to youtube.com I have learned how to crochet a shell stitch and managed to make a scarf. I also made a blanket using a different stitch and well on my way to a second blanket. Next up I want to make a blanket using the granny ripple pattern and some cute crochet hats.

I uploaded many, many prints to Shutterfly and ordered a free photo book, over 400 prints and 10 free photo cards. Our internet is super duper slow so it really does take a long time to get everything uploaded. I always intend on uploading after each trip but the task is so daunting that I never do.

I have been spending too much time on Pinterest! I am really addicted to that site and I love all the creative ideas that are shared. Now when I am looking for a new craft idea or recipe I head there first to see what I have pinned to my boards.

Of course I have been a busy “single” mom while JG is deployed. These girls keep me extra busy! For the most part they have adjusted to their daddy being away but Aubrey is ready for him to come home now. She asks every day how much longer until he comes back and when I tell her she says that is such a long time. Lolo misses him as well but she is really in her own little world most of the time that she doesn’t talk so much about it. If JG calls on Skype and she doesn’t get to at least say “hi” that brings on a bunch of tears. But overall we have gotten along just fine. Just over 2 months in and the time has gone by fairly fast. I am looking forward to the holidays since they tend to be a bit busier.

I hope to get back into a better blogging routine soon. I hope life has been treating you all well!

Upcycled Halloween Jar

2011-09-06T11:04:00.002+02:00

Is it a bit too early to be thinking about Halloween? I made this jar a few months ago and have been waiting to share it here.

I used an empty 7 oz Yankee Candle jar and lid that I cleaned out and washed. Does anyone else save these jars with good intentions to give them a second life? I have about a dozen just sitting on top of the pantry that I have a hard time parting with. I always think they will make a great container for a gift of some sorts but they still sit in there. We will be moving next year and I need to use them or drop them in the recycling bin.

I pulled out some super cute My Mind’s Eye patterned paper and tag for this and used a strong adhesive to attach the paper to the jar. I traced the lid onto the black paper and then used a white Uni-Ball Signo pen to hand draw on the spider web. A black pom pom, pipe cleaner and googley eyes quickly became the spider and I attached him with hot glue. I also cut a thin strip of the black paper to go around the edge of the jar and that is also attached with strong adhesive.

Top it off with some bakers twine and a tag and in 20 minutes you have a super cute container ready to fill with a bit of candy and give to a friend.

I am linking up with Tip Junkie’s Tip Me Tuesday for the first time! I love all the creativity that is shared each week and wanted to join in.

Her Smile

2011-09-04T16:37:00.001+02:00

I always get sad looking back on pictures of the girls. Lolo’s sweet smile just melts my heart. She was just 5 weeks old when this photo was taken in May 2008. Time is moving at lightning speed and my heart is begging for it to slow down.

I played along with Frosted Designs Sketch Along Tuesdays Layout Sketch 22 from August 23rd. I am just under the noon deadline and glad that I played along. I changed up the circle part of the sketch but kept the cluster of embellishments and the flourish. I hand stitched the flourish's and used stickles on the top of the white flowers to make them stand out. I printed a quote I found online onto a transparency and added it below the cluster. It reads “Her smile beams like sunshine, which fills our hearts with love.”

Here is the original sketch:

Thanks for stopping by today!

Blog Hop Winner!

2011-08-22T10:25:00.000+02:00

Thanks so much to everyone who came by my blog this weekend. I hope you had fun and finished with a bit of inspiration. The winner of a RAK prize is #13 - Lady of the Lake! I will send you a message on Club CK to get your snail mail addy.

Thanks again for stopping by.

Sketch Blog Hop

2011-08-19T04:30:00.002+02:00

Welcome! If you are following along with the blog hop you should have arrived here from Adele’s blog. If you are just stopping by you want to join in on all the fun and inspiration from 22 more creative friends you can go to Amanda’s blog and start at the beginning.

Here is the sketch that we all used:

And here is my layout based on the sketch:

I changed up the orientation of the photos and moved the title but I stuck to the basic design as far as the placement of the papers and embellies. This is the second layout I have made with the My Minds Eye American Made line they released a few months ago. I don’t have many photos of myself in uniform so I do cherish the ones that I do have and wanted to get these put away.

I used some pretty ribbons to soften the page and some black Rainboots Thickers (my most favorite font of all the Thickers) for the title. The flower is punched circles from tissue paper and I used a little bit of Stickles to help define the edges.

How about a prize for making it halfway through the blog hop? Just become a follower if you are not already and leave a comment on this post. I will select a winner early Monday morning and post the winner in a new post. If you are a Club CKer leave your board name and I will convo you if you are the winner.

Thanks for stopping by. Your next stop on the blog hop is the talented Heather. If you like the sketch and want to play along you can link up your own project on Amanda's blog for a chance to win another prize!

Beach Layout

2011-08-15T15:13:00.001+02:00

I am always amazed at how fast life is passing me by. These photos of Aubrey are from 3 years ago. We went to Ocean Shores,WA one last time before we moved overseas. I loved going to that beach even if it wasn’t the kind where you dip your toes into the water because it is just too cold. Within minutes Aubrey was wet and muddy and having fun.

I used the 8/4 Sketchy Thursday sketch to finally get these photos scrapped. I sorted some of my photos last week and this sketch was just perfect for them. I also added this layout to the Club CK Summer Camp challenge of the day which was to use colored pencils or paint on a layout. I colored the circles with watercolor pencils, inked the edges and added a bit of Stickles to mimic the bubbles on the patterned paper.

I just love the Cosmo Cricket Salt Air line. The colors are perfect and the embellies are adorable. I cannot get enough of Cosmo Cricket. I used my Cricut and the Plantin Schoolbook cartridge to cut the title.

This page came together quickly for me and I am always happy to get our stories told.

Have a great day!

The More You Read…

2011-08-12T14:25:00.001+02:00

I have been pretty busy busting out layouts since JG deployed. It has been two weeks and I am glad I have the distraction. I have been working on pages late at night after the girls have gone to bed and JG and I have finished up our Skype call or late morning while the girls play and watch some preschool shows on TV.

This layout is from the Sketchy Thursdays sketch for the September Guest Design Team spot. They mentioned doing a reading themed page and I knew immediately which pictures to use. Last year Club CK had a back to school challenge to take a photo of your kids with their favorite books or something back to school-ish. I stacked up their favorite books on the table and I got some great shots. I didn’t pose the girls…Aubrey is a ham!

Let’s talk page details! I am so pleased with the way this layout came together. Obviously the page sketch was fantastic and I all did was make it my own. I had picked up the Echo Park Little Girl digi paper pack from Jessica Sprague this week when it was featured on One Buck Wednesday. The colors are so cheery and I loooooove me some Echo Park. So I printed a couple pages onto cardstock and then punched out the circles and inked the edges pink. The flowers are made from pages in a book that I read and didn’t like! I cut the pages into 1 inch strips and then used a Fiskar’s border punch and made the scalloped edges. I also inked the edges and then folded them into a circle. Add a pretty circle center and you have easy flowers.

The quote was a long one and I had to mix colors because I didn’t have enough t’s and e’s to use just one color. I also had plans to stitch the words but that didn’t work out since I had limited space. So I layered the “read” and “learn” into a scrap of patterned paper, trimmed away the excess and outlined with a black pen.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great weekend.

Rovinj, Croatia

2011-08-07T11:44:00.001+02:00

Rovinj (roh-veen) is a small city that sits on a peninsula in the Istrian region of Croatia, about 40 minutes from Pula. Rovinj has an Italian feel and was part of the Republic of Venice for 5 centuries but the city prospered under the Austrians during the 1800’s. Today, you can walk the streets that all seem to climb up to the Church of St. Euphemia and beautiful views of the Adriatic Sea and the harbor.

Rovinj has so much charm! We walked up to the Church of St. Euphemia and enjoyed the view, the old world feeling and people watching. Along the way as I was taking the photo of Aubrey and the grapes a nice local woman was chatting with James and Lolo. The lady was smitten by Lolo and give her a bracelet and when she saw Aub and I she gave another one to Aub. It was so generous and thoughtful of her to do that and the girls just loved feeling so special. We tried to offer her some money but she didn’t want it.

As we walked back down the hill we came across the adorable little kitten who was sweet, fairly friendly and not camera shy. We bid him adieu and made our way down to the farmer’s market where vendors were busy trying to sell us truffle oil, olive oil and many different fruits and vegetables but we didn’t get anything even though it was tempting. Right across the street from the market is the Communist-Era Monument which stands out in contrast to the old feeling of the city.

I really loved Rovinj and it is a fantastic day trip from Pula. The cities are so different from each other and it is an easy way to experience more culture. Pula is industrial where Rovinj is more traditional. Honestly, I loved Croatia! Even though the trip is still fresh I smile when I think about this lovely country and the amazing time we had on vacation. I still have many more photos to share so thanks to those who have stuck around to see them.

I hope everyone is having a fantastic weekend.

Proud!

2011-08-05T15:05:00.001+02:00

I have really loved all the fantastic sketch sites that are out there these days. I find so much inspiration and actually complete layouts! My album is filling quickly and it is nearly time to purchase some more.

The other day I was organizing my photos and came across this photo of myself from my Air Force days. I am proud of the time I spent on active duty, the job I did and the life long friends I made. I don’t have many photos of myself in uniform so it is important to me to use the ones I do have.

I used the Sketchy Thursdays 8/4 sketch and got to work. The papers are My Mind’s Eye’s American Made line. I love the traditional red, white and blue colors with the prints that they selected for this line.

I used a star die to make the stars. First I cut them from scrap paper and then inked up a small sponge and colored in the stars. I went over it with a black fine point gel pen. I used a small pair of scissors to cut around parts of the stars and then slide the patterned paper underneath.

I hand stitched the title with some floss and machine stitched around the edges of the patterned paper and the white cardstock. I added foam squares to the back of some stars to lift them off the page and brads to the top of the banner.

I am happy with this layout and it surprises me since I don’t like to do pages about me! However, I scrapbook for my daughters and I did this for them. I am our family historian and this is part of our history.

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you all have a fantastic weekend.

Waiting for Dad

2011-08-04T09:47:00.001+02:00

I made cute little shirts for the girls to wear and added a few decorations around the house as we waited for James to return from his last 6 month deployment. The plan was for us to drive to Ramstein and greet him when he arrived just after lunch time. However his flight was delayed and we stayed home. His co-workers dropped James off just after midnight and our girls were sleeping. I had printed the photos though so he could see how happy they were that their daddy was finally coming home.

Since James is deployed, again, I figured I better get these photos onto a layout and in our albums. I recently found Sassy Lil’ Sketches from some fellow Club Creating Keepsakes peeps and decided to give it a shot. This layout is from the July 28th Reveal and I am pretty pleased with the way it turned out.

I used My Mind’s Eye patterned paper and embellies for this one. The cardstock is Bazzill as well as the brads. Cosmo Cricket stickers and American Craft Thickers for the title.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Making A Splash!

2011-08-03T20:37:00.001+02:00

I finally got around to the 7/28 sketch from Sketchy Thursdays. Nothing like waiting until the last day to get it started. True procrastinator here! And since I waited so long to finish the photo is less than stellar since I had to take it with the very last bit of natural light I could get. My sister in law looks fuzzy and my husband looks like darkened him up. Lesson learned…it does not pay to put things off.

