HANNA

I suppose you've guessed by now that my movie date this week was to go see Hanna.

And boy did I love it!  It starts out in the forest of Northern Finland before taking you on her adventure.....

It was a beautiful movie that kicked ass,  with interesting characters and an intriguing story along with a cool soundtrack by the Chemical Brothers.....and I think this is my favorite song.....

Originally when I watched the trailer below and saw that Joe Wright who directed the newest version of Pride and Prejudice (one of my all time favorite movies) also directed this movie, I knew I had to see it.  And I have to say that I was not disappointed.  I think it's my new favorite movie : )  Anyone else like it too?

I actually saw it on Wednesday, so I originally was going to have it be my heart~flutter for this week.  And honestly I would love to add more than the movie stub to my 2011 album.  I wish there was a postcard or something cool I could buy.  Let me know if you guys come across anything good : )  Have a fun weekend!  <3 Carrie

Your appointment with Friday

Happy Weekend everyone!!!  Since Springtime can be light and airy with kind of a dreamy feel, I thought that this would be fun for our next photo prompt:

Photo in a Daydream

This photo was taken on a lovely afternoon in March on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean.  I blogged about it on my personal blog (Blume & Grow) while I was in Washington, and have been daydreaming about that afternoon ever since.  To me this photo has the feel of a daydream.....the subject is out of focus, and the depth of field is very limited, leaving the photo to capture a memory that is light and happy and soft with a bit of movement.....almost like the subjects are going to come to life at any moment because they are in a haze and you want to see what they do next.

When you go to take your photo try to get the subject slightly out of focus in it's surroundings to create a sort of dreamy effect.  I think it will be fun to try.  Getting the grass in focus for my photo helps you feel how soft and colorful it was to to laying there.  Take what you do get in focus into consideration.  For example, if it's someone standing in a doorway, maybe get behind them in focus so you can imagine where they are coming from and where they might go.  I think it's a different and interesting way to tell a story, and I hope you get a chance to try it out : )

Have fun this weekend!

Love, Carrie

SPRING ART JOURNAL

I can't believe that I actually finished it while I was in Washington....well, mostly finished it there : )  My first travel journal was a success!  Woohooo!!!  You can take a peek at it over at Bubblegum Life today.....not to mention that Ally*Cakes has an awesome layout to share there today too!  And I always find her art sooo inspirational.....the perfect guest for April!!! 

As far as what's up with me....well, Ryan hurt his back last week and so I have been busy helping him with just about everything.....and boy is it exhausting.....I'm pooped.  But, I do have a movie date with myself that I am excited about, and lots of fun projects to work on, plus I really enjoy having Ryan around more, so life is good.  I hope you have a lovely week. <3 Carrie

Project Monday

Happy Monday to you : )  First to share her project today is our lovely, talented, beautiful guest, Ally*Cakes.....

when i went to create this layout, i was so inspired by a conversation that nely and i had a day or so earlier,,, we both have this crazy {ahem} obsession with these adorable charms and embellishments,, she had said what a great idea to create a layout with only these precious treasures that we hoard,,,  so i thought this prompt would be so fun to create a layout with just those,,, not to mention, carrie did ask me if i were to create a layout in only one color, which color would that be,,, i just had to prove i really, really meant it!!!

thanks again carrie!!!

{xoxo} ally*cakes

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Isn't she just adorable!?!  Ally's scrapbooking is always so fun and inspirational!  Thanks so much Ally for sharing a super fun photo prompt and your awesome layout!!!  

For my project this week here is my finished Spring 2011 album using instax photos.....there is one page/photo for each day I was in Washington.....and here is an idea of what it looks like (there would be like 30 photos if I shared every page).....I hope you like : )



I used the clips below to attach movie stubs, business cards, etc.....






Each day is a page with a photo and journaling that summarizes my day.  I had to keep things simple since this project was created and completed while I was traveling.....



The instax photos are attached to each page with the decorative tapes from Color Me Miki......



And the page below is a list of my LOVES for Spring this year (you can also see the green envelope popping out from behind a couple layers in the photo below.....it holds extra instax photos from my trip).....






I had to keep the pages as thin as possible so everything would fit, so there is mostly just photos, and journaling with some layered paper/sticker borders.....And the page below is very special since I spent most of that day with my Grandpa.  He told Amber and I stories about his life and we looked at all his old black and white photos.  The instax below is of his graduation photo and on the opposite page are some notes I jotted down.....things he told me about his life that I wanted to remember.....









