Holly & Company

Wild Child

2012-03-14T17:05:00.000-07:00

Yep, she's mine. Without a doubt.

I cut Zoe's hair this afternoon - and I wanted to get some new pictures of her cute hair and this is what I got.

I'm pretty happy I got some of her in focus. I made that skirt for her on Monday, using THIS TUTORIAL and she's been begging to wear it.

What outfit isn't complete without Mardi Gras beads?

And this is what happens to her cute hair after running around for 20 minutes. Sigh - Better luck next time.

XOXO,

Holly & CO.

Best of Friends

2012-03-13T07:27:00.000-07:00

These two are so funny together.
Even if we never have a little boy - I think the relationship between Ryan and Zoe will make up for that a little bit.

They like to wrestle together.

They watch Thunder Cats together.

They build Lego swords and duel.

They both a good bodily function joke.

They both love beef.

They build marble tracks together.

When I explain Zoe's personality to people - the best description I can come up for is, "Zoe's perfect day would be playing the in the sand and dirt, while wearing a princess dress and glittery make-up."

I'm just adoring this March kit from Studio Calico - typically, their March kits are not my favorite upon site, but when I start working with them, I make my most favorite layouts.

Here is another pages I made about these two. I used one of my stamps from the Encyclopedia add-on kit to make my background using the JBS inks weathervane and malked milk.

Thanks for stopping by.

XOXO,
Holly & Co.

Sittin' Waitin' Wishin'

2012-03-12T08:29:00.001-07:00

I hesitate to write about really personal things on my blog - but it's therapeutic for me, so here it goes.

We just passed month 6 of trying to get pregnant - and my body played quite a mean trick on me. I thought for awhile, this might just be it, but I was wrong. I know 6 months is nothing compared to some people's struggles, and my heart goes out to them, this up and down emotional wave I'm riding, it very difficult for me. I handled it best than most months, but I still had one bad day. A day where I didn't go home, just because I didn't want to be alone.

I happen to live in a town full of young families and crawling with babies. Which some days adds salt to the wound. Zoe has started asking for a little brother - that isn't helping.

But I've reconciled for the next little while, I'm going to focus on some other things. When I was cleaning out my craft closet, I discovered enough fabric for 3 more quilts and several skirts or dresses for Zoe. I figure between those and a bookcase full of scrapbook supplies - I should be able to keep busy.

I have faith my turn will come - but patience isn't a virtue of mine, so I'm going to do my best to get better at waiting. So for now, I'm just waiting....

XOXO,
Holly & Co.

This Guy...

2012-03-11T11:28:00.000-07:00

This is one of my new favorite pictures - Ryan is laughing because I told him I wanted to take a picture of him looking natural. This is the result - and it's perfect.

We've been gone for 3.5 days now and boy, do I miss this guy. It's amazing that we survived 9 months apart while dating and engaged, really I'm not sure how I survived. (It was probably because I spent a LOT of time at the gym and spent several hours hanging out with Derek and Aaron watching Scrubs and drinking Capri Suns. ) But still, these weekends away sometimes feel harder then that entire 9 months.

I am lucky that when I come home - the house will probably be spotless, he will have done all the laundry and organized several cabinets. I am so lucky to have a guy that isn't afraid to clean :)

This semester has been much more work heavy than the last, meaning we see him less and less. I'm anxiously awaiting the end of the semester when we get to go on a mini vacay and spend some one on one time.

It amazes me how much I can miss Ryan, even when he is at home with me - just busy. I miss the lazy evenings on the couch and eating ice cream together. I miss Saturday lunches and afternoons falling asleep on the couch. I know those things aren't gone forever, but just on hold for now.

Praying for the next 4 weeks to fly on by....

XOXO,
Holly & Co.

2012-03-10T19:28:00.001-08:00

This weekend I've been falling in love with the March Studio Calico kit - I've already made 5 pages - this being one of them.

