Hello, birthday week! I ended up cutting down some old rounded corner cards and adhered them to another card for three pockets this week. Love how they turned out.

It rained almost all week. Fun times.

Loving my new umbrella from Target and white it did come in handy, it's giant. And I worried about taking people out as I hurried down the narrow city sidewalks. My bad.

Hello, 40. I've gotten to a point in my life where birthdays are just another day. Some days I still feel like I'm in my late 20s. Other days I feel like I'm 80. This photo was from a Snapchat filter. It originally was a grid of 4 photos so I cropped it down and printed it out.

The journaling cards from In A Creative Journal will always be my go to for writing out my stories. I'm slowly adding more collections to my collection..

You can't really tell from the photos, but the center card is actually gold foil. It's really pretty and the light catches it just right.

Hooray for crab rangoon.

Remember when I said I wasn't going to buy and new scrapbooking supplies this year? Yeah, I'm dangerously low on chipboard pieces so we'll see how that goes.

Love adding photos of the little moments, like this one of me reading on the T and then reading while eating some tomato basil soup from Cosi. So good.

***

Album: 9x12 Studio Calico Color Theory Album - unavailable (SC, please bring these back!)

Page Protectors: Studio Calico 9x12 9 Pocket Page Protector

Cards: Studio Calico Documenter Kit (various), In A Creative Bubble Journaling Cards, various old cardstock

Happy weekend & happy crafting!

The new Reverie Collection from Sahin Designs is here!

Print some cards, do a little journaling, add some wood embellishments and you've got yourself an awesome, quick layout.

I might be a little bit smitten with all of the birds. And I love the new page protector designs from Ali Edwards. I cropped down the photo of Steph & I and stuck it in the pocket. For the elements, I simply batch printed a bunch on one sheet and then carefully trimmed them out.

I've been hoarding that round wooden piece forever and finally got to put it to use.

Check out the collection below. Just click each photo to learn more!

Ice cream, bagels, pizza, tacos, Starbucks and a roast chicken dinner. This week was ALL about food.

Rick and I enjoyed out first cone of the season from Acushnet Creamery. Coffee Cookie Dough. It was delicious.

Chicken and spinach pizza with Alfredo sauce. Trust me, it's amazing. The illustrated houses card & documented chipboard piece are from Studio Calico.

I've been banging out ornaments & garlands for my Harry Potter Christmas tree. The top left photo is some garland I made from and old book. DIY post coming soon! Also, Panera needs some help with cutting bagels. *facepalm* OMG True Story card is from In A Creative Bubble.

Been hoarding that 5 card FOREVER. It's from an old Documenter kit.

Love all the pops of red/magenta. And the yes card tied in nicely with the black 5 card from the other side. All about balance.

Of course I had to add a photo of Archie + fam. What can I say? My Nana was from London.

Fun story: we have a Starbucks and Mirasol's Cafe within spitting distance of each other. Mirasol's had this super yummy I-could-drink-my-weight-in-it drink called a Chippi. It's like coffee milk, but with more coffee flavor and less milk. Kinda hard to explain. (They also sell it by the gallon.) Rick always gets a Javachip Frap when we go to Starbucks. So every time we go, he always says he wants a Chippi (frap, not actual Chippi from Mirasol's) Cracks me up every time.

***

Album: 9x12 Studio Calico Color Theory Album - unavailable (SC, please bring these back!)

Page Protectors: Studio Calico 9x12 9 Pocket Page Protector

Cards: Studio Calico Documenter Kit (various), In A Creative Bubble Journaling Cards, various old cardstock

Happy weekend & happy crafting!

This is 40.

Some days I feel like I'm still in my late twenties. Other days it's eighties.

I thought it would be a fun idea to do a 40 random things about me in honor of my birthday.

Here goes.

1. When I was little, I wanted to be either a dolphin trainer or a Solid Gold dancer. There was no in-between.

2. I only drink coffee when I'm out. Never at home.

3. I am a Mission 22 ambassador.

4. 11 tattoos and counting. I have my right sleeve drawn up, just need to add some finishing touches. And then it's on to finish my sides and back. (I can be the old tattooed cat lady at the circus when I'm old.)

