It's Friday, Friday, Friday

 Zoe sings that song all the time. That's another influence from Ryan.

(He listens to a radio show that plays it all the time)

Well on this lovely Friday, I'm sitting at my desk, rocking out to Ke$ha on Pandora, in my comfy cut off sweats, hair in a bun. I'm really grateful at this point that I live in a basement apartment and people can't see me, even when they walk by the windows.

Last night, I felt like getting messy, so I made a mist swatch book, 

so I could actually see all my mist colors in one place.

Ryan came in after I had made it and his response," Wow! That's cool!"

I heart him.

Stop by tomorrow, I'm gonna have a fun Halloween project up.

XOXO,

Holly & Co.

Layouts to Share

Last week, I got a big box of scrapping stuff along with a case of creative juice. I cranked out a few new layouts that I had so much fun making.

This grey and red stripe paper you will be seeing lots of. I had to hold myself back from ordering 25 of these sheets. Seriously. I've been using my camera's self timer more to get some 'real life' shots. This was from our first visit of the fall to the cupcake shop. 

I know I've already scrapped a lot of pictures from our beach trip, but I wanted to have them all in one place, so I made the pictures 1" x 2.5" and staggered them to showcase all the photos. I also used some new mist colors, I'm in love with the light gray, Clay SC Mr. Huey. Probably my favorite shade ever.

And last on my sharing list for today, is my Fall 2011 List of stuff to do. With Ryan in school full time, it can leave for some lonely evenings and weekends. I saw some lists on Pinterest, and thought it would be fun to make my own, so I can refer back to it when we need something to do. (Image is also from Pinterest) 

Hope you are all having a great week. More to share soon!

XOXO,

Holly & Co.

The most wonderful time of the year

Fall is my most favorite time of the year. Best weather, best clothes, best food....



We've spent quite a few evening at the park lately, but by the the time the sun starts setting, it's cold enough for sweatshirts. Zoe loves going to the park with there are other kids to play with.

She immediately goes up to  a kid or group of kids and asks, "Do you want to play with me?"



I was commenting to my dad that I love how easy it is at this age for kids to make and be friends. Most of these kids, she never learns their names, but for 45 minutes, they are best friends.



Yesterday I picked up a giant box of apples from an old friend, and I'm planning on making my first batch of apple butter. I'm also dying to make pumpkin scones, so I'm hoping they taste well together.



Happy Fall!



XOXO,

Holly & Co.

Goodness

This week has just gotten away from me. I do have lots of things to share. Projects, pictures and my favorite Cupcakes!

 Friday afternoon, Zoe and I both needed a little pick me up. 

I made the executive decision it was time to go back to the cupcake shop. 

Not only did we have a nice little mommy daughter date, but we got to try 2 more flavors on our list!

My new favorite, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip.

Pumpkin cupcake with chocolate chips inside, 

a semi-sweet chocolate ganache glaze topped with cream cheese frosting.

And Zoe got the Dirty Turtle, I'm pretty sure she just wanted the mini Oreo cookie on top,

 but she ate almost the entire thing.

The Dirty Turtle is a chocolate cupcake, with a chocolate and sweet cream glaze, 

topped with a mint Oreo frosting. 

The mint frosting was a bit powerful, but the cake itself was yummy.

Next up, I made another layout with my September Polka Dot Whimsy Kit. I've been watching some YouTube videos about using mists and embossing techniques, since I have quite the collections of colors but don't always use them.

For this layout I used three different yellow mists, as well as my AC mustard Zing. While I was embossing I discovered a fun technique. 

I stamped the word "happy" right after I had splattered some buttermilk mist on the page.

I coated the area with my embossing powder, and it stuck to the not dry yet mist. 

I didn't want to wipe it off, I used my heat gun on it and voila, embossed splatter! 

I will definitely be using this technique more often, I love the raised look.

Onto Halloween, I'm having the hardest time deciding what Zoe should be for Halloween. I'm not super into Halloween, but Zoe's preschool has a big party and they go sing at the old folks homes in the area, so I don't want her to be without a costume. Any Ideas?

XOXO,

Holly & CO.

Two of a Kind

Doesn't get much better than this.



These two are so funny together.



Zoe recently asked Ryan," Daddy, will you get me sword lessons?"

I must explain, Ryan has recently gotten our little girl hooked on the TV show, Thundercats.

And now she wants sword lessons. Sigh.



Zoe has also been asking opinions a lot lately, she'll say, " My favorite flavor of ice cream is vanilla, what's yours?" and if Ryan isn't home she always asks me, "...and what's Daddy's favorite?"



In that first picture you can just see how much a like they are, their faces, their humor, I adore it.



Last week, among the craziness, I got a chance to make this simple card. I am seriously digging this Amy Tan line from AC and I'm hoping she'll come out with another one soon.

Made using August Polka Dot Whimsy Kit

I loved all the circle stickers from the sticker book, and used my 1"& 2" punches and my regular hole punch to make the various sizes.



I'm anxiously awaiting a big box of scrappy stuff, so I'm planning some fun projects for the next few weeks.



