Saturday, March 30, 2013

MATCHBOX TWENTY!!!

I had the absolute BEST Friday night ever! My BFF TR came down to Southern Utah and we drove to Las Vegas to catch Matchbox Twenty in concert at the Pearl in the Palms.


We stayed at the Palms as well and the rooms were pretty nice. TR found a killer deal which made it awesome as well. What we got a kick out of in the room was the minibar. It had the typical stuff like alcohol and snacks, but we couldn't help but chuckle at the intimacy kit that was available for $25, the $25 disposable camera and the no hanger shots (I can't remember the price of those, but they weren't cheap).



We got to Vegas and explored our hotel, had a few drinks and dinner, and then got ready for the show. It was fun to kind of dress up and feel like an adult for a change. 



We knew it was a small venue, but it was incredible once we got in there and saw how great our seats were. I read in the booklet in our hotel room that the furthest seat from the stage was only 120 feet!


The show was absolutely A-MAZ-ING and it brought back lots of memories on how much I really do love Matchbox Twenty!

After the show we walked around the hotel (the really long way) and hung out near the tour buses waiting for the band to come out. A short while later Kyle Cook (the lead guitarist from MB20) came out and took pictures and signed autographs.



A little bit later out came the band's front man Rob Thomas. If you remember from this post, one of the people I dreamed of meeting was Mr. Rob Thomas himself. It was seriously a dream come true! At first when he came out he said he was just going to sign autographs and wasn't going to take individual pictures. I had him sign my ticket, but then a few minutes later people were snapping photos with him. I wasn't going to not get my picture with him so TR and I squeezed in for a pic. We actually had two taken -- the first one didn't look very good though.



Kyle and Rob were so cool just hanging out and chatting with the fans -- the security guards not so cool. People kept getting yelled at to make sure they were standing on the curb and not the street.

This was definitely a night I will not soon forget. It was so much fun seeing my favorite band and spending time with my oldest friend. I wish we lived closer and were able to spend more time together, but I really value the little bit of time we do have. 

One final picture -- this is how I felt at the end of the night :)

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Getting in the spring spirit

I'm not really someone who loves one holiday over another, but I've certainly been having more fun this year decorating and making treats to go along with each holiday than I have in the past. 

When I went up north for spring break my mom and I went to a craft store called the Wood Connection where I had bought the shamrocks and also some cute peeps. 

This picture is of the ones I did at my mom's house. Mine are cute, but I didn't have enough black to do the eyes. I'm think I might just do some puff paint for the eyes. 

I also made a super cute banner to hang with the peeps, but it is too heavy (or I need to actually ask for help and not just try to do everything myself) so it isn't hanging.


Today at LD's school they were having an Easter egg hunt and then a picnic lunch. I had so much fun actually making him a sack lunch and I put a little surprise in there. I can't wait to do this every day next year (I say that now!). I also got some peeps, the candy, to give to his teacher and each of his bus drivers. 

And probably what I was most excited about was these suckers I put together. I really love Like a Pretty Petunia's blog and the printables that she posts. If you follow the link it will take you right to it. I just printed them in color (cardstock would have been better, but I didn't have any) and then cut them out. I put a hole right above the teeth and then put the suckers in. 

DC said they were a big hit with the kindergartners. I wish I could have seen.


On Saturday Aunt A and I took the kids over to Wal-Mart to get their picture taken with the Easter Bunny. I don't know why E.B. doesn't go to the mall anymore. It seems the only place I can find him, besides at egg hunts, is at Wal-Mart. At least they let me take my own photo and they also give me a free 5x7 photo.

I think EM and LD look so cute. I tried getting EM to sit next to the Easter Bunny, but she didn't want to. She let her big brother have the glory.


Last but not least, with spring goes outdoors sports. We had LD in football in the fall and he is playing soccer right now. He absolutely LOVES soccer. He's pretty good too. This shot (which isn't a really good one) he's playing goalie. He let one slip by him, but once he got out of the goalie box and was running on the field he tried really hard to make up for it. He is a fast little one, the only thing is I don't think he likes being in where 10 kids are trying to kick the ball at once.


