The One when We Were on the ABC Sound of Music Special!

A couple weeks ago while I was in Denver, I returned to my hotel room after a long day of filming and saw I had a g-chat message from someone I didn't know:

Seems a little sketchy right? So I googled "Lauren Putrino ABC" and she seemed to be legitimate! So of course I replied in the affirmative:

And then I forgot about it - like they'd really use my video on their Sound of Music Special....

Fast forward to Thursday night - once again I get home from a long day of filming and I saw this message from my mom:

Squeeeeeeeee!!!! NO WAY!!!!

Then for the first time in almost two years I watched a show LIVE on television - not re-broadcast, not on Netflix, not on Hulu, not on YouTube but on actual TV. I didn't even have to wait long to see me and the kids! This clip is from YouTube, but I swear it was on TV :)

At about one minute when they're doing the side-by-side comparisons of people re-enacting scenes all around Salzburg, they played a tiny bit of our video! They even put my name across the top hehe.

Let's rewind to last May when we went to Salzburg and attempted to re-enact the Do Re Mi bit on the stairs:

.05 mili-seconds of fame :)

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The One with the American Crafts FINE & DANDY Layout

It's Dear Lizzy "Fine & Dandy" Week on the American Crafts blog! Loving all these new collections. Here's what I made:

LOVELY TIME by Paige Evans

Description: 99% of the time I start a layout with an idea or sketch in mind. This time, I didn't, and it was soooo freeing. I've been scrapping like a mad woman lately. As I write this post it's Tuesday March 10th and I'm about to fly to Denver to film at Craftsy. I've literally made over 40 layouts in the past month. How can I put this mildly... I'm sick of scrapping, ha! Never thought I'd say it! So, to just let the ideas flow and not have something in mind was a fun and much needed way to create. Anyway. I still love scrapbooking, I'll just be excited when I don't have to make a million layouts every day for exciting things :) Which, when this post goes live, things should be much calmer and I'll be back to a semi-regular routine. I hope. Things do come up and I have a hard time saying no :)

Journaling says: I love that you still let me give you hugs and kisses, sweet thing!

How to: Trim patterned paper strips and adhere them diagonally across the Stay Awesome paper background; fold and bend the edges for dimension. Punch a pair of black & white photos into 2" circles then layer them along with embellishments (such as stickers, gold rimmed tags, die cuts, acrylic shapes, chipboard, pieces of a circles garland, etc.) onto the layout to make two clusters. Journal on a cloud sticker with a black pen.

Supplies: Patterned paper, chipboard, stickers, die cuts, round tags, acrylic shapes, pen, adhesive: American Crafts

Looking forward to more awesome AC collections!

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The One with 6 Goodie Boxes

I have purged my scrapbook supplies, AGAIN! That's what happens when I only have two cubbies dedicated to new supplies. I've sold most of them locally but I have 6 amazing, awesome, wonderful goodies boxes left :) USA residents only please (unless you want to pay for actual shipping which, I'll be honest, is usually pretty astronomical. Someone needs to fix this travesty...)

Each box includes at least 25 sheets of whole patterned paper/cardstock, 8 sheets of cut into paper, 1 partial and 1 whole alpha, 1 partial and 1 whole sticker, a few brand new, never opened embellishment packs, a handful of "tidbits" like die cuts/buttons/sequins/jewels and other little baubles, at least 1 washi tape roll, and then each goodie bag has something "extra" to make it special whether it's a stamp or embossing folder or patterned paper pad or some kind of scrapbooking tool. 

Prices include USPS priority shipping from the Army post in Grafenwöhr Germany - shipping takes about 1-3 weeks.

1 box = $50

2 boxes = $80

3 boxes = $100

Please comment below, message me, or email me at paigetaylorevans@gmail.com with the number of boxes you would like and your paypal email so I can send you an invoice.

 DANKE/THANK YOU!!

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The One with Noble Paiges: Big Little Lies by Liana Moriarty

Hello once again book nerds :) Today we're hosting our 8th Noble Paiges book discussion: BIG LITTLE LIES by Liane Moriarty. This is one of those books that I couldn't put down. So good. I read it on my flight to/from Madrid and couldn't even stop reading while I was waiting for my bags. Yup. I was one of "those" people reading while standing. Basically, I highly recommend it and have another one of Moriarty's books waiting to be read on my nightstand: The Husband's Secret (Have you read it? Do you like it?) Anyway, back to BIG LITTLE LIES, please note: SPOILERS BELOW.

