The Amazing Hair Elastic

Wonderful Invention, those covered hair elastics! I usually have one around my wrist at all times, or already in my hair! Found one more use for them... with 2 pieces of 8x11 paper, a composition notebook, a few stamps, a couple of eyelets, and 1/2 of a hair elastic (headband size)... you can create this fun altered notebook:) This one was for Carly's friend, to go along with the Claire's gift card for her bday party. It might be hard to actually see the elastic (it's white, and on the right side of the notebook). It's attached to the back cover using 2 eyelets (one at the top, one at the bottom).

MORE EXCITING NEWS:

That's my sweet husband holding his LONG AWAITED Rays Post Season Playoff tickets. Here's hoping we get to use the WORLD SERIES tickets! Regardless, my VERY committed and dedicated man is HAPPY! GO RAYS!!

Travelling, McGregor Style... Get ready to write!

A quick weekend trip means TRAVEL JOURNALS for us! The journals we kept over our summer vacation were such a hit, we HAD to have them again for this weekend. Remember my "bind-it-all" obsession??? Can you understand it now???

Carly has headed out to Michigan with her Dad on the annual baseball trip, Ben and I are on our way to New Hampshire to see my sweet sister and her family. WE are excited about "fall activities", and THEY are excited about hopefully seeing the RAYS "clinch" their division title, first time ever!!

These little journals are small, sized 4x4, featuring my favorite K&Company paper pads and kraft cardstock. These also have Karen Foster license plates on the covers, which are adorable! Stamped inside with stamps from theangelcompany, the days and dates stamps are from AUTUMN LEAVES, "messy dates". Over the summer, we had a "family meeting" each night before bed where we talked about (and wrote down) our favorite parts from each day, stuff we thought was funny, and what we hated:) That's our plan again... and when we get home, we will have lots to talk about, getting caught up on each others trips.

There are dividers for each day and a "Stuff" pocket in the back for small keepsakes, like tickets, etc.

Ok! We're off! I'm really looking forward to having Ben all to myself! I don't think that has happened since Carly was born, so it's time!

A word of advice...

My sister-in-law's shower has come and gone... I think perhaps I had WAY-TOO-MUCH-FUN creating little "crafty items" for it... this one just might be my favorite! Also my 2nd favorite part of her baby shower... first being everyone praying over Rochel, third being the food! But, I digress...

When each guest arrived, I asked them to write down some "motherly advice" on a 4x4 piece of cardstock. Now, Rochel and I are NO FAN of shower games, so we made an executive decision that there would be none. We do, however, enjoy PRIZES at shower's, so every so often while she was opening her gifts, I drew out a card of advice and read it out loud. That lucky person got a little prize, and we all got to benefit from their very great advice! A very fun part of her shower that fell under "My Favorite Parts, One and Two" would be the DVD Ryan and Rochel's mom sent for Rochel. She was unable to come down from Michigan to celebrate with us, so she graciously made a dvd, giving Rochel some really great advice and sent her and Eli each a bible. Not a dry eye in the house! Also, my sister-in-law's Renae and Kristi sent their advice along to be included in this book. It was wonderful to have "family participation" even though they all couldn't be here.

These little books are so fun to make, and I am compeletely digging my "Bind-It-All", a worthy investment from theangelcompany. You can get it for your 1/2 price item if you have a $100 "party/order"... Or you could just borrow mine! This book was made with the before mentioned 4x4 pieces of cardstock and 4x4 chipboard coasters for the cover.

In case you would also like to benefit from the advice I gave to Rochel, I will list it here...
"Put Eli to bed early. Never forget that before you called Eli "Baby", someone else was calling YOU "Baby" (*wink*wink*). One of the best gifts you can give you child is to love their father!"

And that's why Ben and Carly go to bed at 7:30pm. *sigh*

"Where's the Tub???"

Ahhh, the funny things kids say! At my sister-in-law Rochel's BRIDAL shower a couple of years ago, Carly spent much time wondering where we would be putting the tub...

Enter the BABY shower. We are so happy to be celebrating the much anticipated birth of little Eli. Here are little bookmarkers I made for each of our guests... love the baseball theme. Rochel will be decorating Eli's room in vintage baseball.

Speaking of baseball... GO RAYS! Congratulations on making it into the playoffs for the first time EVER! Needless to say, Ryan is beside himself! Yup, already have tickets to the games!

My Squirrel-y sister

My trip to Savannah with my sisters and my mom in July was a real eye opener for me. I guess I knew this about my eldest sibling, but was perhaps in denial. Now it had to be dealt with. Obsession with squirrels. Really? Oh yes. This amazingly intelligent woman speaks with them. And considers what they MUST be thinking. Also, I was a witness to her having a "squirrel conversation" with an escaped mental patient in the park in Savannah. I also had to stand by helplessly as she tried to get one to come down from a tree. Don't believe me???


News flash: They-don't-understand-you. Anyways, I felt INSPIRED to create this card for her, as I was SURE she would be impressed with nothing less than a SQUIRREL card. Unfortunately, I didn't have a squirrel stamp, so this skunk got painted brown and well, Laurie, with her master's degree in Squirrel Training, is about the only person who knows it's not accurate. I added on a little stamp saying "miss you"... because I do! Can't wait to see you next week... and until I get there, here's a website you might enjoy: http://www.squirrelworld.com/