We have him signed up for Pee Wee baseball so it will be interesting to see how he does at that as well. LD is such an active little kid -- he's like the Energizer bunny how he just keeps going and going and going.

Zion Half Marathon and Angels Landing

When I first heard about the Zion Half Marathon I thought it sounded pretty cool and I wanted to get a group together to do it (because it's always fun to be with friends and it saved you a few dollars!).

Somewhere along the line I decided that the race was too expensive for me (it started off at $65, I think) and so I made other plans to go to the Scrapbook U.S.A. Expo with some of my sorority sisters from college.

Then about a month ago I found out that my brother-in-law and his wife were planning on coming up and he was going to do the run. I felt kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place. I really wanted to go spend time with my friends (and family -- I already had babysitting plans organized with my brother), but I knew if my brother and sister-in-law were coming up from California they were going to want to see their niece and nephew.

I decided to stay home. I didn't have any plan on actually doing the run, but I figured I would be a support on the sidelines.

Then about a week before the race I saw something on Facebook about people selling their bibs. I instantly decided that this was something I really wanted to do. I posted on Facebook that I wanted to buy someone's bib and by the end of the evening I had all the information I needed.

We went out to Springdale on Friday right after work to pick up our packets. I was impressed with how awesome the race shirt was and the little expo was fun. DC was so sweet because I pointed out a really cute 13.1 necklace and he ended up buying it for me. It really means a lot to me. I don't necessarily think of myself as a runner, but somehow that number -- 13.1 -- proves to myself that I can do anything I put my mind to.


I really wanted a photo of just DC and I, but EM was being a stinker and insisted on being in the picture too, but she wouldn't turn around.

We had dinner in Springdale and then headed back home to watch San Diego State win their first round NCAA tournament basketball game. It was a pretty good night!

And then morning came way too early! The race started at 7 a.m., but our shuttle time was 5:30 and it takes a good hour to get out there. My alarm went off at 3:30 and we were out the door by about 4:15. It was myself, my brother-in-law and then his wife, my sister-in-law, that were the ones who were participating in the race. 

The night before I had pulled out all my gear and got my Ipod set to go. While I was waiting to leave on Saturday morning my Ipod said it needed to update and I thought I had enough time, but as we were walking out the door it was only about halfway through the update. I figured I could just power the thing off and turn it back on and then finish the update later -- WRONG. This is the screen I saw:


I was so frustrated and figured I was going to have an awful race without music, but it ended up being OK in the end.

When we got to Springdale I completely forgot about my music because it was absolutely beautiful how many stars were in the sky. I don't think I've ever seen something so magnificent in my whole life. I tried to take a couple of pictures, but they just don't translate.

It was pretty cold (definitely below freezing) and we stood in a tent with some heaters after we took our shuttle to the starting line. And stop the presses -- I used a porta-potty! I had drank so much water on the way out there I thought I was going to die!

While we were waiting my in-laws gave me some Gu and some Chompers. I had never had either, but they were actually pretty good. There was also Gu at each of the water stations and I really think that is what helped me to do so well.


I loved that we had a timing chip and my shoes look super professional with it one!

Like I said before, I think the Gu really helped and for the first time in my life I ran (very slowly) NINE miles straight! I was so stinkin' proud of myself! My time was right around where it has been -- 3 hours and 21 minutes this time -- but the point is I finished and I felt awesome!


Now part of the cool thing about the Zion Half Marathon is that if you completed the half and then went and did Angels Landing within 72 hours you are forever immortalized on their website and you get 50% off next year's race entry. I was all about this, as we everyone else, so we went and did the strenuous hike on Monday after I got off work. 


You gain a ton of elevation quickly going up to Scout's Lookout. I love seeing the trail behind us. 


