Very Mary

Baby Feet (a layout)

I know I'm not the only one who can't get enough of sweet little baby feet. Here's a new page over at Two Peas (more details and links to supplies here):

©Two Peas in a Bucket

Supplies:

• Bo Bunny Double Dot patterned paper
• October Afternoon patterned paper
• Bazzill Basics kraft cardstock
• American Crafts cardstock
• October Afternoon die-cuts
• Hero Arts star stamp
• Tsukineko Versamark ink
• Making Memories Oliver Trims and Treats
• American Crafts silver mini-brad
• EK Success label punch
• Making Memories paint
• 7gypsies sticker 
• AL Softhearted font

Things to Note:

• I made a very similar page with Sadie's footprints. You can see it here. 
• To create the stamped feet: I taped a piece of cardstock to a large book, and while D was holding Caleb, I painted each of his feet (one at a time) and brought the book to him. I applied gentle pressure to make sure all of his foot left an imprint on the cardstock. It's not perfect, but it's sure cute. It helps to have a box of wipees handy. 
• I used the October Afternoon Farm Fresh 8" x 8" stack, but I couldn't find it in the store, so I linked the full-size collection. Same with the star stamp and paint, so I've linked other options. 
• Crazy how time flies. Caleb is rounding the corner on six months this Friday!

Have a very happy Monday!

A Golden Autumn

It's hard to believe that today is only the first day of fall. It seems to have been turning gold around here for several weeks, and I don't think it's going to last much longer. The air has that crisp snap of coming snow. Fall is fleeting in these parts. We like to joke that we really only have two seasons: winter and almost winter.

Heather and I went out for a photowalk last Friday even though it was gloomy and grey, but we were rewarded with the briefest bit of sunshine. That little bit of gold totally transformed the scenery.

 

Here is my favorite image, captured on the way out of the park:

You can see the rest here.

Little Schoolgirl (a layout)

Over at Two Peas, Garden Girl layouts are now going to be released on Mondays (rather than throughout the week). This is a little more like the bi-monthly releases of years past, but with less chance of "idea overload." I prefer this, since I am trying to prioritize my internet time (say what?), and now I know exactly when to take a peek at the Garden.

Here's a layout of mine that went up today (with links to supplies and more information here) for the August "school" theme:

 

Two Peas in a Bucket

Supplies:

• Bazzill Basics Kraft cardstock
  
• American Crafts cardstock
  
• Bo Bunny Double Dot patterned paper
  
• October Afternoon Story Hour patterned paper
  
• October Afternoon Science Fair patterned paper
  
• October Afternoon Report Card die-cut
  
• Maya Road square kraft envelope
  
• We R Memory Keepers metal grommet
  
• Cosmo Cricket Garden Variety button
  
• American Crafts silver mini-brad
  
• EK Success Notebook punch
  
• Ranger Industries paint dabber
  
• Ranger Glossy Effects
  
• AL Serenade font

Things to note:

• I used the October Afternoon Report Card 8" x 8" stack, but it no longer appears to be stocked at Two Peas, so I've linked the full-size 12" x 12" patterned papers for your reference.
• The stars are homemade. Chipboard painted yellow and covered with glossy effects for a shiny finish. You can see a closer look here.
• The title was created in Photoshop. I used the pencil tool to draw blue lines and a dotted red line. 
• I printed my journaling on a die-cut, but I messed up the spacing and left an open space at the bottom, so I drew a little line with a real pencil. 
• Two Peas doesn't have the EK Success notebook punch, so I've linked you to the binding edge punch. I bought my punch at Michaels for nearly double the price. Oh Canada!
• Those Maya Road kraft envelopes look grey on-line, but in real life, they are a nice warm kraft.
• On a personal note, this is my little schoolgirl in the "getting-ready" stages of the first chapter of her school career. I have glowing memories of school, so I sure hope she feels the same. :)

Ten on...Friday

1. And so...I finally settled on #3. Mostly because the colors will work better on my project, which happens to be a "fall" page. Here's a sneak peek:

But, important note to self: do not succumb to any processing trends that will make me cringe five years from now. 

2. It was a week of firsts. First ballet and then the dentist. Of course, some firsts are more exciting then others. Especially when they involve a tutu. 

3. And preschool:

She would not remove the hat. She would not look at the camera. I gave up after seven shots of her holding on to this saw. Just shortly before the teachers branded me the "crazy camera mommy."

4. Had a great visit with a friend of mine. It occurred to me that we have been friends for a long time, and I really like that. 

5. I started Little Man on solids, so I've been reading Cooking for Baby. Cereal is passable, sweet potato is okay, but general consensus on pureed zucchini: Blech.

6. Speaking of food, Sadie must be having a major growth spurt. She asks for "another snack" at least eight times a day. Yesterday, I said, "No more snacks. We need to save your appetite for dinner."

To which she asked, "Did you put it in the refrigerator?"

Me: "What?"

Sadie: "My appetite. Is it in the fridge?" 

7. Have you seen this? 

It makes me feel a smidge better about still getting up three times a night.

8. I really need a haircut.

9. The stack of books on my nightstand are all about photography. I wish I could tuck them under my pillow and learn by osmosis. 

10. We're all ready thinking about Halloween costumes around here. If all goes according to her plans, we are going to have to practice our "yeee-hawws." I'm not sure I'm ready for Wranglers.

Opinions needed...

I'm playing around with processing in Lightroom. I read once that you should sit down at your computer with a clear idea of how you want your end result to look. Wise words from an organized profession. And herein lies the problem. I am neither organized nor a professional, and I like playing around with them and experimenting with different looks (which ultimately is a fabulous time-waster). I especially like the faded, vintage-y look that is very popular right now (like my tiny dancer). But when I apply it to my photos, it always looks strange to me. Maybe because I usually prefer my photos to be saturated and crisp? Huh.

Anyway, the more I stare at the photos, the weirder they look. So, this is where you come in, dear reader. Can you help me out with some much needed constructive criticism? 

Here's an example, straight out of the camera (a little underexposed, but forgive me, this was before I knew anything about anything - actually, that's still partially true. Damn.):

Here's how I would normally process:

Here's a little vintage faded look I've been trying to create:

Which one do you like best? (And please don't say the first one or I will automatically veto your opinion.)

Tiny Dancer

She's never seen the ballet. She did not know what a leotard was. But somehow in the last three years, she has determined that life would be much improved if only she could wear a pink tutu and prance about to "ballerina music." And by the way, did you know that ballerina music and princess music are actually different? Yes, yes, they are.

And so today marked the beginning of our Ballerina-in-Training program, and the first activity she has done on her own. While there were several other little miniature ballerinas, teary-eyed and clinging to their mothers, this one galloped into the studio without a backward glance. I'm not sure whether I should be proud of her sense of independence or a little nostalgic for the good ol' days when she needed me. :)

When I asked her after class what she learned in ballet, she told me matter of factly, "Tap and jazz." It's possible she gets her dancing skills from me.  

Look!

Here's my photo over at Write. Click. Scrapbook! Click here.

(Taken at the river's edge in Glacier Park this summer. )