Synopsis: Sometimes it’s the little lies that turn out to be the most lethal... A murder... a tragic accident… or just parents behaving badly? What’s indisputable is that someone is dead. But who did what? BIG LITTLE LIES follows three women, each at a crossroads: Madeline is a force to be reckoned with. She’s funny and biting, passionate, she remembers everything and forgives no one. Her ex-husband and his yogi new wife have moved into her beloved beachside community, and their daughter is in the same kindergarten class as Madeline’s youngest (how is this possible?). And to top it all off, Madeline’s teenage daughter seems to be choosing Madeline’s ex-husband over her. (How. Is. This. Possible?). Celeste is the kind of beautiful woman who makes the world stop and stare. While she may seem a bit flustered at times, who wouldn’t be, with those rambunctious twin boys? Now that the boys are starting school, Celeste and her husband look set to become the king and queen of the school parent body. But royalty often comes at a price, and Celeste is grappling with how much more she is willing to pay. New to town, single mom Jane is so young that another mother mistakes her for the nanny. Jane is sad beyond her years and harbors secret doubts about her son. But why? While Madeline and Celeste soon take Jane under their wing, none of them realizes how the arrival of Jane and her inscrutable little boy will affect them all. Big Little Lies is a brilliant take on ex-husbands and second wives, mothers and daughters, schoolyard scandal, and the dangerous little lies we tell ourselves just to survive.

QUESTIONS:
1. Who did you suspect was the murder victim? Did it change throughout the book? If you guessed correctly, when did you begin to suspect? How did you feel when you found out who it was?
At first I thought it was going to be Jane. I never really figured out who died until it happened, but I did figure out that Jane's rapist and Celeste's husband were the same (Saxon Banks was Perry), somewhere along the line she mentioned the wedding, and how the twins are the same age as Ziggy, there were two men at the bar where Jane was, it all began to make sense and fit together. Very clever. I was glad Perry was the victim, although I don't believe murdering is okay.

2. Were you surprised when the culprit was revealed? Did she get a fair sentence, in your opinion?
Yes I was surprised it was Bonnie. I feel like it was kind of out of character for her to explode like that, but I guess it was the straw that broke the camel's back. And yes I think her sentence was fair although I don't remember exactly what it was? Community service? But she wasn't sentenced to jail (or was she? Ha! I already need to re-read!), which I'm glad for, because it seemed like an accident gone terribly wrong.

3. Did you think Ziggy was the bully? Did you think he was being bullied? Did you suspect it was really Max?
That's a lot of questions in one! No I didn't think it was Ziggy, I thought it was Ammabelle's (or however you spell it!) mom with a Munchausen by Proxy thing. I never suspected Max at all, but it makes sense after him watching his dad beat up Celeste all those years.

4. Did you suspect Tom was not, in fact, gay? Were you glad for Jane?
No I didn't suspect and YES I was so glad for Jane! Happy endings all around! Well, except for Perry... but he wasn't exactly the nicest guy in the world.

5. Would you watch BIG LITTLE LIES if it became a movie?
ABSOLUTELY!! Books turned into movies are some of my favorites, though I must admit I think the books are always better. Especially in this case where so much of what happens isn't spoken, it's "told" from one lady's point of view, in her head. This whole book kind of reminds me of that TV show The OC. Now THAT was a classic show :)

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Kelsey Noble has another set of fun and thoughtful questions about BIG LITTLE LIES by Liane Moriarty on her blog!

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Our next Noble Paiges book club discussion will be, and it's a twist on the norm because it's non-fiction: EMPTY MANSIONS by Bill Dedman and Paul Clark Newell, Jr. I started this while filming in Denver and I'll be honest, I was hesitant to begin because, really, a non-fiction book? I haven't read non-fiction since high school when I had to. BUT, after just the first page, I was hooked. It's so good and interesting and completely, totally, and utterly FASCINATING!

Synopsis: When Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Bill Dedman noticed in 2009 a grand home for sale, unoccupied for nearly sixty years, he stumbled through a surprising portal into American history. EMPTY MANSIONS is a rich mystery of wealth and loss, connecting the Gilded Age opulence of the nineteenth century with a twenty-first-century battle over a $300 million inheritance. At its heart is a reclusive heiress named Huguette Clark, a woman so secretive that, at the time of her death at age 104, no new photograph of her had been seen in decades. Though she owned palatial homes in California, New York, and Connecticut, why had she lived for twenty years in a simple hospital room, despite being in excellent health? Why were her valuables being sold off? Was she in control of her fortune, or controlled by those managing her money?