5. I've moved A LOT.

6. I'm awesome at planning and logistics. Just suck at the follow through.

7. The PNW feels like home to me. Unfortunately, I'm on the wrong coast.

8. No guac, please. Or avocados. Nope. Just no.

9. I once quit my full time job and moved to Alaska for the summer to work at a fly fishing lodge.

10. Tacos are life.

11. Not a big fan of crowds. Or really any gathering of like 8 or more people.

12. I've worked in all aspects of the medical field for over 10 years. (Clinical & admin)

13. Probably the biggest procrastinator you'll ever meet.

14. I have a love/hate relationship with the dentist. You wanna pull a tooth? Sure, where do I sit? A cleaning? Where's my Ativan? 

15. Emerald green and navy are my two favorite colors.

16. The Black Keys are my jam.

17. I'm allergic to almonds + walnuts. And have an adverse reaction to anything with a high level of pectin. Life fresh pineapple. *sad face*

18. This is the first time in my life where I haven't had a pet. *bigger sad face*

19. Harry Potter For Life. 

20. Rick and I own a screen printing & Veteran apparel shop.

21. Someday we're buying a van to trick out and live out of that. Just as long as I have space for crafting. You can find us on IG here. #vanlife

22. I was on the B&W photo staff my sophomore-senior year & the newspaper staff my junior & senior year of high school.

23. I grew up in the trash business. (My mom and dad owned a company that they sold to BFI and then both went to work for them. My aunt and uncle had their own trash company that they sold to BFI as well.)

24. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Mostly just because of the food. Personally I think we should have turkey and stuff every day. But that's just me.

25. I hate having my picture taken.

26. I've been taking risks lately, and they've been panning out. #goodtimes

27. Things I like to hoard: bags, shoes, washi tape, plants, travel mugs. It's bad.

28. Target, IKEA, TJ Maxx and World Market are my favorite stores.

29. 80% of my furniture is from IKEA. I've probably wasted 8.2 days of my life putting it together.

30. We live in an old mill that was converted into lofts. Definitely haunted.

31. List maker.

32. I can count my really good friends on one hand. The kind that gift you a chocolate dick for your birthday. 

33. I miss my Nana and Grampa and wish that I could've spent more time with them before they passed.

34. I used to have 2 saltwater nano tanks. So much fun. Definitely want to set another one up.

35. I have no desire to ever go to Disney. 

36. The PCT is still on my bucket list.

37. I'm still only on season 2 of GoT. (I know, I know.)

38. I've had chronic insomnia for as long as I can remember. But I can nap like a pro.

39. Both of my elbows hyper-extend. (It creeps everyone out.) And I can pop my sternum REALLY loud. (Also creeps everyone out.)

40. Not a fan of sloths.

Next year, and every year thereafter, I'll do another round but perhaps with stuff that's happened within that past year.

Lots of big changes happening now, and will continue to happen over the next few months.

Happy to be along for the ride.

I've been waiting to find the perfect collection to showcase my Newport trip and I finally found it!

Newport in the Summer (or any time, for that matter) is my absolute favorite. The ocean, the mansions, Thames Street. Cruising down Bellevue Ave. Easton's Beach. The food!

I've been a member of the Newport Preservation Society as long as I can remember so that means free admission to the mansions whenever I want. 

For this layout I used the Frolic Collection from Sahin Designs. I am IN LOVE with this collection.

The bright colors work perfectly for summer projects and I can't wait to incorporate the papers and elements into more of my projects.

Seriously guys, that yellow striped card? Heart eye emojis all around.

These cards worked perfectly with these photos.

Bright florals for the win!

You can find the collection below. Just click on the photos!

Hooray for bright colors! And Week 18!

I'm so happy it's May. I start my new job on the 13th, Week In The Life Happens, my 40th birthday, creative team awesomeness and a family BBQ/Birthday party. Good times.

I'm still loving these cork month pieces that came in last year's SC Documenter kits. Gold glitter accents are my jam.

The MBTA ticket is from my Charlie Ticket reload. I always make sure I snag the receipt in case I want to add it to my layouts. Both the Super Excited About This & This Is Everything card are from In A Creative Bubble.

The coffee sleeve is from my new favorite coffee shop that just happens to make the best iced mocha I've ever had. 

We watched Infinity War the other night so I included the movie poster. Yes, I know I'm terribly behind on movies. Can't wait to see the new one.

Lilly had her birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese's. Still a little shell shocked from that.

One great thing about out loft: giant windows. I snagged the top pic from the stairwell. It looks out into the parking lot & the Acushnet River. They're been working on getting the PCB's out of it so there's always a barge with equipment floating nearby.