And in case you didn't already know, I created this handbound journal that holds it all during a lovely afternoon of crafting with my baby brother and sister <3



Have a great week everyone!
Love, Carrie and Ally

Your appointment with Friday

Happy Earth Day, Good Friday, Easter weekend, or whatever your preference may be!  I have a feeling that today's photo prompt will inspire you to be adventurous!!!  And so here it is, along with Ally's super fun take:

Other Cameras Need Love Too

i love the idea of switching up your camera.  often, we tend to stick to what works best, or what we are most familiar with.  case in point, how often do you see photo booths??  until recently, i totally forgot all about them, or, dismissed them, rather, when passing them up.  a few months ago my kids and i were at sea world, which we often do and my little girl said *mama, lets go in there*,, i stopped, and was like, dang, what a great idea.  and of course a wave of regret ran through me because i just realized i had missed so many years of photo booth opportunities.  such a bummer.  now, i make it a point, every single time i see a photo booth, wether im in a rush or not,, stop and take pictures,, maybe even do a few different photo shoots.  its so much fun,, im loving it!!!

thanks for having me carrie, and allowing me to share my story!!

{xoxo} ally

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Aren't Ally's photo booth pictures so stinkin' cute!?!  I just love it!!!.....and I totally feel inspired to go have some taken myself, you? 

For my photos I am sharing some instax that I took the last few days I was in Washington.....

The timing of Ally's photo prompt couldn't be more perfect for me.  Since getting my DSLR last summer, I rarely use other cameras, however, while I was in Washington and snapping away with Clem (my Canon Rebel), I also was taking on an average 2 or so Instax photos a day.  And boy was it a big hit!  Every time I took it out of my purse to take a pic whoever was around got just as excited as me to see how they were going to turn out.....super fun!!!  There is something about being in a place taking a photo and watching the image of what you just took appear before your eyes to cement a wonderful memory in your mind.  The photo upper left is of my baby sister with her puppy.....they are so cute together.....like two peas in a pod!  Upper middle is our visit to Port Townsend.....it was pouring down rain and we all had a blast!!!  Upper right and lower left is Freshwater Bay.....another fun afternoon with my Dad.....we had a yummy picnic lunch together and that was our view.....lovely!  Lower middle is me holding one of my sister's baby duckies.....that was a sweet morning for sure.....little duckies are so soft and make the cutest little noises : )  And last but not least lower right is my last day in Sequim before leaving.....a walk back from The Spit, my Mother looks so tiny compared to all the big beautiful trees <3

What other types of cameras do you sometimes use to take photos?  Your phone?  Or a pin hole camera maybe?  Share your ideas with us (and photos if you have them).....I don't know about you, but I often get excited when trying new things, especially when it comes to photography.

Have a lovely weekend,

Love, Carrie and Ally

Wednesday ~ Heart Flutter

(Makes 1 gallon of Ice Tea)

Ingredients

• 7 or 8 bags Tazo Passion Tea (tied together with paper ends cut off)
• 2 quarts water
• 2 quarts Simply Lemonade
• Ice

Directions

1. Boil 2 quarts water in large stove top pan.  
2. Remove from heat and add tea bags by siring them in.  
3. Place lid over pan and seep for 1hr. and 15 minutes.  
4. Add lemonade to pan and stir together.  
5. Once cooled poor into glass pitcher with lid to keep fresh in refrigerator.  
6. Serve over ice.

My heart flutter for today is this amazingly refreshing and fragrant ice tea lemonade.  I was inspired by the Passion Tea Lemonade I used to get over the summer at Starbucks and decided to come up with my own recipe which I think is just as delicious.  Best thing about it is that it is so simple to make, and then you have enough ice tea to last for pretty much an entire week!  Plus, when you're drinking it the crisp fragrance is sweet and makes me smile : )  Next I'm going to try using other flavors.....like maybe blueberry tea with raspberry lemonade?!?  What favors do you like together?  Hope your day today is lovely! <3 Carrie

Playdate with Ally Serrato

I am so excited to have Ally as my special guest for April!  Many of you know her from the Pink Ninja Addicts and their awesome kits (which I personally LOVE).  To me, she is a dear friend : )  Here are a few things about her you might not know.....

• what artsy plans do you have for the year??  as any lover of all things crafty, i alway plan on expanding my style and working on my creations and projects more & more.  creating is so much fun and oh so therapeutic to me.  i adore it.  but mostly, im really looking forward to the pink ninja crops that my bestie and i will be hosting!!!  the first one is coming up quick, april 30th, {still spots left if youre in the area and interested},, and another june 4th.  cant wait to see how theses pan out and to plan more for the future. 

