Holly & Company

Unique to US

2012-01-30T12:46:00.000-08:00

With Valentine's Day coming up, I thought this page was appropriate.

I was talking to my Aunt yesterday and she was talking about how the men in romance novels don't exist. And while I agree with that statement, I don't want to say romance is lost...I think it's just different.

I find that Ryan and I are unique in that way. I think all couples are. What qualifies as romance, depends on who you are romancing :)

Ryan brings home diet coke & dinner plans, rather than flowers and candy. Quality conversation is often found while doing chores or driving around town to keep Zoe asleep. Date nights are often spent on the couch watching re-runs of Better off Ted or How I met your Mother, with a pint of Ben & Jerry's.

Ryan has also been in the habit lately of making breakfast on the weekends and letting me sleep in.

I've been a busy bee lately, working on pages and a new quilt, I'm using a timer to keep me productive. You'd be amazed at that simple motivation.

Do you use anything to keep yourself on task, even when you're doing fun project? I'd love to hear some new ideas.

XOXO,
Holly & Co.

Why Create?

2012-01-29T10:35:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, while driving home from the craft store thinking about my next project, I was reminded of a talk I heard in General Conference a few years ago, by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, entitled, "Happiness, Your Heritage"
It's a wonderful talk, and even those who aren't of the LDS faith, I believe would enjoy it as well.

This is my favorite part,

"Creation brings deep satisfaction and fulfillment.

We develop ourselves and others when we take unorganized matter into our hands

and mold it into something of beauty."

I feel like I could end this post right there.

I'm very lucky to have a supportive husband who enjoys my creations and doesn't mind the occasional trip to the craft store. I'm lucky to have friends and family that take the time to look at my scrapbooking and appreciate it.

But even if I didn't have those things, I would probably still create, because like the statement above, it truly does bring me satisfaction and fulfillment.

I made a layout just for me. Not for any other reason, than I wanted to play with paper and write down my feelings about the relationship between Zoe and I currently.

I had so much fun making this page last night. I hope you take the time to create this week.
I've got some fun stuff I'm planning for February, including a BIG giveway weekend, so stay close by.

XOXO,

Holly & Co.

Quick Share

2012-01-27T16:39:00.000-08:00

Just a quick layout share today.

I apologize for the colors being a little off, there's only about 30 minutes of good light in the house during the day to take pictures, and this morning I slept through it.

This is Zoe and her cousin Noah on Christmas eve by the tree. Christmas eve was actually a really rough night for all of us, both kids were sick, but at least I got this cute photo before the commotion.

Have a great weekend!

XOXO,

Holly & Co.

Good Things

2012-01-26T14:07:00.000-08:00

Good things are happening.

I apologize for it being so quiet around here... it's been a rough couple of weeks. No need for details, but an overview - flooding, coughing, crying, sleeping, etc.

Anyway, back to good things.
Today it snowed. Not like a slight dusting, but a nice big snow!

Yesterday, Zoe got to attend a princess birthday party. She had so much fun, I thought she might explode from the excitement.

My sickness is on the mend. Whew, for the past few days, I've been afraid that I might just cough up a lung. But thanks to Nyquil + 11 hours of sleep last night, I think I'm over the worst of it. Plus side of being sick : I've watched 6 seasons of Cheers on Netflix :)

I played with paper a few days ago, for the first time in....well....too long let just say.

I'm finally liking my Fuji Instax camera. I got this for Christmas, and I love the size of the print, but I hadn't had one picture turn out, until the big snow today! I think I'm finally getting a handle on this little thing.

Also, I'm really grateful I went to the grocery store yesterday. We are all stocked up and can just enjoy being warm and cozy together.

I snapped this picture while we were enjoying some hot chocolate after coming inside from building a mini snowman. I think it's my new favorite. Thank goodness for iPhone pictures :)

XOXO,

Holly & Co.

ShortCuts

2012-01-21T20:47:00.000-08:00

Due to some unforseen circumstances, my office/scrap room is out of commission, as is my regular computer, so today I am blogging to you from my laptop.

I'm not shy about my love for Pinterest and how it has completely changed the way I cook. Every recipe I have made off there is good, and most of the recipes I've made more than once.

I definitely cook more now, and I cook better tasting and better quality meals (and dessserts!)

My mom is a big fan of Sandra Lee and her Semi-Homemade recipes. I, having been a working mother for the past almost 4 years, am a big fan of quick and easy.

I thought I would share a few of my cooking shortcuts, which enable me to still make yummy meals, but save on the work.

1. Bread maker. I got a breadmaker as a wedding gift and while I've never actually cooked a loaf of bread in it, I use it all the time. I just the the dough setting, dump in all the ingredients, and it does the mixing and rising for me. (that's one of the best features, it heats up the dough to make it rise) And who doesn't love fresh baked bread?

2. Frozen foods. I know this might seem a little obvious, but frozen veggies and meats make putting a meal together really easy. Take tonight for example... I threw some lightly breaded organic chicken nuggets in the oven, steamed some stir fry veggies in the microwave, and made minute rice on the stove. I added a little seasame ginger sauce on the chicken and voila, we had chicken stir fry in under 10 minutes. I usually buy mine prepacked, but you could easily buy or grow fresh and freeze on your own

3. Stacking. This involves a little bit of planning, but well worth the effort. If I have dishes throughout the week that include some of the same ingredients, like chopped onions or cooked chicken, I just double the amount and chop it all at once, or cook it all at once.

I hope these tips help you out a little bit, and if you are looking for new recipes, head on over to my Pinterest page, and look on my "Yummy" Board.Link is over here------------------------------>

XOXO,
Holly & CO.

Ramblings.

2012-01-16T20:08:00.000-08:00

Goodness, I have been tired today.
I'm not quite sure what the problem is, but I fell asleep at 6pm.
Thankfully, I grabbed some herbal tea, apples and peanut butter and I'm a little more awake. But I have a feeling I will be hitting the hay a little early tonight.

I'm sad to say that we didn't play laser tag on Saturday, so I didn't get to defend my title. The boys were being lame and wanted to go home and play video games. ::Lame::

Today, I went by our thrift store and picked up a few things. A scarf for Zoe for a winter photoshoot, a house shaped shadow box for an upcoming project and a wooden plaque, that is currently drying with chalkboard paint on it.
Our thrift store isn't huge, but it seems every time I go I find some little treasure, and this trip I only spent $2.75 :)

A few days ago, Ryan bought this book. Tonight, Ryan made a sauce from the book and it was amazing. It would taste good on anything, but we had it with tacos.

One more layout share, This is Aly's husband Ryan, who introduced me and my husband. When I met him we called him by his last name, "Willis," although it wasn't until we had been friends for about a year, I learned his real name was Ryan too.

(I asked Aly to send me some things she loves about Willis, so the journaling is from her:)

XOXO,

Holly & Co.

Happy Scrappy Saturday

2012-01-14T11:06:00.000-08:00

We had a really lazy morning today, complete with daddy pancakes (which means mommy didn't have to make them :)
We are finally all getting dressed and ready for the day. We're going out for a little bit, and then celebrating our friend, Preston's 30th birthday tonight, complete with laser tag. The last time we did this, I won. Yep, me.
Not gonna lie, it felt good to beat the guys that play Metal Gear all the time. I will report back tomorrow our stats.

But for now, I'll leave you with this bright layout I did of the Willis Family, using the Studio Calico December kit.

Seriously, I adore these pictures of them.

I hope your day is awesome!

XOXO,
Holly & Co.

Elle's Studio Sketch - 1/12/12

2012-01-13T18:49:00.000-08:00

I saw the sketch up over at Elle's Studio this week and wanted to play along. Here is my version.

Hope you are having a wonderful weekend!

XOXO,
Holly & Co.

I almost forgot...

2012-01-12T21:39:00.000-08:00

I tried a new cupcake flavor this week!

On Monday, my BFF and I went out to soothe her after a terrible-horrible-no good- very bad day. We indulged in a little treat and laughing until we cried. It was just what the Dr. ordered.

This new flavor was Fluffer Nutter. It's a peanut butter cupcake topped with a peanut butter ganache, and a marshmallow buttercream. It was tasty, but rich. If you are a peanut butter lover, this one is definitely for you.

It doesn't break my top 5, but it's always fun to try new flavors.

I'll be back tomorrow with a few more layouts.

XOXO,
Holly & Co.

Follow Your Heart

2012-01-11T13:43:00.000-08:00

I love when an idea pops into my head and I can translate it so easily onto paper.

My dear friend, Aly, gave me permission to scrap her most recent family photos. I have known Aly and her husband for about 7 years, I have been so privileged to watch them go from dating to married to parents. They have been wonderful friends to us over the years and I'm so glad that we live in the same small, dinky town :)

There will be a few more pages to follow this one. Aly, this one is for you :)

XOXO,
Holly & Co.

School Pictures

2012-01-10T14:59:00.000-08:00

This was the first time Zoe had ever had real school pictures, and I have to admit, my first instinct was to not order them.
My school pictures were always terrible, and I take hundreds, if not thousands of picture of Zoe a year, do I really need to pay $25 for the package get the class picture?
Well after some advice on Facebook and talking to Ryan, I decided to get them. I am so glad I did.

She actually smiled. And her hair actually remained fairly under control.

That morning while we were getting her ready, I told her to listen to the photographer, sit still, and smile pretty. Her teacher told me that afternoon when we picked her up, that she did everything I asked her to, and was one of the easiest ones to photograph.

(I guess being a paparazzi mom does have it's benefits)

This is actually a 2 page layout, with 2 different sized layouts.

Here is the second page, with her whole class.

The hand cut out is something Zoe brought home in October and I've kept it on my desk hoping for some way to use it. I thought this was the perfect way to showcase her at preschool.

All supplies are from Amy Tan's collection.

Tonight, I am taking my wonderful friend out for a much needed treat, thank goodness for cupcakes :)

Happy Tuesday.

XOXO,

Holly & Co.

One Hundred and Crazy Percent

2012-01-09T13:37:00.000-08:00

Do you ever feel like when you get an idea or thought, you just run with it? And I'm not talking about a leasurly stroll with it, I mean a full on sprint, like running from a bear into it?

Well that's the meaning of one hundred and crazy percent. And that is where I am at.
(It's a quote from the sadly cancelled show, Better Off Ted)

This year I decided to get our emergency prepardness up to snuff, since we were severly lacking in that area.

Well we're 9 days into the year and I am proud to report, we are doing amazing amounts better than we have the past 5 years of our marriage. I discovered a Survival Superstore here in town, with amazing amounts of stuff, gadgets and books, but that wasn't the best part of the discovery. They have free classes every week and if you miss a class, they upload videos of them online for viewing, for FREE.

The man I met with there was a fountain of knowledge and I came away with a few purchases and a stack of papers full of recipes and resources.He answered all of my questions and made great recommendations about where to start for a small family of just 3.

Their website is http://www.basicliving.com/ and they have a weekly newsletter full of great information. I am not affiliated with them in any way, but I feel like it would be a waste to not share all this great information I have found.

And yes, my food storage finds are being included in my Project Life 2012.

Here is my PL 2012 coverpage.

(I know there are lots of photos of Zoe, we need to get family pictures taken. I promise it's on the to do list)

Have a great Monday!

XOXO,
Holly & CO.