We are down in Utah so I'm gonna keep this short and sweet - hope you're having a wonderful weekend!

Welcome Spring!

2012-03-08T10:19:00.000-08:00

We've been lucky here in southeast Idaho - our winter has been pretty mild and lately, the sun seems to be breaking through the clouds more often.

In anticipation, I thought a little retail therapy was in order, and purchased this gorgeous dress from Down East . I'm not sure how much I love the pink tie - but it's removable so that good.

I love the vintage feel and it differs from the other things in my closet (which are all solids or stripes - literally)

I've been searching YouTube for some vintage hairstyle tutorials - and maybe I can convince Aly to help me with a vintage style photoshoot - wouldn't that be fun?!?

I made this quick little card for a friend whose baby shower I'm going to miss this weekend. I adore these die cuts from my mind's eye - I think I'll be picking up a few more in the near future.

Hope you're having a fabulous day!
XOXO,
Holly & CO.

Bright, Sun-Shiney Day

2012-03-05T14:49:00.000-08:00

Today was the first day in a long while, that we felt the sunshine. It was 50 degrees today - although still windy, but we couldn't pass up this opportunity to visit the park, considering it's supposed to snow tomorrow.

Pigtails + wind = crazy hair, but look at that smile!

When we first got to the park Zoe just ran around the open field - just enjoying being outside out 1000 sq. foot apartment. We still came home a little soggy and a little muddy but it was worth it for sure!

Last night I couldn't resist scrapping these photos of me and Zoe. They are some of my favorites.

I used my February Studio Calico kit ,along with some extra Dear Lizzy (including that awesome date stamp) and the Studio Calico Project Life stamps -more of my favorites.

I'm hoping to snag a mommy-daughter photo shoot with my dear friend Aly, sometime in the near future, so I can have lots of these fun photos. I'm pretty sure these snapshots are going to end up framed and in her room - I love them that much.

We've got a low key menu for this evening, including some banana bread, which we're making for Family Home Evening, along with our lesson on manners, complete with writing thank you cards.

XOXO,
Holly & Co.

The Best Kind of Day

2012-03-04T19:11:00.000-08:00

This is the best part about having kids.
These silly and sweet pictures of me and Zoe at lunch yesterday.
I pulled out my phone to take a picture for Project Life and she asked if we could take some silly pictures - and this is what we ended up with.

Zoe and I spent the day together bumming around town, our list was long but we got everything done. Including picking up some cinnamon swirl bread from Great Harvest - Yum!

After our errands, Zoe took a quick nap and I finished up this project I have been working on.

I found this house shadow box at DI for less than a dollar and I have just been waiting to be inspired to use it. I used mostly October Afternoon's Farmhouse line (which I love!) and a few other odds and ends.

In the evening, Ryan and I were able to attend the temple for the first time in too long. We even enjoyed a little dinner afterwards. Thanks so much to my friend Noelle for babysitting - Zoe had tons of fun.

I was exhausted by the time I got Zoe in bed - busy day, but it was wonderful. I hope you have had a wonderful weekend too. What is your idea of the best day?

XOXO,
Holly & Co.

Washi + Instax = Love

2012-03-02T09:26:00.000-08:00

I ordered some new washi tape last week and when it arrived yesterday I just had to play with it.

I bought mine from this awesome etsy store - In The Clear

Tons and tons of awesome tape - a lot of unique rolls.

Anyway, I snapped this photo with my Instax this week - trying to finish a roll of film and I love it!

We've been spending tons of time together this semester. Ryan's class load keeps him at school most days and nights, so it's usually just me and Zoe hanging out.

Lately, Zoe has been asking me ," Are you my best friend?" and when she is mad at me she says ," You're not my best friend anymore." That's where the title comes from.

