A Quick Christmas Card

I just whipped up a quick Christmas card using the Dear Santa, kit. (sold out) I created the scalloped card using my Spellbinders. I inked up the edges a bit. I added a cute image from Cosmo Cricket and the cute glittered candy that was in the kit. I also added a button tied with gold floss. I used a piece of fabric from the kit and used it as a bow.

Have a very Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy being with your family and friends!

This is my take on our current challenge. I used bits of pieces from the Mill Street Kit and the Dear Santa kit (along with a few things from my stash).

(You can see how I made this background for my layout here on our Tips & Techniques blog.)

My journaling is from an old blog post. It reads:

Motherhood came as shock to me.

After trying unsuccessfully for a couple of years to conceive, I was elated when I found out I was pregnant with Em. When we discovered that we were having a little girl, my excitement- and number of daydreams- rose. I fantasized about pigtails and giggles and little pink clothes. We couldn't wait to meet this tiny little girl.

Then... Em arrived, in all her screaming wiggly glory. Quiet & sleep became a thing of the past. No more "moments to myself." Leaving the house became near impossible for a while.

I had loads of problems breastfeeding (something I had always been determined to do). Unbeknownst to me, Emerson had a painful case of acid reflux that made eating and laying down really uncomfortable for her, which equalled a screaming baby all the time. To top it all off, I ended up getting a severe infection. This left both Em and I in a soggy, crying mess most days.

My idealized fantasies of strolling around the mall as a cute new mom with her adorble pink, be-ribboned doll child went right out the window.

Things slowly got better over time. My infection healed, Em was prescribed medication for her acid reflux, and I began to get showers every day. (LOL)

Four months into being a mommy, I found out I was going to be one again.

I learned how to juggle morning sickness and early morning bottles; my naps and her naps; OB check-ups and play dates; a little one on my lap, sharing space with the new one in my ever-expanding tummy.

It wasn't "planned" by Shaun & I... but God knew we were ready for this. I was scared I wouldn't be able to give the kiddos the best mothering, but somehow we make it through every day with lots of hugs, kisses, and snuggles.


I couldn't imagine our life any differently.

Welcome Home

The new challenge up today at the Noel Mignon Challenge site is all about "changes". It seems just when everything is going smoothly in life, whether for the better or worse, we are faced with bumps in the road. My husband has been relocated with his job and we are in the process of selling our home and looking for a new home, so we can all be together again. This challenge was the perfect opportunity for me to take some pictures around the house and document thoughts and feelings of our current house and our stay here.

It was easy to incorporate the red, black, and white color scheme since I have those colors as accents in my home. I was able to pull appropriate papers and elements from the Mill Street kit and a few from the Five Foot Two Kit. I took a picture of my "welcome" wall art and my "HOME" alphabet art prints that hang above my scrapbook room and used them as elements for my title. I wanted the snapshots around the house to look like a photo gallery at the bottom.

Every Last Drop...

That's what I'm squeezing from my "31st" Noel Mignon kit... and the funny thing is is that I still have TONS of stuff left over that I could make lots more! but... it's time... My "Dear Santa" kit just got here and I need/want/must dig into that one now so my Halloween kit has all been seperated and put away... *sigh*

Here are my last 2 using that fun kit!








Thanks for stopping by!
-Kim

NEW LIMITED EDITION Mistletoe Kit

If you missed the "Dear Santa" kit...then you will want to pick this beauty up!! Please click HERE to purchase.

** ack...I forgot to put the buttons, extra flowers and felt in the photo {slaps head}...so there is a bit of extra stuff that is not showing in the actual kit.

Fresh Veggies

I can't tell you how glad and happy I was to create this layout. Alyson picking veggies from the ground no less - LOL! The pumpkin patch we go to let you pick veggies for dirt cheap! So of course Alyson was all about it! What a fun time!

I of course used the Mill Street Kit (sold out) and the October Afternoon paper was absolutely perfect! Never thought I would need sheep, pigs and veggies on a layout! Heee! Can you tell I am a city girl?

I used a lot of inking on this layout. I think a farm layout isn't complete without that rustic sort of look right?

And that little sticker with the sheep and the pig - I just had to use it! It didn't quite go with the journaling - so I cut off the journaling part and then just inked it up and used some 3 dimensional adhesives to make them pop!

I hope that you get some time to scrap this weekend before all of the festivities coming up. I am looking forward to my week off!

Have a lovely Friday!

Michelle Lanning

Little Tenderheart

When I am in a scrapping rut, I love to use pictures of interior design as inspiration to find color combos/ratios for my page. I also use these pictures as a way to draw sketches to start me on my creative path.

Here is one I did recently using the Noel Mignon Mill Street kit. (Photo is from the Country Living website)




This is the sketch I initially drew up using the picture as the inspiration. Do you recognize the shape of the chair, pillow, small table and couch in the shapes of the layers? :)



But as I worked, my page ended up looking more like this one. When using sketches, don't be afraid to adjust them if they aren't working for you. Go with the flow. Listen to your heart and let it take you on your own unique path. :)



And here is the actual page.





I used the Noel Mignon Mill Street kit. The letter stickers are by Collage Press and the crystal accents are by Zva Creative. The burlap is from my stash.

Thanks for coming by!
Jana