the twinery + imaginisce | blog hop


It's the last day that The Twinery and Imaginisce have teamed up together and I'm your very last stop. You probably arrived here via my talented teammate Kathy Skou. If not, just head over here for the line-up so you don't miss a project, or a chance to win!

The colorful designs from Imaginisce led me to begin thinking about July 4th when I saw the mixture of fun pattern and bold colors.


Using a combination of Red Shimmer, Platinum Shimmer and Blue Shimmer, I created a banner with fun baker's twine swirls to adorn the centers.


Using a few glue dots adhered to a circle punched shape, I went around and around the circle, filling it with my desired shade of shimmer baker's twine. For the center star medallion, I used one of the Sticker Stackers from Imaginisce along some of their sticker letters to share our We  USA sentiment. To make the plant stake look 3D, seen below left, I just adhered two of the baker's twine pinwheels to one another and used a chop stick for my plant stake.


Did someone say prizes?

Winner's choice of THREE spools
{up to $48 retail value}

 Imaginisce Endless Summer Package
{$48 retail value}

Here's how you can win:
Visit each participating designer's blog each day on the hop and leave a comment.           

For additional chances to win:


* Head over to Facebook and *LIKE* The Twinery and
leave a message telling us you're visiting from the blog hop

Deadline to leave comments for prizes is 11:59EDT, Saturday, April 27th
Winners will be announced on Monday, April 29th

If you get lost along the way, a complete list of participating blogs each day can be found at The Twinery and Imaginisce.

right now | april 2013

I {heart} Spring, just in case you wanted to know!



april | 4.22.13

feeling
so happy that spring has sprung...even if it is still a little cool

on the to do list
final plans for mudroom & garage

my guilty pleasure
my 2 morning cups of coffee in peace + quiet

favorites
mocha frappucino, no whip from starbucks!

dreaming about
FINISHED projects!

grateful for
my gorgeous craft studio, i love the brightness + sunshine + openness


It's never too late to begin...you can document your very own thoughts every month by downloading your right now page template. Enjoy!


right now archives

wish me luck


Leave a comment with your best spring cleaning tip, suggestion, link...anything really...and I'll randomly draw a name for a giveaway when I resurface from catching all the dust bunnies.

winner is commenter #5, Destiny

welcome spring | the twinery

The Twinery has posted their latest challenge, which ends tomorrow, so hurry to link up your projects!

I created a simple card using six or seven shades of baker's twine which I pulled from my patterned paper. I used a glue stick to cover my cardstock for about 6-7 strands of twine at a time and then laid those 6-7 strands down on the adhesive all at one time. Once it was covered, I then die cut my bracket shape.

Using a scrap, I created a pennant banner and added a handwritten sentiment welcoming spring along with an umbrella that I trimmed from my paper and added to the other side of the banner, which gave it some dimension.



Won't you join in the fun? 

You'll have the opportunity to win the amazing prize package below. 

The Twinery Challenge #004 theme: APRIL SHOWERS & STRIPES

Cards...Layouts...Party Favor...Paper Art...
Journals...Edible Treats...Fabrics Arts...
Jewelry...Gift Tags & more!

We know you're a creative bunch, so we cannot wait to see what you'll make!

Simply use our theme and create something using baker's twine...share our badge on your blog and, most importantly - 


*** See full rules for The Twinery Challenge on this post ***


We cannot wait to see what you create
 using The Twinery's April Showers & Stripes theme!

If you play along...you'll be eligible to win a fabulous prize, too! 

The PRIZE:
Two Baker's Twine Spools of your choice + a $25 gift card from Michael's!

calendar cuties | may and june 2013

So fun to create these cuties for you using the calendar files created by my buddies Celeste and Christine over at write.click.scrapbook. Sized to 4x6, they make a perfect addition to Project Life or to pop on the fridge for a stylish reminder.


Here's where you can find your download. Here's where you can find the January and February and March and April calendar cuties.

rustic mother's day celebration

Thinking ahead to our Mother's Day celebration next month, I put together this rustic party suite with kraft cardstock, treat bags and sunflower doilies featuring on of the newest products from The Twinery,  Solid Natural twine.

By creating my invitation and party favor bags with kraft paper I was able to stamp them and highlight the word sunshine with colored pencils, which happen to be the same pencils Zach used as a wee kiddo. The Solid Natural twine enhances the rustic feel I was going for as we celebrate two of our most favorite Mom's!