I used a mix of October Afternoon Farmhouse and My Mind's Eye Follow Your Heart - along with some mists, washi, and some Silhouette shapes. My subscription to the Silhouette store just reset, along with my new mats getting here - so I have a feeling I'll be using that a lot in the near future :)

The sun is shining today - Zoe and I will probably be playing in the snow this afternoon, while Ryan gets some rest (he's sick today). We have a low key weekend planned - I'm hoping to finish up some craft projects.

Happy Friday!

XOXO,
Holly & Co.

2012-03-01T20:21:00.000-08:00

I have loved this "Enjoy Life" sticker since the moment I saw it - but really didn't have a reason to use it.

I thought I'd make it into a card for a friend.

I used the Crate Paper Random line along with a few odds and ends.

Today is was freezing cold and we got a nice big blanket of snow.

The snow subsided for a little while and the sun peaked out, so we all bundled up and went outside to play in the snow. Ryan and Zoe attempted to build another snowman - but we ended up in a snowball fight

She was all smiles!

I finally got my new mats for my Silhouette, so once I get my desk cleaned up - I'm planning on destroying it again making some new pages :)

XOXO,

Holly & Co.

Leap Day 2012

2012-02-29T21:26:00.000-08:00

Well Leap Day is upon us...and quickly coming to a close.

It was a cold, snowy, blustery day.
Zoe and I spent the afternoon at the Dentist - She was a champ! Our dentist's office has tvs mounted on the ceiling which kept her entertained for most of the cleaning.

I also got a call from a sweet friend, a little cuddle time with the hubby and hopefully an early bedtime.

I've got some cards to share tomorrow - hopefully it will stop snowing long enough to get some decent light in here.

XOXO,
Holly & Co.

2012-02-27T16:51:00.000-08:00

These snow pictures are from weeks ago - but I finally got around to scrapping them.

I've been taking a small break from scrapping to get some sewing done.
I completed this apron I have had sitting in my sewing stash for years. It's by Brassy Apple Patterns -you can view their other patterns HERE.

I've also almost finished the top for my Christmas quilt. After spending several days over the sewing machine, I'm ready to get back to scrapping :)

We've had a quiet, cloudy Monday over here - excited for Studio Calico reveal tonight!

Happy Monday!
XOXO,
Holly & Co.

A Trip to Sammy's

2012-02-25T20:53:00.000-08:00

We have been so lucky this weekend. For the first time this semester, Ryan has had a weekend without hours of homework! We decided to spend our Groupon, and head to Sammy's for dinner.

Sammy's is an old time burger joint, complete with soda counter inside. Zoe was very excited to sit on the "spinning seats."

Ryan ordered the Big Belly Burger and I ordered The Brea Chicken sandwich. Zoe had a grilled cheese and we all shared the onion rings and fries. The only thing that I wasn't thrilled about was the fries. After sitting and eating awhile at the counter, and listening to some other people - I guess the battered fries are the way to go - not the homestyle (which we ordered) Next time, we'll get the battered.

Everything else was really yummy. Simple, good food. Oh, and plenty of fry sauce - that's how we roll.

Sammy's is actually known for their, "Real Pie Shakes." Ryan ordered the coconut cream, Zoe and I split the pumpkin pie cheesecake shake. Absolutely the best part of the meal! It was so amazing, seriously delicious. Although, I would definitely opt for the half size shake or sharing one with someone, the full size one is a LOT for one person.

and my favorite pictures from that night...

We are enjoying having Ryan around a bit more this weekend.

I hope you are enjoying your weekend too!

XOXO,

Holly & CO.

Fill Your Head

2012-02-21T10:16:00.000-08:00

This is the last of the most recent pages I've done featuring my sweet niece, Gwendolyn.

I titled this page with a line from one of my favorite books, "Goodnight Moon."

And that got me thinking about all the book lines, movie quotes and song lyrics that fill my head.

I can quote the entire book of "Cat in the Hat" from reading it to Zoe 1,000 + times.

I can sing the entire *NSYNC CD from start to finish

Ryan and I often text each other lines from some of our favorite movies or shows to make each other laugh.

