Love this Moment Layout

It was back to work for me a couple weeks ago and I forgot or didn't realize how tired I'd be at the end of the night - between pumping, bottle washing, and bagging/freezing milk - that blogging (especially about crafting) hasn't been the highest priority. Being able to nurse is a great thing and I'm glad I'm able to do it without any significant challenges, but it also feels like a ball and chain sometimes.

I did this layout of pictures of Evie from our photo shoot last October while I was still on maternity leave. The letterpress 12x12 paper is one I've had for a while. From maybe . . . 2007 or 2008ish? I think it is by Autumn Leaves. The rest of the supplies are mostly all Pinkfresh Studio.








I used Walnut Gold Glimmer Mist to watercolor a strip down the left side. The "love" words were die cut from pink watercolored cardstock, vellum, and gold acrylic painted cardstock. I also used gold acrylic paint around the edges of the watercolor print card. The "this moment" phrase was dabbed onto the layout with the ink blending tool and Distress Ink over a stencil. I was actually pleasantly surprised at how crisp the image turned out and also wondered to myself why I hadn't tried it sooner (answer: I was afraid it wouldn't turn out well).

SUPPLIES:

Paper: Autumn Leaves
Embellishments: Pinkfresh Studio
Tools: Cuttlebug; Zig markers
Ink: Ranger Distress Ink; Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist in Walnut Gold
Other: mt washi tape

Parker's Three Month Photo

Little bit late in taking and posting these, but 3(ish) month photos!




Similar to Evie's monthly photos, I'm taking monthly photos of Parker until 12 months: Parker's Monthly Photos.

Parker at 3 Months Old

Picture of the two of them for Parker's "Me and my big sister" frame:


Ha ha - those expressions!


How the pacifier landed when he fell asleep:


Being chatty (i.e., cooing) during Evie's swim lesson:


First day at daycare. He fell asleep in his car seat when I was dropping him off:


Took this from a video that I shot of Greg pretending to cry, and then Parker being a sympathetic crier:

• Night after we had a big BBQ (4/18) at our house - Parker fell asleep around 9:30 and slept until 6:00. !. The only reason he was up was because I woke him up to nurse so that I could go pump. He did it again the next night.
• Getting better at chillin' by himself in the bouncer for longer periods of time (such as when I'm pumping for 20 minutes). Also kicks a lot in the bouncer now.
• Is intrigued by, but doesn't quite "get" peek-a-boo. I'm waiting for the (short) phase where he's genuinely surprised when we emerge from behind our hands, and this time, we're going to take a video of it, because it's hilarious.
• Got his first real bath on 4/22, after it looked like his belly button finally healed.
• Seems to spit up less than Evie, but drools more than her.
• Appears to be a sympathetic crier, which I recall Evie being. One afternoon when Greg was working from home, Greg started to pretend cry next to Parker, and he started making serious boo-hoo faces before crying. It was funny and I took some video. Heh.
• Talks (coos) a lot when he's in a good mood.
• He is so entertained when laying on his diaper changing station. I'm guessing it's the message board on the wall above it with Mickey, Minnie, and some of Evie's artwork.
• Is sleeping less in the car now. Maybe because he's getting older, maybe also partly because we took the extra newborn cushion out.
• I'm back at work this month. I'm going to miss him during the day.

Ten Years Geometric Heart Layout with Dip-Dyed Ombre Tags

For my Whisker Graphics project this month, I dip-dyed the large white tags with three different colors of liquid Rit dye (aquarmarine, fuschia, and violet) to end up with ombre tags, which I then cut into triangles and pieced together a geometric heart. The geometric heart is on a layout documenting our ten year anniversary, which was a couple of months ago. We didn't actually take any pictures of us on the day of, so for the layout, I used photo booth pictures that we recently took at an event.







Dip-dying is an easy technique, but a bit of a time investment since you have to wait for the tags to dry a bit between dips (doesn't have to be completely dry, just not super wet). I think the end result is worth it though, especially after seeing the finished layout and how great the ombre tags look against the dark gray cardstock, along with the white and black accent colors.

In addition to the dip-dyed ombre tags that make up the geometric heart, I used my Silhouette Cameo and the Meddon font from Google Web Fonts to cut out the hook from the Plain White T's song 1, 2, 3, 4 (the part that goes "There's only one thing to do three words for you I love you," which I really like and have used in the past on this business card mini book). The lyrics were cut from the same color of gray cardstock so there'd be texture in the background, but wouldn't detract from the heart. I also cut the lyrics in such a way that I have the negative part that can be used on a different layout. The "ten years" title is also cut with the same font, just bigger.

On either side of the photo booth photos are die cut slides from the April Pinkfresh Studio kit, stamped with the sentiment stamps from the kit for the background, and the Friends stamp set from Daisy Bucket designs for the focal point.

Side note: I would leave my dye supplies out during the day and just quickly dip the tags when I walked by every hour or two. I did, however, put the supplies out of sight after Evie came home, because I had scary visions in my head of her mistaking the liquid Rit dye for food coloring and drinking it (shudder).

INSTRUCTIONS:

(from left to right, top to bottom)
1-2. I experimented with how much liquid Rit dye to add to water. I dipped some scrap cardstock each time I added Rit dye. I decided to add 160 drops of dye to 2 cups of water.
3-4. Fuschia and violet dying in progress.
5. End result of the dip dying
6. Cut the dip-dyed tags into squares, then triangles.



(from left to right, top to bottom)
7. Piece triangles into heart shape.
8. Using Silhouette, cut script lettering for background and adhere to layout around heart.
9. The leftover negative of the Silhouette cut out, to be used on another layout.

See this project on the Whisker Graphics blog here: Ombre Tag Art

SUPPLIES:

Paper: Bazzill Basics Paper (white, gray, and black cardstock); Whisker Graphics large white tags
Embellishments: Basic Grey alphabet stickers
Stamps: Pinkfresh Studio; Daisy Bucket Designs Friends stamp set
Tools: Pinkfresh Studio slide die; Silhouette Cameo
Ink: Ranger Distress Ink in Weathered Wood; Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black ink
Other: Rit dye in aquarmarine, fuschia, and violet; Meddon font from Google Web Fonts