Anyways, I used all Cosmo Cricket’s Salt Air minus the orange glitter stickers and they are from Sass A Frass. I used a mix of yellow and orange floss and added a bit of stitching at the corners.

Thanks for checking this out today. Maybe I will get a better photo in the morning.

Welcome to Croatia

2011-07-25T11:26:00.002+02:00

We crossed into Croatia in the early afternoon and drove down to Pula which is located on the tip of the Istrian Peninsula. Pula is an industrial port town but home to an intact Roman amphitheater.
The Amphitheater was by far the highlight of the city and we were able to walk around inside and sit in the seats. As is our luck, there was a crew setting up a stage for a concert while we were there. However it did not take away from the sense of awe you experience when you walk around. It is hard to believe that this structure has been here since it’s completion in 68 AD. (I promise the sky was that blue and I did not Photoshop it. I usually only run a sharpen action on my photos.)

There is an old Roman Theater just a couple of blocks away from the Amphitheater. Unfortunately the area around the theater was covered in graffiti and there was a lot of broken glass on the ground. It is sad to me that people don’t appreciate the history in their own town.

We walked up behind the theater to Fort Kastel and noticed many little lizards along the way. They are speedy little things but this one wasn’t camera shy.

That is not a great photo of the girls but a good view of the fort. I want to add that it was HOT in Croatia! The girls were all red and flushed from the heat but we had plenty of water on hand and they were happy until I wanted to take a photo. Sunscreen and hats are a must if you travel here, especially in the summer.
After we left Pula we drove about 15 minutes to a small town where our apartment was located. JG picked a great place for sure and we were 400 meters from the beach! The first night we just walked down and enjoyed the beautiful view. The first thing you will notice is all the rocks! Croatia does not have sandy beaches but there are still plenty of places to spread out your beach towel and relax.

There were plenty of little crabs to be found and we even saw a small jelly fish floating in the water. Since it is all rocky the water stays perfectly clear as you walk in and you can easily see anything that may be swimming in the water with you. On our second night there Aubrey noticed a jelly fish floating into the cove we claimed and we safely avoided him.

Thanks for joining me again as I share our photos with you. If you have any questions please leave a comment and I will answer them promptly.

Vintgar Gorge, Slovenia

2011-07-21T12:15:00.002+02:00

5 kilometers outside of Bled is Vintgar Gorge. This 1600 meter long gorge is pretty awesome and we were able to walk through with the girls easily. The trails are fairly flat but narrow and there were occasional stairs but Aubrey and Lolo were champs and walked with minimal complaining. I know I have said this before but they are fantastic little travelers and I am so happy that they actually like to be on the go and see new things.
There were so many chances to take photos and I was finally able to try my hand at shooting flowing water. I read how to do this last year on the Clickin Moms forums and have been wanting to try it since. The paths were too narrow and crowded to set up the tripod so I had to hand hold the camera but I was happy with the way they turned out.

You have to walk back the same way you came in but the views were just as amazing. The girls were happy that we finished as it was a little warm but sharing a popsicle is a great way to make sure they are still smiling when we are at the end.

After we had lunch at a tasty Italian restaurant we went to Slovenia’s largest lake, Lake Bohinj. About a 30 minute drive from Lake Bled, Lake Bohinj is less touristy but just as beautiful. We sat on the rocky beach for a bit taking in the views.

The next day we packed up our suitcases and headed south towards Croatia. We stopped quickly at Predjama Castle. There has been a castle at this location since the 9th century. The draw for tourists at this rather plain castle is the system of caves located in the mountain behind it. We didn’t tour as it was actually pretty expensive but it was worth the quick stop to see the exterior.

We had a fabulous time in Slovenia! At first I was a little skeptical about staying in there but it was really worth it. The scenery is beautiful, the people are friendly and most speak a little English and it easy to get around in with a vehicle. If you ever have the chance to visit, go for it! You will not regret it!

Lake Bled, Slovenia

2011-07-19T11:13:00.001+02:00

In June we took a vacation to Slovenia and Croatia. We have been planning this trip for several months and I was beyond excited to be on our way. We knew that Lake Bled was a popular vacation spot for Slovenians and once we arrived it was apparent why they love it.

It is a small lake, only 1.5 miles long, but it has a small island with a beautiful church and a castle that sits high up on a cliff overlooking the lake and the town of Bled. There are plenty of benches along the lake front so you can just sit and relax while enjoying the activity around the water. Since boats with motors are not permitted on the lake it is quiet and slow. You can row a boat out to the island or pay to have someone do all the work for you.

You can walk around the lake, over 3 miles around, or hike up to the castle. If all those stairs seem daunting to you, there is a parking lot at the top of the hill and you can just drive up instead! We made it and Aubrey climbed up the entire way but Lolo got some help from her daddy. Can you see James carrying her in the photo?

After we walked back down all those stairs we rewarded ourselves with a piece of cream cake, a Lake Bled specialty. It was creamy, light and very yummy.

The next day we ventured outside Bled and then near the end of the day we went to Vila Bled for a cappuccino and different views of the castle and island. While we were enjoying our coffee a nice British couple complimented us on our “well-behaved girls”. Ha! If they only knew how crazy our kids really are! Anyways, we walked down to the lake front from the hotel and enjoyed the shade and views.

Once back to Bled we walked back down to the lake from our hotel and enjoyed an easy stroll as we went to dinner. The town is really cute and Lolo loved all the ducks and swans we saw. She was not afraid of some curious swans who were looking for bread even though the birds were as tall as she was.

Aubrey was happy to sit on the sidelines.

These are my favorite photos from around the lake. We also visited Vintgar Gorge which was pretty amazing, Slovenia’s largest lake and a castle built into a cave. I will share those photos next time since this post is very photo heavy. As always, thanks for stopping by today.

Enjoy Life

2011-07-18T09:11:00.001+02:00

I really liked the 7/14 Sketchy Thursdays sketch and actually had this layout completed on Friday. It came together easily and I like the end result a lot. I have been using sketches more often lately and I find myself preserving more memories than ever before. It also helps that I joined the “Layout Lottery” thread over at Club CK and set a goal to complete 25 layouts in 3 months. That was a pretty lofty goal for me but I have finished 5 so far despite of our recent trips and am sure I will achieve my goal.

So, back to the layout above. The photo is not technically perfect as it is a little dark (not as dark as it appears on the screen though) but I loved the way the light is falling on my daughters face and how she has her head tossed back with a huge smile, too. It takes me back to when I was younger and loved to swing. The simple joy it brings is on Aubrey’s face and I am glad I captured this moment. It makes my heart happy!

I used this cute stripe paper from Bella Blvd’s Palestino line along with the flowers that I fussy cut from another piece of paper from that line. I busted out some green floss and hand stitched the stems before using foam squares to lift the flowers off the page. I also used my sewing machine to add a zigzag stitch along the blue border and striped paper.

The adorable smiling sun is from the Cricut Create A Critter cartridge. American Crafts Thickers and Cosmo Crickets Tiny Type Stickers were used for the title. I cannot get enough of these Tiny Type stickers! I love, love, love them so much and have them in many colors. They are such a great versatile product to have in my stash. I find myself using them all the time.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Home for the Holidays

2011-07-08T10:58:00.000+02:00

This is a quick layout I made while playing along with Frosted Designs Sketch Along Tuesdays June 28 sketch challenge. I used a sheet of Cosmo Cricket's Mitten Weather along with the coordinating Ready Set Chipboard embellishments. The green twine is from Martha Stewart, the cute pom pom trim was from a friend on the Club CK board. I busted out my sewing machine and stitched down the edges.

Easy. Simple. Quick! Here is the sketch:

Thanks for stopping by to have a look!

We're Back!

2011-06-29T22:11:00.000+02:00

Sorry I have been neglecting my blog, again! This time we were on vacation and I didn't have time to schedule any posts. We had a fantastic time and I cannot wait to share our trip with you. Croatia is an amazing country and this was the best trip we have taken yet!

Hide & Seek–Gibson Style

2011-06-16T10:29:00.001+02:00

Short and sweet today! Last week the girls and I were playing hide and seek indoors and this is where they decided to hide…

They thought they were so sneaky!

Cancer Sucks and a Mug Rug?

2011-06-13T14:03:00.001+02:00

In late April my family was delivered bad news, not just once but twice in a week! My grandma was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer and my sweet Aunt Stacy found out that after being in remission for the past 7 years that her cancer had returned and moved to lymph nodes in her back. My grandma is currently receiving chemotherapy treatments at a local cancer center and my aunt is undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatments 90 minutes away from her home. She stays near the hospital 5 nights a week and returns home on the weekends.

Anyone who has been ill or know someone who has been sick knows how illnesses, especially the ones that require lengthy and often expensive treatments, can empty bank accounts to pay for the care of their loved ones. These two people are no different and they are already feeling the strain in their wallets, especially since money was tight to begin with. To help them out my family members are working hard to organize several fundraisers to raise money to take away a little bit of the financial stress so my grandma and Aunt Stacy can focus on their health and getting better!

Obviously I am too far away to help organize and coordinate events in person but I do have some mad computer skillz (you can laugh now) and have been trying to help whenever possible. I also have a fabulous hobby (or two) that is not only a great creative outlet for me but also one that I can put to good use! So I have been working hard since last Thursday to put together some things I can donate to be sold during the first fundraiser.

First up, a Hello Kitty Christmas bundle. I used my Cricut Hello Kitty Greetings cartridge to make up a set of 6 Christmas cards, 4 gift tags, 2 blank cards and 2 vinyl decals (not pictured). I made Christmas stockings for my girls nearly 3 years ago and had enough fabric left to make another. I am so happy with the way it all turned out even if I was frustrated with all the paper piecing that was involved. I will not be making my own Hello Kitty cards for Christmas this year!

As I was browsing on Pinterest (my newest addiction!) I found a photo of a mug rug and knew I wanted to make one for myself. As I was trying to think of something else to send off to my mom for these fundraisers I went back through my pins and was inspired to make some mug rugs to add to the Hello Kitty bundle. I went in search of an easy tutorial and found what I was looking for on Ryan Walsh’s blog.

I am not a quilter but I have always wanted to learn and this tutorial made it look easy enough for a beginner so I gave it a try. I have to confess that I love the way it came out, even with the little flaws that I see. Practice makes perfect and these rug mugs would make a perfect gift! I see myself keeping several of these on hand for quick and easy gift giving. Add a Starbucks gift card and you can feel good about giving a little bit of handmade along with a gift card.

I hope that the little bit of effort I have put into these projects will help raise some money to help my family out. It is the least I can do for them and to let my grandma and Aunt Stacy know just how much I love them!

Love To Travel

2011-06-09T13:02:00.001+02:00

I played along with the Frosted Designs sketch posted on May 31st and finished this layout yesterday. I snapped these photos outside of a Starbucks in Dresden, Germany while we were waiting on JG. It was a gorgeous day in October and the girls were happy to be out exploring. Dresden is a beautiful city and I enjoyed our time there.

Journaling is simple and reads “You love to see new places. I am so happy to experience them with you. Dresden, Germany October 2010”

Products used: Papers, buttons, flower and stickers are from Basic Grey’s Pyrus Collection. Grey and white twine is from My Minds Eye Lime Twist collection. Grey Cardstock is by Bazzil Basics.