I even mentioned to my sister a few weeks ago, think of how much brain space I would have, if I didn't have all these things that I remembered (that are not really important)?

But where's the fun in that?

We are getting over being sick - again.

Thankfully, we seemed to have turned the corner and Ryan has escaped, yet again, another illness.

(He has an immune system of steel I tell you!)

It's also been snowing lots - and as such, I deemed today -

Pinterest Recipe Day!

I've been pinning lots of new recipes lately but have had yet to try them, so today I'm testing out three new ones.

1. Crack Potatoes (Cheddar Bacon Ranch Potatoes)

My adjustments:

- I used 1/2 lt. sour cream and 1/2 non-fat greek yogurt.

-1.5 packets of Ranch (some reviews said it was too salty)

-1.5 cups of cheese

- 6 strips of cooked bacon chopped

2. Cornbread Casserole
My adjustments: I'm attempting to make this in the crockpot since my oven in not currently working correctly.

3. English muffin bread
My adjustments: I'm attempting to make this is in my bread maker - again because of my oven.

I'll be posting my reviews soon!

XOXO,
Holly & CO.

A Dreamer

2012-02-17T10:54:00.000-08:00

If you have ever met Zoe you would know, she likes to sing.

Life is one big production with Zoe - in a good way....most of the time. (costumes included)

She is either, talking, singing, or making some sort of noise all the time. When she laughs, she laughs big and loud. When she cries, it is usually a scene. When she dances, she needs a dress and an audience .

I'm saying all these things with the love of a Mother. Sometimes these things annoy me, sometimes they make me laugh, but most of all - they make her unique, and I adore that.

I have a feeling Zoe will be a dreamer and a doer. She will have big goals and aspirations and will reach them.

In the yellow polka dot envelope is a little note for her when the day comes that she needs to read it.

Time is short today - lots of life that needs to get some attention - but I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

XOXO,

Holly & Co.

Words Matter

2012-02-15T09:04:00.000-08:00

During the early days of our marriage, Ryan and I decided that except for birthday and Christmas, we would just exchange cards, no presents. It was getting out of hand to have to have a gift for every occasion - and we were constantly budgeting and trying to think of things to suggest to the other as gifts. Now, 5 years in, I think it was one of the best decisions we made.

Yesterday being Valentine's Day - we exchanged cards over a quiet dinner at home. As I read those sweet, tender words my husband had written, tears rolled down my cheeks. The thought came to me, " words matter."

As I kept thinking about that phrase throughout the evening, I thought how profound that statement is. Harsh or soft, sweet or mean, uplifting or degrading, words matter and affect us deeply.

I made this page to exemplify that statement. I attached the sweet card my husband gave to me yesterday and used one of our wedding photos.

The quote on the tag in the corner is one my mother often repeated, from the children's book, "Horton Hears a Who." It reads -

"I said what I meant, and I meant what I said."

That quote is a bold reminder to me to choose words carefully, and share good words often.

Have you ever received a hand written note or letter in the mail by surprise? That for me is one of the top 10 best feelings ever! I've been working on sending more "happy mail" this year. A letter or note, a package or special treat. Isn't it funny that when you do nice things for people, it comes back to you tenfold? I've been the recipient of so many random happy mail or packages or sweet treats or phone calls - I am a very lucky girl.

I propose a challenge today - use your words for good. Write a letter, call a friend, send an e-mail, whatever you choose. Then come back here and tell me about it! I would love to hear all about it!

XOXO,

Holly & Co.

St. Valentine's Day

2012-02-14T18:47:00.000-08:00

Today was a wonderful day.

...and since a picture is worth 1000 words - I'll let them do the talking today.

Happy Valentine's Day

XOXO,

Holly & CO.

Faux Frappe'

2012-02-13T18:37:00.000-08:00

Our little cupcake shop in town doesn't just have cupcakes - they have blended drinks, hot chocolate, and now ice cream. My friend, Karli, introduced me to their cold blending cocoa drinks, which are delish!