Homemade pizza for breakfast? Yes, please. In my defense, I woke up around 11. So it was closer to lunch. Oh well. Captured card is another from In A Creative Bubble. Super happy with how this week came together. Love all the bright colors.

***

Here's the materials I used for this layout:

Album: 9x12 Studio Calico Color Theory Album - unavailable

Page Protectors: Studio Calico 9x12 9 Pocket Page Protector

Cards: Studio Calico Documenter Kit (various), In A Creative Bubble Journaling Cards, various old cardstock

Happy weekend & happy crafting!

I'd like to preface this post with a friendly PSA: 

BACKUP YOUR PHOTOS!

Rick and I went on a what was supposed to be a 7 night cruise back on the Allure of the Seas with Royal Caribbean in September of 2017. Hurricane Erma had other plans for us and we found ourselves stuck out in the Gulf of Mexico for 10 days. Not the worst of all places to get stuck during a hurricane I guess. 

To keep this long post from getting quite longer, I never downloaded the photos off of my phone because I had plenty of space on it. Fast forward to last year when I went to upgrade my phone. Due to a technical glitch, I lost EVERYTHING on my phone. Photos, voicemails, texts. Everything. Luckily I had uploaded the photos to my Facebook page and was able to download them from that, but they're not high res so I'm unable to print any large photos. *sad face* I will be stealing some photos from Rick, but I was the one mostly taking all of the photos. Which is why some of them may be a little grainy or the color not quite right. Anywho, moving on. 

BACKUP YOUR PHOTOS! :)

While I love the smaller 6x8 format, I knew I collected some large pieces that I did not want to cut down so I went with a 9x12 Color Theory album from Studio Calico that is no longer available. Super bummed because I loved all of the colors they offered. SC seems to be getting rid of more and more stuff. What are you guys doing over there?

Before we even left I went through my stash and pulled anything that looked tropical, screamed vacation or made me think of the ocean and palm trees. Most of it is from Studio Calico with a few pieces mixed in from a Michaels run.

I snagged the welcome folder from Royal Caribbean and used that, plus the envelopes that I brought with me to store all the bits and bobs I collected throughout the trip. When I got home I simply cut it in half, punched holes and was able to add it to the album.

One of the main things I wanted to showcase was the daily Cruise Compass we received every morning. It lists all of the activities for the day, the weather, what port we would be at and more important stuff to know. 

Another thing I did to make sorting easier was to cut those yellow slips of cardstock and slip them in each new day to use as dividers. Eventually I think I'll purchase some Avery tabs and use those. But these will do in a pinch.

These sticky hole punched tabs came into heavy use for this album. Love how they match my color scheme.

As with my PNW album, I'll be setting this one up so each day has the same layout of page protectors. Here's how I've configured this album:

* Full 9x12 to include the Cruise Compass 

* 6x12 page protector

* 9x12 divided page protector- a mix of 9 pocket and 8 pocket

Some days might also have items outside of the pockets, as with the layout above.

I also plan on doing a 'Today's Adventure' 4x6 card each day from In A Creative Bubble. It's part of the Recorded Journaling Cards No. 8 set. Each day will also include a Jetsetter Country Card and you can find the set here.

Mexican pesos for the win! I always try to include some coins or paper currency whenever I travel to another country.

Royal Caribbean did an amazing job keeping us updated on the ever changing itinerary. I added some sticky tabs and added that to the album as well. (Note, it changed two more times after this letter was delivered to our room.)

I love how this album us turning out, even if it is driving me a little crazy.

When we were in Jamaica I kept the cap off of my Red Stripe because I knew I wanted it to have a home in my album. I used some pliers to flatten it down a bit and then glued it to the gold dot transparency.

Another fun thing to add was my leftover vouchers from the casino on the ship. I also added my Starbucks sleeves and one of my Bingo cards.

So. Much. Stuff. 

I always make sure to gather business cards, keep my room keys, keep tickets, or in this case a straw wrapper heart that one of the servers at Johnny Rockets made for me.

To finish this up, I still need to go through 3 days of photos, purchase some more 9x12 page protectors, do my journaling and get everything printed. I'm also thinking about doing a walk through video when I'm done since this album is so large. WAY too many photos for a normal post.

To check out what else I'm working on, click here.

Hope this post gently nudges you in the right direction to get your projects done!

Happy scrapping!