2paws Designs

Anniversary Card

2009-11-10T08:00:00.007-05:00

Here's the card I made for Trent this year:

Supplies: Die Cuts with a View card; miscellaneous green cardstock; Deja Views, Scenic Route & Cosmo Cricket patterned papers; black stamp ink; Prima flower; Making Memories button & stitches. Inspired by October A Year in Cards class at Two Peas.

Happy Day!

2009-11-08T08:00:00.015-05:00

It's been six years since we said "I do"...

and one year since we learned we were expecting our sweet boy who celebrates 16 weeks today...

A very happy day. :)

Supplies: Black Frame from Rhonna Farrer's Color My World kit; butterfly from Rhonna Farrer's Fashion Patisserie brush set.

Thursday Thirteen #5: Motherhood

2009-11-05T21:00:00.001-05:00

Thirteen things Motherhood has taught me so far...

I can survive on very little sleep.
I can get a bit irritable on very little sleep. ;)
My "mommy instincts" are right for us more often than not.
Burp cloths and spit up on the shoulder are fashion statements. LOL
If he's going to spit up, it will be after a bath - not before.
If I want Dylan in "cute" outfit for something, do not put it on him until seconds before.
How to change a diaper in the dark and half asleep.
Always pack a few more diapers than you think you will need.
Naps are wonderful things.
It's okay if the only thing I get done in a day besides caring for Dylan is taking a shower.
I love spending my days with my son but also treasure my "me" time.
It really is hard work.
There is nothing better than his smiles & laughter...

First Civics Lesson: Voting

2009-11-03T12:00:00.002-05:00

Dylan accompanied me to the polls today:

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T08:00:00.007-04:00

Supplies: 2pawsDesigns trick or treat frame; plain cardboard paper from Miss Mint's Kindergarten Crafts kit.

Musical Fish

2009-10-29T09:30:00.001-04:00

Dylan recently mastered grabbing and pulling on the fish hanging overhead in his kick & crawl gym. I've shown him several times since we got it that the green fish plays music when a button is pushed. On Monday, I decided to show him a few more times using his hands to see if maybe he was at the point where he could learn to do it himself. Sure enough, a short time later, Dylan hit the button and the music played! When I told Trent about it that night, I commented that I wasn't sure Dylan realized exactly what he was doing but was certain it was intentional. Looks like Dylan does know what he's doing after all though - he has been hitting that button each playtime in it since.

Here's a little capture of yesterday's fun:

Halloween card

2009-10-27T08:00:00.007-04:00

Fun little card I threw together for Marianne's Last Minute Halloween Card Challenge for Stamptoberfest at Two Peas:

Supplies: Die Cuts with a View card; miscellaneous kraft paper; Basic Grey patterned paper; Autumn Leaves pumpkin stamp; Staz-On black stamp pad; Le Plume II markers; Stickles; Stampin' Up "happy" stamp; Making Memories scallop border sticker & glitter letter stickers; foam adhesive. Inspired by October A Year in Cards class at Two Peas.

Christmas Tree card

2009-10-25T08:00:00.006-04:00

I made this card last night for Tere's Stamptoberfest challenge at Two Peas:

I had never tried paper piecing a stamped image before - it was so quick & easy and I love the result.

Supplies: Die Cuts with a View card; miscellaneous kraft paper; EK Success corner rounder punch; Micron black pen; Making Memories, ProvoCraft and We R Memory Keepers patterned papers; LePlume II marker; unknown tree stamp; Staz-On black stamp pad.

Friday Freebie - trick or treat frame

2009-10-23T08:00:00.008-04:00

In honor of Halloween, here's a fun digital frame I created to share.

Click here to download the trick or treat frame

Enjoy!

Have you missed one of my previous digital freebies? Click HERE to find them. And, don't forget to subscribe to my feeds so you won't miss future freebies!

Dylan's Stocking in progress...

2009-10-21T08:00:00.005-04:00

Three Months

2009-10-19T11:45:00.001-04:00

The months seem to be passing faster and faster. I continue to be amazed at all the new things Dylan does as he grows. A few changes I've noticed during the past month...

* improved eye and hand coordination. Instead of just batting at objects, he is grabbing a hold of them:

He can pull the owl toy off his bouncy seat and gets a bit frustrated at times that he's not strong enough to pull the fish off the gym yet.

