apron strings aflutter

Posted by Nicole on July 23rd, 2008 in wordless wednesdays

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Posted by Nicole on July 21st, 2008 in this and that

You know the feeling you get when something bad has happened, but you don’t realize the full extent of it until later? That feeling of one second more and… or a centimeter to the left and…you play the what if game over and over?

I’ve had that experience along with the rest of my extended family for the past few days. I can’t share the details of what happened to respect their privacy, but I will say that two of my family members have been given a second chance at life.

As I’m visiting and realizing the gravity of the situation, I’m more convinced than ever that:

a) we really don’t have control of much in life

and

b) everything can change in an instant

and

c) beauty can come from ashes.

Hug your children tonight and thank God for every day you have with them. I know I am not going to let go for a long time when I return to mine.

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Posted by Nicole on July 20th, 2008 in this and that

I found this in my suitcase on my trip to BlogHer. I would expect this from my oldest or youngest, but not necessarily my middlest.

How sweet is that child? That quiet, stoic, contemplative, middle child? Still waters run deep.

BlogHer has come and gone, but I’m still not home with my guys yet. I’m spending two days with family in Monterey, because I’m too close to not visit.

Check back in the next few days for fun BlogHer info, photos and a chance to win some swag! If you wanted to go to BlogHer but couldn’t, here’s your chance to get in on the fun!

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Posted by Nicole on July 17th, 2008 in this and that

The bags are packed.

All five pairs of shoes crammed in.

The love notes and reminder lists are written.

The plane awaits.

More from BlogHer coming up…

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Posted by Nicole on July 16th, 2008 in wordless wednesdays

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Posted by Nicole on July 15th, 2008 in giveaways

Thank you to all who entered the drawing for the BOX4BLOX giveaway last week. It was interesting to hear that so many have the same problems as I do keeping all those Legos organized and in one place. And more than one of you have scares on the bottom of your feet from stepping on those little suckers in the middle of the night!

So, the lucky winner of the BOX4BLOX is…

Johannah B! Congratulations Johannah! I will be contacting you shortly.

Be sure to check out the BOX4BLOX website to order one of these great organizers for yourself. I won’t be having a giveaway this week because I will be busy being one of the “hers” at BlogHer this weekend! But stay tuned for another great giveaway coming up in a couple of weeks.

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Posted by Nicole on July 14th, 2008 in this and that

A few weeks ago, I borrowed P.S. I Love You from my mother-in-law. I knew my husband wouldn’t want to watch it with me because he would rather have his eyebrows waxed than to watch a chick flick. And his definition of a chick-flick is as follows: “Any movie without weaponry and one or more females in a leading role”.

So my perfect opportunity to watch it alone came last week when he I had to work a late shift. I knew that it would be sad and I almost didn’t want to watch it because I’m not too hip on husband-dying movies (…sorry if you didn’t know that was the whole premise of the movie. But its no secret…he dies in the first 10 minutes). But I thought I’d give it a shot.

And I’m glad I did. This was a great little movie, in my opinion. Yes, It was sad, but it was also poignant, touching, funny and the story line came full circle. I really enjoyed it and would recommend it if you like love stories. Get out your hankies, though…don’t say I didn’t warn you.

So if you watch it, or have watched it, tell me what you thought…

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Posted by Nicole on July 12th, 2008 in scrap the frenzy

Its Saturday…time to scrap the frenzy! Today I want to demonstrate another one of my most favorite scrapbooking toys…the Crop-A-Dile.

I use eyelets and brads a lot in my scrapbooks. I just think they add a nice element. Its makes your page look a little more complicated when, really, it couldn’t be easier to do.

There is a new version of the Crop-A-Dile out, the Big Bite, but I’m still using this great little number. I can see why the new larger style would be nice to have. But alas, I cant very well go out and buy the latest scrapping gizmo every time one comes out. Or maybe I can…and hide the evidence. No…I must be good.

Anyways, if you haven’t experienced the wonders of Crop-A-Dile, here’s a little picture tutorial on just how easy it is. And let me tell you, I’ve used several different eyelet setting tools (remember the statement above about going out and buying the latest scrapping gizmo?? Well, no one’s perfect!)

So here we go…

1. Pick your paper (or even a photo) and your eyelet.

2. Use the hole punch on the Crop-A-Dile to punch your hole where desired. There is a larger hole on the other side of the Crop-A-Dile for larger eyelets.

3. Place your eyelet through the whole with your paper right side up.

4. Now use the setter and press firmly, but not too hard. (There are a few setting combinations depending on the size and type of eyelet you are using. The Crop-A-Dile comes with good instructions for this. Most of the time, you will use the same one.)

Voila!

How fun is that? There are a lot of applications for the Crop-A-Dile. Its great for just punching holes where you need them for adding fibers and ribbons to your page. It is one of those very handy tools that you really should try!

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Posted by Nicole on July 11th, 2008 in this and that

For my sister-in-law’s birthday last month, I gave her these cute stamps (and I’m talking postage stamps…that you can use…to mail things). I made them using PictureItPostage. This is such a neat service and so easy to use.

All you do is upload your picture, choose a coordinating color for the sidebar and choose your quantity. They make a great gift!

PictureItPostage has been kind enough to offer free shipping for you, my precious readers! Simply visit the site to order your personalized stamps and enter “DEAL” in the promo code section. Easy breezy.

Thanks PictureItPostage!

PS. The winner of the BOX4BLOX giveaway will be announced early next week…stay tuned!

5 Comments

Posted by Nicole on July 10th, 2008 in design

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of working with Aimee from Posh Baby Blog. My part was nothing glamorous…in fact, Aimee is a graphic designer as well and did the graphics for the site. I just put on my computer geek pocket protector and changed some code to reformat her layout.

This blog is so cute. Aimee and her team somehow find the greatest products and boutiques around to feature on their site. You must take a peek. Go say hi and check out some great products…for baby and mom!

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