Some years, we go all out and get fancy schmancy with our celebration and this is going to be one of those years...invitations AND treat bags. I made a quick notecard, added a doily and wrapped some Solid Natural twine around the right side. For the treat bag, I folded the doily over the bag, punched a flower shape and used some twine to hold the bag closed. 


And while I was at it, I embellished dollar store vases, which will be sent home with Oma and Nana containing a bouquet of fresh flowers.  Don't forget that you can create a quick and easy banners by folding sunflower paper doilies over onto your favorite twine and adhering with a glue stick.

This project was originally featured at The Twinery using Solid Natural twine.

thoughts while gardening



Thoughts while gardening yesterday.
Not to be confused with thoughts ON gardening. I'm no pro.


How could this many weeds have grown over the Winter?
Go away Scout.
Who's idea was it to have this much monkey grass?
It's warmer out here than I thought it was.
I'm glad Papa mowed the grass for us yesterday.
I wish Zach were here to haul the weeds down to the field for me.
You just think you want to be an outside cat.
{As Smoky watches me from the window.}
Oh, good. The Lilies of the Valley came back this year.
Scout is a lucky boy that my Peonies came back after he chewed them to the ground last year.
I hope that was a frog and not a snake that slithered against my ankle.
{Shiver}
I hate weeds.
I need to exercise.
Can't wait to take a shower.
I'm beginning to think less is more.
Is that a blister on my thumb.
What should we get Bella for her birthday?
I hope Scout doesn't climb up on the table and pull down our tomato plants.
Does Victoria have a bathing suit that still fits for Bella's party?
Need to make a grocery list.
I wonder if James found any records at the flea market?
I'm hungry.
I wish Gordon would trim the branches along the creek.
Okay.
{Deep Breath}
There's a snake.
Is that a Copperhead?
I better go get a shovel.
{I did.}
RIP Copperhead.
Yeah, I think I'm done for the day.

product showcase | iloveitall.etsy.com

Sometimes the best ideas can be inspired by someone else. In this case, the newest product is a result of a request from one of my repeat customers. 


She is so blessed and lucky enough to be an expectant Mommy and they have commissioned a series of seven prints to be displayed in their baby girl's nursery. I'll be adding more prints to the shop in the next few weeks, all charming for a nursery, but several would be more than appropriate for a teen's room, a college dormitory or even the family room. You'll see soon enough.

We're doing the pink on pink version for Baby H.
Want one for your little one?
Choose any of the seven colors shown.
Choose Little Girl, Little Boy or Little One.
All for $21.00.
Or, you can customize all the way...color match the print to your child's room and add his or her name for the bigger girls and boys in your life.

Choices, choices.

party treats | the twinery

I'd love if you had time to visit with me over at The Twinery, where you'll find the rest of my Rustic Mother's Day Celebration party suite today featuring the new Solid Natural twine.


Not only will you find my project, but also projects from two other design team members as well as news of the Spring Cleaning Sale now going on.

I hope your day is full of sunshine!

it's your choice | color pop mini album giveaway

Do you prefer purple or blue?


blue  |  purple

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED the winner is commenter #4
Oh my so hard to choose.....I think I would love the blue...yeah the blue..LOL btw I already like on Fb awhile back :o) have a wonderful day!

The following are not mandatory, just a little extra incentive!
+  win an extra entry if you like I Love It All on Facebook
+  win another entry for adding I Love It All on Etsy to your favorite shops
+  win extra entries for sharing this on your Facebook page or other form of social 
    media - leave separate comments for each place you share

Good Luck! Winners will be chosen Sunday evening and posted on the blog and announced on Facebook.

the lesson

Yesterday was a busy day for us, which all came together with the kindness of new friends, split parenting and a late night.


how it went down

+  After school, we picked up a sandwich and dessert for an after-school snack | early dinner at a restaurant in our small town that specializes in authentic Cuban cuisine. Unusual for a mountain town, but oh, so glad they're here!

+  While waiting for our goodies, and in between playing and swinging on the playground, my beauties agreed to a photo. How did I get so lucky to have these munchkins? And I am lucky, because of my issues with infertility. If it were not for the genius and knowledge of special Doctors, these two babies would not be here today.




+  Eat. Bathe. Homework. Leave house to drop Isabella at baseball practice where new friend watches over her until Gordon gets there. Drive to the other end of the county where the Academic Olympics is taking place. Pass Gordon on the highway as he heads to our end of the county to watch the rest of practice and pick up Isabella. Reassure Victoria that it's okay to be a little nervous about taking a test with questions two grades above the work she is currently doing. 

