dare you....

I dare you to do a mini-book this month - do it on summer, vacation, stay-cation, an event you've strived for, a brief overview of the year so far, or as a gift for someone else....

recently I did one for doug for father's day - i wanted to do something unique and he had been training so hard for his tri-athalons that I thought a re-cap would be appropriate....after all striving to be healthy and strong is part of being a great dad!

Here are the pictures of my book - I used two 6x6 plastic covers by zutter (bind-it-all) and then used 1 patterned paper by basic grey and then solid matching cardstock for the rest of the pages. I wanted to keep it bright and fun! Everything else i used was stuff I already had in my stash. I then binded it together with the Zutter and added ribbon...

I really wanted to put tri-hard*er* .... but didn't thing that was so nice!

I did the half-circle to allow the patterned paper to show through to the cover

Tried playing with different mediums like paint, rub-ons, and ribbon

I tend to hand-journal everything (mainly to save time) so I really want to step-out and use some of my letter stickers



When I took these photo's I knew I would be doing something special with them...so I tried to capture a lot of 'texture or landscape' photos at the events...things to remember..pics of the bike / the transition area / the medals / the results / any funny signs or props, etc...they came in handy when trying to fill the pages

I also used some epoxy stickers from love, elsie....snuck some rhinestones in there at the end as well!

I hope you liked it and you create your own - send me pics of yours or a link to where it is posted...

until next time * the mini-book queen (as i've been previously deemed!)

Camera's: Large or small?

Okay - here comes my great debate...i couldn't wait to have a nice, professional, 'large' camera to take fantastic pictures...ultimately saving us the time, trouble and money for needing professional pics taken of our kids...

so i got it, still don't know how to use all parts of it, but love it dearly. the problem, of course, is it is a huge pain to tote around in addition to 2 adventurous boys and all of their things. it doesn't easily fit into my purse and if it does it is ultra bulky. It just isn't great for toting around everyday to take those spontaneous 'shots' we all love to have.

so - the question is - do i go invest more money in a 'pocket' size camera that doesn't take as great of pics but is easier to take with me literally everywhere? now i'll have 2 sources i need to download and catalog - when believe me i have enough trouble with one! but, i'm likely to have more pictures to play with.

example at hand: i've been meaning to get pics of the kids at the pool...but it is a constant 95 degrees here daily - i really hate lugging the big nikon bag on the walk to the pool in addition to my beach bag, stroller, life jacket / noodles, oh yeah and my 6 year old on the bike. I'm also afraid of leaving it in the heat for the 1-2 hours we are there...probably not good for it? hence, no pics of florida yet!

okay - give me some feedback....maybe go really cheap on the pocket camera, but don't miss out on 'any' shots. then use the nikon when we are doubling up on the kids (i.e. doug and i can both be there) one to take the camera back home once we are done - or just carry the huge thing!

i know these are not 'really' problems....just thoughts rolling in my brain!

look out for the 'i dare you to do a summer mini-book' challenge coming soon.

love to all - s.

berber vs. carpet???

i know it has been forever....for those of you who might not know, we just moved to Florida about 10 days ago! A surprising, yet very exciting move....something we have talked about for a few years now, but finally the stars aligned and it seemed a perfect thing to do. Doug, is back in a field he loves and is passionate about and the boys and I are soaking up the sun and surf! I am continuing to get settled and get slowly back into the creating groove and still busy making cloth diapers for a great friend which you can find here.

I have been more into this facebook craze lately, leaving me little time to blog and fb....and keep up with my other favorite blogs...but i believe it is easier to post pics here and talk about creative things, so i'm trying to keep it going more regularly - and yes, i know i've said that before!

so, i am busy vacuuming right now -which is probably why i thought i'd do a blog post, i will do almost anything to keep away from cleaning! i'm pondering why i have more real estate to vacuum and why i have had to dump my bagless vacuum 2 times already from just our living area....did we turn into major pigs and slobs once we moved to Florida?? is it that much dirtier here than indiana?? or is it carpet versus the berber i had at home?? First off, we went from a 2-story to a large ranch style home...so i'm thinking i used to split up the first floor one day and the 2nd floor the next so it never seemed like much vacuuming....we have more 'open' space here as well. so i'm vacuuming the entire house all at once (more dirt) and omg this regular carpet thing sheds like a golden retriever would...holy carpet fuzz???

