The One with 2012 Christmas Card Photos

I'm in love with Jill Facer's photography and was so excited that she had an open slot to take our family photos for our 2012 Christmas cards! Originally we were going to bring her up here to South Pasadena, but we realized all of our family photoshoots have been here. We need to spice up our life! So, as our final hoorah, we decided to meet her down at Newport Beach - what's more California than that? We got the CD of images in the mail yesterday and I am in love with every. single. one. How am I ever going to choose which one/s to put on our Christmas card?

Actually, I think this one is the winner winner chicken dinner, and it was the 2nd shot of the day, go figure! A big thank you to my little sister Allie for designing the art portion of the card!

Thanks so much Jill! We are forever grateful for you and your talent!

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The One with Christmas Movies

Every year on Thanksgiving Day I give myself permission to start watching Christmas movies non-stop! Here are my top faves:

Here are my top faves in order of preference:

Elf
Home Alone 1
Home Alone 2
The Santa Clause
Four Christmases
Christmas With the Kranks
The Nightmare Before Christmas
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (cartoon)
The Muppet Christmas Carol
A Christmas Story
A Charlie Brown Christmas
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Miracle on 34th Street (1994 version)
A Christmas Carol (with George C Scott)
Jingle All the Way
Home Alone 3
Polar Express

Am I missing any essentials?

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The One with Jane at 4 Months

Jane is 4 months new today!

Length: 25" (50-75%) 

Weight: 14 pounds 9 ounces (50-75%) 

Head circumference: 16.5" (50-75%)

Because I like comparing, here she is at 1, 2, 3, and now 4 months:

It seems like overnight Jane went from an infant to a baby - if that makes any sense. In just a matter of days she started eating rice cereal and we upped her to size 2 diapers!

Here are some pics of her first time eating rice cereal:

She was actually eating it! I was surprised because I remember the first time we tried feeding Fox rice cereal he spat every single bite right back out. But Jane got the chewing motions going on and everything. Maybe she was super hungry? Unfortunately, it didn't help her sleep longer like I was hoping it would. More about that later.

She's now in size 2 diapers - it was a few weeks overdue (she was having lots of pee-outs (as opposed to blow-outs (she's only had a couple of those so far miraculously))) but I just couldn't let go of the fact that my baby is growing and buy size 2 until now! Waaaaah.

A couple weeks ago I took Janey with me to go meet up with Amy to exchange completed work for more work, give back a craft box from a Bat Mitzvah, all that kind of fun stuff. I purposefully dressed Janey up in her custom "Jane" Amy Tangerine t-shirt!

Amy held Jane for a bit and the smiles they were giving each other simply melted my heart.

Jane is still such a content baby - she's happy doing whatever! So I've never really thought to give her toys because she hasn't seemed to need anything to keep her occupied. But, toys also help with growth and development, so a couple days ago I got her some new toys at Target. This is literally her first time playing with a toy, caught on camera:

Lots of firsts this month, including her first dip in the pool!

Sometimes I like to dress her up and take her outside to take pictures, just because. These are from one of those times:


She idolizes Fox. Maybe that's one of the reasons she hasn't seemed to need toys - she just watches Fox all day!

He can get her to laugh like Chris and I can't! I didn't get the best giggles on camera, but this'll do for now :)

Just a few minutes ago as I was writing this post, Jane was taking a nap on our bed and she started waking up and making cute noises. Fox, for the first time, started saying "Jane! Jane! Jane!" out loud, ran over to the bed, climbed up onto it, and gave her kisses on the head, without me even asking her to! That is by far the most affection he's ever showed her without us forcing him to. Progress people! They'll be besties soon enough!

Her sleeping habits? Worse than ever. She goes to bed between 6:30-7:00pm, super easily, thank goodness. I bathe her, dress her, feed her, swaddle her, put her in her crib, and she's out like a light within 10 minutes. No extra rocking or coaxing needed! So different from Fox. I go to bed around 10pm and then Jane wakes up at 11:30-12:00 (= a 1.5 nap for mama and a 5 hour stretch for baby...).  I run into the nursery as soon as I hear her making noise because I don't want her to wake Fox up. I grab her and take her into our room to feed her and then place her in between us in her baby box. Then she wakes up again at 3:30am and 6:30am. Sigh. It's hard to sleep with her right next to me because every noise she makes (and she makes them constantly) wakes me up. I'm going to try putting her in the pack'n'play at night after her first feeding to hopefully help me sleep better. And cross my fingers that she'll start sleeping longer. I'm feeding her pretty sporadically throughout the day, so I also want to start trying to go 3-4 hours between feedings instead of whenever willy nilly. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