* rolls to either side from his back or tummy. Prefers to roll to the right.

* mastering longer stretches of tummy time. Although when he's flat on the floor (versus propped up on the Boppy), he tries to get out of it by rolling over to his back or by taking naps:

* has learned to reach out and grab toys in front of him when propped up on the Boppy for tummy time:

* loves looking around at everything around him - particularly faces. And he's starting to take notice of the cats. He'll stare at them if they get close enough.

* will respond to comments with coos and smiles. And when left alone in his crib or playpen, will chat away to the animals on his mobiles.

* loves holding and touching objects as well as sticking them in his mouth.

* is 26 inches long! He now wears clothing sizes 6-12 months depending upon the brand and size.

* more smiling:

Optimistic

2009-10-15T08:00:00.004-04:00

This month I had Monica's My Imaginary Friends circle journal. She asked us to each create a 2-page layout about ourselves sharing photos of our family & pets and answering the question "What is just one word that describes you?" After thinking a bit, I decided on "optimistic" as I think it fits my personality perfectly. I've always been a happy, glass half-full person and believe there is a positive in every situation.

Supplies: Bazzill (purple) and miscellaneous (cream) cardstock; Making Memories patterned paper; QuicKutz Sunshine font, tab & circle dies; Fiskars and EK Success border punches; black stamp ink; Micron black pen.

Happy Birthday!

2009-10-10T08:00:00.006-04:00

Here's the card I made my dad for his birthday today:

Supplies: miscellaneous navy blue and white cardstock; Little Yellow Bicycle patterned paper; QuicKutz circle die; Martha Stewart Crafts rub-on sentiment; American Crafts ribbon. Inspired by sketch from the September A Year in Cards class at Two Peas.

Best Buds

2009-10-07T08:10:00.000-04:00

Day at the Zoo

2009-10-01T07:25:00.000-04:00

I took a little break from Dylan's album yesterday to scrap photos from a day trip Trent & I took to the NC Zoo in April:

Supplies: miscellaneous dark brown & white cardstock; StazOn stamp ink; Autumn Leaves stamp; Martha Stewart Crafts sepia pen; Me and My Big Ideas sticker. Inspired by Sam's 9/25 challenge at Scrappin' Mojo and the Two Peas September Super Sketches class.

tummy time

2009-09-29T07:25:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I checked out a few of the blogs participating in the Fall 2009 "Challenge Blog" Blog Hop. The hop begins at scrapsketch. For their sketch challenge I created this layout about Dylan's dislike for tummy time:

Supplies: miscellaneous black & white cardstock; October Afternoon patterned paper; Making Memories patterned paper, felt letter stickers, & eyelet; Scenic Route arrows; Signo Uniball white pen; Micron black pen; black stamp ink.

Baby Feet

2009-09-27T08:00:00.007-04:00

For the title page to Dylan's album, I used a photo I took of his cute little feet:

The design was inspired by a card we received after Dylan's birth. I've included the Scripture verse that was printed inside the card as it seemed a perfect fit: This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous to see! Psalm 118:23

Supplies: Kate Teague's It's in the Air! kit; Caflisch Script Pro and Arial fonts. Inspired by Two Peas Digital Challenge: Greeting Card as Inspiration and Weekly Challenge : Journal Over a Photo.

Snips & Snails

2009-09-25T08:40:00.002-04:00

Photos & invitation from my baby shower in May:

I started with SBE's Quick Collage 114 to arrange the photos and altered it to better fit the shots I wanted:

Supplies: Bazzill cardstock; Prima flowers; SEI epoxy stickers; Signo Uniball white pen; SBE template (altered); Autumn Leaves patterned paper. Inspired by the Two Peas weekly challenge: More than 10 pictures!

Two Months

2009-09-19T08:00:00.001-04:00

How is it we've reached two months so fast? It's amazing to watch the day-to-day changes as Dylan grows...

* was wearing 0-3 month clothes at the beginning of the month. By the end, he was too long for some and started wearing 6 month clothes!

* holding head up for longer periods.