I used an off white acrylic paint and a foam brush and lightly painted on the background (it is a little hard to see in the picture). Some stitching around the circle and outside edges of the paper finished off the layout.

Thanks for stopping by!

Melk Abbey

2011-06-08T13:23:00.000+02:00

This will be the third time I have attempted to post this so lets see how it goes. On our way out of Vienna way back in mid-April we stopped to tour the Melk Abbey. This amazingly beautiful abbey sits in a hill overlooking the small town of Melk and the Danube river.

Some abbeys are so grandiose that they remind me of a palace and not at all how I would picture an abbey to look like before we moved to Europe. This abbey has a long history and was established as a fortified Benedictine abbey in the 11th century. The small admission price covers enterance to a small museum covering the history of the abbey, the marble hall, library and church. We made our way through it all in about 90 minutes.

The marble hall was beautiful. The frescoed ceiling was amazing. We spent a little bit of time in here waiting for a small group of students to leave so I could get a photo of the entire room without a bunch of people in it.

After leaving the Marble Hall you walk out onto the balcony and have a view of the town and the exterior of the building. I love looking up and seeing the contrast between the gold details and the blue sky.

The library was fantasic and had another frescoed ceiling.

The churches are so beautiful that it helps to sit down quietly to absorb it all and see everything before trying to take photos. There are so many details that the camera does not do this place any justice!

The Melk Abbey was a beautiful place to visit. It was recently restored and looks amazing, inside and out. For once we were able to visit a famous place and not have a single bit of scaffolding or other restorations taking place. While I of course understand and appreciate restoration projects the scaffolding does not look very pretty in photos!

Thanks for taking a virtual tour of the Melk Abbey with me!

Just Like Dad

2011-06-06T09:46:00.005+02:00

This week I was inspired by the Sketchy Thursdays sketch and pulled out a favorite photo of mine and got to work. I am so very pleased with the way this one came together and it is the first layout I have been happy with in a few weeks. The last few were just *meh* for me. I think it might have to do with the fabulous colors in Echo Parks Summer Days papers though. I am pretty sure you could not be grumpy while working with these cheery products.

I pulled out a small flower cookie cutter and cut a heart out of scraps before traceing them onto the cardstock. I pierced the paper and then used floss to sew the shapes. I like the look of hand stitching but I don't do it very often because I just don't have the patience to do it and I would rather use my sewing machine.

I just messed with my Blogger settings which I hope will fix the issue of not being able to leave comments. I also reverted back to the old settings versus the newer ones for now. I hope this will let me upload my photos without any more issues. I love blogging but lately it has been a headache.

Thanks for stopping by today! I appreciate you taking the time to visit me.

Too Many Issues!

2011-06-04T09:35:00.000+02:00

I haven't posted anything to my blog lately because I am having the hardest time with Blogger! I cannot leave comments on others blogs and I have tried to post photos from our visit to the Melk Abbey and it hasn't worked very well for me. GRRRRRR! I enjoy blogging but this is incredibly frustrating. I know I am not the only one having a hard time but I will keep trying and hope that Blogger makes an effort to get all the bugs fixed so I can update my blog!

So it goes....

2011-05-23T11:36:00.000+02:00

I am currently in a crafty funk. I have several projects I want to complete and just haven't started them. The past few scrapbook layouts have not turned out as I have wanted them to. I finished them but didn't love them. I think I just need to clean everything up and hope that it inspires to move onto something else.

I don't have much to share today because I spent all weekend working on a single layout :-( and I don't feel like waiting for photos to upload so I can blog about our tour of Melk Abbey in Austria. I do want to share photos of my girls because a) I think they are beautiful girls and b) because I don't like posts without photos and c)some of my family members will see these photos and I won't have to email them (except for my brother who does not routinely check his Facebook or my blog...shame on you ~~Josh~~ brother!).

I am taking Aubrey to get her very first haircut this afternoon. We had trimmed her bangs a few times but I let them grow out because she was afraid of the hairstylist so we are long overdue to get the rest of it all trimed. She is looking forward to it and I hope she sits still!

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you are having a fabulous Monday!

Vienna Day 2

2011-05-20T10:28:00.002+02:00

On our second day in Vienna we went to the Schönbrunn Palace (you can read that post here) and then took the U-bahn to the Museum Quarter. We had lunch at a local bakery and then grabbed Starbucks before we headed out. There are several passages in the Museum Quarter and each one was painted differently. I like how the red pops off the white and the painting is pretty interesting to look at in this particular archway.

After leaving the Museum Quarter we came right upon the Hofburg Palace. This building is huge and spectacular. The Hofburg Imperial Apartments, the Hofburg Treasury Tour and the Spanish Riding School, home to the famous Lipizzaner Stallions are all housed within the palace. Since it was mid-afternoon we missed the chance to see the horses practice but we strolled around the exterior of the building and enjoyed the sun.

JG wanted to ride a ginormous ferris wheel that is in Vienna so we made our way to the amusement park where it was located. The park had free admission and you only had to pay for the attractions you wanted to ride. How fantastic is that? The girls rode ponies for the first time ever and surprisingly both girls loved it. Lolo is timid and afraid of many things but she was all smiles while riding the pony. Aubrey was excited from the start.

Any Amazing Race fans out there? Did you watch this past season? If so, then ferris wheel in the photo should look familiar to you. We were in Vienna before the episode was aired and since we are dorks we thought it was pretty cool to visit a place and then see it on T.V. This is not the ferris wheel JG rode. He rode in a bigger, regular car type one and took some aerial photos.

After this we headed back to our hotel so we could get ready for dinner. JG talked to the desk clerk and she told us about a fabulous little wine bar right up the street called Bunt. I had a delicious spicy chicken curry, JG had a steak and the girls had schnitzel. I need to remember to bring my camera to dinner with us as I would totally share the photos. Our waiter was very nice and the decor was a bit eclectic and fun. It was a great way to wrap up our quick, last minute trip to Vienna.

I hope maybe we can sneak back one more time before we move back to the USA but it is unlikely to happen. I would love to tour some of the palace museums and maybe even watch the horses. Our time is running short here and with JG preparing for another deployment =( we lose that much more time. I am not much of a solo traveler since traveling with the girls alone can be difficult at times.

Thanks for stopping by today! I enjoy sharing our photos and experiences with you!

Vienna Waits for You

2011-05-19T09:29:00.002+02:00

Okay, maybe Vienna isn't waiting for you but JG sang this line to a Billy Joel song the entire time we were in Vienna. We left the house at a decent time and according to the GPS Vienna is just 4.5 hours from our home....however, when you have kids and are limited to just one chain of gas stations in Germany in which you can use a ration card to get gas it tends to add some time to the drive. A lot of time.

We arrived at the Hotel Cortina around 4:30 p.m. and checked in. We grabbed the camera and our jackets before we headed to the U-bahn, which is just a short walk from the hotel, so we could begin our adventures in the city. We took the subway to Karlsplatz and grabbed a frappuccino from Starbucks before we walked down to St. Stephen's Cathedral. This beautiful church has an amazing rooftop and gorgeous spires but as our luck would have it it also had an abundance of scaffolding. At least many famous sites make an effort to disguise the scaffolding by covering it with a photo of what you're missing.

Located right next to the church is the store to one of my most favorite treats of all our travels, the Manner wafer cookies! The lemon wafers are so delicious and I was excited to visit the store but it was crowded the first night so we went back the next day. I ended up with a little stash of cookies!

On the same platz (square) we found a group of street performers so we stopped to watch their show. These guys were pretty amazing...take a look below. Yeah, that guy was spinning on his head!

We found this interesting memorial named The Gates of Violence, just a block over from St Stephen's and on the Albertinaplatz, which is in rememberance of all victims of wars and violence. It was a very interesting piece of art with images on all sides.

The Albertinaplatz is just a small portion of the Hofburg Palace and this portion is now a museum. I liked this statue of the gentleman on the horse mostly because I like the oxidation. I really, really like the way a green dome looks against a blue (or in this case cloudy) sky. The contrast is usually very stunning and I find myself wanting to take tons of photos.

By this time it was pretty late so we stopped for dinner and then headed back to the hotel. My first impression of Vienna was pretty amazing. Honestly, if given a little more time there, it just might replace Prague as my favorite city! I loved being there.

The next day we continued our walking tour and I will share those photos tomorrow. Thanks for stopping by today.

Slow Day

2011-05-16T17:06:00.000+02:00

This weekend was a slow one and honestly my favorite kind (minus the rain we had). We ran a couple of errands on Saturday and on Sunday I made some cards and a mess on the diningroom table in the process. Today things are slow, including my internet, and I don't have a post planned. I have been editing and uploading some photos from April and thought I would share my favorites of JG and the girls from the month.

Lolo on her 3rd Birthday

Aubrey in Bruges, Belgium

JG in Bruges, Belgium

I have photos from Vienna and the Melk Abbey that I am excited to share and will try to get them up on Wednesday. I hope everyone has a fantastic day and thanks for swinging by today!

You Are My Sunshine

2011-05-11T16:02:00.000+02:00

This photo of Lolo is one of my very favorites of my baby girl. We had just set up their small pool last summer and she was having such a good time in the water. She paused for just a second to stare at something and I snapped the photo. The lighting was perfect and her face so sweet.

I used bits of Echo Park's Summer Days papers left over from the layout I did for Aubrey's album. I used a May 2011 Page Maps sketch as my starting point. I stayed pretty true to the sketch and loved the outcome. I really feel the papers help the photo stand out and I also like the contrast in colors.

I love this easy, quick and fun layout. I have become a huge fan of Echo Park and they have really been knocking it right out of the park with their releases. I can't wait to see what they come out with next.

Sweet Summer Day Layout

2011-05-10T13:17:00.000+02:00

I really liked this weeks sketch from Sketchy Thursdays and I had plenty of time to play along. I used fun papers and embellishments from Echo Park's Summer Days collection. The bright colors in the supplies perfectly complimented the photo. I used the computer to type my journaling, something I haven't done in a while. I thought about adding some machine stitching along the outer edge but didn't feel like dragging out the machine so I used a pink colored pencil to add a thin border. To make the sun cardstock sticker pop I put it on white cardstock, trimmed away the access and added some foam squares to the lift it off the page.

To be honest, sketches and challenges help keep my scrappy mojo going. I have ton of photos and lots of product in my stash but I over think what I want to do and then end up not getting anything done. Having a starting point makes things so much easier for me. I don't stress about the process and I enjoy scrapping again. While I may not love every single layout I am thankful that I finished a page and can share the story. Isn't that the reason why most of us scrapbook? To share the story? I sometimes lose sight of that but when my girls ask to look at their scrapbooks I love my hobby even more. Because I know it matters, at least to them. And that is all that matters to me.

Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna

2011-05-09T13:33:00.000+02:00

Back in early April we planned a list minute trip to Vienna, Austria. While we were there we learned that there as an Easter Market at Schönbrunn Palace. It is always fun to see how other countries celebrate holidays so we stopped at the palace to have a look around and it was just a few subway stops away from our hotel.

The palace was beautiful and we were able to wander around the grounds as we wanted. There were a lot of joggers/runners here but the dirt paths were very wide and could easily accommodate everyone. The Easter Market was in the front of the grounds and had ton of food booths that smelled so yummy. JG was interviewed by a local reporter and the girls did not want to have their photo taken.

