Thrilled to share with you my projects created using this upcoming month's kit from Cocoa Daisy.  The papers and embellishments are sure to get you in the mood for creating!  I opted for several of the add-ons this month which can be found here.



Loved how this one turned out...so feminine and perfect for a layout on Zoey.



Loved the mix of colors too in this kit...love that it's not strictly 'traditional' Christmas colors.





Can you tell that I really loved that turquoise ribbon?  I used it on three of my four layouts and still have a bit left over for some other little project!





Stop on over soon to snag your kit before they're sold out!  Kits will be available for purchase (if you're not already a subscriber) December, 1st!

My Dad's Art : Studio 14

I got to visit my dad over Thanksgiving this year and I am so very thankful. It was so good to see him and to help him out with some things that he needed help with while we were there.



We helped him arrange some things in his art studio which was super fun...I don't think he believed me but it truly was. I love figuring out space and how to use it best.  His work is an eclectic mix of steel frames and stretched canvas and wood panels...I love every single piece that he has ever created and growing up getting to see him create in this way every day was pretty special.  Something that I tend to forget I think sometimes, not everyone got to paint on the floor as a child or draw on the walls.  :)  He was pretty cool like that.





Something kind of neat about his work is that there is always a message.  There is always something left to the viewer to interpret on their own and on their own terms even.  He rarely will share what it is that his intent was with a piece.  If you really press him though, he will eventually wear down and tell you...perhaps.







Here is one of his stretched canvas' over a wooden frame pieces...this one I own.  It's about growing a community and what it takes to do so, it's also about balance and time.  I love it.  It was perfect for my first piece as I was just starting out and growing my own family and joining others in our new community as well...it is a good reminder of what it takes to flourish.



And something kind of special...this painting (pictured at the beginning of this post and below) is now home with me here now and I get to look at it whenever I want and think of my dad.  I love it...absolutely love it.  The repeated images on the painting (and behind the doors) are the symbols of the Runes.  And the ones most prevalent in the painting are the symbols for balance, beginnings and new opportunities which are all perfect for me to see and think about each and every day.

I love you dad with all my heart.  Thank you.

Cocoa Daisy Sneaks for December Kit : Winter Magpie

Oh how I love December's kit, Winter Magpie!  I love that it's not strictly red, white and green for the upcoming holidays...but that there is aqua and some silver as well as a touch of red thrown in with soft browns and creams and deep forest greens.  What a wonderful pack of goodness to create with and be inspired from.  I got two of the add-ons this month along with the main kit and couldn't be happier.  I can't wait to share my layouts with you later this month...be sure to keep a watch out for the full reveal night which will be October 28th on the Cocoa Daisy Message Board.  There will be lots of fun and games so make sure to pencil it in!

Quick Gift Bag Idea

Zoey's got a birthday party to go to this afternoon and this week was just a crazy one with all of us involved in things after school and work...which meant no time for me to stop and pick up a quick card or any themed wrapping for her friend's gift. This morning we whipped up a fun and quick ensemble with what we had around the house and some of my paper scraps from scrapbooking. Zoey's gift to her friend is a model of the planets that he can paint and put together so we thought it would be fitting to incorporate stars somehow and we did.



Super simple and quick little project. We just punched out several stars and adhered them back to back to some pretty ribbon that coordinated well with the papers we chose and then decorated an office tag using some of the same papers and one of the punched stars. We stamped a sentiment along with the child's name and Zoey signed the back. Done!

Turning Thirty - Three

Hey, hey, it's my birthday...and I've gotten some scrapping in just for the occasion!  It seems to work out that I usually create a layout on or around my birthday every year and this year was no exception.  The weekend was a good one spent with my family (who spoiled me).  We went out to dinner at my favorite Greek restaurant (where I got the Greek Salmon) and we spent lots and lots of time together which is always a plus in my book.  I was also granted some "me" time which I appreciate so much and which I used to do a bit of shopping and of course scrapbooking!  I'm in the mode of loving scrapbooking so much again (not that I wasn't before, but it seems my creative energy tends to go in streaks and I'm in a super creative one).

Here is this year's birthday layout...I couldn't for the life of me remember how old it was that I was turning so had to actually do the math to figure it out if you can believe it!  For the layout I used a mix of Cocoa Daisy kits and some Petaloo flowers that I had in my stash.



Here is a close-up of my journaling:



Speaking of Cocoa Daisy...awhile back (we're talking 2007 here) I stumbled upon this amazing kit club Cocoa Daisy. They were holding try-outs for their design team and I entered my work and applied. I didn't get in, but stuck around their message board and vowed that the next time they held a design team call I would try again...which I did. I didn't get on the team. Another year went by and I tried again and still didn't get on the team! I was a wee bit grumpy about the whole thing at this point but in the meantime had gotten on some other design teams which was great, but it wasn't Cocoa Daisy. Cocoa Daisy is the only kit club that I personally have ever subbed to and the reason is because I love the kits. Every.single.one.  Every.single.time. Seriously delicious kits, so much so that Creating Keepsakes Magazine just named them one of the top three scrapbooking kit clubs out there. In addition to having amazing products and incredible service the women that are involved with Cocoa Daisy, the company, are the most diverse, fun, welcoming and supportive that I've yet to come across in this scrappy world!  I got an email earlier this month inquiring if I would be interested in joining the team from Ronda Palazzari and I was just floored and of course said yes, yes, a million times YES! This has been a goal of mine for three years going now and here I am finally making it come true! So thank you for the early birthday present Cocoa Daisy! 

It Was a Snowy Weekend!

Zoey and I were both thrilled that we woke up to snow on Saturday morning! After breakfast we quickly dressed up in our winter gear and headed outside for some serious playtime.  I still get giddy with excitement at the first snow...just like a kid!



I got out the old Fisher Price digger and tow truck and she had some fun blazing some trails with those for a bit...





Then of course it was time for some snow bear building.  Our first for the 2010 Winter season!  We are missing noses and mouths in this photo just due to my not wanting to track in snow at this point by running into the kitchen for carrots and things.



So happy to see everything white and bright again...now we just want there to be more!

Cocoa Daisy's Fall Crop

I tend to usually participate in the Fall Crop's over at Cocoa Daisy, perhaps it's because they are usually conveniently scheduled right around my birthday weekend (making it so easy for me to plead my case for some "free" time to craft!).  This month's crop is no exception...I'll be playing along when I can (I'm thinking my birthday weekend can't all be taken up with just crafting alone) and so should you!  Here's the line-up of events and classes.  Hope to see you!

Who Is This Kid?

Someone lost a tooth yesterday and she now has a gaping hole in the front of her mouth and can officially put "two front teeth" on her Christmas Wish List...they are the bottom two but still technically qualify as the front teeth don't you think?



Her smile just cracks me up for some reason now...I love it!

Just a Layout

Just a quick layout to share today. Zoey's home today resting up. She missed trick-or-treating yesterday due to having a nasty cough and sore throat. She's still coughing but is turning into her spunky self here this afternoon so I'm thinking she'll be set to go back to school tomorrow.

Today allowed for some cuddling with Zoey, cleaning for me, some re-arranging and some time to work on a layout even!  For this one I challenged myself to use only scraps for my papers and older photos that were already printed.  The photos are from a couple of years back already.  



A pretty simple layout but I love that the photos are on a page now and in an album!