Dedman has collaborated with Huguette Clark’s cousin, Paul Clark Newell, Jr., one of the few relatives to have frequent conversations with her. Dedman and Newell tell a fairy tale in reverse: the bright, talented daughter, born into a family of extreme wealth and privilege, who secrets herself away from the outside world.

Huguette was the daughter of self-made copper industrialist W. A. Clark, nearly as rich as Rockefeller in his day, a controversial senator, railroad builder, and founder of Las Vegas. She grew up in the largest house in New York City, a remarkable dwelling with 121 rooms for a family of four. She owned paintings by Degas and Renoir, a world-renowned Stradivarius violin, a vast collection of antique dolls. But wanting more than treasures, she devoted her wealth to buying gifts for friends and strangers alike, to quietly pursuing her own work as an artist, and to guarding the privacy she valued above all else.

The Clark family story spans nearly all of American history in three generations, from a log cabin in Pennsylvania to mining camps in the Montana gold rush, from backdoor politics in Washington to a distress call from an elegant Fifth Avenue apartment. The same Huguette who was touched by the terror attacks of 9/11 held a ticket nine decades earlier for a first-class stateroom on the second voyage of the Titanic.

Our next Noble Paiges discussion of EMPTY MANSIONS by Bill Dedman and Paul Clark Newell, Jr. will be on Saturday May 9th 2015, so put it on your calendars and "see" you then! And make sure to visit Kelsey's blog for the other half of this discussion!

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The One with the Hand Stitched Layout

This is the first layout I've created "just for fun" in like 5 years! No assignment, no rules, no guidelines, it was simply made to pass the time on the airplane. 

SAY CHEESE by Paige Evans

Description: I needed something that would keep me occupied for 9 hours on my flight to Denver. Hand stitching takes a long time, so I went in search of a complicated background design that would take awhile to stitch. Enter the Background Lace Circles cut file!

Journaling says: When we ask you to smile, 9 times out of 10 you just stick out your tongue, silly!

How to: I think there's an easier way to do this beginning step and I'm going to try it out soon, but here's what I did: put a pencil in the housing unit of a Silhouette Cameo and draw the Background Lace Circles cut file onto white cardstock. Use a paper piercer to poke a hole every 1/4" around the entire traced design then erase the pencil marks so the design is just barely visible. Hand stitch the circles using a backstitch and your favorite colors. I used cream for the entire outline and inner pieces. I actually ran out of cream thread and only needed about a yard to finish! Luckily, while I was in Denver, I met up with the amazingly talented Danielle Flanders and she gave me the exact thread I needed to finish. Such a sweetheart! Fill in the circles with patterned paper circles, buttons, die cuts, stickers, and more. Adhere a circle-punched photo to one of the circles and journal in another. Edge the layout with patterned paper strips. Done!

Supplies: Cardstock, adhesive, pen: American Crafts; Patterned paper: American Crafts, Crate Paper; Floss: DMC; Buttons: American Crafts (wooden), October Afternoon (plastic); Die cuts, stickers, wood veneer: Cienna by Elle's Studio; Die cut machine: Silhouette Cameo; Circles cut file: Background Lace Circles

Well that was fun to make :)

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The One with the Elle's Studio March 2015 Layout

My third step-by-step project for Elle's Studio is up! Here is the layout in full, but be sure to visit the Elle's Studio blog for the whole shebang.

JANE by Paige Evans

On this layout I used elements from the Elle's Studio March 2015 kit:

 As well as a few items from the lovely new Cienna collection and the March Digital Cut Files cut with my Silhouette CAMEO.

Some watercoloring, splatters of white paint, a few wood veneer hearts, topped with a photo and a li'l journaling, and this layout was complete!

Be sure to check out the Elle's Studio blog for the complete photo tutorial of how this layout came to be!

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The One with the Ali Edwards HELLO HELLO HELLO Layout

Here's my newest Ali Edwards Digital Creative Team layout!

HELLO HELLO HELLO by Paige Evans

Description: There are so many different options in just one set of digital stamps! I played with the new "Hello New Day" set by Ali Edwards and focused on just one word from three of the phrases: HELLO. (All cut with my Silhouette CAMEO.)

Journaling says: Love hugging and cuddling and snuggling with you!

How to: First, trace the three "hello"s found in the "Hello New Day" set by Ali Edwards then enlarge and arrange them how you want them. Offset the words, copy and paste that outline in a new document, then use a Silhouette CAMEO to draw that outline with a gold Silhouette sketch pen on a white cardstock background. Machine stitch with white thread an outline around the gold traced lines (for more definition). Back on the original words, use the eraser tool to separate each letter so you can cut each one from patterned paper using a Silhouette CAMEO. Outline each letter with a black pen for more definition then adhere the letters inside the stitched/sketched ones. Tuck a square photo under the first "o". Edge the left and right borders with patterned paper. Journal with a black pen on the left side and staple a few pieces fussy cut from patterned paper over the letters. Splatter watercolors over the layout to finish.

