group hug

I have the coolest blog readers in town! (That means you!)
Thanks for playing along with my fun game 07.08.09 10:11:12! I was blown away by how many people got involved. The best part was clicking through the comments and seeing what all of you were doing at that very instant. I feel connected to all of you and was so flattered ... okay, I won't get all sappy on you--but just know it meant a lot. If I had all the time in the world I would put all your photos on here:).

The random winner of the awesome prizes sponsored by GCD Studios is...

summer ensemble

Bargain shopping is a game for me... love finding killer deals so I can splurge on other things that I have-to-have. My high school reunion was very casual and some blog readers wondered where I got my getup sooooo, because you guys are the coolest, I included links below. You can't beat a floral tunic for $12.50. I don't even have to hide the receipt from Collin when I come home with something that cheap. ;)

tea rose belt: Anthropologie (This is my favorite and it comes in other colors. Why don't you get another color then we can share.)
floral tunic: Forever 21; shorts; wedge sandals: Steve Madden (I couldn't find my wedges by BC Footwear but these were close enough)

what we were doing

Here's mine! This morning was a busy morning: went on a run, swim lessons for Avery, carpet cleaners were scheduled to come sometime between 9am-2pm, so I knew I had to have my camera with me at all times. What were we doing when the clock struck 7.8.9.10.11.12? Nothing too stupendous-we were in the driveway coming home from swim lessons, ha. Avery was warming up in the sun, Quincey was laughing and playing with her toesies, and I was being the awesome chauffeur that I am while eating skittles and listening to Cake 'Love you Madly.' good times good times. Keep posting your pictures I love seeing them!

10:11:12

I took my photos... will upload it asap. Until then, share the links to your photos in the comment section of this post. SO excited to see everyone who played... you can still do it tonight! :)

duh

"It's okay," that I completely overlooked posting the winners to the Evalicious & Elle's Studio guilt-free giveaway... until now!
The Evalicious Coptic Journal Kit:
Mindy said... It's ok to take a chance on something unexpected and new! June 30, 2009 6:48 AM
Elle's Studio yumminess
Lindsay said... It's ok to get overwhelmed being a single mom. It's ok to cry. And it's ok that my 3-year-old comforts me. Mommies get overwhelmed sometimes and...it's ok. June 30, 2009 9:42 AM
Shoot me an email... Yipee! You won! and your bragging rights start... now!

Rounded corner digital frame: designed by Rhonna: House of 3
Rhonna talks about some other cool frames on her blog today.

smorgasbord of numbers

You could call this post a smorgasbord of random thoughts but they all tie together with numbers.
This past weekend I celebrated my 10 year high school reunion. It actually was a lot of fun! I got the prize for 'Been in a Movie' even though I actually haven't been in a movie but I guess being on television was close enough. I loved seeing long lost friends, ones I see all the time, and ones I probably won't see again until my twenty year reunion. It's surprising that no matter how long it's been it feels like old times again.

This Wednesday come play a fun game with me:

Last night Collin thought of this cool idea to have everyone take a photo at the same time! Are you in? Here's how to play:
1 Have your camera handy on July 8th-this Wednesday mary's birthday! :)
2 Take a photo of whatever you are doing when your clock says 10:11 am or pm. (we won't worry about timezones)
3 Challenge yourself to think outside of the box in how you take the photo or don't worry about that part and just snap one real quick!
4 Post the photo on your blog or an online gallery. Leave a comment on my blog linked to your photo and be entered into a giveaway
(Yes, share this fun game with your friends on your blog, the more the merrier.)

If you need some extra motivation... here's a peek of the prize.

This Thursday July 9th is the last day to sign up for CKU-Provo! and the word on the street is that this will be the final CKU. So you won't want to miss it!

Stay tuned for the SOS release this week...

live on channel 13

Collin and his Grandpa got their interview skills put to the test while we were setting up camp down at the Provo parade. Turn off the tunes on the sidebar ==> Fast forward til about :45 seconds.

red, white & blue

Of course we celebrated today at the Provo Parade!

tickling the ivories

Collin made the whole gift giving a lot easier this Father's Day, and I mean easy as in-he bought his own present. It happened as follows:

He spotted this piano on the side of the road at a garage sale on his way to work

He called me ecstatic about his 'perfect condition find' so he bought it

He then tried to move it with Russ up the 99 steps to our house (okay, that's an exaggeration)

We asked our husky neighbor to help us

Ta-dah!! It is now safely in our home.

This piano definitely brings a magical feeling to our home. One Friday night, after a long day, I fell asleep with the windows open and a cool breeze while he serenaded me... like I said, magical.

Plus, he learns my favorite songs: Adele 'Hometown Glory' & Coldplay 'Death And All His Friends' <=love that one!! Sometimes he makes me sing along... haha it's hilarious! Have you ever tried to sing like Adele? There's a reason she made a CD & not me. I will stick with cutting paper & glue and only singing in the shower or in the car!