She's doing great her in carrier whenever I need to take the dog out to go potty or when I need to simultaneously hold her and use my hands. She's about to fall asleep here:

She's starting to grab things and can sit up for a millisecond. Other than that it's still just eat, sleep, poop, repeat! It's hard to believe that in about 8 more months she'll be walking - it all happens so fast!


Heavens to Betsy I love this girl!

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The One with the SNEAK of the 1400th Post Giveaway

So guess what? I'm at 1396 posts! I didn't do a 1300 post giveaway cuz of my triskaidekaphobia, but 1400 is a whole new ball game! I've been collecting bits and pieces, making a few things, and in just a few days' time, I'm gonna give it all away to one or more lucky people/s!! Just FYI :)
Here's a sneaky sneak of what I've gathered:

Stay tuned Saturday, or Sunday, or Monday, depending on when I can find time to make a PaigeBook :)

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The One with Off to Church Mini Photo Sesh

Taking pictures before church is the best time to get photos because we're all dressed in our Sunday best! Plus, I'm always up for new scrapbooking material!

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The One with November 2012 American Crafts (and Bonus) Layouts Part II

As promised, here is the second half of my latest batch of layouts!

JANE AT 3 MONTHS

Journaling says: At three months old you have us wrapped around your tiny finger. You are still such a sweet & easy going baby girl. You've started giving us real laughs and it's the best sound in teh world. We love you so much Jane.

How to: Trim a large circle of gold polka dot vellum with pinking shears then glue it to a cream cardstock background. Stitch a heart using pink thread onto the center of the layout and go over spots with zigzag stitching. Spray five small doilies with different colors of mist then add them to the layout in each corner and in the center. Layer photos, stickers, and embellishments onto each doily. Type journaling onto patterned paper, trim it into strips, then adhere the strips over the photos. Punch a fan border into each side of the background. Punch four scalloped borders from gold polka dot vellum and adhere them behind the fan punched borders. Add a title and more embellishments to finish.

Supplies: Cardstock, patterned paper, patterned vellum, brads (epoxy, fabric), buttons, stickers (border, flowers, heart, label, journaling spot, leaf, letters, number, number border), chipboard (arrow, flowers), date stamp, pen, adhesive: American Crafts; Doilies: Wilton; Pearls: K & Company; Sequins: Pebbles; Pinking shears: Fiskars; Scalloped scissors: Provo Craft; Border punches: EK Success (scalloped), Fiskars (fan); Typewriter: Smith Corona; Sewing machine: Brother; Thread: Coats & Clark; Ink: StazOn; Spray mist: Tattered Angels

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HALLOWEEN 2012

Journaling says: Whoops, I forgot journaling... but hopefully the pictures are worth a thousand words!

Note: When I saw the embellished tags by Leah Farquharson of Blue Bird Chic that she made for her assignment for the American Crafts blog I asked if I could have them :) She so graciously sent them to me, along with a super cute cross stitched fox button! I was so excited to scrap them. And then Amy Tangerine gave me a manila tag that she made with a Kelly Purkey October month stamp! So much goodness all on one page :)

How to: What can I say, I love making banner pages! When I find a style I like, I run it into the ground :) Trim patterned papers, photos, and tags into pennants and adhere them in three curved rows across an orange grid paper background. Add pennant stickers between some of the pennants. Stitch across the tops of the banners using black thread and alternate between straight and zigzag stitches. Drop brown and white spray mist and black India ink across the layout. Make a title above the tops of the banners. Cluster embellishments on the top left, botton, and right edges. Add additional stickers and embellishments to finish!

