Just me My Soldier and our 4 little chicks

Martha Stewart Valentines

This post is brought to you by Martha Stewart Crafts. The home of fun and easy craft project ideas to keep you inspired and full of creativity.Click here for more details.

Hey y'all, happy Tuesday! Today I wanted to share some cute and simple valentines that Martha Stewart Crafts sent us.

There is a simple reason that I say yes when the folks at EK Success/Martha Stewart Crafts ask if then can send me crafts.

They are always cute and they are always easy. No fuss, no stress, no crazy cleanup, no 29834023840 hours of planning to do something with my girls.

These valentines were no exception. How adorable are they?

Sadie and I worked on these for our "special time" yesterday.

Yes, she is wearing a leotard. That's how we roll around here. :)

And Sadie's review? Two thumbs up. She had a BALL.

Each valentine is a cute/miniature/vintagey Bingo card. The wood stamps and sticker sheets fit the boxes perfectly.

Oh my heart...she wanted to make the first one for her daddy. :)

We were also sent a couple of sheets of darling cupcake and Valentine's themed stickers...just right for securing the envelopes closed.

But the absolute best part was seeing the look on her face when she gave the card to daddy.

She was SO proud that she did it all by  herself.

So overall-

The pros about the Wood Stamp Set...perfect for little hands. Crisp images and the sentiments and images are just precious.Great storage too..

cons-i wish they would have come with mini ink pads (in valentine's colors) for little hands to match the size of the stamps.

The pros about the Valentine's Day Card and Envelope Set- sweet and vintage vibed graphics, cute size and color. easy for little ones

cons-No cons for this one.

And one more thing- there's a fun VDay contest going on right now!

Whatever you craft for Valentine’s Day, be sure to enter it in the Martha Stewart Crafts “Craft Your Heart Out” Sweepstakes for your chance to WIN a DIAMOND HEART NECKLACE! Visit HERE for more details and to enter.

 

Have a great day, sweet friends!

xoxo

Registration is OPEN for The Ties That Bind!!!

CAN YOU TELL HOW EXCITED I AM BY THE FACT THAT I AM YELLING?????

Registration is now OPEN for my very first BPC class...The Ties That Bind- 3 Ways to Scrapbook Your Most Important Relationships.

Y'all. I worked so hard on this class and poured my heart and soul into it. I created five layouts that i LOVE and I am really proud of the content.

I first came up with this class idea and started to develop the content with BPC... when I was pregnant with Cate and Lucy. Yes, that was years ago.

I am so glad I finally went ahead and completed the class these past few months.

There was a LOT of second guessing and overthinking and I am so grateful to Jimmy for keeping our sweet girls occupied while I worked to make this class just right.

I really,truly hope that lots of you will join me in this class.

If you sign up, please let me know in the comments!

I couldn't have done this without all of YOU and your support.

So thank you for all of the encouragement and love. Truly.

I'm hoping that this will be well received and the first of many classes to come.

xoxo

She She and Cake

I have a layout to share today and a a story to go along with it!

First...I did this layout for the MME blog, it's a lift of Tamara Tripodi's awesome page you can see here.

Thanks so much for inspiring me, Tamara!

Here's the layout:

Some details:

The supplies:

Supplies:My Mind's Eye My Girl: Flutterby patterned paper,Fancy Free patterned paper,Genuine patterned paper,Playful patterned paper,washi tape,felt stickers, layered stickers,enamel dots,decorative buttons,chipboard accents;My Mind's Eye Collectable-Unforgettable:'You Are' tiny word stickers,'First' decorative stickers;Collectable-Memorable:enamel dots;Collectable-Notable:'Love This' tiny word stickers;Misc:doilies,Simple Stories letter stickers,Dear Lizzy Thickers,American Crafts precision pen,adhesives

 

The story:

For the story on the design elements, etc...you can see the details on the MME blog.

I wanted to tell the story behind the page. Cate and Lucy are SO funny right now.

They laugh at each other, hug and kiss each other, and beat the you know what out of each other. I wish I was kidding on that last one, but I'm not. I'm talking "2 stooges" here. Face slapping, hair pulling, eye poking. Good times.

Moving on.

They call each other "She She"- Lucy and "Cake"-Cate. And I love it SO MUCH I can hardly stand it.

I don't ever want to forget it.

Funny story. Jimmy told me that the other night they were both in their high chairs (quite some distance apart) and Cate started biting her hand...

Sidenote: They are in that "I am two" phase where if you tell them "No" they get so frustrated that they are beside themselves and don't know what to do. They get so frenzied that sometimes they go "ARRRRR" and bite their own hands. HAHAHAH!

I know how that feels...don't you? I might try it, hehehe.

Back to the story.

So "Cake" starts biting her own hand and "She She" starts screaming "Cake NO, no bite!" "OUCH!" and holding her own hand and crying. Bahahaha. Twin empathy?