But at over $3.00 a piece, it's hard to splurge as often as I would like. And....they are made with half & half, which isn't waistline friendly - so I attempted to recreate my own version.

I'm happy to say it was very successful!

Here are the basic ingredients:
2 Cups pebble ice (I bought mine from sonic, 10 lbs. for $1.49)
1/2 C. milk (I used 1%)
3 heaping tablespoons chocolate drink mix ( I used carnation instant breakfast)

This is the fun part - you can now add any number of things to adjust the flavor.
add 2 TB. peppermint coffee creamer = Chocolate Peppermint
4 Tsp. Torini caramel sryup + a pinch of sea salt = Salted Caramel

and those are just the versions I've tried in the past week...

Blend until icy.
Enjoy!

Girl's Day Out

2012-02-12T21:42:00.000-08:00

Ryan had to spend the day in the lab yesterday. And instead of just bumming around Rexburg, Zoe and I headed to Idaho Falls - or I.F. - as the locals refer to it. But before her left, we enjoyed our first taste of Paradise Donuts. Yum.

My favorite are the old fashioned sour cream, but the maple glazed was good too!

We drove all over Idaho Falls yesterday, spent several hours driving to different places. I discovered this water tower and just had to take a picture. I love the way it turned out.

We spent a lot of time at this play area yesterday. This was my view.

While we were at the mall, I picked up a few things for Ryan and for Zoe, but I had to snag this shirt for me.

Who doesn't need a Save Ferris shirt?!?

We ended the evening by making frappes - the recipe I will post tomorrow :)

XOXO,

Holly & Co.

A Snowy Day

2012-02-10T12:06:00.000-08:00

It's snowing today - I just love the quiet of snowfall. It's so calm and quiet outside. Kind of like this sweet baby. Yes more pictures of my beautiful niece.

I got my February Studio Calico kit yesterday and it is just beautiful! I adore the color palate.

I'm off to have a girly afternoon with my little one. In store we have - Candyland Bingo, nail painting and candy button making. (and hopefully a nap)

Have a wonderful day!
XOXO,
Holly & CO.

WINNING

2012-02-09T13:09:00.000-08:00

Hooray! Thanks so much for all the blog love - it was so fun to read each one of the comments.

#1 - Cathy Pascal
#2 - Nicole Brenna
#3 - Vanessa Blythe
#4 - Shelleye McDaniel
#5 - Kate Codina

Congrats Ladies - Please e-mail me your addresses @ holly.humbert@gmail.com!!!

Thanks!
XOXO,
Holly & Co.

Quilt in a Day

2012-02-08T15:45:00.000-08:00

Thanks to my mother-in-law, Julie, last summer, I decided to make a quilt. Funny thing - I still haven't made that quilt I had originally set out to make, but I have managed to make 3 other quilts, with plans and fabric for 3 more.

This quilt is for my dear friend Keshet's sweet new baby - Happy Birthday little one!

In Utah, is my favorite quilt store ever and I just happened to have planned a trip there anyway, so when I found out she had made her debut, I decided this would be the perfect reason to make a quilt :) Deciding on the fabric took me almost an hour - so many pretty things in that store.

I was super excited about finishing this quilt, because I wanted to try out my new quilting foot that I had purchased a few months ago. Free form quilting is SO much fun! I was literally smiling while I was doodling all over the borders.

Supplies:

1 charm pack (with 6 squares removed) or 36 5"x5" squares

2/3 yd white fabric

2/3 yd pink fabric

1 1/2 yd backing fabric

I drew up a simple pattern in photoshop for this quilt. The final quilt size is approximately 42" x 42". If you are interested in the step by step instructions, e-mail me at holly.humbert@gmail.com and I will send them over to you.

Thanks for stopping by today.

The giveaway is still open until midnight tonight, so if you haven't entered, you can get in just under the wire.

XOXO,

Holly & Co.

