The One with F&J


Thursday, January 31, 2013

My life. 
My world. 
My loves. 
My heart. 
My everything.
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Fox & Jane
1.31.2013

The One with the Pretty Girl and Love You For Like Ever Layouts


Tuesday, January 29, 2013

I had a layout up on the American Crafts blog yesterday so I'm sharing it here today!
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PRETTY GIRL

Journaling says: One of the nicknames that we call you frequently is "pretty girl" - naturally! You have the cutest face and the sweetest smile and the most endearing eyes and luscious lips. Fox is going to have to drive boys of with a stick!

Notes: I used all papers from 6x6 paper pads because the designs are scaled down so you get more bang for your buck! I'm loving mini paper pads these days.

How to: Adhere four square photos to the center of a white cardstock layout base. Trim a doily in half and tuck them under the left and right edges of the photos. Trim a green circle sticker in half and place them on top of the doily pieces. Create a title on the center with chipboard arrows pointing to it. Write journaling around the photos, skipping over the doilies. Punch 1" squares from dozens of patterned papers then trim each square into a triangle. Adhere the triangles around the photos to make a fun border then stitch over them. Embellish a few of the triangles with buttons, resin flowers, epoxy dots, and chipboard stars and hearts.

Supplies: Cardstock, patterned paper, buttons, resin flowers, epoxy dots, stickers (circle, label, mini alphabet), chipboard (arrows, circle, heart, letters, star), pen, adhesive: American Crafts; Doily: Wilton; Square punch: Family Treasures; Sewing machine: Brother; Thread: Coats & Clark
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And here's a layout I made just for fun!
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LOVE YOU FOR LIKE EVER

Journaling says: Well, this layout doesn't have journaling. It's just a picture of me with baby Fox and a picture of me with baby Jane.

Notes: I loved this picture of Fox as a newborn and wanted the same pose with Jane as a newborn - just so I could make a layout like this :)

How to: Die cut a large title from the right side of a white cardstock background then back the die cut with floral printed vellum. Outline the letters with a gold pen. Adhere a strip of navy/cream lace/mint polka dot paper on the left edge. Add two black and white photos on the left then build a border of flowers cut out from patterned paper, flower stickers, a floral badge, acrylic flower, doily stickers, and more. Drop pink and orange spray mist across the layout and add some mini pink jewels over the misting. Stamp the dates on the bottom right corner with an ampersand sticker between. Add a small piece of a tag on the right egde.

Supplies: Cardstock, patterned paper, patterned vellum, badge, button, acrylic flower, tag, stickers (ampersand, doilies, heart, flowers, number), date stamp, adhesive: American Crafts; Jewels: Recollections; Wooden veneer star: Studio Calico; Spray mist: Studio Calico (pink), Tattered Angels (orange); Pens: American Crafts (black), Sharpie (gold); Die cut machine (Cameo), title die (Silhouette): QuicKutz
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Thanks for taking a looksy!

The One with Jane at 6 Months


Monday, January 28, 2013

Jane is 6 months new today! Holy cow time is flying - slooooow down so I can soak up each and every moment with this sweet girl!
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Length: 27" (75-90%) 
Weight: 17 pounds 5.8 ounces (50-75%) 
Head circumference: 17.25" (75%)
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Pretty girl :)
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With Fox I was always so eager for him to reach the next milestone - roll over, sit up, crawl, walk - I just wanted him to accomplish these things as fast as possible! But now I want Jane to stay a baby for as long as possible, and she has been, up until about 2 weeks ago when she decided she's ready to start doing things. For example:
Sitting up! She can sit on her bum unassisted for a few minutes at a time. All of a sudden!
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Jane sitting up:

And then, on January 22nd, out of NOWHERE she decided to roll over. Seriously, she hasn't shown any signs of rolling over and then that morning she's like, whelp, I'm gonna start doing this! Jane rolling over:

Fox and Jane are so cute together. Every day they become more "aware" of each other and like to make each other laugh.
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Fox making Jane laugh like no one else can:

"Fox, give Jane a hug for her 6th month birthday!"
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We put her in the swing at the park for the first time this month and she loved it!
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Since she still doesn't take a bottle (which actually hasn't been too bad, but really, a little freedom would be nice :) she's my sidekick and goes with me e'rywur.
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As I'm looking at all the pictures of Jane from the past month to choose for this post, she's smiling in about 99% of them. That's just how she is - smiley smiley smiley!
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Still no teeth (although she drools like crazy, so maybe they're thinking about coming in?), her eyes are still blue, and her hair is slowly but surely growing longer.
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Her sleep schedule is still nuts. I haven't slept more than 3 hours at a time in 6 months. Oh well. So worth it for this cute girl!
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Her daily routine at 6 months is as follows:
5:30am - wake up and eat
8:30am - nap
9:00am - play! (and yes, that's only a half hour nap...)
1pm - eat then nap (and she HAS to be sleeping in someone's arms or she doesn't sleep)
4pm - play
6pm - bedtime routine: rice cereal, bath, fall asleep in my arms nursing
6:30pm - asleep for the night in her crib
11:30pm - she wakes up to eat and then I put her back in her crib (Fox is starting to sleep through her cries so we don't take her out of their shared room anymore)
2:30am - wake up to eat
5:30am - repeat
I vote no more night feedings! What say you Jane? :)
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She's starting to grab everything and put it right in her mouth. Gotta start baby proofing and vacuuming every day!
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We took her to a physical therapist at the beginning of January to evaluate her head tilt and the doctor showed us a few exercises which we implemented and now she's almost all straight!
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Love you oh so much Jane!