Doily Banner

2012-01-06T10:27:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday everyone. First of all, thank you for all the sweet comments on my last post. I am truly blessed with such wonderful friends, in life and online :)

I've been putting the finishing touches on my craft room/office this week, trying to get it all organized. My craft room is finally starting to look like a craft room instead of a junk room. But it needed some decorations.

When I was in Utah over the holiday, I made this fun doily Valentine's Day banner. I know it's a bit early for Valentine's Day, but I didn't really want to decorate for January :)

I used Crate Paper, Paper Heart collection, purchased HERE. For the doilies, I bought a pack of 30 at Dollar Tree and sewed 3 together, to make them more sturdy. I used a lot of the chipboard elements and glossy accents to give the pieces a little shine.

For the "Be My Valentine" banner, I misted some white cardstock with colors of pink, red and white. Then I cut out the letters on my Silhouette SD, using the free font, Blackout, (found via Lisa T.).

I kinda stuck with a circles and squares concept to keep the design uniform. Crate's large amount of chipboard shapes, made it super easy. My favorite one is the conversation hearts + love letter. That was the first one I made :)

Have a great weekend!
XOXO,
Holly & Co.

See Good Days

2012-01-04T09:57:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I had a bad day.
I was sad and disappointed.

We've been trying to concieve our second child the past several months and no luck yet. When I got pregnant with Zoe, it was unintentional and in my opinion, a series of small miracles. This is my first experience with the waiting game, and patience is not one of my virtues.

So yesterday, I pouted. I cried. I prayed. I ate ice cream. and then I went to town to get some final items for Zoe's good behavior chart.

While I was in town, I went into Deseret Bookstore. I wandered around and this book caught my eye.

I picked it up and held it while I wandered around the store. I debated putting it back several times, as it's not really a "need". But when I made it to the checkout stand, it was still in my hands and I bought it.

I came home, and read it cover to cover.

It was exactly what I needed. It was the perfect reminder that even though at times, life is hard and we can't change those circumstances, we can choose to see good days.

and today, and am choosing to see good days.

Along with this sweet book, last night I took a hot bath and got to use the brown sugar scrub that my sister in law, Jen gifted me for Christmas. Well after using half the container last night, I thought I had better figure out how to make somemore.

I did some searching and found this recipe. It was the least expensive ingredients and it has the same consistency as the one Jen gave me.

Brown Sugar Scrub

Ingredients:

1 cup Dark Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil, can substitute Sweetened Almond Oil or Vegetable Oil
1 teaspoon Vitamin E (cut open Vitamin E liquid gel caps)
1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract , optional (or your favorite citrus essential oil)
1 tablespoon honey, optional for dry skin

Directions

In a medium mixing bowl, combine oil, vitamin E and vanilla. Add the brown sugar and mix well.
To Use: In the shower, apply Corrie’s Brown Sugar Body Scrub into skin and rinse. Can be used daily.

Original Source: Paula Deen

I wish I could gift this book to everyone I know. My hope with this post is just to remind us all to ...

See Good Days

XOXO,

Holly & Co.

Old Friends

2012-01-02T17:59:00.000-08:00

This layout is not about old friends, but about getting old friends and family together. This picture was from "Pie-Fest" earlier this holiday season at my Great Aunt Meridee's house. We got to reconnect with my second cousins and Zoe spent the entire night playing with her third cousins.

Not too far off from that event, tonight, we had dinner with our dear friends, the Stauffers.
They missed us too much, and decided to move to Idaho to be near us :)
We are thrilled to have them so close again.

Their boys came over while they unpacked, Zoe was asking all morning, "Are they here yet?"
We had some dinner and dessert and let them get back home to bed and/or more unpacking.

I can't think of a better way to start off a new year.

Thanks to my sweet husband, my craft room is a disaster. And I don't mean that sarcastically. He build my Ikea Expedit bookshelf yesterday, so I have been busy organizing and sorting all my craft stuff to put back in it.

On my little blogging break, I was able to finish sewing Zoe's quilt for her bedroom and a new dress for her, which as soon as I can photograph, I'll be sharing on here, complete with the patterns :)

I also started on my Valentine's Day decor, but I think I will hold off on sharing that until we're a little closer.

XOXO,
Holly & Co.

Hello 2012

2012-01-01T08:05:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year.

Thank goodness blogging doesn't require talking, because I have lost my voice :)

At the beginning on 2011, I deemed it the year of change, and it sure lived up to it's name. We moved 4 times, I changed jobs and started working from home, Ryan enrolled in school full time, Zoe went to a new school and then to Daddy day care and back to her school, we lived with my parents for the summer, we almost changed Ryan's school, etc.

But besides the obvious stress all those changes bring, I would say 2011 was a good year.

I love looking back through all my photos and remembering all the fun things we did the past 12 months. I picked out some of my favorite pictures form the past year to share today.

We're planning on 2012 being a year of steady. I don't have my normal resolutions like I have in the past.

I have a few things in mind that I want to improve on in our family, and I'm gonna working on that with steady, small steps. I want to approach it this way, so that those habits form and become second nature.

Thank you for your friendship, love and support this year!

Wishing you a happy new year!

XOXO,

Holly & Co.

Closed until 2012

2011-12-28T11:57:00.000-08:00

Hello Blog Readers,

Between holidays, birthdays, illness and vacation, blogging is taking a back burner.
I will be back in January, with lots of pretty projects to share.

XOXO,
Holly & Co.

December Daily - Day 19

2011-12-20T13:57:00.000-08:00

Coming back from being sick, thank goodness.

Yesterday we laid low, and I got a little scrapbooking in.
I made this page using some Elle's Studio tags and some October Afternoon Holiday Style.

December Daily - Day 17&18

2011-12-19T12:25:00.000-08:00

Day 17 and 18 were supposed to be filled with a birthday party for a little girl and decorating cookies.... instead I enjoyed the flu. So we're gonna skip over, day 17 & 18.

December Daily - Day 15 & 16

2011-12-16T17:37:00.000-08:00

Day 15 and 16 are cause for celebration!

Ryan finished his finals yesterday, and today, I had my yearly review and was awarded a raise!

We celebrated by heading down to Idaho Falls and eating dinner at Red Robin.

Tonight we'll read some Christmas stories and I will be working on Zoe's quilt for Christmas.

XOXO,
Holly & CO.

December Daily - Day 14

2011-12-16T17:32:00.000-08:00

Day 14 was Zoe's Preschool Christmas Concert.

We got all dressed up and headed over to the Rexburg Tabernacle, which is a beautiful building inside and out.

We got to watch a slideshow of all the kids and hear them sing their practiced songs.
I was going to borrow a video camera from Karli, but didn't have time, so I video taped the songs on my iPhone. I uploaded a few so you can enjoy the special event too.

This one is my favorite. Zoe and her friend, Taylor, are sharing a microphone and Zoe keeps covering Taylor's mouth with her hand. Camera hog for sure.

After the concert, Santa made a special visit. Zoe was first in line, and I sprinted up to the stage with my camera to snap a couple pictures.

I love this year that she actually wants to talk to Santa. She tells him she wants the same thing every time, "a few games." That's all.

XOXO,
Holly & Co.

December Daily - Day 13

2011-12-14T12:25:00.000-08:00

I wanted to share this random layout along with some random things from this week
- We found out Zoe is afraid of The Muppets, and learned that fact, we wasted $20 and a perfectly good evening.
- I firmly believe, marshmallows + butter melted, would taste good on anything, but on popcorn, it's amazing

- Usually I put Zoe down for a nap and 4 out of 5 times, she just plays quietly in her room. Well I discovered that if I lay her down in my bed, she actually takes a nap!

XOXO,
Holly & Co.

December Daily - Day 11

2011-12-11T16:01:00.000-08:00

Made this quick page of my friend Amanda's little boy Duncan. I had so much fun taking pictures of him, plus the Amy tan leaves, I just couldn't resist using 2 whole packages.

We're heading over to a friend's house for desserts a little later. Sigh, I feel like the holiday season is just slipping through my fingers. Too busy. Hoping to change that this week.

XOXO,
Holly & Co.

December Daily - Day 9

2011-12-10T20:01:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Zoe and I had some fun together, we made candy cane reindeer and sang Christmas carols.

We drove around after we had dinner with some friends and looked at all the lights on main street.

And then I finished the quilt I was making, and starting on another one.

I know these cards have nothing to do with my post, I just made them and wanted to share.

XOXO,

Holly & Co.

December Daily - Day 8

2011-12-08T17:28:00.000-08:00

Well today my little one is a bit under the weather.
Thankfully, she is still in bright spirits, we're just laying low.

But I've got a fun craft to share.

Colored Snow Flakes
Supplies:
-crayons/markers
-white cardstock
-scissors
or
-diecutting machine (ie. Silhouette)
-snowflake shapes

Start by coloring the white cardstock in any fashion you prefer, we chose scribbling :)

Then either fold you paper and cut away, or load your paper into your electronic cutter and select the size you prefer.

We chose to do really BIG snowflakes, but you could also smaller ones and hang them from strings.

Hang them up and enjoy!

XOXO,

Holly & Co.

December Daily - Day 4

2011-12-05T14:25:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I decided to make these jammie pants for Zoe for Christmas morning.

I used THIS TUTORIAL I found on Pinterest.

I used some cute flannel and they pants came together in about an hour, give or take.

I took breaks for bathtime and storytime.

Since they were so fast and easy to make...I see several more pairs in my future :)

XOXO,

Holly & Co.

December Daily - Day 3

2011-12-03T14:26:00.000-08:00

Thanks to my new Silhouette machine, I made this fun little treat bag for Zoe's preschool teacher.

We're gonna fill it with some candy and a gift card.

Shapes I used:

House_of_3_wish_ticket_C00057_23444

adorable_box_20_C00658_20509

This weekend, I decided to make a quilt as a Christmas present and that's what I've been doing for the past few nights. It's a bit of a lofty goal, but so far it's going well. Thankfully, almost all of my other Christmas shopping is done so I've got 3 weeks to finish it.

XOXO,

Holly & Co.

December Daily - Day 1

2011-12-01T15:03:00.000-08:00

Hello Dear Blog Readers,

I've been a little more absent than I'd like lately, our trip, combined with sickness, combined with holidays, got me a bit off track...but I'm back and just in time for my favorite blogging month of the year, December.

That's right, I'll be doing December Daily again this year, and I've got some fun stuff planned.

Today, as the first day of December, Zoe and I will be writing her letter to Santa tonight. I made this layout with a special envelope just for this occasion.

I'm planning on using Project Life, rather than a specific mini album to document our month. Are you doing anything specific to record your holiday memories?

XOXO,
Holly & Co

Finally Home

2011-11-28T14:25:00.000-08:00

We are finally back home after almost a two week vacation.
Our drive home was long, but we made it safely back this morning, just in time for pre-school.

Since we're just getting things all back together and I'm dying to break into my scrap stuff,
I thought I'd do a quick highlights of our California leg of the trip (mostly just the things I got pictures of :)

Other events not pictured :

Gwendolyn's Blessing

Thanksgiving Dinner

Guy's Night

Girl's Day Out

Zoe playing with cousins all week

Tasting Candy Cane Jo-Jo's for the First Time - Yum!

ETA: The first picture is my friend Amanda's adorable little guy.

I was lucky enough to get to snap some pictures to celebrate his first birthday :)

We had tons of fun, but we're happy to be home and back to the routine.

I'm prepping the house for the Christmas holiday.

Tonight, Zoe and I are making decorations for her mini Christmas Tree.

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving week!

XOXO,

Holly & Co.

