Gettin' By

Happy Halloween!

It's turning into quite the lovely day around here. I've gotten Supergirl and Giant Banana Boy off to school:

I'm sipping a nice hot Witches' Brew and snacking on a few stolen goodies from the kid's weekend Trunk or Treat baskets. Because, technically, it's a holiday and I don't have to work out or eat healthy on holidays, right?!?

I'm deliberating switching up my usual Halloween costume (the highly original and unique Lady with Painted Black Fingernails) this year with something really wacky: Lady with Painted Black CRACKLE Fingernails.  I know - it's a risk, but I'm nothing if not edgy when it come to costume-age.

I'm also waiting on what will certainly be the best treat of the day: the delivery of my new scrap table! It's taken many months of hunting for the perfect counter-height option, but I finally found what I think will be the perfect piece.  It's an antique postal counter that's nearly 8 feet long with lots of storage and most importantly, I can STAND AND SCRAP!  (This is huge, people!) I think my lower back will be happy to no longer be stooping over a too-short desk or sitting on the floor to create. Less time at the chiropractor...more time to scrap...it's a win-win.  Pics to follow soon!

In the meantime, I'll pop a few more mellowcreme pumpkins and wish you all a very spooky, very sugar-filled Halloween.  Enjoy!

Give-It-Away Thursday: Bazzill Basics!

In honor of the impending All Hallow's Eve, I have a rather festive giveaway today from sponsor Bazzill Basics.  They've got an adorable new line, Spooky & Kooky, which they so nicely sent me for some Halloween scrapping.  And once I'd consumed the requisite amount of sugary treats (sneakily lifted from the Trick-or-Treat Bowl beause I'm nothing if not ninja-like when it comes to swiping candy) I created this layout:

SUPPLIES:

I love the bright greens and purples in the mix of traditional Halloween colors and the matching textured cardstock that comes in the pack is a big bonus, too! I adore the Intense Kiwi and Candlelight cardstock colors.  But my favorite product has to be this button collection:

Black polka dots glazed on a white button?  I die!

Bazzill has generously offered up a Spooky & Kooky collection to one lucky blog reader, and it includes all these goodies:

(uh, minus the pumpkin.  But I'd be glad to ship it for an additional $500 fee. Or a lifetime supply of candy corn.)

If you'd like to win this collection, just leave me a comment below telling me your favorite Halloween costume of all time (it can be yours or someone else's). And don't forget to read the fine print below!** I'll draw a winner on Monday in celebration of Halloween. Boo!

**Please be sure to leave a contact email in your comment if you are not signed in to Typepad.  Comments will remain open until the morning of October 31 (whenever I happen get my lazy butt out of bed) and the winner will be randomly drawn and announced at the bottom of this post and contacted via email (if possible). Internationals are welcome to enter, but you'll have to pay postage. And that concludes the fine print. :)

UPDATED WITH WINNER!  Congrats to Melinda - shoot me an email and I'll get your Halloween goodies out to you!

Monday Re-do.

I had every intention of blogging yesterday, but after waking up in a state of extreme soreness from my first Killer Buns & Thighs workout on Sunday I was unable to do much more than lurch around the house like Frankenstein, mumbling incoherently about ibuprofen and candy corn.  Which, while it may be seasonally appropriate, is a less-than-ideal state for blogging.  After typing the same phrase (it went something like: "Sore muscles… ehhhhhrrrrrrgggg… pain… rrrrraaahhhh… need Advil… urrrggghhh… hurts so much.… ooooowwwwwwww") about eighty different times, I gave up.  And thought I'd try again today.

And by try again, I mean post a page and then shut up.  It's what I do best. :)

SUPPLIES:

This week, Lily Bee Design is partnering up with Elle's Studio for a blog hop showcasing some of our favorite products.  So leap on over to those sites to check out the eye candy (and enter to win some fab prizes!).  My page above features the Lily Bee line, Memorandum, and the Mix & Match Numbers Tags and Turquoise Pennants from Elle's.

I'm off to find some ice and ibuprofen...and fight with my internal Frankenstein about whether or not we'll be be able to face another Jillian workout this morning.  It's a regular variety show around here, I tell ya.

Happy Tuesday (ehhhhhrrrrrrggg....)

Finally Friday.