The One with Modern Family House Hunting


Sunday, January 27, 2013

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Yesterday I thought it'd be fun to try and find Phil and Claire Dunphy's house from Modern Family and a quick google search led me to their address in Culver City, a mere 20 minutes away. Off we went!
Phil and Claire Dunphy's house on TV:
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Phil and Claire Dunphy's house in real life:
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After taking photos, I wondered if Cam and Mitchell's house was close. Another quick google search revealed it was only 3 miles away. Sold!
Cam and Mitchell's house on TV:
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Cam and Mitchell's house in real life:
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Proof that I was really there :)
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Which left Jay and Gloria's house. But the quick google search said it was 20 minutes away in Brentwood and we were famished so we said another time.
Jay and Gloria's house on TV:
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Jay and Gloria's house in real life:
INSERT PICTURE HERE. Wah wahhhh.

Now whenever we watch Modern Family (one of THE most hilarious shows) we can say, "Hey! We've been to those houses!" Oh the joys of living in Hollywood :) Only for a few more months! And no, we don't know where we're going for the next four years yet...

The One with the Safe Haven Screening Event


Saturday, January 26, 2013

11 days ago I blogged that I was reading Safe Haven and looking forward to going to the movie on Valentine's Day. Well, my friend V has also read the book and is a big movie buff like me and she saw on gofobo that they were having a special pre-screening event of Safe Haven in Hollywood last night. Count me IN!
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We rounded up 7 ladies and headed out for a-sure-to-be-a-good-time GNO.
Hollywood Blvd felt like The Strip in Vegas at night; what with all the crazy lights, crazy sounds, and, let's be honest, crazy people!
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It took us like 20 minutes to figure out where the heck we were supposed to go, it was a labyrinth through the Kodak Theater!
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We arrived two hours early to make sure we'd get in - they overbook the theater on purpose to make certain it fills up and turn away people once it's full. The theater was top notch, pish posh!
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We had 2 hours to kill - which went by incredibly fast chit-chatting with these hilarious girls.
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Since we were in the front of the line, we got good seats. Don't mind the vampire glare!
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Before the movie started the event planner came in and said that if we wanted to stay after to possibly be in a national commercial promoting the movie to remain in your seats after the movie for further instructions. BE IN A COMMERCIAL!? Could this night BE any better? (said Chandler Bing-style)

The movie was great! Maybe even a rare instance where it might be better than the book because the ending of the book was a little wacko, but it wasn't as weird in the movie. And yes, I cried. If you're looking for a good chick-flick, this will do the job nicely!

After the movie you can bet your bottom dollar we stayed to be in the commercial! We were in the front of the line, but since our group was so big we were okay with going last - we wanted to all be together! But first they split us into groups of 2, 2, and 3. We were brought over to a prompter and lights and camera and director and they made us state our names and asked us questions about how we liked it, why is it a good GNO movie, is it worth seeing on Valentine's Day, etc etc etc. It was so nerve-wracking! I could never be an actress. Next all 7 of us got together in front of the camera and blurted out wise cracks left and right - it'd be a really great publicity stunt to show all of us in the commercial having fun - we really were on a GNO! Then they even brought back two of our little groups to nail down some of our responses. Honestly, I was acting like a complete looney toon and I'll be so embarrassed if I get on TV. I was shouting things like "Josh Duhamel is a hottie!" And pointing to V's preggo belly and saying "That's Josh's baby!" Yeah... Anything to get on TV I guess... except now I'm regretting being so crazy! One of the cameramen passing by and said to us, "Look for the commercial on TV nationwide within a week!" I asked, "What channel?" "ALL OF THEM." Silence. Wow.
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The main event coordinator said she'd buy anybody popcorn and candy as thanks, so we took her up on it!
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So, if by chance you do see our faces on a commercial promoting Safe Haven in the next few weeks, lemme know! Or maybe don't...
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Definitley one of my top 5 fave GNOs!