Highlights

2011-11-21T10:41:00.000-08:00

The past few days have been chalk full of fun times together. I'm gonna throw them all in one post, since they will end up in my PL for these weeks anyway.

Pie-Fest 2011

My dad's cousin, Meridee, hosted a party for all the extended family on my dad's side last night. It became entitled "Pie-Fest." Everyone was asked to bring a pie to share. There was LOTS of pie to share :)

Probably 20 kinds of pie.

I got to reunite with my second cousins and Zoe got to meet and play with her third cousins.

We are so lucky to live so close to so many family members.

Playing Dress-Up

No matter how many dresses we have at home, she loves to dress-up at Nona's house.

It reminds me of when I was a little girl and used to dress up at my Grandma's house.

Trip to Cabela's

Zoe loves to feed the fish at Cabelas. She gets excited every time.

I hope you're all getting ready for the Thanksgiving week. If you are travelling, be safe!

XOXO,

Holly & Co.

A Magical Night

2011-11-20T19:31:00.000-08:00

We got word of a storm heading to Rexburg, so we decided to pack our bags and leave town for our Thanksgiving vacation a little bit early.

We're down in Utah with my parents for a few days, before heading to California for our Thanksgiving celebration, and meeting our new neice, Gwen.

One benefit of coming down early, was getting to see my brother play in the orchestra for the school muscial, Beauty and the Beast.

Zoe was one lucky girl. She got to meet Belle after the show. She was a little nervous if you couldn't tell.

(Belle was so sweet with Zoe, gave her a hug and was talking to her about being a princess)

This was Zoe's first play and first time seeing Beauty and the Beast. Some of the show was a little intense but overall, Zoe enjoyed the show and I'm happy we decided to take her.

I hope you are having a magical weekend.

XOXO,

Holly & Co.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-16T09:41:00.000-08:00

XOXO,
Holly & Co.

A glimpse

2011-11-14T13:37:00.000-08:00

This is 17 year-old me, yeah the one not dressed up for Homecoming, on the right.

I don't share a ton about my high school experience, simply because it wasn't that great, but I have grown and learned a lot from it.

I was pretty typical, average grades, plenty of friends, but not popular.

No need to hash out the details, but my junior year, I had a rough end of the year, which eventually resulted in a diagnosis of depression and anxiety.

I sought counseling and medication, and got things all worked out.

I'm doing fine now, but it can be a battle to keep those feelings at bay sometimes.

The reason I'm sharing this information today, is because of where this layout started at.

In high school, I didn't date much. Had a few dates to a few dances, a random kiss, and lots of crushes. I often doubted I would ever find anyone to like me, let alone love me or marry me.

What I actually wanted to write on this page, I couldn't articulate well enough for just a few strips of journaling. I wanted to say, that if I had known in high school, that I would have married a man like you, I would have never believed it, but I would have been a little different.

I wouldn't have worried so much what other people thought.

I would have let go of the drama surrounding silly boys.

I would have spent more time preparing myself to be the best wife I could be.

This is a reminder to me, that I am one of the lucky ones.

I got exactly what I wanted.

I need to appreciate that.

I need to worry less about the dishes in the sink and the laundry that needs to be folded,

and more about the sweet little girl and my husband, that I have been blessed with.

This Thanksgiving season has me in all sorts of reflection and perspective.

Today, I am thankful for my husband. My wonderful, hardworking, understanding husband.

XOXO,
Holly & Co.

Can you stand just one more Halloween project?

2011-11-10T07:28:00.000-08:00

I know I already scrapped a princess page of Zoe, but I wanted to make sure I got a Halloween themed one in too.

I've decided to tackle Project Life, starting with December, although I'm trying to get myself into taking more iPhone pics and keeping notes and ephemera from our days.

Here's our life in instagram lately.

I'm pretty proud of that last shot. It was golden time yesterday and everything just looked so beautiful.

Do you have any favorite phone pictures? Do you even take pictures with your phone?

XOXO,

Holly & CO.

Thank You Card

2011-11-08T15:29:00.000-08:00

Just a quick card share today, we've got some friends coming for dinner and I haven't even started cooking!

I made this quick card the other day, I really love that little chipboard leaf. I misted it with SC Mr. Huey and then covered it in glossy accents (which is my new favorite scrapbook item, if you don't have a bottle, buy on ASAP!)

ETA: I just wanted to share a great tip to keep twine in it's place, I took my Crop-o-dile hold punch and punched a semi-circle from each side of the card. It keeps twine in place + adds a bit on interest.

Also, I wanted to say happy 16th birthday to my little brother! I don't know if he reads this blog, but I'm really proud of the teenanger he is. We spent time together while we lived in Utah this summer and he is by far the most level headed of any of us as teenagers. Love you!

XOXO,

Holly & Co.

2/3

2011-11-06T21:32:00.000-08:00

Two thirds of the Morgan girls were here this weekend, we missed Jenni, but come December, we'll all be back together again, at least for a few days.

This weekend, this beautiful lady came to visit, despite snow, rain and cold.

We stayed up well past midnight chatting about old AOL screen names, updates on people we once knew and enjoying some fabulously expensive cheese.

Natalie shares my love for a lot of things, including shopping and diet coke. Ryan wanted to finish painting the apartment on Saturday, so Natalie, Zoe and I packed in the car and set off for an all day shopping trip.

This trip included, but was not limited to...

- buying cute winter tops

- enjoying cheap mexican food and our body weight in chips + salsa

- cursing the annoying/mean little boy at the mall play place under our breath

- spending over an hour at McDonald's, allowing Zoe to be distracted, so we could girl chat

- listening to Zoe sing a song about Rudolph the Ringledeer (her interpretation of Reindeer = Ringledeer)

She left this morning, it was a short trip, but it was great to see her.

I'm proud to report that I have been keeping up with my Thankful Journal, and I'm really loving having it with me during the day.

For dinner tonight, I made waffles and THIS buttermilk syrup. My best friend from high school, her mom used to make us this syrup, and I'm so happy to have found a similar recipe. It brought back so many fun memories. I love when food does that.

Daylight savings in throwing me for a loop, so I'm off to bed.

XOXO,

Holly & CO.

Thankful Journal

2011-11-02T16:18:00.000-07:00

Welcome November!

I have to admit, like a lot of the rest of the world, especially the retail sector, when November 1 hits, my mind goes from Halloween into Christmas mode. I usually get out the decorations, start searching itunes for some new Christmas music and start my shopping.

However, this year, I wanted to really let the Thanksgiving holiday appear. This is made expoentially easier, since our Christmas decorations are hiding in my parents garage. We've still got our pumpkins around and to get myself into this holiday, I made a Thankful Journal.

At our local craft store, they have a bunch of bins full of blank notebooks, in all different styles.

I grabbed this one, because it comes with a little pen and snaps closed, so the pages won't get messed up if I put it in my purse.

I covered the outside with patterned paper , layered a couple more smaller pieces, and added some letters and a few embellishments. Since I knew I would be carrying this around, I covered my letters in Glossy Accents adhesive, to make sure they were on there, as well as adding a 3 demensional feel to them.

I stamped each page with the date, numbered from 1-30.

Originally I was planned to just do a list of 5 things I'm thankful for each day, but after I looked at my list yesterday, I added a little blurb about my day, which kind of explains why I chose those items.

Like Today, I'm not feeling very good, so on my list is :

Modern Medicine
Sweatshirts + Yoga Pants
Snuggling with Zoe
Smart Phones
Laptop

I have quite a few extra pages, so I'm going to try and ask Zoe what's she's thankful for throughout the month as well.

How do you celebrate the Thanksgiving season?

XOXO,

Holly & Co.

Paper Issues - Pink Paislee Snow Day!

2011-11-01T09:01:00.000-07:00

We've got a new theme up at Paper Issues, Pink Paislee is sponsoring this theme with their new collection, Snow Day!

ETA: Cassie is having a giveaway of the ENTIRE Snow Day line on the Paper Issues Blog. You have until Nov. 12 to enter!

Now we've only had one day on snow a few weeks ago, but it's gotten considerably colder around here, which has us breaking out the snow gear. If you're in a place that doesn't have snow yet, or doesn't get snow, have no fear, the patterned papers have great B sides, that could be used for tons of occasions (that blue graph paper might just become a staple in my scrap stash)

I've got a couple of projects to share, and then I'll have some other ones throughout the next couple weeks.

First up is a layout I made. I really adored all the snowy stuff, so even though this picture doesn't have snow, I used snowflakes anyway. I misted the background paper with Studio Calico Mr. Huey Dewey just to saturate it a bit more. I also embossed some Studio Calico wood asterisks with American Crafts white Zing, to make them pop!

This next project is a fun little gift tag for some hot chocolate with marshmallows. My best friend Jamie is a fan of hot chocolate, and I was totally thinking about her when I made this. Seriously, doesn't that sound good?

I think I'm gonna go make myself some hot chocolate and drink it while I admire all the other DT projects over on the Paper Issues Blog.

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO,

Holly & Co.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T08:51:00.000-07:00

Made using SC Oct. Kit, Field Guide + American Crafts NightFall

Happy Halloween!
I want to wish my father-in-law a Happy Birthday as well. (What a fun birthday to have!)

Zoe is dressed and off to her school Halloween carnival.
Games, prizes, singing her Halloween songs, it will be a fun filled day for sure.

I made this layout showcasing a couple of our pictures from cookie decorating last week. I used almost entirely the American Crafts NightFall line. I just adore this line from them, It's been on my "to buy" list ever since it debuted in July. It's so versatile for Halloween and general Fall pictures!

Maybe it's just me, but it feels like as soon as Halloween is over, the Christmas season is knocking at the door. We've scheduled our family pictures, with the fabulous Aly Willis in hopes of actually getting Christmas cards out this year (if I actually make it, it will be the first year since we've been married) I've started Christmas shopping too, trying to space it out a bit.

But in effort to not let the Thanksgiving holiday pass by without notice, I'm going to be keeping a thankful journal, (Inspired by Melissa Priest) which I'll be sharing a little later this week.

Stop by tomorrow for a new Paper Issues theme, sponsored by Pink Paislee and their new Snow Day collection!

XOXO,
Holly & Co.

2011-10-30T09:44:00.000-07:00

Sunday Loves is back, sorry I had to take a little break from that, life got busy, but it's back!

First, I want to share my new coat! I've been eyeing this for awhile, and finally broke down and bought it. It's fleece, so it's super soft, but it's tailored, so it's not as bulky as a sweatshirt. The best of both worlds.

Next, yesterday, I finally got some picture of Zoe in the leaves! She also happened to be sporting her new hat. These pictures are for an upcoming project for Paper Issues.

And last, but not least, my new favorite show. The awkwardness is absolutely perfect. I love it. Zooey Deschanel is a wonderful actress (and musician) Plus, I like her name. :)

I'm excited for tonight, we're have some dear friends over for dinner. It's been way too long sine we've gotten both the families together. I'm making pot roast and mashed potatoes...mmm, I can smell it already!

Back tomorrow with a Halloween layout to share!

XOXO,
Holly & Co.

I love Fridays

2011-10-28T15:45:00.000-07:00

For so many reasons, but mostly because I feel like I actually get things done on Fridays.
Why Friday and not Monday, I'm not sure.

After being in a creative slump for a few weeks, I'm finally over it! Yeah! Bring on the paper and glue!