This week's posts for Give-It-Away Thursday and Five on Friday were derailed by a little girl with a stomach bug, whom I spent most of the last 36 hours with cuddling on the couch.  And the rest of the time was spent trying to clean puke out of the carpet - not just Riely's, but the dog's as well (who apparently developed a sympathy stomach bug to show his loyalty.)  My suggestion to just rip it all out and install hardwoods was not popular with Mike, who reminded me that we own a Bissell Little Green Machine expressly for the purpose of removing said puke from carpet. I still like the idea of hardwoods better.

Luckily the girly (and the dog) are feeling better and I think (fingers crossed) our Friday will be puke-free. We've got a busy weekend in the works, and I'll be kicking things off this afternoon with my Spawn of True Scrap class at 3:00 EST.  Hope to see some of you there!  After the class, I'll be around to answer questions and offer advice on carpet cleaning. Just kidding. Kind of.

Tonight Hayden has his first night football game (Friday Night Lights, people!) and I'm hoping we don't freeze our tushies off watching from the sidelines.  I'm thinking some spiked hot cocoa in a thermos might be accompanying me.

Also on the weekend agenda? Carving pumpkins, a visit with the cousins, another football game Saturday afternoon, and a date night for Mike and me. Because he totally owes me for cleaning up all that puke.

Annnnnnd don't forget that Scrapfest is happening all weekend over at Jenni Bowlin Studio!  There are nightly chats with the design team, challenges and inspiration galore. And we'll be selecting one of the Scrapfest participants to be our December guest designer, so pop over and show us your stuff! I'm talking about scrapbook stuff, you perverts. Geez.

 

Hope you have a wonderful weekend, my friends!

Pumpkin Pickin'

One of our favorite fall activities is visiting Rock Creek Farm to pick our pumpkins and enjoy this beautiful time of year in Colorado.  So last Friday when the kids were off school, we loaded up and headed over to this gorgeous setting:

As you can see, there were plenty of pumpkins to choose from...can you just imagine all the lovely chocolate chip pumpkin muffins these beauties would make?

The kids took some time picking out the perfect specimens, limited only by the weight of what mama could lug back to the car. Who knew this outing would require weight training?!

We opted for a mix of orange and green, or "mutant squash" as Hayden calls them:

Then, of course, we had to partake in the other farm activities.  There were furry creatures to be petted:

Giant hay bales to climb upon:

Goofy photo scenes to pose behind:

And, of course, the much-anticipated giant carmel-and-m&m-covered apples:

A beautiful day, an amazingly scenic setting, fun activities and sweet treats...you can't ask for much more!

Enjoy your fall Wednesday!

A Pretty Paper Party!

Let's combat the Mondays with a little giveaway today, shall we?

There are online classes for everything these days, and Shimelle has been teaching online scrapbooking classes for years - but she's decided it's time to kick it up a bit and go from online class to a four-week online party, and you're invited!  Pretty Paper Party is the party to attend if:

1. You have a collection of paper stacked up for a rainy day;

2. You have more scraps of paper than you know what to do with (but you know you don't want to throw them away!); or

3. You've ever put a piece of paper back in your stash because it was just too special for the photos at hand. 

Through printable prompts and tutorial videos, Shimelle and dozens of special party guests will share beautiful and innovative techniques you can achieve with the paper you have already collected. I am honored to be a special party guest at this event, and I've got a little sneak of my project right here:

The class starts today, but as with any party, it's competely acceptable to arrive fashionably late.  There are no deadlines and everyone receives permanent access to all the class materials, so you can RSVP to the party at any time.

If you'd like to win a spot in this class, just leave me a comment telling me your current favorite pretty paper.  (And if you are already registered and happen to win, your fee will be refunded or you can pass the class onto a friend!)  Comments will remain open until Wednesday morning and I'll post the winner then!

Happy Monday!

UPDATED WITH WINNER:  Congrats to Linda, the randomly selected commenter who wins a spot at the Pretty Paper Party!  Linda, please email me and I'll get you the info for registration!

Five on Friday.

