New Company, Beautiful Papers

We're always on the lookout for new companies. So imagine our thrill to find Lily Bee. We selected their French Couture line (one of two they launched with and we hope to bring the other line in a future kit.) I was a tad, mmmm, wary about the arrival of these papers. We had selected them online (where they looked good, or we wouldn't have picked them) but we had seen other Couture lines online that we thought we'd like, only to see them in person and it wasn't the same -- something didn't work. But, holy moly, when these papers arrived it was better than I had expected. The colors are rich and vibrant, the patterns are both sophisticated and adorable. There is a cream paper that has just hints of pattern and color on the outer edges that is just beautiful! I can't wait to use them. I'm thinking that they would look really nice paired with my son's First Communion photos -- he's wearing a sage green suit that would look really good set against these papers -- yes, flowers and all. :)

Because the paper line is an intriguing mix of patterns, we chose embellishments that we think are a little bit of both; elegant and cute. There is a large diecut from the line (they vary from kit to kit), the one shown in the picture below is a smaller version of the cream paper I spoke of earlier, we added an embossed metal butterfly, a vintage metal saying, some pearl flowers, a little bit of swirly-bling goodness, a rhinestone button and some rub-on stitches (because not everyone sews :), plus the alphabet stickers. Just the right amount of pieces to really showcase the lovely papers.

This line has so many possibilities for photos -- we already have one about a ballerina, but graduations or weddings (or any of the pre/post parties that go with such events). I can see them paired up with fall events, Christmas activities and the teal and orange make me think of beaches and summer too. The line is so versatile you shouldn't have any trouble finding something to go with it -- maybe just deciding which one.

Vacation!

WooHoo! Last day of school here. Okay, though, one question -- why is it harder to get the kids up and out the door on the last day than it is on the first?? Alright, so two questions -- what is up with going to school on the last day for two and half hours? Seriously.

Nonetheless, at 10:30 this morning they are officially on summer break. Let the whining, being bored and picking on each other begin, because when they come at me with that, well let's just say, "Let the chores begin!" Because I have a list of things to hand them when they get going at each other my hope is to get my house in order, get back into creating pages and relaxing!! No sports, no homework, no running -- wheeeeee.

Speaking of vacation, check out the page that Kathy created with the Jenni Bowlin line. She sent this to me right after I posted about wishing I had gone cherry picking when we were in Michigan. Fun for her, she did and those pictures were the perfect thing for the Jenni Bowlin papers (the cherries they brought back to the hotel were delish!).

Lovin' the Vintage

Okay, I don't know what it is about vintage, but I LOVE it. Always have. Maybe it's the just the idea of simpler times. A time when being together was easier to do - at least when you look at it from this side. That country, homemade, cozy feel to it that really, REALLY, appeals to me. So the fact that the manufacturers have plenty of it out there just makes me happy. I totally fell in love with Jenni Bowlin's Farmer's Wife line when I first saw it. OMGoodness, I knew we had to use it. All that throw-back country goodness. Yum! I mean, here take a closer look at it -

Those plump little cherries look like they belong at a picnic -- which would be great photos to use these papers with. Combined with the sweet little polka-dot and the ledger-style paper brings country to your door. I love these notebook/ledger papers because they make writing my journaling in straight lines so easy -- I don't have to draw lines and then erase, or just attempt it free-hand only to find my writing slanting up and down!

Now take a closer look at the little yummies we paired with these papers. Those milk cap buttons, OMGoodness they are sooo stinkin' cute! Throw in that mini bingo card, the Apothecary stickers with the little ruler and stars, the gingham ribbon and a sprinkle of mini brads and how can you not play with this kit?! There are so many possibilities for layouts: good old fashioned 4th of July - the kind with bike parades and BBQ's that sport cherry pie for dessert. The papers make me wish I had gone cherry picking last summer when we were on vacation in Michigan. Shoot get me a tree, my kids and my camera and I'll set up the photo shot now. :) Any picnic, even the end-of-school-year picnics, local bazaars or even a trip to your area farmer's market. I could hardly wait to get my hands on this line, and I know you'll feel the same way when that postal box hits your front step!

Weekend Follow-up

Wwweeelll, no scrapbooking was done by me this weekend -- how about you? I played with scrapbook things; invoices, products and sneak views of the June kits, but that's as close as I got. Whatcha gonna do??

That doesn't mean I didn't get some great shots, for eventual scrapbooking, of my boys playing soccer this weekend. We ended up with 8 games over 2 days, so it was a whirlwind for us. My older son's team didn't qualify for medal play and my other son's team took third. Add the thrill of watching them play to the very exciting weather we had and it was a pretty good weekend.

Now we're back to life as usual, but I am happily looking forward to the end of school for us -- this Friday! Check with me in, oh, two weeks to see if I'm still happy or if the "I'm bored" has taken me over the edge.

Have you had a chance to check out the Sneaks and browse The Pantry for goodies for this month? If not, take a look, savor and enjoy.

June Sneak Peeks

Time to start dreaming. Time to start anticipating. Time to start looking forward.