This is my "I'm prettying to be scared, but I just might really be scared" face. This was my second time doing Angel's Landing and the first time I was definitely more scared than I was this time.


My official photo with my bib number and metal on. I'm also wearing my super cool race shirt.


My sister-in-law and I.



My feet looking down the canyon. Don't worry -- I'm just sitting in this photo. I have a thing about taking pictures of my feet!


DC and I. I really, really love this photo of us!


My post scary part of the hike picture. I hardly said a word going up, but you couldn't shut me up going down. DC kept telling me we weren't out of danger yet, but I was already celebrating.


And here is DC and his falling man picture. You kind of get an idea from the sign how dangerous the hike can be if you either aren't paying attention or aren't in the right shape to do it. Notice I don't really have any photos of us hiking because my camera was in my backpack. I know DC took some photos and video, but I  don't know if I'm ready to see those yet!


One last photo -- looking down the canyon. It is definitely one of the most beautiful places on earth.

Well, that was a couple of highlights of our fun, active, outdoorsy weekend. :) Thanks for reading if you made it all the way to the end!


Wednesday, March 27, 2013

What I Wore Wednesday

I was super excited for Saturday's San Diego State game against Florida Gulf Coast. I figured the Aztecs should do well and easily advance to the Sweet Sixteen.

Boy was I wrong! I swear if FGC was playing any school OTHER than SDSU I would be cheering for those guys, but right now I'm still bitter. 

Anyway, here is my outfit that I wore in honor of the game.


I bought this SDSU shirt last summer down in San Diego. At first I thought it was too small, but I think it fits well now. 

The pants are from Old Navy. They actually have little cream colored polka dots on them. I had DC put them in the wash this week so they fit a little better than the last time I wore them. I love that these can transition from winter (with boots) to spring (with flats) without a problem. 

Monday, March 25, 2013

Friend Making Monday -- 10 Questions


If you’ve taken part in Friend Making Monday then you know the rules. You answer the questions on your own blog and then link back to Kenlie’s blog, All the Weigh.



I love doing this because it’s so fun to see different people’s answers to the same questions and it definitely makes you think! Hopefully you’ll play along J

1. Describe the kind of home you would live in if money were no object. After going to the Parade of Homes a couple of times I definitely have some ideas on features that I would like. More than anything I want lots of storage so I can have everything have its place. I would love a HUGE master walk in closet and if possible even to have a washer and dryer in there. I would also like a laundry room with cabinets and a counter with a sink where you can wash out the things you need to before they go in the washer. My main want for a kitchen is to have a double oven. I hate when I have to cook two things and they require different temperatures so I’m trying to balance both and have them turn out perfectly. Only in my dreams, I guess.

2. Are you more conservative in your actions or more rebellious? I am definitely more conservative in my actions. I’m a planner and I want to know what I’m doing and when.

3. Would you go to Mars even if it meant you could never return to Earth?  No. I really don’t have any interest in going to Mars. Even if it were a free trip, I just really don’t want/need to go there.

4. Name one song that makes you want to dance every time you hear it. Usually anything by Pitbull and/or J. Lo. Those are the type of songs I love to put on my IPod because they keep me moving and energized.

5. Share one thing that you wish you could go back and do differently in your life.  I wish I was more physically active when I was younger so I didn’t have to work so hard now to be where I want to be physically.

6. Share at least one accomplishment that people wouldn’t expect you to be proud of. I am proud of the fact that I do my best work at the last minute. I think this is why I really liked Journalism – you always had a deadline you were working on.

7. Describe one delicious thing that you’ve eaten lately.  Yesterday morning I made a cinnamon coffee-cake dish for breakfast I saw on Six Sister Stuff. It is definitely NOT Weight Watchers friendly and was more work than just opening up a box, but it was pretty good. I brought some to work with me for breakfast today and there is only one small piece left at home. I guess everyone liked it! If you want the receipe it is here.

8. If you had a theme song that would play every time you entered a room, which song would you choose?  “Girl on Fire” by Alicia Keys. I just feel so empowered and confident right now that I can do absolutely anything I put my mind to.