so cons of berber....it melts really quickly when you drop an iron on it, it isn't the softest carpet, sometimes lacks dimension (compared to the nice shag carpet). pros of berber....holds up really well, if you get a 'multi-color' blend everything from coffee, playdough, kool-aid, yogurt blends in rather nicely and there is no need to get the entire stain out - making life with kids really easy!

so far my cons of carpet - sheds like a 100-lb. golden, cream color shows stains ratehr easily (although none of ours yet), not sure on the wear and tear....pros - it is very cushiony and does add more a homey feeling....althought not as even as berber when installing 3 sets of ladder shelves next to each other....

okay - i know a rather odd and boring post, but we have to start somewhere right? sad, but true, i've only taken 2 pictures since being here....i promise - soon they will come...maybe another post about pros and cons of a massive nikon d80 versus a small pocket camera.....

comment if you would still like to read posts from me in the future! let me know you are out there!

sara

Fabulous Quilt

I just found this free pattern from Moda fabrics for an amazing modern Christmas quilt...the best part is it is the same fabric pattern as my fabric scrapbook paper, Basic Grey that you will find my x-mas pictures on in our scrapbook.

I love the old feeling of the designs, but very hip and modern all the same. Check it out!

I've been meaning all week to post some pics from spring break in Savannah. Such a quaint, old town. Not to offend anyone but I don't forsee myself vacationing there often, but definately a place you should visit once or twice. The scenery was old and gorgeous. Here are some pics of the riverwalk....

These trees lined the streets all through savannah and down the center. they were gorgeous. I will post more pics of the beach and family later!

We have an early soccer game and pictures before the game. So I'm headed to wake the boys and have the normal morning argument over getting up and getting ready! no wonder i'm posting trying to put off the inevitable!

Victory at last!!!!

It is a small miracle, but I have finally finished an entire book - and it only took a few months - this is probably the first entire book I have managed to complete in a year and a half - or at least one that I remember! It's truly amazing how after child number 2, being a work at home mom that there is zero time left for reading anything other than a blog entry or magazine article...but i'm proud to say I finally finished this book!

Yes, the movie - and I will admit I saw the movie first and then read the book...but I already have #2 in the series which i hope to finish this decade!

We are back from a wonderful spring break (I'll post those pics in a later post) back to school, routine is good, and awaiting Tyler's 2nd birthday this Easter Sunday. I couldn't resist making him a bunny cake - who knows when I'll get the chance again! I also read a very moving blog post which you can find here. If you read my blog you'll realize I've sent you here before for insight into life, love and being brave. She can often materialize the words that are hard for me to form or share.

I will leave you with a quick 2 pictures of my growing boys! Soccer season starts this weekend. I only have 39 days left to train for this 1/2 marathon that i signed up for. And the weather if finally improving on a somewhat consistent basis!

Too long....away

Hi Everyone,

It has been such a long time since I have posted anything. I must be honest I just haven't felt that creative lately in my writing and have lacked some of the creative energy I usually have. Late last fall I started sewing cloth diapers for a good friend of mine and her business. I have enjoyed it immensely and they are the cutest things ever and you can view them here. Nevertheless, this has been taking up my extra time for creativity and teaching preschool has zapped my energy!

I have decided to run a 1/2 marathon on May 16th in a local race. It will be nice not to have to travel to get to the race and spend the extra money on hotel, travel and food. Plus, I haven't done this one before as it is only the 2nd annual run so I'm excited for a new scenic run. You can read about it here! I have been spending my extra free time running and training for that. I've almost been talked into trying my hand at a sprint triathalon this summer as well. So, I have been spending some time in the pool trying to reaclimate my body to the water. Swimming is definately not a strong point for me ... not even close actually!

But, I'm trying to set some new goals and getting back to blogging is one of them. I have missed it ... I just haven't had much to say! I finally downloaded our Christmas pictures onto my new computer and I'm getting excited to start scrapbooking again and have a few other unique projects in mind for spring. Austin is starting soccer practice tonight and Doug's 2nd triathalon of the year is this Saturday! Full spring ahead!

I will share some pictures and hope to be back at regular blogging soon! I've missed you all!