Supplies : Studio Calico October Kit, Field Guide

I adore these pictures of Zoe, except for the fact that she looks like she's 6 instead of 3. She is growing up so fast, it's driving me crazy. The title is an inside family joke, intended to make my sisters smile, but it still applies. She is a pretty pretty princess.

I commented to Ryan that she is 50% tom boy + 50% girly girl, and not like a nice medium in-between, but in that she switches from wanting to play in the mud and collect rocks, to putting on a pretty dress and painting her nails, in a matter of minutes.

On another note, Pinterest has done it again, and delivered a hit recipe for me to share.

Red Velvet Woopie Pies with Cream Cheese Frosting

Yes, they are rich, but oh so good!
You can find the recipe HERE.

You can follow me on Pinterest HERE.

Have a fabulous weekend! Stay safe and warm!

XOXO,
Holly & Co

Quick Share

2011-10-27T19:40:00.000-07:00

Yeah! A layout to share. I've had this layout for a few days, but finally got around to uploading it.
These pictures are from our apple picking adventure at my Grandparent's house a few weeks ago.
With those apples, I've made apple pies, apple butter, apple crisp, I'm about all apple-ed out.

Do you have a favorite apple recipe? I would love to hear it!

XOXO,
Holly & Co.

Halloween 2011 ~ Snow White

2011-10-26T21:39:00.000-07:00

This little girl has been itching for Halloween to come.

She was so excited when I finally let her put on the whole ensemble.

I snapped these just behind our house before we went to our ward party.

She has actually never seen the movie Snow White, but she was more than happy to be any princess.

She loved the Halloween party and played every game they had. I think her favorite was the cake walk.

We walked in, she started walking to the music, it stopped and she won a cupcake, all in about 30 seconds.

She also went "fishing", ate a donut off a string and got her face painted.

We're gonna go trick-or-treating this weekend for the first time.

I think she'll enjoy it. Hamming it up + getting candy, yep, I'd say so.

We've been busy getting ready for winter over here.

Baking, shopping, cooking, getting snow clothes out and clean....

As I'm typing this I'm drinking hot chocolate out of my giant mug that I just bought, after realizing we didn't own a single mug. I heart fall!

Seriously, I promise to have some more scrapping stuff up in the next few days.

XOXO,

Holly & Co.

Decorating Cookies - Halloween Style

2011-10-24T22:26:00.000-07:00

Last night we broke out the sprinkle and frosting to make these beauties.

And did you notice Zoe's festive shirt?

Yeah, I love it!

Tomorrow night we'll be attending the first of many Halloween events, tonight I'm putting the finishing touches on Zoe's costume.

She will make her princess debut tomorrow!

XOXO,

Holly & Co.

Freaky Friday

2011-10-21T21:10:00.000-07:00

Ok not really freaky, but this little decor piece I made is a little more "spooky" than most of the Halloween stuff I have done.

I got a great deal on the Thespian add-on from Studio Calico, which was full of Halloween goodies. I knew I wanted to use it for some decor, so I picked up this little MDF 6x6 tile at my local craft store and got to work. No real pre-planning, but I like the way it turned out. I also got to use my distress inks (of which mostly just sit in a pile on my window sill)

On the non-craft side of life, I tried this tip from Pinterest, and Oh MY goodness it works well!

Mix baking soda and hydrogen peroxide to create a thin paste. Let sit for 30 minutes, scrub clean.

Seriously, I am impressed. When Ryan saw the results, he said," Where did you learn that, Pinterest?"

I just bowed my head in embarrassment. I get all my good tips, trick and recipes from there.

Pinterest has changed my life, for the better.

I've got big plans for this weekend, including sorting laundry, buying some hair products, and putting the finishing touches on Zoe's costume.

XOXO,

Holly & CO.

You never know...

2011-10-19T19:28:00.000-07:00

Lately, my days have been going in a roller coaster, good, better, great, no so great, could've done without, bad, you know the drill... But after a not so great couple of days, today turned out to be a winner, literally.

I won a kit from my favorite place, that I get to share with my new scrappy friend.
My new assignment at work is turning out to be wonderful!
I completed a scrapbook layout for the first time in a week.
It was cloudy, sweatshirt weather today - my favorite.
I discovered some ice cream in the freezer I had forgotten about.

Seriously, it seems like small things, but it's made my day.

Here's the layout I made. Another plus, I used lots of my mists on this page. I find that now that my mists are on the shelf right in my eye line, I use them more.

For the background, I used some Studio Calico star stickers as masks, added 2 different colors of grey mist, let it dry and then peeled them off. It's one of my favorite way to use stickers.

I also used the technique on the letters from last week's Technique Thursday post.

Thanks for stopping by!
XOXO,
Holly & Co.

Witch Festival + Cornbelly's

2011-10-18T10:34:00.000-07:00

Our Saturday was a fun packed day. We had planned to visit the Witch Festival at Gardener Village Friday night, but we found ou there was a special event there and didn't really want to fight the crowds.

Bright and Early Saturday morning we ventured over there to see what the big deal was :)

It was totally decked out!

Witches everywhere, pumpkins, garland, lights, it was specktacular!

We even tried on a few hats of our own.

and wore some bewitching threads.

After we toured Gardener Village, we headed over to Thanksgiving Point, to visit Cornbelly's Fall Festival.

This corn box was Zoe's favorite thing. It's like a sand box, only with corn.

It's a very strange feeling on feet.

We had quite the day running around to all the different attractions.

Zoe had tons of fun and really didn't want to leave.

We left only to continue our wonderful fall fun filled Saturday at Grandma & Grandpa Morgan's to pick apples, but those pictures will be in a different post :)

XOXO,

Holly & CO.

Retrospecitve

2011-10-14T14:18:00.000-07:00

First off, I'm so excited, Ryan's sister had her baby this week, and used one of my favorite names, Gwendolyn. I love it! I can't wait to meet her in a few weeks over the Thanksgiving holiday. I'm so happy for them!

Second, I've been super emotional lately, for no good reason that I can come up with, must be the change in seasons or something.

Third, with the recent birth of babies close to us and so many friends announcing pregnancies, I've been reflecting and thinking about when Zoe was born and our special bond. Ryan and I are working on adding to our family (no announcement yet) but with the excitement of adding someone new, the change in the dynamic of our little troup of three, makes me a little sad. Which is where this layout comes in.

Even though I'm looking forward to someday adding more children to our family, for right now, I'm having a good time with Zoe. She is in a really fun stage, where everything is the world is wonderful. She can't get enough of learning and exploring new things.

She is my now. This includes, trips to the cupcake shop, working on projects, painting nails, bubble baths, lots of stories, wearing pretty, pouffy dresses, having dance parties, twirling, lots of crying, baking yummy things, pouty lips, princess hair, playing at the park, swordfighting, and so much more.

Enjoy your Friday!

XOXO,

Holly & Co.

Unfinished

2011-10-12T07:53:00.000-07:00

In my October Polka Dot Whimsy Kit, we got these great quote bubbles by Shabby Chic Chafts. I knew as soon as I opened them up, what I wanted to use them for. Zoe is constantly making us laugh with her funny phrases and interesting conversations. I needed a place to compile them. I've made layouts before with her funny sayings and I love keeping that tradition up.

As you can see, this layout is unfinished, but I know it won't take long to fill in the rest of the bubbles.
My favorite one up there, is a conversation we had a few months ago.

Me: What does your puppy eat?
Zoe : Spaghetti.
Me: What else does your puppy eat?
Zoe: Salad..
(I love that she included a healthy option.)

I made a fun Halloween project last night, and a few more layouts. We're heading down to Utah in a few days to have some fall-tastic fun with my family, so you'll be seeing those projects in my absence :)

XOXO,
Holly & Co.

Full Heart

2011-10-11T18:29:00.000-07:00

I found this quote on Pinterest, and it brought tears to my eyes.
Zoe will always be my first baby, she is the one that made me a Mother.
When we were out taking pictures she asked to wear my locket, and this picture resulted from that.
We will always have that special connection, these first few years just us.

I know this layout is simple, but the words say more than any embellishment ever could.

XOXO,
Holly & Co.

2011-10-09T14:51:00.000-07:00

This week I wanted to share a new layout, that while took my several days to complete, I really love.
I made this using my October Polka Dot Whimsy kit, that arrived this week, full of Crate Paper, Studio Calico, MME and Bella Blvd. I really love the green that is mixed in with the traditional fall colors, gives the page a pop!

I hand stitched around the leaves to bring a bit more texture to the page and used my ZIG embossing pen + AC Brown Sugar Zing, to create the movement lines.

Karli & I had a Scraperday (Scrapbooking + Saturday) yesterday, I was able to finish 3 layouts, using the pictures I took of Zoe last week. Look for more of those this week.

Our Sunday has actually been sunny, a nice, bright change from the snow earlier this week. I'm hoping it will stay a way just a bit longer. I've got some things to cross off my fall bucket list!

XOXO,
Holly & Co.

First Snow of the Season

2011-10-06T20:48:00.000-07:00

As I sit here typing, outside my window are big giant flakes of white falling from the sky. I'm not gonna lie, this makes today a GREAT day. The snow isn't thick enouogh to stay on the ground and I'm sure it will be gone by tomorrow, but I am enjoying it today.

Cold weather always makes me more productive. So far today, I've done 2 loads of laundry, baked 2 loaves of banana bread, gone grocery shopping, half-way done with dinner, made a bread starter and fixed my broken candlesticks. - Although all the cooking is making my house smell like an interesting mix of bananas and bacon....hmm....

Today, I've got a fun layout to share, along with a new technique.

I adore these Amy Tan American Crafts thickers. I noticed the other day that the background for these was plain kraft cardstock, and therefore could be colored. I pulled out my blending foam pads and some mists and played around.
I sprayed the mist on the pad so I could control the amount of color I rubbed onto the thicker. As you can see in the picture, the top of the amperstand is darker than the bottom. I applied a double coat to the top half to show you the difference.
Now I'm sure most of you know you could use mists to change the color of scrapbook items, but my favorite part about this is that you can see the criss-cross pattern that resists the mist! I'm going to e-mail American Crafts and request that they make more of this kind of thicker.

Here's a layout where I first used this technique.

Thanks for stopping by.

XOXO,
Holly & CO.

Wordless Wednesday - Fall Portraits

2011-10-05T13:38:00.000-07:00

XOXO,

Holly & Co.

2011-10-02T08:00:00.000-07:00

I mentioned when I redid my blog that I would be adding some features, one of those being Sunday Loves. Sunday Loves meaning people/places/things that I'm lovin' on this week in particular.
This feature will not always be food, but in this case, all my loves today are food.
Good food.
REALLY good food.

Here are the links to the recipes:
Apple Butter
Pumpkin Scones
Shredded Beef Tacos

Just a quick note, we skipped the glaze on the scones but slathered them in the apple butter, and here are the reactions from our family...
Ryan - This might be the only bread I ever eat again.
Holly - I might eat this for breakfast every day
Zoe - MMM....(said with a mouthful of scone)

I only made a half batch of apple butter, but I will definitely be making lots more. Ryan was concerned that we only had 2.5 jars. He was relieved when I told him I would make more.

I'm definitely hitting the fall bake-something-every-day feeling.
I just wish it would get a *little* bit cooler, just a bit.

Enjoy your Sunday, and if you're in the area, stop by for some scones and apple butter.

XOXO,
Holly & CO.

Welcome to October - Paper Issues

2011-10-01T12:00:00.000-07:00

Over at Paper Issues, we have a new them up.

