The Dark Side

So we actually went to the Dark Side on our last day in Florida, but since I never scrap in any sort of chronological order I decided to do some layouts from The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Let me tell you, WWoHP rocked. Like, totally rocked.I had heard from many people that it was incredibly well done, but it really blew all my expectations out of the water. We got there nearly an hour before the park opened to non-Universal resort guests and waited anxiously for the gates to open. When they did, we rushed through a whole lotta other crap, turned the corner, and walked right into a snow-covered Hogsmead. So cool. However, being the interwebs researcher that I am, I knew that we had no time to stop and smell the Butterbeer. We marched right to Hogwarts and got in line for The Forbidden Journey. The line was so short that we actually had people passing us while we stopped and snapped photos of Dumbledore's office, Ron, Hermione and Harry holograms, and the sorting hat. Luckily Universal has taken some pointers from Disney and has a child-swap room. When we got to the ride, I stayed in a little holding room with the girls while my mom and sister rode. When they were done, they stayed with the littles while I rode. It was a ride like nothing I had ever experienced--it really felt like I was flying on a broomstick, just behind Harry, playing Quidditch and facing the Dementors. After the FJ, we went and stood in line to enter Olivander's Wand Shop. I knew that the line would be long, and sure enough we waited about 45 minutes. I also knew that someone among the 20 or so people in the wand shop would be chosen to participate in the show and receive a wand. I was so hoping that it would be me, my mom, my sister or my girls that I plastered a goofy grin on my face and looked straight at the shop owner. Well apparently my goofy grin looked more on the slightly psychotic end of the spectrum because no one in my party was chosen, but the two girls standing right next to us were. Crud. Next time I'll look all tragic and bored like they looked. After the wand shop, we ate lunch at the Three Broomsticks, had Butterbeer and went to all the shops. It was perfect and I can't wait to go back. So without further ado, here are a few WWoHP (aka The Dark Side for Disney freaks like me) layouts for your viewing pleasure!









And some photos...































And now, just to prove how random my scrapbookery is, I present two more layouts that have nothing to do with Harry Potter.




This is a scraplift from the awesome ShannaNoel at Studio Calico. You can find her way better version of this layout Here

TTFN Lovelies!

Super Exciting News!!! And More Disney ;)

So on Saturday morning I woke up and like every morning, reached immediately for my phone or ipad which sleep right next to me on my nightstand. I started surfing through my normal sites and got to write.click.scrapbook. I saw that they posted the winner of the WCS talent search, super talented Jennifer Larson. As I scrolled down to take a look at her awesome layout, I caught a glimpse of another name--mine! Um, holy cannoli. I shot up from my lounging pose and yelled at sleeping Husband that I had won. I'm pretty sure he thought I won the lotto, but let me tell you that being chosen for the team at WCS is akin to lotto winning in my book! I am so excited and honored to be chosen as a part of such a talented group of ladies! A good friend of mine, upon reading the news on my facebook status, congratulated me and wrote that my dream is coming true. She's so right!

And what do you think I did upon reading the news of my WCS position? Yes, that's right dear readers, I whipped up some layout goodness!


The girls had the best time meeting Merida, the new princess from Brave. They got to practice archery and meet her bear cubs. Merida was awesome!



The pool at our hotel was just as much fun as the parks!



The girls had a blast on the Great Goofini ride! It was Maya's first ever roller coaster and she loved it!


I stayed up super late last night waiting for the Studio Calico Member Picks video, but I fell asleep before it was posted. I had a dream that they chose one of my layouts again so I was certain this morning that because I dreamt it, it wasn't going to happen (gotta love that magical thinking!). So imagine my surprise when I opened the video and one of my layouts was first up! Yay!

This one was for a Design Team scraplift challenge, and I chose to lift one of my favorite scrapbook idols, Jen Jockisch. It is so exciting to see my layouts on that video!

Well lovlies, it has been an amazing week so far, and I'm excited to see what the next few days will bring!

Big Fat Disney Post

Here it is! As promised--a Big Fat Disney post. Since I'm not even through day two of our trip in the photo editing department, I'm sure this will be the first of a few Disney posts. So if you don't like Disney, be forewarned...