XOXO,

Holly & Co.

A winner and a peek!

*My Paper Issues Blog hop winner is mommakatx6@yahoo.com. I have sent you an e-mail.* 

Thanks everyone for playing along, it was great to see so many new names :)




Next up, I traveled up to Montana this weekend, to help my photographer friend, Aly, with a wedding. I've never worked with any photographers or even shot any weddings so this was a whole new experience for me.




The venue was a barn up at Flat Head Lake, Montana. It was GORGEOUS. Seriously, every direction you looked was beautiful. It was so fun to meet Jess and Kels, and be part of their special day. They were so nice, generous and great to work with.

Isn't she beautiful?!?

This is my absolute favorite so far. We snagged them right before dinner just as the sun was going down for a few more pictures and I'm so glad we did. I love that you can tell how much they love each other, even without seeing their faces.




I had a great time up in Montana, although I am happy to be home.




Happy Monday!

XOXO,

Holly & Co.

Paper Issues Blog Hop!

*Giveaway is now closed, winner will be announce tomorrow.*



Welcome, Welcome.

If this is your first time here at my blog, welcome. If you've been here before, welcome back!



The new theme over at Paper Issues is Tree Hugger. I wasn't sure exactly what to do, since I didn't really have any hippie related or camping material to scrap. So I went with outdoors....which turned into beach :)

I had so much fun making this layout. I used my Zig embossing pen to write ," sandcastles," and embossed using my brown sugar AC Zing, which I happen to think looks almost identical to sand :)  I loved watching Ryan build sandcastles with the kids, even though they kept wrecking it, he kept trying.



In honor of the blog hop, (and moving recently) I'll be doing a giveaway as well.

To be entered, please leave a comment with contact info.

For additional entries, you can follow this blog and/or follow me on Twitter.

Please leave a blog comment after doing so.



My giveaway is a big box full of goodies, lots of paper, even some exclusive SC papers from some past kits. This picture doesn't do it justice, but the box is gonna be packed!

Winners will be posted on the Paper Issues blog, Monday, September 19th.



Next stop on the Blog Hop is the wonderfully talented - Monika Wright.



This blog hop actually has 3 different paths, Scrapbook, Altered Items and Cards.



If you would like to visit the Altered Items path - Start Here

If you would like to visit the Cards path - Start Here



Also, special for you hoppers, here is a code for 25% off in the Paper Issues Store - HOP25.



Enjoy the hop and your weekend!



XOXO,

Holly & Co.

New Look

Well it's fall, so I thought it was time for a little change around the old blog.

Thoughts?



I'm also gonna be adding some weekly/monthly features around here, to streamline my posting, along with my every day rambling, layouts and stuff.



I never got a chance to share this layout I made with my Sept. Polka Dot Whimsy Kit.

I snapped this picture just as we were getting ready to leave the beach. Our day at the beach really was a great day. It was probably the most relaxing day of our trip.



I know this post is short, but be sure to check back tomorrow. We're having a Paper Issues Blog Hop, with lots of giveaways and new projects to share!



XOXO,

Holly & Co.

We made it!

With all the events of last week, coupled with my getting really sick, I wasn't quite sure if Zoe and/or Ryan was going to make it to the first day of school.



But, with blessings, prayers and a shot of Prednizone, we were on our way.

This is not the perfect awesome first day of school picture that I had envisioned. But, we roll with the punches and her excited smile is enough, with everything going on, I'm lucky I remembered to snap a picture.

She is loving being back at school. She had a new teacher and a new class (with some of the kids from her old class)

She is doing great with staying dry at school, and telling the teacher she needs to go potty.

She doesn't like leaving her artwork up on the walls at school, she cries everytime she has to leave her picture up.

She has been bringing toys and promptly loosing them each day, I'm vetoing that tomorrow.

She LOVES recess and talks about playing outside every day.

She enjoys telling me the entire menu for the day, including lunch and snack time. She also recalls how many bites of each thing she ate and what she didn't eat :)



Since being at school half of the day, she has become awfully snuggly at night and I'm just soaking it all up. Especially being sick, we spend lots of time on the couch just hanging out and talking.



We're still getting settled in our new place, boxes and crates in the corners, eating simple meals because I haven't the time or energy to be anymore creative.



Hoping next week will be a little more back to normal.



XOXO,

Holly & CO.

Events

I apologize for the blog absence.

Things got rough last week. I won't bore you with all the other things that went wrong last week, none of those really matter at this point. I don't really share a lot of this intense personal stuff on my blog, but this I just needed to write.



My dear cousin David went missing last week. Of his own accord we believe. He is still MIA. I've been posting most of the info related to this incident on facebook, since that seems to reach more people, more quickly. Thank you for your prayers and thoughts, they have been felt and appreciated.



It threw me for a loop. You see, things like this happen on the news, or to friends of friends, but never in your own family. Never someone you know, and love, and have had wonderful conversations with over the years. Never someone who has drawn you pictures of the awful dates you've been on, just to make you laugh. Never someone with a funny, kind, sweet soul, like David.

