Blog Dundies

Usually at night I am dead tired and fall into my bed like a chopped down tree... timberrrrrrrrrrrr! Instead I was wide awake just laying there with so many thoughts running through my head. I couldn't stop the swirling ideas, let alone slow them down. It happened right after I was talking to Collin about being with him a decade... and the words 'the beginning of a decade' were too exciting to now close my eyes and fall asleep. So I laid there... dreaming of what lies ahead in 2011!!

Last year's award ceremony was too fun so here are highlights of 2010.

Award for: Best Birthday Party

Best Way to Procrastinate

Best Laugh when Collin was a curvaceous woman: Gladys & Cliff

Best DIY: ruffle tee

Best when-Quincey's-too-quiet moment

Best Friend

Best Treat

Best Date

Best Hair

Best Pinch Myself moment!

Best Tear Jerker

2009 Award Cermony

Thanks so much for reading this blog and for sharing these moments with us!

xo

Lizzy

back in time

A handful of my favorite projects from two-oh-one-oh.

The ones that take me back to that very moment and those moments, embellished with do-dads & trinkets, suddenly become as real as ever!

Dear Lizzy goodies used: Banner paper, Alphabet stickers, Rubons, Stickers

My friend Margie gave me some fun, little tidbits perfect additions.

American Crafts: Yellow dot

Crate Paper: clouds & dots

Dear Lizzy Spring line and rolled flowers with fabric paper... it's on sale at 2 peas.

Felt Album: posted inside here

American Crafts: Rubons, Thickers, Patterned Paper: String of Hearts, Dots

Adhesive badge: "Love Seat" was so perfect for this layout!

Tim Holtz Grunge Board, Crackle Paint, Word Tickets

Cutest- love note Metal Charm

Dear Lizzy: music note paper, tiny heart paper, glitter typewriter thickers, favorite pen

My go-to Butterfly punch, Fiskars border punch

Jenni Bowlin: Yellow Stripe Banners, Beach Bingo Card

Crate Paper: Clouds, Stripe

Dear Lizzy: cute Glitter Brads, Paper Flowers

American Crafts letter stickers, yellow dot

Girls' Paperie: Turquoise Button

Favorite pen

-Instax Camera

-Dear Lizzy Ribbon, Tape, Rose Brads

-Misc: felt, fabrics

Dear Lizzy: Ticket Sticker, Decorative Tape, Lace paper

Jenni Bowlin: Diecut Label Paper

Sassafras: Heart Paper, Flag Banner Stickers

Heart Punch

Basic Grey: Kraft paper with circles

Misc: Staples, Sequins

Here's to making time to capture and create in twenty eleven!

wordless wednesday

Wordless Wednesday is when you only post a photo and no writing.

In this case, it's Avery and I enjoying the snow while eating cutie clementines and hot cocoa.

Wordless Wednesday is a good idea on this particular morning, because I'm pretty sure you don't want to hear about the time I wanted to kill the garbage man.

I'm sure you don't want to hear how Lola slept in & it was an absolute miracle that the other girls didn't climb into our bed and karate kick us all morning... sounds heavenly right? But then the darn garbage man got stuck in the snow outside our house waking me up from sweet dreams. Yeah, I'm sure you don't want to hear about any of that. ;)

Also, I've been thinking about my One Little Word to live by for 2011.

Crap, I'm only supposed to post a photo. Ooops, forget everything I said.

Some great deals at 2 peas... including Dear Lizzy fabric paper.

our sugar coated home

Heres's Our Christmas card this year. My friend Rhonna made it easy with her House of 3 digital stuff!

The background of our family photo was not looking good so I used Photoshop CS5 to cut out each of us. First, I used the magnetic lasso tool to cut everyone out. Then resized it and moved everyone onto the card.

Hope you had a memorable Christmas from our sugar coated home to yours!

Ours was jam packed fun since both sides of our family are near. I will definitely spend some time today relaxing and doing absolutely nothing after all the hustle and bustle the last few days.

While we made the gingerbread house there was a tragic moment when Quincey bit the hat off the candy Frosty. Avery was crushed that his magic hat was now gone, "But how will Frosty come to life?"

I'm flattered that the Dear Lizzy + AC line made the Top 10 Collections at the Moxie Fab Blog.

Thanks so much!

Some great deals at 2 peas... including Dear Lizzy fabric paper.

merry christmas eve!!

straws: 62 cards

holly jolly

The last couple days I've spent some time designing with my Dear Lizzy Christmas line for an upcoming project. (I did this page in July to release the line.)

Reminisced while using the music paper (in the background of the above page.) It's from a very retro piano book of mine. During the design process we scanned in a couple of the pages and ended up using them through-out the line.

Quite meaningful since it's the same book my sisters and I sang Christmas carols from while my dad played the piano when I was a little girl. Ahhhh, memories.

Have a holly jolly day!!