Supplies: "HELLO" cut file title: "Hello New Day" set by Ali Edwards; Cardstock, adhesive, pen: American Crafts; Patterned paper, die cuts: Crate Paper; Watercolors: Mister Huey's by Studio Calico; Sewing machine: Brother; Thread: Coats & Clark; Die cut machine: Silhouette CAMEO; Gold sketch pen: Silhouette America

Thanks for takin' a looksy!

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The One with the Big Picture Classes - Spring Décor

My newest class with Big Picture Classes called SPRING DÉCOR is now live, up, and running!

Embrace the change of seasons with three colorful DIY projects: a banner of butterflies, a floral ampersand, and 4 beautiful framed silhouettes. You don't need a ton of supplies to brighten up your home with beautiful spring décor. You'll be amazed what you can create with a few classic tools and a little bit of patterned paper, washi tape, and ribbon! 

That back-log of patterned paper in your craft room will look splendid fashioned into floral shapes or fit into frames for a nice pop of color on your walls! Check out Spring Décor at Big Picture Classes right now, this very second, pronto, stat, forthwith, be there or be square :)

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The One with the American Crafts RISE & SHINE Layout

It's Amy Tangerine "Rise & Shine" Week on the American Crafts blog and here's what I made for my spot yesterday:

LOVE US by Paige Evans

Description: I may not be creating layouts monthly for Studio Calico anymore (queue sad violin music now :) but I'm still designing monthly cut files! I decided to give one a go on this layout - the Ampersands background cut file for Odyssey kits:

Journaling says: On Easter Sunday we stopped to take pictures at the colorful egg tree in Grafenwöhr.

How to: Draw the Ampersand background cut file using a black Silhouette sketch pen and a Silhouette CAMEO on a light gray cardstock background. Cut smaller ampersands from most of the patterned papers in the Rise & Shine collection by the lovely Amy Tangerine and adhere them in place. Layer a photo over a tag and die cuts and add other embellishments such as wood veneer, epoxy stickers, more die cuts, etc., slightly off-center. Trim the "love us" from a chipboard frame and tuck it under the photo for a title. Journal on a transparency sticker with a black pen layered over white cardstock to help it stand out. Drop black India ink over the layout to finish.

Supplies: Cardstock (gray, white), patterned paper, stickers, die cuts, wood veneer, chipboard, pen, adhesive: American Crafts; India ink: ProArt; Die cut machine: Silhouette CAMEO; Silhouette pen: Sketch pen by Silhouette; Ampersand background cut file: Paige Evans for Studio Calico

Whelp! That's all for now!

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The One with So Far in Denver

Last Saturday I packed up two huge and heavy suitcases, kissed the kiddos goodbye (why does Jane look bigger than Fox here?) and drove 2.5 hours to the Frankfurt airport. 

It was my first time flying out of Frankfurt and figuring it out all by myself was an adventure. Luckily things went smoothly and after being passed around from counter to counter for having an extra bag (really? You're only allowed ONE bag on an international flight?) and paying the hefty fee, I got through security and then found some lunch. An actual bagel! I sat and read and watched the planes take off. 

Even though I was a couple hours early, the plane was already at the gate - very good sign! Kinda looks like Dusty Crophopper no? Frankfurt is the main hub for Lufthansa. I was amazed at how much American English I heard all around me. The ceilings. Cool, if you're into that industrial sort of look.

My international flying track record isn't the greatest, so I was happy as a clam when the plane took off right on schedule! To pass the time (it was a 9 hour flight) I watched some movies: Imitation Game (SO GOOD! And I had no idea that the war was so manipulated? Really makes me think...), Interstellar (also an awesome movie), and Mockingjay Part 1. I also worked on a massive stitching project. Here is the before:

And here is how much I got done on the plane:

I'll share the layout once I'm finished!

I wasn't sitting by a window so every once in awhile I got up to stretch my legs and look out the back windows. As we were flying over northeastern Canada I needed a breather so I got up, with my camera of course.

What did I see? A whole lotta ice. 

But wait! What is that? No way! It can't be! It is! A PERFECTLY SHAPED HEART formed by ice and water!

Nature is so amazing. 

Then some old guy came up to me as I was snapping away and asked if I was interested in sea ice....??? Um... not really? Is that a "thing"? I just like taking photos... It was a little weird so I sat back down, only after showing the flight attendant and the nice lady I was sitting next to my #heartsinnature photo.

