The One with the San Diego Temple

One of the things I really wanted to do on our bucket list was a session in the San Diego Temple. But, it's two hours away (that's with no traffic, which, let's be honest, is never...), what would we do with the kids during the two hour session, so on and so forth. I even tried arranging a group to go down and we'd trade off babysitting/attending a session, but it fell through. Then our friends the Bybees said they got a hotel in San Diego and asked if we wanted to come down and spend a few days and go to the zoo. Fo sho! It was also the perfect opportunity to do a temple session - we'd go through first and they'd watch the kids (5 kids 3 and under!) and then vice versa. We headed to San Diego at 8:30am this past Tuesday and arrived at 10:30am - there wasn't traffic - hooray!

Fox was looking dapper and happy the entire car ride, and Janey Pie fell asleep. 

We checked into the hotel and then wanted to make the 12pm temple session so we quickly gave instructions for our kids (we've never left Jane with anyone during the day before, so we crossed our fingers she'd be a good girl!) and headed to the temple. I was only able to take a couple of photos on the way in because we were short on time. 

It was as beautiful inside as it is on the outside. I enjoyed the session and loved feeling the sense of peace and calm that comes with going to the temple. I've now been through 11 temples:
Nauvoo, IL

Provo, UT

Manti, UT

Salt Lake City, UT

Draper, UT

Mt. Timpanogas, UT

Seattle, WA

Los Angeles, CA

Newport Beach, CA

Redlands, CA

San Diego, CA

I wish when we were living in Utah and kidless we would have been to all of the Utah ones cuz they're so gosh dern close together. Another time, another day, another season! Anyway, back outside, I snapped away!

I'm so glad we were able to do this! We went back to the hotel and switched roles so the Bybees could go to the temple. 5 kids 3 and under was... fun? :) No but really, it was fine and then the next day we went to the San Diego Zoo! Recap coming tomorrow!

continue reading

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

Welcome to 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 list of items that I've placed in my shopping cart, a project from another scrapbooker that inspires me, and a giveaway!

***Paige Evans***

Julie Campbell 
Melissa Stinson 
Lilith Eeckels 
Lynn Ghahary 
Jen Gallacher 
Nancy Damiano 
Janna Werner
Marcy Penner
Lexi Bridges 
Lisa Dickinson 
Corrie Jones 
Jill Sprott 
Wilna Furstenberg 
Shimelle Laine
Celine Navarro
Laura Craigie 
Amy Tan 
2Peas

Here is a little sneak of the die cuts & shapes-themed layout that I created for the March 1st Garden debut. Check out the rest of my Garden Girl creations HERE.

Leslie Ashe never fails to inspire me! I was completely and utterly drawn to this latest layout she made:

All of those paper strips in a heart shape?!? SWOON!

Here are 5 products that I'm currently digging:
Quilt Star Squeeze Punch by Jenni Bowlin Studio:

Sundrifter 12x12 Paper Pad by Studio Calico

 Antique Treasure Chest Keys by Maya Road

Gulf Feathers by Bella Blvd

Typewriters and Clocks Wood Icons in a Box by Prima

Enter to win a spot in Wilna Furstenburg's AMAZING 2Peas Art Class:

To enter this giveaway, leave a comment on this post by Wednesday February 27th 2013. Easy as that!

Next on the hop: Julie Campbell!

continue reading

The One with Scrap Your Stash #2

My second Scrap Your Stash layout and accompanying video is up at twopeasinabucket.com today!

THE SMALLEST THINGS

Description: If you're like me, then you have more Thickers than you'll ever be able to use in a lifetime. The problem is American Crafts keeps coming up with more fonts, sizes, textures, colors, and combinations that I HAVE to HAVE! One of my favorite ways to use up my brand new and older Thickers is to create a super long title showcasing a variety of my favorite Thickers. These sweet photos of my daughter Jane and my mother-in-law were perfect for the long title “Some times the smallest things take up the most space in our hearts.” I chose fonts, colors, and sizes that matched the brand new Lucky Charm line by Dear Lizzy. Some fonts are new, some are straight from my stash. They all work well together based on the colors pulled from the photos and line. The important thing to remember is I can make the Thickers work the way I want them to to make them fit the space. Overlap them to squeeze them in a tight area or space them out to fit a larger area.

Journaling says: Here's Nana holding two-week old baby Jane at our annual Evans Family Reunion this year in Salem, Oregon. They look so happy cuddling.