9. Has technology enhanced your life, or has it over complicated your life?  I think it has definitely enhanced my life, but I have to remember not to let it be a time sucker and take away from other things I should be doing like spending time with my children and cleaning the house.

10. If you could get paid to do any job, which job would you choose?  I would do something with scrapbooking.

Now it’s your turn to answer this week’s questions!  Don’t forget to link back to Kenlie’s site

Thursday, March 21, 2013

March Madness

I absolutely LOVE this time of year! There is nothing more fun than having basketball on all day and a bracket filled out hoping that your team wins. There's just something about college basketball that is like no other sport.

It's magical!

Of course I'm cheering for San Diego State, but I don't expect them to go to far. I have to be realistic about their talent compared to some of the other teams in the field. According to President Obama's bracket he doesn't even think they'll win one game -- we'll see about that Barack!

Anyway, I thought it would be fun to share my bracket on here, but I've tried three times and it won't work!

I have Louisville winning it all and no major surprises  We have a little challenge going on at school and not even halfway through the first day I'm doing awful. Oh well! At least it's cheap fun!

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

St. Patrick's Day Fun!

I know St. Patrick's Day was a couple of days ago, but I thought I would share some of our celebrations.

On Saturday I actually went out and did a half marathon. We started in the industrial park and then ran/walked all the way down to Arizona, went on a trail on the strip and then turned around and came back. It was pretty awesome. 

I had my slowest half marathon time yet, but I'm OK with it because 1-- I finished and 2 -- I am a bit under the weather thanks to whatever gunk has been going around my house.


I spent a lot of my spring break cleaning and with that I was able to actually put out some of my St. Patrick's Day decorations (let's just pretend that I did it the day before the holiday!). 

The hat is just a plastic had I bought at Michael's a few years ago and the beads, garland and sunglasses (sitting on the blocks) are from my awesome friend JM. We were in Venice last year together for St. Patrick's Day, her favorite holiday, and she made sure that we were all decked out. Now the goodies are a part of my decorations.

The "lucky" blocks, the "lucky" card are ones that I made. I also painted and glittered the two shamrocks. I bought them from the Wood Connection and did them while I was up at my mom's house for spring break. Look for some Peeps to show up somewhere on the blog soon! :)



And how could I not post this cute photo! LD was so excited for St. Patrick's Day. It was all he could talk about for at least a week. The shirt might be getting a little small for him, but LD didn't care. And how cute is EM?! I pulled out the "Mommy's lucky charm" shirt and she just lit up. I'm so proud to call these two my kiddos.


What I Wore Wednesday -- DownEast Edition

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to take part in a bloggers night out at the local DownEast Outfitters. It was super fun to go around the store and check out all of their cool furniture, home decor and of course the clothes. I also loved meeting other bloggers. I felt completely out of my league as many of the women had business cards and very well-established blogs. It was such an honor to be at the same event.

I did receive a $25 gift card to DownEast and I put that to good use right away as I did some clothes shopping. One of my favorite things about the clothes at DownEast is that they are super cute and as an added bonus I was grabbing the XXL and XL sizes when I ended up needing larges. It was pretty  nice.

Here are a couple of the pieces I ended up buying.




I absolutely love this top! It was a little more expensive than I would normally pay, but the way it made me feel it was totally worth it.


Lace is totally in right now and I couldn't pass up on this cute little top. In the store they had it paired with a yellow cardigan and I couldn't resist the combination.

As you can tell I can't get enough of my Old Navy skinny jeans and my favorite brown boots! I would seriously wear them every day if I could make it happen. They make me feel so confident :)

Thanks for stopping by. Just as a note -- I wasn't paid by DownEast for this post (I did receive the $25 gift card at blogger night), I just really love my new clothes!

