Oops...I {Art}ed!

blessed

It is really nice to be able to spend all of my weekends with the family again.  I don't feel mentally or physically drained from doing 12-hour shift work. No more feeling like an asshole and telling the kids "not today, mommy is really tired."  My husband isn't feeling like a single parent anymore.  Our life is normal again, for the time being, and I can get back to a couple of hobbies that I used to enjoy.

One of those hobbies is papercrafting.  I started working on a paperbag album last week.  What are paperbag albums?  Simple.  They're just paperbags folded in half, and bound down the center with stitching.  Viola.  album!  They are quite simple to make actually.  I cut off the bottoms so I could also use my pages as envelopes to add in keepsakes that I don't want to attach to pages.

This is a work in progress, so some of the pages are bare.  My plan for this album is to use it as an inspiration album..so I can continue to add things to the pages or inside the "envelopes".  I'm so excited to be crafting again, that I'm okay with sharing my blank pages.  What the heck.  I'd share a rundown of supplies that I used for this...but I've had some of this stuff for at least a couple of years.  Hooray for using up supplies I have on hand!

I need to find a 6x6 canvas album for this thing.  Paperbags are pretty sturdy but I want to be able to throw this in my bag and not worry about it falling apart.  I'll post updates as I fill this up with stuff that inspires me.

On our walk back to the house, I had to take a shot of this tree-lined sidewalk that I love so much.  The first tree on the left is one of my favorites.  It looks like a prime candidate for a treehouse if you ask me.  Have a great week!

pardon me while I gush with pride

J had her first cross country meet yesterday. Even after having her pupils dialated twice earlier in the day, she managed to pull off 6th place, out of 24 other girls.  Her time for the 2 mile run was 15:22.  Hubby and I are so proud that, as a 5th grader, she beat out a few 8th graders.  Our little girl is a rock star!

last day of Pre-K and a page...

Look out world!  The photo above from Tahlia and Isaiah's last drop-off for Pre-K, which was yesterday.  These two little hellions will be starting Kindergarden in August.  What's with me having to swallow a jagged little pill every time one of our kids reach a milestone?  The pills are getting harder to digest, especially when they come and go.  I don't want them to grow up!  Okay, really I do...but that's besides the point!  lol.

What do you think of the photo?  Isaiah often asks if he can take a picture when he sees me snapping away.  I think I have a little photog in the making.  He just needs to learn not to cut off people's heads.  He took this with my HTC EVO, so I am impressed.

I created another page using this month's "Now and Zen" kit from Scraps of Darkness.  What I love most about this kit, is the beautiful foiled papers from Christine Adolph's 'Sakura' collection.

I am still loving the Donna Salazar's Smooch Spritz from Clear Snap.  I sprayed 'River Mossy' on both the alphabets and the swan from Dusty Attic.

Oohh, I love that gunmetal effect, don't you?  These are my new favorite spritzs! If you don't have them, you need them!  I ordered mine from sb.com a few weeks ago.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today.  Before I sign off, I want to remind everyone that I am trying to break into the Top 25 Military Family Blogs.  I would really appreciate your vote!  You can vote daily until May 25th. Have a great weekend!

need a photographer for a homecoming? find one on OPLOVE

There are dozens of non-profit organizations out there that support our Armed Forces and there are only a small few that I endorse on my blog.  As I was checking in on FB and twitter this evening, I noticed that there were a couple of long and overdue homecomings.  As I read everyone's statuses, I was reminded of OPLOVE.

OPERATION LOVE REUNITED is it's fullname and it's a 501(c)3 Non-Profit organization.  All proceeds go directly to running the organization that supports military families.  Still confused?  Here's a excerpt form their website explaining who they are,

The last thing on your mind when your wife or husband arrives home after a 4 to 18 month tour, is capturing all this love– on film.
Most people are so overwhelmed with emotions they forget to simply point and shoot the camera they are grasping of their child’s first hug,
or that single tear of relief from a mother being able to hold her twenty year old son again.
With the help of Operation: Love ReUnited and local photographers near your base, you can.

What I love most about OPLOVE is that it gives photographers a chance to help military families by doing something they love most...photography!  Whether you're looking for a photographer to shoot your next homecoming or you're a budding photographer wanting to contribute to a great cause...this is the one.

Once I hone my photography skills and get my lenses, I would love to volunteer my time to shoot homecomings.  I just need to make sure I pack a tissue box in my camera bag.  These events always make me tear up.

you're late for tea!!

 

Tahlia has such an active imagination and I love watching her play.  When she was 3 years old, one of her favorite pastimes was hosting her own tea parties.  She never invited any of her stuffed animals.  She occasionally invited her older sister and twin brother, but for the most part it was a one party show. lol.

I primarily used "So Sophie" collection from My Mind's Eye.  Enjoy the rest of your weekend!