I snapped this quick photo while we were singing "Happy Birthday" to her. I thought about including it in my 4th of July spreads, but I felt this milestone deserved it's own page.

This page came together so quickly. Normally, I spend half an hour just sorting through supplies, pulling items I may or may not want to use. For this page, I knew which papers I wanted to use. I grabbed them and a few star embellishments and I was off to work. Since I was only using one photo and little embellishment, I used depth to add visual interest, in the form of pop-dots behind the photo.


The crepe paper circle is actually from a Valentine's Day embellishment. I ripped off the heart sentiment and covered it up with the chipboard star. I love being able to re-purpose supplies, These inkable Heidi Swapp alphas have been a new favorite of mine. A little gold ink and voila! A perfect color match.

I still need to add journaling to the page, but it will most likely go on the back, because there are just too many words to fit on the front. Plus, I feel like the words would take away from the design in this instance.

Do you ever favor design over journaling?

XOXO,

If you follow me on Instagram, you have heard me talk about Zoe's freckles more than once. See I don't have cute freckles. I have a husband with cute freckles and a best friend with cute freckles, but I just have random freckles/beauty marks/moles. I've always wanted freckles sprinkled ever so perfectly just on the bridge of my nose. Thankfully, because of her father and his cute freckles, Zoe has inherited the perfect amount.

Since this particular story involved my own tale of ugly crying, I didn't really want the journaling front and center. I used a 3x4 journaling card and a plastic tab to hide the story.

Some stories are harder than others to tell. This one was hard for me. It was a reminder of those frustrating feelings I felt as a mother. All my worry and stress rolled into one scrapbook page. But, it was important for me to write down my true feelings because one day Zoe will read those words, maybe in a year, maybe in a few years, and maybe when she has children of her own. When she reads those words she will see how much I cared, how much I worried, and how everything turned out okay.

This story is more than just pictures of the first day of school, and that's just one of the reasons I love scrapbooking so much.

Where do you write down your stories? A journal, scrapbook pages, twitter?

XOXO,

• spider webbing and spiders - $2
• Heidi Swapp Marquee Pumpkin - $5
• Eyeball gumballs - $2
• White pumpkins - $6
• Owl ornament - $2

 The candlesticks, books, clipboard calendar, frames, Lindsey Letters print, and glass bottles, I already had. This mantle will transition into my Thanksgiving mantle using many of the same pieces.

The only item I made was the foil sugar skull print using my Minc foil. I found the free PDF here. Alexis of Persia Lou has a great tutorial for this over on her blog here.


Do you have a place in your house where you decorate for the seasons?

I get to have two Christmas tress this year, and a mantle....you bet I'm excited!

XOXO,

Hello friends!

This post will be short and sweet. I wanted to share my easy recipe for Pumpkin Alfredo sauce. It's the perfect base for any pasta dish and the mix-ins are endless! I chopped up some left-over chicken kabobs and wilted some spinach. It was delicious.

• 1 can of pumpkin
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2-1 cup milk
• salt and pepper, to tase
• 4 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
• 3-5 sage leaves (finely chopped)
• sprinkle of dried rosemary
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 

I've been using The Happy Planner for almost a year now and I love it! It wasn't until recently that I discovered the amazing world on planner stickers!

As Zoe is bridging the world from little girl to girl, my role in her life is also changing. I'm trying to let go, while still letting her know I'm always around. It's a delicate balance. It's hard to let go when she is my whole world. Having only one child is a double edged sword sometimes. She has me all to herself, but then again, she has me all to herself. For now she still lets me decide most everything, but I have a feeling those days are sooner coming to an end.

It's these tender times that make me want to document every day, and every feeling. I love looking back at these moments and being able to see how much has changed, and how much has stayed the same.


XOXO,

XOXO,

Scrapbook tools are one of my favorite purchases for scrapbooking on a budget. They usually save time and money, overall allowing for more options then their pre-made counterparts. Enter the Photo Sleeve Fuse by We R Memory Keepers.

When I first saw this tool, I thought it was kind of a gimmick until I was putting away some of Zoe's school projects. I generally shove all the projects she makes in the school year into a 12x12 page protector. At the end of the year, I go through, pick my favorites and then slide them into their own page protector.


This year as I've been going through her projects, I found oddly shaped papers that require a custom page protector. If I use a 12x12 it's too big and an 8.5x11 is too small. That's when I really had a desire to try the Fuse tool.

The best parts: You can make custom size page protectors, perfect for odd size memorabilia (like the pressed penny and souvenir photo). I love that I don't have to buy pocket pages anymore. It's compact and easy to store. I like the permanency of it - I hate things falling out of page protectors.

The worst parts: It can be temperamental.  There is a learning curve on how to get good line and not accidentally press too hard. There is no temperature control either.

Overall Feeling: Worth it for what I need it for. I don't think this is a must have, but it helped me achieve my desired effect. I'm glad I purchased it.


Have you tried it?

XOXO,

 To showcase this amazing bundle, I made two projects with the bundle. One of my favorite parts of working at Fort Worth Fabric Studio, was helping brainstorm ideas for bundle names. I decided to keep with the theme name and make some items for a lemonade stand. A party banner and a coin purse.


 Today, I have the tutorial for the party banner. It is also perfect for decorating a girl's room or a birthday party. I still have some leftover fabric to blend into my stash or make something else, maybe a table runner.


Supplies:

• Pink Lemonade Fat Quarter Bundle
• Rotary Cutter & Mat
• Ruler
• Sewing Machine
• Pinking Shears (optional)

 Make bias tape from strips by sewing diagonally along matched up corners of each strip. I use a bias tape maker to fold the fabric while I iron it. You can also fold and iron by hand.

 You should have 32 triangles. Match the triangles with the same fabric, place wrong sides together. Stitch along two sides. Repeat until you have 16 completed triangles. (Discard one triangle, you only need 15 for this project.)

 Use pinking shears to trim the sewn edges of the triangles.

 Open the bias tape and insert the triangle, matching the markings.{All unfinished edges of the triangle and bias tape should be tucked inside the fold.}Place clover clip on top of all layers, along the center point.