The back of the palace opened up onto some gardens, a fountain and rows of perfectly aligned trees. The palace was a summer home of the Habsburgs and they certainly lived extravagantly.

If we would have had a bit more time we would have visited the Imperial Zoo, Europe's oldest, which is right on the palace grounds and possibly joined a tour of the interior of the palace as well. One could spend a good chunk of their day here but we were only in Vienna for 2 days so we had to hurry on our way but we certainly enjoyed our time at Schönbrunn Palace and the amazing grounds.

Sketchy Thursdays 4/28 Sketch

2011-05-04T11:36:00.000+02:00

We just returned from vacation and I had a box of scrappy supplies waiting for me. I was so excited to dig right into them. I loved this weeks Sketchy Thursdays sketch and was excited to pick out some photos to get started. Club CK is also celebrating National Scrapbooking Day all week and on Monday they had a challenge to scrap three photos taken with your cell phone. I was inspired to get these cute photos of my girls while we were on a lunch date at Macaroni Grill off my iPod Touch and into my scrapbook. Two challenges completed with one layout makes me a very happy scrapper!

All the product used on this layout is from Cosmo Cricket's Upcycle line. I love the colors and the little flower button is adorable. The only extras that were not from Cosmo Cricket are the staples and the floss I used to thread my buttons.

Since the iPod Touch doesn't have a great camera I used the Instagram App to add a fun look to the photos. The app is free and I totally recommend it! Actually, I am pretty addicted to it. I take more photos with my iPod since I downloaded the app about a month ago.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Scrapbook on the Road Class Review

2011-05-03T11:11:00.000+02:00

We just returned from one week vacation through Belgium, Holland and Germany. In preparation for our trip I decided to sign up for Ali Edwards' Scrapbook on the Road online workshop and I am so very happy that I did.

I always struggle with scrapping our trips because we take so many (not trying to brag, so please don't take it that way). Since we have been stationed in Germany and are only here for a few years we try to travel as much as possible on long weekends and when JG can take leave. We know that we will not be able to travel so extensively in Europe once we head back to the USA. Anyways, I read the class description and decided that this may very well be the best way for me to get our vacation photos into a scrapbook. The idea is similar to Ali's December Daily album as you create the foundation pages before you begin your trip.

First I listened to the keynote video and I was so inspired to finally document our trips as we are traveling and not trying to remember the details and feelings months (or more likely years) later. I loved Ali's ideas for saving the pieces of memorabilia that is collected along the way and immediately incorporating them into your book. I have ziplock bags full of bits and pieces of our trips and it is just sitting on the shelf waiting for me to use it and I know I probably never will.

Second, I began putting together my foundation pages using supplies I had on hand. I love projects in which I don't have to purchase a single thing! I was able to put my pages together quickly and loved the creative process. Ali shares a few techniques and I was excited to give them a go. I decided I wanted my album to be 6x8 inches and created my cover using pieces of chipboard I had on hand. Then I cut my pages to fit.

The cover of my scrapbook

The third part comes while you are actually on vacation....you document your trip and add your bits of memorabilia to your album. I was hopeful that I would remember actually take the time to document at the end of the day and I found out that I was actually excited to write down my experiences.
The final step is to add your photos but I haven't had a chance to upload and order our prints yet. I can't wait to select my favorite pictures and add them into my album.

The class was $14 and I consider it to be money well spent! I was on such a roll making foundation pages that I made too many and now have them to add to my next book. I am looking forward to using this process for all of our future trips and am so relieved to finally get our vacation photos off the computer and into an album.

Five For Friday

2011-04-22T15:14:00.000+02:00

I like random lists which is why I like doing Five for Friday posts. This week I want to share five things that I am currently lovin'....

1. Adele's "21" CD - This is a fantastic album and I like it more than "19". I have been listening to it all week and there I like every. single. song.

2. Starbucks Java Chip Frappuccino Ice Cream - Makes this SAHM's world go round!

3. Ali Edward's Scrapbook on the Road Class - This self-paced online class just might change the way I scrapbook our vacations from now on. Similar to her December Daily album, Ali walks you through setting up a scrapbook prior to the start of your vacation. While you are traveling, the album acts as a journal and place to keep your ephemera. You add your photos once you get home. I love, love, love this idea and have no idea why I haven't been doing this all along. I have a hard time scrapping vacation photos and all the little bits that I collect along the way. We have a trip coming up and my album is nearly finished.

4. Old Navy's Flip Flops for little girls - Not only are they cute and functional...they are dirt cheap! Best deal to be had at ON. I bought 2 pairs for each of my girls back in early March and I am so happy I did because I can't find them online now.

5. The fantastic weather we are having right now. It is near the end of April and we have had temps in the 70's for the past couple of days. Seriously, pretty much perfect weather for me. There is a slight breeze to keep it comfortable and nice enough for flip flops and capris. My girlies are enjoying the weather but L is terrified of the bugs. My solution to avoiding epic meltdowns due to the mere sight of an insect is a spray bottle filled with water. L has no fear when she has that in her hands.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

Sticking With It...

2011-04-21T10:51:00.000+02:00

I posted last week about our quest to eat more vegetarian meals for dinner most days of the week. I have suprised myself with how much I love the challenge and enjoy feeding my family healthier meals. Here are some of the recipes I have tried recently.

This salad was inspired by a salad I used to get at Panera during the summer. So yummy and very simple. When I make salads I usually toss the lettuce with the dressing before adding the toppings in. I prefer this way because I use less dressing as it is right on the lettuce and not all over rest of the fruits, veggies, and cheese. These ingredients are yummy on their own and don't need to be covered in dressing to taste good.

For this salad I used a bag of Romaine lettuce and tossed it with about 1/2 cup of Poppy Seed dressing until the lettuce was coated. I added 1/4 cup of toasted walnuts, sliced strawberries, blueberries and a little bit of feta cheese to the top. Easy, very delicious and everyone eats it. It doesn't get better than that.

I found the recipe for this Grilled Mushroom Salad from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison. I borrowed this cookbook from the library and I am really glad I did it has so many great recipes that I can't wait to try. Because I obviously can't keep the library book indefinitely I had to order my own copy from Amazon. This salad was delicious and we all loved it.

Here is the recipe, with my modifications because I could not locate a couple of the ingredients at the commissary.

1 large shallot, finely diced

Salt and fresh pepper

1 tbsp aged red wine vinegar

2 large portobello mushroom caps

Olive oil for the mushrooms

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 bag of arugula salad mix (original recipe calls for watercress)

3 tbsp walnuts, toasted and chopped

Dice the shallot and put it in a bowl with 1/4 tsp of salt and the vinegar and set aside. Brush the mushroom caps with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill or broil the caps for about 4 minutes on each side, then cut into wide strips. Whisk the 3tbsp of olive oil into the shallots/vinegar and season with pepper. Toss the mushrooms with 1 tbsp of the dressing and then add the rest to the arugula and walnuts and toss until coated. Divide the greens and then arrange the mushroom slices on each serving. Serves 2 to 4.

I made a pear and apple salad that wasn't my favorite recipe of the week and that one is going into the recycle bin. It was edible but just not my cup of tea.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Feeling Under the Weather and a Reminder.....

2011-04-15T14:57:00.000+02:00

We are all feeling a little crappy from a cold that has hit us all at the same time. I am thankful that it is just a cold and nothing worse. So we are taking it easy and waiting to feel better. I wanted to post real quick to let the winner of the chocolate and other treats from the Spring Blog Hop, Janice, know that if I don't hear from her by 12 p.m. EST Saturday (tomorrow) that I will be chosing a new winner.

I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!

Delish!

2011-04-14T09:49:00.001+02:00

We have recently decided to add more vegetarian meals into our lives and this week I have done a bit of recipe searching to find some new things to add to the menu. I found a recipe for a Fresh Tomato and Zucchini Tart with Mozzarella and Basil from The Best of Cooking Light cookbook. I decided to give it a go and was pleasantly surprised at how delicious this was!

Here is my take on the recipe:

Fresh Tomato and Zucchini Tart with Mozzarella and Basil

1 10 oz can refrigerated pizza crust dough (I used Pillsbury)

1 cup diagonally sliced zucchini

4 plum tomatoes, seeded and cut into 1/4 inch slices (I only used 2)

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

4 oz fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced (I used a light version with fantastic results)

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup torn fresh basil leaves

1 tsp garlic seasoning, such as Johnny's Great Ceasar! Garlic Spread Seasoning (I love this and use it on pasta, popcorn, salads and garlic bread. I have even seasoned meat with this before. Good stuff!)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Unroll dough onto the paper and let it sit for 5 minutes. Pat the dough into a 12x12 inch square. Brush 1 tsp of the olive oil over the crust and sprinkle the garlic seasoning over the crust. Arrange the zucchini and tomato over the dough, leaving a 1 inch border. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and fold the edges of the dough over the veggies. You just want to form a small lip, not cover all the veggies.

3. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes and then top the tart with the fresh mozzarella and bake another 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Remove the tart from the oven and drizzle with the remaining 1 tsp of olive oil then sprinkle the basil over the top. Cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before cutting into 4 squares. Serves 4.

This was an easy and fast dinner and the portions are large. The olive oil came out a little fast so I may have gotten a little extra but it tasted fine. James at his like a pizza and found his hands to be greasy from the oil but I ate mine like a lady and used a fork and knife and did not think the tart was oily at all. The girls liked it and that makes me happy.

Anyone have any yummy yet healthy vegetarian dishes to share?

Blog Hop Winner

2011-04-12T09:56:00.000+02:00

I apologize for posting this so late. We were away for the weekend and returned home later than I expected yesterday. I can't wait to share our trip to Vienna and the gorgeous Melk Abbey later this week. Here is a photo of Schloß Schönbrunn. It was stunning and the photos do it no justice.

I want to thank everyone that stopped by my blog during the Blog Hop! I hope you were as inspired as I was looking at all the fun projects by a group of super talented ladies. I look forward to participating in more hops in the future. Thanks to Amanda for doing a fantastic job organizing everything.

The winner of some yummy chocolate and other tasty treats is Janice. Janice, please send me an email at srsurman (at) hotmail dot com with your snail mail address so I can get your prize mailed out to you soon. I already have a couple of things to send that include some treats from Vienna!

Now I need to get caught up on laundry and get a shopping list started. I love vacations but dislike returning to reality! :-) Have a fantastic Tuesday!

Spring Blog Hop!

2011-04-08T04:00:00.094+02:00

Welcome to the Spring Blog Hop brought to you by my fellow Club CK peeps! If you have been following along with the blog hop you should have arrived here from Melissa's blog. I made a cute little spring project just for the blog hop so read on to get all the details!

I made this adorable (at least I think so) Happy Spring decoration for my kitchen door. I used an 8x8 piece of chipboard and covered it with Dear Lizzy for American Crafts patterned paper. I love the little chick on there with all the eggs and thought it was a perfect fit for my project. I used my ATG to adhere it on although I did think of using Mod Podge but I am too impatient to wait for it to dry :-).

I cut a thin strip of green cardstock and used a pair of micro tip scissors to cut blades of grass. I used my corner rounder on the bottom corners and adhere the strip along the bottom edge. Finally, I ran my fingers along the edge to give the grass some lift.

