Baby Love

This week is Photo Focus Week on the Pink Paislee blog and we’re going to be showing you projects that feature three or more photos.  A lot of scrapbookers struggle with getting multiple pictures on a page, myself included, so this week should be inspiring and motivating for those of us who need an extra push to get beyond those single-photo layouts.

This is actually the very first page I have scrapped of my new baby girl.  That is intimidating! I knew I wanted to show off more than one of the photos from this little home photo shoot, and I wanted the focus to be on her sweet face more than lots of layers or embellishments.

It can be tricky to design a multi-photo page without it looking cluttered.  I used the soft, subtle patterns of London Market here because they coordinated with my photos perfectly without being distracting… the paper and embellishments let the photos be where your eye is drawn.

I border cut five layers of scalloped grey patterned paper as a base for the twine-strung banner that anchors my photo grouping.  I outlined each photo in fine black pen to frame them and unite the group.  The photos themselves are small ,but as a collection (much like a gallery wall) they have a bigger impact.

The new Artisan Elements were excellent accents for this page. Their white background allowed me to add black details to coordinate with the rest of my page.  I used a Sharpie to outline where I wanted them to pop.

Simple and subtle details like this cluster compliment rather than distract from the photos.  I absolutely love the combination of London Market and the Artisan Elements.  So sweet!

Framed Baby Monogram Decor

My best friend is having baby number two TODAY and we are all so very excited for his arrival! She had her baby girl five weeks after I had Owen and the two of them are little besties.  Now I am pregnant with a girl and she is having a little boy… how very picket fences of us!

I will either be visiting them in the hospital tonight or tomorrow and I wanted to bring something homemade for the little guy’s room.  I whipped up this framed monogram in no time:

I used Fancy Pants’ Wave Searcher line… which is totally beachy but you would never know it from this project.  The frame and the wooden monogram are from the local craft store. 

The outer mat has been covered in paper and the edges inked.  I painted the wooden monogram in blue first, then distressed it with brown ink.  I covered the front in paper and tied a bunch of twine around the bottom.  The bottom right corner has an accordion circle and the upper left corner has a little chipboard banner. 

They can prop this frame up on a shelf or dresser or hang it on a wall.  Welcome baby Colin!!! You are so loved already!

Baby Sweetness

It seems like it is baby season. Everywhere I turn I find friends who are pregnant or have just had babies… and I love it! (However my ovaries are screaming. Danger, Will Robinson!)

I whipped up this little congrats card for a new bundle of joy. It’s created from the Pink Paislee Sweetness collection. The soft colors and florals are just perfect for a new little lady!

Owen’s first art project

Yeah, I know, it is super cheesy!!

But Daddy needed something to display at work and I was just *dying* to put messy paint all over my active toddler’s feet.    It took a couple of tries to get a clear print of his foot even though I had strapped him into his high chair. Grabbing the paper was entirely too amusing, apparently.  Owen had a little help from Mama with the antlers and… well, everything else.  But Daddy was really touched and thought Owen’s first art project was pretty special.  <3

The Big Ultrasound!

I hardly slept Sunday night in anticipation of the big anatomy ultrasound Monday morning. We made a wise choice when we set the appointment for first thing in the morning because we were seen right away and getting scanned within minutes. So what do we find?

It's a BOY!!!

Ryan and I are very excited and can't wait to meet our little man. It is hard to believe we are halfway through this pregnancy already. And where has the summer gone?? We have been incredibly busy and have more responsibilities lined up but it helps the weeks pass. Before we know it December will be upon us and life will never be the same!

Here's our healthy little boy:

The Beginnings of a Nursery

It turns out one could probably lose years of one's life looking at the options for baby bedding. From basic solid sheets to the full custom bedding decked out crib there are thousands of choices in a huge range of prices. Yikes!

We definitely plan on finding out the gender of this baby (6 days!) but I am not really into the all pink or all blue explosion for our baby's nursery. Luckily that actually helped us narrow down our choices for decor because SO much of what is out there is uber girly or screams "little boy". I'm a big fan of great design without breaking the bank and I felt it was important to make practical choices without sacrificing style. Given that we eventually want two kids I decided all our furniture and major gear should be gender neutral so it can go the distance.

I ended up stumbling upon this Carter's bedding:

It is totally adorable and made putting the rest of the room together super easy. We will be painting the walls the green color to match and putting in a beige carpeting. The glider is a chocolate brown wide courderoy and the furniture is a medium wood.

It was just coincidence that the scrapbook paper I last used for a reveal at A Cherry On Top happened to have some of the same colors. I had a blast making these three pieces of wall art:


More nursery updates to come after we paint and get the carpeting!

Oh my...

So, I've been bad. Really bad. I am guilty of abandoning my blog.

But no more! I vow to be better about my updates (at least until the next lull...) and keep you all better informed of my goings on.

So where the heck have I been?? Well, I have been a wee bit busy creating a new human! Ryan and I are totally thrilled that I am pregnant with our first baby and due in December. That means I am 20 weeks on Friday... halfway done!

Along with pregnancy comes a lot of reading, nesting, appointments, and exhaustion. My scrap mojo has somewhat gone on a vacation and all I want to do is fuss over the nursery and preparations for the little bean.

On top of that, my best friend is getting married in a month and I am her Maid of Honor (no Matrons here, thankyouverymuch!) AND she is also pregnant... seven weeks behind me. I think this may be the busiest summer in history.

So, to review:

- Sorry for not posting, blog followers... I'll be better!
- There's a bun in the oven!
- I've been busy. But "good" busy.