Bloggers Abound

So, on Sunday night as I was redesigning  the header from this blog Miss Brooklyn declares that she really wants a blog too. Alright then - "Let's do it." (like what mom in their right mind wouldn't encourage a place for their kids to write more - no brainer)

Helping come up with a name for said blog - REALLY HARD! Some of the early contenders were

1.) Her Whole Name - Uh, no thank you. Obvious reasons.
2.) Sporty Spice - dad's original suggestion, but Brooke thought that would mean it was more of a sports blog - so, no.

3.) I Made a Castle - from a family story of when she was little - "let's see, but what else can you come up with first."

4.)Schmutt - what her sisters used to call her as a baby - for people not in the the know, this looks a lot like smut, don't you think? Suffice it to say that her dad thought that for sure & this was instantly "off the list"

In the end the winner was "Happy Llama, Sad Llama" from the little sing-along poem/song that girls that age sing together. We set it up, made her a new header, and a video of her doing the poem/song (or whatever it should be called). Easy Peasy, except emailing that video to myself from my phone took two days. Two days of being asked every 15 minutes, "Did you get it yet?" That girl was determined. I don't claim to be an expert in this area. But why would it take two days?

Anyway, the blog is up - I'll link to it here for her,  Do any of your kids have blogs too?

http://happyllamasadllama.blogspot.com/

edited to add:  And then last night, Taylor called about starting a blog too. Big blogging business here on Picnic Hill.

Tween Bedroom Redo

One of the biggest projects we've tackled this summer on Picnic Hill is the re-do of Brooke's room. As usual, in my rush to start, no before pictures were taken. She was ready to let go of what she called "little girl, fancys" - I on the other hand wish she would actually stay little a bit longer. So it goes, we now have a "tween" in the house.

Although no before pictures were taken I do have an old layout I made of it.

She wanted to do something with less pink. I wanted to keep pink, in the end she agreed to include some pink for me if I let her pick the other colors. Done!

We decided to go neutral beige for most the walls with one very colorful accent wall.  We're still looking for new pillows and a channel quilted tan quilt (I am currently thinking about asking a local quilter about it) She moved up to a queen size bed and added a comfy chair for reading - I really love that she is a reader!

This one is DURING 

And these are both AFTER:

Still lots of little stuff to add for her, but now that it's done ... we both love it. That probably means a new scrapbook page.

Project Life - Week 31

I am busily working to get this blog back on track ... and along with it this year's Project Life. Luckily, I've taken pictures all along and keep a journal specifically for it. I know that without the journal I'd have to give up on PL, but with it I've got it covered. :) 

Without further ado - may I present Week 31

Thanks for stopping by

Changes

I knew it had been a long time since I had been to this blog - but more than TWO YEARS! I had no idea. Time is remarkable fast, this I know. I have made the decision to give this a go again because of new creative outlets - YAY. When Two Peas decided to turn it's back on digital I was pretty mad. I had turned down creative team gigs etc. simply because I felt obligated to them. Only to find out after so many years that the primary creative force there had no interest in digital what so ever (other than as a means to promote paper scrapbooking). I had hoped that I could care enough for both of us, but I was wrong. Of course, it is her company & she gets to choose where the road leads with it. But still, I was mad.

So, after doing some pretty serious introspection as to whether I was even going to continue with this hobby at all. The answer is yes. I love sitting down at the laptop and going through my pictures to tell stories - so it had to be yes.

Through it, I have continued to design for the wonderful Gina Cabrera. Her digital products were really my first loves in digital scrapbooking. I have felt blessed to work with her. I also was touched and happy to have joined Leah Riordan's (Mommyish) CT after the closing of Two Peas. I'd been in love with her designs for a while - and as an extra bonus she is the kind of sassy gal that makes me laugh.

And the reason for breathing life into my blog again is that this week I joined the creative team at Pixels & Company. Lots of my scrappy friends now "live there" too and it feels like a place I can be happy. I am beyond thrilled to start sharing again. And hope you'll give this little blog of mine ONE MORE SHOT!

The first page I made at P&Co since joining the CT was actually as part of a speed scrap on Saturday night. What fun - because they have a live chat room it reminded me a little of when I used to paper scrap and would attend a crop at a local scrapbook store. She does one every month - essentially, Kat (the host) gives a layout recipe to follow. The funnest thing for me was anticipating and sharing what everyone else got for a page with the same directions. Mine is below.