For the whole month of October we will be showing off Halloween projects.

In the past I haven't been the biggest fan of the holiday, but this year, I'm getting a little more in the spirit.

To get this theme started off right, I'm sharing a Halloween printer's tray that I made.

"Printer's Tray" is a loose term for this, but I was thrifting and found this cute little tray for $2.00.

I used some Cosmo Cricket Matilda 6x6 pad + chipboard shapes.

It really didn't take too long to put this together.

I measured out each paper for the backgrounds and then used foam dots to pop the chipboard shapes.

I'm so excited to hang this little Halloween scene up.

I've also got a paper chain and some decorated candle sticks I'll be sharing in the coming weeks.

Hop on over to Paper Issues to link up your projects! Oh! Just one more thing, here's a code for 20% off your purchase in the Paper Issues shop, just use the code HAPPY20.

XOXO,

Holly & CO.

It's Friday, Friday, Friday

2011-09-30T12:50:00.000-07:00

Zoe sings that song all the time. That's another influence from Ryan.

(He listens to a radio show that plays it all the time)

Well on this lovely Friday, I'm sitting at my desk, rocking out to Ke$ha on Pandora, in my comfy cut off sweats, hair in a bun. I'm really grateful at this point that I live in a basement apartment and people can't see me, even when they walk by the windows.

Last night, I felt like getting messy, so I made a mist swatch book,

so I could actually see all my mist colors in one place.

Ryan came in after I had made it and his response," Wow! That's cool!"

I heart him.

Stop by tomorrow, I'm gonna have a fun Halloween project up.

XOXO,

Holly & Co.

Layouts to Share

2011-09-28T09:41:00.000-07:00

Last week, I got a big box of scrapping stuff along with a case of creative juice. I cranked out a few new layouts that I had so much fun making.

This grey and red stripe paper you will be seeing lots of. I had to hold myself back from ordering 25 of these sheets. Seriously. I've been using my camera's self timer more to get some 'real life' shots. This was from our first visit of the fall to the cupcake shop.

I know I've already scrapped a lot of pictures from our beach trip, but I wanted to have them all in one place, so I made the pictures 1" x 2.5" and staggered them to showcase all the photos. I also used some new mist colors, I'm in love with the light gray, Clay SC Mr. Huey. Probably my favorite shade ever.

And last on my sharing list for today, is my Fall 2011 List of stuff to do. With Ryan in school full time, it can leave for some lonely evenings and weekends. I saw some lists on Pinterest, and thought it would be fun to make my own, so I can refer back to it when we need something to do. (Image is also from Pinterest)

Hope you are all having a great week. More to share soon!

XOXO,

Holly & Co.

The most wonderful time of the year

2011-09-25T16:51:00.000-07:00

Fall is my most favorite time of the year. Best weather, best clothes, best food....

We've spent quite a few evening at the park lately, but by the the time the sun starts setting, it's cold enough for sweatshirts. Zoe loves going to the park with there are other kids to play with.
She immediately goes up to a kid or group of kids and asks, "Do you want to play with me?"

I was commenting to my dad that I love how easy it is at this age for kids to make and be friends. Most of these kids, she never learns their names, but for 45 minutes, they are best friends.

Yesterday I picked up a giant box of apples from an old friend, and I'm planning on making my first batch of apple butter. I'm also dying to make pumpkin scones, so I'm hoping they taste well together.

Happy Fall!

XOXO,
Holly & Co.

Goodness

2011-09-24T14:09:00.000-07:00

This week has just gotten away from me. I do have lots of things to share. Projects, pictures and my favorite Cupcakes!

Friday afternoon, Zoe and I both needed a little pick me up.

I made the executive decision it was time to go back to the cupcake shop.

Not only did we have a nice little mommy daughter date, but we got to try 2 more flavors on our list!

My new favorite, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip.

Pumpkin cupcake with chocolate chips inside,

a semi-sweet chocolate ganache glaze topped with cream cheese frosting.

And Zoe got the Dirty Turtle, I'm pretty sure she just wanted the mini Oreo cookie on top,

but she ate almost the entire thing.

The Dirty Turtle is a chocolate cupcake, with a chocolate and sweet cream glaze,

topped with a mint Oreo frosting.

The mint frosting was a bit powerful, but the cake itself was yummy.

Next up, I made another layout with my September Polka Dot Whimsy Kit. I've been watching some YouTube videos about using mists and embossing techniques, since I have quite the collections of colors but don't always use them.

For this layout I used three different yellow mists, as well as my AC mustard Zing. While I was embossing I discovered a fun technique.

I stamped the word "happy" right after I had splattered some buttermilk mist on the page.

I coated the area with my embossing powder, and it stuck to the not dry yet mist.

I didn't want to wipe it off, I used my heat gun on it and voila, embossed splatter!

I will definitely be using this technique more often, I love the raised look.

Onto Halloween, I'm having the hardest time deciding what Zoe should be for Halloween. I'm not super into Halloween, but Zoe's preschool has a big party and they go sing at the old folks homes in the area, so I don't want her to be without a costume. Any Ideas?

XOXO,

Holly & CO.

Two of a Kind

2011-09-20T10:25:00.000-07:00

Doesn't get much better than this.

These two are so funny together.

Zoe recently asked Ryan," Daddy, will you get me sword lessons?"
I must explain, Ryan has recently gotten our little girl hooked on the TV show, Thundercats.
And now she wants sword lessons. Sigh.

Zoe has also been asking opinions a lot lately, she'll say, " My favorite flavor of ice cream is vanilla, what's yours?" and if Ryan isn't home she always asks me, "...and what's Daddy's favorite?"

In that first picture you can just see how much a like they are, their faces, their humor, I adore it.

Last week, among the craziness, I got a chance to make this simple card. I am seriously digging this Amy Tan line from AC and I'm hoping she'll come out with another one soon.

Made using August Polka Dot Whimsy Kit

I loved all the circle stickers from the sticker book, and used my 1"& 2" punches and my regular hole punch to make the various sizes.

I'm anxiously awaiting a big box of scrappy stuff, so I'm planning some fun projects for the next few weeks.

XOXO,
Holly & Co.

A winner and a peek!

2011-09-19T18:37:00.000-07:00

*My Paper Issues Blog hop winner is mommakatx6@yahoo.com. I have sent you an e-mail.*
Thanks everyone for playing along, it was great to see so many new names :)

Next up, I traveled up to Montana this weekend, to help my photographer friend, Aly, with a wedding. I've never worked with any photographers or even shot any weddings so this was a whole new experience for me.

The venue was a barn up at Flat Head Lake, Montana. It was GORGEOUS. Seriously, every direction you looked was beautiful. It was so fun to meet Jess and Kels, and be part of their special day. They were so nice, generous and great to work with.

Isn't she beautiful?!?

This is my absolute favorite so far. We snagged them right before dinner just as the sun was going down for a few more pictures and I'm so glad we did. I love that you can tell how much they love each other, even without seeing their faces.

I had a great time up in Montana, although I am happy to be home.

Happy Monday!
XOXO,
Holly & Co.

Paper Issues Blog Hop!

2011-09-16T07:00:00.000-07:00

*Giveaway is now closed, winner will be announce tomorrow.*

Welcome, Welcome.
If this is your first time here at my blog, welcome. If you've been here before, welcome back!

The new theme over at Paper Issues is Tree Hugger. I wasn't sure exactly what to do, since I didn't really have any hippie related or camping material to scrap. So I went with outdoors....which turned into beach :)

I had so much fun making this layout. I used my Zig embossing pen to write ," sandcastles," and embossed using my brown sugar AC Zing, which I happen to think looks almost identical to sand :) I loved watching Ryan build sandcastles with the kids, even though they kept wrecking it, he kept trying.

In honor of the blog hop, (and moving recently) I'll be doing a giveaway as well.
To be entered, please leave a comment with contact info.
For additional entries, you can follow this blog and/or follow me on Twitter.
Please leave a blog comment after doing so.

My giveaway is a big box full of goodies, lots of paper, even some exclusive SC papers from some past kits. This picture doesn't do it justice, but the box is gonna be packed!

Winners will be posted on the Paper Issues blog, Monday, September 19th.

Next stop on the Blog Hop is the wonderfully talented - Monika Wright.

This blog hop actually has 3 different paths, Scrapbook, Altered Items and Cards.

If you would like to visit the Altered Items path - Start Here
If you would like to visit the Cards path - Start Here

Also, special for you hoppers, here is a code for 25% off in the Paper Issues Store - HOP25.

Enjoy the hop and your weekend!

XOXO,
Holly & Co.

New Look

2011-09-15T17:44:00.000-07:00

Well it's fall, so I thought it was time for a little change around the old blog.
Thoughts?

I'm also gonna be adding some weekly/monthly features around here, to streamline my posting, along with my every day rambling, layouts and stuff.

I never got a chance to share this layout I made with my Sept. Polka Dot Whimsy Kit.

I snapped this picture just as we were getting ready to leave the beach. Our day at the beach really was a great day. It was probably the most relaxing day of our trip.

I know this post is short, but be sure to check back tomorrow. We're having a Paper Issues Blog Hop, with lots of giveaways and new projects to share!

XOXO,
Holly & Co.

We made it!

2011-09-14T15:35:00.000-07:00

With all the events of last week, coupled with my getting really sick, I wasn't quite sure if Zoe and/or Ryan was going to make it to the first day of school.

But, with blessings, prayers and a shot of Prednizone, we were on our way.

This is not the perfect awesome first day of school picture that I had envisioned. But, we roll with the punches and her excited smile is enough, with everything going on, I'm lucky I remembered to snap a picture.

She is loving being back at school. She had a new teacher and a new class (with some of the kids from her old class)
She is doing great with staying dry at school, and telling the teacher she needs to go potty.
She doesn't like leaving her artwork up on the walls at school, she cries everytime she has to leave her picture up.
She has been bringing toys and promptly loosing them each day, I'm vetoing that tomorrow.
She LOVES recess and talks about playing outside every day.
She enjoys telling me the entire menu for the day, including lunch and snack time. She also recalls how many bites of each thing she ate and what she didn't eat :)

Since being at school half of the day, she has become awfully snuggly at night and I'm just soaking it all up. Especially being sick, we spend lots of time on the couch just hanging out and talking.

We're still getting settled in our new place, boxes and crates in the corners, eating simple meals because I haven't the time or energy to be anymore creative.

Hoping next week will be a little more back to normal.

XOXO,
Holly & CO.

Events

2011-09-12T13:46:00.000-07:00

I apologize for the blog absence.
Things got rough last week. I won't bore you with all the other things that went wrong last week, none of those really matter at this point. I don't really share a lot of this intense personal stuff on my blog, but this I just needed to write.

My dear cousin David went missing last week. Of his own accord we believe. He is still MIA. I've been posting most of the info related to this incident on facebook, since that seems to reach more people, more quickly. Thank you for your prayers and thoughts, they have been felt and appreciated.

It threw me for a loop. You see, things like this happen on the news, or to friends of friends, but never in your own family. Never someone you know, and love, and have had wonderful conversations with over the years. Never someone who has drawn you pictures of the awful dates you've been on, just to make you laugh. Never someone with a funny, kind, sweet soul, like David.

Cedar Breaks Canyon, Cedar City, Utah

It's such a surreal feeling. We spent the weekend with a search party in southern Utah, hoping to turn up something. We did eventually get news that his car had been found, back near his home and the local police are now heavily involved.