I used the Create A Critter cartridge and cut out the chick, egg and tulips. I cut everything from Bazzill Basics cardstock except for my egg which is white cardstock from Xerox. I lightly inked the edges of the egg with Close to Cocoa ink from Stampin' Up! to help it stand out a little against the background. For the chick's tummy I used some yellow tinsel trim by Webster's Pages. I covered the surface in adhesive and then pressed the tinsel down with my finger.

I adhered down the chick, top of the egg and larger tulip using my ATG. I used Zots dots behind the bottom of the egg and small tulip to lift them off the background. Finally, I used Puffy Thickers to add "Happy Spring" across the top and a piece of yellow raffia as a hanger.

Here is a little tip that I have for hiding your hooks. Since we rent our home and the houses built here in Germany usually have concrete walls I use 3M Command Hooks all over our home for just about everything. I love that I can remove them quickly and easily without damaging the walls. However, I find the hook and strip of adhesive rather ugly to look at so I try to cover it up as best as I can. In this case, I used a cute blue flower that I printed off and used a bit of tape (hot glue works too) to stick the flower onto the hook. If you look back in the first photo you will see that the flower covers the hook and looks like it is part of my design!

If you leave me a comment I will enter you in a drawing for some German chocolate and gummi bears. Winners will be selected Monday morning and posted here.

Next stop on the blog hop is Amanda's blog (http://asjmade.blogspot.com/). If you are just popping on or have gotten lost along the way you can visit Amanda's blog (http://www.lovejoypaper.com/) to get started or find your way.

Thanks for stopping by and playing along today. I hope you have a fantastic weekend!

Happy 3rd Birthday Lolo!

2011-04-06T05:00:00.001+02:00

Three years ago Lorelei made her grand entrance into the world at exactly 4:30 in the morning! My life has been filled with so much love and our family complete since that very moment.

This girl was tiny compared to her big sister (nearly 2 pounds lighter) and had a lot less hair. When she was about 4 months old she started to get chubby cheeks and sweet fat rolls on her arms and legs but had nearly no hair until she was about 18 months.

She loves to be with both Mommy and Daddy...If her daddy is doing push-ups, she is too. If I am cooking in the kitchen she is right beside me. She will sit and look at books and get lost in her own little world for long stretches of time.

Lolo has become a fun little lady who makes me laugh all day long. She is the most independent girl I have ever known and is always saying "I do". She is not a morning person and likes to sit quietly for a bit when she first wakes up.

Lolo adores her sister and is always the first to compromise. She loves to play dress up and can usually be found wearing a dress and fancy shoes around the house.

Happy Birthday to my sweet Lolo! I love you so very much and we are blessed beyond words that you are a part of our lives. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

The Post Where I Ramble On and On....

2011-04-04T12:09:00.000+02:00

The past week has been busy, as a matter of fact, the entire month of March was busy! James had training for nearly the entire month. He spent some time back in the States for training and a quick weekend visit with his parents and son. I was holding down the fort here and planning a lunch for some friends.

On Thursday we had a small flood in the laundry room and found we needed to replace the rubber seal on the front loading washer. That was the second time in a year we have had a tear in the seal. We do not wash anything crazy so I am not sure why we keep getting holes in it. Since the Army loans us appliances while we are stationed here I am not complaining too much because we don't have to pay for the repairs but after this I have no desire to have a front loading machine when we move back to the USA.

Just this morning something malfunctioned with our furnace and we had no hot water or heat. Fortunately, the weekend was warm and we didn't need the heat last night but we will be dipping back into the low 40's tonight and I like to use the heat at when it is that cold. The landlord and the repairman just left and it is all fixed.

So that is a low down of the every day stuff in my life. Since I was rather busy last month I didn't get a chance to be too crafty. I finished a project for a Spring Blog Hop I am participating in this week and I can't wait to share it on Friday. I am so happy with the way it turned out.

I also made a birthday card for my friend's niece and I liked the way it came together. I used some paper from my stash and the Cricut Create A Critter cartridge. I added lots of bling and some Stickles for a glam card for a 1 year old. I was inspired by a card made by the fabulous Maren Benedict from the March/April issue of Paper Crafts. Unfortunately I have misplaced my issue and can't give a page number.

Thanks for reading this rambling blog post today. I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend and a wonderful Monday!

Berry Sweet Card

2011-03-22T10:31:00.000+01:00

I needed to make a thank you card for my sweet aunt (hi Aunt Sheila!) who bought the girls a gift and unfortunately I had been putting it off. I am usually very prompt when sending thank you cards but I don't always make them. That is my dirty little secret! I buy cards about 60% of the time for all occasions.

Just over a week ago I finally stopped procrastinating and made this easy card using the Cricut Country Life cartridge. I went with a plain white background and used a Martha Stewart border punch across the bottom. Then I added a strip of American Crafts ribbon, the strawberry and phrase. I added Stickles to the "sweet" to help it stand out against the strawberry.

Normally I would have added some colored or patterned paper rather than leave it white. I feel like by using the white background it leaves it feeling crisp and clean. I like that the hearts on the ribbon kinda look like strawberry seeds to me.

So there it is...an easy thank you card that I waited too long to send.

Thanks for stopping by today.

The Stylish Blogger Award Has Arrived On My Blog!

2011-03-21T10:23:00.000+01:00

I was so, so lucky to receive this award twice! Thanks to my scrappy friends Dana and Ashley! With so many blogs out there it is fun to receive and pass this on to my fellow bloggers.

Here are a few rules when a blog receives this award:

1. Thank and link back to the person who gave you the award.
2. Share 8 things about yourself.
3. Give the award to 8 bloggers that you have recently discovered.
4. Contact those bloggers and tell them about their award

So, here are 8 things about myself:

1. Being a mom has been the greatest joy of my life!

2. I am a Starbucks junkie! I can't get enough of it. Now that the closet Starbucks is 45 minutes away I will somtimes get two drinks...one when we first arrive in Nuremberg and another before we leave (but I only do this if James isn't with me)!
3. We have been living in Germany since July of 2008. I am so glad we have had this opportunity to travel while we have lived here.
4. I love to plan parties...I like seeing everything come together perfectly and people having a good time.
5. I was in the US Air Force for 9 years.  It was the best and worst paying job I ever had. I made so many amazing friends that I miss bunches.
6.  I enjoy all sorts of crafting but scrapbooking has become my favorite hobby.
7.  When I was a little girl I loved the movie "Space Camp" and wanted to be an astronaut. Once I realized that math was not my favorite or strongest subject I decided that wasn't the job for me.
8. I don't like having to think of things to say about myself! :-)

Since I am lame and I am not familiar with many other bloggers I am only passing this on to 4 fabulous bloggers (please don't hold it against me):

1. Andrea: http://andrea-preciousmemories.blogspot.com/
2. Amanda: http://asjmade.blogspot.com/
3.  Angie: http://thefeathersinmynest-mommiextwo.blogspot.com/
4. Heather: http://craftyscrapbooker.blogspot.com/

Thanks again to Dana and Ashley! What a fun way to share our blogs with others!

iPod Case

2011-03-16T13:38:00.000+01:00

After thinking we lost an iPod back in October while we were out of town I ended up with a new iPod Touch. James took my old one which was newer than the one he had that disappeared. Since I carry my iPod with me nearly everywhere because I love the camera and the girls love the free game apps I wanted a case to protect the screen while it was stored in my purse.

I was thinking of purchasing a cute case from Etsy but I have a hard time buying things I could probably make myself, especially since I already had the necessary fabric to put it together. I am not a great seamstress but I can get by and sew simple things. So when I saw this tutorial by Tammy over at Not JUST A Housewife it was just the inspiration I needed to finally make my case.

The tutorial is easy to follow and the case went together quickly. I used some Amy Butler fabric I had on hand along with a plain pink cotton to finish it off. I added a giant ruffle across the back and since it was the first time I ever attempted making a ruffle like this I am fairly pleased. It is just slightly off but not enough to make me want to go back and fix it.

The really cute pink case that my iPod is in is a Speck Candyshell Case and I loooove it. It does not slide off at all and has a great rubber-ish protective lip that sticks up a bit off the top of the screen to give it a little bit of protection since we know how sensitive the screens are.

Happy 4th Birthday Aubrey!

2011-03-15T10:00:00.036+01:00

Four years ago today my life changed forever. I became a mommy! Aubrey is an amazing girl, so much like her mommy and daddy it kills me sometimes. She wears her heart on her sleeve, just like me. She is not afraid of much, always willing to jump off something or try new things, just like her daddy. She loves hard, takes care of others and can be so thoughtful that I am blown away by the gestures. She learns fast like James and is moody just like him too. And this girl has some serious dance moves....she does not get that from me :-) She really is the best of both of us!

Four years ago I felt a love that was so strong, so deep, so unconditional and I never imagined I could love someone so much. Happy 4th Birthday Aubrey! You bring so much love and joy into our lives and we are blessed beyond words.

Wild Park

2011-03-14T11:12:00.001+01:00

We have had a nice stretch of warmish weather so far this month so we decided to take the girlies to the Wild Park in Bad Mergentheim on Saturday. We had a fantastic time walking around the easy to navigate park. The girls were getting grumpy just as we left though as it was quite a bit of walking for them.

One thing I adore about parks and zoos here is the abundance of petting zoo's! Lolo loves petting all the animals and it is one time she is braver than Aubrey. Aubrey tends to shy away from the animals unless they are much smaller than her. I always have a hard time getting Lolo to leave the animals and by the time she has pet everything she possibly can Aubrey has usually wandered off with her daddy.

I was able to snap a few photos that I love as most of the animals were out and about. There were only a couple of creatures that decided to hide while we searched their enclosures for the slightest movement of the animal. Here are my favorite photos from the afternoon....

What did you do this weekend? How's the weather in your neck of the woods? I know many of you have had a long, hard winter and I hope it comes to an end soon.

Have a great Monday!

Five For Friday

2011-03-11T10:00:00.038+01:00

Happy Friday! It will be a good Friday for us because James will be coming home for the weekend. The girls miss their daddy.

Here are my 5 favorites from Pinterest this week:

1. I loved this pillow from Scrapbooks, Etc. This would be a great Mother's Day gift for a grandma!

2. I love this baking sheet turned tray idea from Martha Stewart! I may try this using spray paint and painters tape. I have several baking sheets that are too big for my very small oven and this would be a great way to finally put them to good use.

3. This flower arrangement is cute and I adore the bright colors. I would have a hard time keeping the girls out of the Peeps!

4. This necklace from Bellawish on Etsy.com is adorable and an great gift for your favorite shutterbug!

5. I can't wait to try this Farfalle with Watercress, Cherry Tomatoes and Feta dish from Fitness Magazine! We are trying to add more vegetarian meals to our menu and this looks tasty and healthy.

What are your favorites this week? Any plans for the weekend? I plan on sewing a small pouch for my iPod since I carry it with me a lot and do not want to scratch the screen. We should get in some family time too since James is home and he will miss Aubrey's birthday on Tuesday.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Snow White and Aubrey

2011-03-10T13:37:00.000+01:00

One of the fun things about having young girls is that they love to dress up! Aubrey received a Rapunzel dress for Christmas and I swear she has been living in it since. One day I heard her calling me over to "Kiss ME!" and she was laying down on their little pink couch and covered up with a blanket. She had a small scarf gathered up as a bouquet of flowers in her hands. I asked her what she was doing and she told me she was Snow White and I had to kiss her so she could wake up.