* had his first visit to church and slept through most of it:

but, he did manage to stay awake for our church directory photo taken just before the service:

* taking interest in his mobiles. Dylan loves watching his crib mobile spin round & round. He's a little disgruntled the playpen mobile is stationary and gets very excited when Mom or Dad shakes it to make the animals swing.

* finds his father funny and enjoys laughing with him.

* has outgrown his bassinet and began sleeping in his crib at 5 weeks.

* working on tummy time each day. Not particularly enjoying it, but at least no tears are shed - just a few unhappy grunts and squished up faces:

* babbling a lot - both to whatever is around him (mobiles, toys, ceiling... LOL) and in response to others.

* took his first tub bath which, despite the face, he did enjoy:

* tries to imitate sounds from Mom & Dad. "Hey" is his current favorite. He'll watch our faces intently and then attempt a try. Sometimes it's only mouthed and sometimes he has sound to it. Regardless, it ends in a big smile and a repeat of the game.

* focus. It's very obvious that Dylan can see things around him much more clearly and is taking it all in. Whether it's thoughtfully staring at a new face or contemplating his next attack on the animals hanging over his bouncy seat.

* smiling! Lots and lots of smiling especially when Mommy blows kisses at him. :)

Featured Blogger Friday

2009-09-18T13:50:00.000-04:00

Many thanks to Toni at Moved to the Mountains blog for selecting me for this week's Featured Blogger Friday!

I love visiting Toni's blog. She never ceases to amaze me with her gorgeous cards. It's always a joy to check them out and read about the adventures of her family - especially her sweet kids (the two-legged and four-legged ones!).

Thanks again, Toni! :)

bouncy seat

2009-09-16T11:00:00.001-04:00

Dylan was a little unsure about the bouncy seat I bought for him last month. His tune has slowly changed and now he spends time in it every day either watching what's going on around him or playing with the hanging toys.

Supplies: Erica Hernandez's Letter Template #1; Cherie Mask's Thrilling October kit; Meredith Fenwick's Cutie Hootie card pack; Kate Teague's It's in the Air and Schoolin' kits; Arial, Antique Type and 2ps Crazy Pooch fonts.

Lucky

2009-09-12T08:00:00.018-04:00

The last two circle journals I managed to complete before Dylan's birth thanks to help from Diana who has them before me. She was so sweet to finish and ship them to me early so I wouldn't have to worry about that one extra project while adjusting to life with a newborn. Now we're back on track and I was excited to find the next circle journal on my doorstep a couple of weeks ago - Lori's Favorite Song Lyrics.

There are moments throughout my life where a certain song stands out for one reason or another. Perhaps it was playing in the background during a memorable time or it was a favorite at one point where I sang it over and over until a new song grabbed my attention. The song that immediately jumped into my head for this project is a newer favorite - Lucky by Jason Mraz and Colbie Calliet. The first time I heard it, Trent played the song for me and the chorus line "I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend" stood out to me as it was, and is, exactly how I feel. Very lucky indeed to not only be in love with, but married to and sharing a life with my best friend...

Tucked into the cd sleeve is a photo of Trent, Dylan and me:

Supplies: Autumn Leaves patterned papers, ribbon & brad; Bazzill cardstock; Arial font; EK Success border punch & corner rounder punch; black stamp ink; Heidi Swapp ghost heart; staple; greenroom eco cd sleeve; Die Cuts with a View adhesive backed cardstock; QuicKutz Sunshine font; Micron black pen.

Laughter

2009-09-09T08:00:00.001-04:00

under the sea

2009-09-02T08:00:00.008-04:00

Dylan enjoys playing in his kick & crawl gym:

Supplies: Archiver's cardstock; Die Cuts with a View adhesive backed cardstock; Doodlebug Designs patterned paper; Sharpie and Le Plume II markers; QuicKutz Studio classic and Star mini fonts; Signo Uniball white pen. Scraplift of Kelly Goree's *boating* layout.

Celebrate birthday card

2009-08-30T08:00:00.005-04:00

I made this card for my mother-in-law's birthday today:

Supplies: miscellaneous cardstock; Autumn Leaves flower stamp; blue stamp ink; Stampin' Up Celebrate stamp and white stamp ink; EK Success corner rounder punch; Signo Uniball white pen. Inspired by August A Year in Cards class at Two Peas.