Monday, March 18, 2013

Friend Making Monday -- Personal Thoughts



1. How old would you feel if you didn’t know how old you are? Most of the time I feel pretty young so I would say in my early 20s (I’m really in my early 30s). I would love to have the knowledge I have now and go back and really be in my early 20s. I would do so many things differently because I am more mature now. According to the gym my body feels like it is 34 so I definitely need to work on that aspect of things.

2. Are you the kind of friend you’d want to have as a friend?  I hope so. I try really hard to be a good friend and I desperately long for friends that I can do stuff with. I think it’s hard when I feel like the people I am closest to live far away from me. I have friends where I live now and they are good friends, I just feel like sometimes I try so hard and something is missing.

3. Look back at the last year.  When did you feel most excited about something in your life?  I was definitely most excited when I was traveling last year. I went to so many places and saw so many incredible things. It really made me want to focus more on my personal finances so that travel would be more of an option in the future.

4. Have you ever been with someone and not spoken a word, only to walk away thinking that was the best conversation ever?  No …

5. If you won 100 million dollars Monday, would you continue doing whatever you usually do on Tuesdays? I would definitely need a day or two to let it sink in. Being that it is so close to the end of the school year I would definitely finish off the year, but then I might seriously consider being a stay at home mom for a while. I know DC doesn’t think I could ever do it, but it was just me and the kids the last few days while he was out of town for work and I know that I could definitely make it work. I love teaching and I wouldn’t want to give it up forever, but I’m missing so much of my kids’ lives while I’m away each day.

6. What would you do differently if you knew no one would judge you? I’m not sure. I feel like I put myself out there a lot and there is nothing I’m holding back on because of a fear of being judged.

7. Share something you do differently than most people. When I bowl I step with my right foot first. This means when I go to release the ball my right foot is also forward. This is completely wrong because it should be your left foot forward so you don’t hit your leg with the ball (which I don’t). I don’t know why, but I have always bowled that way.

8. What’s one thing that you really want to do that you’ve never done? Like Kenlie, I really want to swim with a dolphin. I’m always too cheap to do it any time I’ve had the opportunity. Someday, maybe when I win that $100 million, it will definitely be on the top of my list. I also really want to hold a koala bear. I know that they are not the nicest animals, but they have always been my favorite.

9. If you had to move out of state right now, where would you move? That’s a tough one. My first thought would be San Diego because we have family there, but I don’t think I could permanently live there. If it could be in state I would say more up by the SLC area because my friends and family are up there. All in all, though, I don’t want to move anywhere (except maybe to a bigger house!). I am completely happy where we live now.

10.  What is the one thing that you’d like to change most about the world?  I would want to change the emphasis on material things and help me realize that making memories and spending time together is more important than anything physical that you could own (I need to work on that one myself!).

Now it’s your turn to answer this week’s questions!  Don’t forget to go to  All the Weigh and link up in the comments! 

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Friend Making Monday (on Thursday)

Hi everyone! Yes, this is me blogging about a week late! It is spring break and things have definitely been crazy! LD had a soccer game last Saturday and then on Sunday I packed up the car and the kids and headed to visit my family about five hours north of where we live. It was a good visit, but it is definitely nice to be home in our own environment.

Now that we are home, though, EM seems to be sick. I took her to the doctor this morning and he said that she has some sort of infection and he is treating it like it is an ear infection. She has had a fever all night, but it seems to have broken so we’ll see how we do tomorrow.

Anyway, now onto Friend Making Monday (on Thursday night!). Better late than never, right?


 

1. What did you eat for dinner last night? We pulled into town about 8 so I talked DC into taking us to dinner at a Japanese steakhouse. I had fried rice, chicken and steak. I also had that for dinner tonight as leftovers.

2. If you could make one food calorie-free for the next year, What would you choose? That is a tough one! I’m think I would make yogurt and all of the toppings that go on it calorie-free. It’s not like it’s that bad for me, but I eat it more than I probably should. I would also add Kool-aid to that list of calorie-free things!

3. How often do you go to the grocery store? Usually just once a week, but it seems like lately I haven’t done a big shopping so I’m going more frequently.