This is has been a regular occurence since then and it makes me smile. She works so hard to set up a little area for her to become a princess and I enjoy seeing her creativity and imagination at work.

Blessed Layout

2011-03-09T13:23:00.001+01:00

I completed this layout months ago, maybe November. It was a gallery highlight over at Club CK for the week it was posted! I took the photos while we were in Krakow, Poland last summer. I loved the photos but they are a little orange because we were sitting under a big orange umbrella. I forgot to try and fix it in PSE before I had them printed. James is doing his best Rock impersonation in the photo! It makes me smile when I see it.

The brown cardstock that I used as the base is Bazzill. The patterned paper and embellishments are from the Basic Grey Pyrus collection. I went along the edges of the papers with a white chalk ink before I adhered them down. I used my sewing machine to add stitching around the outside edge and to form my journaling lines.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Body Art

2011-03-07T10:50:00.000+01:00

A couple of weeks ago James and I were cleaning. James was picking up the toys and markers that had been pushed under the couch either by the cats or the girls and I was mopping the kitchen and laundry room. Even though James was in the livingroom with the girls Lolo was able to sneak into a corner and give herself some dots...all over.

Lolo even managed to add plenty of spots to her tummy! Good thing it was a Crayola Washable marker and it pretty much all washed off. Just a few faint spots were left behind.

I am amazed at all the things Lolo has done that her big sister hasn't! Aubrey has never written all over herself or tried to get into things she shouldn't. I have to watch Lolo like a hawk! :-)

Can You Guess...

2011-03-03T11:41:00.000+01:00

Where our last big trip is going to be? No? You need a hint? Ok.....here it is:

We are going to Croatia in June! I am so excited. I have wanted to visit there since I saw a tourism ad on CNN International a couple of years ago. James decided that he wanted to visit when he saw a video of Plitvice National Park. We are going to drive so we can take our time and stop when we want. James spent most of the week researching hotels and places to visit and we made the final reservation last night.

On our way back we are also going to spend an afternoon in Vienna, Austria. We thought about spending more time in Vienna but most of the top sights there are museums and we just don't visit many museums with the girls. They are generally well behaved but I swear once we enter a place that requires they use nice indoor voices is the very second they start screaming, fighting and crying. I love my sanity so we tend to avoid places like that. I don't want to ruin the experience for other people. So, just an afternoon in Vienna will be fine for us.

Has anyone been to Croatia? I would love to hear your favorites from your trip...food, sights, beaches, etc.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Sketchy Thursdays Layout

2011-03-02T11:01:00.000+01:00

After seeing Sketchy Thursdays mentioned many times on the Club CK forums I thought I would check it out. I work better when there is a challenge and I do like using sketches so I completed a layout for the Sketchy Thursdays' challenge this week. This is my first time playing along and I am pretty pleased with the way this one turned out.

I used Bo Bunny papers and pom pom ribbon and some Cosmo Cricket Tiny Type Stickers for my title. I used a Martha Stewart scalloped circle punch to cut the snowflakes from the patterned paper that are on the top. I also used a Fiskars border punch along the top and bottom of the page. Finally, I used my sewing machine to add some stitching. My thread was a verigated purple and white and I like it on this page.

It sure is nice to get to use older photos too! These photos were taken in January 2010. If it wasn't for challenges and sketches I don't think I would get nearly as many layouts finished.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Happy March

2011-03-01T13:35:00.000+01:00

Can you believe it is March 1st? Wow! The first two months of the year have really flown by. 2011 has been good so far but the tough parts are coming. James will be away for training most of March and then preparing for an inspection that may have him working late for a bit. Then yet another (hopefully the last) deployment later in the year. We have some good things mixed in like a couple of trips including a nice long one in June. On top of all if this we are still trying to figure out where in the USA we want to settle down once James retires from the Air Force next year.

Enough about life! Here is a layout I made just last week. I was inspired by the incredibly talented Elizabeth Kartchner to create this page. I like it minus the overly pink journaling block. I tried to tame it with stickles but it didn't help. The bright pink just stands out against the peachy colors on the page. I snapped the photo of Lolo back in November but just had it printed off last month. The title is from an older Jessica Andrews song called "I Wish For You" and I have always wanted to do a layout using it.

That is all I have today! I hope you have a fantastic Tuesday!

Five for Friday - What I Am Loving This Week

2011-02-25T13:06:00.001+01:00

Here are a few things I am loving on this week:

1. Have you heard about Pinterest? It is a free virtual bulletin board. As you are browsing on the net you can save photos to your board. I am extra excited about being able to save all the great things I find to one place. No more trying to remember where I saw "that idea". Right now the site is in beta testing and is by invitation only. If you are interested leave me a comment and I will send you an invite.

2. Any General Hospital fans out there? Of course if you have been reading my blog for a while you know I am a long time fan. The story line is finally picking up and James Franco returns today! EEEEEEK! I am so excited. It is really fun when Franco is back!

3. I need to get this For The Record line from Echo Park! I love everything about it. The colors and patterns are beautiful. I must convince my husband that I may simply die without it!

4. Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies straight from the freezing are the best. Fortunately they are only sold once a year and we only bought one box. I was a good mommy and shared with the girls and James.

5. We have had a pretty harmonious week here and I love that. Things have just kinda flowed on at a decent pace and we all have gotten along fairly well. Really, this is a huge feat for me as I usually let little things bother me more than they should and that tends to make me and everyone else grumpy. I hope this harmonious way of life continues on here as James gets ready for 3+ weeks of training away from home including a trip back to the States. I am just a bit jealous that he is going back, even if it is for training. We haven't been back stateside in 2 years and I really, really miss it.

That's my five things for this week! I hope you have a great weekend and don't forget to leave me a comment if you are interested in an invitation to Pinterest. I will need your email to send the invite unless you are one of my Facebook friends because I think I can send the invite straight from there.

I Love Surprises!

2011-02-24T11:27:00.000+01:00

Last night while Aubrey was supposed to be in bed she was drawing/writing instead. I love finding her art all over the place but this one melted my heart. She drew every thing on the page, even the lines for her letters, and I went into Photoshop to add the names of her stick people. I adore the cute daddy drawing. I am proud that she has picked up on her letters so quickly. Finally, she even added my friend Sara to the drawing...how sweet!

I love seeing Aubrey's skills develop and her sweet personality shine!

My Dolls

2011-02-23T10:57:00.000+01:00

Have I mentioned how much I love Club CK's 1-Hour Challenges? Because I really, really do! I made this page for a challenge back in December. I am so thankful for these challenges as I actually get layouts completed. I find I need a kick in the rear to get layouts done sometimes.

The photo was taken last spring at the Keukenhof Gardens in Holland. The have a new theme every year and last year it was "From Russia with Love". When we came upon these large matryoshka dolls I knew it would make for a cute photo. It is seriously one of my most favorite photos of the girls and me!

I used Bazzill cardstock for the base. The patterned paper and chipboard embellishments are from Cosmo Cricket's Pixie-Licious line. The black felt stickers are from American Crafts and the purple ricrak is from Maya Road. The pink and purple bling is from Kaisercraft. I used a Fiskars border punch for the journaling spot and on the blue patterned paper below the photo.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Five for Friday

2011-02-18T10:00:00.002+01:00

Happy Friday! Thanks for joining me for another exciting edition of Five for Friday. Lets get things started.

1. I am so out of touch with new music these days. I only listen to the radio when I am in the car while running errands locally. If we are on a road trip we listen to our iPods. So, tell me, what is your favorite new-ish song? Pop, rock, country...it doesn't matter. I just want to know what is rocking your socks right now.

2. The girls have birthdays coming up...Aubrey in 4 weeks and Lolo's in 6 weeks.  I am going to try my hand at these Hello Kitty cake pops.  I have never made cake pops before so I might have to make a practice batch soon.  I am working on putting together some sort of celebration for them.

3.   Loving this idea over on the Dear Lizzy blog! I bet your little princess would love to make her own magic wand. I am going to help the girls make these as soon as I get some yarn. My girls love making crafts and I love helping them be creative. Wow! I used love alot in this paragraph.

4. Aubrey has become quite the encourager this week. She has been giving Lolo lots of hugs and saying "I am proud of you"! Let me tell you that it melts my heart to see Aubrey being so sweet to her sister and encouraging her in the potty training effort.

5. I am glad it is Friday! This week has had a few low moments and I am ready to enjoy the long weekend with my family. On a positive note if things keep breaking it is less stuff to get rid of when we move back to the States next year.   I should be thankful for the chance to purge things early.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Scrappy Winner Is........

2011-02-17T09:53:00.000+01:00

Thanks to everyone who played along and visited my blog for a chance to win this giveaway. I appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment.
I consulted with the trusty random.org and they suggested that I pick number 14. That would be Ellen! Ellen, I will send you a PM through Club CK to get your info.

Thanks again everyone! I hope you have a great Thursday!

Since no post is really complete unless there is a photo I am leaving you with the yummiest cupcakes ever!

SCRAPPY GIVEAWAY

2011-02-15T10:32:00.000+01:00

I can't believe I have been blogging for 2 years! I started this blog so I could share my photos and scrappy projects with my family and friends who were not on Facebook. I had no idea that I would actually enjoy blogging and find it to be a bit therapeutic at times. I certainly never thought that 2 years later I would still be blogging.

In honor of my blogging anniversary I am hosting a giveaway! That's right! It is my blogiversary but you can win the gift. How about an Echo Park Little Girl paper pack? I am so in love with this line. The colors are so bright and cheery. Even if you don't have a little girl to scrapbook imagine all the great cards or layouts you can make for/about your friends....birthdays, miss you, encouragement, baby showers, etc.

If you want to be entered to win here is what you need to do...First, leave me a comment! Any comment will do. For a second entry become a follower of my blog and enter a second comment. If you are already a follower leave an extra comment telling me you are. So, you can enter twice. This is going to be a short turn around....No entries after midnight PST, Wednesday, February 16th. I will select a winner Thursday morning. Good luck!!!

P.S. - If you are reading this on Facebook please be sure to visit my blog to enter by clicking on this link: http://scrappingandtraveling.blogspot.com/

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T12:21:00.002+01:00

I will be celebrating Valentine's Day with JG and our girls today. We generally don't plan anything over the top for Valentine's Day and this year is no exception. I made JG and the girls Valentine's cards ~~weeks ago~~ last night. Since I ~~planned ahead~~ waited until the last minute to finish them they are simple and went together quickly. Here is the one I made for JG....

I used the Create A Critter cartridge for the Cricut to make the adorable sheep. I love this cartridge and have been using it constantly since I received it. The background paper is from Cosmo Cricket's Pixie-Licious line and the pink letter stickers are Cosmo Cricket's Tiny Type letters. I am sure you all know of my undying love for all things Cosmo! I punched the heart from a scrap of purple paper and then covered it in Stickles. The twill ribbon is from Martha Stewart Crafts. The card took me 10 minutes to make and I actually like it! I don't think I have ever had a project come together so fast before. I guess sometimes it pays to procrastinate.

