live . craft . learn

exciting!

i'm excited to see this cute layout in memory makers that this amazing girl made with the pemberley papers i designed last spring, and... that my name is mentioned as the designer is so cool!!

maddie is excited to see frankie under a christmas tree, although she wants us to get one now too!

also, a little birdie told me some more kenner road sneaks might be up a bit later this afternoon.

happy tuesday!
xo

on the third planet from the sun ...

{nutmeg grinder at peets}

i've got scrapbooking, project making and all things crafty on the brain. it's been a few months since i've felt this crazy non-stop desire to create. to make. to build and experiment. to dive head full in with every piece of my soul.

yesterday while mike and the littles were at the party, and i was home coughing up a lung {still am but i'm determined to win this one with a "no sickness is gonna break me down" mentality ...lol} then when they came home and took naps i printed out about 20 pictures. looked at about 20 magazines including my old martha kids, remember those? oh those were the good magazine days *sigh*. i got out my needle and thread and hand-stitched. i made three layouts. i book marked sites where i was crazy inspired. like this, and this & this & this.

also, the new creative therapy catalyst went up yesterday {and is amazing as usual} and i'm happy i got the chance to get another favorite moment down on paper.

sneak peeks for the november kenner road kit go up tomorrow as well as some fun news.

happy {*i'm now losing my voice*} monday!
xo

it all started while watching hope floats

i know. cheesy.

it's how i spend a saturday night after selling all of our extra junk in a garage sale and some of the partial remains of my vintage clothing business {k8tykat} that i closed 6 months ago... of course that's another story i'll have to share very soon.

so there i was, drinking some pinot, watching hope floats, and of course, not watching hope floats, and i started thinking about scrapbooking. it sort of started earlier when i sat down during the garage sale and opened catchy zielske's book {that i've had for over a year} and i read it. i didn't just looked at the pretty pages, which is all i usually do with a scrapbook magazine or book, but i read it.

and slowly words sank in, and it all started with the title on page 128 : everything counts.

i got it.

this thing we call scrapbooking. for the first time in the past year and a half i can feel it. the why. the how come. the purpose. the reason why i should scrapbook. not just because i want to cut up pretty paper {and believe me i love the pretty paper!} but it shouldn't be the only focus. i don't want it to be the only focus. the product is just a tool of the trade, albeit a beautiful & fun tool, but i mostly want the pages to say something real. document something real. show something real.

i want to scrapbook to document and record. i want to scrapbook to put it all down. everything. every little piece and facet of my life that i get an urge to do so. every thought that passes through this head of mine that i censor. the little minute details of the day, the life i am living. now.

like the fact that i love volunteering in maddie's classroom once a week.

like the fact that my hubs is the best soy latte maker i've ever had the pleasure of receiving a cup of joe from, each and every morning.

like the fact that getting involved in another online message board makes me all jumpy and jittery and shy because i still feel hurt and betrayed.

like the fact that i relish monday, wednesday and friday from 9am until noon because it is me time and peaceful because both littles are in school.

like the fact that the littles and i got food poisoning at chili's on sunday night.... yea. ugk!

like the fact that i have so many thoughts and feelings swirling in this head of mine but i feel like there are never enough pictures or the right pictures to do them justice but i still need to get them down on paper.

like the fact that i strongly feel that art and craft are symbiotic and that you can be a mama who records the life you live and be an artist at the same time. you don't have to choose one over the other. one isn't better than the other.

like the fact that i want to scrapbook to create something with my hands that began with the feelings in my heart.

so. like she said. everything counts. and i have decided to put it all down.

starting today.

two little sneaks {just to get your heart racing} ...

of willowside available on october 15th at 12am est at kenner road. it's english cottage beautiful and i was in heaven creating three items last night with the main kit. today is all about getting ready for a HUGE garage sale we are having tomorrow, our entire block is selling and i am cleaning out.

and then tonight i have a date with bramble {the add-on kit} and the other two add-ons. my mojo has returned and i feel like a mountain of inspiration just keeps spilling. so nice after what felt like a huge dry spell, especially since this amazingly sweet {& newly engaged} beautiful soul is our guest designer. she makes me want to make things. always. plus she is a dear friend so it can't get any better than that, can it?

happy friday!!
xo

i'm super happy to be the october guest designer over at pink persimmon, an amazing stamp company owned by two amazing women, darcy & judi, that i am lucky to call my friends. make sure you check out the halloween shadowbox and the paper medallion tutorial i created for them using the dutch journaling stamp {my new fav stamp ever} and some vintage ephemera. more pink persimmon goodies to come...

happy wednesday!
xo