4. Do you make a list before buying groceries? Usually yes. But if I’m just running to the store I don’t and then I end up buying more than I planned.

5. List three things that can always be found in your kitchen. Cheerios, bananas and milk.

6. How often do you clean out your fridge? Not as often as I probably should. I usually do it when we get back from a trip.

7. Do you ever use a slow cooker? If so, will you share a recipe? Yes, I do! This is my absolute favorite Chicken Noodle Soup -- http://www.creativelydomestic.com/2010/10/guest-post-crockpot-chicken-and-noodle.html

8. How often do you try new recipes? It depends on the month. We haven’t tried anything new recently, but with it being spring break I am going to try to create a meal plan that has some new ideas in it.

9. What is the most delicious meal(s) you make? I really love the tacos that DC makes. We have them most Sundays and they are really delicious.

10. Share at least one thing that is currently in your kitchen even though you don’t like it. I have mayo and mustard in my fridge. I despise both of them, but I went through a phase where I was making a lot of deviled eggs and mayo and mustard are necessary evils.

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

What I Wore Wednesday

I can't believe it's already Wednesday again! Time sure is flying by. I snapped a couple of pictures this week that I wanted to share of my outfits. I have recently gone to Forever 21 a couple of times and I am so excited about feeling more confident in my clothes and own skin.
 
 The black boots are from a shoe store in the mall. I think it's called Forever Young shoes. I bought them back at Christmas.
The black pants are a size too big from Maurices.I'm hoping just to get through this winter and then next year I can buy some smaller clothes.
I am a tank top on underneath from Old Navy and then the floral top is from Forever 21. I absolutely love this shirt and the fact that it doesn't look like something I would normally wear.
 
One of the local clothing stores, Christensen's, was having a sale a Toms and I couldn't help myself. I desperately needed new black flats so I went classic and got this pair. I love them, but they definitely take some breaking in time to get to that comfortable spot.

I decided to start breaking in my new shoes on Monday. One of my favorite things about them is the fun pattern inside! I think they are elephants.
The black pants are a different pair from Maurices that are too big. These ones are also super long so I rolled up the bottoms and they looked pretty cute that way.
I have a black undershirt on from DownEast Basics and the top is from Forever 21. Again, this is nothing like I would normally wear, but it was fun. I kinda wish I was about an inch or two longer in the front though.

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Spring Styles with Downeast Basics

If you've been following my blog at all I think you know that I've been trying out different fashions on myself and as I'm becoming more confident with my body I'm becoming more confident with  myself and general.

So enter the Spring Styles with Downeast Basics Pin to Win Sweepstakes!

How awesome would it be to win a $500 shopping spree! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE me some Downeast clothes and $500 would go a long way. Make sure to go enter to win by doing all of the steps on the graphic below. 

GOOD LUCK! :)


Monday, March 4, 2013

THANK YOU and Friend Making Monday


I just want to start by thanking everyone that stopped by my blog over the last weekend from the Scrapbook Steals blog hop. I had seriously never received so much positive feedback and it felt good to know that people were actually seeing what I had created. So THANK YOU!!!
Now on to Friend Making Monday! If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section at All the Weigh so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. 
I've said it 100 times before, but I seriously LOVE Mondays just because of Friend Making Monday. Here are my responses to this week's topic.
 Almost Spring

1. What do you love most about Spring?  I’ve never really been one to have a preference of one season over another, but I am really appreciating spring this year. It has been so cold this year where I live and I’m just looking forward to milder temperatures.

2. If you’re lucky enough to have a Spring Break, what will you do to enjoy it?  Working in a middle school there is always the countdown to different breaks and the countdown to spring break is on! Last year I went to Paris and Italy. I don’t think anything can top that right now (until next year when I go to Dublin, London and Paris!!!). I’m just taking it easy this year – heading up to visit my family that is about five hours from here. Then I am going to just relax at home.