They are nuts, y'all. NUTS.

Okay, that's it for today. Hope you enjoyed the long rambly story and the layout. :)

xoxo

S

Wordy Wednesday

Hint: You might want to make it to then end of this post, because there is another giveaway for you today! Lucky girls! :)

So this photo has nothing to do with anything I'm talking about today,

I just really love it and think it's a great indicator of what everyday life is like in the Howell household right now.

On with the randomness.

 

1. Kiwi Crate. You have heard me rave about Kiwi Crate...yeah I'm a little bit obsessed.

The folks at Kiwi Crate have a great deal going right now. Sign up using the code LOVE and get 25% off of your first crate.

Love,indeed. :)

 

2. I have another layout up at Paper Party. Go check it out!

 

3. Have you tried out Vine? It has a lot of glitches, but I'm having so much fun with it. I see myself mainly using it for crafty purposes, but I did have fun making this video of the babies, this one of Harper, and this one of Sadie. Too fun!

 

4. And now...for all of you who were patient enough to get this far,

I have a giveaway!

Online Card Classes is back with an all-new take on one of their most popular classes: Clean & Simple Card Making 2!

Join Kristina Werner, Jennifer McGuire, Julie Ebersole and friends to discover the “secret” to minimalistic and fabulous cards.

Learn new techniques and be inspired by 26+ videos and 34+ clever and creative card designs. Gather inspiration from your fellow students and Online Card Classes teachers in the forums and galleries. Then print out class PDFs to take Clean & Simple Card Making 2 with you wherever you go.

Plus, with lifetime access, random giveaways and shopping discounts galore, you’ll be able to outfit your card making stash in clean and simple style. I am excited that they will be using some My Minds Eye products in this class!

For more information on the class, check HERE. Class runs January 28 - February 8, but you can join any time and have lifetime access!

IF YOU'D LIKE TO WIN A SPOT, LEAVE A COMMENT AND I'LL DRAW A WINNER THIS WEEKEND ALONG WITH THE WASHI WINNER!

Thanks for stopping by today, y'all! I hope your Wednesday has been beautiful and blessed!!

xo

S

Cocoa Daisy Projects

I was so excited when Emily asked me to guest design for Cocoa Daisy this month.

I got the main and the Now Showing add-on and I had so much fun that I decided to do a mini when I was done with my layouts.

And I haven't done a mini in forever. I have to say that I want to do more now...i had a BALL!

Thanks for this honor and opportunity, Cocoa Daisy!

Winter CHA layout

I love the star background stamp that comes in the main kit. I used it on a layout for my BPC class too.

A little white embossing powder really makes it pop!

 

Simply Wonderful layout

A pretty simple layout but it makes me very happy. I need about 1928301280128 of these "choose happy" badges.

It's kind of my mantra. :)

This is a little mini album listing all of the things I love about Newport.

I made it by cutting up some of the Echo Park Photo Freedom patterned papers.

I hole punched each journaling card and bound them with jump rings.

The perfect little Instagram album. I printed each Insta at 2.5x2.5.

Super simple and super HAPPY. Oh- I added doilies from my own stash but everything else is from the kits. :)

Thanks so much for stopping by tonight!

Don't forget to enter the washi giveaway!

xo

s

 

 

 

Paper Party+BPC News!

So excited to share the news that I'm part of my friend Liz's new scrapbooking website, Paper Party.

I'll have a series called "Time's Up" where I share scrapbook layouts that are perfect for busy mamas/crafters.

You can see my first post here.

 

In other scrapbooking related news...I finished and turned in all of the content for my first BPC class, The Ties That Bind (Scrapbooking Life's Relationships).

It will be offered in February. I created five new layouts for the class (each come with a step by step and a downloadable PDF sketch).  I really believe this class is great and has wonderful content and I hope lots of you will consider signing up!

Here's a collage of some of the sneaks.

I think that's it for now. Thanks so much for stopping by.😍

xoxo

s

wordless(ish??) wednesday

and this is what happens when big sisters leave out their dress up makeup.

did it taste delicious cate? you look pretty proud of yourself.

xoxo

S

truth.

Last week when I was traveling home from CHA I had a four hour layover in Chicago.

I found this on a mirror in the ladies room and I had to snap a photo.

Who knew an airport bathroom could be so deep?

Isn't that the truth?

You know what's funny? I am so hard on myself. Why do I allow myself to speak to me that way?

I wouldn't take it from friends. Jimmy would never speak to me that way.

So why is it okay for me to tear myself down? To have unrealistic expectations for myself?

It's not okay. And something I've struggled with my entire life. I used to have the worst self-confidence ever. And it's gotten SO much better over the years.

But it's always a work in progress. Being kind to myself. Being gentle. Encouraging myself. Not expecting myself to be perfect.

Seeing the real me in the mirror. The one who is perfectly imperfect just the way she is.