Even though we didn't find anything on our search, and it made for long days in the car, and a double ear infection for myself, I wouldn't have changed my decision to go. It's events like these that make you realize, Family, is truly THE most important thing. You bet I hugged my baby extra tight when I got home Saturday night. And kissed my husband several extra times.

We returned home Saturday, only to pack up the cars and move up to Idaho the next day. It's feels strange and wrong to return to normal life, when our family is still hurting and searching.

While we are moving on with our daily life, our hearts, thoughts and prayers are with my Aunt, Uncle and their other sons.

XOXO,
Holly & Co.

Back to Reality

2011-09-07T15:21:00.000-07:00

We're back, safe & sound.

We had such a great trip. It was so fun to see so many in Ryan's family and spend lots of time with them.
I loved catching up with old friends late into the night. I've missed having friends nearby.

When we got back, there was a package of the August and September Polka Dot Whimsy kits waiting for me! I drove the last leg of the drive at 3:30 am and had drank quite a bit of Red Bull. While everyone else was sleeping, I snuck downstairs and took advantage of my Red Bull buzz. I made 3 layouts in just a few hours!

One of which is my hands down, new favorite page.

Made using August Polka Dot Whimsy Kit

I adore these beach pictures. Yes I ended up with a ruined camera lens, thanks to the sand, but I think it was worth it, just a creative casuality.

But now back to reality.
Our stuff in all over the place and my stress level is through the roof.
We're moving in just days.
But, it's all gonna be ok. At least that's what I keep telling myself :)

I'll be posting more layouts this week and hopefully more in the near future from my new office/scrapbook room!

XOXO,
Holly & Co.

California Vacation - Day 7

2011-09-03T17:15:00.000-07:00

Santa Cruz!
I finally got my wish to go to Santa Cruz and it proved to be just as wonderful as I had thought it would be.

We got to the beach around noon, but it was overcast and a bit chilly. The waves were HUGE and there were big warning signs not to go in the water.
We picked a nice spot back from the water and got to playing in the sand.

Zoe rinsed her hands and feet about 100 times. She kept saying ," There's sand everywhere." Yup. We're on a beach, that's kinda the point! But it was funny to watch anyway.

Ryan being awesome. And wearing my his favorite sweatshirt.

Zoe got to fly a kite for the first time, thanks to cousin Luke for sharing.

We also got to bury Zoe in the sand, well kind of. We had her almost buried and she got up.

Her reason, "There's sand everywhere."

We also got to see sailboats and some dolphins off in the distance.

After a few hours on the beach, we left to go visit a local ice cream shop Aunt Jen had been recommended, Marianne's. They boast 75 flavors.

Among our troop of 6, we tried, cookie dough, red raspberry cheesecake, root beer swirl, rainbow sherbet, banana almond fudge, and butter pecan. (I think that was all of them)

Notice the dancing cow wallpaper - Yeah it's awesome!

Right about now, my camera decided to die, so the rest of the pictures are from my phone.

After ice cream, we headed over the to the Santa Cruz Boardwalk for some rides and yummy food.

Just before leaving we decided to get some treats. Zoe got her popcorn and I was deciding which decadant treat I wanted to try. And I stumbled upon one of my most favorite things to eat, only available in 2 places that I knew of, Hawaii and Disneyworld.

Dole Pineapple Whip.

It's the best pineapple tasting treat. ever.

If I had known Santa Cruz had pineapple whip, we would have visited a long time ago.

Ryan decided on garlic fries, which were also yummy, but a bad choice before a long car ride home. I was regretting tasting the fries when I saw how bad traffic was on the way home.

It was a long day, we brought home sand and sunburns, but a great way to end our time in the Bay.

XOXO,

Holly & Co.

California Vacation - Days 5 & 6

2011-09-03T16:14:00.000-07:00

Day 5 - Pretty uneventful. Saw an old friend, work & add in a trip to Wal-Mart.

Day 6 - Drove down to the Bay to see the rest of the Humbert clan. We went to a kid amusement park/zoo, Happy Hollow. Once you pay for admission, you get to ride the rides as many times as you want, and we definitely used that privilage. Zoe loved her first rollarcoaster ride. Daddy took her the first 5 times and I took her the next 4.

The kids all played together pretty well. For not seeing each other in almost a year, I was happy they were playing along so well. They held hands and rode all the rides together.

This leap frog ride, was a mini "Tower of Terror" with the ups and downs and the kids just giggled and giggled through the whole thing.

After we rode the rides, we went to visit the zoo part of the park.

Zoe was so excited, she got to see Blu & Jewel from Rio the movie.

(Technically, these are blue and yellow macaws, not just blue macaws, however, I was not about to disappoint my extrememly excited three year-old)

We got to see lemurs, leopards and a tortoise as well.

We came home and had pizza for dinner at cousin Luke's house.

We stayed the night so we could head out to Santa Cruz the next morning.

Thanks to Auntie Jen and Uncle Eric for letting us stay at their house!

XOXO,

Holly & Co,

California Vacation - Days 3 & 4

2011-08-31T09:20:00.000-07:00

Day 3 - We worked during the day, but got to spend lots of time playing at night. We went back to an old familiar routine, had dinner and FHE with the Fairchild and Stauffer families. Yummy food, good company, kids playing, what more could you ask for?

Day 4 - Not as smoothe as day 3. Zoe and I took a trip to the mall that turned into a nightmare. Another cut toe on the other foot. Two potty accidents in two different stores. It's a shock we even had time to buy anything we were so busy with traumatic experiences. But the evening ended with girl talk, ice cream and coke, so it turned out ok. Oh, AND I got to eat at my favorite Mexican place, Mas! Thanks to my in-laws :)

Even though I'm on vacation I wanted to share a quick card that I made. It's a money holder card on the inside. I'm thinking I'll use it for my 15 year old brother's birthday in November.

We're heading down to the Bay area tomorrow to go see cousins and visit some fun places. Look for pictures to come!

XOXO,
Holly & Co.

California Vacation - Day 1 & 2

2011-08-28T15:23:00.000-07:00

We made it!

After 12 hours + 3.5 stops + lots of movies, we arrived safe and sound.

The majority of our drive is through the Nevada dessert, which is usually hot and not so fun to look at, but at sunset, it improves slightly and turns a beautiful golden color.

Yesterday, we went back to the Fountains, and relived our old Saturday routine. Walking around the shops and having Noodles & Co. for lunch. Ryan graciously took me to Green Tangerines, in return for a trip to Fry's. At Fry's, I sliced open my toe on the shopping cart. Yeah, that was fun.

Last night we stopped by two different church parties and got to see lots of old friends. It was great to surprise so many people. Zoe had a blast running around with so many kids. She was thoroughly exhausted when we got done.

Today, we're laying low, hanging with Ryan's parents and awaiting a gourmet meal cooked by my father-in-law. I miss having 9 am church. It was nice to get up and go, and then have the rest of the day to spend together.

On a scrappy note - Over at Paper Issues, there's a new theme up, Learning Curve. My projects are HERE & HERE.
I'm linking up some older projects, as school hasn't started yet for us (still on summer vacation) but you can bet you will be seeing some First day of school layouts from me around the 12th when Zoe and Ryan both start school.

XOXO,
Holly & Co.

2011 - The year of the moves

2011-08-25T15:59:00.000-07:00

We are moving again. Yep, again.
We are crazy. We are moving in 15 days. 10 of those days we will be on vacation.
We are crazy.

But, we're doing what we need to do. Just days ago, Ryan & I decided returning to Rexburg to have him finish his degree there was the right thing to do for our family. Yesterday, he searched the tiny town for a place our family could call home, thankfully he was successful.

We'll be returning to the 5 square mile town, with smiles but sad hearts.
Utah has been good to us this summer. I am especially sad we're missing the state fair. I was *really* looking forward to some deep fried twinkies.

But, on the bright side....I'll be back by my favorite cupcake shop!
I'm still got 20 flavors to try and photograph.

Leave it to me to be scrapping when I should be packing.
Like I've said before I have a really hard time scrapping event photos. I don't know if it's the pressure of doing justice to the wonderful memories or if I just prefer the everyday stuff.

I haven't done too many pages of Zoe's 3rd birthday. We had a pirate party, complete with eye patches. I'm so glad I took a photo of everyone in the eye patches, it will bring me smiles for years to come.

Have a wonderful weekend and friends on the East coast, stay safe!

XOXO,
Holly & Co.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-23T12:10:00.000-07:00

Ok almost, I have a hard time not typing anything.

These are more forgotten pictures from our trip to apple hill last year.

XOXO,

Holly & Co.

More Cards & a Tutorial

2011-08-22T20:45:00.000-07:00

As you can probably tell from these cards, I am more than ready for Fall!

Although we'll be enjoying the last few weeks of summer in sunny California, so it won't be all bad :)

This final card I made using a sketch from CARDS Magazine.

I don't have a scalloped circle punch or a flower punch,

so I improvised and came up with a new way to make a flower.

1.You will need 1" circle punch (Martha Stewart), a heart punch (Martha Stewart), adhesive, patterned paper or cardstock. Optional - buttons, brads or other circular embellishment

2. Punch one circle

3. Punch 4 hearts. You can use all the same papers or different.

4. Figure out how you want to arrange them. (I only used to colors so not a lot of choices for me)

5. Cover the circle with adhesive.

6. Add your first two hearts, pointed end touching each other.

7. Add a bit more adhesive.

8. Add the other two hearts, pointed ends touching.

Now you can be done here, but I wanted to add a bit more depth to mine.

9. Options I thought of were, another punched circle, buttons, brads...etc.

10. I layered a coordinating punched circle, a button and some twine. Voila! You've got a fun little flower for your projects. If you had an electronic die cutter, you could make these in all sorts of sizes.

XOXO,

Holly & Co,

2011-08-19T10:14:00.000-07:00

I've been reviewing all our pictures from summer, trying to figure what I haven't scrapped yet. I found this sweet picture of my sister Natalie, holding my niece Eliza.
Jenni, this page is for you.
This page started out totally different than it ended, but I love it just the same.

I made some cards last night, using new AC NightFall, with some odds & ends from my stash. Those, along with a tutorial will be up on the blog in the next few days.

We're gearing up for our trip to California next week. We're going back to Sacramento to visit Ryan's family + some friends. I petitioned to throw a day trip to Santa Cruz in the mix, since our last planned trip there was foiled by illness. I'm hoping we'll get to visit our old favorite yogurt bar, and my fave Mexican place, Mas, but those are further down on the list than several people we know and love :)

Have a great weekend!

XOXO,
Holly & Co.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-17T09:55:00.000-07:00

Well Almost. :)

XOXO,
Holly & Co.

Honey Bun

2011-08-14T21:01:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited about this page.
I went to Archiver's on Friday and picked up some new Amy Tan stuff.
I adore these thickers, and I got to use my bee stamp from my March Studio Calico kit!
I was so excited to have a legitimate reason to use the stamp!

These pictures were from the first time Zoe tasted honey sticks at the Highland Fling. We had so much fun tasting the interesting flavors. Pink Lemonade was the weirdest flavor we tried, but they had all sorts of flavors at the booth; black licorice included.

I can't believe August is half over already, it's gonna be time to start shopping for school supplies soon. I have always enjoyed that ritual every September. Zoe will hopefully be starting preschool and ballet in the next few weeks. I'm excited for her to be back around kids during the day. I pretty sure she's entirely bored with us and ready for some peer interaction on a daily basis. I'm just excited for the photographic opportunities.

