{diy guest post} over @from scratch

Happy Wednesday to you!  Today you will find a new DIY guest post from me over at the crafty Melody's blog From Scratch.  Learn how I put together the homemade page protectors I used for my Week In The Life Minibook, with simple step by step instructions.  This tutorial has been one of the most useful projects I've made this year.....there are so many ways it can be used for scrapbooking, I know you'll just love it!

Melody has a wonderful blog full of DIY's from sewing, to paper crafts, to knitting, to using food in all sorts of crafty ways.  Some of my favorite posts are:  Autumn Leaves, Pressed and Pretty, Autumn Leaves: Part Two, Turn A Mason Jar Into A Travel Mug. Knit A Cozy!, and Blanket Sweater, Take 2.  Enjoy!  XO

{a long november} weekend

I can't believe how quickly November has just flown by for me (in a good way). Faster than any month this year so far.

The weekend that Breaking Dawn Part 2 came out, my awesome friend Steph flew down from San Diego and we went and saw the premiere in Port Angeles.  It was the perfect start to our long weekend of fun.  Lunch at Pike Place Market, the Twilight Tour in Forks and La Push with my little sister tagging along, hiking to Marymere Falls in the rain, searching through the treasures at the thrift stores in Port Angeles and Seattle, warm homemade soup at my Mom's, bubbly bottles of champagne at the Gastropub, a full evening of crafts and more!  Here are just a few pics from my phone.  XO

{two flyers} for fun holiday workshops

This week I have been busy designing these two flyers for upcoming workshops over in Sequim. The Gingerbread House Event is sure to be a blast for kids and already has quite a few sign-ups.....after all, Gingerbread houses hold their own bit of special holiday charm and whimsy.  So fun.

 

And guess what?!?  My Mom and I are actually going to be teaching the candle and ornament making for the Ladies Night Out!  Yesterday I made a bunch of candles just to refresh my skills and it was so gratifying (I'm burning one right now ;).  I think they'll make the perfect Christmas gift for a lot of my friends and family (a tea cup candle is so cozy after all).  If you're planning on heading over to the peninsula anytime soon, I'd plan on this event for sure.....it's going to be awesome!!!  XO

{autumn wishlist} make art for our bedroom wall

A couple weekends ago I got together with our next door neighbor and we used this DIY to make some homemade art!  At first It was hard for me to like my own version of this free form art, but now I love it.....and honestly It is so nice to finally have at least one piece of art hanging on our bedroom wall.  The colors I chose were for Ryan since blue is his favorite and he loves his vintage blue floral pillowcase.  XO

 

>>> Note:  The only things I did differently than Elise's version was that I added in a third color (white), which I did by painting a white box in the general area of where I knew the text would be AFTER already painting the whole background light blue and BEFORE painting over the text with the darker blue.  I also added in two different size fonts instead of having the text be all the same size.  The vinyl sticker letters I used were found at Home Depot (the small size), and Fred Meyer (the large size), and the canvas is just a big piece of raw wood.  The saying is my own.  Another fun item checked off my autumn wishlist.  <<<

The days and nights here in Seattle have been chilly (which I love), and so my little helper (Gatsby) has been wearing his sweaters most days. When I was taking photos for this post he decided to come joing me and curl up in the most comfy spot on the bed. He was just too cute so I had to snap a photo.....

 

{autumn wishlist} pumpkin carving with the fam

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! Mine was just perfect.....a little crafts, using our wood stove for the first time, sitting in front of the fire for hours chatting with my Mom, a movie date with Ryan, futon shopping for my teenage sister, thrifting for supplies and a even some Christmas shopping with my Mom, and lots of laundry ; )

 

I'm a little late sharing these pics, but pumpkin carving with my family was on my autumn wishlist so we all got together the weekend before Halloween, carved our pumpkins and celebrated my teen sister's birthday.  We chatted, turned on some fun, upbeat music, some of us drank hard cider (Angry Orchard Apple Ginger is my favorite right now), and even got to spend some quality time with our grandpa.  Family activities are the BEST!

{digital layout} hunting for pumpkins

(You can click on the image to see it larger in Flickr.)

 

It's been month's since I completed a digital layout, and I had forgotten just how much I love it.  All the layering, color choices, and photo editing just to make something memorable that you think looks pretty.  It's  too fun.  I can't wait to have this one printed and hold it in my hands.

 

The product for this layout is all Kitschy Digitals, the font is called Heart Sweet Heart, and the photos are from this post. 

{fall photoshoot} she's having a baby | part 2

Today, here's part 2 of Amber's maternity photoshoot.....as well as some of the fun details I want to remember about this wonderful day:

• For Amber's outfit here I ended up buying some fabric and making the maternity tunic from this DIY.
• We stopped and got extra hot chai drinks to help keep us warm.  Amber and I added eggnog to ours (which is now my new favorite hot drink!).
• It rained all morning leading up to our venture, and miraculously stopped as we were getting ready to take photos.
• My little sister's dog, Jack came along with us and kept us entertained as we walked from one spot to the next with his cute way of casing leaves and hopping around (you can see a pic of him here in part 1).
• After taking photos, Amber, Ryan and I drove to Port Angeles to spend time with my Dad.  To our delightful surprise we ended up at Togas for their Octoberfest and chowed down on brats, sauerkraut and potato salad!  Heaven.
• We ended the day watching one of my favorite movies with Sarah, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.  Pretty much the best day I could hope for.  XO

{fall photoshoot} she's having a baby | part 1

Last weekend Amber, my little sister and I went for a walk in the woods.  All the fall color was breathtaking.....and the perfect backdrop for some maternity photos.  My little sister was the assistant, holding our coffee cups, the extra cameras and lenses, Amber's jacket (when she wasn't wearing it in between shots), and making us laugh and smile all the while with her silly and sweet nature.  Amber was the model, glowing with warmth and happiness as she carried her growing belly.  And me?  I was one happy camper being able to take photos of such a lovely afternoon.  Here is part 1 of our little photoshoot.....

our {little} pumpkin 2012

Each autumn since Ryan and I have been blessed with this little teddy bear I've looked forward to hunting for my three favorite pumpkins and then using them as props for Ponyo's annual *our little pumpkin* photo.  This year Ponyo and I walked down the street from our house so I could get a variety of photos since there are so many different colors of leaves here in Seattle.....and I can't decide which is my favorite.  Green is my favorite color, but I love the rich reds that symbolize fall.  Which do you like best?

 

You can see Year 1 HERE

And Year 2 HERE
Oh, and this year's pumpkin hunt HERE