procrastination

I am working on 3 papers for finals that are due next Tuesday. A little stressed, but as always I know I will finish and I will feel good when I do. Epic fail taking 3 courses rather then 2, a mistake I will never make again... Anyways, I am trying not to work myself too much with papers and case studies so I have spent a bit of time scrapbooking. Thought I would share my layouts.

Quick and simple, okay maybe not quick, nothing is ever quick for me. I just cut the title out of washi + transparency with my cameo. Made a little confetti pocket (following the trend). And added some bits. Cute, simple, and goes along with a lot of other layouts in my album. If I were to say I had a style I think this would be it. 

This is totally outside of the box for me... way out. I typically don't like to follow grids or lines but I found some inspiration on pinterest. It was a poster of coffee facts with lots of type, images, and of course following a grid. I thought it would be the perfect layout to share some facts about Xavier. I used my cameo on the background paper to cut titles, printed some info on transparency, and stamped a bit. Love the way it turned out. Kind of looks to me like project life style on a layout. 

Oh, and its August which means 30 days of leave for hubby in just 2 months and home in 6 months. 

TFL =)

Quick Post...

The weeks are flying by, but why does it seem like forever until my husband comes home? To be honest, I am having a hard time doing this on my own. I know this is the life of an army wife, I get that. It just is a little different for our family. We have 2 wonderfully amazing boys who need extra love and attention. Without sharing too many details both of our kids are on the autism spectrum. This past year since their diagnosis has really tested my patience. I was never a patient person, I still am not, but I am learning. Anyways, thought I would just share a bit.

Xavier is a little afraid of new things, who isn't? It takes a lot of prepping to encourage him to step outside of his box. We talked a lot about the zoo and riding the carousel leading up to our adventure. I was surprised at how excited and willing he was to try something new. He did amazing and I am so proud. 

It probably looks like all I scrap is Xavier... This is kind of true. Marc moves a little too fast for me to get pictures of him, unless if they are together. They are exact opposites. Xavier is sensitive, takes his time (soooo sloooow), likes to be alone, and is super into learning things. He can tell you all the dinosaurs names, speak some korean, and knows his planets. All these things he learned on his own via iPad. Marc is energetic, loves to clean, hops everywhere, is loud, and loves to be with people. They are both special in their own ways and while their differences make them unique they give mom a hard time =). 

If you read this all the way through thank you. Sometimes I need to vent a bit, but this was a happier venting. AND I know I posted this last time, but if you have a family member on the spectrum check out Sevenly's cause for the week. I can't wait to get my shirt!  

https://www.sevenly.org/

Some home DIY's... Just for fun

I had a major obsession with Pinterest for a while. I would spend hours just browsing projects which really did spark my creativity. I thought I would just share two things I have made this year. 

 The first project is a globe I decorated for the kids. Funny how it ended up in my room =). My parents had this old globe laying around and I knew I wanted to be able to show the boys where their dad was going to be living for the next year. I took that idea and ran with it. I used Tokidoki, Bampop, and some other bits I had laying around. Gave it a final coat of clear spray paint and it was finished. I just LOVE the way it turned out. 

 The next project is one I did as soon as my husband left. It is a instagram "wall". I purchased a large canvas from Joanns that was 40% off. I then printed all my instagram pictures at home. To attach the pictures I just used a glue runner (I wanted to be able to move them around). I then added washi tape to the top of all the photos to make it look like they were attached with the washi. The final step was to use mod podge over the top to seal it all in. The sides are painted in a neon yellow to give it a pop.

 I hope to make another soon and while I love it I will do it a bit differently next time. Here are some tips if you plan to try this out. If you are a little obsessed with straight lines or a perfect grid use a ruler (I didn't but I don't mind). Use mod podge to adhere the photos (front & back). I saw a similar project on pinterest that used photos around the house. I remember it saying that they used regular adhesive and mod podge over the top. In hindsight I should have known that my pictures would bubble because they are thin. The last thing I would do is order my pictures vs printing them at home. My ink smeared a bit with the mod podge so I had to go around the edges with white paint.

One last thing before I go. Sevenly.org's cause this week is near and dear to my heart. Maybe I will share more in the future but if you have never visited the site you should! They offer weekly apparel that supports a cause. This week charity is Autism Speaks.

http://sevenly.org/

Hopefully you enjoyed =)

A Busy Week Ahead...

I had the greatest intentions for the weekend. Clean the house, finish some homework, and spend time with the kids but that didn't happen. We spent Saturday at the zoo in Seattle. Xavier & I had so much fun while Marc stayed back with my family. I was so proud of Xavier for trying some new things at the zoo and I am hopeful that we will be able to go again soon. Sunday was spend relaxing at home, trying to finish homework, and a bit of cleaning. 

I managed to finish one layout this weekend. I am the type the takes forever to finish a page. I tend to get ideas throughout the day and work bit by bit when I get the chance. 

I really enjoy how this one turned out. One day while cleaning my stamps I decided to try out stamping a bunch of them at once. I loved the way it looked and knew I wanted to try it on a layout. I did that a bit on the main part of the page as well as around the border. The speech bubbles are from the top ten smash journaling cards. I just cut out the bubbles and added cute things Xavier said/ says.

Here is a layout I finished sometime last week. It looks pretty simple but again, I really like it. Its an image of painted rocks on Fort Irwin RD. I used my cameo to cut out the army men on the photo and used dimensional adhesive to pop them up. 

Hopefully everyone had a good weekend!

Things in my home are pretty routine and uneventful at the moment. I am consumed with studying, more studying, and the kids. In order to make sure I complete my assignments and reading for school I make a plan that has quickly fell into routine. I allow myself 2 days off from school work which happens to be every Wednesday and either Thursday or Tuesday. If I finish early I will allow myself 3 days off *yippie*. I try to do homework when the kids are occupied so while they are at school, taking a nap, or in therapy. When they go to sleep I chose to do something I enjoy every single night. I can't spend everyday cleaning and doing homework, I must have a break. I find this schedule works best for me and so far I have yet to burn out. I am excited to graduate in January, finally! 

And... I will leave you with a layout. This one was done using my cameo which I cut out the stars, made the title with sketch pens, and cut the frame with washi. The bubble tea stickers are from an Elsie kit I got a few years ago that I hoarded. I just love the way it turned out. 

Happy week! 

Washi + Silhouette Cameo

This is not my favorite of layouts but I can say I do love the die cut "hello" in it, so much so that I have used it on 3 layouts. I thought I would share how I made this as well as other shapes in my recent layouts. 

I used transparencies, the printable ones. I layered on washi tapes on the rough side of them and then put them in my silhouette to cut. I found that I need to cut on a high setting like 4 or 5 and do a double cut to insure it went through. On some of my shapes I flipped the transparencies, washi side down which gave a more subtle effect. Make sure to clean your blade after using as there were a lot of bits of washi in my blade.

Below are some more examples of what I cut. 

Washi polaroid frames, arrows, stars, and hearts! I am obsessed!

Anyone there?

I just got bored and decided to post something on my blog to bring it up to date =) Nothing important, just something.