• if your hair could be any color of the rainbow, what color would it be?  so easy.  pink.  fuchsia actually, and yes, it is in the rainbow.  my rainbow at least.  :-)

• what cameras do you own and use other than your DSLR?  i have a fisheye, never used.  it was sorta a silly impulse purchase.  i have several point and shoot pocket cameras.  ive always got one on me, but as of late, my favorite camera is my good ol iphone.  i swear, is there anything that phone cant do??  i love it so much, especially instagram. 

• whats your favorite Easter candy?  cadbury eggs and reeses peanut butter eggs.  of course, calories dont count, right??  i sure wish i had a body that i could eat whatever i wanted,, sadly, i usually stay away from easter candy.  {sad face}

• what music do you like to listen to while scrapbooking these days?  i love all the top 40 on satellite for scrapbooking, but my all time favorite music is reggae.  i love it a lot, a lot.  

See you Friday for her super cool photo prompt!

Love, Carrie and Ally

Project Monday

This week I decided to make some Easter and Springtime cards for my project.....

Some of the cards are for family and others are for friends and clients.  Below are the other four designs.....

Originally I had thought that a layout would be super fun with one of these photos.  However, once I saw them enlarged on my laptop screen it occurred to me that they might make cute cards.  And I was finally able to finish them all today (I had problems with work timing/Ryan being home yesterday).....and I couldn't be more pleased with how they turned out (the photos don't do them justice : )  Now, I am looking forward to filling them all out and sending some snail mail love <3

See you tomorrow with a fun Q&A from our special guest!

Love, Carrie

Playing at the beach

Hi lovely people : )  I know it's been a while since I blogged here, and honestly I have been having a very difficult time adjusting to the weather back here in San Diego.  Apparently my body likes the cooler weather a lot better, and less dust I'm sure helps too.....so basically I've been a bit under the weather and not in the mood for blogging.  However, there is a new photo prompt up over at Bubblegum Life which I hope you will enjoy.  It's kinda different and totally fun.  And I have lots more photos to share here from my trip to Washington, plus some Springy new projects, so I'll try and get back into the swing of things and starting blogging regularly again starting Monday (I hope).  But for now I wish you the best weekend! <3 Carrie

Your appointment with Friday

Happy Friday everyone!  I hope you had a good week : )  For the photo prompt today I thought it would be nice to get creative in a little different way.  And I think we will all really have fun seeing what everyone comes up with.....the prompt is:

Playing with toys

For my photos I decided to take pictures of my small tin bunnies in different locations, where I wouldn't normally have them out to enjoy.  It was a fun little experiment and mini adventure....trodding around to find three very different backgrounds.  And I honestly now can't decide which is my favorite.....

At first when I took the photo of the bunnies in the grass it bothered me that the grass was so yellow, especially coming from the Pacific Northwest where the ground is so green and lush right now.....but once I saw the photo on Pumpkin I though it was a very fresh looking color for Spring, so now I love it!  The brick photo is cute, kinda like they are crossing a pathway and have to hurry along before someone comes.  And the beach photos were really fun to shoot!  Boy, did my jeans get all sandy and wet from laying down to get them.....LOL!!!  I can just imagine these three little bunnies hopping along down the beach with people stopping to look at how out of place they are and they just keep going on their merry way.  I have special plans for my project with these photos, and I hope it all works out <3

See ya soon!  Have a lovely weekend!!!

Love, Carrie

Project Monday

Hi everyone : )  I am now home and slowly getting back into the swing on things here in San Diego.  The visit to see my family in Washington was so wonderful, and for my project this week here is a digital layout with some of my last photos with them.....

List of supplies:

• Ali Edwards - For The Love Of Chevron No. 1 Paper Pack
• Font - Efon
• Font - Courier
• Font - Goodbye Crewel World

And I think my two favorite things about this layout (other than the photos of course : ), is the lovely textured chevron paper and the cute cut out looking clouds.  It's a strange combination of elements, I know, but somehow I think it works <3

See ya tomorrow for a new photo prompt!

Love, Carrie

Your appointment with Friday

O.K.  So, I know that my prompt this weekend is a day late.  Sorry about that.  Right now I am sitting at the airport waiting for my flight back to San Diego, and honestly yesterday I just got so caught up in being with my family I totally forgot about it.  Yes, I am a major dork from time to time : )  Anyways, the prompt for this week is fun photo technique I have been wanting to try and thought it would be perfect for Spring:

Spring Reflections

The idea behind this photo prompt is to capture the reflection of an image on something else.  You can capture a reflection in water, glass, whatever works for you.