Do you remember the SOY announcement and although I was a tearful mess I said I wanted to buy Collin a piano... it finally happened. :)

PS you may still enter the giveaway below, I'll announce the winner... soon.

guilt-free giveaway

page from Jan. Creating Keepsakes

Have you ever seen the sometimes cool-sometimes dorky monthly highlight in Glamour magazine called, "Hey, It's Okay." It sparked an idea for a scrapbook page where I filled thought bubbles with "It's okay..." statements. There's no doubt in my mind that you are like me and we tend to be hard on ourselves with everything we are balancing in life. That's why I am asking, no pleading, to be a little more easy on yourself. Take a break on me. hmmmm, that doesn't really work. Try this... how about some free stuff-that's way better than my virtual pep talk. :)

First up, my favorite art journal etsy shops-Evalicious! I love checking out her shop and seeing what delicious treasures Eve has cooking up. Right now she has put together some rad Coptic Journal kits and yummy embellishments that she wants to giveaway to one of you. Sweet! I also just noticed that she added some of her Everyday art journal kits similar to the cool Christmas one she had... they seriously sell like hot cakes!
the owl book is showing what the finished kit looks like but not included in kit.

Next, there's the glorious Elle's Studio! You must check out the cool stuff that Elle designs. They are super easy to incorporate into scrapbook pages and projects. I recently made a mini with some of her adorable tags that I will be sharing asap. (asap meaning 'as soon as I get off my tush and finish it.') I love her date tags, calendar tags, stamps... I could go on and on. It's a rainbow of goodness I tell ya!
To be entered to win one of the prizes it is quite simple. Leave a comment with an "It's okay..." statement that relates to you. You can be serious, funny, witty whatevs... just do it & really mean it, or at least pretend just for me.
Supplies:
AC: thought bubble paper, circle rubons, pen
Sassafras: bottom border, patterned paper

minis with maggie

It's crazy how much q&a have grown since last summer. While we vacationed in Newport Beach the digital orange took these awesome photos. This summer I am super excited & stoked that the Maggie Holmes will be in Utah for the July 4th weekend and is taking our family pics!! Not only is it fun to hang out with my cute friend but she's crazy-talented behind the lens... I'm sure you already knew that. ;)
You should check out her site & schedule a 'mini' family session... which is the perfect amount of time for my two busy bees.

kick back

and have an extraordinary weekend!
Drink grape soda, ride a ferris wheel, watch the sunset, connect with an old friend, have a water balloon fight, eat pancakes... whatever your summer heart desires. :) Hopefully I'll see you at Bijou Market or Nie Nie's birthday celebration.

PS I love all your enthusiasm for SOS. If you emailed me before today 6:30 pm mountain standard time you are in... Note to Self: buy more pink sunglasses. :)

SOS season 2

*edited* SOS signups closed at 6/26 6:30 pm mtn standard time*
Let's kick off the Shades of Summer season 2! I am so excited to see all you cute ladies workin' these pink pretties. For those of you who are new to SOS-- Last summer I connected with bloggers all over the country with yellow stylin' shades. They would take a photo wearing them and then send them onto the next person on the list. Collin and I ended up sending out 10 boxes of shades to over 150 bloggies. It was a blast even though only 1 box made it's way back home... :)

We had so much fun we had to do it again this year!
**Edited*** thanks for your excitement we've hit our quota. If you emailed me by June 26th at 6:30 mountain standard time you are in. ***
If you would like to play along click here to read the requirements and how to sign up! There is limited space so check it out if you are interested.

*We are also going worldwide-- Kristin Reinhard is hosting SOS in western Europe so email her at everydaycreativeness(at)gmail.com to join in on the fun.

*Click on the details here and let me know if you want to host and SOS in your country.

I am organizing my office so stay tuned for a scrapbook giveaway. xo

Best 4 quarters I've ever spent!

This summer I will happily hand over mucho money in return for a cup of sugar flavored ice! :)

Bijou Market winners! yahoo!
Sassafras:
Lisa said...
Would love to attend, but the drive from Seattle would be a bit long. Looks like great stuff and I especially love the skirt!!
Rachelli Design:
EmmaJ said...
Oh, I'll send my sister out!
Skeleton Closet Ring:
Deborah said...
Wish I lived in Utah to be able to attend. Sounds like my kind of shopping!

Shoot an email to me if you won- elizabeth.kartchner(at)gmail.com
PS Shades of Summer post is up next!

hello summer

My calendar says it's officially summer so you know what that means... the return of Shades of Summer. Last year I sent out 10 boxes of traveling sunglasses to over 150 ladies. I'm so sad that some of the shades didn't make it to everyone so this time around there will be stricter rules to play along...;) Stay tuned this week for the info and a chance to sign up on Wednesday.

A simple album for Collin from his darlings. I love how their cute faces peek through the circle transparency on the cover page. The mini album was made with an Accucut die mixing chipboard and acrylic pieces then my trusty Bind-It-All and coils to put it all together.

I wrote little love notes on the back of the October Afternoon wild cards, sewed a pocket with vellum and tucked the notes inside.

Hambly: Circle transparency; Teresa Collins: black ruler paper from Documented collection; Heidi Swapp clock; Jenni Bowlin bingo card; October Afternoon Wild Cards; Studio Calico: Alphabet Paper; KI Memories: red circle paper; Tim Holtz: word tickets. The sun is out so we are off to the pool. Happy Monday!