I promised the girls a midday bubble bath for Valentine's Day. I can appreciate that they enjoy the simple things still. Then I am making ribeye steaks for dinner with garlic mashed potatoes and sauteed zucchini. A little pound cake with fresh strawberries for dessert to top it all off and that is what I consider to be a perfect day.

Do you have any plans? So many people dislike this day but I think it is a great day to shower those you love with a bit of extra love and treats.

P.S. Make sure you come back tomorrow as I will be having a giveaway to celebrate my 2 year blogiversary!

Schloss Lichtenstein

2011-02-13T14:00:00.000+01:00

We visited Schloss Lichtenstein in early September. The weather was gorgeous and the castle was stunning. It is small but definitely a sight to see as it sits high atop a hill overlooking a beautiful valley. We paid a small admission fee of 2 euros for each adult to walk the castle grounds freely. You definitely need a car to get here but the view is amazing and worth the quick stop.

If you are would like more information about the castle such as its history or prices for tours you can click on the link above. It will take you directly to the official website that is in German and English.

Got Milk?

2011-02-10T14:06:00.000+01:00

I used mostly My Minds Eye Alphabet Soup line for this layout. I really liked these photos of the girls trying to milk a cow at the Open Air Museum in The Netherlands that I took last year. They were so excited to milk the cow that they didn't want to leave! It was fun seeing them so excited!

Tutu Layouts

2011-02-09T10:09:00.000+01:00

I completed these layouts over the summer but don't think I posted them here yet. I loved these photos of my girls so I wanted to do something extra special with them.

For the first layout I used tulle that I had on hand from wrapping a gift or something like that. I cut it into 3 strips and used one for the border below the photo, another for the ballerina tutu and finally a gathered flower at the top of the page (it is hard to see in this photo). I also used 3 different border punches for the layered border.

For this layout with Aubrey's photo I hand cut the butterflies since I do not have a butterfly punch or a plain butterfly image on a Slice Design Card. The swirls at the corners of the photo were cut using the Wedding Design Card. I embellished a couple of the butterflies with some Kaisercraft pearls.

I purchased the tutus from Paisley and Posies Etsy shop.

Five For Friday

2011-02-04T10:00:00.003+01:00

Happy Friday!

1. My girls have decided that every day is a holiday. We have been bouncing between Christmas and Halloween this week. Once they learn about the Easter Bunny I imagine we will add that to the mix.

2. Potty training is not fun! I thought Aubrey was stubborn but Lolo takes the cake here! I am going to pick up some really good prizes today and hope it will motivate her to finally move away from diapers and into panties. I have been changing diapers for nearly 4 years now and I am ready to move on.

3. Valentines Day is 10 days away! Do you love it or hate it? I am a firm believer in telling the ones you love how you feel about them daily but I do think it is great to have an entire day devoted to love and romance. I learned a long time ago not too expect much from James but I don't mind as I am happy to have him home this year. It doesn't hurt that I like hearts and pink and red either.

4. Is it totally crazy that I was sad I wasn't stuck in a blizzard? I love the snow and I love being tucked safely inside with a cup of coffee, a good book and heat! And a blizzard? That is something to tell the grandchildren about. When I was a young whippersnapper....!

5. The girls looooove the song "The Time (Dirty Bit)" by the Black Eyed Peas. They ask to listen to the song nearly every night after dinner. Aubrey is a natural dancer and has a few signature dance moves such as "the car dance", "the bowling dance" and "the jump dance". They both make me laugh hysterically when they get their groove on.

Chloe

2011-02-02T10:00:00.003+01:00

This is my fur baby Chloe! I love this cat so stinkin' much. We picked her up from the animal shelter at Ft. Lewis in November 2003. She has helped me through many deployments and is tolerant of the girls who love to ~~maul~~ pet her. I took these photos of her enjoying the late afternoon sun the other day.

I do have another cat, a beautiful long haired black and white girl named Jasmine, but I think she may be part vampire! She doesn't come out until the girls have gone to bed and panics if they are even in the same room together. She is a ~~little~~ very skittish and like a typical cat everything is on her terms.

Happy Wednesday!

Miss You "Sew"

2011-02-01T11:06:00.001+01:00

I completed this layout for a Club CK 1-Hour Challenge in early January. The challenge was to create a layout using the rule of thirds and I just lifted the sample because I was too tired to think of something different and I loved the original by the über talented Maggie Holmes.

The photos are from the last time I hung out with my McChord girls before we moved to Germany! Hi Elina, Yanahlyn and Lisa! Princess Brittany didn't join us this day and I am sad she wasn't there. Look how small Lolo was...she was just 2 1/2 months old! And Aubrey...well, that little toddler has grown into a beautiful little lady. Time just goes by so quickly.

I used Bazzill cardstock and the rest of the materials are from Cosmo Cricket's Material Girl line. Just like everything else from Cosmo Cricket, I loved this line so much! A huge, huge thanks to my Club CK Secret Santa (Hi Patty!) for sending me the Material Girl Paper Crafting Kit! Since the line has a sewing theme throughout I played on that word and used Tiny Type stickers for my title, "Miss You Sew".

Thanks for stopping by today!

Baby, It's Cold Outside

2011-01-30T10:00:00.002+01:00

I made this layout during a Club CK 1-Hour Challenge back in early December. The theme for that particular week was to use lyrics to a holiday song on a layout. I made a quick photo collage using Photoshop Elements 7. Using the collage made it super easy to finish this page in just under 60 minutes, especially since I created it last year! All I had to do was sharpen my photos and drop them into the collage.

I love these challenges for a couple of reasons. First, sometimes it is the only layout I get to work on during that week. Second, sometimes it forces me to work outside of my comfort zone. Finally, you can win prizes! I was actually a random winner for that week! Who doesn't love to win free stuff? If you are not a member of Club CK you should check it out. Basic membership is free and gives you access to the club forums, idea gallery and fun contests such as the 1-Hour Challenge.

Here are the page deets: The patterned paper, chipboard snowflakes and adorable snowman sticker are all from Cosmo Crickets Mitten Weather line. The Tiny Type stickers are Cosmo Cricket as well. The brown "BABY" letters are American Crafts Foam Thickers, purple pompom border is from Bo Bunny Crafts and purple bling is from Kaisercraft. I used a brown Sharpie to draw a border around the page.

Finally, while I am a very pale person, I am not quite as ghostly looking as I appear in the bottom photo! I swear!

Lolo's Second Birthday LO

2011-01-29T10:00:00.006+01:00

After looking at photos on the computer I have found several layouts that I hadn't shared here yet. So over the next week or so I will be adding new things here.

This layout is one I completed a month or so ago. I love Cosmo Cricket and these papers and embellishments from their Pixie-Licious are so bright and cheerful. I used an exact-o knife and a pair of micro tipped scissors to cut the large shape (an idea I got from the Cosmo Cricket blog) and then I matted my 5x7 photo of Lolo picking a flower before adding it to my page.

The chipboard hearts and butterfly tag are also from the Pixie-Licious line and the letter stickers are Cosmo Crickets Tiny Type stickers. The small purple flower brad on the tag is from Making Memories. The teal-ish ribbon is from Martha Stewart Crafts, purple ric-rak is from Maya Road and the cream crochet trim is from Webster's Pages. I used a black Uni-Ball Signo pen to draw the borders around the patterned paper and the Bazzill Basics cardstock.

That is the basic details of the page.

Thanks for stopping by to have a look!

Five for Friday

2011-01-28T10:00:00.002+01:00

1. I am totally addicted to this chai tea concentrate! I never thought it would be so easy. If you love chai tea lattes you should give it a try. I made a single batch on Sunday and then made a double batch on Monday. Yummy!

2. I am much more productive when the internet is down. Early Wednesday morning the internet went out and after talking to our internet provider we learned their servers went down. We called 3 times that day to find out it still wasn't fixed. Thursday morning I called and we got everything squared away. During the long, nearly painful 24 hour period I made some cinnamon rolls from scratch, mopped the kitchen floor, shoveled the driveway and folded some laundry. I wanted to make this Honey Caramel Sauce but the recipe was online so I was left thinking about it all day.

3. Aubrey has declared that she doesn't like cheese...she only likes popcorn (parmesan) cheese. So recently she started saying "MEAT!" when I try to take her picture. This girl cracks me up!

4. I want to have a party...just so I can make a bunch of snacks! I told James we should have a Super Bowl party and he asked what time the game started...hmmmmm, try about 3 o'clock....in the morning! Not an ideal time for entertaining.

5. Is anyone else watching "American Idol" this season? I vowed not to watch once Simon left but I have been sucked in again. The new judges are not as bad as I thought they would be. I will have to see how things go once they get to the Top 12 contestants but for now....I like it.
Happy Friday everyone!

Yikes! Neglected Blog!

2011-01-27T13:36:00.000+01:00

Geez, time is getting away from me! It has been a busy month around here. We had to do some scheduling for James to head back to the States from some training in the next couple of months, we went back to Aubrey's favorite mountain hotel...The Edelweiss Lodge and Resort in Garmish-Partenkirchen, Germany for four days and then took a day trip to the Nuremberg Zoo and a mini driving tour around Franconia. This week has been spent tending to sick babies...Lolo first and now Aubrey. Lots of tissues and hugs are being handed out along with homemade chicken noodle soup.

Here are a few photos from this month...

Aubrey trying to catch snowflakes on her tongue, just like "Charlie Brown"; Candles from the Andechs Monestary; A fountain head from Hall, Austria; A glass of beer from a lunch in Innsbruck, Austria; Truffles (most delicious) from the Dallmayer store in Munich and Lolo waiting for Daddy outside of Dallmayer.

February is my 2 year blogiversary so I am thinking of a few ways to celebrate! Thanks for taking the time to stop by.

Have You Heard About Clickin Moms?

2011-01-24T11:45:00.002+01:00

About 8 months ago I joined Clickin Moms. This is an online forum for women who love photography to gather and share information, offer support and ask questions about anything photography related. I love visiting the forums to learn new things such as setting up for sessions, photo editing, equipment and learning some basics!

I wish I would have joined earlier but am so glad I am a member now. While I am by no means a professional photographer I enjoy learning new ways to photograph my own girls to make my photos look better by using natural lighting and even post processing.

Clickin Moms is offering 20% off any subscription until January 31st! If you are interested click on the banner in my sidebar and then enter the code FRIEND at checkout!

Where Did December Go?

2011-01-03T10:42:00.000+01:00

December just flew by for me! We were super busy trying to visit as many Christmas markets as possible since James will be deployed again for the holidays in 2011. So we made the most of the time we had and spent as much time together as we could possibly stand :-) We went to Esslingen and Ludwigsburg, both near Stuttgart, at the beginning of the month. Followed by a weekend trip to Oberkirch, a small town near the French border, so we could drive to the Strasbourg, France to see the city and their Noel market. Finally we returned to Prague to check out the market there as well. Prague still remains one of my favorite cities even though the market was smaller than we expected it to be. The city itself is romantic, has gorgeous architecture and easy to get around, either by foot or by using public transporation.

Esslingen, Germany

Ludwigsburg, Germany

Strasbourg, France

Prague, Czech Republic

The weather was cold and snowy all month with a record 32 inches of snow in Ansbach in just December! I generally don't mind the snow too much because I don't have to drive in it every day but 32 inches is a crazy amount of snow. The snow banks at the end of our driveway are insanely high and James and I were concerned that we were running out of places to put all the snow as we shoveled the driveway.