Learning to laugh at myself and not take myself so seriously.

Remembering that I only get to do this once and I want to do it right.

That's my lifelong challenge.

I constantly strive to teach my daughters to love and accept themselves. And I'm teaching myself at the same time.

Sometimes it just takes a bathroom mirror to give me that gentle reminder. :)

Who would have thunk it?

xoxo

Scrappy Sunday...CHA recap- favorite products

Okay...confession. I did NOT get much time to walk around and look.

And when I did walk (for the most part),I just got sidetracked by people and ended up talking to them instead of looking at product or photographing it.

I never made it to certain booths at all (I heard Fancy Pants was awesome, and I never really inspected Amy Tangerine even though it was all GORGEOUS...I think I was too excited to finally talk to Amy in person).

Some other booths (Studio Calico, Elle's studio) I really loved but didn't get any photos.

GCD Studios had some amazingly beautiful and usable products. Again...no photos. See a trend here?

But I did get photos in a few booths and I wanted to share what caught my eye.

 

Jenni Bowlin-I always love everything Jenni does. Her products are timeless and classic and I always want everything she makes.

Her 'feather tags' were my favorite product at the show:

jenni has always been my favorite scrapbooker (and she's the reason why i never do computer journaling), so i was so excited to see her layouts in person.

also thrilled for my friend lisa and her new jbs line modern mercantile:

SO EXCITED that jenni is bringing back her rub-ons. they were always my favorite...they are like BUTTAH. and i heard these will be available in gold and silver. EEEE!

 

 

BasicGrey- specifically the mint julep line. totally ME and i will be purchasing every piece:

how great is this sign? i want it for the girls:

 

Lily Bee- kristen hit the nail on the head with these releases. the heart/bokeh paper was one of my favorite papers at CHA.

 

 

Teresa Collins- i was pleasantly surprised and impressed with teresa's products this show. did you know she's in the MME family now? maybe that has something to do with why i loved everything so much! all i know is i want these goodies!

 

Crate Paper- My favorite new line of the show is a tie between Maggie's line for Crate Paper and Dear Lizzy.

I think Maggie got in my head and pretty much made my dream line. And her booth was darling.

Pebbles- I loved these journals and also they had a darling new line by Amy Locurto from Living Locurto.

 

Webster's Pages- Allison Kreft's designs are DARLING. Whimsical and fun and happy. I loved them.

 

Simple Stories- I particularly loved the albums and the Vintage Bliss line. The booth was also really cute. Love the counter.

I'm a big fan of the SN@P method of scrapbooking and I have an inkling that's how most of my scrapping will be done this year.

 

Glitz- They are really knocking it ouf the the park lately. I love everything they come up with.

 

Dear Lizzy- I don't even know where to start without gushing. Okay. I'm going to gush. I LOVE LUCKY CHARM. It's playful,reminiscent of my childhood, and just plain fun.

The navy floral paper is an instant favorite, I've already used it on two layouts for my BPC class.

And those albums? So me. I need a couple for sure.

 

Maya Road- loved this two-tone twine. i also found lots of stick pins and stamps i loved but (of course) didn't take photos for some reason.

 

Chic Tags- I loved every single thing Veronica came out with this release. Don't ask me why the only photo I have of this booth is the wall. She has lots of pictures on her blog, though.

 

Whew! There you have it...my show favorites!

Have a wonderful Sunday. :)
xo

S

Review- Kiwi Crate

I want to share an AWESOME new monthly craft kit with  you all.

It's called Kiwi Crate and it is so much fun. When Kiwi Crate contacted me to review their product I had to say yes.

It's exactly what every busy mama needs. I have so many good intentions of doing themed crafts/lessons with my girls.

But when it comes down to the planning/prepping time...I just don't have it.

Enter Kiwi Crate.

I honestly think this is a brilliant idea. How many of us want to do things like this with our kids...but simply don't have the time/energy to do them?

We received the Antartic Adventure crate.

Here are a few shots of how our kit arrived:

The kit came with two activities and supplies, plus supplies for enrichment/extention activites.

Each pamphlet contains directions,a mini science lesson, extension activities,etc.

The big girls were SO excited to do these activities. We spread them out over two days of Christmas break and they kept everyone so excited and engaged.

First we did Penguin Bowling:

Up next were watercolor/oil pastel postcards:

And our final (but favorite) activity was an extension activity.

We froze water into ice and used salt/string to "go fishing".

This activity had perfect timing as we got our first big snow soon after this and the girls noticed the streets were salted.

They made the connection and it was awesome!

I think it's safe to say (in case you can't tell by the photos) that we LOVED this product.

I am signing up for a subscription I loved it so much.

The crates are offered in a:

12 Month Gift

6 Month Gift

and a

3 Month Gift

The crates are put together meticulously and the materials are so comprehensive. I can't wait to do this again!

Thanks for stopping by today, y'all!

xo

s