The photo above is from a walk at the Railroad Park Bridge in Sequim.  There are these large pools of water from a very calm stream that flows into the Dungeness River and when i saw the image of these tall bare tree branches in the water I thought it would be a lovely way to capture how fresh and beautiful Spring can be.  Below are two more photos also from my walk (with my baby brother and sister).....

As you can see the water is not as calm in these photos since we decided to venture off along a stream that was quickly moving towards the river.  And getting these photos was quite an adventure since the sun was casting my brother and sister's shadow behind them and the stream was in front of us.  In order for the kids to get onto the other side of the stream, they had to scoot across a fallen log since the walking path was flooded.  And boy did they love that!  I snapped the photo just above and then quickly scooted across too.  It was nerve racking.  Not because I was afraid of falling into stream, but I didn't want Clem to get wet ; )  Once across I took the other photo of the kids and my baby brother's refection in a small pool of water.  If you look closely you an see that there are streams on either side of us.  It was so beautiful and peaceful there.  The bare trees arched and met at their tips creating a giant canopy, and the rushing water was loud but calming.  Eventually we scooted back over the fallen log and went on with our day, but these images and how wonderful it felt to be there is still fresh in my mind.  What reflections of Spring do you see?

Have the best weekend!

Love, Carrie

P.S. Our special guest for this month is rescheduled to the week of the 22nd <3

Project Monday

Hello lovely people!  I hope you all had a good weekend : )  Mine was filled with three memorable days of spending time with my family and especially this little fella.....

He really is as sweet as he looks in this photo <3  And as you can see, for my project this week I decided to do another digital layout.  Partially because I love printing them out (which I will do once I return to San Diego), but also because I didn't make time to have any photos printed at the Costco down the street so I could add it to my Spring art journal.  Silly me : )  Anyways, most of the background in this layout is my photo, but for the rest I used another texture off my Crumble, Crackle, Burn CD.....which is layered over a solid yellow.  For the journaling I used three different fonts, and to add a bit more depth created two other layers in different colors at only partial opacity.  I've used this style of digital layout once before HERE, and I think I really like it for this project too.  And now I have my photo with some journaling love and a reminder of wonderful memories from this past weekend.  Perfect.

Make sure to stop by Wednesday and say hi to our special guest for April.....many of us know and love her!  And as for today I hope your week is grand!!!

Love, Carrie

A PICNIC ON THE BLUFF

This photo was taken on March 27th.  I had set the timer on Clem (my camera).  You can't tell from this picture, but just to the right of the photo where the grass drops off is a steep bluff that goes all the way down to the Pacific Ocean.  We had gone to Sunny Farms for our snack/late lunch, where I found yummy pepper jack cheese and broccoli soup, refreshing Blue Sky cream soda, and delicious pistachio frozen yogurt swirled with passion fruit sorbet...hmmmm.....The weather was so perfect....blue sky, puffy clouds, warm sun, cool breeze....lovely!!!  Just the right amount of sunny for relaxing and having lunch on Mom's soft pastel quilt.  The little puppy peeking at you is Maple.  My baby sister (just next to me) was babysitting her that weekend.  We called her Maple Syrup for fun.  And that's where we enjoyed our wonderful afternoon together.  Kinda felt like you were in heaven with the ocean below you for as far as you can see, and the sky above that felt so close.  Me with the youngest in my family.  We hope to go back there before I leave here.  It really is the perfect spot on a sunny day in Sequim.  <3 Carrie

Your appointment with Friday

Happy first day of April to you!  Today it is just little old me sharing my photo for today's photo prompt.....but it is a photo is that very special to me and also somewhat of a gift to you too : )  Today's photo prompt is:

Sharing Happy Thoughts

You are beautiful.  And yes, I am talking to you.  I wrote this sweet little note, so you could see it and believe it <3

The idea for this prompt is so write a sweet note onto a piece of paper, photograph it, and share your happy thoughts with others.

Yesterday, my brother, his girlfriend, and my nephew surprised us with an impromptu visit.....driving all the way from Salt Lake City up to us in the Pacific Northwest!  So, I thought to myself that my nephew would be the perfect helper with today's prompt.  I quickly grabbed him from away from playing with my baby brother and sister and asked if you wanted to help me with a photo.  Of course he said yes with a big smile.  And so that is him pictured above, holding our happy thoughts.  Perfect.

After I took this photo I thought of all sorts of ways this prompt could be more interactive.  Like I may have each of the kids write their happy though onto a piece of paper and then photograph what they want to share.  I hope you find this prompt as sweet and good for the soul as I do.  And as always if you decide to play along please share your photos with us by adding a link with a comment or adding to our Flickr Group.

Have a wonderful, beautiful weekend!

Love, Carrie