The One with Mayberry Layouts

First and foremost, happy birthday to my little sister, Allie Litchfield! She's finally out of her teens :)

Wish you were here so we could celebrate properly! LOVE YOU ALLIE!

PS - If it's Allie's birthday today, you know what that makes tomorrow? MY birthday! And not just any birthday, it's my GOLDEN birthday (I'll be 28 on the 28th.) Just sayin' :)

Anyway, back to business, I have a pair of layouts up on the American Crafts blog today!

8 MONTHS

Journaling says: At 8 months you are finally taking naps in your crib but don't ask about how you sleep at night... You are so affectionate and sweet. You love having your picture taken. Everything goes straight into your mouth! Now teeth yet. You would eat all day long if we let you. You refuse to use your legs to stand. Finally rolling from front to back. Happy-go-lucky!

How to: Die cut a large doily from scrap cardstock, place it over a robin's egg blue cardstock background, spray over it with aqua mist, then remove the doily mask. Trim rounded pennants from patterned papers and adhere them in three rows along with a row of photos between. Round the bottom corners of the photos to match the rounded pennants. Stitch along the top of each row. Add clusters of embellishments (such as wooden buttons, jewels, a crocheted doily, sequins, chipboard elements, stickers, and more) and make a title on the right edge using canvas Thickers - replacing a letter with an epoxy heart sticker. Write journaling with a white pen above each row.

Supplies: Cardstock, patterned paper, wooden buttons, chipboard (canvas letters and number, doily, flowers, heart, word label), crocheted doily, stickers (epoxy heart, puffy heart), date stamp; adhesive: American Crafts; Sequins: Pebbles; Jewels: Recollections; Spray mist: Studio Calico; Pen: Uni-Ball Signo; Ink: StazOn; Corner rounder: Fiskars; Sewing machine: Brother; Thread: Coats & Clark; Die cut machine (Cameo), doily die cut (Silhouette): QuicKutz

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GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN

Journaling says: Once again the Bybees hosted a fun getaway to Indio! The hubbies watched the kids while we took a few loops around the Lazy River. Kate, Jessica, Veronica, Alexa, me, Erica, Tara, Jenny, and Sara. Love these gals!

How to: Mat a sepia photo on raindrop paper, adhere it on the bottom right corner of a striped layout background, then tuck torn strips of patterned paper under the edges to create an intricate photo mat. Place half of a chipboard doily on the top left corner and surround it with chipboard triangles. Place clusters of embellishments (such as crocheted shapes, an accordion paper flower, wooden buttons,m stickers, vellum die cuts, etc) around the layout as shown. Place a large chipboard word at the bottom of the photo. Write a title with a white pen on a label die cut and tuck it under the word. Drop India ink across the layout and let it dry. Write journaling on the middle right edge with a black pen.

Supplies: Patterned paper, patterned vellum, vellum die cuts (doily, floral banner), label die cut, accordion paper flower, wooden buttons, crocheted shapes (cherries, doily), stickers (epoxy flowers, puffy heart, words), chipboard (doily, triangles, word), adhesive: American Crafts; Pens: American Crafts (black), Uni-Ball Signo (white); India ink: ProArt

 TTFN - ta ta for now!

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The One with The Move

We're alive and well in good ol' Redmond, Washington.

Getting here was a blur of craziness.
It started Wednesday night when I wasn't ready to say goodbye to friends yet so we hosted a curry dinner at our favorite park.
Bye Mizukawas - good luck in Tennessee! Bye Malans - good luck in Oklahoma! Bye Olsons - good luck in Arizona! Bye Millers - good luck in Texas!

I should have taken "before" pictures, but I was too wrapped up in the moment.

Bye Jenny - love you!

Fox and the Olson twins went around and around and around this round table dozens of times. It's funny how simple things can keep kids entertained for so long.

 My hubby and baby.

 I'm so happy we got to be with our friends for a final hoorah before we left.

Thursday morning the packers showed up at 10am. They immediately got to work and started storing our life into cardboard boxes.