3. What is your favorite flower?  I love carnations. I’m not sure why, but I think they are just pretty. I like how you can change the color of the flower too by adding food coloring to water. Reminds me of being a kid.

4. Do you have a garden?  If so, what do you grow?  I tried to have a garden a couple of years ago and it was growing, but nothing came from it. I was disappointed. I don’t think the soil here is very good for gardening.

5. Share one thing that you hope to accomplish during Spring.  I hope to accomplish some spring cleaning and just getting myself more organized. I have lots of projects I want to work on, I just need to find the time.

6. Do you do Spring cleaning?  We have never officially done spring cleaning, but I am constantly trying to get my house cleaner than it is. It’s difficult having two kids who haven’t mastered cleaning up after themselves. This morning LD cleaned the cat box though so it’s a start and we will continue working on it.

7. What is your weather *really* like right now? {Just b/c it’s almost Spring, doesn’t mean that it feels like it for some of you.}  It is absolutely perfect right now. Over the weekend it reached the mid-70s. I think it is supposed to be in the 60s today. It rained overnight and smelled wonderful this morning when I got up.

8. Share one photo that you’ve taken during the month of March.  I finally went to City Creek up in Salt Lake over the weekend. We were pretty much just in and out (just bought some things at Forever 21), but it was still neat to see how much they’ve really revitalized SL.

You can't really see it, but this is EM in the above ground walkway and in the background is the Salt Lake LDS temple. It is really beautiful!

This is me, EM and my mom in the same spot.


9. What’s your favorite thing to do on a sunny afternoon?  I’m not sure. I feel like I spend so much time indoors. I definitely need to get outside more.

10. If you could spend the day doing anything in your city, what would you do?  I would like to do more hiking. There are so many cool places in southern Utah that I haven’t experienced and I am determined to do so. There is a spot called Fat Man’s Misery that I want to try to see if I can fit through it.

Friday, March 1, 2013

Scrapbook Steals Blog Hop

I am so happy and excited for today's blog post! I am honored to be part of the Scrapbook Steals Blog Hop! Scrapbook Steals is my favorite scrapbooking ideas blog and web site! I love to grab some great deals and participating in mid week mojo is a fun way to get some new inspiration for layouts.


I had the opportunity to work with Love My Tapes washi tapes and I can honestly tell you that I really do LOVE them! They are super easy to work with and the uses for them are absolutely endless. 

I had never used washi tape before so when they arrived in the mail I wasn't sure what I was going to do at first. But then the ideas just started coming and I couldn't wait to start adding washi tape to every project.

The first project I made was this tile. I went to Home Depot and bought a piece of tile for a $1 and then grabbed some paper from my stash and the fabulous washi tape. I decided to pull out the spray adhesive for this project so that I would know that the paper would stay down. I really love how the washi tape looks under the varsity letters DIXIE. The color is absolutely perfect and looks like it was just part of the paper. The blue washi tape at the bottom added a fun extra touch.





My next project I decided to wrap some washi tape around pencils. This was definitely an experience of trial and error. I had seen pencils wrapped in washi tape on Pinterest and wanted to give it a try, but I didn't see any tutorials that gave  me a critical piece of information -- how to wrap the tape.



The first time I did it I tried wrapping the tape around the pencil kind of in a spinning motion. It was really hard to get the pattern to line up and I would get about halfway down the pencil and then it would start to bunch up. 

The next time I tried it I did small strips around the pencil and that just became too much hassle.

The way that I actually found for it to work was to do long strips the length of the pencil (about three pieces).  This was also crucial for the sharpening of the pencil. The other ways were eaten up in the pencil sharpener and just didn't work.



Because the washi tape is somewhat thin if you don't want any of the pencil color to show through either do a couple of layers or use a pencil that is the same color pencil as your tape.

My final project was a card for St. Patrick's Day. I just ran the washi tape along the top of the card under the word "lucky." I love how the embossed paper underneath gave the same texture to the tape. Super easy project and I love the awesome little pop of umph to the card.



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