XOXO,
Holly & Co.

Scrappy Sunday - Let's Ride

2011-08-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

There's a new theme up at Paper Issues this week, Let's Ride.

I posted about our little 24 hour trip a few weeks ago. I thought it was a perfect fit for the theme.

Head on over to the Paper Issues blog and link up your projects!

XOXO,
Holly & Co.

Under the Weather

2011-08-12T08:26:00.000-07:00

Hello friends.
I am feeling a bit under the weather this week, and therefore have spent a lot of time in bed or on the couch.

But I thought I would share with you some yummy recipes I've made as of late.

PRETZEL BITES

GRILLED BRUSCHETTA CHICKEN

Happy Friday!

XOXO,

Holly & Co.

Because what's better than a snow cone?

2011-08-09T20:32:00.000-07:00

These pictures were too much fun not to scrap right away.
I pulled out a kit of papers from last year full of bright and happy colors!

Zoe had so much fun at the Highland fling, she keeps asking to look at pictures of her, "butterfly face."

Today I gave blood so I'm feeling a little tired, but the arrival of my Studio Calico August kit perked me up!

I'm now scrapping away some of my favorite pictures from the summer!

Happy Tuesday!
XOXO,
Holly & Co.

Alpine Fling

2011-08-07T08:00:00.000-07:00

Each town/city here in Utah has some form of summer festival.

American Fork Steel Days, Payson Onion Days, Provo Freedom Festival....and we have Alpine Fling! {There are several, and I mean several other summer festivals, but it would be redundant to list them all}

The day started out with watching the parade and cheering on my brother playing in the marching band. Zoe loves watching all the people in the parade, her commentary almost makes up for the fact that we've seen the same parade a dozen times. But we always love screaming when we see , "Uncle Ben!"

After the parade broke-up, we ventured over to the carnival across the street, and Zoe enjoyed all the different booths, most of them with fun things to giveaway. {See balloon flower above}

Zoe also had her first taste of honey sticks, from a local vendor. We tried several interesting flavors for honey, pink lemonade, banana, strawberry, sour apple and orange. Natalie and I reminisced about how the local beekeeper used to do a presentation and sell honey sticks at our preschool. Ahh...memories. :)

Zoe wanted to get "make-up" and surprisingly waited in a moderately long line for her turn.

She got a beautiful half purple and blue butterfly - with glitter.

She managed to keep it on for 5 seconds before smudging it.

After 30 minutes she begged me to wipe it off.

Next up was a pony ride. This little girl was thrilled.

She adores horses and especially getting to pet or ride them.

This pony ride was several minutes longer than her usual rides at Thanksgiving point.

Definitely got our money's worth.

We finished up our carnival experience with a snow cone. {and corn dogs and cotton candy, not pictured :)}

I mean what's the point of a carnival, if you don't indulge a little in the amazing food?

XOXO,

Holly & Co.

Best Buds

2011-08-06T15:43:00.000-07:00

There are few things better in life than seeing old friends. Truly, I love it!
Yesterday we reunited after 8 long months with the best next door neighbors ever!

The Stauffers were in town for a family wedding, and thank goodness they had a few hours to spare with us.
The kids had such a great time together. Alone there was an incident with a tooth, but overall it was a great time.

We took the boys to our splash park and a good time was had by all. Jamie is an awesome burrito wrapper, so I took advantage of their lack of motion to try and snap a group picture. These are my attempts.

Ryan made his 'famous' tacos and guacamole for dinner and we tried a new recipe for dessert, Coca-Cola Cake..........YUM! Absolutely delicious. HERE is the recipe.

Thankfully we are going to get to see all these visitors again shortly when we take our trip out to California, we avoided tearful goodbyes this time.

XOXO,
Holly & Co.

A little distracted

2011-08-04T08:22:00.000-07:00

This summer has been quite busy for us, busier than normal. Utah is the hub for both sides of my family, and it seems there is an endless supply of people coming to visit. Not that I'm complaining, but it makes for days full of laughing, remembering old times, fun activities and nights spent playing games, eating good food and talking for hours.

Last weekend, Ryan's parents were in town. It has been 8 months since we've seen them. WAY TOO LONG, in my opinion. We got them all to ourselves for 4 whole days. It was wonderful. Julie and I visited many a fabric store, and I even decided to make a quilt! Ryan attended Dan's class (which was the driving force behind the trip) We ate at a lot of yummy places, including the Brazillian restaurant, Tucano's!

I didn't bring my big camera with us while we were in Salt Lake on Monday, but thank goodness for my iPhone and Instagram. Here's a few pictures I snapped on our last day.

I forgot how giant and beautiful this temple is. It had been 5 years since Ryan and I had been to the Salt Lake Temple, and we decided we need to go back more than once every 5 years. It's such a peaceful, remarkable place.

Today, we get to have a short few hour visit with Ryan's sister and tomorrow we'll be spending the afternoon with our long lost friends, the Stauffers :)

Next week, more old friends on the agenda.

As you can see, we've been busy. Lately, I've been working on my SMASHbook, documenting our summer, rather than layouts, oh yeah, and working on my quilt.

Hope you're having a wonderful summer!

XOXO,

Holly & CO.

Switching Gears

2011-07-29T10:57:00.000-07:00

Since my sewing machine came back to life, I've been using it probably more than I should, but I REALLY missed it! I also brought back my box of fabric.

I found a cute children's apron on Pinterest and wanted to make an adult version.

Link

I did some google searching for an adult ruffle apron and found this blog post.

I used this as a guide, but I'm not a very precise sewer, so my measurements are probably off a little here and there.

Here is my final result.

I used the self timer, which getting the exact shot you want, makes exponentially more difficult, but hopefully you get the idea. :) I adore this apron, but it will be leaving my house soon. I made it as a gift for my little sister, who just started her very own cooking blog. I helped her with the design of it and you'll see some of my photography pop up here and there.
Definitely go check it out!

Just a Pinch of Ginger

Oh and by the way, that Oreo cake she made was AMAZING, some of the best frosting I've ever had!

XOXO,

Holly & Co.

My Guy

2011-07-27T11:30:00.000-07:00

I don't post pictures of Ryan often enough. That's probably because getting him to let me take his pictures, well, those moments are few and far between.

I took this one evening at the splash park, I ambushed him! I was taking photos of Zoe, and quick, turned and snapped him. He's kinda smiling here :)

I get most of my Ryan pics on my phone. Zoe has stopped taking naps for the most part, but the other Sunday after church, she and Ryan were watching a movie before dinner, and she zonked out. They were so cute all cuddled up on the giant beanbag, I couldn't resist snapping some iphone pics.

I found the title from a print on Pinterest (again, I know....)

I used some Sassafras letters, adhered them gently to the kraft background, then used my Mr.Huey Lunch Tray and misted over them. I had to wait about 20 minutes for it to dry, then I carefully peeled the letters off.

I also used some wood veneer stars, but covered them with graph rub-ons for a subtle look.
You might have noticed there's some stiching on my pages! Yes! My sewing machine that I thought was broken, has come back to life, I guess it just needed a break, and to sit in the storage unit for a few months!

Well I have to jet, my to-do list is a few miles long today, but I'll be back tomorrow.

XOXO,
Holly & Co.

Beauty Full

2011-07-26T09:23:00.000-07:00

One of the many benefits of living at home (chuckle...chuckle) is having access to all our family photos. One Saturday afternoon a month or so ago, I took my parents wedding album and carefully removed each photo, scanned it, and put them back in an album. I've been editing, restoring and cropping in Photoshop, which has been quite the project, but totally worth it.

I love the pictures of my parents and there are some beautiful ones that you will see grace my pages, but my absolute favorite pictures from the wedding are these.

These photos bring me to tears.
The title I got from a print on Pinterest, it's perfect for this page.
The beauty in these pictures just blows me away.

Beauty full women.

Hope your Tuesday is Beauty Full.

XOXO,
Holly & Co.

Adventures in Pinterest

2011-07-24T15:31:00.000-07:00

Last week, I mention my new fave place to waste time, Pinterest.

We'll I'm happy to report, I've actually put some of those things I discovered on there to good use.

I was inspired by these two prints to make the project below.

It was a fun project for Zoe and I to work on before church this morning. I am not really an artist, and I free handed the writing and tree trunk. It's not terrible, but I would have preferred to print the text, and stamped the trunk. That's probably what I'll do next time.

We used Jenni Bowlin Seed Packet green ink for the fingerprints (yes, my fingers are still green)

I started out with a 12x12 sheet and cut it down to 8.5x11 after we were finished making the leaves.
Then I sketched the text with a pencil, filled it in with a black fine tip pen.
I followed that up with sketching the trunk in pencil, then used a brown fine tip pen to go over it.
I cut out a heart with my craft knife and added the red paper underneath.

It would be fun to make a really big one with my entire family listed on it. I'm thinking this will be a first draft, so you might see this project come up again.

We also made these pretzel /kiss/M&M treats, I'm just going to call them chocolate buttons.

Link

The only change I made, was we used circle pretzels, that I guess are butter flavored, because the package says "Butter." Here, there is what they look like.

They tasted very yummy. We will be making these again. They were half gone by the time I got up this morning.

Have you made anything from pinterest? Link me up!

XOXO,

Holly & Co.

Gone and Back again!

2011-07-23T20:19:00.000-07:00

Ahhh, that was a wonderful 24 hours.

Ryan and I left yesterday evening for a 24 hour trip up to Idaho and back.

Beautiful Salt Lake City

We got to talk uninterrupted, eat without feeding someone else, stay up late, recharge, and just spend some time together.

It was worth every penny.

Dinner at Mama Inez in Pocatello, ID

We met our friends, the Willis' for breakfast this morning, up in Rexburg. We had planned to go to the Flap-Jack Shack, which I was very excited about, but a 25 minute wait and a tight time schedule, drove us over to McDonald's (whose breakfast I happen to love :)

On our way out of town, we stopped by our storage unit, housing all our stuff, to pick up a few things.
I was so happy to see that all our stuff was safe and sound.

I grabbed some scrappy supplies that I had been missing and my poor sewing machine, I'm hoping to get fixed.

Rexburg, ID

We packed the car up and headed back to Utah.

We were greeted with hugs and smiles from Zoe and stories about her 24 hours with Nona & Papa, and Alena the babysitter.

It was exactly the little break we needed!

And now I get to play with a bunch of "new" scrappy stuff that's been in storage for 4 months!

XOXO,
Holly & Co.

Long way from Home, but not really :)

2011-07-21T15:19:00.000-07:00

For the past, almost year, we've been in that "looking-forward-to-the-next-step-but-not-quite-sure-what-the-outcome-will-be" phase.

Yes, it's a long title for a silly phase.

We've moved. and moved again. and moved again. and are now staring down the thought of another move.

But oh how blessed we are.

I found this print on pinterest and it made me feel all warm and fuzzy.

We've met a lot of wonderful people throughout our several moves.

Luckily, we've also kept in contact with many.

Distance is a silly thing, that I think can sometimes convince us,

we can't be friends anymore, or can't still care about each other.

I've got friends all over the country, and thanks to modern technology, can have face to face coversations.

I made this layout the other day, to remind myself, that home is a feeling, not a place.

On the map sticker, I used a wooden asterisk over Utah, because that's currently where we are located.

We are lucky to find the feeling of home in so many locations.