Have you discovered the addiction that is Polyvore yet?  I know am probably the last person on earth to stumble upon this little treasure of a website that lets you select from thousands of articles of clothing, jewelry, accessories and make-up and put together custom outfits (and each item is linked to its shopping source - dangerous!). I love putting together virtual outfits - especially ones that feature items already in my closet - and pinning them to my Pinterest fashion files for future reference.  It's the lazy way to play dress up...and I might have wasted an afternoon (or ten) playing around with this fun, fun site.  Here's five of my favorite current sets...

 

 

flowy tunic + skinny jeans by bluestardesign featuring crystal earrings

 

stripes for fall by bluestardesign featuring flat heels

 

casual dress w/ frye boots by bluestardesign featuring a stretch belt

 

safari jacket + tee + aqua accents by bluestardesign featuring stretchy jeans

 

fall feminine by bluestardesign featuring pink rings

Hope you have a wonderful (and fashionable, natch!) Friday!

Thankful Thursday.

Just a few things we are feeling grateful for on this fall Thursday...

Cushy new running shoes (that aren't bright white - yay!)

 

The arrival of new Halloween costumes:

and of course, trying them on:

Gorgeous mums blooming on my front porch:

and a new wreath adorning our front door: (thanks for the idea, Pinterest!)

So what are you thankful for today?

 

Sharing some Scrapbook Trends.

My foyer is just a bit less cluttered with boxes now because I finally made time to go through my returned layouts + goodie boxes from some recent pubs in Scrapbook Trends. Thought I'd share them here today...and also share an extra copy of the magazine, too. (see below!)

i ♥ twitter | supplies:  Bazzill Basics cardstock (white, lemonade) + patterned paper (Studio Calico, Basic Grey) + American Crafts letters + Basically Bare chipboard heart + Studio calico stamp + Tsukineko ink + brads + fonts (Myriad, Traveling Typewriter).  Scrapbook Trends May 2011.

I copied and pasted lots of tweets to create my white text background.  I love the little snippet of life it adds to this page!

shy | supplies:  Bazzill Basics cardstock (kraft, java) + patterned paper (Girls Paperie, Lily Bee Design, Jillibean Soup, Little Yellow Bicycle) + Basic Grey letters + buttons (Jillibean Soup, Jenni Bowlin) + Jenni Bowlin stick pin + Martha Stewart butterfly punch  + Silhouette die cut machine + Bohemian Typewriter font.  Scrapbook Trends June 2011.

I added a bit of dimension by layering butterflies punched from the green paper over that square. The scalloped edge was cut from brown cardstock on my Silhouette.

ella claire | supplies: Bazzill Basics cardstock (cream puff, romance) + Maya Mist + Elle's Studio journal tags + Making Memories letters + Basic Grey rub-ons + punches (Fiskars, Martha Stewart) + Maya Road flower + Jenni Bowlin button & charm. Scrapbook Trends July 2011.

 

I've got an extra copy of the May 2011 issue of Scrapbook Trends that's looking for a new home.  If you'd like it, leave me a comment on this post and I'll draw one name to receive it on Friday.  (And the Elle's Studio giveaway is still open in the post below!)

Enjoy your Tuesday!

 

UPDATED WITH WINNER:  Congrats to Danielle, the randomly selected winner of the issue of Scrapbook Trends.  Danielle, shoot me an email and I'll get it in the mail!

 

Give-It-Away Thursday: Elle's Studio!

As I sit here typing up this post, the house is quiet and the windows are open. The chilly morning air is making my big mug-o-coffee all the more inviting.  The sky is a hazy blue-gray and it reminds me of the color of newborn baby eyes.  I wait all year for mornings like these - oh how I love fall!

Another thing I love?  Elle's Studio!  So today's giveaway is a collection of 6x6 papers, tags, and stamps from Elle's:

Want to win this little collection?  Just leave me a comment telling me your favorite thing about fall.  I'll keep comments open until next Wednesday, October 12.**

And hey, enjoy your day!

**Please be sure to leave a contact email in your comment if you are not signed in to Typepad.  Comments will remain open until October 12 and the winner will be randomly drawn and announced at the bottom of this post and contacted via email (if possible). Internationals are welcome to enter, but you'll have to pay postage. And that concludes the fine print. :)

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 UPDATED WITH WINNER!!!  The lucky girl who wins the Elle's Studio package is Shelita!

Thanks to everyone who stopped by - I loved reading about your fall faves!  Keep an eye out for more giveaways in the near future!