A few of my Favorite Things

2012-02-07T13:58:00.000-08:00

The giveaway is still open - Go to THIS post and leave a comment.

So I'm having a love affair with the new Dear Lizzy line, Neapolitan. So much so, that when I was down in Utah, the second place I went, was Archiver's. They didn't have the entire line - but I picked up the majority of what I want. The rest I'll pick up from Paper Issues, when Cassie gets it in stock.

I had this little chipboard book lying around and I thought I should put it to good use. I filled it with some favorite instagram photos, documenting some of my favorite things.

Mini books are usually hard for me, as I rarely have one event with enough pictures to document the occasion. But this worked out just great. It's pretty small, about 3x5 and it will be keeping it's home on my bookshelf.

Some of the things in those photos, are also favorite items of mine - like my Fuji Instax I got for Christmas - my Anthropologie mug, my mother in law bought me for my birthday - Strega Nona, a favorite book of mine and now Zoe's - Isn't it amazing, how you have favorite things that you kinda don't think about.

Funny story - In my 9th grade yearbook I had 4 pictures in the yearbook. I was wearing the same sweater in each of the photos. They were all taken on different days. I really loved that sweater. :)

XOXO,

Holly & Co.

2012-02-05T20:00:00.000-08:00

If you are looking for the Giveway post -HERE is the Link. It is still open until Wed. Feb. 8th.

Thank you all for the lovely comments, it's so fun to see where everyone is coming from.

Zoe and I arrived back in Rexburg just a little while ago. We stayed a longer than usual, because we wanted to attend the baby blessing of my cousin, Anna. She is so sweet and precious, I'm so glad we were able to attend.

baby Anna sleeping

After the blessing, we went to my Uncle Chris' house for a luncheon and I had the most fabulous coconut cake. It was simply amazing. We caught up with extended family, Zoe played with the dog and some of my cousins that are her age. It's funny to have cousins that are the same age as my kid. We left straight from the lunch and returned to a beautifully cleaned house and a happy husband. :)

This layout is of one of my newest nieces, Gwendolyn. I made it using the Polka Dot Whimsy November Kit, which is still available HERE. I actually dreamed about this particular layout. My favorite part is the Hello badge, but instead of saying, "My name is..." it says' "my story is..." I thought it was just perfect for a brand new baby.
Ever since she was born, I have adored this picture of her, with her daddy Eric. I'm so glad I was able to translate it into a page that I love.

So as you can see - I have babies on the brain. Also, my dear friend, Keshet had her baby this week. So excited for her. I'm making her a special baby gift and I want to share it on here, but Keshet reads here, so I'll just have to wait until she gets it in the mail to share it here.

Happy Sunday
XOXO,
Holly & Co.

BLOG PARTY!!!

2012-02-04T07:08:00.000-08:00

Hooray, today is finally here!
Well, I'm excited to announce that not only have I hit 600 posts with this post, but I'm also a dot com!
That's right, you can no visit my blog from http://www.hollyhumbert.com/!

I had been thinking about changing the blog title, for awhile now, and this just seemed like the perfect time to do it, and what better reason for a party?!?

In honor of my blog party I have some amazing giveaways for you.

#1- Cassie at Paper Issues put together this great Valetntine's day prize pack.

This giveaway includes:

6x6 Crate Paper Heart

3 Yards of the following colors of twine:
Maraschino (red)

Pink Sorbet (dark pink)

Blossom (light pink)

Caribbean (aqua)

Buttercream (yellow)

Cassie has also generously offered a coupon code for my readers - for 30% off anything in the Paper Issues store, just enter the code HOLLY.

#2 Polka Dot Whimsy kit club - January Kit. This kit is full of October Afternoon, My Mind's Eye, with some Crate and Jillibean Soup throw in for good measure.

#3 Aspen and Pike Etsy shop - Love Typography Subway art. This is a PDF file, you can choose either the red or white, whichever you LOVE more. The store owner, Jenni, also offers custom typography art, and you can contact her through her etsy store for more details.