For Summer? Heck no! For June kits! The Sneak Peeks are up and, if I do say so myself, they are great! We've got a new company, Lily Bee, and their French Couture line, as well as Basic Grey's Lime Rickey in the Bigger than a Breadbox kit. In the Smaller than a Breadbox kit we've got Doodlebug's new Sweet Treats, Fancy Pants' new Delight and Jenni Bowlin's Farmer's Wife. Add some great embellies and it's all good!

Keep you eyes peeled here this week as we take a closer look at the goods.

Lori

Weekend Plans

It's the unofficial start to Summer. School, for most kids, is wrapping up in the next week or two. Temperatures are heatin' up. Vacation plans are being hatched. Long, hot days aren't far away. Neither is BBQ'ing to keep the heat out of the kitchen and semi-cool evenings on the porch listening for the ice cream man. And if you're dish-obsessed (see previous post) I switch out my Spring set for my Summer set. (Oddly, love my summer dishes, hate the summer.)

Yep, Memorial Day weekend means summertime isn't far off. How do you spend your holiday weekend? With family and BBQ? With flowers and memories for a trip to a cemetary? With photos and kits for some scrapbooking? Or is it just another weekend with a bonus day off? For us, if the weather holds, we'll spend it at a soccer tournament with two of our boys; two boys, six games (inital games) two days equals fun, right? Fun. And if I'm really lucky, maybe some time (and inspiration) to scrapbook. We'll see.

On another note, a big TOOT goes out to one of our own, Michelle Houghton, who is teaching a class over at Debbie Hodge's site, Get It Scrapped. "Oodles of Doodles" registration is open now. Class starts June 15th and it looks like a super fun class. If you were a participant at NYC Scraps and miss it, or are looking for a place with great classes and a gentle nudge to try something new -- this is your place. Michelle is an awesome scrapbooker and I know her class will be terrific. Besides, in this day when saving a little helps a lot, how can you go wrong by using a pen, thread and/or hand cutting, with Michelle's tutelage, to add great (and inexpensive) pizazz to your pages! The class has downloads so there's no reason to let this chance slip on by.

Have a great weekend, no matter how you spend it. Look for Sneaks coming up next week!

Because I Said I Would

I really did do the Photo Treasure Hunt. My daughter helped me, she thought it was really fun and kept coming up with multiple things, but I had to rein her in to just one. I'll probably use most of them for my Project 365, too. I have to say I fell a bit behind and missed a couple of days during the last week or two, so these will be fun things to include and fill in the blanks.

So, here we go

Ugliest thing? This horrific chair that took the brunt of my foster dachshund's separation issues. He is my brother-in-law's dog that we took care of while the BIL was in Iraq. To say the dog had separation issues would be putting it mildly. The chair took the worst of it, but that's not to say he didn't take his "sadness" out on the rest of the living room furniture. It looks better when I flip the cushion over and the "debate" still rages on whether to replace or recover, which is why it's still in the house.

My middle son, Tom, sort of doing what I asked. The kids wanted to sleep in the family room, so this is him "taking a break" from straightening up. He at least has his sleeping bag rolled up and his pillows together. I can't say the same for two of his other siblings.

Please note, my scrap space is "decorated" with scrapbooking things. However, the desk is filled with work-related objects; invoices, notes, sales receipts. If we excavate down a ways, below the layer of work stuff we find the corner a cutting mat and a random circle cutter, proof that at one time, not long ago, there was scrapbooking done on this site. Sadly this is the only scrap-related residue we could locate on our hunt. :(

This is one my daughter helped me with. My first thought was I love Basset Hounds, so I have little figurines, a daily calendar and odds and ends around the house with their images. I told my daughter I wasn't "obsessed with them" but they were something I collected, but I couldn't think of anything else. She then went behind me and opened my cupboard doors, thus revealing my true obsession -- dishes. It's true, I am obsessed with them. I can't explain it really, but I love dishes. The new Pfaltzgraff catalog will get my heart racing and I need to have quiet time to browse through the catalog. I have, I think, six sets; one for each season (which get rotated regularly), my good china and my "outdoor" dishes when we either picnic or eat on the back patio (these I want to replace this year.) We won't count the number of sets I've had, and sold to finance a new version.

It's black, lots of pockets for organizing, which feeds my need to be so and very large. Good for carrying magazines to practices and baby paraphernalia when I don't want to lug around a diaper bag too! I think I need a more Spring-y one though.

The projects I've created lately are rare, unless you count school projects and cookies. But this is about the only "scrapbooking" I'm doing these days - my Project 365. Unfortunately, this page is from two weeks ago and you can clearly see the week isn't even complete. I have the photos, it's just a matter of printing them. Note to self - do it!

I did not clean it before the photo -- it usually is pretty good looking during the day. Catch it after dinner and it looks different. Oddly, nothing is ever in the sink, the people in this family stack the dishes on any available counter space. What's up with that?

And finally, my front door. It used to be a gorgeous shade of cranberry, but we have an HOA -- 'nuf said. But it does have a little pumpkin sitting there wondering what Mommy's doing now!

I love this little break during the weekend and I'd love to do it again! Thanks, Vicki!