Thhheeeyyyy'rrreeee hhhheeeerrrrreeee!!! #poltergeistreference

 For lunch I walked Fox and Jane down to In-N-Out. Yes, there is an In-N-Out within walking distance of our apartment. Or, at least there was. There ain't nuttin' but trees within walking distance here!

Jane didn't get much to eat so I fed her in the midst of the chaos. 

Things were just too chaotic though, there wasn't any place for us to "hang out" and just be, so I packed the kids and cat into our car and we drove out to Westlake Village to stay our last couple nights in California at my aunt/uncle/cousin's house. Aunt Natalie was a wonderful hostess and made me a delicious panini for dinner.

Once Fox discovered cousin Daniel's room, I never saw him again. Not really, but he did spend a lot of time in there!

He found another round object to run circles around like unto the table at the curry dinner.

New toys are always such a lifesaver! I should start doing toy trades with friends every week.

For dinner Jane had some mac'n'cheese. I just think she's adorable.

Friday morning, while I was still at my family's house, Chris had spent the night alone in South Pas and was there when the movers showed up. We kept in touch throughout the day and then after the kid's naps I headed back to South Pas one last time. The apartment was completely empty except some cobwebs and dirt.

Fox was a little confused.

Joey was out of sorts too. Jane was happy as ever as always.

I spy two cuties in the window!

All our stuff was loaded up into ginormous ghetto shipping crates which will be freighted across the ocean somehow, someway. Maybe on a boat that'll go through the Panama Canal? Or maybe it'll go all the way around the bottom of South America? Either way, our stuff has a long way to go and I have no idea when we'll be seeing it again. Hopefully sooner rather than later!

Bye house that we've loved so much for four years!

I wanted to go on one last walk around our neighborhood before we drove away for good.

Bye bye patch of grass!

Bye parrots of Pasadena! Bye Camden Court! Bye fence that Fox was obsessed with opening and closing! Bye "Christmas tree lights!"

Bye bye street!

Bye my most favorite house in South Pas! Bye parrots of Pasadena (again!). Bye beautiful palm trees! Bye house with the red door that was in more commercials than I ever thought possible!

Bye beautiful South Pasadena! I cried as we drove away from our home. Saying goodbye is hard. We spent the night at the Taylor's and got up super early Saturday morning and were on the road by 6am. The route from Westlake Village, CA to Redmond, WA? 18 hours. Over 1100 miles. Snap. We wanted to get it over with and just bust it out in a day. And we did. And it was a long day. But it's all over now and here we are and life is good. Mt. Shasta, CA.

By mid-afternoon my neck was chaffed from my seatbelt because I was turning around constantly to help the kids.

We arrived at 12:30am and put the kids to sleep after giving them baths to calm them down.

So here we are in beautiful Redmond, Washington for the next 6 weeks or so. We don't know exactly when we're flying to Germany, hopefully Chris will find out when he goes to bootcamp in a couple weeks. Many adventures to come!

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The One with Scrapbooking On-Site Wrap-Up

We made it to Washington where we'll be for the next 6 weeks! I'll do a post soon about the packing/moving process!

Over the past 4 years I’ve had the amazing opportunity to work at over 30 events and scrapbook on-site for Amy Tangerine. From Bar/Bat Mitzvahs and Baby Showers to Sweet Sixteens and Wedding Receptions, each party has a fun and unique atmosphere and color scheme/theme with guests that are almost always happy and willing to get their photo taken. Once I have their pictures in hand I glue them onto pre-made layouts which all go into an album that the special guest/s receive at the end of the event to commemorate their party. 

One of my favorite parts of “working” at these events (I hardly call it work since they’re so much fun!) is seeing the other vendors hired to entertain guests. Besides scrapbooking I’ve seen everything from feathers/jewels clipped in your hair, airbrush/glitter tattoos, jewelry making, cookie decorating, handbag making, video games, DDR, photobooths, a guy who makes an Etch-A-Sketch of you, henna tattoos, dancing (there’s ALWAYS dancing!), custom candy concoctions, photo flipbooks, oxygen bars, and so many other things it’s just amazing. And there’s ALWAYS a candy bar, which, up until recently when I gave up candy, would be my favorite part of the night: when the candy bar was revealed and the kids went crazy filling up their bags!