+ Chat with other Mommy's while we wait. Scholars {great to think of our kids like that} return. Wait some more as results are tallied. Cheer on other scholars as they win awards. Be extra happy for scholars from our school that win medals. 

+ Console Victoria for not winning a medal. She was afraid I wasn't proud of her. That upset her more than not winning. Kids just want us to be proud of them, that's all that really matters, at least to our kids. And as her DaDa reminded her, she was chosen from other students in her class to represent the First Grade so that already made her a winner. Not that the rest of the kids that weren't chosen aren't winners, please know that. 




+ Get a late night snack for us and eat in the car while we drive home. Chat a little bit about an upcoming birthday party and the test. Arrive home. Get ready for bed. Fall asleep in 2.5 seconds. Hear the girls snoring loudly as they dream big.

+ Catch up with Gordon on what went on in our time apart and fall asleep, too.

the lesson

What I came away with yesterday evening was the feeling of community and caring at our new school. We've only been there two years and have loved every minute. There was genuine happiness as kids from our school that didn't win congratulated the kids that did win a medal. Pats on the back and hugging. No whining, no grumpiness. Just genuine joy for jobs well done. 

As we walked out to our car, we met up with another student from our school, a 5th grader, and Victoria congratulated him on his win. And he turned to her and gave her some encouraging words. She was so proud to her them. She just beamed rays of happiness.

My lesson? Life is good. Embrace it, soak it in. EnJOY.

product showcase | iloveitall.etsy.com

Wedding season is just around the corner and I just added a new version of the Rules of Love subway art print to the shop. This print, available in many colors, can now be personalized and customized with names and a special date!

We can even match the bride's wedding colors for a truly unique gift that will be sure to become a treasured keepsake. This coupon code won't last long and it's good on ANYTHING in the shop.

5onthe5th | april 2013

Now that I've done this project for over a year, I know that it will be the everyday type of photos that will bring back memories for me. You know, those photos that have you, and others, thinking that you're just a bit bonkers for even wanting to take that particular photo. It's these photos that will make me think and help me to reminisce of those days gone by. 

In a good way.



1  |  through the blinds in Victoria's room, i snap a photo of Gordon driving the girls to school. don't you just know that in the blink of an eye, it will be the girls driving themselves to school and I'll be peeking out this same window as they head up the driveway and out into the world. i'll be holding my breath until they arrive home safely later that afternoon. it's been so long now, i don't even know what it's like to not have one or another of my kids on my mind. even though my big boy is out on his own, i still think of him several times a day, hoping he's happy and safe and content and fulfilled.

NOTE  you may be able to spy yet another antique truck parked at the barn. it's a chevy, his favorite. at this particular moment, two scouts and this truck are under the loving care of mr. fixer-upper himself. a third scout has been almost fully restored, so note that we have more vehicles than we have people who can drive them.

2  |  busted. so don't like when Smoky climbs atop the counter and then surveys the activities of Scout and Tasha. and Isabella, when she heads out the door to feed the animals. the furball does not want to miss any of the action, indoors our out. he's lucky he's as cute as he is.

3  |  while at target, i spied this table runner on sale and knew it would be so lovely with the new dining room chairs i received as a birthday gift from Gordon. he likes to group purchases that might have been made anyway and tag them as "gifts" for birthday, mother's day and christmas. believe me, he's a very giving soul so I'm not complaining...just sayin'. can I say again that I'm still loving our new dining room set up which flows so well out to the new studio | sunroom and just makes me so very happy.

4  |  there were a series of photos as we tried to get Scout to pose with the munchkins in their gym day finest. a few were passable, several were hilarious. some were quite bad. but this one just exudes joy. probably just by looking at this shot, you can feel the momentary chaos and screeches of "he licked me" and "sit, Scout!" and me huffing and puffing to control these three as I pleaded to get a composed photo of these three amigos. might I interject that this snapshot is way better than what I could have hoped for. love this.

5  |  oh gosh. my girls are baseball players. takes me back to the days of Zach playing t-ball just before Gordon and I married and now we have round two to make it through. i don't know if my hormones can take all the growing up these two are doing. perhaps it's because I have the knowledge of how quickly time flies that I get melancholy and weepy knowing that they're mine for such a short time. 


