{meet} ridley rose

Last week my lovely sister Sarah had her little baby girl, and we are all smitten!   I snapped a couple pics at the hospital (minus the one of me holding her....my sweet little sister took that one). She is only hours old in these.

*The image with text above is a simple birth announcement I put together for my sis to share with her friends and family.

Below is a pic with her Grandma.  She is such a precious little thing she didn't even cry.....

Ridley snuggling with her Papa:

And below falling asleep with her Mama.....(I'm the proud aunt with the blue hair above ; )

I also took a couple updated pics of Harper Rain that same weekend, so I'll be sharing those here soon too.  We are all in baby heaven here!!!  XO

A couple posts of baby Harper:
Meet Harper Rain
Harper Walking

{photo journal} long beach | part 1

Ahhh....memories of Long Beach, WA : ) I recently decided to edit most of what few photos I took during our road trip to this romantic beach over Valentine's weekend. Some of the pics are from my DSLR and the others are from my phone. I took most of them, and my mom and sister took a few too. I didn't take photos of everything, but I did also shoot a little video. The video is pretty cheesy and my hands shake a bit, but it sure reminds me of how much fun we had.  (I gave my mom the Secret Life of Walter Mitty Soundtrack as a Valentine's gift so we could listen to it on our road trip.  The song in this video is one of my favorite tracks.)

Lots of driving along the longest beach in the world. Soaking in the outdoor hot tub, staring at the multitude of stars (and even pretending to name a few). Blue sky and sunshine one minute, and crazy rain and wind the next. Exploring Astoria, OR for the first time and feeling butterflies as we walk closer towards the Goonies house.  Playing with my new Diana F+ camera.  Exploring, exploring, exploring. Watching a bald eagle relax and fly around us in the sand.  Feeling the salty wind in my face as I sit on the window ledge while we cruise along the water.  Pink cheeks.  Lots of smiles and laughter.  Laser tag.  XO

{two girls and a kit} may birthday cards

Hello Everybody! Today I'm back with my second video sharing another project using my Two Girls and a Kit supplies. Most likely I'll share one more video for May.....and I'm thinking maybe it will be a minibook!! Today's process video is two birthday cards I recently made for my mom and sister's birthdays. I used the  free vertical 4x6 journaling card for May along with a non-traditonal way to use baker's twine for one of the cards (shown above). For the other I was so inspired by all the pretty Glitz Design product in my kit, I just did lots of layering, created a homemade tag using washi, and added a little machine sewing. Here's the video:

The confetti was made by using a confetti punch and scrapbook paper covered with the Glitz washi. It was perfect for bringing out just a hint of blue. Since baker's twine / embroidery thread was on the recipe card, I knew I wanted to use it in this project, but instead of embroidering some of the designs on the journaling card, I decided to add extra orange and texture by layering it behind the heart. I'd never used baker's twine like this before, and the only thing to note is that since it is so much thicker than tread I didn't need much of it at all.

This second card is really all about the layering.  I created two tags, one out of glitter paper, and the other from washi covered paper which I embellished with an eyelet.  Since these cards were being handed out instead of mailed, I used as much dimension as I wanted....which is always a plus in my book ; )

The only other thing that's different about this card is that I used the design side of the patterned paper base on the inside, and white back side for the cover. I thought the white border would compliment the card well, and the color inside with the text would be a fun little bonus. XO

Two Girls and a Kit Links for May:

• Our first video sharing all about this new scrapbook club.
• May's Moodboard, which I used to put my custom scrapbook kit together for the month.
• Here you can download your Recipe Card for May.
• My May Scrapbook Kit, created using only things from my stash.
• My first process video and layout using only supplies from my may scrapbook kit.
• If you haven't already, make sure to check out Amanda's custom kit....she share's a sneak of this month's sketch!
• And last, don't forget to download your free May Journaling Cards.  I used the vertical 4x6 in today's card for my sister.

{two girls and a kit} techniques | watercolor layout

Hello Everybody! Welcome to my first project using the Two Girls and a Kit May goodies!! Today I'm sharing an example of the watercolor technique taken from our May Recipe Card. I used watercolor and confetti on the background of my layout, as well as created a handmade title using one of the images from May's Moodboard as inspiration. Here's a look at the process video:

A couple things to note: In my process video I share some ideas for working with wet scrapbook paper. I also share a quick and easy way to add lots of confetti to your background. Everything in creating this layout was taken from my custom May Scrapbook Kit.  My plan is to share another video next week, and I think I'll be making a handful of birthday cards....we'll see.  Don't forget to keep an eye out for Amanda's first Two Girls and a Kit video as well ; )

I just love the bright, happy colors of this page!  Perfect for spring with a touch of summer thrown in!!  If you have any questions, I'm happy to answer them so just leave a comment.

Helpful links:

• Our first video sharing all about this new scrapbook club.
• May's Moodboard, which I use in creating my layout title.
• May's Free Journaling Cards, designed to match everything this month.
• Don't forget to download your Recipe Card for this month.
• My May Scrapbook Kit, put together using only things from my stash.
• If you haven't already, make sure to check out Amanda's custom kit....she share's a sneak of this month's sketch!