I’ve traveled near and far and gotten to know this great city of Los Angeles by working at these events. I became familiar with the ritzy parts of town, which, let’s be honest, I never would have seen or been to had I not been able to work at these events. And since I have a slight fascination with “Hollywood” and the lifestyle of the rich & the famous, being a part of their fancy club for a few nights while living here was such a dream come true!

I can only hope to return to California some day to once again participate in scrapbooking on-site and help make and preserve memories for guests on their special occasion!

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The One with Goodbye LA

I've had this blog post composed for over 3 years now, ever since I found these photos made by Jon Jackson on adiosla.com and because I knew this sad day would eventually come.
Today we are leaving LA and driving up to Washington where we'll be until we fly to Germany.
These past four years have flown by in the blink of an eye.
Trying to sum it all up into words isn't my forte.
I'm not a good writer.
Maybe I can make a layout about it or something :)
The friends we've made, the places we've been, the experiences shared, all the happy trips to Disneyland, all the memories made.
Thank goodness for blogging and scrapbooking to look back on and relive the best of times.
Fox and Jane won't remember any of it, but I hope that we'll be able to come back some day and show them their original stomping grounds.
Holy moly I'm crying.
Change sucks.
It's the law of the jungle I guess.
On to the next exciting chapter of our lives!
And so, we're off!

Until we meet again!

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

The 22nd of the month means it's time for another 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 couple of projects from a scrapbooker that inspires me, a list of 5 items that I've placed in my shopping cart, and a giveaway!

Shimelle Laine
Melissa Stinson
***Paige Evans***
Jen Kinkade
Lilith Eeckels
Lexi Bridges
Michelle De Leon
Jen Gallacher
Marcy Penner
Jill Sprott
Janna Warner
Lisa Dickinson
Shannon Tidwell
Nancy Damiano
Celine Navarro
Wilna Furstenberg
2Peas

Here is a little sneak of the milestones-themed layout that I created for the June 1st Garden debut. Check out the rest of my Garden Girl creations HERE.

Entire layout to be revealed June 1st!

I've been a fan of Heidi Sonboul's work for a LOOOOONG time. Each and every one of her layouts has something awe-inspiring and amazing. This layout is no exception! Check out the chevron patterned paper work! L-O-V-E!

And - I'll put a plug in here for her - she has a brand new website and her very own Signature Series Idea Book available for purchase through Northridge Publishing. 

I've taken a good look through it and it's awesome!

Be sure to check out more of Heidi's projects on her blog and her 2Peas Gallery.

I'm LOVING the new Lakeside collection by Pebbles. Camping season is almost upon us, so all 5 of my "products I love" are coming from this line :)
Lakeside 12x12 Paper Pad

A bag of Chips - or rather, chipboard shapes! So cute'n'clever!

If this Chalkboard paper isn't cute, I don't know what is! I kind of just want to frame it and hang it on the wall...

What's a collection without a bunch of matching stickers?

And last but certainly not least, my favorite product these days, a 6x6 patterned paper pad!

When's payday?

I've got a giveaway to go along with this post! It's a seat in Jen Gallacher's new 2Peas Tool School Workshop!

Here is a bit about the class: We all have them: punches, die cut machines, die cut shapes, and even our most basic tools. And while some of these tools get more use than others, some get completely neglected. Garden Girl Jen Gallacher comes to the rescue with this workshop designed to help you use your tools in creative new ways. The "Tool School" workshop includes over 100 creative ideas for using your tools. Whether you're looking to purchase and use new tools, or whether you're looking to stretch your tool supplies even further, this fun and exciting workshop will give you plenty of ideas to choose from. Lessons can be completed at your own pace. A private message board forum is also available to ask questions of both Jen and to connect with other participants. Join in on the fun!

To enter this workshop giveaway, leave a comment on this post (make sure to include your 2Peas username!) by Wednesday May 29th 2013! Easy peasy! I'll announce the winner that same day!

Next on the hop: Jen Kinkade!

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