Supplies: Patterned paper, fabric brads, paper leaves, stickers (arrow, asterisks  camera, candy corn, hearts, labels, letters, pennants, sentiment), adhesive: American Crafts; Wooden veneer stars, spray mist: Studio Calico; Embellished tag, cross stitched fox button: Blue Bird Chic by Leah Farquharson; Stamps: American Crafts (date), Kelly Purkey (month); India ink: Artworks; Sewing machine: Brother; Thread: Coats & Clark

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JANE'S FIRST TRIP TO DISNEYLAND

Journaling says: On Labor Day 2012 we took both kids to Disneyland - the first time with Jane! She slept pretty much the entire time. And finally, after almost a year of being off-limits, I went on a "big kid" ride - Indiana Jones! So much fun, I've missed the adrenaline rushes. Jane's first ride was Peter Pan's Flight. She slept through it :) Eventually it got super crowded so we left but we'll be back lots and lots before we move outta here!

How to: Use a sewing machine and white thread to stitch a geometrical background across a dark purple cardstock background. Punch hexagons from photos and patterned paper and adhere them at each intersection of thread. Place border stickers around the layout edges. Place die cuts on the top, left, and bottom border stickers. Stamp a sentiment and date on the label die cut on the bottom edge. Replace a few of the hexagons with label/journaling spot stickers. Embellish the patterned paper hexagons with fabric brads, buttons, stickers, die cuts, etc. Journal with a black pen inside three of the stitched shapes between hexagons to create a visual triangle. Make a title across the middle. Drop white and silver spray mist across the layout to finish.

Supplies: Cardstock, pen, stamps (date, sentiment), adhesive: American Crafts; Patterned paper, fabric brads, buttons, die cuts (butterfly, flowers, label, lace border): Crate Paper; Stickers: Crate Paper (borders, butterfly, journaling spots, labels), Jillibean Soup (letters), Studio Calico (chipboard letters); Pearl: K & Company; Spray mist: Studio Calico (white), Tattered Angels (silver); Ink: StazOn; Hexagon punch: Creative Memories; Sewing machine: Brother; Thread: Coats & Clark

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THEY CALL ME MOMMY

Journaling says: Never in a million years did I imagine I could love anything as much as my children!

How to: Die cut a large pinked circle from scrap cardstock, place it on a green patterned paper layout base, spray over it using darker green mist, then remove the pinked circle. Trace a circle (I used a bowl as a stencil) onto the center using a pencil. Place three photos across the middle. Trim triangles of all sizes from patterned paper, cardstock, and mini album pages and adhere them around the traced circle; stitch around the inside edge a couple times to secure the triangles in place. Add a title to the bottom and embellish with sequins, flowers cuts out from patterned paper and topped with pearls, journaling written on a piece of a mini album page, and stickers, as shown. Drop brown spray mist across the top right and bottom left corners.

Supplies: Cardstock, patterned paper, mini album pages, pen, adhesive: American Crafts; Stickers: American Crafts (arrow, brackets, chipboard letters, hearts, scalloped border), Cosmo Cricket (yellow mini alphabet); Pearls: K & Company; Sequins: Craft supply; Spray mist: Studio Calico; Die cut machine (Cameo), pinked circle die (Silhouette): QuicKutz; Sewing machine: Brother; Thread: Coats & Clark

That's all for this month! Hopefully I'll have as much mojo next month!

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The One with November 2012 American Crafts (and Bonus) Layouts Part I

I've had the best past three days - Chris has been home and I haven't had work so I've been scrapping morning, noon, and night! I made 9 layouts, so I'll share some today and the rest tomorrow :)

2 MONTHS

Journaling says: At just 2 months you are such a good baby. Always smiling, happy, content & go-with-the-flow. You're sleeping pretty well and you love to be held and snuggled and "oooh"ed and "ahhh"ed over. You look at us, especially Fox, with such adoration. Love you!

How to: Trim 1" "L" shapes from patterned paper, glittered paper, and patterned vellum then stagger them down a yellow cardstock background in "V"s. Place a large doily on the bottom half and layer photos, stickers, chipboard, brads, a journaling block, and more on top of and around the doily as shown. Cluster additional embellishments on the top right corner then make a title in the center of the photos.

Supplies: Cardstock, patterned paper, patterned vellum, brads (epoxy, fabric), wooden epoxy button, burlap bow, stickers (bird, borders, feathers, heart, label, leaves, letters, number, sentiments), chipboard (arrow, bird, leaves), stamps (date, heart border), pen, adhesive: American Crafts; Doily: Wilton; Ink: StazOn

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FOX & JANE

Journaling says: Slowly but surely Fox is warming up to Jane. When we're hugging and kissing Jane, Fox wants attention too so he'll hug and kiss her and we'll goo-goo over Fox being cute. Soon to be besties!