PS Nothing fun going on over here today. I'm going to the dentist. ugh.

Supplies: Dear Lizzy Christmas line

My favorite-- the glitter Banner Paper, Glitter Holly, Glitter Letters, Cute mini Tags, Poinsetta Paper, Holly Jolly sticker

santa's workshop

Sometimes we get tired here at Santa's workshop and have to take a cuddle break.

Counting down to Christmas and checking things off our list.

Including, watching our favorite holiday movies: Family Stone, It's A Wonderful Life and especially-- Elf. Pleasantly surprised to find out that Avery has the Kartchner-movie-quoting gene. She saw Elf once and was reciting parts of my favorite lines.

"First we'll make snow angels for two hours, and then we'll go ice skating, and then we'll eat a whole roll of tollhouse cookie dough as fast as we can, and then to finish, we'll snuggle."

Something that Avery did not inherit is our procrastination gene. Since she already put grapes out for Santa on our mantle above the fireplace. Grapes.

Dang, I've heard Santa really loves sugar cookies or Mint Oreos will do.

Hoping to take more self-timer shots like this one next year.

this is us

Taking family photos is often an adventure.

Taking family photos when you have a headache, a newborn baby & two little elves who love to do everything you tell them not to do... is only for the hard-core thrill seekers. But we made it through with my mom's help and my little brother getting the girls attention by dancing and laughing behind the tripod.

Surprisingly, we ended up with some good shots & a week later I found this photo from the hundreds that my mom took.

It's the very last picture when we finally gave in to the craziness and it's officially my favorite.

Because this is us.

Happy. Chaotic. Centered around kids. Connected. Love.

3 days later...

One thing I am adjusting to is --when can I make time to make stuff...?

I think I mastered it with two kids but now here I am... 3 days later finally posting part of my December Daily album. Which, despite my high hopes, is more like a December Weekly album and I'm fine with that because I'm so happy with the stories and moments I've included in it so far. This year I am striving to enjoy the season & my sweet baby and avoiding stressing about the stuff I don't have time to do.

Dear Lizzy: glitter alphas, music note sticker, green polka dot paper

A peek at our Christmas card.

Dear Lizzy: Glitter Holly Leaves

Wrote my journaling about picking out our Christmas tree on the back of the tag.

The car sticker with the tree is one of my favorite elements from the Christmas line. The fact that Collin loves carrying on the tradition that my dad started when I was a little girl of getting a real tree makes me so happy!

A page of Avery on the North Pole Express and the tag and journaling on the next page.

The photo of Quincey on the train in the above right photo and her tag and journaling about her below.

Dear Lizzy: Rose Ribbon, Deco Tape

Dear Lizzy: Mini Tag, Bird sticker

Glassine envelope holding the tickets, family picture and other little keepsakes from our train excursion.

Felt Mittens sticker

Journaling and photo of when Avery met Santa.

We made sugar cookies the other day. My favorite. Except I like more cookie in my bite than sprinkles.

I used a lot of my Dear Lizzy Christmas line

and Evalicious Christmas Art Journal.

Merry 10 days til Christmas!

shhhhh, baby sleeping

I know this may be difficult but please refrain from kissing your computer screen when you see these sweet cheeks & tiny toes. ;)

(Thanks Annie for the cute headbands!!)

My friend/neighbor made Lola some darling headbands using elastic & Prima Florals.

xo

The North Pole Express

Avery really enjoys the movie Polar Express so on Monday when we started telling her we were going to ride it and see Santa... I'm not sure she believed us. We waited to start telling her until Monday because otherwise it feels like it will never come & she talks about it all day. We learned that earlier this year when we told her about a trip to Disneyland months in advance. Pretty sure she thought we were crazy and this Disneyland place was a hoax.

But the second she saw the train she was thrilled!! It was so magical for her-- she loved singing songs, ringing her bell necklace & clenched her tickets the entire ride.

Even though Quincey is not a fan of Santa... she had so much fun & enjoyed the cookies, as you can see by the evidence on her cheeks. She also loved seeing the cows and horses out the window. It really was a beautiful ride.

Once again, Lola slept through all the fun. We were in the back by the heater so Collin was sweating to death but Lola was quite cozy.

Then the moment she was waiting for! Our car wasn't that full so Santa spent a lot of time with each child. He got down and talked to them, it was so sweet.

Even though he had an obviously fake beard & sounded very young... she couldn't tell at all.

He was Santa Claus to her.
Can't wait to add these photos to my December Daily album today and catch up on that.

DISCOUNT TICKETS: If you are local in Utah and want to ride The North Pole Express I have a discount for you!! $5 off coach tickets on December 7, 8, 9, 14, 15 & 16 Call 435-654-5601 and use the secret code: Utah Bloggers then Dear Lizzy.

Go during the day so you can see out the window the whole ride or at least at 5, like we did, so you can see out the window the first half.