#4 The Twinery- Nicole from The Twinery has donated I LOVE YOU sampler pack. (Stone is my favorite color ever!)
Contains 15 yards of each color below:
Maraschino, Pink Sorbet Blossom, Caribbean, Stone & Lilac

#5 - Dear Lizzy prize pack - I just love the new Dear Lizzy line, so while I've been in Utah, I not only picked up some stuff for myself, but some for one lucky blog reader! This is just a sneak peak of what will be in the box from me.

To enter for any of these fabulous prizes,
please leave me a comment telling me who you are and how you found my blog.
Comments will be open until Wed, Feb 8th, midnight EST.

For extra entries:
1. Follow any of these wonderful sponsors on Facebook:
Paper Issues
Polka Dot Whimsy
The Twinery

2. Follow any of the sponsors' blogs:
Paper Issues
Polka Dot Whimsy
The Twinery
Holly & Company

3. Make a donation to my Race for the Cure effort, you can do so by visiting my page HERE.

(Please leave a comment for EACH one of the extra entries)
So if you count that up - it leaves 9 entries total, per person.

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today and helping me celebrate, I hope you stick around for a while!

XOXO,
Holly & Co.

I love love.

2012-02-02T18:41:00.000-08:00

Seriously, can you get sweeter pictures than that?

My sister in law, Jen, graciously let me use some photos of my sweet niece, Gwendolyn, for this page.
I just got my Polka Dot Whimsy December kit and it is beautiful. I used a lot of layering for this layout. I think my favorite part is the tissue paper by Studio Calico along the bottom. Such a delicate touch, perfect for a baby layout.

I used to not like Valentine's Day, mostly because I spent the majority of my life single on the holiday, but now that I'm married it's not so bad :)

Truthfully, I really like decorating things with Zoe for Valentine's Day. (and the conversation hearts are my favorite!) We've been drawing hearts on everything and I even made a sweet little chalkboard sign using a wooden board from our thrift store. Our thrift store has been on a roll lately.

Zoe and I are down in Utah this weekend, while Ryan gets over a cold and catches up on some homework.

Stay tuned this weekend - I'm having a blog party with giveaways!

XOXO,
Holly & Co.

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.

Holly & Company

Wild Child

Best of Friends

Sittin' Waitin' Wishin'

This Guy...

Welcome Spring!

Bright, Sun-Shiney Day

The Best Kind of Day

Washi + Instax = Love

Leap Day 2012

A Trip to Sammy's

Fill Your Head

A Dreamer

Words Matter

St. Valentine's Day

Faux Frappe'

Girl's Day Out

A Snowy Day

WINNING

Quilt in a Day

A few of my Favorite Things

BLOG PARTY!!!

I love love.

Unique to US

Why Create?

Quick Share

Good Things

ShortCuts

Ramblings.

Happy Scrappy Saturday

Elle's Studio Sketch - 1/12/12

I almost forgot...

Follow Your Heart

School Pictures

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

December Daily - Day 14

December Daily - Day 13

December Daily - Day 11

December Daily - Day 9

December Daily - Day 8

December Daily - Day 4

December Daily - Day 3

December Daily - Day 1

Finally Home

Highlights

A Magical Night

Wordless Wednesday

A glimpse

Can you stand just one more Halloween project?

Thank You Card

2/3

Thankful Journal

Paper Issues - Pink Paislee Snow Day!

Happy Halloween!

I love Fridays

Quick Share

Halloween 2011 ~ Snow White

Decorating Cookies - Halloween Style

Freaky Friday

You never know...

Witch Festival + Cornbelly's

Retrospecitve

Unfinished

Full Heart

First Snow of the Season

Wordless Wednesday - Fall Portraits

Welcome to October - Paper Issues

It's Friday, Friday, Friday

Layouts to Share

The most wonderful time of the year

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