We literally stepped into the Magic Kindgom on day one just in time for the parade to start. We got an awesome spot right on the curb. Here's my first parade layout. Cindy smiled and posed just for me! Gotta love that Disney magic!

After the parade, we got right into Rapunzel's line, which was surprisingly super short. Mind you, this was a Saturday in June and the weather was awesome. I was shocked at how empty the park was!

The rest of the day was filled with short lines and lots of rides. It ended with dinner in Cinderella's Castle. What could be better? Here are my other day one layouts, and a couple day two layouts, just cause I love the pics and can't possibly be chronological in my scrapbookery!!

Notice the bird on Walt's head??

Maya on the carousel.

More to come, my lucky readers!! ;)

These Girls

So have you sensed a theme to my blog lately?? Can you tell that I love summer? Like, totally love it? The best part about summer is the lucky fact that I get to spend it with my girls.

Like seriously, who wouldn't want to spend day in, day out with these two?

I love that they are still little, that Lily says "covered" instead of "cupboard" and that Maya breaks into song spontaneously like her little life is an episode of Glee. Right now, they are pretty much best friends (most of the time) and I really hope that once they get through the turbulence of adolescence that they stay close forever.

Lily taught herself how to jump rope and she is super proud!

Maya was equally proud when she learned how to jump last summer!

We're just back from a wicked awesome Disney trip, so look for an upcoming Big Fat Disney Post filled with a million Disney scrapbooking layouts. I may or may not have taken nearly 2000 photos. Just sayin'.

Summer Lovin'

So even though I still have two weeks left of school, I feel like summer is beginning to kick into full swing. This weekend I took the girls to what has to be one of the ultimate summer events--the hometown carnival. Now, if you were a follower of my previous blog, you know how I feel about carnivals, however that was back when I was a first time mama, and since then I've chilled out quite a bit. Thank goodness for that! In fact, I've chilled out so much that I took the girls all by myself. And went on the Ferris Wheel. In what seemed like gale force winds. And I didn't even panic when I heard the creaking of our little gondola when we were stopped at the very tippy top. Well, okay, I didn't panic much.








I liked this view much better...from the ground.

The girls had a blast on the Merry-go-Round, train, and slide.





But they especially loved the ice cream and funnel cake that melted all over the place and blew us away in a cloud of powdered sugar.



My favorite part of the carnival? Taking pictures of course! You really can't top the colors and atmosphere of a carnival.



And when the sky cooperates and puts on a show of equal awesomness?? Well, that just takes the funnel cake.







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On that note, I have what might be one of my new favorite summer layouts to share. There is just something about balloons that screams summer, and I was able to capture a few shots of the girls with their free Nordstrom shoe department lovelies this afternoon.



Supplies include Crate Paper Pretty Party and The Pieces of Me Kit by the ever-awesome Maggie Holmes. I love the way the vintage feel of kit coordinates with the vintage style photo. Now that's what I call Summer Lovin'!

Shining Moments

You know that saying "Follow your bliss"? Good in theory, right? Not good if doing so means giving up a nice job with nice vacation and benefits and living in relative destitute-ness because you want to be a professional scrapbooker. In the meantime, however, every month I count down the days to the Member Picks video on Studio Calico's website. And for the past three months one of my little old layouts has been one of just 20 chosen from hundreds to be featured in the member picks video. Every time I've watched those videos and see one of my layouts you'd think I'd won the lotto I get so excited. Too bad I don't actually win the lotto cause then I could Follow my Bliss. It'd be way awesome. For serious.

Here's the link for this month's video Studio Calico Member Picks May.

And here's the April Member Picks

And here's the March Member Picks

I am so flippin' honored to be featured in these videos I can't even stand it. I called Husband and blubbered to him about it for like an hour today.

Okay, enough babbling...I've been working away in my somewhat new and improved studio. I'm still using a folding table but at least the futon is out of there. I'm hoping that we get the desk in there this weekend! I just need to light a fire under husband's behind. But that's another story ;) Here are my latest layouts:













And, just for the record, I now have ten days left of school. Wooo-flippin-hoo!!