We landed just three hours after I took off - due to the time change :) It was a beautiful and warm day in Denver. Not gonna lie, as we were landing I looked out one of the far windows and saw the Rocky Mountains and started to cry. I am very familiar with Denver and the DIA - Chris is from Denver so we've been many-a-time. So good to be HOME. The wave of emotion that came over me was just too much and I cried. So what of it? :)

Let me tell you though, being a visitor in your own homeland is WEIRD! Like, what do I put on the customs form? Home, family, business, pleasure? I'm here on a business trip, but it's my original home. Where it said to list the countries visited, I put none. Then when I was going through customs the dude was like, didn't you visit Germany? Oh yeah... I did... but I live there because we're in the US Army... so.... and he let me through. Took about an hour to get through customs. I don't wanna talk about it. I'm glad for the measures they take to keep us safe, I just don't like having to go through it myself.

As we drove along we passed so many old familiar places that once again brought me to tears: 7-11, Safeway, a legit mall, Texas Roadhouse (mmmm!) and.... TARGET! Just to name a few. Goodness I hope I get to step foot in a Target while I'm here!

Downtown Denver. I'm staying at a hotel where every floor is themed. Imagine my delight when I popped out onto the "science fiction" floor, turned the corner, and saw this poster: (In case you don't know what this poster is, it's from the X-Files. I LOVE X-Files. I have a son named Fox afterall). It was meant to be :) I had to try my darndest to stay awake and I needed to get some food in my belly. Where-oh-where to get my first meal back in the good ol' US of A? I remember going to a Spaghetti Factory with Chris when we were just kids, so I looked it up and found it was only a few blocks away. Passing by the 16Th street mall.  The Spaghetti Factory was super crowded because people were out celebrating St. Patrick's Day (two days early) so I just ordered my meal at the bar. People. ICE IN MY DRINK! FREE REFILLS! It's the little things. I ordered my usual Mizithra cheese. I actually only ate a few bites as I watched the latest episode of The Blacklist because I was so deliriously tired. I went to sleep at 7:45pm - 2:45am Germany time.

On Sunday I woke up and had the entire day all to myself. It's been over a decade since that's happened! First thing's first - breakfast. Delicious waffles topped with sweet syrup, bacon cooked to perfection, tasty sausage, yummy potatoes, a muffin, and some strawberries and pineapple. The All American Breakfast.

Then I went next door and got a manicure. I hardly ever get my nails done. I think the last time I did was for our wedding almost 8 years ago. I tried the gel stuff and I love the way it looks! I might be hooked... Time for lunch! I was craving some Noodles & Co Wisconsin Mac & Cheese. My wish is my command :) I sent Chris this photo of all the ski resorts - I've actually been to quite a few of them, though never to ski. And the pic on the right is the fancy soda dispenser at Noodles. Never encountered one of these before! Next stop: an Apple Pie Apple from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory! (When in Rome the USA!) Oh. My Goodness. It was almost $10 for this thing! Are you kidding?! $10 for an apple?! Sure, every bite was delicious, but that's highway robbery. I could get 50 apples for $10! Anyway.... Classy.

This place is right across from where I'm staying - apparently it's been featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives?

At this point in the day it was HOT. It was almost 80 degrees and I was in full-fall gear: boots, sweater, etc. I was burning up. So I went into a few stores and came out with more things than I probably should have. Look, there are no Forever 21s or H&Ms or GAPs out where I live. Yes, I can shop online, but it's not the same as trying things on! So I did and it was awesome. Then I went and saw Cinderella. SO CUTE! Loved it! So much eye candy! And I loved the Frozen short beforehand - those little sneeze snowmen? Adorable.

A beautiful day in Denver.

So..... the reason I'm here?????? To film a couple of classes for Craftsy!

Can't talk much about them yet, but I'm so super excited. They're two topics I'm very passionate about. It's been so nerve-wracking being in front of the camera, but everyone is super nice and awesome and helpful and understanding.

My changing room and "star".

2 days of filming down, 3 to go!

Then earlier tonight I met up with fellow crafter and Craftsy teacher - Danielle Flanders and we got some pizza for dinner. Danielle is as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside. She gave me a box of some of her BEAUTIFUL cards. Seriously, she's the world's best cardmarker! I'll have to take pictures of them, they're so gorgeous - too gorgeous to give away :)

Margherita pizza, my fave. 

Selfie!

Whelp, I'm still a little jet-lagged and this post has taken me four days to write, so I'm calling it good! Peace out!

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