California, Utah, Colorado, Oklahoma, and even Idaho.

I want to put out a challenge today, to call, e-mail or write an old friend, neighbor or family member.

You'd be surprised how happy they will be to hear from you!

XOXO,

Holly & Co.

New Obsession

2011-07-19T22:40:00.000-07:00

If you haven't heard of pinterest.com....it's a time sucker, but an AWESOME one.

I've pinning for the past few days and have already managed to use it for inspiration for a layout.

Link

I used this print to inspire this layout.

I know it seems like an interesting translation. But the type and the colors throughout were what really shown through.

I think I'll be using lots of pinterest links in the future.

Ryan finally finished with his Spring semester today! YAHOO!
We're taking a nice little mini-break this weekend, just me and Ry, less than 24 hours,
but I'll take what I can get.

Be back tomorrow with another layout to share.

XOXO,
Holly & Co.

Scrappy Sunday

2011-07-17T08:03:00.000-07:00

I never got around to scrapping these pictures from our Race for the Cure in May. I'm anxiously waiting for a box of new goodies, so I used some older pieces from my stash before the new stuff arrives.

XOXO,
Holly & Co

Hidden Gems

2011-07-16T15:26:00.000-07:00

I've been working on adding pictures to my SMASH book for this summer and I have come across a lot of outtakes that have made me laugh and smile.

Today, I decided I would share those, I hope you get a bit of a laugh.

Happy Saturday!

I'll be back tomorrow with some pages to share.

XOXO,

Holly & CO.

Kids in a Candy Store

2011-07-14T14:45:00.000-07:00

The theme over at Paper Issues right now is "Life is Sweet."

I haven't made any recent trips to the cupcake shop, instead, I took the theme a different direction.

Back in May, we all visited a charming little candy/toy store in Orem, Blickenstaff's. I hadn't scrapped any of those pictures, so this was perfect timing.

I used my June Studio Calico kit, plus some stuff from my stash.

My absolute favorite picture from our trip is the one of my sisters up in the top left corner. At Blickenstaff's they had a dress-up closet with all sorts of glasses and capes, we had a lot of fun playing in there.

How had you life been sweet lately? Ryan is almost done with school, so that is my sweet treat!

XOXO,
Holly & Co.

A Record....I think

2011-07-13T10:22:00.000-07:00

I've had these pictures from the splash park for several weeks and really wasn't sure what I wanted to do with them. I really wanted to include lots of pictures, but I wanted them all on one page, not split up.

I started by picking out my favorite picture (the center one) and printed if off at 4x6 size. Then I selected all the other pictures I wanted to include and shrunk them in photoshop to 2x3ish. I spent several minutes trying to figure out how to arrange them. Once I got them where I liked them, I took a picture with my cell phone, so I could recreate it.

I added some patterned paper to the background, and then put all the pictures back on their place. Because I had so many photos, I kept the embellishments to a minimum, a few cardstock stickers and some bling.

I don't think I've ever had this many photos on one page before. Maybe I'll have to do this more often :)

XOXO,
Holly & CO.

Half-Way

2011-07-11T20:05:00.000-07:00

The year is half-over, actually over half-over and it's time for a little self evaluation.
In THIS POST in December, I posted my goals for 2011.

Here are the goals, with my updates.
Goal 1. Make our house a home. I want to make our home feel like a place of comfort, a place to play, a place to laugh and a place to feel the spirit. I want to decorate and feel moved in. I want to have pillows on the couch, placemats on the table and pictures on the wall. This one I actually completed in Idaho. We were only in our apartment for 12 weeks, but I had lots of pictures on the walls, pillows on the couch, and we actually bought a kitchen table! (no placemats though)

Goal 2. Take care of me. I've neglected my health for too long. It needs to be a priority. Add movement to my daily routine and involve my family if possible. This is a work in progress. I attempted this a little in Idaho, but the cold + Ryan's schedule made it difficult. I'm happy to report that since being in Utah I've become much more active. I walk 2-2.5 miles regularly, I walked in Race for the Cure in May, and I just started training for a 5/10K in October.

Goal 3. Daily Scripture Study. I feel so good when I read my scriptures faithfully. I would like to start my mornings with this cup of spiritual fulfillment. Daily scripture study has always been hard for me, I'm not sure why. This probably needs the most work. I do read my scriptures more and listen to conference talks online when I'm working or scrapbooking. Needs more work.

Goal 4. Use and abuse my cookbooks. Over the past year Ryan has become an excellent cook, simply because I have not been cooking. I want to make good use of all the recipes I have stocked up. Included in this goal is family dinners 4-5 times a week, with our new schedule this should be easy. Completed. Working from home has allowed me so much more freedom in cooking. I can put things in the oven or defrost things while I'm there. My signature dishes this year have been, BBQ chicken salad, homemade pizza, and baked ziti.

This mid-year point is a great time for reflection for me. I love knowing that I've accomplished some things I've set out to do, and re-focus on the things I still need to work on.

How are your goals going for 2011?

XOXO,
Holly & Co

A great resource to share

2011-07-10T14:45:00.000-07:00

Zoe is not a quiet child, at least since the age of 2 when we retired her binky :(

We've been struggling for awhile with trying to be quiet at church. Today, was my last straw. I really want to enjoy church but being there has become a nightmare trying to keep Zoe quiet.

I came home today, determined to find a lesson to teach her on how we are supposed to behave at church.

I did I few google searches, and then I remembered a blog I had seen months ago.

It's called ," A Year of Family Home Evenings." HERE IS THE LINK.

Emilie, the owner/writer, has a ton on lesson, broken down by category. I went to the reverence category and found a lesson that will be perfect for Zoe.

I just wanted to share with many of you that have little ones, that might like me, be unsure how to teach gospel concepts to them in a kid-friendly way.

I will report next week how she does.

XOXO,
Holly & Co.

Spur of the Moment

2011-07-09T20:19:00.000-07:00

Last night, as I was putting her to bed, I told Zoe I would take her to the "beach" today.

This morning, it was the first thing out of her mouth. Ryan is coming up on finals next week, which meant I needed to keep Zoe out of the house for several hours.
In the spur of the moment, I decided to take Zoe to a water park in Provo, Seven Peaks.
We got there right at opening and I had purchased tickets online, and we got to walk right in.

Zoe was thrilled to be there! We went in the wave pool, around the lazy river (several times), in the kids area and even down the adult water slide. I think her favorite was the wave pool. I would have let her play a bit more in the waves, but they were out of life jackets to rent, so I kept her next to my side at all times.

I don't know if I've talked about my "Morganisms" book on here before, but it's a scrapbook I keep for my
parents. Originally, it housed all our of favorite things and inside jokes, but now it's become the family album. I usually only made pages for that book once or twice a year, but living here where the book is, makes it a little easier.

By my Mom's request, I've started making wedding pages for each of us, and will go on to make birth pages for each grandchild.
Here are the 2 layouts I've made so far.

Also, a quick shout out to me sweet husband who drove to the craft store for me and bought me cardstock! Yay for supportive husbands!

Have a great night,
XOXO,
Holly & Co.

Rock Collecting

2011-07-07T07:31:00.000-07:00

I realized I never shared this layout. This was from the Clark Planetarium last month. Zoe really loved being on the moon.

I added the pocket with the caption, "moon rocks" because for some reason, Zoe likes to collect rocks.
Whenever we go on a walk, Zoe picks up rocks and puts them in my pocket/stroller/hand. She collects them in the backyard or in the parking lot at Target.
I told my dad today that I bet she'll grow up to be a geologist, she REALLY likes rocks.

Did you collect anything as a kid?

I collected a lot of things, the big two were stickers and beanie babies. Yeah, I rocked the beanie baby collection. I'll share those photos in another post I have planned.

XOXO,
Holly & CO.

Getting There

2011-07-06T19:31:00.000-07:00

I noticed today while I was getting ready to write this post, that I'm only a few posts away from 500! Wow, that's a lot of blogging. But I'm WAY excited. I think to celebrate I'll be doing a blog party + giveaway, so stay tuned in the next couple of weeks!

I'm starting to feel like Zoe is getting over the terrible twos/threes. She's been much less sassy and more lovely lately, of course she still has her moments. ETA: Today she was Ms. Sassy Pants, so we aren't out of the woods yet. :(

Last night, Ryan and I went out on a date, while she stayed home with Nona and Papa. I returned home to a happy report, she was a doll while we were gone. Read stories, ate her dinner and had a bath, AND she went to bed without a fuss. Sigh, I'm happy to have my little doll back.

I have a page to share. I don't know why I struggle so hard with "event" layouts. My favorite layouts are never, birthdays or holidays, always the everyday stuff, but I forced myself to scrap these pictures of Zoe with her cake.

I like it just fine, it's just not my favorite. Maybe someday soon, I'll get over whatever causes this scrapping-event-photos-phobia.

Spending some more time on the craft table tonight. I need to get some crafty time in.

XOXO,
Holly & CO.

Happy 4th of July

2011-07-05T21:42:00.000-07:00

This year I didn't take a lot of photos, in fact I think I took about 5. I spent most of the holiday weekend enjoying my time with family and all the celebrations.

Photo Credit - My Uncle Ted

We spent the weekend with the kids all playing together, laughing a lot, and eating LOTS of yummy food.

Yesterday, we got to watch my brother Ben, play in the Provo City Parade, which if you've ever been in Utah during the 4th of July, you know it's one of the biggest and best parades anywhere.

Last night, instead of attending a fireworks show, we just sat on the back balcony and watched about 13 different fireworks shows across the valley. We saw everything from Pleasant Grove over to Thanksgiving Point. I think this might be part of a new tradition.

I do have some projects to share, but am still catching up from having family here and all the celebrations. More to share tomorrow!

XOXO,
Holly & CO.

Using up Scraps

2011-07-02T08:14:00.000-07:00

I was collecting quite a bit of scrap paper from my Studio Calico June kit, so I decided to use them up and make a card. It seems I've been making quite a bit of cards lately, which is unusual for me, but I guess it's not a bad thing to have on hand.

I've been going through all the photos I've been taking this past week and I've got a couple favorites to share.

Doesn't this look straight out of the Baywatch opening?

And this is my attempt at Olan Mills type photography :)

Hope you all are having a safe and fun weekend.

XOXO,

Holly & Co.

Holly & Company

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Quick Share

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Happy Scrappy Saturday

Elle's Studio Sketch - 1/12/12

I almost forgot...

Follow Your Heart

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One Hundred and Crazy Percent

Doily Banner

See Good Days

1 cup Dark Brown Sugar 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil, can substitute Sweetened Almond Oil or Vegetable Oil 1 teaspoon Vitamin E (cut open Vitamin E liquid gel caps) 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract , optional (or your favorite citrus essential oil) 1 tablespoon honey, optional for dry skin

Directions

Old Friends

Hello 2012

Closed until 2012

December Daily - Day 19

December Daily - Day 17&18

December Daily - Day 15 & 16

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2/3

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2011 - The year of the moves

Wordless Wednesday

More Cards & a Tutorial

Wordless Wednesday

Honey Bun

Scrappy Sunday - Let's Ride

Under the Weather

Because what's better than a snow cone?

Alpine Fling

Best Buds

1 cup Dark Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil, can substitute Sweetened Almond Oil or Vegetable Oil
1 teaspoon Vitamin E (cut open Vitamin E liquid gel caps)
1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract , optional (or your favorite citrus essential oil)
1 tablespoon honey, optional for dry skin