5 on the 5th 2013 Archives
January | February | March | April |  May  | June | July | August | September | October | November | December 

page maps with becky fleck + my mind's eye



The My Mind's Eye team had the opportunity to create with some sketches designed by Becky Fleck and PageMaps. See what the PageMaps design team created and here's where you can find what the My Mind's Eye team created.

I chose to use the  Collectable collection, focusing on the Memorable paper patterns, adding only a small sheet of kraft to the layout. My photo is from Easter 2012 so I may just go ahead and do Easter 2013 instead of waiting a year to get it done. No outside photos this year, it was a bit chilly here in East Tennessee.

the page map


points of interest

You can see that I used the journaling card as my title and added stickers to complete the sentiment.  Those narrow strips of striped paper along the right edge and lower left edge were a design element I learned from this class. I randomly applied enamel dots to the centers of some of the circle designs as well as the chipboard flower.


details



I just don't have any mojo for layouts lately, but have lots of photos I want to scrap. I must get out of this funk. I can do mini books all day long, though. And actually, I prefer to do 8.50 x11 layouts over 12x12. If you do, too, no worries, PageMaps are available in the smaller size as well!

get your twine on

With the addition of all the new shades of baker's twine, I thought you might like to see one idea I'm using to decorate my new Studio...created with every single shade of baker's twine from huge offering at The Twinery.


It all started out with this display of each color of baker's twine available at the time. I was a new design team member three years ago and my, oh my, how the selection of colors has grown!


The collection of eco-friendly, made in the USA twine from The Twinery has gone from the immensely popular primary colors to the addition of softer, subtler shades, including the on-trend colors everyone loves to create with. And now shades of shimmer and iridescence have joined the family! There's even a natural-colored twine that seems so perfect for more rustic projects. 

Sit down, relax and get your twine on by rolling and wrapping to your hearts content. I'm using 1", 1.50" and 2" styrofoam balls I found in a handy pack at our local Dollar Tree.


See how they sparkle in the sunlight streaming through my Studio windows?


And here's how one looks up close and personal...lovely, right? Those are the crafting, Play-Doh playing,  magic marker using hands of our youngest daughter. She got her twine on rolling the Blue Shimmer baker's twine all by herself!


And I just needed to share another photo of how this gorgeous collection of twine looks displayed in my studio. My collection outgrew the smaller glass vase, also from the Dollar Tree, to this larger vase but I'm not complaining. Hey, Nicole, looks like there's even room for a few more twine balls!

art show blue ribbon winner

Makes me smile.


Most certainly, the joy and pride Isabella had on her face was so wonderful to see. Last night, when she noticed the blue ribbon next to her piece of art at our County art show, she was so very proud. It was a good Mommy moment. But what made me melt was when Victoria hugged and hugged on Isabella's neck and cried tears of joy because she was so proud of, and happy for, her Sissy. 

If I knew how to upload videos, I would share it just so you could see it for yourself.  

Here's the first place blue ribbon winner, titled Heart Cup.


Yep, she's a winner all right!

nautical round + round necklace | the twinery

As you may know, I've been moving my work space to my big girl Studio up in our sunroom. In the process, I've found a few crafting goodies that have made me want to play more and clean up less. You may remember the popularity of the bottle cap necklaces that were all the rage a while ago...well, I'm here to remind you that they're still around and they're still fun, especially when you add some swirly loops of Red Shimmer baker's twine from The Twinery.


Gather your supplies and get crafty!


  1. Apply Glossy Accents to the inside of the bottle cap.
  2. Beginning at and outside point, wind your Red Shimmer Metallic baker's twine round and round until you get to the middle. 
  3. Thread some red and blue beads on to your jewelry wire and adhere to the necklace shank.
  4. Add a new necklace shank to the opposite side with your E-6000.
  5. Go round and round with your Glossy Accents on top of your Red Shimmer twine to reinforce and to add more shine. Don't worry, it doesn't spoil the shine of the shimmer twine at all.
  6. Trim four lengths of Red Shimmer twine and tie a simple knot to close...reinforcing the nautical theme. 


You'll notice that I added even more shimmer and shine by using the hole that was already there {see it at the bottom} and would normally be used to thread your necklace through, to dangle some small stones and added a jewelry shank to the back of the bottle cap for my "chain" of Red Shimmer baker's twine. *alert...run-on sentence

Be sure to go "meet" the rest of the TEN new offerings and see what projects come to mind that you could combine with some older items in your stash.