The One with Scrap Your Stash #1


Thursday, January 24, 2013

My very first Scrap Your Stash layout and accompanying video is up at twopeasinabucket.com today! Eeeps!
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COOL LIKE A FOX 

Description: You know how the barcode strips at the bottom of patterned papers have patterns on the opposite side? I LOVE those tearaway strips! I hate throwing them away so I like to think of new ways to use them from my stash. Enter today’s technique: paper weaving! The Amy Tangerine Ready Set Go line has bright and bold colors that I associate with my strong-willed toddler named Fox. He has a fox shirt that I took a picture of him in that just had to be scrapped. A paper-woven photo mat is a great spot for these fun photos. I like creating embellishment clusters using all types of products for interest, texture, and dimension, including die cuts, stickers, brads, punching, and spray mist. I tried to use products and images that I associate with Fox or things that he likes - a fox because his name is Fox, a bicycle because that's one of his favorite words, a lightbulb to show how he's bright, a leaf because he loves leaves, a star brad because he loves stars, so on and so forth. After creating this layout I feel like I've made a dent in my tearaway strips stash and saved them from the trash!

Journaling says: I'm so glad that foxes are "in" right now! I love when you wear this t-shirt - it's so true!

How to: The video shows how to create the layout from start to finish. But here it is written: trim the same color cardstock as the background to 8 x 10" then weave tearaway trips across it; trim the edges shorter. Create embellishment clusters around the photo to draw the eye around the page using brads, stickers, die cuts, a metal disc, wooden veneer shape, and more! Make a title on the bottom right corner. Punch a segment of zigzag border on each edge then drop brown spray mist on top of the punched areas.

Supplies: Cardstock, patterned paper, fabric brads, letter stickers, die cuts (camera, fox, journaling cards), metal disk, stamps (word, date), paper leaves, zigzag border punch, adhesive, pen: American Crafts; Stickers: American Crafts (green arrow, potty man), Studio Calico (orange arrow, pointing finger); Journaling spots, spray mist, bicycle wooden veneer, chipboard speech bubble: Studio Calico; Ink: StazOn

Challenge: Create a layout with paper weaving using tearaway strips!
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Making this video was something of a challenge - but I hear that the more you make them the better and easier it gets! It normally takes me about 3 hours to make a layout from start to finish, but I never have a solid 3 hours so it's more like over a period of 8-12 hours or even 3 days. I can't make a 3 hour video. Therefore, I had to plan ahead. Then when I finally filmed myself making the layout, I hadn't pressed the record button!!!!!!!!!!! Rookie mistake. I was sooooo sad and upset and distraught! I had even trimmed all the papers and done the stamping. I had to pull the layout apart and start over and make the best of it. And so, without further gilding the lily and with no more ado, here is my first Scrap Your Stash Video. And yes I know I need a manicure.
1 down, 11 to go!

The One with the 2Peas Gardeners' Digest January 2013 Blog Hop


Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Welcome to the 2Peas Gardeners' Digest, a monthly blog hop hosted by the 2Peas Garden Girls! Below you will find a sneak of one of my upcoming layouts for the 2Peas Project Gallery, a list of items that I've placed in my shopping cart, a project from another scrapbooker that inspires me, and a giveaway!

Here is a little sneak of the love-themed layout that I created for the February 1st Garden debuting on, well, February 1st :) Check out the rest of my Garden Girl creations HERE.
I was scrolling through the 2Peas Gallery and stopped in my tracks at this layout by Monika Głód:The layers, the colors, the photos, the stitched ampersand - what's not to love?

Here are 5 products that I am crazy about!



I've got a giveaway today! The first is this brand new, never opened Dear Lizzy Lucky Charm Rotary Phrase Stamp!
The second giveaway is a spot in Julie Campbell's 2 Peas class: Journey into Card Making!
"Whether you’re a seasoned card maker or have yet to make your first card, this workshop will take you on a journey to create handmade cards that your friends & loved ones will cherish. Julie will start out by teaching you card making basics; you will create a card organizer to file away all the new cards you'll be designing! You'll then travel on to gain greater design skills. You’ll dive into design principles and learn how to create an eye pleasing design. You’ll learn all about composition & balance in a way that will take your cards from good to great! Become adventurous and explore some of the hottest trends in paper crafting! In this workshop, you’ll also learn how to incorporate colors in your projects & how to create cards in several unique styles. Included in this workshop are over 30 brand-new card samples from Julie and her contributors. The three chapters contain a printable PDF for a total of over 40 pages, and 80 minutes of coordinating video tutorials. Julie’s talented contributors include card makers Laura Bassen & Michelle Wooderson. At the end of this journey, you’ll find a BONUS chapter filled with souvenirs! Create a trendy card set with the card making kit designed by Marcy Penner of Hello Forever. The kit will be available for download as a PDF and as a cutting file you can use with your Silhouette machine. The lessons are available for you to work at your own pace and upon purchase can be accessed in the "Workshops" section under "Classes & Events." A private message board forum is also available to ask questions for Julie and to connect with other participants. Enjoy!"

To enter this giveaway, leave a comment on this post by Saturday January 26th 2013. Easy as that!

Next on the hop: Laura Craigie!

Updated with the winner, thanks to all who stopped by and said hi!

Congrats! Email me at paigetaylorevans at gmail dot com to claim your prize!
Paige Taylor Evans © // Quinn Creatives DESIGN