How to: Place a large doily on a teal cardstock background, spray darker teal mist over it, then remove the doily. Add pearls around the misted doily shape. Punch squares from patterned paper, cut most of them in half into triangles, then adhere them in a quilt-inspired pattern in the middle. Place a small lightly misted doily in the center and add a lined paper photo mat, four small photos, and embellishments (like stickers, flowers, a wooden bird veneer, title, etc) on top of the doily. Wrap baker's twine and sequin trim around the top paper blocks. Trim three small pieces of a doily and add them to the top, left, and bottom edges; embellish the doilies with ric rac, ribbon tabs, a fabric button, stickpin, button, etc.

Supplies: Cardstock, patterned paper, chipboard photo corners, baker's twine, sequin trim, ric rac, ribbon, pen, adhesive: American Crafts; Fabric brad, button: Crate Paper; Stickers: American Crafts (ampersand, flowers, labels , Cosmo Cricket (yellow mini alphabet), My Mind's Eye (round mini alphabet); Wooden veneer bird, spray mist: Studio Calico; Pearls: K & Company; Stickpin: Making Memories; Doilies: Wilton; Square punch: Marvy Uchida

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SUGAR & SPICE AND EVERYTHING NICE THAT'S WHAT BABY JANE IS MADE OF

Note: I made a layout just like this for Fox except it said "snips and snails and puppy dog tails, that's what little Fox is made of."

Journaling says: The title is the journaling :)

How to: Adhere a border of small photos around a cream cardstock background. Punch doily borders from white cardstock, tuck them under the top and bottom row of photos, and accent each doily with a pearl. Create a title in the middle using a variety of letter stickers - or Thickers if you will. Embellish the layout minimally using word stickers, an epoxy bow sticker, accordion flower, and epoxy wooden button. 

Supplies: Cardstock, stickers (accordion flower, ampersand, epoxy bow, letters, words), wooden epoxy button, adhesive: American Crafts; Doily border punch: EK Success; Pearls: K & Company

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LAST MOMENTS AS 3

Journaling says: Just a few hours after Malm took these photos of us, Jane was born! She must have known it was important to me to get these taken to document our last moments as a family of 3. We are so grateful to have Fox and Jane in our lives forever!

How to: Punch photos and patterned paper into squares then layer them across a woodgrain paper background on a slight angle. Zigzag stitch over edges with white thread. Cut out a pink label from patterned paper, cut it in half, journal on the halves with a black pen, then adhere them on the layout. Place a number sticker on one of the patterned paper squares, surround it with a wooden veneer pinked circle frame, then add mini alphabet stickers around it to complete the title. Embellish some of the squares with chipboard butterflies, border stickers, and a piece of a label sticker with the date stamped on top.

Supplies: Patterned paper, stickers (borders, butterfly, label, letters, number), chipboard butterflies, wooden veneer pinked circle frame: Studio Calico; Date stamp, ink, pen: American Crafts; Square punch: Marvy Uchida; Sewing machine: Brother; Thread: Coats & Clark

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FOX @ 2

Journaling says: You are so smart, happy, funny, talkative, friendly, ticklish, handsome, clever (like a fox!), spontaneous, impulsive, demanding, intelligent, coy, adventurous, curious, wild, & crazy!

How to: This layout was complicated to make :) Basically, I cut a piece of cardstock into 3" squares, trimmed triangles from patterned paper, adhered them around each square, cut off the excess, lined up all the squares, and then peeled off the triangles and arranged them onto a fresh sheet of gray cardstock. It took an entire Home Alone movie to make the background! Then add patterned paper and a sheet torn from a mini album on the bottom right topped with a quad of photos, and embellish with stickers, a title, die cuts, a journaling spot, buttons and more. It's all about layering baby!

Supplies: Cardstock, patterned paper, mini album page, stickers ("@", "#", arrows, hearts, letters, lightbulb, number, stars), die cuts (circle, journaling spot, sentiment), pen, date stamp, adhesive: American Crafts; Buttons: Crate Paper; Pinking shears: Fiskars; Ink: StazOn

Four more layouts to share tomorrow!

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