How to: The video shows how to create the layout from start to finish. Here it is written: Sketch out your design, count up how many words are in the title, then choose the same amount of Thickers fonts as words. Die cut a large heart and trace it onto a patterned paper background; erase most of the pencil lines then stitch over the traced heart to define the edges. Fill in the heart with the Thickers. Don't press too hard on the Thickers until you're sure of the placement. Squeeze letters together by overlapping them or space them out to make them fit in the heart accordingly. Create photo mats from layers of patterned paper and vellum, decorate them with embellishment clusters, and stick them down. Drop spray mists and smatterings of jewels and pearls to finish.

Supplies: Cardstock, patterned paper, patterned vellum, button, stickers (arrows, borders, pennant, sentiment, vellum heart), Thickers, chipboard (arrows, hearts, “LOVED”), tag, die cuts (arrow, hearts), lace scalloped border punch, roller date stamp, pen, adhesive: American Crafts; Pearls, jewels: Recollections; Wooden veneer bird: Studio Calico; Heart confetti punch: Martha Stewart Crafts; Spray mist: Studio Calico (aqua), Tattered Angels (gold); Ink: StazOn; Sewing machine: Brother; Thread: Coats & Clark; Die cut machine: Silhouette Cameo

Challenge: Use Thickers to create a long title. Every month a winner from all the SCRAP YOUR STASH entries will be drawn and rewarded with a $10 gift certificate. Winner will be announced on the 2Peas blog!

This video took about half as long to make (practice makes perfect!), but now I think I need to get a lamp to make the lighting the same throughout the entire video!

I'm up for suggestions for Scrap Your Stash #3! What do you want to see in your stash scrapped?

Aaaaand, congrats to the winner of the American Crafts Valentine's Day Blog Hop:

Email me at paigetaylorevans at gmail dot com and let me know your address!!

continue reading

The One with the J&A Layout

It's Yes, Please week on the American Crafts blog and I had a layout go up yesterday:

J&A by Paige Evans

Journaling says: Amy sure can get Jane to smile big! It's so cute to watch them interact and play!

How to: Layer and weave assorted papers (like glittered paper, patterned vellum, corrugated cardstock, and tearaway strips) to create a fun photo mat!
 Supplies: Patterned paper, patterned vellum, corrugated paper, glitter paper, journaling spot, stickers (ampersand, arrows, border, heart, letters, words), stamps (arrow, date), pen: American Crafts; Ink: StazOn; Spray mist: Studio Calico; Circle punch: Fiskars 

TTFN - ta ta for now!

continue reading

The One with Bob's Big Boy

Chris has been wanting to go to Bob's Big Boy for a long time. He doesn't remember how he heard about it (perhaps when he was doing the search for historical LA landmarks that led him to Angels Flight?). Nevertheless, continuing on with our Saturday of fun, after riding Angels Flight we drove up to Burbank to check it out. 

"In 1936, Bob Wian sold his prized DeSoto Roadster to purchase a small hamburger stand in Glendale, California. He named it Bob's Pantry. One night in 1937, a regular customer requested something different for a change. Bob went to work and the first double-decker hamburger was born. Customers couldn't get enough of Bob's new creation. One fan in particular was a chubby six-year-old boy in droopy overalls. He would often help Bob sweep up in exchange for a free burger. In honor of his young friend, Bob decided to name the better burger the Big Boy. Another regular customer, a movie studio animator, sketched the now famous character on a napkin. The rest is history. The Bob's Big Boy in Burbank is particularly special because it's the oldest remaining Bob's Big Boy in the United States. Over the years Bob’s has seen a parade of celebrity names stop by for a hamburger. Movie stars of old including Bob Hope and Mickey Rooney have been regulars. From the Beatles to the Beach Boys, the restaurant has served some of the worlds’ top musical talent. The Friday Night classic car show regularly brings in celebrities like Jay Leno."

There you have it. What more reason do you need to try it out?!

Of course we had to get a picture of Fox with the chubby Big Boy.


Such a classic, old, diner-style look and feel!

They said the wait would be about 15 minutes so we hung out for a bit.

But after only 5 minutes of waiting we were seated - sweet beans!

Chris was eyeing this Big Boy like there's no tomorrow.

We placed our orders and a few minutes later it arrived.

A Big Boy for a big boy :)

French fry anyone?

It was yummy and I'm glad we went! I only wish we had sat at the "Beatles Booth" (where the Beatles sat when they ate there). I wonder how long the wait is to sit there?

Crossed another thing off our to-do list!

continue reading