Cedar Breaks Canyon, Cedar City, Utah

It's such a surreal feeling. We spent the weekend with a search party in southern Utah, hoping to turn up something. We did eventually get news that his car had been found, back near his home and the local police are now heavily involved.



Even though we didn't find anything on our search, and it made for long days in the car, and a double ear infection for myself, I wouldn't have changed my decision to go. It's events like these that make you realize, Family, is truly THE most important thing. You bet I hugged my baby extra tight when I got home Saturday night. And kissed my husband several extra times.



We returned home Saturday, only to pack up the cars and move up to Idaho the next day. It's feels strange and wrong to return to normal life, when our family is still hurting and searching.



While we are moving on with our daily life, our hearts, thoughts and prayers are with my Aunt, Uncle and their other sons.



XOXO,

Holly & Co.

Back to Reality

We're back, safe & sound.



We had such a great trip. It was so fun to see so many in Ryan's family and spend lots of time with them.

I loved catching up with old friends late into the night. I've missed having friends nearby.



When we got back, there was a package of the August and September Polka Dot Whimsy kits waiting for me! I drove the last leg of the drive at 3:30 am and had drank quite a bit of Red Bull.  While everyone else was sleeping, I snuck downstairs and took advantage of my Red Bull buzz. I made 3 layouts in just a few hours!



One of which is my hands down, new favorite page.



Made using August Polka Dot Whimsy Kit



I adore these beach pictures. Yes I ended up with a ruined camera lens, thanks to the sand, but I think it was worth it, just a creative casuality.



But now back to reality.

Our stuff in all over the place and my stress level is through the roof.

We're moving in just days.

But, it's all gonna be ok. At least that's what I keep telling myself :)



I'll be posting more layouts this week and hopefully more in the near future from my new office/scrapbook room!



XOXO,

Holly & Co.

California Vacation - Day 7

Santa Cruz!

I finally got my wish to go to Santa Cruz and it proved to be just as wonderful as I had thought it would be.



We got to the beach around noon, but it was overcast and a bit chilly. The waves were HUGE and there were big warning signs not to go in the water.

We picked a nice spot back from the water and got to playing in the sand.

Zoe rinsed her hands and feet about 100 times. She kept saying ," There's sand everywhere." Yup. We're on a beach, that's kinda the point! But it was funny to watch anyway.

Ryan being awesome. And wearing my his favorite sweatshirt.

Zoe got to fly a kite for the first time, thanks to cousin Luke for sharing.

We also got to bury Zoe in the sand, well kind of. We had her almost buried and she got up.

 Her reason, "There's sand everywhere."

We also got to see sailboats and some dolphins off in the distance.

After a few hours on the beach, we left to go visit a local ice cream shop Aunt Jen had been recommended, Marianne's. They boast 75 flavors.

Among our troop of 6, we tried, cookie dough, red raspberry cheesecake, root beer swirl, rainbow sherbet, banana almond fudge, and butter pecan. (I think that was all of them)

Notice the dancing cow wallpaper - Yeah it's awesome!

  

Right about now, my camera decided to die, so the rest of the pictures are from my phone.

After ice cream, we headed over the to the Santa Cruz Boardwalk for some rides and yummy food.

Just before leaving we decided to get some treats. Zoe got her popcorn and I was deciding which decadant treat I wanted to try. And I stumbled upon one of my most favorite things to eat, only available in 2 places that I knew of, Hawaii and Disneyworld.

Dole Pineapple Whip.

It's the best pineapple tasting treat. ever.

If I had known Santa Cruz had pineapple whip, we would have visited a long time ago.

Ryan decided on garlic fries, which were also yummy, but a bad choice before a long car ride home. I was regretting tasting the fries when I saw how bad traffic was on the way home.

It was a long day, we brought home sand and sunburns, but a great way to end our time in the Bay.

XOXO,

Holly & Co.



California Vacation - Days 5 & 6

Day 5 - Pretty uneventful. Saw an old friend, work & add in a trip to Wal-Mart.



Day 6 - Drove down to the Bay to see the rest of the Humbert clan. We went to a kid amusement park/zoo, Happy Hollow. Once you pay for admission, you get to ride the rides as many times as you want, and we definitely used that privilage. Zoe loved her first rollarcoaster ride. Daddy took her the first 5 times and I took her the next 4.

The kids all played together pretty well. For not seeing each other in almost a year, I was happy they were playing along so well. They held hands and rode all the rides together.

This leap frog ride, was a mini "Tower of Terror" with the ups and downs and the kids just giggled and giggled through the whole thing.

After we rode the rides, we went to visit the zoo part of the park.

Zoe was so excited, she got to see Blu & Jewel from Rio the movie.

(Technically, these are blue and yellow macaws, not just blue macaws, however, I was not about to disappoint my extrememly excited three year-old)

We got to see lemurs, leopards and a tortoise as well.

We came home and had pizza for dinner at cousin Luke's house.

We stayed the night so we could head out to Santa Cruz the next morning.

Thanks to Auntie Jen and Uncle Eric for letting us stay at their house!

XOXO,

Holly & Co,