Our Christmas was perfect this year because James was home! Aubrey loved all things Christmas and especially the music with Jingle Bells and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer being her favorites. Lolo was excited but she most loved making cookies for Santa and sprinkling some reindeer "food" in the snow on Christmas Eve.

That is our December in a nutshell. Today will be spent packing up Christmas until next December and getting my house back in order. I had plans to take it all down this weekend but the pleas of Aubrey convinced me to wait. I told her it was time to pack up the tree and she said "but I'll be sad" and it just broke this mommy's heart! I am such a sucker! She seems to be ready for it to be packed away now so off I go.

Happy New Year and best wishes for a happy, safe and prosperous 2011!

Giving a Helping Hand...and a Giveaway!

2010-12-15T11:48:00.002+01:00

According to Feeding America, approximately 5.7 million different people receive emergency food assistance from the organization in any given week. Wow! That is a startling number. And to think this is happening in our own backyard!

To raise awareness about the national issue of hunger, Hamburger Helper® is partnering with GRAMMY® Award-winning singer, songwriter and actor Tim McGraw to help Feeding America deliver millions of meals to local food banks through the Show Your Helping HandTM campaign. McGraw will lend his voice to the campaign through a Public Service Announcement which will be distributed nationwide.

Support the campaign by submitting codes from specially marked boxes of Hamburger Helper at www.showyourhelpinghand.com or by logging on to make a donation. Hamburger Helper has already donated more than half a million dollars and will contribute up to an additional $100,000 to Feeding America through this program. Don´t think one code will make a difference? The 17 cents Hamburger Helper donates per code is enough for Feeding America to deliver one meal to a local food bank.

Show Your Helping Hand is an amazing opportunity to help those who are less fortunate, especially during the holiday season!

Would you like to win a prize pack that includes a box of Hamburger Helper skillet meals, a Hamburger Helper foam "Helping Hand" and a copy of Tim McGraw´s "Southern Voice" CD? If so, just leave a comment here telling me how you give a "helping hand" during the holidays. Do you volunteer somewhere? Donate food, money or clothing to local food banks or shelters? It could be something as sending cards to troops far from home. Just let me know and you will be entered to win. I will pick a winner on the morning of Sunday, December 19th.

***I received the same prize pack being donated to one of my readers in exchange for sharing this information with you. Please be assured that I support this campaign and would never share a product with you that I don't like.***

December Daily

2010-12-04T09:25:00.000+01:00

My December Daily album foundation has been completed for a while and now that December is underway I am taking a photo every single day to add to the album. This is my third year doing an album and I absolutely enjoy the process. This year I am being a little more flexible with the process and will also be waiting until the end of the month to print my photos but plan on journaling every day while the stories/feelings are fresh.

On December 1st the girls opened the first window on their advent calendars and were so very excited to do so!

The December 1 is an overlay from the amazing Ali Edwards that I purchased from Designer Digitals last year. Ali has so many great products for the December Daily album there and most of them I reuse every year. That is just one reason I am a hybrid scrapper!

I will try to update when I get home later. Since I am printing all my photos at the end of the month I will not have a completed page to share but would love to share what I have so far.

FUN GIVEAWAY

2010-11-18T10:08:00.001+01:00

When it comes to starting off your day right, a new survey from Kix found that 84 percent of parents turn to cereal with milk for a quick and healthy breakfast. Cereal is one of the healthiest breakfast choices parents can make. Ready-to-eat cereal has fewer calories than almost any other common breakfast option, while also being nutrient-dense and convenient. In addition, cereal eaters consume less cholesterol and more fiber than non-cereal eaters.

With the same great taste kids have loved for more than 70 years, Kix makes it easy to serve your family a simple and healthy breakfast! Whether you choose to serve Original Kix or Honey Kix, you can be sure that your kids are getting a wholesome food with nutrients they need to grow. The "Kid-Tested Mother-Approved®"cereal is made with whole grain corn and is an excellent source of iron. It also is a good source of calcium, fiber, and Vitamins C and D. Original Kix has no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives.

To find out more, visit the recently launched Kix website, http://www.kixcereal.com/, featuring background on the history of Kix, nutritional content, and special offers.

My girls love Kix cereal and to be honest I do too. I loved Kix as a kid and it tastes just as good to me now. The cereal fills them up and I feel good about giving them a simple breakfast that they enjoy. I like the slightly sweet flavor of the Honey Kix and feel good giving this cereal to my girls.

Kix provided me with the awesome prize pack you see in the photo above and has an additional one to giveaway to one of my readers! The floor puzzle and number flashcards have been a huge hit around here with the girls and we are happily eating our way through the cereal.

Do you want a box of goodies from Kix to arrive at your door? Leave me comment telling me if you or your kids eat cereal for breakfast of if you eat Kix at your house. I will pick a winner on Monday, November 22nd. Please make sure you check back then or leave your email in the comments so I can contact you if you are the winner. If you are reading this on Facebook and would like to entry the drawing please comment visit my blog at http://scrappingandtraveling.blogspot.com/.

***Kix provided me with the information I have shared in this post, prize package and additional prize package for my readers. I have shared my opinion because I genuinely like Kix cereal and feel comfortable sharing this information with my readers.***

Holiday Cards

2010-11-12T11:50:00.000+01:00

I have been working on my third December Daily album and decided to make some cards as a plug away on my album. My album is 8x8 so that leaves me with scraps the perfect size for cards. I purchased the adorable stamp set (by Hampton Arts) last year but decided to not make my cards so the cute penguin and snowman are making an appearance this year. The papers are from Echo Park and if you haven't checked them out you really should. Their papers are wonderful and they are quickly becoming a new favorite of mine. The border punch is from Fiskars. I used a ton of Stickles on these cards too. I love glitter!

I would usually approach my Christmas cards in an assembly line fashion but find by the end I am not really enjoying the process so this year I am going to just go with the flow and see what I can come up with.

Finally, today is my husbands birthday! Happy Birthday JG! We love you so much and are grateful for all you do for the Gibson girls! ♥ ♥ ♥

Hedgehog Love!

2010-11-03T11:01:00.000+01:00

We are big fans of cute hedgehogs here at the Gibson house. The girls have adorable hedgie jammies from Old Navy and a cute hedgie inflatable toy we picked up from Ikea a few years ago. Now we have a real live hedgehog in our yard! This little guy (or maybe gal) has been a frequent visitor as of late. A few weeks ago, just as it was getting dark, I told JG we had a giant rat running across our yard and he told me it was a hedgehog and after a better look I could see it really was. Yesterday the hedgie returned several times throughout the day and I was able to get this photo from the safety of our patio! Not that I am scared of him, I didn't want to scare him away. I think he has been hiding out in our bushes and I don't mind. I hope he becomes a regular visitor as he is fun to watch.

Party Prep

2010-10-27T13:51:00.000+02:00

We are T-2 for the Gibson 2010 Halloween Party and I am starting to put things together. Up until now I have had things scattered around the house because I had to do some rearranging to make room for this display and for some party food on Friday night.

I love the Eat, Drink and Be Scary sign and the gal that created this has it as a free download from her blog, Craftily Ever After. She also has another great sign here. After you download them take a look around her blog as there are lots of great ideas and inspiration there. The Crafty Witches Book of Magic Spells was also a free download from the Chickabug blog. There is an abundance of great party ideas there and I have added it to my favorites. For the book you simply download the file, print it, cut it out and stick it on a book you already have on hand. The Apothecary label on the flower pot (a re-purposed Yankee candle jar) is from Echo Park. I love digital downloads because you can re-use them!

I really love DIY decorations and with the power of the internet, a few minutes and a printer you can find just about anything these days. Now I need to actually get off the computer and start cleaning up! Have a great day.

Just One More....I Promise!

2010-10-25T12:23:00.000+02:00

Last Friday Creating Keepsakes Dream Team Member Cindy Tobey was the Guest Blogger on the CK Blog and she shared a pattern for this fabulous little paper pieced haunted house! I loved this idea when I saw it in the Creating Keepsakes October issue and knew I wanted to make this ASAP. So after printing the pattern and cutting out all the pieces and then busting out a craft knife so I could make all the little cuts I had an adorable house of my very own.

Once it was finished I had no idea what I was going to do with it but knew I wanted it on display so I used an 8x8 piece of a Scenic Route chipboard album and printed out the background from Echo Park's Apothecary patterned paper pack (I have gotten so much use out of this line and to think I only paid $1 for it from the Jessica Sprague Website on One Buck Wednesday). I used a thin coat of Mod Podge to adhere the paper and then used a dry adhesive to attach the house. The adorable little bat is from a free download I got from the Paper Glitter blog. It was originally part of a tag but I just needed the bat so I fussy cut it and attached just his body so the wings lift slightly off the paper.

I love, love, love the way this turned out! I seriously couldn't be happier. I worked with supplies I had on hand and that certainly helps to clear out some of my stash.

On another Halloween note my paper cone wreath is featured on the Creating Keepsakes Blog today! I am so flattered that Megan Hoeppner was inspired by my project and asked to share it on the blog alongside her take on the project! If you get the chance you should check it out!

Scrapping and Traveling

4 Out of 5 isn’t Bad!

The Best Laid Plans….

Five for Friday

Crochet Projects

Where has January Gone?

A Little Trip....

We’ve Been A Little Busy!

The Beginnings of My December Daily Album…

Handmade Holiday Blog Hop

Plitvice Lakes National Park

Sibenik, Croatia

Crochet Love!

Happy Halloween!

When Did This Happen?

Zadar, Croatia

And the Winner is…..

“Leafing” Memories Behind Blog Hop

It has been so long

Upcycled Halloween Jar

Her Smile

Blog Hop Winner!

Sketch Blog Hop

Beach Layout

The More You Read…

Rovinj, Croatia

Proud!

Waiting for Dad

Making A Splash!

Welcome to Croatia

Vintgar Gorge, Slovenia

Lake Bled, Slovenia

Enjoy Life

Home for the Holidays

We're Back!

Hide & Seek–Gibson Style

Cancer Sucks and a Mug Rug?

Love To Travel

Melk Abbey

Just Like Dad

Too Many Issues!

So it goes....

Vienna Day 2

Vienna Waits for You

Slow Day

You Are My Sunshine

Sweet Summer Day Layout

Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna

Sketchy Thursdays 4/28 Sketch

Scrapbook on the Road Class Review

Five For Friday

Sticking With It...

Feeling Under the Weather and a Reminder.....

Delish!

Blog Hop Winner

Spring Blog Hop!

Happy 3rd Birthday Lolo!

The Post Where I Ramble On and On....

Berry Sweet Card

The Stylish Blogger Award Has Arrived On My Blog!

iPod Case

Happy 4th Birthday Aubrey!

Wild Park

Five For Friday

Snow White and Aubrey

Blessed Layout

Body Art

Can You Guess...

Sketchy Thursdays Layout

Happy March

Five for Friday - What I Am Loving This Week

I Love Surprises!

My Dolls

Five for Friday

Scrappy Winner Is........

***SCRAPPY GIVEAWAY***

Happy Valentine's Day!

Schloss Lichtenstein

Got Milk?

Tutu Layouts

SCRAPPY GIVEAWAY

FUN GIVEAWAY